The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Last summer I attended my 40th high school class reunion in Vancouver, Wash. That evening I had the pleasure of listening as several of the "kids" I went to school with described how wonderful their grandchildren are - some at great length.

I was happy to get that over with, but I also came away with a new appreciation for the strong connections people have, not only with their former classmates, but also with their former high schools and their former communities.

In a large high school like the one I attended, each class is pretty much on its own to plan its reunions. But in smaller communities like Waitsburg, Prescott and Dayton, local alumni associations have established one date on which class reunions and other annual alumni activities take place. It becomes a celebration for the whole community.

This weekend is Dayton's "Alumni Weekend." Waitsburg High School alumni gathered in May, and Prescott's got together in June.

Dayton is fortunate to have a particularly active and successful alumni association (see article beginning on Page 1). The DHS Alumni Association meets monthly throughout the year, and is responsible for organizing the annual Alumni Weekend event, which happens this weekend. Among the group's active members are Bud and Marilyn Groom, who will be parade marshals in the Alumni and Mule Parade.

The Alumni Association's other big job is raising money and awarding scholarships to deserving graduating seniors. This year, the group awarded about $8,000 in scholarships.

Waitsburg also has a thriving alumni association. In May, 185 alumni, guests and graduating seniors attended the annual Reunion and Banquet.

Last year a group of alumni, led by Wes Leid and inspired by the Dayton group's success, established a new Waitsburg High School Alumni fund. The fund balance, as of May, was over $45,000, and this year, two scholarships of $1,000 each were awarded to deserving Waitsburg High graduating seniors.

Prescott High School also has an active alumni group. Their members met for reunions in June.

Alumni gatherings in our area are the only time many people who grew up on our communities have the chance to come back to visit. Those visits give former students a chance to renew friendships from high school (and most likely hear more stories than they want to about kids and grandkids). It also allows those former residents to see what great communities these still are, and to renew those all-important connections with our schools and their current students.