Who is Responsible for Planning?
Remember those people you voted for your junior year? The ones who spent all year planning the most exciting evening of your whole high school career? The ones that spent hours making sure that the senior prom was absolutely perfect?
At Coatesville Area School District, it is the job of the senior class cabinet officers to plan the reunion. This responsibly goes way beyond your senior year, but rest assure each cabinet the officer was told this before they ran for the position. Ultimately it is the president or one of the other officers assembling a committee a few years after graduation.
When should the first reunion be?
It is really up to each class! The Coatesville Alumni Association has seen most classes start with a ten year - but that doesn't mean a few haven't started planning earlier to for a five year. If you have limited helpers, we suggest that you start with a ten-year reunion.
Form a Committee
Every Reunion begins with the formation of a reunion committee. Start by forming a core local team of dedicated and enthusiastic individuals who are willing to go the extra mile to ensure a successful reunion.
- Appoint a reunion chair who will arrange and drive meeting agendas.
- Appoint a treasurer to oversee finances.
Beyond these two key individuals, solicit classmate volunteers who can actively participate and be assigned to work on various reunion tasks. Don't underestimate the work involved. Share the work amongst as many who are willing to offer their help. There are many details and arrangements that have to be taken care of.
Successful reunions are the result of successful committees. Committees that are active and well organized will be positioned for success. Organizing a successful reunion can be a truly enriching and rewarding experience where old friendships are reestablished and new friendships formed.
If you are the one responsible for getting your reunion classes committee together here is a a great organizational printout that you can follow.
What work items do the Reunion Committee needs to consider?
Consider dividing the work activities of your reunion committee into subcommittees or work-groups.
Here is a listing of some of the tasks you will need to consider:
- Date selection
- Determine the event venue and format
- Event program (speakers, tributes, etc)
- Event location / lodging selection
- Financing - Money Matters; Establish a budget
How often should your committee meet?
Your reunion committee should plan to meet once a month either in person or via conference call. You may even consider augmenting some of your meetings by using an online chat room or message boards. This can be a convenient inexpensive way of discussing some of the finer details of the reunion and may make it easy for non-local classmates to participate and contribute.
Planning your first reunion committee meeting? Check out this Meeting Structure printout on how you might want to structure the first few meetings.
When to start planning?
Some reunion committees begin forming and start planning up to two years in advance of their reunion. The amount of lead time you need really depends on how elaborate of an event you are planning but generally speaking the more time you give yourselves the better!
Whether you are planning a simple family picnic or a formal event you will minimally want to start planning at least 12 to 16 months in advance. Don't expect to pull off a successful reunion if you start planning just 6 months before the event as many of your classmates will need significant lead time in order to participate especially those living far away. Another consideration is that prime locations and other services you need for your reunion may require 1 to 2 years advance booking.
Certainly, Friday or Saturday is the most desirable date to consider for your reunion. The most popular times of the year to have a class reunion are early summer through late fall. Thanksgiving weekend is also a fairly popular time as many classmates may be in your home area visiting family for the holiday. There are several factors you should consider when selecting a date.
The
weather is more accommodating during these periods especially in areas
of the country where the winters are cold. If your classmates are in the
child-rearing stages of life the summer months might be a more ideal
time while children are out of school on summer vacation, especially for
those classmates traveling from out of town.
Of course, fall is also a wonderful time of year as it evokes memories of homecoming and football games. You may want to consider coordinating your event around your high school's homecoming as it offers an opportunity for classmates to participate in additional activities on your reunion weekend.
Should we have a single day or multi-day event?
Most classes just have a one evening reunion event while we have seen other classes host multi-day reunions. Those classmates who have attended reunions repeatedly echo the same words after the reunion is over...."the evening went by too fast"..."there just wasn't enough time to talk with everyone I wanted to". How do you pack 5, 10, 20, 30 years of each other lives inside of 5 hours? The answer is you can't.
Hosting a multi-day reunion however gives your classmates additional time to relax and get reacquainted. This is also a far more attractive venue for those traveling from afar to attend the reunion. It may involve a little more work to host a multi-day reunion but offers many advantages to your classmates. The following are some suggestions for the weekend should you choose to hold a multi-day reunion.
Friday night
Many classes kick off their reunion activities with an informal Friday night get together that are referred to as 'Mixers', 'Warm-Ups', or 'Icebreakers'. As these names imply this event is intended to loosen classmates up in an informal, neutral, and relaxed atmosphere prior to the grand event.
Typically, these are held at a local restaurant or bar. Usually, light Hors d'ouevres are served and classmates pay for their own cocktails at these gatherings. Keep this event simple. Don't put a lot of undue stress on yourselves as you need to direct most of your energies toward planning the big event. If such an event is not offered, consider getting together informally on your own with some classmates you were close with in high school. It gives you extra time with those you were closest with.
Saturday
While the night is typically reserved for the big event, consider adding some daytime events. One of the most popular events you might want to consider arranging is a tour of your old high school. After 10, 20, 30... years this can be a wonderfully rejuvenating experience to once again walk the hallowed halls of your youth. If your event happens to coincide with your school's homecoming or a school football game, encourage classmate participation and try to organize special seating arrangements so your class can all sit together. Some classes also organize activities like a morning golf outing, a local sightseeing tour, or a group shopping trip.
*No matter what pre-reunion events you plan, don't underestimate their value in terms of making classmates more comfortable attending the reunion event. They all serve as relaxers or anxiety reducers so to speak that can help make the big event a smashing success.
Sunday
If your class isn't already burned out from Friday and Saturday festivities you might want to consider a wind-down event such as a Sunday picnic. This is a chance for any last-minute catching up and to say your goodbyes in a less hectic atmosphere. For younger classes, make it a family event with spouses and children invited.
Budget
So, you’ve formed a committee and started a buzz around the reunion - now it is time to establish a budget. Coatesville Area school district does not help with reunions. The fiscal responsibilities almost always falls to the reunion committee. However, being proactive in estimating expenses, negotiating, and keeping track of costs will result in a well planned reunion that won’t run short of funds.
Check out this sample budge to help you get started on your own classes needs.
What are some of the upfront expenses we might incur?
Here is a listing of some expenses you might incur along the way. One thing to consider to avoid these expenses is to use a professional reunion planning service. Many of these services will handle all your upfront costs for you.
- Stationery supplies
- Postage
- Printing (reunion booklets, name tags)
- Gifts / novelties
- Decorations
- Web site development & hosting
- Liability insurance
- Reunion facilities deposit
- Entertainment deposit
- Deposits for additional activities (tours, etc)
Estimate Attendance - If you have a graduating class of 200 and are expecting 20% to show up, then you should plan for 80 people (40 expected classmates and 40 guests). The numbers above are just estimates and should be fine tuned as registrations continue to come in.
Get Income Information - While it may seem like it, a class reunion is not all expenses. There
are numerous ways to raise funds to pay for a class reunion that
involves selling ads and fundraising.
What kinds of activities should we
provide at the reunion?
If you are planning a
more formal evening event, certainly the night will contain a sit down dinner
and likely music entertainment. You can add some formality to the evening with
an official opening welcome and a few brief speeches and awards before dinner.
Perhaps a tribute to classmates who have passed away. One thing you need to
remember is that people are coming to the reunion to catch up with old friends.
You need to allocate the majority of the evening to free socializing.
You might also want to consider setting up a continuously running slide show of old class photos in one corner of the room....this is always a great attraction. Consider setting up a nostalgia table for classmates to view memorabilia and artifacts from your class past....this is a great way to jog faded memories and spark discussions amongst classmates. Ask each of your classmates to bring one piece of personal memorabilia for the nostalgia display. If you want to encourage dancing make sure your music provider plays music form your era.
Boost
School Spirit
There’s always a bit of nostalgia
when it comes to your alma mater and its familiar colors or mascots, so why not
decorate the venue with a little school spirit? At this point in the planning
process, the Decorations Chair can decide what will help give the night a bit
of pizzazz.
Coatesville Country Club
Brandywine Manor House Inn
Beale Manor
The Barn at Stoneybrooke
We would love to hear from other classes on where you had your reunion!
Party
like it’s [whatever year you graduated]
All your high school reunion
planning has paid off, so it’s time to enjoy the evening finally, right? Maybe
old friendships will pick up where they left off, old stories will be rehashed,
or perhaps even old romances rekindled. You’ll be transported back in time, if
only for a night.
In any case, your classmates will reward you with an A+ for your efforts.
