School Spirit

Some people have it when they are in school and some people don't. Some people lose it after they graduate and some people kick themselves for not acknowledging it when they were in school.

I am referring to the emotional support one has for an educational institution. This is usually tied intrinsically to the town where you live. Unless you are a commuter student or attend a prep school, t one's feelings about a school are bound forever to the town.

I was lucky you could say because I had one town and one school system. I can see how hard it would be to develop an attachment for a place if it was one of a string of residences you lived in growing up.

One's school spirit is tested severely later in life by class reunions. Whether you admit it or not, everyone is concerned to a degree about how their lives have turned out when compared with the lives of their former classmates. I would readily admit this to anyone. Though I also know that once the reunion is over these comparisons become moot and I will return to comparing myself with my brothers, those I work with, and those I live around. These people are ubiquitous while those I see at reunions every five years or so who make me feel uncomfortable are more easily avoided.

The RHS Class of 1977 is planning a 35th reunion the weekend of July 20-22 2012. We have events starting on Friday night when the first performance of our Alumni All-Star band will be held at the Elks Club. Saturday morning at 11:00 AM we will have a student-led tour, the RHS Ambassadors will provide us a tour of the newly renovated Ridgewood High School. Saturday night at a 7:00 PM at a local hotel we will have the traditional reunion dinner with music, prizes and a great deal of picture taking I'm sure. Sunday afternoon we will have a picnic at Graydon and say our last goodbyes.

I am truly looking forward to this weekend. Not because I am so successful by any standard that I can fearlessly be compared with the accomplishments of my classmates, or because I am a social butterfly. No, the reason I want to go is to simply be in the presence of people who have known me longer than anyone outside my family. Some of these people will make me uncomfortable and some will bring joy to my heart. They will all remind me from whence I came. They will collectively serve as a touchstone and hopefully I'll gain some insight which will serve me well in the future. I guess that would sum up my reason for wanting to go, as scary as that might be.