In 2016, my high school class celebrated our silver reunion. It started with the realization that we were scattered all over the globe. Many had already lost contact with each other. And those still connected live in different countries. Others have forgotten their friends, while many with the memory of an elephant, remembered plenty of interesting details about our high school days.
As a result, we decided to make a reunion book. We intended it to be a catalogue and a networking platform for alumni. The main ideas were: 1) So we could remember again who we were, 25 years ago, 2) to learn something about each other’s lives and 3) the possibility of doing something together in the future. In private, business or beyond. For me, the book is "personal" because I am part of the Class of 1991 and the reunion book’s team leader. Blissfully, I did not solely create the book. It was the result of great teamwork among many friends. The first thing we did, was gathering all the photos from the past, many of which may still be found. Fewer pictures were taken In the era before smartphone, selfie, and social media. So everyone was ecstatic as hundreds of vintage photos started to pour into dropbox. |
We mobilized everybody to collect comprehensive alumni data (names, location, occupation, hobbies, contact addresses, social media links and more). It also included a search for all “fugitive alumni”. Step by step, our memories of old times were refreshed. And after several months of hard work, we found everyone. Conclusion: we were 218 girls, who spread across 4 continents and 14 countries.
After we found everyone, the process to make the reunion book finally started. But there were many questions. How could we fit thousands of photographs into one book? How could we format dozens of articles, about our past and what has happened during the past 25 years, to flow smoothly from front to back? In addition, how could we organize everything efficiently when the book team members were scattered in different countries and cities that crossed different time zones. Last but not least, how could we finance this project?
We solved those problems by trying our best. We did what we could do. We scrapbooked photos, wrote and edited articles, made pages’ lay-out, catalogued alumnus, hunted for advertisers, made ads, found a supplier for the USB cards, and finalized the setting for printing. To please everybody, the reunion book will be circulated in two forms: the e-book version - free for all, and the printed version - for those who wish to pay.
Now, the reunion book project has been completed and our job has come to an end. One chapter in my life is over, but by no means forgotten. Old classmates and old teachers wrote us their joyful impressions. Like balm for the soul, all the hard work, all the sacrifices, all the sleepless nights, struggles, downfalls, it all paid off. Especially because, their testimonies captured the essence of the book. It reminded us of the real meaning of reunion. Uniting once again, what had been scattered to the past.
Happy silver reunion!
After we found everyone, the process to make the reunion book finally started. But there were many questions. How could we fit thousands of photographs into one book? How could we format dozens of articles, about our past and what has happened during the past 25 years, to flow smoothly from front to back? In addition, how could we organize everything efficiently when the book team members were scattered in different countries and cities that crossed different time zones. Last but not least, how could we finance this project?
We solved those problems by trying our best. We did what we could do. We scrapbooked photos, wrote and edited articles, made pages’ lay-out, catalogued alumnus, hunted for advertisers, made ads, found a supplier for the USB cards, and finalized the setting for printing. To please everybody, the reunion book will be circulated in two forms: the e-book version - free for all, and the printed version - for those who wish to pay.
Now, the reunion book project has been completed and our job has come to an end. One chapter in my life is over, but by no means forgotten. Old classmates and old teachers wrote us their joyful impressions. Like balm for the soul, all the hard work, all the sacrifices, all the sleepless nights, struggles, downfalls, it all paid off. Especially because, their testimonies captured the essence of the book. It reminded us of the real meaning of reunion. Uniting once again, what had been scattered to the past.
Happy silver reunion!