UNITY — As the students prepare to graduate this week, one class decided to celebrate a little early — only 50 years later.
Students from the class of ’75 found themselves back in Unity for a 50th high school reunion on June 20 and 21 at the Unity Golf Course. The idea of a reunion was mentioned back in March by a few graduates who remained local: Sharon Del Frari, Kathy Johnson, Sheila Hayward and Tom Stephenson. With the help of technology, classmates Sherry Nichols (Housen) and Donna Phillips (Steeves) joined in on the hunt for other graduates.
Many classmates were easily found through social media, local connections and even online searches. While some continued to make Unity their home after graduation, others travelled many miles for the event.
“Some who travelled the farthest were from north of Quesnel, B.C., and throughout the Okanagan Valley, as well as Calgary and Grande Cache, Alta.,” said Del Frari.
Invitations were not only sent to the graduates, but also to classmates who left the community or dropped out before Grade 12.
“These were people we grew up with up until Grades 10 or 11. Some of them dropped out or left town, but we wanted them to be a part of this milestone,” said Stephenson.
The reunion started on Friday night with a small social for those who wanted to get together early. The next day, a tour of the high school took place in the afternoon. With a steady downpour of rain, many who had planned to skip the tour to play golf instead found themselves wandering the halls once again.
“We were all standing in the entryway of the school, and soon we were seeing people we had not seen for years standing before us. We were all excited to see each other again and reminisce of the good old days,” laughed Stephenson.
As the tour moved through the halls, it was noted that one of the female students from the grad class was the first-ever female to take shop class — something unheard of at the time. Other stories included students sneaking out of the art room window — now the current weight room — getting caught smoking behind the school, a runaway mouse from a bad biology class experiment, and the rumour of a teacher holding a student upside down over a banister. Following the tour, the alumni returned to the golf course for an evening of visiting.
Just when the graduates thought they’d celebrate without teachers keeping an eye on them, special appearances were made by former high school teachers. Jim Sego and Barry and Gail Golden all taught at the high school at some point, while St. Peter’s Elementary teachers Eileen Sperle, Deanna Wildeman and Frank Miller also joined in on the fun.
“We did invite Ray Miller, who was our math teacher back then, but he was unable to join us,” added Stephenson in an interview with 麻豆视频.
While many of the graduates have now retired, Stephenson said it was interesting to hear what his classmates had done with their lives over the past 50 years.
“We have millwrights, people who worked with federated co-op, dental hygienists, people who worked in the oil field, and of course, farmers. It was a mix of professions that came out of our class.”
Of the 70 students who graduated, 33 made the trek back to their hometown for the reunion. Over the years, some classmates passed away due to illness or suddenly, including the most recent loss of classmate Willie Feist, who succumbed to cancer just a week prior to the reunion.
As the weekend drew to a close, there was some discussion of holding a 55th reunion, as many in attendance were appreciative and impressed by the short notice organization of the committee.
“My phone has not stopped dinging today with kind words and thank you’s. I am just glad we had such a great turnout and am looking forward to five years from now,” said Stephenson.
