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Liz Kench: Up All Nite

This year’s Nite in Hand (NIH) marks its 35th annual graduation event, as Daniel Hand High School (DHHS) hosts its own students on June 16. This affiliate program of the national Project Graduation program creates a safe space for graduating seniors on their big day by providing a fun-filled gala at the school and the chance for one last party with their classmates.

As this year’s chair of design, Elizabeth Kench says she really wanted to step up and be part of the effort.

“I have a senior at Hand, so I know about it. I volunteered last year to help with registration. Really for years, I thought about volunteering, so this year, I went to the meeting in the fall looking for volunteers. There wasn’t anyone volunteering for design, so I kind of ended up as chair of design,” Liz laughs. “And here we are!”

Chair of design might sound like an easy position, but NIH is a secretly themed event for seniors, which requires hours of planning and logistics to create and build the massive set pieces that make the event so special. Liz’s role is one of the most critical jobs associated with the event — the surprise theme having to outdo past events and expectations of the grads.

“We come up with the theme, which I can’t tell you about. Then it’s about coordinating volunteers to put it all together. It’s a surprise every year, and it’s a different theme every year, and it doesn’t get revealed until the night of,” Liz says. “I can’t reveal anything because it’s a big secret, but folks can come on June 16 to see the open preview for the town.”

Liz says she attended a preshow walkthrough many years ago, which solidified, for her, how important the event was to the students and to the town.

“They do a preview a few hours before the event every year for the town. A lot of people come through. I can remember when our family first moved here in 2015, taking my kids to the preview and just being in awe of how grand it is. It really is quite a production, and the students really love it,” says Liz. “When I and my kids walked through there, we said ‘Wow! I can’t believe they put on such a big amazing event for these kids.’”

Liz says it is important for every Madison resident, not just parents, to partake in the event.

“This is now a 35-year tradition. It was started to keep the kids safe after graduation and to have a place for them to go instead of going to an unmonitored party,” Liz says. “The point of this is to keep the kids together and obviously keep them safe. But it’s also an opportunity for one last party with classmates. As a mom, keeping the kids safe is important to me. Also, I just love the thought of the kids being able to get the whole class all together one last time because a lot of these kids have been together since kindergarten, and how much will they really see each other in the future after they graduate? To get everyone together and maybe even meet new friends and spend some time together. It’s just such a fun night, and I just love the idea of it and appreciate that it happens every year. It’s ultimately not just for the kids who are graduating; it’s for the town. If you’ve never seen it before, you might not realize what goes into it and what it really means for the students and Madison.”

Liz says the students absolutely love the event and the buildup of the surprise theme as graduation approaches.

“The kids really look forward to it. It’s a great time for everyone to spend those last moments with each other because I think they realize they are spreading out all over the country after graduating,” Liz says. “As a parent, I’m seeing where all my daughter’s friends are going, and they are going all over the country. So, how much are they going to get to see each other anymore? It’s nice to have this special time for them to celebrate.”

Liz praises all of her colleagues and volunteers, especially Bailey Beaudry and Mary Didiuk, who have been her biggest helpers.

“I really want to thank all of the volunteers we have because this is all volunteers and parents we have that help out through all the grades, not just senior parents. We definitely need volunteers, and we need a slew of volunteers the night of,” Liz says. “The event takes place from 10 p.m. to five o’clock in the morning, and so we have signups throughout the night because there are so many different areas and so much going on,” Liz adds. “There are themes going on, there’s food all night [and] a DJ. There are activities all night, so we need adult bodies in the room to help us get through that. If there’s anyone in town who’d like to help out, we would certainly welcome that. We appreciate help from anybody and everybody on this.”

Adult volunteers are needed for the overnight portion of the event on June 16 to assist in chaperoning students. The event also needs helping hands of any age to assist in moving the large set pieces required for the event on June 15.

“In addition to that, we have to move all this in. We are basically creating sets like a theatre, huge 11-foot walls that need to be moved into the building and set up and that a few days before the event,” says Liz. “We need bodies to get it in there. Once it’s all painted and ready to go, we have to get it all in there.”

Liz says, “I think this is certainly a lifesaver. All we want in the end is to keep these kids safe and to go and to see what they’ll do with the rest of their lives.”

Anyone wishing to volunteer can contact Liz and the organizers via email at niteinhandmain@gmail.com.