This year the organizers of the 2014 Project Graduation are making the lock-up their main fundraiser, said Jodie Barrett, treasurer of the organization.
The idea behind the lock-up hasn't been used in awhile for Project Graduation, but it's premise is simple: You pay $10 to have someone arrested — teacher, friend, parent, local official — and then the arrestee must arrange to pay $100 to bail out a student or $250 to bail out an adult.
Arrest warrants are available for purchase through October 18.
Detention at the Girl Scout hut across from the high school on Hamilton Street will be October 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., complete with a mock jail cell, Barrett said.
Mugshots from the lock-up will be posted to the event's Facebook page, where additional information can be found.
This will be Barrett's first time participating in Project Graduation as she has a child graduating from Roanoke Rapids in June.
For her, it is a worthwhile project that has seen near 100 percent participation by the school's graduating seniors in the past. The lock-up, she said, “Is a popular way of raising funds.”
With some $30,000 needed to put on the safe haven graduation party, she said organizers hope to make this the main fundraiser for the project. “You have to provide an atmosphere to entice graduates. We have to raise funds for music, games, entertainment, food, anything you can think of. You have to provide an atmosphere to entice an 18-year-old to spend the night there.”
Held at the T.J. Davis Recreation Center, once a senior arrives they are not allowed to leave. In exchange, however, there are cash prizes and graduation presents.
The committee sponsoring project graduation is traditionally made up of senior parents and often junior parents. “It's completely parent-driven,” Barrett said.
Project Graduation, she said, is about safety. “It's not just about my own child, it's about the entire group of seniors, giving them something to celebrate and not regret.”
For more information or to make a warrant request contact Barrett at 252- 536- 6887; Treva Neville at 252-532-1516 or Wendy Arthur at 252-532-4150.
