# Ever been to to high school reunion? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 24, 2021, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-to-high-school-reunion/953094 "2021-10-24T10:08:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2021, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-to-high-school-reunion/953094/101 "2021-10-29T15:58:40Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > With high school, there was a lot longer to get to know people. I had a wicked crush on Wanda in 3rd grade, for instance…and she graduated with me 9 years later. And if you were a “participater” you went deeper. You were in band, choir, sports, drama, things that were every year and involved you beyond the school day—that meant some deeper friendships were likely to develop. I joined Key Club – the student auxiliary of the Kiwanis – at some point during my Junior year. I was crushing on two of the club’s girls by graduation. Kelly got married, pretty sure Connie did as well. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2021, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-to-high-school-reunion/953094/102 "2021-10-29T17:46:33Z")
I graduated HS in the mid 1970’s, and I’ve been able to attend most of the reunions (an excuse to do something while visiting my parents). After a few of them, they did away with having live bands; thank goodness - we wanted to be able to talk to others. At the 20th reunion the (local) organizers decided it be fun to put on a fashion show of clothes from back then - leisure suits, polyester shirts, bell bottoms - modeled by local high school kids. It went well until one girl came out in a tight-fighting tube top, to the resultant ooh-ah reactions. The main organizer cries out, “But she’s my daughter!” At the same 20th reunion, the top jock and class president confided to me that high school had been the highlight of his life; everything else was downhill after that. It was worth going just for that. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2021, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-to-high-school-reunion/953094/103 "2021-10-29T20:06:50Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Fascinating info, thanks @lobotomyboy63! Yes, thanks. I remember seeing it in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland awhile back, but hadn’t realized it’s no longer there. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2021, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-to-high-school-reunion/953094/104 "2021-10-30T00:45:44Z")
@Bullitt @Elendil_s_Heir Here’s a good doc that you may enjoy. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/BRSptnZ7ykM/maxresdefault.jpg "Janis Joplin: The Final 24 (Full Documentary)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRSptnZ7ykM) > [@JohnGalt](#): > > It went well until one girl came out in a tight-fighting tube top, to the resultant ooh-ah reactions. The main organizer cries out, “But she’s my daughter!” I hope someone cried back, “Panderer!” > [@JohnGalt](#): > > At the same 20th reunion, the top jock and class president confided to me that high school had been the highlight of his life; everything else was downhill after that. It was worth going just for that. In retrospect I was a kind of a big fish in a small pond in my small town high school. I thought college was going to be the same, only better. Boy, was I wrong. But when I see depictions of college life on TV or in movies, I don’t identify. They have cars? They don’t have to work? They never seem to study…? Maybe they were born with a silver spoon in their mouth? ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2021, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-to-high-school-reunion/953094/105 "2021-10-30T05:02:41Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Getting back to HS reunions, I will want to go to #50. That’s still a few years away. It’d be 3,000 miles away but yeah I’d go. Somewhat similarly, I went to my 40th, a couple of years ago. I moved away from Toronto years ago, to a place about 2000 miles away, but figured that my 40th was a good reason to return and see what had became of my old classmates, as well as to catch up with a couple of old non-high-school friends. And I wasn’t the only one who had travelled in for the reunion; there were old classmates there who were now living in places as far away as San Jose CA, and Whitehorse YT. The reunion was great, and it was nice to see a lot of people I hadn’t seen in ages. All our old cliques had melted away, and we were no longer the cool kids, the jocks, the nerds, and so on; we were simply the Class of 1979. What was a little saddening was the “In Memoriam” board, where the photos and names of our classmates who had passed, were posted. Some, I suppose, were the result of bad luck–cancer, heart attack, car accident–but one stood out. It was a girl I knew somewhat well, back in the day, and whom I tutored in English. When I asked about her, I was told she was a suicide, but nobody could tell me what drove her to that. In spite of that news, it was worth it to travel that far. It was a fun weekend, reconnecting with old friends, and finding out what they are doing now. And though it made me feel old, it was fun hearing about all the grandchildren that people in our class had. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2021, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-to-high-school-reunion/953094/106 "2021-10-30T18:58:44Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > That’s kind of a common joke but usually it’s the Apathy Club. I recall reading circa 1990 that the Procrastination Society was putting the final touches on its Bicentennial celebration. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2021, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-to-high-school-reunion/953094/108 "2021-10-31T12:08:31Z")
Myself and a classmate organised our 25th a good few years back. We have refrained from organising any more. I think we both felt it was a lot of work to organise a party for people with which we realised neither of us felt much need to reconnect. It was fun being a big fish in a tiny pond but that’s not much of which to be proud. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2021, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-to-high-school-reunion/953094/109 "2021-11-01T01:44:42Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > Must viewing, an all-time fave of mine: Re: _Grosse Point Blank_. I freaking love this movie! My only disappointment was that so little was actually filmed in Michigan, because I’d recently returned from visiting a friend there and was hoping to see some local scenery. And the reunion dance? It was filmed at the Culver City Veteran’s Auditorium where I’d spent a ton of time during my childhood and adolescence. It took me out of things a bit. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2021, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-to-high-school-reunion/953094/110 "2021-11-01T01:47:22Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > It was filmed at the Culver City Veteran’s Auditorium where I’d spent a ton of time during my childhood and adolescence. I spent some time there too! It was where my synagogue held High Holiday services. I grew up in Mar Vista. My dad, stepmom and stepsisters lived in CC. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2021, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-to-high-school-reunion/953094/111 "2021-11-01T02:10:14Z")
Cool! And I had relatives (aunt/uncle/cousins/grandma) in Mar Vista. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2021, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-to-high-school-reunion/953094/112 "2021-11-01T16:01:13Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > I recall reading circa 1990 that the Procrastination Society was putting the final touches on its Bicentennial celebration. Ha! Reminds me of: [At Last the 1948 Show - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At_Last_the_1948_Show) ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2021, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-to-high-school-reunion/953094/113 "2021-11-02T03:07:51Z")
Back on point: My tenth? I was deployed. No interest anyway. Twentieth? Busy with work, still no interest. Thirtieth? Still no interest. There’s a Facebook group that I joined once, but left, because I realized they’re all still the same-ol’, boring people. It was very ‘clique-y’ and I wasn’t in that clique, so. . . meh. Tripler I actually travelled and broadened my horizons. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2021, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-to-high-school-reunion/953094/114 "2021-11-02T03:31:11Z")
My 25th class “anniversary” was a few years ago and I got an invite on Facebook. I put anniversary in quotes because I actually dropped out halfway through my senior year and never ended up graduating. I wasn’t exactly surprised I was still invited though because I went through all 12 years in the same small town and with the same group of people. I did NOT end up going for a variety of reasons… ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2021, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-to-high-school-reunion/953094/115 "2021-11-04T17:44:30Z")
As far as college reunions go, I would never bother attending a reunion for my undergrad university. It is a very large university, and most of my friends graduated the year after I did or the year after that. I would therefore be very surprised if I ran into a single person I knew if I went to one. I did attend a reunion for my veterinary school, though. ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2021, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-to-high-school-reunion/953094/116 "2021-11-04T20:23:24Z")
I did not attend the most recent one - 45 years - in SW Virginia like the OP. The only one I attended was the 25th. My wife said “a lot of attractive women were in your class”. I pointed out that only the ones who aged well showed up. From online pictures, that was not true for the 45th. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2021, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-to-high-school-reunion/953094/117 "2021-11-07T03:55:06Z")
My high school class has never had a reunion (or failed to contact me if they did).\* They also didn’t have a prom. Too cool for either one, I suspect. I just checked and there is a Facebook page for alumni. I didn’t join though, as I’m too cool to have my name show up on the member list. \*there are a few classmates I wouldn’t mind seeing, though it would be a downer to show up and find they had OD’d or were serving long prison sentences. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-to-high-school-reunion/953094.md?page=5)