Alumni Perspective: Staying Connected

The recent, untimely death of a classmate made me realize how emotionally connected I still was to my old high school friends. In sharing the sad news, it hit us all that decades had gone by without checking in on each other. We had scattered across the county and simply lost touch.

So, I networked with the ones I could find and tracked down most of the others through Facebook and word of mouth. The consensus was to hold a 40th Year Class Reunion! We also invited those who didn’t graduate with us but are still considered valued members of our Class of 1981.

Now that we’ve reconnected, I try to keep in touch at least once a year. Social media and tools like Survey Monkey are invaluable in helping us to remain connected and decide when to hold the next reunion.

Similar to the relationship I have with those who left Canterbury before our graduation, I remain friends with many other students from that 1979-1983 time period. I’ve suggested that they also hold reunions and offered to share our experiences. They don’t know what they’re missing!

Canterbury was so small in the late 1970s and early 1980s that everyone knew everyone. We were kind of like family in that regard. Even if you didn’t have the same personalities and interests as some of your fellow classmates, you ALWAYS had to find a way to get along.  

I think our teachers also recognized how special Canterbury was. I like to believe they cut us some extra slack when we didn’t display the “best behaviors”. Sadly, many of those teachers who helped to mold who we are today are no longer with us. The lesson here is to connect with old friends and to thank your former teachers along the way. Time goes by fast and when you finally stop to look back, it may be too late to connect again.

They’ve all made more of an impact on our lives than we realize.