Planning A High School Reunion

There were five of us sitting in the pizzeria just down the road from the pub where the wake was still under way. The funeral had been held at the crematorium in the northern suburbs of Sydney. "We" are a group of school mates and it was now 29 years since we'd left that esteemed establishment. The conversation moved through shock at our friends death, scandal at the unknown cause and the strange manner of his finding and laughter at our reminiscences. Then someone happened to mention that next year would mark the 30th anniversary of our leaving the institution that had taken us in as precocious pre-teens and spat us out six years later as world-wise budding adults.

We should have a reunion, one of us suggested.

So that's how it started.

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Class of 2002 Shirt by ElleDeeEsse
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Class of 2002 Shirt by ElleDeeEsse
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Our school was complicated. When we started there, we were the Girls' school and next door was the Boys' school. Five years later, upon completion of another brand spanking new high school a few suburbs away, our two schools split with half our numbers disappearing off and the remainder reforming to become a new co-ed school. This was sensational for all of us 17 year-olds going in to our final year and having been segregated from the opposite sex for the past five years! I know my result in my final exams was a disaster. I can't speak for anyone else...

What this meant was that we were not just having a conventional Class of '76 reunion. We needed to include the other school. Those guys had been our mates for so long and they should be a part of this as well. We also decided to included those who had been with us up until Year 10 and left after completing their School Certificate Exams.

This was going to be a huge undertaking. We'd firstly need to try and track down as many people as we could think of, the boys of course would be easier than the girls. They don't tend to change their names! But first we had to identify who was in our year. This would mean tracking down old class lists. How were we going to find people and spread the word?

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Having a reunion stirs up lots of memories and they don't always revolve around your classmates and teachers. Sometimes it is the little things which come to mind such as the books you were reading and the music you were listening to. If you have an urge to track down an obscure book from your era, BetterWorldBooks.com is a great place to start.

If you need help locating people in Australia for your reunion give PalSeeker a go.

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We then had to think about a venue, music, food, activities, speeches, announcements, prizes, photos. Pulling it all together and making it work. Making it worthwhile for people to spend money to get there. Some people live inter-state now. Others live overseas. How could we organise an event when we didn't know how many people were going to be there? What sort of venue should it be?

We each took on a role and set about our tasks. We met monthly, at a pub, to compare notes on where we were up to. We mailed and emailed, compiled lists, door-knocked businesses for vouchers and gifts to be given as prizes, we had t-shirts produced. We called on the collective expertise that we knew lay amongst our numbers. We produced newsletters, name tags, tickets and online message boards.

And when it was all over, everyone agreed it had been a huge success. Who's going to take on the 40th? I don't know but I'm happy to hand over the reins. And all the knowledge I've gained.

So you've ended up with the job of organising your school reunion. Whether you jumped at the chance or it was just because everyone else took a large step backwards, you're it. At this end of the planning stage the task looks daunting to say the least, but, don't panic. Hopefully you've given yourself plenty of time. A year is good.

Choosing when to hold your reunion should probably be your first task. Once you know that, you'll know exactly how long you've got to get organised. When to hold it? That's entirely up to you but perhaps the anniversary of leaving your school would be a time that resonates with you and your classmates.

You should gather together a group of willing helpers as soon as you can and keep getting people involved along the way. As the old saying goes, "many hands make light work". You'll find each person brings their own unique skill-set to the table. More people also means more ideas to bounce around and more messengers to spread the word.

The biggest job by far will be locating old classmates. If you are lucky, you will already have the start of a contact list from a previous reunion. You'll want to start a database or spreadsheet where you can record everyone you are trying to locate and to enter correct details once contact has been made. Your fields or column headings should include: First Name; Surname Then; Surname now; Mailing Address; Email Address; Phone number; Contact Made - Yes/No; and Comments. Further on down the track you will probably want to add headings for Attending; Paid and possibly Ticket #. Add a second worksheet for income and expenditure and keep meticulous records along the way.

The first place to look for names is your old school year books. Depending on how long it has been since you left, your school may still have class lists. Failing this then it is down to brainstorming class photos. In my case, I seem to have shown one of my rare moments of foresight when, 30 years ago, I took the time to write eveyone's name on the back of my school photo.

Pink Floyd in Concert, London, 1966 Art Print

Masse, Bob

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Armed with your list it is time to play detective. Start with the people whose whereabouts and contact details you already know. Ask them to forward the information to people they are in contact with. Next start local. Going through your list of names, try the local phone listings. There's a good chance that the family of a classmate is still living in the area even if the person himself has moved away.

Write a letter explaining who you are and why you are contacting them. Ask for a reply to let you know either way if you have reached the right address or not so you can add this information to your list. Sometimes, you will make successful contact but for whatever reason your classmate will not be interested in reuniting with his old school mates. It is still useful for you to know that you have located that person so you don't continue searching.

Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, Rolling Stone no. 182, March 1975 Photographic Print

Preston, Neal

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Wherever possible, you should aim for an email address as this is far and away the easiest and most cost-effective method of dispensing information. Let people know that you will keep them regularly updated as your plans progress and try to get an indication as early as possible of their intention to attend the reunion. At this stage it is advisable to make a decision on whether or not partners will be invited.

Use telephone listings, social websites such as friendsreunited.com.au (or .co.uk), classmates.com, do google searches on less common names. It is pointless putting John Smith into a google search. Use facebook, myspace, twitter, etc to search. You may even be able to use electoral rolls if you have a hunch where someone might be.

Jimi Hendrix, Free Concert in San Francisco, 1967 Art Print

Loren, Dennis

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Facebook is indisputably an invaluable resource for locating and getting in contact with people. Use it to create a Page for your reunion then create an event. Invite all your relevant friends then get them to spread the word. Post information on your page and update it often

If you have someone on your organising committee with the right skills, start a website. Ask people to send you their high school or primary (elementary) school photos as well as sporting groups, end of year school dance, theatre production, around the playground and maybe even "now" photos and post them on your reunion website. Start a list of people that you have succeeded in locating and post it with a list of people you are still trying to find. Start a message board and invite people to post their own comments and ideas.

Facebook is a fantastic site for organising a reunion. You can create a page for the event itself and send invitations to people from there. More and more people are now members of Facebook although there are still many who aren't so don't rely on it wholely and solely.

Once this task is well under way it will start to take on a life of its own as word spreads freeing you to move on to more of the planning jobs. You will be getting an idea of attendance rate by now and should be getting a broad brush indication of numbers. This gives you a starting point for a venue. Don't get too hung up on trying to get the biggest or the best venue. From my own experience, our committee were beginning to fret over the venue until we looked again at our first choice and realised that what we had originally dismissed as a bit of a dump was in actual fact perfect for our needs. We would be transporting our guests back 30 years to a small club which in fact hadn't changed at all in that time! It would keep the ticket price down and allow us to spend some money on other items.

The Who in Concert Art Print

Masse, Bob

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With the venue booked you can now move on to the menu. Will the venue supply the food or will you need caterers? Are there any special dietary needs for your guests? Do you need to consider, for instance, a vegetarian, kosher or halal option? Are there any diabetic or food intolerant guests attending?

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