CLASS REUNION UPDATES:
*** The SPIRIT OF 76 is definitely "on its way" to a great reunion! Thank you for your willingness to keep that spirit alive. We have verified contact information for 76% of our class! We are really grateful for any help you can provide as we strive to reach our goal of 100%.
*** We encourage you to peruse the Who's Missing list. By any chance do you have a way of finding one of our classmates? If so, we would appreciate your assistance. If you are on the list, please contact one of the committee members. Even if you are a member of our Facebook group, we need your email or snail mail address in to send you complete reunion details.
*** A save the date notice and pre-reunion survey were forwarded via email or snail mail in September. However, we know that life gets busy, snail mail is delivered at the slowest pace possible, and sometimes emails mysteriously end up in spam or lost in cyberspace. If you did not receive the documents, you can access them by clicking on the blue links in this paragraph. Otherwise, please contact one of the committee members and we will forward them to you. We want to keep you informed! Please complete the survey as soon as possible, even if you do not plan to attend the reunion. It will help us as we move forward with plans. Anyone who submits their survey by January 10th will be entered into a drawing for a gift card worth at least $25.00!
*** Pre Reunion Meetup: The next informal gathering for the MTG class of 1976 will be held at:
Please Contact Dolores Scanio if you plan to attend so she has an accurate count for the reservation. If you are unable to attend, be assured that there will be more pre reunion meet ups in the New Year.
Would you like to organize a pre reunion gathering? If so, let us know the date, time, and place, and we will be happy to post it here and on our Facebook site.
*** Be sure to check out the "FIFTY YEARS LATER" folder in our Photo Gallery. With a wealth of treasured memories and common life experiences, our youthful SPIRIT is living proof that the older we get, the better we get!
****** WAY TO GO SPIRIT OF '76! ******
(Posted: November 23, 2025 by Beth Damascus)
CLASS REUNION UPDATES:
Are you uncertain about attending your 50th reunion? Perhaps you didn't feel connected to anyone in high school. Maybe school was an escape from your home life. Perhaps you just wanted to "get through" the four years and move on. Whatever the reason for your hesitation about attending your reunion, know that high school was a time when all your classmates wrestled with the uncertainties of life. Even those who seemed to be well-adjusted or appeared to have the utmost self-confidence, struggled to figure out who they were and what the future would hold for them. Some were just better actresses than others at hiding their insecurities!
If you attended one of the earlier reunions, the primary focus was on catching up on careers and family. Everyone was in the prime of their career, and their children were very young. There might have been a lot of comparisons, boasting, and concern about their physical appearance.
So, why should you attend your 50th high school reunion? Well, it will differ a lot from earlier reunions due to your increased age and life experiences. Being part of a group that shares a common history can foster a sense of belonging and community. After 50 years, it doesn't really matter what you did or didn't do in life. No one is judging you. There is less boasting and more treasuring of the good times.
The 50th reunion emphasizes long-term relationships and friendships, shared memories, significant life mile stones and the impact of time. High school memories are relived, but the focus is on the journey. Basically, it marks a more mature stage of life, prompting a deeper appreciation for the past and a more reflective tone than at earlier reunions. At the age of 68, the event is generally devoid of one-upmanship. Fifty years changes faces, posture, gait, width, and height. It also evens things out. Everyone looks the same degree of old, but the majority will admit that they don't "feel" like they are "so old"! All that matters is that you've lived long enough to be there! (Be prepared for a reality check when see the names and photos of your dearly departed classmates.)
Going to your 50th reunion can be very special if you attend with an open mind. Don't stress out! Set aside your concern that you haven't seen or spoken to any of your classmates in 50 years. Rest assured that many others are in the same situation. Everyone will be feeling awkward and nervous, just like the first day of school all over again! Be friendly to everyone, and, under any circumstances, don't discuss controversial subjects (especially politics!).
You might be surprised to find yourself socializing with people whom you never talked with in high school. Everyone tends to be friendly, even those whom you barely knew in high school. You may be hugging more people than you ever thought possible in one afternoon. This is a chance to catch up with classmates, rekindle friendships that have faded over the years, and form new friendships with like-minded classmates.
Put yourself out there and talk to as many of your classmates as possible. You might be asking yourself, "What in the world will I talk about?" Set aside your worries. Here are some suggestions to get the conversations going:
- Introduce yourself. Express your joy and gratitude for the opportunity to reconnect and reminisce. Share your enthusiasm!
- Ask open ended questions as they tend to generate a sustained conversation.
- Ask who they had for a teacher in required classes such as gym, algebra, English, history, government, etc. Share a memory about one of the teachers or about a class you might have had together.
- Share a memory of something from high school (dance, prom, sporting event, extracurricular activity, school tradition, etc.)
- Reminisce about music, tv shows, movies, restaurants, hang outs during your high school days.
- Share some "antic" that you pulled during high school. (Do not embarrass anyone with a story that puts a classmate in an unfavorable light)
- Ask your classmate about their current life and use their answers as cues to extend the conversation. Share your answers to these questions too! Are you retired or still working? If retired, what do you like most about retirement? If still working, what do you do/where do you work, what keeps you going?
- What do you enjoy doing? What are your hobbies/interests/passions?
- What are your favorite travel destinations? What travel tips do you have to share?
- What are your favorite restaurants?
- Who is your favorite author? What is your favorite book?
- Ask about your classmate's involvement in their community (local events, volunteer/charity work, etc.).
- Ask about fitness routines/diet choices/healthy habits/goals. What helps you to relax/decompress/destress?
- Ask about their future goals/aspirations.
- Ask "If you had all the time, energy, and ability, what would you like to do?"
- Ask "What is your mantra in life?"
Think about your own interests and what you're involved in. It will help you to generate other questions as you seek to make meaningful connections. Embrace the joy of a shared history and community support. You might be pleasantly surprised to develop a friendship with someone who can assist you in your personal endeavors, someone who shares your interests, or someone who wants to join a group in which you participate (support group, hobby, craft, music, sport, etc.).
Hopefully this article has persuaded you to strongly consider attending your 50th high school reunion. After all, it will be a once in a lifetime, momentous event! At the very least, you may leave the reunion with long-lasting memories of a well spent afternoon.
(Posted: October 27, 2025 by Beth Damascus)
CLASS REUNION UPDATES:
*** Save the Date notices are going out via email (if we have one for you) or snail mail. If you do not receive one by October 1st, please reach out to one of the committee members so that we can verify your contact information..
*** Along with the Save the Date notice, you will receive a Pre-Reunion Survey We kindly request that you complete and send it back to us as soon as possible. See the survey for a special incentive if you return it by November 1st!
*** Your assistance in locating and verifying the contact information for our classmates has been great! Together we have confirmed 70% of our class. Anything you can do to help us reach our goal of 100% would be greatly appreciated! Please take a look at those who are still on our Who's Missing If you are on the list, contact one of the committee members. Even though you may be a member of our secure Facebook group, we still need at least an email or snail mail address for you. Please respond to private messages sent by committee members regarding this matter!
*** Pre Reunion Meetup: The next informal gathering for the MTG class of 1976 will be held at Gia Mia's in Naperville at 6:00 pm on Friday, September 26th. Contact Dolores Scanio if you plan to attend so that she has an accurate count when making the reservation. If you are unable to attend the gathering at Gia Mia's, there will be more opportunities in the future to reconnect with those you perhaps haven't seen for decades. Now that we are "seniors for life", let's make the time and effort to enlarge our circle of friends as we pursue our lifelong interests and passions.
*** Mother Guerin/Holy Cross 2nd annual reunion: Cucina Biagio 7319 W Lawrence, Harwood Heights Friday, October 17, 2025 7:00 pm $25.00 payable at the restaurant RSVP to Dolly McCarthy (organizer) dollymccarthy@gmail.com
*** WAY TO GO SPIRIT OF '76! ****
(Posted: September 08, 2025)
CLASS REUNION UPDATES:
Your enthusiasm is contagious!
We cannot thank you enough for your assistance in locating and verifying the contact information for our "Missing" classmates. As you can see from the "Who's Missing" list, the search goes on, but we are making fantastic progress after just four months of creative "detective" work! Please help us reach our goal of finding 100% of our graduating class.
***** WAY TO GO SPIRIT OF '76! *****
SAVE THE DATE!
We are pleased to announce that our 50th class reunion will take place over COLUMBUS DAY weekend in 2026.
The MAIN EVENT will be held on Sunday, October 11th at Moretti's Unique Events in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Several other gatherings for the rest of the weekend are in the planning stages. Details will be posted here as they are finalized.
In the meantime, please stay tuned both here and on our Facebook site for announcements about other meetups in the months leading up to our reunion. These meetups are a great way to reconnect with those you might not have seen in a very long time. You might even enlarge your circle of friends now that you are more mature, look at the world with new eyes, and, perhaps, have new interests.
(Posted: April 30, 2024)