Graying hairs, new families, and careers do not overshadow the teenage smiles that come back out at high school reunions. Even though lettermans have been replaced with business suits, the familiarity with old friends stays the same. 

Senior Gillian Semmler will be planning the Class of 2026 reunions. 

“I think we will have a class reunion. I feel like our class has so many people in it and groups that will stay friends for a long time so a class reunion sounds like a good idea. I would expect lots of catching up and reminiscing on old high school memories whether it’s funny moments, drama, or stuff we simply forgot about,” Semmler said. 

Ms. Stacey Pennington is one of the reunion organizers for the Class of 1984. 

“In order to reach classmates, I have maintained a spreadsheet of all the students. We no longer mail out invitations as social media has become our main platform to communicate.  Our 40th class reunion was held on June 22, 2024. After nearly a full year of creating the event, posting information, sending private messages to all members on Facebook, we were able to reach approx 80 percent of the members of the class. Sadly, only a small number of students decided to attend, 38 out of 261,” Ms. Pennington said. 

Mrs. Lisa Chase, Class of 1988, enjoys seeing old friends and reminiscing.

“I’ve been to many reunions. The early ones were more friends getting together because we all stayed in touch. Since it had not been too long since we graduated, it made seeing everybody again feel so familiar. But as we’ve gotten older, it’s a lot more special to see how everyone is doing and also sad to hear about ones we’ve lost through the years,” Chase said. 

For most high school alumni, catching up with old friends is the best part about reunions.

“I went to my first reunion this last summer, which was my graduation 30 years ago.  It was a lot of fun to see and catch up with people I had not spoken with in years.  There were people who I did not remember and some had changed dramatically, but that helped make it fun.  Our class officers planned the event, which was greatly appreciated,” Mr. Craig Bruns, assistant principal, said. 

Ms. Carah Derloshon loves being part of planning reunions. 

“Our 20 year class reunion was pretty casual. We had yearbooks on display, food and a cash bar. We made name tags with everyone’s senior picture on them. That was fun,” Ms.  Derloshon said. 

Old memories make for good conversations with old friends. 

“The reunions are mostly a social time. However, we have had musical entertainment at a few of them as well as dinner and dancing. We have a nice display to honor those classmates who have passed away along with a display of past yearbooks and some old memorabilia,” Pennington said.

Keeping in contact with friends from high school has made lifelong friendships for Mrs.  Lisa Chase.

“The biggest lesson I learned would be not to take everything that happens in high school so seriously. Enjoy every moment as once you get out your whole life starts. Also, keep your friends close. Some of my very best friends are the ones from high school. No matter where life took us, a handful of mine have stayed close for over 35 years now and I cherish those friendships. You will meet many people, and those will also become very close friends as well, but friends that stay close through childhood cannot be beat,” Mrs. Chase said. 

Seeing people that used to be a part of her every day routine all grown up was a fun part of the reunions. 

“A class reunion is a chance for classmates who graduated together to reunite and share memories and see how everyone has changed through the years,” Ms. Derloshon said. 

Connecting with old friends from high school is the best part of reunions. 

“My favorite thing about reunions is seeing everyone together. We had a very close knit class, and the joy that comes from the time together is nice.  Unfortunately, the number of attendees has dwindled over the years so it is less likely that we will continue to have large organized events.  It’s hard to say if the incorporation of social media has allowed people to stay in contact making the reunions less necessary or if over time people simply lose interest in revisiting the past. I have attended three of five reunions,” Mrs. Pennington said.