I'm getting the impression as I talk to people that it's not very common to have grade school reunions. Here in Portland, back in the 60's, the grade school system was Kindergarten through 8th grade, you graduated, then moved on to four years of high school. None of that junior high 6th - 9th grade crap. Old fashioned, brick school houses designed like small penitentiaries.
This weekend, we're celebrating the 40th Year Reunion of the Class of 1969 from Rose City Park Grade School. When the school was built back in 1911, the area was in the suburbs. With school districts all over the country struggling to survive, our old alma mater closed it's doors in 2007, after 96 years of service to the Portland School District.
Ah, but the memory of our days there cannot be shuttered! Out of around 100 classmates, we've been able to keep in contact with around 30% of them and we will be visiting with each other once again in just a couple of days. We had our first Class of 1969 reunion 20 years ago. Then we had a 35 Year Reunion, followed by a collective "50th Birthday" party.
Once of the things I find interesting about our grade school reunions is the lack of "cliques" that so so much a part of high school. Oh, sure, everyone has their friends that they hung out with, but at high school reunions, the cliques still seem to hang out together just like they did in high school. Our Rose City Park class had around 80% of the class move onto Madison High School, 15% went to Grant High School and the rest scatted among Benson Polytechnic (all boys trade-type school) Girls Poly (all boys trade-type school) and Adams High School (an experiential pass/no-pass type "hippie" high school that only lasted a few years). With so many of our class attending Madison, you'd think that they'd all see each other in high school. But no, with so many kids and such large high schools, those bonds fade, you fall into your clique and by the time you graduate at the end of your senior year, those grade school days are forgotten memories.
Of the 19 people in the pictured above, 8 will be attending our reunion on Saturday! Can you guess which ones?
I think that we're lucky to have been able to maintain communications with everyone over the years. The bond of our grade school years (which coincided perfectly with the time frame of "The Wonder Years" TV show) and our time in history seemed to be the end of that innocent age of the 60's - and 1969 was a turning point. Just two months after we graduated from Rose City Park, Woodstock, the event that defined our generation was taking place on a dairy farm in Bethel, New York. That was August 15 - 18, 1969. That was 40 years ago this weekend.
See you on Saturday!
This weekend, we're celebrating the 40th Year Reunion of the Class of 1969 from Rose City Park Grade School. When the school was built back in 1911, the area was in the suburbs. With school districts all over the country struggling to survive, our old alma mater closed it's doors in 2007, after 96 years of service to the Portland School District.
Ah, but the memory of our days there cannot be shuttered! Out of around 100 classmates, we've been able to keep in contact with around 30% of them and we will be visiting with each other once again in just a couple of days. We had our first Class of 1969 reunion 20 years ago. Then we had a 35 Year Reunion, followed by a collective "50th Birthday" party.
Once of the things I find interesting about our grade school reunions is the lack of "cliques" that so so much a part of high school. Oh, sure, everyone has their friends that they hung out with, but at high school reunions, the cliques still seem to hang out together just like they did in high school. Our Rose City Park class had around 80% of the class move onto Madison High School, 15% went to Grant High School and the rest scatted among Benson Polytechnic (all boys trade-type school) Girls Poly (all boys trade-type school) and Adams High School (an experiential pass/no-pass type "hippie" high school that only lasted a few years). With so many of our class attending Madison, you'd think that they'd all see each other in high school. But no, with so many kids and such large high schools, those bonds fade, you fall into your clique and by the time you graduate at the end of your senior year, those grade school days are forgotten memories.
I think that we're lucky to have been able to maintain communications with everyone over the years. The bond of our grade school years (which coincided perfectly with the time frame of "The Wonder Years" TV show) and our time in history seemed to be the end of that innocent age of the 60's - and 1969 was a turning point. Just two months after we graduated from Rose City Park, Woodstock, the event that defined our generation was taking place on a dairy farm in Bethel, New York. That was August 15 - 18, 1969. That was 40 years ago this weekend.
See you on Saturday!
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