Pitbull and DJ Khaled?  Harry Potter World and Spiderman? Where can graduating seniors find all these attractions? At none other than Universal’s “Grad Bash 2012.”

Academy Seniors traveled to Universal in Orlando on Saturday, April 21,  to participate in this year’s Grad Bash along with seniors across the state, including schools from other parts of the country.  Grad Bash features all attractions in the park as well as concerts with popular artists such as Katy Perry and Enrique Iglesias. This particular evening AHN seniors were able to see DJ Khaled and Pitt Bull perform.

Academy girls, wearing classy dresses and skirts, arrived at the park right after its gates opened at 7 pm.  Tornado watches and weather reports initially concerned parents and chaperones on the trip; however,  the girls were pleasantly surprised when not one raindrop fell while they were enjoying the park. Although the wait for each ride was very long, the girls were able to ride on a variety of attractions at Universal Studios but also at Islands of Adventure and Harry Potter World.

Senior Clare Davis had a very enjoyable time that evening. “It was awesome! I thought it was really cool to be in the park with only kids our age.”

Several seniors had the same reaction as they were able to spend time with friends from other schools not only from Tampa, but all across Florida and the United States as well. One girl said she saw her friend from summer camp while she was waiting in line for a ride.

One of the best parts of the night was when DJ Khaled and Pitt Bull took the stage and performed some of their most popular songs for the Seniors of 2012. The concert was loud and exciting and even featured B.O.B, another famous singer.

Although the evening appeared to go quite smoothly, a few complications occurred. A few of the rides, such as “The Mummy” and “Forbidden Journey”, experienced technical difficulties and stopped in mid-ride. Also, the bus ride back consisted of some problems. The temperature in the bus was very cold, and the driver had little power in controlling the cold air that was blowing through the bottom of the windows. Luckily, the ride home was not very long, and the girls were warm in their beds by 4 am.

Chaperones attending the event were two faculty members and spouses Mr. and Mrs. Joe LeBas (Edie) and Mr. and Mrs. Odell Swafford (Edna). The science department held up their end with chaperones Ms. Judy Perella, Department Chair, and Ms. Danielle Groenen, physics teacher.

Grad Bash was quite a long night for seniors across America, but a very eventful one indeed. From being able to enjoy Universal until 2 am, to seeing friends from different cities and states, AHN seniors were able to have one last fun evening with their classmates as their days remaining at Academy.