Class Act Worth Saving

By Kyle Marksteiner

Without a miracle or two, this year’s “Class Act” celebration may be the organization’s final act.

In the spring of 1989, five Carlsbad High School seniors lost their lives to alcohol-related accidents, many of them related to graduation celebrations.

The following year, community members rallied to try to prevent such an unthinkable tragedy from occurring again. They established a post-graduation event aimed at providing a safe, alcohol-free way to celebrate. The grassroots effort became Class Act, a nonprofit organized under the benevolent hand of its founder, Judi Waters.

Seniors and guests celebrated with food, music, and a myriad of other entertainment options. Climbing walls, bouncy houses, and a wide variety of other activities were later added to the mix. Seniors attending the annual Class Act celebration also received significant prizes and gifts, as a way of incentivizing their safety.

The effort paid off. With Class Act becoming the annual hub of all graduation celebrations, there have been no teen alcohol-related deaths since that horrible year in 1989. Judi would go on to be recognized statewide for her lifesaving efforts. She continued her career in public service as a City Councilor.

Class Act has continued since Judi’s departure from the organization, as a host of parents and other volunteers have taken up the torch.

This year’s Class Act celebration will take place on May 22 at the Pecos River Village Conference Center. Hundreds of seniors will celebrate four years of high school triumphs and tribulations. Then, and this is the most important part, they’ll go home safely.

Raffle tickets are being sold to help with fundraising, while volunteer information is also available at www.classactcarlsbad.com

But organizers say that this year’s Class Act might be its swan song. COVID-19 did a number on nonprofits nationwide, and Class Act was no exception. Historic sponsors and funders have dried up or moved on to other projects, and the organization is struggling to meet its $90,000 annual budget. Without a financial Hail Mary, the lifesaving party that has saved countless teenage lives for 37 years may not exist for the graduating class of 2027.

Nonprofits were not the only entity to suffer from the turmoil caused by COVID and COVID shutdowns. The members of the graduating class of 2027 were abruptly pulled from school during the spring of their fifth-grade year. My daughter never got to perform her fifth-grade talent show act. They spent sixth grade online and experienced numerous disruptions throughout their middle school years. Many of them lost a friend to a fentanyl overdose in seventh grade.

Their ability to navigate more mature social situations was likely hampered by a massive disruption during these difficult transitional years. And that’s not counting burdens caused by social media and cell phone addiction.

In high school, extracurricular programs historically serving some of the most vulnerable teenagers have been abruptly cancelled, due to staffing or funding issues.

Point being (and speaking with a personal interest), the kids who will be graduating in Carlsbad in 2027 have had a wide variety of curveballs flung at them over the past decade. Here’s to hoping we can rally, like we did in 1989, and keep Class Act going so that they and the classes who follow will not be left to celebrate alone on graduation night.