‘Together for Twenty’ is the title for an exciting event taking place at St. Joseph Scollard Hall in the fall of 2006. This morning the ‘S-J-S-H Reunion Committee’ officially launched the date of the largest gathering in the school’s history.
‘Together for Twenty’ is the title for an exciting event taking place at St. Joseph Scollard Hall in the fall of 2006.
This morning the ‘S-J-S-H Reunion Committee’ officially launched the date of the largest gathering in the school’s history.
On October 6th and 7th Alumni from all over the world will gather in North Bay to catch up and reminisce about their time spent at St Joseph-Scollard Hall.
Not only will the reunion chronicle the past 20 years at the current institution, but will also reach back some 75 years before the amalgamation of the girl’s school with the boy’s.
St. Joseph’s Academy Class of 1940 graduate, Elana O’Hara Naughton, who has managed a life long friendship with a girlfriend who she met the first year of high school, said with a chuckle that she is eager to see how life has treated her other friends these many years.
“It’s great seeing people you haven’t seen for so many years, and noting the difference in one and other, how much they have aged.”
Area sports guru Frank ‘the Toe’ Caruso, who admits to bleeding pure green and gold, says the reunion is a dream come true.
Caruso, who had the honour of making history twice at Scollard as he was part of the last graduating class of the all boys Scollard Hall and was part of the first graduating class of the newly formed St. Joseph-Scollard Hall, said the move to unite the schools was a natural step.
“ You know we were two separate identities that had the same goals in mind, it was a Catholic education and we came together and it was a big thing at that time,” says Caruso.
“Of course a lot of it was government funding, for money to come into our schools and to be recognized and finally it did and we’ve come together and without a doubt it brings a lot of pride and it’s really a warm feeling and family type of atmosphere.”
Caruso also feels the reunion sets the stage for the ‘Annual Homecoming Bears Football Game’ to rival such events as the ones hosted south of the boarder.
“It’s a reunion like you see in the States where it’s the big football game and the dance social aspects and everybody comes together. It doesn’t matter if you are from Toronto, Ottawa, I know people as far away as the States that have now lived there that are coming back for this reunion. I think it’s going to be a great thing and hopefully it transpires into a seasonal thing.”
Reunion Chair, Donna Backer, says the reunion had several goals including the compilation of a comprehensive record of alumni for future gatherings.
“ The goal of the reunion firstly is to get everyone here, to come together and have a great weekend, to reminisce and see old friends.”
“We want to have a legacy project established for the many profits that are generated from the reunion and we want to have a legacy project here at the school that will commemorate the current and past alumni of the two schools,” states Backer.
Events for the weekend are ongoing and highlights include:
* Tours of all three schools * Bears Social * Art display & silent auction * Memorabilia displays * Football & basketball games * Thanksgiving Social * Live entertainment * Slide shows * Celebration of Liturgy with Bishop Plouffe, of the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie