Co-chairperson Robert Coates outside NBCHS. (supplied photo/Robert Coates)
one for the books

Reunion scheduled to celebrate the first 10 years of North Battleford Comprehensive High School

Nov 29, 2019 | 2:05 PM

Next summer in the Battlefords will be one for the history books, quite literally.

The Come Together North Battleford Comprehensive High School (NBCHS) Committee will host the past alumni of NBCHS classes of 1971 to 1980 for a reunion on July 31 and August 1, 2020.

The organizing committee is calling it a weekend of reminiscing, to relive memories and re-ignite friendships, forge new ones, and engage once again with the Battlefords Community.

Robert Coates, co-chairperson for the Come Together NBCHS committee said they were inspired to host this event after attending their own reunion last year and seeing everyone thoroughly enjoy it.

“We recognized last year that when my graduating class had a little bit of a reunion. Not a whole lot of planning went into it but enough that it garnered 30 to 40 people out and that was pretty impressive. Those who weren’t there wish they had been and those who were there wished we would do it again,” he said.

Coates said they had alumni from other years reach out to them and express an interest in organizing a reunion for their year.

“Other years caught wind of it and said they wished their year would do something like that. We thought it is a lot of effort to put these reunions together so let’s just get some leverage behind it. Instead of just being one year specific let’s celebrate the first 10 years of the school from 1971 to 1980. We will get the numbers out and it will be worthwhile for everyone,” he said.

Come Together NBCHS Reunion scheduled for July 31 – Aug 1. (supplied photo/Robert Coates)

The organizing committee is still in the planning stages of the event but have an outline for what the weekend will look like.

Starting on July 31 there will be a welcoming event at the Dekker Centre. Coates said they have reached out to some former faculty to attend that part of the weekend.

“We are making efforts to bring the former teachers to involve them that evening. It will be a meet and mingle, light bite, wine and cheese sort of night. We’ll also have some entertainment for the evening with a vinyl turntable set up playing some records from our past. Just sort of welcome everyone back to the Battlefords,” he said.

On the Saturday morning NBCHS has given the committee a green light to have a tour of the school at 10 a.m.

In the afternoon they plan to band a few years together and have them meet at one of the local venues around the Battlefords for a more intimate reunion with their class and the ones around them.

That evening at the Western Development Museum there will be a fully catered reception. There will be live entertainment which will feature alumni from the past who have previously played in bands together. There will also be era related activities and games to have some fun that evening.

Sunday will be an open day where everyone can coordinate their own fun with the classmates and enjoy the long weekend in the Battlefords.

Coates said the most difficult part of planning an event like this is getting word out to all the appropriate parties. People have long since graduated and moved across the province, country or world in some cases.

“The biggest challenge for us is to reach all the people who aren’t on social media or aren’t online. We are just trying to get word out to everyone; it is important to us to get word out to anyone who would be interested in coming to the event,” he said.

Coates also mentioned they are still looking for people who are local to the Battlefords to help them organize and plan the event.

He said anyone who is interested in joining the planning committee or would like additional information on the reunion and reach out to him by email.

Anyone who is interested in attending the event is asked to register for the event on their EventBrite website.

Keaton.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow

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