Planning a class reunion - class reunion ideas-

Hay! Classmates had fun
by Pat Fridgen
"Hi Ho Silver!" was the theme of the Canby, Minnesota, 25th high school class reunion held on the 25th of the month.

The Western theme included red and white checked tablecloths at a dinner of chicken and ribs though the organizer said she just couldn't go with baked beans. A musical classmate wrote a song of reminiscing to the tune of "Oklahoma," our school play. And denim was the dress code.

The crowning touch, was an afternoon get-together for classmates, spouses and children. We were treated to a hayride through town on a wagon. You can get away with this in a small farming community where the streets are nearly deserted at midday. The hay wagon re-appeared at the site of the dinner and program. Forty classmates tried to get up gracefully on or around the bales for a group photo.

One-third of the Class of 1973 plus spouses attended this reunion. The goal of the next reunion, as always, is a 100% turn-out of folks who may be middle-aged physically but young at heart.

Sure to be hits
1. Plan a tour of your alma mater. Our hayride ended at the high school where a staff member supervised our visit. Except for classmates who continue to live in Canby, few had been back to the school since graduation. What a bunch of kids we suddenly became. Memories flooded back. We remembered the oddest details, laughed and commiserated over campus experiences. It was fascinating to explore every nook and cranny of the building. The staff person grinned through it all and asked if the school looked smaller. "Yes!" was the resounding reply.

2. Prepare a master list of classmates' addresses. This may be expensive and cumbersome for large classes but could be one or two pages for some schools. E-mail addresses are also desirable and should be requested on RSVP cards.

3. Invite teachers as honored guests and pay for their meals. People are interested in what has become of faculty, especially those who have retired. At reunions student-teacher relationships become friend-friend.

4. Track down classmates who moved away before graduation, even those who left in the elementary grades. This can be a real challenge. At the reunion everyone can brainstorm names of lost friends and collect any known information on their whereabouts. Recruit an ambitious volunteer to continue to gather addresses over the next five years (or whenever the next reunion is). Lost friends will be flattered to be found and remembered and it will make for good visiting. We caught up on news with two such friends.

5. Share organizing chores which tend to fall on those who live in the old hometown. But with today's ease of communication, even those who live farther can effectively do some of the work (compiling biography booklets, planning entertainment).
The older we get, the more nostalgic we become for the good old days of our youth. These tips can help make great the reunion that reunites us with those who shared that special time in our lives.

About the author
Pat Fridgen, former weekly newspaper editor, is now a freelance writer and mom to five children, ages 4-16. Her husband Joel's job brought them from Minnesota to Pennsylvania, so reunions have added importance.

The purpose of the Silverton (Oregon) High School Alumni Association (SHSAA) is to create a scholarship fund large enough to offer every graduating SHS senior a scholarship to further his or her education. It need not be a state college or university, but may be a trade school including beauty school, barber college, pet grooming, or whatever interests that senior. We publish a newsletter twice a year to promote scholarship donations and keep alumni informed of upcoming class reunions.

The newsletter is created in PageMaker and posted on the website in pdf format, so anyone can read it online or print it out. Click on the button “Alumni newsletter” at www.shsfoxes.com.

We hold an annual all-class party and Silent Auction at the Oregon Garden for anyone who ever attended Silverton High and their friends. During the evening, a buffet dinner is served. Tickets are sold for a 50-50 raffle where the winner splits the "pot" with the Alumni Association. Silverton merchants, businesses, residents and alumni donate items for the auction. Bid sheets are prepared with pictures of the items so when the item is claimed at the end of the evening, there are no questions. Our former principal builds furniture, mostly tables of various sizes, and offers them for the auction. In 2006 we raised $5,500 and in 2007 surpassed our goal at $7,800.

The auction consists of many items donated by local merchants, residents, alumni, and businesses. Some businesses (like the funeral home and real estate brokers) make cash donations in lieu of an auction item.

Three of us go door to door in Silverton, asking for donations. We split the list so we don't duplicate. Nearly everyone we ask has something to donate. We hesitated on three new businesses that had just started this summer, but introduced ourselves and explained about the silent auction. We let them know we understood if they wanted to skip this year, but all three wanted to support us! Two donated auction items, and the third made a cash donation.

It all started in 1993 when the Silverton High School Class of '63 could not find a reasonable use for approximately $900 left over from their 30th reunion. After discussion of possible alternatives, they decided a scholarship would be appropriate. Then they decided that, instead of one blast to one student, it could be "seed" money to establish a continuing scholarship program.

Mason Branstetter, a member of the reunion committee, met with Directors of the Silver Fox Foundation to ask if they'd provide temporary legal shelter while the Alumni Association was organized. They agreed; however, during the next several years, little was accomplished toward the creation of the SHSAA until Mason was joined by others in 1996. The financial report was $2,033.75. New business was to award the first scholarship of $100. A goal of reaching $100,000 in an investment account was established and it was established that scholarships would only come from the interest earned on invested principal.

Now, 10 years later, over 1,000 alumni are either paid full members or have at some time paid their $5 annual dues. The association grows exponentially. We have a databank of over 14,000 alumni from SHS starting with the first 3-year graduation class of 1908.

Our first major contributor was Verl Cochran, an ever-present Fox fan at every home and away game for many years. As owner of the school bus lines and other positions of responsibility, he was always there to lend a helping hand. His was the first significant donation, which pushed the investment account to five figures.

We have accumulated an amazing investment principal of $265,000. On one occasion, we received a "window" envelope that appeared to be a solicitation to another fundraising effort. Imagine our surprise at a check for $50,000 from a 1949 Silverton High alumni.

Because ours is a federally recognized 501(c )(3) not-for-profit corporation, donors get tax credit. For every $100 donors send, they get approximately $40 tax credit. The $40 figure is computed from 31% federal and 9% State of Oregon income tax bracket donor.

This is first and foremost an organization of people. Money is important and scholarships are the main reason for the organization's existence, but following very closely is the principle of alumni relationships. Without the unselfish support of all who help with class reunions and many extremely loyal and dedicated stalwarts of the SHSAA, we would simply wither up and blow away.

Minot, North Dakota, is a town of about 38,000. Minot Air Force Base, ten miles north, adds 10,000 or so to the population. Minot was a railroad town in the early days, named after Henry D. Minot, who came in with the railroad. It is a good, clean town, with a low crime rate and one of the best school systems anywhere.

Minot Model High School was established in 1926 as a school where Minot State University students could do student teaching for their education and teaching degrees. Classes were limited to 35, allowing close student and teacher relationships, with extra attention not found in larger classes. One main teacher supervised each student teacher and there were new student teachers every quarter. We had marvelous bands, choirs and athletic teams. Our boys basketball teams won five of seven Class B state tournaments between 1947 and 1953. In 1968, the state decided they no longer needed training schools. Students transferred to public schools, which was hard because Model was the only school most had ever attended.

Every five years we have an all-school reunion in Minot to renew friendships and relive our wonderful past at the training school. Every six months I send a newsletter, so we always have up-to-date addresses-very useful when we are planning reunions.

Five hundred attended our 2005 reunion. The three-day event included a social with hors d'oeuvres, class pictures, a banquet and program, dance and Sunday brunch. We honored veterans, those lost in 9-11 and wars, and alumni lost since we were last together in 2000. Very colorful decorations were the blue and red of the Beaver Kits of Minot Model. A revamped choir performed two songs before the banquet, and la local band played songs from the '50s and '60s.

We award yearly scholarships to descendants of Minot Model graduates or those who attended the high school until it closed.

Contact Judy Thorson Ross (judyann@srt.com), Class of 1961 and Editor of the Model Messenger, Minot, North Dakota.

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