Saturday morning dawned bright and early with a group of 20 or so meeting at AHS for a tour led by Shirley Brothers. I think it’s safe to say this is not the Alvin High School we remember! It’s big, beautiful, and from what I could tell, seemed to be equipped with the all the latest in technology! Retired government teacher Charles McCauley joined us—he has
slightly less hair but it was great to find him alive and well in spite of having a building on campus named for him! Mr. McCauley spends a portion of his leisurely retirement as a member of the School Board, and other portions attending former student reunion events like ours. According to Shirley, he also takes care of his VERY mean dog! We met at the Rotunda, located about where the old North Annex used to be, now shading a wonderful array of commemorative bricks purchased by citizens and former students. (I’d love for our class to buy one for each of our departed classmates. I’m thinking of setting up a PayPal account for this, so let me know your thoughts on the idea!)
Some highlights of our tour included picture-taking at the Wall of
Honor, citing the accomplishments of former classmates and instructors. A few of us took turns having our photos snapped next to it--Terry Penner here--previewing hopes about placement of our own names there someday!
Those of us who were in choir and/or band gazed in pure envy at the size of the new practice facilities--unfortunately the drama department didn't fare as well—those classes are hidden under the old gym in what used to be the sub cafeteria! A really nice security guard who’s name I’ve forgotten took us through some back doors around to the auditorium where, after we found the lights, we had a blast taking photos of ourselves on stage and as a group. Most of us remember hours and hours of pure high school ‘entertainment’ there, and one of our favorite stories was about climbing up a very steep and skinny ladder to the 'light loft.' Who knows what we did while we were up there?!!
We ended the tour near what used to be our ‘new’ cafeteria, talking about the trees they saved and the ones they lost, including the really BIG one that used to be toward one end of the old administration building—a spot where many of us spent lounging, making out, or just daydreaming. Shirley talked to us about programs the school participates in and we enjoyed hearing about the diversity of the student population, another big difference from our tenure there. Many thanks to Shirley for an enjoyable and informative morning, and also to Mr. McCauley for his good cheer--and especially for sharing with us that the ‘older classes’ like ours brought to mind some of his fondest memories!
After the tour a small group of us met for lunch at Joe’s BBQ—that’s us clowning
around in the photo with a bunch of REAL clowns. Having a chance to visit one-on-one was great, and we hope to build in more time for this kind of interaction during our next reunion. (As well as naps—several of us headed home after lunch to take naps!!) ;) We needed them, however, because those of us involved in planning only had a bit of a break before gathering at Haak’s Winery to set up the tables for the big evening. Stay tuned…
Thanks for posting this Cate.
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