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The Big Reunion 2024
Thursday, 11 July 2024
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Last Saturday 6th July, we held our much anticipated 400th anniversary reunion, with the event seeing 700+ people gathering on the day, ranging from 1941 joiners to just last year's leavers. All in all 68 years were represented between classes of 1948 to 2023! Doors opened at 12 where once the alumni were checked in, they were able to catch up with all their former friends and classmates, before heading to the Great Hall to enjoy a delicious Mediterranean inspired lunch. The atmosphere in the hall was jovial, with the attendees enjoying plenty of time to fondly reminisce on their school days. Once the lunch had concluded, our alumni were able to wander the school and enjoy a whole host of activities. Each year group had the option of meeting in a specific classroom allocated to them whilst others had the option of enjoying a tour of the school, which was brilliantly run by some current students. One of our favourite quotes of the day, showing that some things never change is from John, class of 1968: "The students were cheerful and told me they thought the school was great. I told them that was my feeling many years ago!" We also had a photo exhibition in the Small Hall, with several boards set up displaying pictures across the school's history, with visits to Cwm, the evolution of the buildings, and trips abroad just some of the themes on display. There were tours of the library and interactive activities that could be participated in, with Year 8 students working with our librarian, Ms Bugg, to deliver these. Former students seemed to love the conversation involved in these! Music in the Small Hall was provided by our very talented Cemre Su, currently in Year 10 and a brilliant harpist! The Latymer Old Boys Football Club's five-a side tournament was hotly contested with lots of good football by all accounts. Congratulations to Marner FC who went on to win, and Murder on Zidane Floor who clinched the 'Europa League' trophy. There was also some great live Design and Technology demonstrations with Mr Collins, Head of Department, providing an insight into how things have changed for our current students. At 4:30pm everyone headed to the Great Hall to partake in the reunion day tradition of singing the school song. After first watching a video message from Ms Cobbett, all the way from Estonia (on a school trip), a rousing rendition took place, and despite some minor technical issues, it was a lovely moment with nine decades of students all joined together in unison. Attention soon turned to the evening activities, where guests could enjoy a summer BBQ outside, or take their food inside to watch England face Switzerland in the Euro quarter final on a big screen. So, it was truly fitting that the final act of the day saw a massive cheer ring out from the Great Hall, as England exorcised their past penalty demons to progress, with all alumni heading home with a smile on their face. Beatrice Cami, Alumni Relations Manager, would like to give a special thank you to all the volunteers who kindly gave their time to make the day such a success. In no specific order:
Finally we would like to extend a massive thank you to all alumni for coming in such great numbers and spirits! Since the event, we have had some wonderful feedback, which made the hard work worth it. The Big Reunion was truly a special way to celebrate our historic 400th anniversary! We look forward to seeing you all at future events! Next year the reunion will be on Saturday 5th July 2025. We have now created a 2024 reunion folder with lots of lovely pictures of the event. |