School reunions make me feel a tad anxious. I’ve attended my own ten year high school reunion, as well as my 20th, but because I was a student who viewed herself always on ‘the fringe’ and not one who fell into the ‘popular’ category, I felt hesitant and unsure.
The best part of my ten year class reunion was sitting in the hotel hot tub with former ‘speechie’ and friend, Jeff Marshall, and talking and laughing an entire evening away.
Meeting up with people I’ve not seen for a number of years and people I never knew to begin with, can make me squirm.
Yesterday’s event was a little different. This one had nothing to do with my life as a student and more to do with a group of students gathering to celebrate their friendship of almost 30 years.
It was lovely that former students of St. John Fine Arts School put their heads together and arranged for a reunion. While the group that decided to attend did not represent all of my students over those years, it was a fun mix.
Before I headed out to the event, I dug through my memorabilia, but came up short as, somewhere along the line, I finally let go of some student art work and writing that had traveled with me for so many years. I DID find some bits here and there and headed out to Gwen’s place in Chestermere, the only teacher from those years, to attend.
Most wonderful was being greeted at the door by Amanda. Amanda, it turns out, was also one of my students, daughter to Camille, who I taught at St. John’s. What a beautiful experience.
Thanks to Gwen and her partner, Dave, for hosting! And thank you to all who contributed such lovely items to the pot luck. And finally, thank you for the generous welcome and inclusion. It was a very fun event. I DID miss a lot of the beautiful people who were a part of my life 30 years ago in the school…colleagues who really inspired me, students who taught me to have compassion and understanding and to value creativity and even parent volunteers who were so helpful and so much a part of every classroom. From those years, I have lost friends, Dorothy MacInnis and Pat Campbell.
A blitz of images here…past and present.
Dear World: An End of Year Performance at the University Theater
Kite Flying home made kites every year for Pentecost…an event every year for almost 20 years of my teaching career.
In the day, when paper was allowed attached to walls…decorating.
The River: An Integration of Art, Music, Drama and Movement
Science Fair
An Integration: Do You Know What a Dragon Looks Like?
This is amazing! Thank you Miss Hanrahan(then). What a lovely surprise to have you there with us.
Bless you, Nancy, with good health and everything wonderful! It was such a lovely and relaxed event. I’m grateful.
I’m sure the students were happy you were there and that you still had some photos and other things to share. Was that Pat Campbell in one of the photos in her younger days. I got to know her quite well at Holy Trinity and the later at central office.
Yes, that was Pat Campbell, a real mentor to me in my teaching. The world misses her.