subject: Were Getting The Old Gang Back Together: Tips For Planning High School Class Reunions [print this page] High school class reunions only occur a few times in a lifetime, so theyre special events. Theres nothing quite like reconnecting with old friends and classmates you havent seen in years or even many decades, but making a gathering like this come together takes a lot of legwork. You also cant predict what to expect when people you knew as kids and teens show up years later as adults, with many more years of life experience. What has it done to them? As you plan the big reunion, lets look at some ways to make it a great one.
Perhaps the most challenging job ahead of you is actually locating and reaching out to old classmates. Where are they? How do you reach them? These days, a good first move is probably to hit the social media circles online. Facebook is an obvious first choice to mine for familiar faces. Once you get a small handful of classmates in your sphere of online friends it shouldnt be hard to work outwards from who you have and begin asking people who theyre still in touch with, or what they know about other old friends. Put together a list of whos missing in action and get your established contacts to work on helping to find them. Check your old hometown - are there family members who would know?
As you begin reaching out to old names and faces, its a good idea to establish a firm date for the reunion. Set that date well in advance and make it well known to all. This way your classmates - some of whom may live in other states by now, or even other countries - can have ample time to block out the date and begin making travel plans. Be considerate and give plenty of notice; this way you can build your chances of capturing as many people as possible for a well-attended event.
Along with the date, its wise to reserve a suitable location, and lock it in early. If some are traveling from out of state, theyll be grateful to know the site, so they can book hotels nearby or make plans to visit with friends or family in the local area around the time of the reunion.
Give some thought to how the actual event will happen. Should there be special segments or formal speeches? Do you want to have some kind of fun trivia game about your past lives? Surely since this is a momentous event its expected that people will be able to sit down to dinner and perhaps enjoy cocktails. You want to foster an environment of collegiality and comfort. Keep the night upbeat, and steer clear of turning this into anything resembling a bawdy roast at anyones expense. No one came here after all these years to be embarrassed or hurt. Leave the thoughtless nicknames and off color stories alone.
Its almost a certainty that some of your old classmates wont be present because theyve passed away. Should they be remembered? Of course. Finding a way to honor them seems only right. For those youve lost, a thoughtful and classy reminder that theyre not forgotten is to set up a display with their photos and a kind message.
Inevitably the question arises as to whether you should honor classmates who have passed away. It seems only appropriate and right to find a way to acknowledge them and let everyone know that theyre missed and in the thoughts of their former classmates. Perhaps a tribute wall with photos would be a tasteful remembrance.
After youve made the effort to find everyone and finally have them all together in one room, wouldnt it be nice to suggest that they all stay in touch from here forward? This is your chance to do so. Especially if you look forward to future high school class reunions, this is the time to collect contact information from those willing to give it. Today a reasonable suggestion that most would likely agree to would be to create a private class page on Facebook, so everyone can opt in and keep tabs on one another; this way you can share messages and communicate regularly.
Finally youve worked hard to reassemble the old gang, and youve come this far. Why not find a way to make sure you all keep in touch? Offer a way for everyone to give their contact information, if they so choose, so people can stay connected. Or perhaps more appropriate and efficient in this high tech age, create a Facebook page for your class and let members opt in. This way everyone is literally a click away so they dont have to wait until future high school class reunions to say hello!
