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St. Columban, Birmingham, Mich.
Following their recent reunion, the St. Columban Class of 1970 submitted the following.
 In 1963, we weren't given a choice. We finished kindergarten, and St. Columban School in Birmingham, Mich., was where our parents sent us. For eight years we walked, rode bikes, car pooled or stood at the corner waiting for that yellow bus driven by Shorty, the bus driver who needed wooden blocks to reach the pedals! We congregated there daily, never imagining how precious that time would feel decades later. When we graduated in 1970, we scattered to a handful of different high schools and began that complicated trip to adulthood. We left our elementary school pals behind - but not forever.
Nearly four decades later, we gathered once again at Chapman's Mill, in Rochester Hills, Mich., for a reunion of friends who were instrumental in our early years. Days after the party, former Royal Oak resident Ron Hess said he was "still smiling after spending an EPIC night with wonderful St. Columban friends." Hess traveled from his Wenton, Wash., home to join 25 former elementary school classmates. He, along with classmates Ken Lang, of Ponchatoula, La., and Cathy Waldecker Schroeder, of St. Clair Shores, Mich., began searching for classmates in June. Using a wide variety of amateur detective skills, Internet searches and the records and memories of many classmates, by the day of the Aug. 27 party, more than half of the 60 1970 graduates had been located.
The reunion was a mixture of reminiscing and catching up. We mourned the loss of classmate Val Wessel, our former principal Mother Mary Ives (Mary McClellan, IHM), and of many parents and siblings. We celebrated the births of children and grandchildren. We fondly remembered the many IHM nuns and lay teachers who steered us toward moral and responsible life choices - sometimes contrary to our wishes! The arrival of 8th grade teacher, Mr. Greg Smetek, who now lives in Redford, Mich., was a surprise to most and a highlight for all! Smetek taught in the metropolitan Detroit area for 39 years before his retirement in 2008, and he recalled the 1970 class as one of his first teaching jobs with many memorable students. "It was nice to be able to express gratitude to an individual who impacted our futures in such a positive way," said Schroeder.
As the night came to an end, we continued to reflect on the past while excitedly making plans for our next reunion. We exchanged phone numbers, e-mail addresses and Facebook IDs. We shook hands, hugged, kissed and said goodbye, but not for long! Lang summarized the evening saying, "The years I spent at St. Columban School blessed me with friends who will forever be an important part of my life."
Missing members of the class are encouraged to reconnect with classmates by joining Facebook Group "St. Columban, Birmingham, MI - Class of 1970" http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=89750921533.
St. Columban was featured as the November 2008 School of the Month on the IHM Web site.
St. Matthew - Flint alumni reunite
Organizers of the St. Matthew - Flint Class of 1958 50th reunion submitted photos of the event.
If you were taught by IHM Sisters and have photos of your class reunion you'd like to see featured on the IHM Web site, please send them to Molly Hunt at mhunt@ihmsisters.org.
St. Mary - Akron reunion
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