"This year we weren't supposed to have one," said senior class president Leticia Ioane, whose perseverance made it come together. "Our two original chairpersons copped out, there were liability issues and we hadn't done it for a long time."

Her initial efforts were met with resistance when she brought her ideas to the school's administration, she said, but she did her research, calling various sites to find out about liability, what they required of their attendees, safety hazards and accident records. She also calculated all the expenses and presented them to the vice principal.

"Through all the research, we managed to push it through," she said.

Nevertheless, without much adult support the students soon were starting to feel discouraged until a group of parents stepped up to the plate.

"It was the beginning of March with no money," said parent Marvalene Ahlo. "We had lots and lots of setbacks, so I can see where the kids got discouraged and didn't want to do it anymore."

Since March, the senior class has been doing lots of fundraising — volunteering at concession stands at University of Hawai'i sporting events and selling kalua pig and brownies. They have managed to raise between $6,000 and $7,000, keeping the cost for the 64 participating seniors to $125 each.

"The kids from Farrington really don't have a lot of money, so we worked hard to keep it low," Ahlo said.

As the money started coming in, the parents encountered another problem. Many of the sites they wanted to rent out were already booked. However, they managed to arrange a dinner cruise, cosmic bowling and four secret sites. "We got really lucky with most of our sites. They all came falling into our laps," Ahlo said.

There are still favors and decorations to deal with, and of course the graduation ceremony itself, but Ahlo isn't just ready, she's already thinking about how to make it better next year.

"It's exciting," she said. "I can't wait to see their faces. I think we're more excited than them. It's basically to keep the kids safe during graduation night. Alcohol-free and drug-free — that's our main motivation."

Keira Malina, co-chairwoman of the Project Graduation committee, said she is happy she and her classmates will be able to finish high school together in a safe environment.

"Rather than getting into trouble, we can have our last memories together," she said.

"We aren't always going to see each other. This is our last goodbye."