Americans have long enjoyed the ritual of the school reunion. Former high school classmates probably gather the most often, because secondary education is the final required stage of schooling in the United States. High school also coincides with perhaps the most vivid and emotionally charged era of a person’s life, the teenage years.
Reunions can take place at all levels, however. Colleges, universities, and graduate schools organize reunions of their former students partly as a marketing tool: reunions reconnect and inspire alumni, which undoubtedly boosts charitable giving to the alma mater. Although less common, individuals who feel so inspired may even organize a reunion of their junior high or middle school colleagues, an elementary school class, and even friends from kindergarten.
Summertime is heavily favored for school reunions. The weather’s apt to be good, it’s easier for faraway folks to travel, and the reunion is likely to be close to the anniversary of the participants’ graduation. Thus, the majority of school reunions occur in June, July, August, and perhaps late May. Annual reunions are rare, though. People prefer to schedule them in five-year increments: the first will usually occur 5 years after graduation, and the rest at 10, 15, 20 years, and so on.
A reunion may involve anything from a single reception or meal to a series of events across a weekend, and even a shared vacation such as a cruise. In the more typical weekend-long version, an informal cocktail party might occur on Friday evening, when many attendees may still be en route; a formal dinner and dance on Saturday; and picnic or barbecue on Sunday, when some folks may have already started for home.
Traditionally, volunteer participants have organized school reunions. Since they must identify locations for the gatherings, most often they live locally. Other tasks involve finding and inviting their former classmates, budgeting for expenses so they can assess a fee from the other participants to pay for them, and referring out-of-towners to suitable accommodations.
Professional reunion planners are an option. NARM, the National Association of Reunion Planners, refers school reunions to trained and experienced planners in their region. Similar to a wedding planner or convention organizer, a professional reunion planner relieves the stress from the process so the attendees may just relax and enjoy.
The Internet has done a lot to boost class reunion activities. Websites such as Classmates.com, Switchboard.com, and Reunion.com help reunion organizers find other people from their town, school, and time period. Other sites help volunteer organizers put the event together. Examples include AlumniClass.com, CreativeReunions.com, and ReunionPlanner.com. Then there are online companies, like MyEvent.com and ClassReport.org, that facilitate the creation and maintenance of class reunion websites.
Social media have made school reunions even more of a DIY phenomenon than ever. LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and other Internet tools make finding old friends and setting up a school reunion event page a snap.
To learn more about high school reunions, visit http://www.classmates.com/registration/services/reunion/planner
Walang komento:
Mag-post ng isang Komento