After graduation, Lake Placid High School seniors will board chartered buses and travel to Tampa for one final celebration together as the Class of 2027 aboard the yacht StarShip out of Tampa. Project Graduation, led by parent Betsy Canaveri, is hoping to raise $25,000 to fund this year’s trip. Any graduating Lake Placid High School senior can participate, and a $30 deposit due Nov. 20 will reserve a spot.
Project Graduation began in Maine in 1980 following a series of alcohol-related teen driving deaths during the previous year’s graduation season. The idea grew into a nationwide tradition of organized, substance-free celebrations for graduating seniors. Lake Placid’s Project Graduation tradition has included trips departing from both Fort Lauderdale and Tampa. For some seniors, it may be their first trip outside Highlands County or their first time aboard a boat. A celebration on a yacht is an experience many people never have, making the trip especially memorable for students.
Lake Placid Class of 2027 Project Graduation will hold fundraisers throughout the school year to support the trip and give the entire graduating class an opportunity to participate. Its rib dinner fundraiser this week sold out. A poinsettia fundraiser is also planned, with details to be announced soon, and the annual Mom Prom will return Feb. 27.
For Lake Placid High School seniors, Project Graduation is a chance to celebrate the end of high school with the classmates who shared the experience. For the community, the fundraisers are a direct way to support the Class of 2027 and help make that final celebration possible.
