Photo: All Aboard. 

Entering Belmont High School less than three hours after graduation last Sunday, June 3, you’d have found yourself on the gangplank to a voyage into the future.

The 44th annual Belmont High School All Night Party transformed the hallways, the lunchroom and the school’s auditorium into a cruise ship – “USS Marauder” – with shuffleboard, casino games, Karaoke in the auditorium, a DJ and lots of food in the cafeteria and Pitch Perfect 3 on the widescreen. 

The annual eight hour-long party allowed Belmont High seniors a night to celebrate their graduation with their friends in a controlled, alcohol-free environment rather than going out on their own for unsupervised activities. Starting at 9 p.m. on June 3 and concluding at 5 a.m. on June 4, the “All Nighter” provided games, contests, dances, entertainment, music, food, refreshments and good times.

Thanks to the effort by the All Night Party Executive Committee, run by junior and underclass parents, which met for more than a year, and with the help of business supporters and food contributors, the committee undertook the monumental task of building out and decorating the rooms and cafeteria, organizing a boatload of volunteers, keeping the kids fed and raise the money – think north of $20,000 – to put it all together.

“Wow it’s hard to send our beautiful Belmont kids off to college next fall but I was lucky enough to be asked to be the lead sponsor of the year-end bash where the kids could wrap up the year together in a variety of fun and friendly and exciting events….while being safe,” said Anne Mahon. “Having coached some of these kids in basketball and soccer and worked with them in our after school program all I can say is the world is a better place when them in it and I’m so glad I got to know so many of these great kids.”