High School Reunions are chances to get together with your classmates and see where you’ve been. They have the potential to be extraordinary, once in a lifetime chances for you to meet up with the people you grew up with. It’s a chance for you to see how far they’ve come and to reconnect with each other. That chance to reflect and reconnect was given to the Burton High School Class of 1965, fifty years later, this past weekend.
The Elizabethan Room at Punderson Lodge was decorated in colors of purple and gold, the colors of Burton High School long before the name was changed to Berkshire. Fifty years later, classmates greeted each other with open arms and warm smiles. A lot of people traveled from out of town, even out of state, to be there for the monumental occasion. It was almost as if a day hadn’t gone by since they graduated.
“It’s been a ball,” George Nelson said, grinning ear to ear the whole time. A graduate from the Burton High School Class of 1965, and a member of the reunion committee, Nelson adds, “Planning it was just as much fun.”
Music from the ‘50s and ‘60s played on the stereo in the corner, and the table at the end of the room offered a glimpse back in time. The Class of ’65 was only comprised of eighty-two people. As a result, the pictures weren’t just from their high school days. There were pictures of classmates from middle school, even pictures of a fourth grade class. The people in attendance didn’t just graduate together; they grew up together.
“It was so great knowing everybody you went to school with,” graduate Jean Brilla says, reflecting on the average class size of today’s classes in comparison to the size of her class. Some class sizes of today can be upwards of a hundred students, with online school districts reaching into the thousands. There’s no denying that the days where every student knows each other are long gone – just a small part of what made this reunion so special.
50th High School Reunions don’t happen every day. To be able to reconnect with the people you grew up with fifty years later is a once in a lifetime opportunity that most people don’t get. Of course, there were classmates that couldn’t attend, and even classmates that passed away. It was evident that the people in attendance knew just how special the occasion was.
The reunion included a dinner and a small, touching ceremony to honor their military vets. The party didn’t end that night, though. A picnic in a Burton Park was held the following day. Organized by Tom Cselpo and Dorrin Birch, the picnic was inspired to give members an additional day to catch up and reminisce.
“These people are coming in from out of town, even out of state. It seems silly just to catch up for one night.” Cseplo said with a smile. He estimated that around forty to fifty people would be in attendance.
People shared contact information, stories, and memories all throughout the reunion. It was an evening filled with happy faces, warm hearts, and close friends that were reconnected at last. For this once in a lifetime opportunity, the Burton High School Class of 1965 took advantage of each and every moment.
