My family moved around throughout my High School years, and I never “belonged” anywhere.
I’ve never gone to any reunions.
High school reunions aren’t a big deal this side of the pond (well not that I’ve noticed) the closest I got to one was when it was the school’s something-or-other anniversary, and it being a Catholic school they were having a big Mass with some Bishop or Monsignor and tea and cake after. I was planning on arriving late, and missing all the religious hoo-hah. But on the evening in question I suddenly felt extremely ill. Nothing specific just ill
So I didn’t go.
Must’ve been god striking me down, or something.
Went to my 20th, 25th and 45th. I’ll have to go to the next one, it’s the big 5-0.
Egads, I suddenly feel old…
I went to my 20 year reunion. Mostly hung out with my best friend and his friend, but it was neat to see how people had changed. Some a huge amount, some not as much. Talked to a few, everyone behaved themselves and a good time was had.
The HS class I walked with is planning their 15th, and I plan to attend, accessibility permitting.
I went to my 10th last year and it was a good time. People were still kind of cliquish, but I saw a few old friends (that I no longer have anything in common with.) Most of the other success stories were off in some other state and did not appear. My husband and I spent most of the evening talking to the girl everybody was horrible to, as well as her long-term boyfriend… and they turned out to be really smart, interesting people, and she looked great, and she really seemed like she did not give a shit what people thought about her. I also made up with my former best friend that I lost to a falling out in 10th grade, so it was a pretty good experience overall.
ETA: Most of my close friends in high school weren’t in my grade, but the grade before. I really would have rather attended that reunion.
The venue does have an elevator, so I will attend.
Have not gone to any, will not be going to any. High school was hell, and I have no desire to re-live any part of it.
That, too…
My 10-year was somewhat sparsely attended. Maybe 50-60 people out of 315 or so. The most amusing part was seeing a guy who we all assumed was going to come out of the closet in college (in high school, he was in theater and used to do a hilarious duet of “My Little Buttercup” with another guy). He showed up with a ridiculously hot blonde wife in a slinky, shiny red dress. We were astounded.
Went to my 10th. Missed one 5 years ago and plan to miss another one in 2 weeks rather than travel 800 miles to see the cliques.
I went to military school for 7th, 8th, and HS. Fewer than 250 students in the entire school my senior year (7th grade through sophomore in college), and my graduating class numbered only a couple dozen. They didn’t have reunions segregated by the year you graduated, though - everyone came every year for Old Boy Weekend (those who were disposed to come back at all, I mean). I never went - and now the school has closed its doors. The alumni association still holds reunions every year, but it’s always someplace like Kansas City in October, and I’m just not going to fly up there during the school year to see a bunch of people I don’t know at all, plus a sprinkling of people I know but don’t like. There are MAYBE five people from there I’d care to see again, and I’ve reconnected with four of them on Facebook (the fifth, who was my best friend all through my mil schl years and the one I’d most like to talk to again, appears to have dropped off the face of the earth).
There have been several reunions of my class and I’ve attended none. The most recent reunion ended up being canceled due to lack of interest and the class officers huffed that they had no intention of planning any more as their work wasn’t appreciated. (I still live in town and heard this from a classmate.)
Lately, however, a community organization has held school reunions in which everyone who graduated from our high school is invited regardless of the year. Classes who have significant anniversaries are honored at a dinner/dance, and the night before is a mixer at a local bar. I haven’t attended any of those either but I understand that they usually draw a nice crowd.
I wasn’t happy in high school and while I don’t hate the people in my class, I just really don’t have any interest in getting to know them any better. I made the mistake of friending some on Facebook and I regret even doing that.
I’ve only kept in touch with one girl from high school, and she insisted we go to a smallish reunion (we had missed, apparently, The Big Reunion at a country club held five years earlier). This was held in what looked like a small dive bar in town, but it turned out to be quite nice and the food was out of this world. It was…meh. We sat around and talked a bit to a handful of classmates (thank god for name tags) and looked at pictures put out of The Big Reunion held earlier. Kind of a waste of time. Everyone who spoke to me said, “oh, I remember you had such beautiful long blonde hair!”. (what, they thought I was Cousin Itt checking in from the Addams Family??) Oddly, the big mean clique of knuckle-dragging bullies who had made my life a misery were ALL missing, having blown town over the years, I guess. Maybe they all died in a fiery crash. One or two of our class had gone on to sort of fame and fortune in sports and academia, the Class Brain was a professor living in England, and we were all so proud of him!
I have ready many a blog about high school reunion. There seem to be so many common elements.
I have not, nor will I likely ever attend any high school related social function. It has been 32 years since I left it behind in my rear view mirror. I have no particularly fond nor horrid memories of the experience, but it was put into perspective for me before I even graduated.
What was so important in high school from the social aspect was fitting in. We all tried with varrying degrees of success to decypher the unwritten rules of the high school caste system.
So much effort was put into figuring it out. What was so important then, where you hung out, with whom, who you liked or disliked, clothes, shoes, hairstyles, dances, concerts your opinions was revealed to be total bunk in the adult world.
Due to a scheduling conflict, I skipped the second last semester of school and took a real, full time blue collar job. I worked with real adults and real adult life. One could not pick and choose their assignments based upon their interest in it. There were schedules, deadlines, work was expected to be done. There was no time for socializing, daydreaming or ogling girls. Comming home tired, dirty and sore and getting enough sleep to start over again the next day. Waiting out the schedule rotation to have a Saturday off.
My co workers had real adult issues to deal with. One faced a life threatening illness. One was seeing major red flags in an upcoming marriage. A man child unable to deal with his wife’s pregnancy. One worked two jobs to maintain a lifestyle far beyond his means. A franchise owner who was dismayed with the fact that the store did not come with a money printing press. An assistant manager who sold merchandise out the back door and had to stage a robbery to cover for the missing stock. Cursing the government each time I saw the tax deductions on my paycheque.
This was a totally different world from high school. The friendships from back then were really based upon the high school culture. What was important then and bonded us is of no consequence in real life. I have grown up, away and beyond that time of life. I have no desire to revisit it or relive the experience.
The group I hung out with moved on, we all went our separate ways. Some are on facebook, I have not bothered to contact them. I hope they have done well for themselves, I wish to particular evil upon them.
High school was not the high point of my life. My glory days were not 35 years ago attempting to permanently etch my image into the memories of the staff and moreso the students.
There is of course an alumni website and a facebook page with pictures of the get togethers. The blue eyeliner girls are now middle aged and are benefiting from the years of experience with makeup. The pals scrunched together in group hug photos, all holding scuffed beer bottles. The scanned newspaper story of the big game. All of them no doubt pledging to be best friends with the bestest group of people for ever…
For me, it is in the past, fading from memory with each passing year, and sinking farther down on the trash heap of history. It was an experience, yes, I did benefit from it. It is the past, a much different time of life that for me is so insignificant.
The only way I’d go back to my high school reunion is for revenge.
Well, I love 'em. I moved across the country after one semester of college, so the pleasant memories helped get me through hard times.
Small town where we all knew each other from infanthood.
I never tried to “fit in”, too artistic I suppose.
I’m having a mini-reunion in 2 weeks!
I was faffing about on facebook and put in my (girls’) school name and found the old girls’ network and from there stumbled on the fact that some folks from my year were organising the 30th reunion. They had them at 10 and 15 year marks apparently but I was strangely invisible for a fat girl at school and quickly forgotten and hadn’t been looked for by anyone. We chatted on the facebook page and got past all the “married/kids/job” questions before the big day and placed eachother back into memory. I didn’t even think about my lack of pictures on facebook as we interacted. I fessed up to being a lesbian who had been madly in love silently with [pretty much everyone at some point in our 6 years together.
Come the reunion I walked into the pub and nobody recognised me. I wasn’t fat anymore but most of them were. The shock that the fat kid may have, at some point in the previous 30 years, have lost weight was immense. It was quite surprising but lead to a day of huge compliments and great flirty fun as I roamed about cracking wise, it was a lovely thing to happen after a miserable school experience. We still muck about on facebook. Apparently I am cooler than the other side of the pillow 
Amusing poster name/post content combo.
Went to my tenth, had a good time. Even the people who disliked me in school seemed happy to see me. People ranged from ‘unrecognisable even after reading their name tag’ to ‘looked like she’d just stepped out of her yearbook picture.’
Missed the 20th. We didn’t have a 30th, but the following year the class of '73 had their 30th, and invited us and the class of '74 to join them. (They did the same when they had their 35th.)
40th was this year; had hoped to be able to attend, but had a lot of short hours at work this summer and couldn’t spare the cost of it all. Maybe next time.
(I think the prettiest girl in our class must be cheating - I’ve seen pictures from this year’s reunion, and she’s just as lovely now as she was then…)