E.L Crossley’s 60th anniversary reunion brought former students and teachers together at the Meridian Community Centre on June 17. Approximately 400 people from near and far attended, and enjoyed a great day of reconnecting.
About $8000 was the net profit from the one-day event, said Janet Cripps, the Head of Student Services at Crossley, and herself an alumna from the 1980s.
“Thank you to all who have made this investment in our future Crossley alumni,” she said.
How will the cash be spent?
“Staff and students can submit a request for funds for various school purposes,” said Cripps. “Proceeds from the 50th Anniversary a decade ago were used to purchase a sound system for the school’s lecture hall, a big-screen TV in the cafeteria for announcements and to post pictures of events, a teams room, snare drums for the band, and a set of team uniforms. A committee composed of a school administrator, a teacher, an alumnus, and a student council member vet the requests.”
It was great to see so many long-time Crossley teachers at the celebrations, said Cripps.
“Hank and Frances Bauer were there, who were original faculty from when the school first opened. Jackie Morgan, Brian Baty, Sue Kicul, Karen Davies, Brian Walker, Brian Pye, Ron Walker, and Nancy Haaf taught at the school since the 1970s, and retired in the early 2000s.”
Cripps said that the Meridian Community Centre was a perfect venue because it enabled people to be centralized, but offered enough space so that attendees did not feel on top of one another.
“We were so lucky to have good weather for the event,” she said. “The outdoor space offered a phenomenal venue, and I highly recommend it for retirement parties, staff socials, and the like. The MCC staff were amazing to work with, and very accommodating to all our requests. Smart Serve staff took the heat off of us for the alcohol liability, and Tim Toffolo was very accommodating to handle all of our catering needs.”
Cripps was especially appreciative of the Crossley alumni who sponsored the 60th anniversary celebration to ensure a quality event occurred.
Photos of the big day are available online. Cripps encouraged all Crossley alumni to join the group’s Facebook page, and complete a personal entry in the alumni database.
The 70th anniversary party won’t have Cripps leading the charge.
“Having assembled two amazing teams of very talented individuals to pull off both the 50th and 60th anniversary reunions, this will be my final time organizing an event of this size,” she said, adding that it can be a challenge to recruit volunteers. “Those who recently joined me did so because they could not outrun me when I chased after them,” she said with a laugh.
Her sign-off included a cheer for the volunteerism which fuels so many Pelham events.
“We are blessed to have amazing events such as the Bandshell series, Summerfest, Farm/Family Funfests, various carnivals, and a long list of others because we have such a dedicated bunch of community volunteers,” she said. “To sustain a healthy community, both at the school level and in the community, I encourage everyone to get out there and volunteer.”