Oh what a night! 💙
Y2K
Reunion
Celebrating the THS Class of 2000’s 25th High School Reunion
Bringing on the feels
Getting home safely, as I opened my parking gate and rolled over the threshold, I had a twinge of something I could only describe as what the Grinch felt like when his heart filled up with joy, a tiny misting of the eyes, and a resolve that, somehow, I had missed before. I had just witnessed an entirely diverse group of classmates from my childhood come together and experience a friendship and grounding that I could only hope for! WARNING: Nostalgic reflection coming soon …
This will be more of a journal entry than a business blog post …
Walking for miles
Even though we all had very different journeys in high school, they felt so extreme 25 years ago. But during reunion night, I heard from classmates who thought about the pain they had caused others and how they want to do their part in giving back to the class, heard about challenges that folks had been presented with but were still here to celebrate and honor others, paths that classmates were unexpected lead down to find their soul mates, and I heard about classmates kid’s fears of a first-time white knuckled highway flyover while visiting Houston and the excitement and fear that came over them when experiencing firsts. As adults, we take for granted these little things — what a night!
One for the books
It was an event for the books! For the last 6 months, a small group of disparate classmates, living in different cities and coming from very different backgrounds had one thing in common, we attended the blue and white James E. Taylor High School made for success in Katy, Texas over 25 years ago! With enthusiasm and a dab of school spirit, we all set forth to achieve the ‘greatest reunion’ there ever was (or at least a memorable experience for our friends!). Together we made the night spectacular — but it wasn’t because it was flashy, or “cool” — it was the kindness and joy shown by so many that really stood out made my eyes a little bit “misty” at the end!
Bad rap
I get it, a high school reunion doesn’t always bring forward all the warm fuzzies like the memory of your 1998 chenille sweater! Some people say it was a ‘passion project’, but I think it was just helping out an old friend. Sometimes you are brought down a path that you wouldn’t normally seek for yourself, and it was worth diving right into that vintage No Fear T-shirt and being surprised by it all! (IYKYK)
Final revelation
Yes, I did sacrifice my time for (approx.) 743 of my closest friends 😁… and for the ~130 friends that showed up, it was so worth the sacrifice to be a witness to the joy and kindness throughout the evening! Yes, there was fear along the way, some of us were not from the “cool” social circles that existed a quarter century ago. Even with all our past differences, I think my classmates can all agree that we have more in common, than not.
● Your life can change in an instant, cherish the moments.
Supporting our
Y2K reunion
Below is a range of media elements that were using throughout the evening, at the crossroads of engagement and reflection, making it a night to remember!
Photo collage reveals made the slideshow fun and engaging. Media was uploaded to the Kululu app, giving all classmates access to download and share photos and videos that resonated with them on their socials. 💙 Animated millennial-themed stickers and photo cutouts gave the slideshow a vintage scrapbook feel.
These “snappy” QR code graphics were placed around the venue and displayed throughout the slideshow to encourage interacting with the Kululu app, where classmates could upload their personal memories throughout the event.
Slideshow background
Text message backgrounds were available in the Kululu app to write notes to classmates highlighting memories.
Cherish the little moments, honor your friends, and enjoy the time you have left ... I have a feeling we won’t be waiting another 15 yrs to reflect on the wonderful and unique people we have all become!
