About Class
Reunions
Class reunions can be a wonderful chance to renew old friendships, meet people you didn't know in school and share memories. The gatherings can also be anxiety-producing, status-checking, network-or-die ordeals that you can't wait to escape.
Evolution
Class reunions were uncommon when people rarely moved far from where they were born. But the baby boomers, children born between 1947 and 1960, became the best educated, most mobile generation in history. They also created a new market---for nostalgia. Class reunions, which had been low-key social gatherings, became weeklong extravaganzas. Dinners, dances and the big Homecoming Game became essential elements of reunions.
Significance
A class reunion is many things to many people. Its major significance, though, is to keep contact with roots and a sense of place. Renewing acquaintainces with people and traveling to the places that were once so important in our lives helps refresh our perspective on what's happened to us since. We also have a chance to give a significant other a glimpse into our past.
Type
The type of reunion that a group decides to have depends on a number of factors such as size of the class, location of the school and leadership. Many groups hire professional organizers to plan activities, particularly if the group is large or lacks volunteer organizers. Smaller groups---or groups who have had reunions---often plan events themselves. Large schools in metropolitan areas, or smaller schools that have had areas "grow up" around them, often have more options for activities and accommodations than smaller, rural schools.
The Facts
Early reunions, for example 10- to 20-year reunions, tend to focus on establishing status or territory. It's a rare group that doesn't schedule its big dances and parties during this period. After 20 years, the focus turns toward re-bonding activities such as school tours and football games, with more informal dinners and picnics the rule. The easiest way to make sure that your reunion is a pleasant, low-stress event is to get involved in its planning and insist on setting goals and planning events around those goals.
Expert Insight
Most complaints about reunions are grounded in "one-upmanship". Stay away from social climbers and concentrate on enjoying the event, catching up with old friends and making new friends among those you never got to know in school. Break off from the crowd with some friends to visit old stomping grounds. Check with your old school for an alumni association before paying to join online groups.
Tags: Class reunions, About Class, About Class Reunions, know school
