By Carolyn Cole/Staff Writer

Residents can help build Mustang High School’s Project Graduation by engraving their words into the new McDonald’s store brick and mortar.

The 1984 McDonald’s restaurant at state Highway 152 and Trade Center Terrace was demolished recently to make room for a more modern building set to open mid-April. Kate Brennan, community relations coordinator for Santiago-Brennan’s McDonald’s, said the company turned to the MHS senior marketing classes for ways to involve the community in the rebuilding project. The students suggested a fund-raiser for Project Graduation, selling a chance to engrave messages on bricks from the older building, which would then be used on an interior wall in the restaurant.

“They have a vested interest in it, which is even better because that makes them work harder to get the word out and raise more money,” she said.

Project Graduation is an all-night party giving Mustang seniors an alcohol, tobacco and drug-free place to celebrate after commencement ceremonies May 18. Organizer Jeff Vickers said the high school PTSA started the event 13 years ago after seeing studies showing prom and graduation nights are the most deadly for teenagers.

“Graduation night should be filled with a lifetime of great memories,” he said. “If just one tragic event is adverted on this night it is all worth it.”
Project Graduation has grown with the Mustang School District. About 80 percent of seniors are expected to attend and it takes over 100 volunteers and costs about $60,000 in monetary and in-kind donations to throw.

Vickers said facility rental and performer bills for the upcoming Project Graduation are already rolling in, and the brick engraving project could help them make ends meet. However, due to the quick plans to reopen the restaurant, bricks must be sold by March 7 so the messages can be engraved and mortared into the wall.

“It’s a great fund-raiser for us,” he said.

Each brick costs $20, and messages can be 28 letters, numbers or spaces long.

“It’s an opportunity for people to become immortalized as part of the new store,” owner Kevin Brennan said.

Brick orders can be purchased at Vicker’s Photography, 12124 W. Reno, or either Santiago-Brennan McDonald’s location — at Interstate 40 and Mustang Road and inside the Wal-Mart at Sara Road and state Highway 152. Orders can also be mailed to MHS Project Graduation, P.O. Box 511, Mustang, OK 73064. For information call Vickers at 324-2241.