Two Rahway Moms Took Over the PTO in December. Now They’re Racing to Bring Back a Graduation Tradition.
After nearly a decade, the Rahway High School PTO is reviving Project Graduation on a tight timeline, a shoestring budget, and a lot of community heart.
Rahway High School seniors will celebrate Project Graduation at the Rahway Recreation Center on the night of June 18. (The Central Jerseyan)
Chris Howell | May 11, 2026
When the two parents running the Rahway High School PTO were called away for military reserve duty earlier this year, the organization was left without leadership right in the middle of planning season. Trish DeGregorio and Amy Garcia Phillips, who had known each other for years, agreed to step in around December.
Now, just weeks before graduation, they’re scrambling to pull off something that hasn’t happened in Rahway since 2017: Project Graduation.
“We’re kind of behind the game,” Garcia Phillips said.
For decades, Project Graduation has existed as a drug and alcohol-free alternative for graduating seniors seeking to celebrate the milestone. The night they graduate, the departing seniors will be locked in at the Rahway Recreation Center. It’s free to attend. They can arrive between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. and won’t leave until 6 a.m.
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The city is donating use of the facility at no cost, but the PTO still needs to cover food, activities, entertainment, and supplies. Organizers expect around 120 students to attend, but with a senior class of roughly 350, they must also be ready for a much larger turnout. And graduation is June 18.
The stakes feel especially high for this class because these seniors were sixth graders when COVID-19 shut down schools in 2020. For them, the end-of-elementary celebrations that Rahway kids typically look forward to were wiped out.
“They didn’t get their stuff in sixth grade,” DeGregorio said. “They deserve a little extra.”
The night will feature music and dancing, a movie room, and a chill lounge for students who just want to hang out. One of the faculty chaperones is an EMT. Students need a signed parental permission slip to attend.
The night they graduate, the departing seniors will be locked in at the Rahway Recreation Center. (The Central Jerseyan)
The PTO is also looking for volunteers. For legal and insurance purposes, organizers need at least 8 to 10 adults per hour throughout the night. They’re particularly hoping to hear from parents of younger students, since both DeGregorio and Garcia Phillips will also be at graduation before heading to the Rec Center.
To raise money, Garcia Phillips attended a City Council meeting to make a public appeal. The two also set up outside the Waiting Room restaurant to collect donations in person. What they heard stopped them in their tracks. Alumni lined up to share memories of their own Project Graduation nights.
“People said it was such an incredible time,” Garcia Phillips said. “And people who didn’t go said they really wished they had.”
Both DeGregorio and Garcia Phillips have seniors graduating this year. Watching their own kids bond with classmates through the long senior year made the mission feel personal.
“I see my senior bonding with his classmates in a way that only happens in your senior year,” Garcia Phillips said. “This is one more way to bond together before they all go out into the world.”
“Every class deserves a little something,” DeGregorio said. “Let’s make this a staple again.”
Anyone who would like to donate or volunteer can contact the Rahway High School PTO at [email protected].
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