Casino High School Reunion
Class of 1980 Reunion. East High 40th Class Reunion— POSTPONED. A message from the reunion committee. Due to the uncertainty surrounding the health crisis facing our communities and those across the globe we have decided to postpone our 40th class reunion until next year. Dec 31, 2019 Love it or loathe it, high school is a defining period of most people’s lives. Social media has made it easier to stay in touch with your old crew, but there’s just nothing like getting together in person to discuss the glory days. Whether it’s your fifth or your 50th, here are some fun ideas to plan a high school reunion. Welcome to AlumniClass.com! Whether you graduated a few months or a few decades ago, you can find your high school and class reunions here. Reconnect with classmates, learn about upcoming school reunions, and order custom merchandise to show your school spirit. Welcome to AlumniClass.com! Whether you graduated a few months or a few decades ago, you can find your high school and class reunions here. Reconnect with classmates, learn about upcoming school reunions, and order custom merchandise to show your school spirit.
I was hesitant to attend my 20 year high school reunion, after all the last high school reunion I went to featured the well-known cliques in every corner; popular, farmers, stoners & book worms. Unfortunately, I was always just the shy girl who everyone thought was “quiet, but nice” so my clique was absent. Feeling awkward and insecure (just like high school) I ate my dinner, chatted with a handful of people and went home.
I wanted this reunion to be different.
For this 20 year high school reunion I thought if I could get a good group of core friends to go, what could be the harm. If nothing else, it would be a great opportunity to get dressed up, eat a fine meal and hang out with the people who I still kept in touch with.
We ended up with a group of about 8 core friends to attend the 20 year high school reunion, I felt safe with that. At least one of them should be easy to locate in a crowded room if I needed a friendly face.
The best thing my class did was organize a pre-reunion get together at a local bar. It was a great opportunity to be reacquainted with people on a smaller scale. Thanks to the wonders of Facebook and I guess different search engines that allow you to search for people using very little information, there were about 40 of the 250 classmates that showed up to the day before party. Fun!
The night of the big event was a bit overwhelming, yet fantastic. I was so surprised when it was time to leave and there were still people that I hadn’t been able to catch up with. The best part is that with the combination of the reunion and Facebook, it has opened up endless friendship and event opportunities.
Tips for attending your 20 year high school reunion:
- The first tip is to realize that you are not the only one who is nervous! Just about everyone I spoke to had some sort of fear or anxiety associated with attending the reunion. You are all in the same boat.
This post may help with your fear: Overcoming Anxiety to Live Your Dream: 8 Tips to Facing Your Fears
- Reconnect with old friends prior to the reunion, so there isn’t such an awkward feeling on that day. A great way to do this is to simply contact them through social media or email just to see if they are planning on going to the reunion. If they are open to it, have a little get together before the actual day of the event. The more familiar faces, the less anxiety on that day!
- Select your outfit well in advance so you do not to add to the stress on the day of.
Need help deciding? Check out this article about what to wear and these 15 stunning outfits.
- Skim the yearbook (and social media!) prior to arrival to help remembering your classmates faces. It’s rough when you are staring someone in the face and they look familiar, but you can’t really remember their name.
- Let it go! Attend the reunion with an open mind, don’t hang on to old grudges-after 20 years people change (or at least you hope so).
Class reunions are a great way to catch up with old friends, relive old memories and enjoy a night of fun experiences with people you have known for many, many years. Whether your class reunion celebrates five years or fifty, the tips we have compiled below will make certain that your class reunion will be one for the ages.
You can also see these tips and more on our Class Reunion and Party Ideas Pinterest board!
Class Reunion Decorating Ideas
When decorating for your class reunion, utilizing your school colors is an absolute must. The following items should incorporate your school spirit, colors, mascot and motto as much as possible.
- Custom tablecloths, napkins, plastic ware, plates, drinking glasses, etc.
- Wall Art—Incorporate items like old school photos, class photos, school pennants, sports memorabilia, class year banners, school motto banners, school logos, etc.
- Balloon Arches—Balloons should be hung in the shape of an arch, alternating school colors for effect.
- Centerpieces—Flowers in school colors are a good option for center displays.
- Inflated Helium Balloons—These should be placed around the venue to keep school spirit alive.
- Confetti—It comes in many shapes and sizes, some of which include graduation-shaped confetti, school colors, etc. and would be perfect for decorating tables throughout the event space.
- Mascot–Try to get your old mascot in on the fun!
Class Reunion Party Games and Activities
All class reunion parties and class reunion events need entertainment like party games and activities. Break the ice after all of those years—or pick up right where you left off—with some of these class reunion party game and activity ideas.
- Photo Slideshow—Have everyone who is planning on attending (and even those who cannot be there) send in scanned copies of their favorite photographed memories from school. Combine them digitally into a slideshow and have that slideshow projected onto one of the walls at the class reunion event.
- Pin the Glasses on the Teacher—Find a picture of everyone’s favorite instructor from the graduation year and play “pin the glasses on the teacher” (the same way you would play “pin the tail on the donkey,” blindfolded, spun around and pushed in the general direction of the photo).
- A Year In History—Make a list of all of the significant school, local, national and worldwide news that occurred during the graduation year being celebrated so that everyone in attendance can recall the most momentous of newsworthy occasions.
- Imitations—Guests use imitation (because it is the sincerest form of flattery, after all) to mimic teachers, instructors, principals, deans, coaches and more, with the rest of the guests trying to guess who they are pretending to be.
- Guess the Top 10—Have your class reunion party guests guess the top 10 movies, television programs, singers, bands or other entertainment-based options from the graduation year, and hand out prizes to the most successful guess lists.
- Comparing Yearbooks—Many people had their yearbooks signed in school, and many of them still keep them today. If you can find people that still have their yearbooks handy, have them bring those books along to compare and share old signatures, old hopes and dreams and plenty of old memories.
- Song to Artist—Using only bands popular during the class reunion’s graduation year, make a list of songs and artists and scramble them. Have each guest attempt to match the song titles to the appropriate artists.
- Graduation Karaoke—Sing songs popular during the graduation class’ era.
- New Class Photo—A great way to remember the event, having a new “class photo” taken will be a great way to commemorate the night and see how much you all have changed.
Class Reunion Party Favors
Party favors are perfect for helping guests remember any event, and, to stand out from all the rest, your class reunion party favors need to be unique and exciting at the same time. Try some of these unique and school spirit-filled class reunion party favors that will be just that.
- Alumni Items—It is very easy to get your hands on true “alumni” gear from any school, including bumper stickers, stickers, pens, t-shirts, sweatshirts, sweat pants, hats, ball caps, folders, notebooks and more. Ordering one alumni item per guest would be a great way to not only commemorate the reunion, but also give each attendee something that allows them to celebrate their time in school.
- Monogrammed Items—Plenty of gift companies offer monogrammed items that are perfect for personalization. These items, like wine glasses, beer glasses, tea light holders, candle holders, mugs, magnets and more can be inscribed with the school name, school logo, reunion year and/or graduation year to help each of your guests celebrate long after the class reunion party is over.
- Class Photo Items—A unique way to remember the “good ol’ days,” this idea utilizes old class photos, copies them and uses them as coatings and coverings for everyday items. Wrap and glue them around pencil holders, put them in picture frames, shrink them down and turn them into magnets or find some other creative use, and turn everyday items into class reunion party memorabilia in a heartbeat.
- Flat-Backed Logo Marbles—Marbles can be purchased at any craft store. Purchase plenty of flat-backed marbles, print out pages of size-appropriate school logos and secure them to the backs of the marbles to create unique paperweights and decorative items.
- Bookmarks and Key Chains—Monogrammed or printed bookmarks and key chains are useful everyday items that can be personalized, allowing users to remember the fun they had at their class reunion party for years and years to come.
Class Reunion Menu Options
You have a variety of choices when it comes to menu and dining style for your class reunion party. Speak with your caterer to decide what would be most appropriate for your event, selecting from a variety of food service options based on your venue, the formality of your reunion, your guests and your budget. Here are some ideas:
Casino High School Reunion 2019
- Self-serve buffet
- Family-style table service
- Formal dinner service
- Tea, coffee and desserts
- Cocktail reception with bar and hand-passed hors d’oeuvres
- Brunch
- Chef-action station for interactive menus
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Casino High School Reunion Ideas
Devora is the Director of Sales at BG Events & Catering.