For Class of 2025, these are your people

In recent years, I invited my village of friends, many of whom are actual long-ago classmates of mine, to give sage advice to the new crop of high school graduates and it was an eclectic array of perspectives. One friend, Mary, said this, “Look around this room, across the aisle, in front of you, behind you, next to you. Be grateful for these people because this group, these friends, and foes, will be the ones you meet on the street to share a memory, will see at church, at reunions, on Facebook (or whatever social media becomes 30 years from now) and they are your people ... the ones who ground you and remind you of your roots ... nothing grows strong without healthy roots.”

No truer words have ever been said, which brings me to the subject of high school reunions. Most people have a love/hate feeling about reuniting a decade or three or four after you’ve said goodbye at graduation time. As someone who’s attended my 10th, 20th, 30th, 40th, 45th and 51st, here’s my perspective. The 10th and 20th are still a little high school-ish with people still wanting their classmates to see them as they were or an improved version of their high school selves. By the 30th and beyond, most are empty nesters and decidedly more comfortable in their own skin. A bonus to attending your reunions is meeting and getting to know people you went to school with, but maybe didn’t get to know well or at all.

What I know without a doubt is that the Coeur d’Alene High School Class of 1970 is my people, reminding me of my roots and our shared history. I’m sure I didn’t really appreciate the value of those friendships at our 10th reunion or 20th.

So, my advice to the Class of 2025 is to make a vow to attend your reunions, whether you still live in town or life has taken you out of the area. Stay connected and make new connections. These are your people.

• • •

For vintage Vikings who attended Coeur d’Alene High School in 1975 or earlier, the annual All Class Golden Reunion 2025 is coming Saturday, Sept. 6, from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds. CHS Class of 1970 is hosting all who’ve been 50 or more years out of high school.

Don’t wait to be contacted, jump on in and contact chsvikings@mail.com for more info.

Registration forms are available for download on the CHS All Class Reunion 2025 Facebook page, too.

• • •

P.S.: To the parents whose graduating seniors are their youngest child ... it’s not an empty nest until they’ve taken all of their belongings out of the basement.

• • •

Happy Main Street birthdays today to Natalie Wyant, Lynsie Odd, Jay Sadler, Kirk Dady and Jessica Downs Anundson. Tomorrow, Alec Steele, Evelyn Bevacqua Howe, Harold Appleby Jr., Joel Semanko, Helen Elder, Dale Rounsville, Ron Hodge and JaNee Newby will celebrate. On Friday, Wendy English, Don Bradway, Dallas Dixon, DeDe Tondee and Kim Normand put on their party hats. Happy birthday Saturday to my better half and best friend, Bert Thoreson, along with John Hough, Brad Corkill and Susan Lewis. On Sunday, Tammy Rickard, Courtney Everson, Dustin Pilcher, Jaymie Starr, Emma Hoffman and Dave Haugen blow out the candles. On Monday, Carla Allert, Dave Corbeill, Greg Washington, Paul Deckon, James Hart, Don Fisher and Darrell Hull do the birthday dance. Chelsea Hough, Jared Mans (40!), Taylor Gonzales, Lori Kaye Gaboury, Joan Crawford, Tanzi Hanson and Shannon Boston will celebrate June 10.

• • •

Kerri Rankin Thoreson is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and the former publisher of the Post Falls Tribune. Main Street appears every Wednesday in The Press and Kerri can be contacted on Facebook or via email thoreson.kerri@gmail.com.