As graduation looms on the horizon for Western Dakota Tech students, graduation party plans are in full swing. Are you planning a graduation party for one of our students? If the answer is yes, here are a few easy and inexpensive ideas to make your tech grad's day extra special.
1. Think in numbers. Purchasing four cookie cutters in the numbers 2,0,1, and 4 can go a long way. Not only can you create actual cookies representing the year of graduation, but you can also use them to cut fruit (such as watermelon, honeydew, or cantaloupe) to create a festive fruit tray by skewering the numbers together. Freeze a few of the skewers and add them into a punch bowl as a festive accent to the beverage.
2. Offer a DIY photo booth. Set up an area with a camera on a tripod, pointed at a wall of blue and gold streamers. Have a few props on hand such as hats, glasses, moustaches or empty picture frames so guests can take silly or serious photos of themselves to commemorate the day.
3. Create a relevant menu. Get creative with your party snacks! If your graduate was in the nursing program, think about food such as mini hot dogs wrapped in crescent dough to look like bandaged fingers. If graduating from the Diesel Service Technology program, think of things such as mini chocolate covered doughnuts; instant spare tires!
4. Decorate in school fashion. Use balloons in blue and gold, and hang some school pendants on the wall. Streamers in shades of yellow and blue can be hung in the doorways. Roll silverware in white napkins and secure with a black ribbon to create the effect of a diploma.
5. Cherish the memories. Have a 'memory jar' available to guests along with small pieces of paper, and invite guests to share their favorite memory of the grad during school. Another way to do this is to frame a photo of the graduate with a wide cardboard mat, and have guests leave a few words of advice and sign the mat. After the party, the photo and mat can be mounted in a frame.
6. Create a money tree. Put a few small branches into a vase and clip on some clothes pins. Guests can pin money to the tree to help with expenses that the graduate may have acquired during their schooling.
No matter what degree the graduate has obtained from Western Dakota Tech, graduates have an excellent track record of finding careers in their fields. The Career Services Office can help studens be successful by assisting with resume and job interviewing skills, posting of career opportunities, hosting of on-campus job fairs, and career guidance.
