One of life’s rare but often times most anticipated events are periodic high school class reunions. It certainly is wonderful to reconnect with old friends and classmates after several years apart, but finding everyone and assembling them once again can be challenging. It’s also difficult to know what to expect, as the passage of time has undoubtedly changed and molded the kids you once knew into adults who may be very different from what you recall. Nevertheless, there are some things you can do if you’re planning such an event to make it comfortable and a good memory for all involved.
First of all, how in the world do you find all your former classmates? Where have they all gone? In today’s well-connected world of social media, going on the hunt online is very likely your best bet. Try Facebook. Once you assemble a group of old classmates, begin the process. Assemble a list. Find out what people know about others. Chances are you’ll begin to make good progress as you get multiple others involved and networking again. Eventually you’ll pull together a list of those who no one can seem to find. Work your network to try to locate them. Check your old hometown; perhaps old family members or acquaintances have a lead.
As you begin reaching out to old names and faces, it’s 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.
Make sure to commit early on to finding a venue for the event, and make people aware of this too as early as possible. Those who will need to travel some distance will appreciate knowing the location so they can arrange for hotels nearby or even a visit to local friends and family. It wouldn’t hurt to book a spot close to the town where you all grew up together, as it’s a pretty good chance that you will get a fair amount of response from people who still live within the area.
Have you considered what people will do at the reunion? Should you have a themed event with music and decorations from your time period, or is that a bit much for your tastes? Will there be games or special reminiscences? It seems appropriate that such a grand gathering calls for cocktails and a nice sit-down dinner, so one and all can be comfortable and get reacquainted in a festive setting. Keep things positive; don’t bring up anything that will embarrass or cause bad feelings, like uncomplimentary nicknames or bad memories. You all know each other’s past; a formal occasion where spouses are present is hardly the time to cut up about things that may humiliate others.
You should think about what the event will look like. Will it have a theme? Should there be music, décor or photos reminiscent of that era? Some reunions do fun things like a trivia game about old classmates or school experiences. Certainly dinner and a cocktail hour is a safe move, as people will be expecting this to be a major event where they can relax and enjoy a day or evening with old friends. Make the event and anything you plan upbeat and positive. Refrain from bringing up nasty old nicknames, or embarrassing stories that may best be left in the past. Remember spouses will be present. Keep it clean and respectful. Don’t dredge up old awkward tales that will only create resentment.
For the organizers of these kinds of events there is obviously a cost factor to booking a venue, catering and planning. When you invite old classmates, they’ll likely expect that you’ll ask for a registration fee to help share the cost of the gathering. Just don’t make it so expensive that they’ll think twice about attending. You can plan a good event without going overboard on price.
Of course this event will incur a cost, if you’re serving food and drinks and booking a venue, and perhaps having entertainment. It’s not fair for one or a few to shoulder that cost, so charging a nominal fee of some sort is certainly in line. Just make sure that you’re not charging an exorbitant amount that would be prohibitive to attendees. Plan an event that is not so extravagant that it would prevent some from making the trip.
Finally you’ve worked hard to reassemble the old gang, and you’ve 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 don’t have to wait until future high school class reunions to say hello!
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