Maybe you just got a class reunion invitation in your email inbox. Or you’re planning a gathering for your fellow school alumni and wondering what it entails.
What is a class reunion? What’s involved? And why should you attend? Here’s everything to know about high school reunions.
What are High School Reunions?
Class reunions are gatherings that happen every 5 to 10 years after high school graduation. They’re a recurring event for old school friends to gather and catch up on what’s happening in each other’s lives, and reminisce on the formative years that shaped who each graduate is today.
Nazareth College from Rochester, NY, USA, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Typically, these are in-person events held in the town where your high school was in (and oftentimes, even take place at the school) although some classes opt to host them virtually if attendees can’t make it to a physical location.
Key Takeaways From This Article
| – Definition: A high school reunion is a recurring social gathering for former classmates to reconnect, reminisce about their school years, and network. – Frequency: Most reunions occur every 5 to 10 years following graduation (e.g., the 10th, 20th, or 50th anniversary). – Attendance Trends: On average, about 40% of a graduating class attends their reunion, often accompanied by former teachers and faculty. – Why Attend?: Reunions offer a unique opportunity for professional networking, introducing family to old friends, and strengthening lifelong connections. – Popular Themes: Common themes include Decade Parties (focused on the graduation era), Gatsby/Formal nights, Outdoor Picnics, or “School Spirit” events using original school colors and logos. – Planning Essentials: Successful reunions typically include a dedicated planning committee, a clear budget for venues and catering, and a centralized reunion website to manage RSVPs and communication. |
Why Do Class Reunions Exist? Are They Worth Attending?
High school reunions exist to keep your childhood memories and connections alive. So yes, a class reunion is absolutely worth attending!
Reminisce on the Good Times
The further out you get from graduating high school, the more likely you are to forget some of the most special memories that shaped who you are. This is your chance to laugh, get refreshed on old stories, and even recall memories that were stored deep in your memory bank!
Networking and Keeping Relationships Alive
Life happens and it becomes more difficult to keep in regular contact with your childhood friends. A reunion is a chance to get filled in on what’s been happening in each other’s lives, from work to raising families and beyond. It can even be great networking.
Robert Schediwy, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Introduce Your Significant Other to Your High School Peers
Your husband or wife is so curious about how you became the person you are today. This is your chance to introduce them to people that you might not have constant contact with today, but that you made countless childhood memories with.
When Do High School Reunions Happen?
Usually, high school reunions happen every 5 to 10 years. If your grad year was 1986, as an example, your first reunion would’ve likely been in 1991 or 1996, and would continue to happen every 5 to 10 years onward.
How Do Class Reunions Work?
Typically, the class president is in charge of planning the high school reunion. Since it is a lot of responsibility, oftentimes volunteers from the graduating class are brought in to help with the planning process.
An event space is selected. Sometimes, planners opt to host the event at the old high school itself. In other instances, a more formal event space like a bar, restaurant, park, or private venue is booked for the occasion.
When specifically the event is held varies. Oftentimes, summer or around the holidays make for ideal reunion dates, since people can take off from work and their kids are off from school.
Reunion Planning Tip:
When you settle on a date and event space, you can create a reunion website for free on Classmates®. Simply register for a free Classmates account, fill out the event details, and it will automatically be sent to all of your fellow alumni that have registered accounts on the platform.
Nervous that some of your peers aren’t on Classmates yet? You can share that you have created a reunion event on Classmates via email, Facebook, text, etc. and they can register for free too and get instant access to the event details and regular updates from the reunion discussion board.
Do High School Alumni Actually Attend Reunions?
Yes, approximately 40% of your fellow alumni will be in attendance at the event on average. And the ones that do show up are ones that care about the community you grew up in and keeping the special relationships from your formative years alive, so they’re the type of people you’d want to catch up with and keep in your network.
Oftentimes, teachers and school employees will attend too, so you can catch up with the adults from your childhood that helped shape you into the person you are today!
What are Popular School Reunion Themes?
The right theme for your high school reunion depends on your schoolmates’ interests and the decade you graduated (since you’ll want to tap into some much appreciated high school nostalgia)
Popular ideas for your high school reunion include:
- a decade party based on the time you were in school (think shows and movies from that era on TVs, music hits from your high school parties, party favors that tie in to cultural icons from that era, etc.
- a Gatsby party to give the alumni a chance to get dressed up and enjoy some fancy cuisine and cocktails
- Outdoor picnic if it’s ideal weather and your high school peers are the outdoorsy type
- “Remember our high school” theme where you lean into your high school’s colors, logo, and defining characteristics to make it feel like the class is right back in school at a pep rally.
What Goes into Planning a School Reunion?
The following action items are a must for planning your class reunion the right way:
- Setting up your reunion website to send invites, event details, and share discussion posts and photos in the lead up and after the event.
- Forming a planning committee to take on various planning tasks.
- Picking a fitting reunion theme.
- Selecting an event venue, entertainment (DJ or band), caterers, and a professional photographer.
- Acquiring theme-related decor like wall art, table decorations, and goodie bags featuring custom reunion gifts.
Plan Your High School Class Reunion the Right Way
Classmates.com is the go-to reunion planning website for good reason! It’s free to register for the platform and set up the event (both for in-person and virtual reunions), automatically send out the invitation to your registered grad class alumni, and has a discussion board for the planners and attendees to share updates in the lead up to the event, ask questions, and share photos after the reunion takes place.
You owe it to yourself and your fellow alumni to keep your high school relationships alive. Register for Classmates now to get started on planning your reunion! And be sure to search the yearbook archive and upgrade to CM+ to view your old yearbooks (if they’re available) and other books from the decade to get inspiration as you’re planning the event.
Class Reunion FAQs
What is the Meaning of Class Reunion?
A class reunion can be defined as a gathering of high school or college alumni every 5 to 10 years after graduating. It can be in-person or online, and is a chance to catch up with old friends, teachers, and other school staff members and reflect on the fun times of your youth.
What are Virtual High School Reunions?
While class reunions are often held in-person, Classmates offers free virtual high school reunions too!
Online school reunions allow attendees to join a video call with their registered alumni, and hold conversations and do fun activities from a remote location.
Some common reasons to consider a virtual school reunion include:
- Many alumni no longer live in the area: maybe a lot of your peers moved to the big city or another state for careers. If enough people have left home for good, an online event may make more sense to ensure everyone can attend from anywhere.
- Lack of access to transportation: as your schoolmates age, some people may not be able to drive themselves or have the means or health status to get to the event on their own. An online reunion ensures that anyone with internet access can join in on the fun.
Do Colleges Have Reunions?
Yes, some university classes opt into having recurring college reunions as well. These are a great chance for networking and reminiscing together on what many call the best four years of your life.
You can use Classmates as your college reunion planning website as well! Classmates has 9,000 US and Canadian college pages. After you register for your high school, you can search for your university and join that school affiliation to get instant access to a list of registered alumni that attended that school and joined it on Classmates too.
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