Members of the Flint Southwestern Class of 1996 celebrated their 30th anniversary of their graduation the weekend of August 1, and had the chance to tour their old school. There was definitely interest in seeing what old classrooms and spaces looked like and hearing from staff members about what students are up to now. But for a dozen or so people, they had another mission in mind: they wanted to prove they could still run Southwestern’s infamous steep hill.
With current Southwestern football players looking on from the practice field, the group of alumni showed they still got it by racing each other to the top. Those little joyful moments were prevalent throughout a weekend of festivities that included a 1990s-themed meet and greet event, a tour of Southwestern, and the reunion at the Flint Farmers’ Market.
“It’s been really exciting to just reconnect with people,” said Erika Redmond, who helped organize the reunion with a planning committee of approximately 10 people. “A lot of our classmates are out of state now too, so it’s really been heartwarming to me to see how many people traveled in from out of state just to spend time with one another.”
James Rush is still connected to the Flint area, but he also teaches in South Korea. As an educator, he was impressed to see how current Southwestern teachers and students are using the space at the school now compared to what he remembers from attending there.
“One of the facts that was pointed out was the back hallway, there was the ROTC area and robotics and a career class that was kinda like Junior Achievement, which when I attended was wood shop and drafting and some basic classes like that that fit the times,” Rush said. “To see how they’ve used that space now and to hear about what the teachers are doing with their time and effort to help that school-to-job-to-career transition and process was very encouraging.”
They were also able to see a courtyard area where, through a GM partnership, students were able to rebuild some of the decking and patio spaces and complete other school improvement projects that taught them how to use different tools and skills.
“It was great to see so many things that were student-centered and show how they’re taking care of the kids,” Rush said. “A number of comments that were made by classmates were like, ‘Man, we didn’t have this when we were in here’ or ‘It’d have been so great if we would’ve had this.’”
Redmond, who doesn’t live in Flint anymore but still has family in the area, said about 70 people attended the reunion. For her, it was her first time back in her old high school since she’d graduated, and the first time seeing several of her classmates since their 20-year gathering. One aspect she really enjoyed was getting to have so many people participate in the continued momentum and renewed energy downtown Flint. Many people stayed in the Hilton Garden Inn downtown, and were able to walk around Friday while things like Jazz Walk were going on and hundreds of people were out gathered enjoying restaurants and businesses in the downtown area.
“I’ve never had to stay at a hotel in Flint before because I always have family I stay with, but for maybe the second time, I got to stay at a hotel downtown Flint, we got to go to a night club, everything was walkable, it was fantastic,” Redmond said. “It’s been great being at the Farmers’ Market and getting local food. It just feels good to be putting money into the economy of our hometown. I think everybody got all the warm feels just walking around reminiscing about different things.”
Both Redmond and Rush discussed the important role Southwestern has played in the lives of so many graduates, instilling a deep sense of pride in where they came from and where they were educated. Rush said that extended outside of the classroom too, because so many parents were involved in the school and knew who all the kids were
“There’s a lot of pride,” Rush said. “But you also knew your place, so you didn’t get too big-headed. You still had respect for elders, for community institutions and different places, and certainly the teachers and the parents. No matter where you could go, you really had to try or do something really wrong to get in trouble because you had so many support systems. It made you want to do right by them and make them proud.”
Rush also noted that it is good to see people in person and not just seeing their updates through social media.
“Being able to see classmates, offer some condolences because a few, few of us have lost parents over the last 10 years since our last reunion, and just see people not just talk through Facebook or social media, but to give a high five and a handshake and a hug feels good,” Rush said. “There’s just been so much sincerity and authenticity among people. Sometimes you hear about reunions that fall into the comparison trap and it becomes a space for negativity to happen. But for us it was just good times and good vibes.”
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