Graduation is near and seniors are finally ready to turn in their textbooks and Chromebooks and pick up their caps and gowns. Promise Fest is a last chance for students to make memories before they realize they won’t ever enjoy the tasty school lunch again.
On May 9, at the Arcadia Creek Festival Place, the graduating Class of 2025 was celebrated with a fun, circus-like event hosted by the Kalamazoo Promise. This event included raffles, games, free food and more and was a great way for seniors to celebrate their accomplishments and ensure that all of their paperwork was filled out for their Promise scholarships.
“The Promise event has been great. It definitely relieves some of the stress for what I’m doing after high school,” senior Fletcher Haase said.
After getting their ticket, students received a lanyard that contained a meal ticket, a treat ticket and a merch ticket. Students could use the merch ticket to receive a bag containing a Promise Fest shirt, a pair of sunglasses, treats and a scavenger hunt slip.
Students who completed the scavenger hunt were entered into a raffle to win one of four laptops. For the scavenger hunt, students were assigned four tasks: take a picture with their Promise coach, sign the Promise Fest banner, visit a community or college table and find the striped shirt wearing, mischief-maker: Waldo. The chief operating officer of the Kalamazoo Promise, Bob Jorth, was dressed as Waldo.
“They finally found something I could do,” Jorth joked.
The Promise event first started in 2019 when the former Dean of Students at Loy Norrix, Erin Middleton, thought that more should be done to celebrate the graduating class. Beyond assisting students with their scholarship acceptance forms, Promise Fest became that fantastic celebration.
“We started in the gym. All we had were 11 by 13-inch papers, and students designed them for what they were gonna do after high school,” said Promise pathway coach manager Melissa Nesbitt, describing 2019’s Promise Fest.
Seniors agree that 2025’s Promise Fest was helpful. Aside from the free stuff, students enjoyed meeting with the recruiters and getting help from the promise coaches.
“It’s a really fun event that helps seniors prepare for their future,” Haase said.
The promise event isn’t just for seniors moving on to college. The event had community tables from the U.S. Army, Kalamazoo Metro, KVCC and so much more.
“There are tons of things here to figure out what you want to do if you aren’t planning on attending college,” Nesbitt said.
Graduating and figuring out what they’re gonna do with the rest of their life can be very stressful, but a lot of students felt the event helped relieve some of the stress that comes with graduating and moving on to the next stage of their lives.
“The Promise event definitely helped take off stress about college,” senior Ava Ritenour said.
Promise associates also used the event to encourage students to finish high school strong and continue on with their decisions. As students finish high school, they can get burnt out and overwhelmed.
“There’s something called ‘summer melt,” Jorth said, “where students will say they’re going to go somewhere and then they don’t show up. Part of this is to engage with students and help them get through that.”
The Promise scholarship itself is also a way to get students to continue their education. Established in 2005, the Kalamazoo Promise has been supplying KPS students with a scholarship to cover up to 100% of their tuition and fees for almost any college in the state of Michigan.
According to their website, the Promise has awarded over 8,700 students with over $230 million in scholarships. To be eligible for any amount of the scholarship, students must attend a KPS school for at least all of high school and graduate from a KPS school. Those who attend KPS from kindergarten through 12th grade receive free college tuition.
“The ultimate goal of the promise is to get students through post-secondary education, and hopefully a good career,” Jorth said.
By supporting students in reaching their future goals, assisting them in receiving free tuition and giving them a super fun celebration, Promise Fest could definitely be considered a success. As seniors pick up their caps and gowns on May 13, they will be one step closer to finally completing their long and memorable high school experience.
