Operation Graduation

What do fun times, the potential for bad decisions, and lei stacked up to your nose all have in common? Yes, you guessed it, they all come with graduation season. 

The Maui Nui Youth Council is responding with an awareness campaign aimed at one of the most celebratory, and risky, times of the year for our high school graduates. While graduation is a milestone worth honoring, it also carries real dangers when youth are under the influence of alcohol or other substances at graduation parties. 

Cue the suspenseful music intro for… “Operation Graduation.”

The scene opens in the Southern Realm. No, not Kīhei, but Antarctica, where Agent Penguino, a super spy penguin, receives an urgent message: youth are drinking at a graduation party on Maui, and he must intervene. Equipped with a fish-freezing ray, agent Penguino — operating in an animal universe like Zootopia — freezes the alcoholic drinks into solid ice blocks and confiscates them. Mission accomplished.

Suspenseful music fades. “Operation Graduation Complete.”

Stay tuned for the final video – “Operation Graduation” will be completed in Summer 2026. 

But in all seriousness, this is not a lighthearted topic. The potential for life-altering, or even life-ending, alcohol-related harm is real in our community. In a place where allowing underage drinking at graduation parties is sometimes treated as a rite of passage, “Operation Graduation” doesn’t look away from that reality. Instead, it delivers a clear message: adults and parents can be a part of the celebration by choosing not to provide alcohol at graduation parties, keeping our graduates safe and their futures bright.

The campaign is part of a broader MCDFY effort this summer to educate Maui County residents about existing laws around underage drinking. The coalition, in partnership with the Maui County Council and the Maui Police Department, is working to make clear that the community, law enforcement, and local government are aligned on keeping keiki safe during graduation season and beyond.

To the class of 2026, congratulations on your accomplishment. Your future is bright, don’t dim it. And if you’re an adult at a graduation party and you see underage drinking, take a page from Agent Penguino’s playbook and put a freeze on it.