# Who has been to a High School reunion?



## fuzzybuddy (Aug 31, 2019)

There were only 23 kids in my graduating class. I came from a small Massachusetts town. It wasn't until I got to college that I didn't have a cousin in my class. But class reunions came and went, and I didn't attend. Strangely, at all of them, no boys attended. Have you ever attended a class reunion?


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## A2ZGrammie (Aug 31, 2019)

I haven't. I was from a small school too. I think there were just over 70 in my graduating class. No one was very nice, and I suppose I would be considered a drama nerd. I liked drama, plays and speech contests, so I was picked on for that. Anyway, I had no desire to go.


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## New2Old (Aug 31, 2019)

Only attended my 10 year reunion...many, many MANY years ago...


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## StarSong (Aug 31, 2019)

Yes! 20th, 40th, 45th, and coming up on 50th.  I fly 3000 miles to get there and do so gladly.  Love our class reunions! Have renewed and created many close friends because of them.


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## Llynn (Aug 31, 2019)

I attended my 50th. Out of 35 about half attended. It was amazing to see how quickly we fell back into our old relationships with each other. All in all, It was a good experience but I feel no desire to attend another. Who wants to hang with a bunch of old people


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## Judycat (Aug 31, 2019)

Our reunions were canceled due to lack of interest.


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## Aunt Bea (Aug 31, 2019)

Nope!


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## AnnieA (Aug 31, 2019)

Have planned a few.  It sucked before the internet.


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## Marie5656 (Aug 31, 2019)

*My last was in 2012. 40 years.  I had only been to a couple before that.  I was kind of low on the social totem pole in school, did not have a lot of close friends.  But, when you go to a reunion it is like everyone was your best friend.
Have no intentions of going to another*


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## RadishRose (Aug 31, 2019)

Not I.


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## Aunt Bea (Aug 31, 2019)

Marie5656 said:


> *My last was in 2012. 40 years.  I had only been to a couple before that.  I was kind of low on the social totem pole in school, did not have a lot of close friends.  But, when you go to a reunion it is like everyone was your best friend.
> Have no intentions of going to another*


Me too.

 I got along with everyone but was never on the A list, not much has changed!


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## StarSong (Aug 31, 2019)

While planning the 40th a group of twenty of us created our own A list and have been in close contact ever since.  I love my group - we email about this and that almost every day.  We're a tremendous support system to one another and have walked together through losing a member through death, various parent and spouse deaths, challenges with children, grandchildren, spouses and exes, severe illnesses, etc.  One member is transgender, several are divorced, some widowed, some married, some single.  

It's a lot like SF but we knew each other (or of each other) back when we were young. No cyber hiding. Only a couple of the people were close friends back in HS. Most of us barely knew each other then, but we've sure become close in the meantime. Mini reunions, a few vacations together, staying at each other's houses, etc. We meet up whenever possible and however many of us can get there we make an effort to do so. 

HS kids are much better when you add 40-50 years.


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## Trade (Aug 31, 2019)

I went to the 25th and 50th.

Same cliques, different day.


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## Pecos (Aug 31, 2019)

I went to our 45th and the only person I recognized right off the bat was our old chemistry teacher and he looked younger that most of the students. We had about 100 people there out of a class of nearly 700 students. I finally found one guy who had been a friend when we were students. Like me he wound up as a engineer. 
I was definitely not on the A list. But with the passage of time it is surprising which people had the better careers and marriages. Most of the people who were "hot" stuff kind of dropped off the radar. It seems that the things they did in HS were the high points in their lives and that troubled me. Us funny little guys who were lousy at sports but enjoyed math and science got it right. (And we wound up with the best ladies to boot.) That was my first and last reunion.


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## Camper6 (Aug 31, 2019)

I attended a high school reunion.  I was embarrased.

I was the only guy from our class that showed up at the opening ceremonies.

I talked to one of my classmates later and asked him why he didn't come.

He said "Why should I show up". "I hated school".


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## jujube (Aug 31, 2019)

20, 30 and 50.  20 and 50 were fun, 30 was "strange".

At the rate everyone in my graduating class is dying off, the 60th could be held in my shower.


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## treeguy64 (Aug 31, 2019)

I organized a reunion with seven of my closest friends from elementary school, in the year we turned fifty. Some of my old buddies I hadn't seen in thirty years. It was pure magic. I had imagined looking up in the rear-view mirror of the large passenger van I rented, and seeing the faces of my old friends. The realization was unbelievably cool. 

Unfortunately, magic was not in the air for the second and third time we got together, two and four years after that first reunion. Sadly, I withdrew from the event I had started. As far as I know, they got together one more time, and that was it.


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## Lochkelly (Aug 31, 2019)

New2Old said:


> Only attended my 10 year reunion...many, many MANY years ago...


Me too.  None after that.  Some things (people) never change.


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## Sassycakes (Aug 31, 2019)

I didn't go to any of my reunions ,but I went to 2 of my husbands, his 30th and 40th. I went to an all girl  High school and remained friendly with a lot of the girls I was in High School with. My Husband went to an all boys High School and since we met when I was only 15yrs old I knew a lot of the boys he went to school with so I enjoyed those reunions.


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## Pink Biz (Aug 31, 2019)

*Went to my tenth because a friend talked me into it. It was a complete waste of time. I hated high school and reunions are meaningless to me.*


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## Judycat (Aug 31, 2019)

My husband went to his 50th reunion. It was held at a local bar. Counting himself only three people attended.


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## Lc jones (Sep 4, 2019)

I’ve never been interested in returning,  it was a very clique environment and I’m not one for cliques. I like to include everybody.


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## Olivia (Sep 4, 2019)

I attended three of my high school reunions. It was a Episcopalian girls school and there were 67 of us in my senior class. I recently attended our 50th reunion. Around 20 attended with one husband. It was really nice because it was a  luncheon in Waikiki where everyone wore a pin with their senior picture on it. That really helped in us identifying who was who.


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## Trade (Sep 4, 2019)

There were 400 in my class. I would guess about 100 showed up at the 50th.

Bunch of Old Farts.


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## applecruncher (Sep 4, 2019)

@Trade

What about that bully you talked about - did you confront him?

My class was large 450+, I went to the 10th (disco!) - it was fun.  
Also the 20th.  I was gonna go to the 30th but got sick.
I used to order the booklet that listed who was doing what and where they lived.
Last year  I looked online and found the Class website.  It was interesting. Quite a few deaths for which they had an In Memoriam section.


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## moviequeen1 (Sep 4, 2019)

I never went to any of my high school reunions because I came to the school in my junior&senior yrs.
The only people I knew were in my homeroom.My class had 1,000 kids back in '72


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## Trade (Sep 4, 2019)

applecruncher said:


> @Trade
> 
> What about that bully you talked about - did you confront him?



The reunion is not till October. But I've decided not to go.

I found my old nemesis on facebook.

And the dude does look as menacing as he did 55 years ago,









I'm going to take the money I would have spent going to the reunion and put it towards a trip out to California to see my daughter and do some surfing with her at Linda Mar, the beach that she lives less than a mile away from.


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## 911 (Sep 4, 2019)

Trade said:


> The reunion is not till October. But I've decided not to go.
> 
> I found my old nemesis on facebook.
> 
> ...





Trade said:


> The reunion is not till October. But I've decided not to go.
> 
> I found my old nemesis on facebook.
> 
> ...


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## Floridatennisplayer (Sep 4, 2019)

Reunions are interesting aren’t they?  I kind of always internally knew.....how people would turn out at a young age and it came true.  So many of the COOL click people...I knew would falter in the long run..and they did.  I knew I just had to persevere and I would come out ok.  Divorces, health issues, job and personal failures plagued those people.  Their heyday was only in high school. Sad, it was the only time they were import. Life slowly moved away from them.

I’ve gone to most all of my reunions graduations since graduating in 1973.  My high school infatuation...super popular cheerleader who dumped me has become a sad overweight three times divorced mess.

I know we sometimes feel drawn to these reunions as they were a part of our past.  Sometimes it’s just best to move on.

I’m on the far right in the black polo shirt. In front of the guy flipping the bird.  Some people never change!


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## Pecos (Sep 5, 2019)

Floridatennisplayer said:


> Reunions are interesting aren’t they?  I kind of always internally knew.....how people would turn out at a young age and it came true.  So many of the COOL click people...I knew would falter in the long run..and they did.  I knew I just had to persevere and I would come out ok.  Divorces, health issues, job and personal failures plagued those people.  Their heyday was only in high school. Sad, it was the only time they were import. Life slowly moved away from them.
> 
> I’ve gone to most all of my reunions graduations since graduating in 1973.  My high school infatuation...super popular cheerleader who dumped me has become a sad overweight three times divorced mess.
> 
> ...



And he looks like he is proud of himself.


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## fuzzybuddy (Sep 5, 2019)

As I said, there were only 23 kids in my class-15 girls, 8 boys. Of the 8 boys, at least 5 have passed on (I'm 73). I don't know about the girls-they got married and changed their names.


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## rgp (Sep 5, 2019)

Never went to any of mine ..... But did stumble into one at a 'resort' style hotel once. I was a guest, the bar was "closed" to the public, due to the reunion. They invited me in....they would accept no money, but insisted I eat what I chose. It was cash bar, great music , and fun watching some of the dancers. I met a bunch of really nice folks that night , and appreciate their hospitality to this day !


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## CinnamonSugar (Apr 28, 2021)

I’m ambivalent on the subject.  I moved from the California school system I’d attended since kindergarten in my junior year ( so I don’t get the invites to their reunions) to upstate NY for the last two years of high school.  And I’m really not interested in going to the ones in NY...  never was one for the ‘keg’ party scene.


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## SetWave (Apr 28, 2021)

Attended every single one every 5 or 10 years and still gather with classmates who live north, south and east of San Francisco. Well, we were getting together until the goddamned virus hit. 2020 reunion was canceled.


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## Ruth n Jersey (Apr 28, 2021)

I hated school so much and when I graduated I never looked back nor did I have any desire to rehash four years at reunions. I kept in touch with my closest friends and that's all I needed.


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## Leonie (Apr 28, 2021)

I've never been to one but have heard a couple of interesting comments from those who have.

An old friend from my high school days became a rather well-known radio announcer and he talked about going to a reunion.  He said that all the people he hoped to see didn't turn up and all the people who he hoped he would never see again in his lifetime were there, and all claiming to be his best friend.  LOL

There was a school anniversary type of shindig at my sons' primary school, around 20 years or so since they had attended.  Two of the 'kids' who were in the same class, got talking, found out they were both divorced, kept in touch afterward, and are now happily married.  Nice story.


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## PamfromTx (Apr 28, 2021)

My class had about 300+ graduates; one of the largest for such a small town.  I attended our 10th, 15th, 20th and 25th high school reunion.  Missed all the others because of moving away.  They were determined to make a reunion every 5 years.  The first one had about 150 in attendance; it was the best one.


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## StarSong (Apr 29, 2021)

Attending my class reunions and connecting with a wonderful group is among top five best moves I've made in my lifetime. My husband has come to also be very close to this group of friends and has no interest in his own reunions (despite having graduated from a local HS).

Our 50th was postponed to later this year. We'll be at my 51st, God willing and the creek don't rise, even if we have to drive cross-country to get there!


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## bowmore (Apr 29, 2021)

My late wife was invited to her 50th reunion back in Pittsburgh. It was going to held at a hotel on the outskirts of the city. Looking at the directory, 90% of her classmates still lived in Pittsburgh.
We live on the West Coast, and there was a local alumni chapter near us. I said that you were not interested in the local chapter, why go through the expense of flying to Pittsburgh.
We ended up purchasing a copy of the reunion photo and that was it.
I had no interest in attending my reunions in NY.


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## Aunt Marg (Apr 29, 2021)

I'm with Ruth n Jersey, loathed school, had my own close-knit group of friends I hung with, and as for everyone else, couldn't have cared less about them back in the day, and for surely couldn't have cared less about them 10, 20, 30 years after the fact.

I had a call from a woman whom I graded with a few years back asking if they could count on me to attend attend the last reunion, and I made the call short, no small talk, to the point... "_not interested, didn't have anything to do with, or anything in common with 99% of those I went to school with, so after X-amount of years I have even less in common with them_".

Wished her well and hung the phone up.

Here's my take on reunions:

First reunion: Those who found spouses and had children shortly after after their grad year, couldn't wait to attend the first reunion, because it was their chance to brag-it-up... _look at me, look at my hubby, look at my wife, look at my children... _cheezy fake smiles all around to go along with.

Second reunion: _This is my new wife, my new hubby, my new fling, life is grand, we're travelling the world, buying up mansions, life is a dream._

Third reunion: _Look at me now, I've put on 100 lbs, lost my hair, got a boob job, a butt job, am broke and single, still working, and still looking/on the hunt._

I find it all so laughable, entertaining in fact, just not entertaining enough to inspire me to attend (and pretend) that I'm so happy to see fellow grad class members I had zero in common with, never associated with, never even said hello to, and then stoop to the level of expressing to them how happy I am to see them, and isn't this great that we're all getting together again. What a warm and fuzzy event. ROFLMAO!

I can't think of anything more shallow or fake.

My SIL went to her 30th class reunion, and said everyone had badges on... a rectangle piece of white paper with their name on it, pinned to their shirts/tops, so people could recognize who everyone was, and she said a few class members had things like _Dr._, _CEO_, and _President_ written on their badges, and when asked genuinely as to their titles, all said they were just having fun, which tells me not only how much and how hard people try and be something they're not, but just how shallow get-togethers such as reunions really are. Big put-ons, IMO, that's what they are... a chance for people to embellish and play-up their lifestyles, even brag-it-up for a few days and evenings. 

SIL's story reminded me of my baby brothers doctor play set, where it came in a nifty doctors case, had little plastic glasses in it, a realistic stethoscope, a needle (plastic), and a few other gadgets, and how he would don all the gear and walk around the house checking everyone to see if we were healthy or needing anything medically or prescription wise. So darling and sweet coming from a little tot, but not on an adult level or stage.


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## Chet (Apr 29, 2021)

I have no interest in reunions. High school was not necessarily a happy place, so why look back? I could just imagine those who did exceptionally well stuffing their bloated egos.


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## Lewkat (Apr 29, 2021)

I went to our 50th.  It was mobbed.  We had over 400 kids in my class and many were still around.


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## JimBob1952 (Apr 29, 2021)

I still have one good friend from high school and I see him three or four times a year.  My high school had a graduating class of about 700 and I'm not sure I have much in common with anyone.  We do have a "mini-reunion" every five years with the dozen or so people who live in this area and that is reasonably enjoyable.


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## Buckeye (Apr 29, 2021)

Been to a couple of class reunions - approx 20th, 25th and maybe 40th.  About 45 kids in our class, 12 of whom have passed away.  Not going back to anymore - it's 900 miles away.

Story about the 25th.  Our homecoming queen, who was always a little vain, was recognized as "the oldest Homecoming Queen in Attendance".  Boy, was she pi$$ed, and vowed to never attend another one.


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## fuzzybuddy (Apr 29, 2021)

I graduated in 1964, 57 years ago . And, I posted this in 2019.  Then,  I got around to looking up the guys in my class. ( Don't know , who the girls married) Half had passed away. That's why the longer the reunion time, the more women than men attend.


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## Capt Lightning (Apr 29, 2021)

I should start by asking what exactly is  'High school' in the USA ?  Here in the UK we  have three stages of schooling . Basically you have primary education to age 11/12, then secondary education to age 16.  Then there's 6th form college which provides entrance qualifications for University, usually at age 18. (all this varies across the home nations)

People don't graduate from school, they just leave, although there was generally a "leavers' prom".  I've never had any sort of reunion with any of my former classmates. Most have scattered to the corners of the globe and enjoyed varying degrees of success in a wide range of careers.  I wish them well, but have no interest in a reunion.


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## JimBob1952 (Apr 29, 2021)

Capt Lightning said:


> I should start by asking what exactly is  'High school' in the USA ?  Here in the UK we  have three stages of schooling . Basically you have primary education to age 11/12, then secondary education to age 16.  Then there's 6th form college which provides entrance qualifications for University, usually at age 18. (all this varies across the home nations)
> 
> People don't graduate from school, they just leave, although there was generally a "leavers' prom".  I've never had any sort of reunion with any of my former classmates. Most have scattered to the corners of the globe and enjoyed varying degrees of success in a wide range of careers.  I wish them well, but have no interest in a reunion.



High school is pretty standardized in the US.  Kids go to "junior high" from grades 6 or 7 through 8 or 9 (ages roughly 11 to 15.) Then from about 15 to 18 they go to "high school" (grades 9 or 10 through 12).  Lots of children are together for many years and form fast friendships.  

In some places (I think maybe more in small towns) the high school is a major focus of the community, with parents involved in volunteer activities and much of the town turning out for sports events.  

In retrospect, my high school was an amazing place.  We had a crew team, madrigal singers, Thespians, a band and an orchestra, plus every other kind of sport or interest group.  We had classes in everything from advanced calculus to auto body repair.  We even had a rifle range.  I'm sorry I didn't take full advantage of it.


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## StarSong (Apr 29, 2021)

Aunt Marg said:


> Here's my take on reunions:
> 
> First reunion: Those who found spouses and had children shortly after after their grad year, couldn't wait to attend the first reunion, because it was their chance to brag-it-up... _look at me, look at my hubby, look at my wife, look at my children... _cheezy fake smiles all around to go along with.
> 
> ...


That must have been some school you went to.  Eek!


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## Don M. (Apr 29, 2021)

I attended the 25th reunion, and then the 50th, in Denver.  There were over 600 in our class, and about 400 made it to the 25th.  By the time the 50th rolled around, barely 100 showed up.  Now that most of us are approaching 80, I doubt that there will be any more "gatherings".  I do still keep in touch, via E-mail with 2 of the "survivors".


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## Capt Lightning (Apr 30, 2021)

Being a small town boy, school numbers were low.  Final year at college (age 17) there were 12 of us.  Wouldn't have needed a very big room to have a reunion!   My children went to a larger 6th form college and had a leaving prom.   Most I expect went their own way to universities round the UK, jobs, marriage etc..   Perhaps a few will have stayed in touch.

Strangely enough, On one occasion I bumped into an old school friend in the baggage reclaim at Heathrow airport.


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