Are high school reunions truly an almost mandatory social contest?
Posted by mdelgado73@reddit | AskAnAmerican | View on Reddit | 193 comments
First of all, are these reunions that common, like, every high school organizes them no matter what? And second, are them the scenario where everyone competes for who has a better job, partner and lifestyle?
SoggySpamCan@reddit
I was never invited to any of mine. I found out they happened after the fact. They only really invited the people who were popular or well known in high school.
To be honest though, I'm not sure I would go even if I was invited. With social media, I'm still in contact with a number of my friends from school and I know what they've been up to over the years.
sneezhousing@reddit
They aren't mandatory even a little.
Ravenna178@reddit
Yeah, what would they do to you if you didn't attend? Revoke your diploma?
Sad_Profession_4655@reddit
can you imagine that being mandatory? đ
Ravenna178@reddit
No. I debated going to my 10-year high school reunion and decided not to. I saw pictures online afterwards and was so glad I didn't go. They combined 3 graduating classes into 1 reunion, so there were more people there, but only like 10/80 people from my class attended. And the people who did attend from my class weren't any of the people I would have liked to see again, so going would have been really awkward and pointless.
CandidateHefty329@reddit
With social media everyone who wants to keep in touch after highschool or college does so pretty easily. Reunions are much less popular.
MyUsername2459@reddit
Actually my High School class of 1996 is planning our first in-person reunion for our 30th anniversary, because we sort of collectively decided that social media is not a good substitute anymore.Â
We canceled our 20th reunion because the Facebook group we were using to plan the reunion was seen as a suitable substitute for the actual reunion.Â
We decided that social media is not a suitable substitute anymore and want in person interaction.
SpecificWorldly4826@reddit
What sort of area did you go to high school in? Do you still live around there? What draws you to wanting to see people from high school 30 years later?
I graduated in 2008, and I just canât fathom having any interest in seeing people from high school, except for the handful of people Iâm still truly friend with. I donât keep old high school acquaintances on social media, but thatâs because those people are just irrelevant to me.
Cinisajoy2@reddit
1984 and there are like 5 people that I would like to know how they are doing.  The select few others were Facebook friends.Â
GreenBeanTM@reddit
Same, I graduated 2019 and if we do a reunion I will probably go, but I literally have 1 friend who was in my class. Everyone else I became friends with was through chorus or the musical and literally ranged from a year younger than me to being in 8th grade when I was a senior.
I actually now work for the school choreographing for the musicals, and my first year it was one of my previous âin 8th grade when I was a seniorâ friends senior show.
MyUsername2459@reddit
It was a rural/small town county high school in Kentucky.
I still live in the state, close enough to drive in for an event.
These people were a major part of my life until I went to college. The county schools were generally K-8 schools spread around the small towns in the county, with the largest one being for the town that was the county seat (with a population of around 2500). A lot of people I went to High School with were people I knew since Kindergarten.
This was before the Internet was common. I first got on the Internet in fall of '96 when I went to college. When we were in High School it was something being hyped up as a new wave of the future. We didn't have online friends, or social media, or e-mail. Those people were my entire social life from as far back as I can remember until I went to college.
A lot of us still stay loosely in contact via social media. My High School graduating class had roughly 250 kids in it, and I'm friends with roughly a couple dozen of them on Facebook. Most of the people I know who are interested in a reunion either still live in the county, live at least elsewhere in the state and can drive to the area without a problem, or at least live within a few hours drive and could still drive there in a day to go to an event. That covers a significant portion of the people in the class.
We had a Facebook group for planning a 20th anniversary reunion in 2016, but the event planning puttered out as we found just chatting in the group seemed enough for catching up. . .but looking back over the last decade, social media doesn't seem so cool anymore. I think people are wanting offline interactions, real people. . .not algorithms. I'm seeing that sentiment more in other places too, that people are wanting real-world interactions, not just social media interactions. The idea of getting together to see each other in person for the first time in 30 years is appealing to a lot of us.
The tentative plan is for one member of the class who is now a teacher at our old High School, and someone else who was in the graduating class who is on the School Board, to arrange for a guided tour of the old school to see how it's changed and expanded in the last three decades, followed by a dinner and reception at the clubhouse at what used to be the country club. . .which stopped being a private club a number of years ago as not enough people thought it worth it to keep paying the hefty membership fees for a small-town country club (basically to access a golf course, swimming pool, and the clubhouse restaurant), so it became a public golf course and a for-rent event venue and they closed the pool as too expensive to maintain.
CandidateHefty329@reddit
I graduated highschool in 2002 and keep in touch with a handful of people. I remember some names of other students. But I don't think I'd remember most names or faces after all this time. It would be like meeting strangers really. If we had a reunion I might go. It'd be an excuse to visit my hometown. But I'd keep my expectations low.
vabello@reddit
I read this and am like, âHey, Iâm class of â96 too!â Then I read 30th anniversary and thought, that canât be right⌠Oh⌠yeah.
Cinisajoy2@reddit
The alum or other group organize them not the school. I get an invite every year to my granddad's school reunion.  That one sends to family members.
Ok_Coconut4898@reddit
No. I donât even know anyone who attendedâŚ. I have never been to one.
No_Entertainment_748@reddit
All based on your class and theyve fallen out of favor because of Social Media
Lower_Neck_1432@reddit
If you mean if it's mandatory to attend one, no. If you mean is it mandatory to turn it into a social contest; again, no. I have yet to attend a HS reunion. I don't really care all that much about my graduating class.
Sad_Profession_4655@reddit
yes most schools do them, but i donât see the purpose of it and wouldnât ever go to one myself. DEFINITELY not mandatory. and to answer your second question, yes. it is unspoken of, but yes
dragon-queen@reddit
No, not every high school does them and itâs definitely not mandatory to attend. Â
needsmorequeso@reddit
Can you imagine them trying to round people up for a mandatory high school reunion? What are they gonna do? Drag me across state lines to watch a middling-at-best high school football team and drink cheap domestic beer with people who donât want to talk to me now and didnât want to talk to me 20+ years ago at a knights of Columbus hall after?
Sad_Profession_4655@reddit
that would be crazy đ
Subliminal_Kiddo@reddit
They'll send their best agents after you.
boulevardofdef@reddit
Most people don't attend. I went to my first organized reunion, the 10th, and certainly far, far less than half the graduating class was there. Last year was the 30th; I didn't go, but from what I heard and the photos I saw, many fewer people were there than attended the 10th.
ChuushaHime@reddit
I had a big graduating class (almost 1k students) and probably about 70 people showed up for our 10 year reunion. I went with a group of friends and two of us brought our spouses too, so probably a significant portion of the people who showed up were +1s who didn't even go to our high school lol
heyItsDubbleA@reddit
I went to my 10 year. Saw a bunch of people I didn't really care about. Not going to the 20 year
JRHThreeFour@reddit
I didnât go to my 10 year one. I donât even live in the same state as my old high school anymore anyway.
Eccentric-Elf@reddit
My ten year reunion was two years ago and never got invited so Iâm assuming they either didnât have one or forgot about me lol.
Sad_Profession_4655@reddit
well for some who were well known in high school, otherwise not really
elunabee@reddit
Our class president senior year of high school was somehow saddled with being the one to organize the reunions. Can you imagine, 20 years after graduating, that it's somehow your responsibility to get a gaggle of people together again? With no budget and no school resources, none-the-less. Anyway, there was like 8 of us that met for our 20th and we went out for drinks in our hometown. It was fine. Other classes do it differently, but it's usually some permutation of classmates that kept in touch deciding on a date and location and reaching out to everyone else that they can.
On the other hand, my dad managed the alumni banquet yearly for like 30 years. Every graduating class from like 1940 something to 1987 (when the high school he went to consolidated with the district over) would meet Memorial Day weekend and they'd have a whole served dinner and everything. He just retired from doing that because it was a pain to fundraise for, and then he had to send invitations through the mail and he never knew i people moved (or died) and it just became a headache to coordinate everything.
Zinnia1127@reddit
I went to the first couple of reunions, then got a divorce and my life got messy and low income for awhile and I didn't want to go in my Pay Less shoes. Then after I missed a couple I realized it felt pretty nice not to go. Haven't been to one in years. I was a good student and somewhat popular so I thought those were good years I'd want to remember with friends. But when I look back, high school seems bizarre - putting hundreds of teens in a building with some pretty weird and flaky teachers. College seems pretty strange too!
Boopa0011@reddit
It's interesting to me to see how many movies and tv shows and books etc there are that depict high school reunions. Like, the high school reunion is this truly central part of the average American's experience.
This is bizarre to me. I moved away from my hometown when I went to college and only go back for family stuff. It would never occur to me to travel back just to attend a high school reunion, even a big one. In fact it literally just occurred to me while writing this response that this year is theoretically my 25th high school reunion.
On the other hand I have traveled across the country for my 10th and my 20th college reunions and I will probably go back for my 25th too. I know not everyone goes to college, and not everyone moves far from home, but still.... I just don't believe the "high school reunion" is that big a deal to that many people.
lisasimpsonfan@reddit
Our 35th reunion would have been a couple years ago. We were only about 100 student class and rather apathic. Someone tried arranging one for the 10 and 15 year but not many people showed up. There hasn't been one since. I talk to a few classmates on social media and that's about it. I enjoyed high school but have no desire to relive it. I might go to our 50th just to see who is still alive.
MasterOfPuppetsMetal@reddit
I finished high school at the end of 2014 (class of 2015, but finished a semester earlier). Our 10 year reunion was last year and I did not hear a single thing about it. Ironically, I work in the same school district I was a student it and didn't hear anything. And honestly, I didn't care for high school, much less a 10 year reunion. I don't even remember more than 95% of my classmates.
LibrarianofBabel1127@reddit
They aren't necessarily a social contest, and whether they happen is largely dependent on how much interest the school is able to drum up. If I had to guess, they're likely on the downtrend due to the Internet. My grandmother is in her mid-nineties and she attended her nth (I forget how many years it was) high school reunion at the start of the year. Most of her graduating class has past, yet they continue to meet. In those situations, I think it's more likely that the class organizes the event themselves instead of looking to the school for support.
HotSauceSwagBag@reddit
Nah. I think maybe they used to be more popular, but I havenât gone to one, and the only person I know that did was my extremely social gen x sister. For one thing, I moved 2000 miles away and Iâm not going back just for that. Typically the class president organizes these things but itâs completely optional. I think my 20th just met up at a local restaurant, probably around a dozen people- granted I went to a pretty small school in a small town.
sadthrow104@reddit
How do they even find the people ?
EffectSubject2676@reddit
Unusually, my high school class has very high attendance. We know we are outliers. Small plains school. For our 20th year reunion, we had all but a handful back. Also, none of us married or even dated within our class.
blipsman@reddit
I graduated high school 30 years ago... we've had reunions every 5 years I believe. I've never attended, even though I live in the area. I think they've all been the weekend after Thanksgiving, since a fair number of people have moved away from the area and that's a time many do return. I only have a couple friends I keep in touch with at all from then, am friends with another 100 or so on Facebook so have some passive knowledge of what people are up to. Don't care enough to go see people in person.
bugga2024@reddit
My husband graduated two years before me. He had a ten year reunion, my class did not. It's not mandatory at all. Nearly half of my husband's class did not go. It can be a bit like a comparison if that's the kind of person you are. For me and my husband, it was about seeing people who no longer lived near us.
Pauzhaan@reddit
I want to a smaller school & graduated 56 years ago. Our reunions are every 10 years and well attended. Numbers have been dwindling as people are in their 70âs & starting to die. Especially the guysâŚ
Prestigious-Craft251@reddit
Idk that has ever been to one. What's the point now with social media?
PerfectlyCalmDude@reddit
I wouldn't know. I have no plans to go to any of mine.
itsmyhotsauce@reddit
I've been to a couple but we had maybe 10% of the graduating class in attendance. Definitely not the way they're made out to be in movies.
CountChoculasGhost@reddit
No. Iâve never attended one. A lot of people I know have also never attended.
BenDover0903@reddit
They were extremely popular before the internet because after you graduated youâd never hear or see them again unless you were from a tight community or small town.
I have people on Facebook and Instagram that I went to highschool with. I have a high level insight to what theyâre up to so I donât see a reason to ever return to highschool to see the people I didnât keep up with.
My parents were the complete opposite. They were a huge deal for them.
Gallahadion@reddit
I have never attended any of my high school reunions and I don't intend to because I don't have many happy memories of that time. I've been to a few college reunions, though.
GotMeAMuleToRide@reddit
I never went to one.
Drew707@reddit
Same. I remain in touch with the ones I cared about and that's it.
mst3k_42@reddit
Same. Iâm fine not ever seeing those jerks ever again. But Iâm in contact with those who were my friends.
Drew707@reddit
My class was \~600 people. I didn't even know most of them.
Wonderful-Ad5713@reddit
Me too, I am in contact with absolutely no person with whom I went to high school.
chaoticbear@reddit
I was invited to but didn't attend my 10-year. I was surprised they even located me to send the invite. I did not pay enough attention to know if I missed the recent 20th or if there is instead an upcoming 25-year.
Littleboypurple@reddit
They definitely aren't mandatory, how would they even force you to go? I haven't been to school in ages and graduating classes are big. What kind of loser are gonna care that various people didn't show up? They used to be a bit of a bigger thing as a way of reconnecting but, Social Media and the Internet has made that infinitely easier. Never been invited to mine and I have no real interest.
JimBones31@reddit
This in general has always been so weird to me. Happiness is different for everyone. If one person has a well paying job and no kids, the might be jealous of the McDonald's employee with 2 kids that love him.
Stop_Already@reddit
Theyâre completely optional and since itâs a lot easier to connect with old classmates because of the internet, theyâre way less of a thing than they used to be.
It used to be the the way people caught up with whatâs going on in old friends lives - now? We get minute by minute updates.
Donald_J_Duck65@reddit
I have been out of HS for over 40 years and have never been to one. They started having them every years for about five years then switched to every five, then every ten. Now its an informal hey lets get together at X bar.
I-am-a-constant-LIAR@reddit
I never went to mine. Once I got over 21, all those things were just childish and behind me.
Curmudgy@reddit
The only thing close to a reunion that I attended was being in a group of friends who met with our favorite high school teacher (who taught calculus) during our winter break from college during our freshman year of college.
-Boston-Terrier-@reddit
As always: this sub skews to a very specific kind of American and is very unrepresentative of the United States.
High school reunions are not mandatory but they are extremely common and widely attended.
Nobody competes for who has the better job, etc. This is just r/ShitRedditSays. Itâs just people who were in school together for years then went their separate ways getting together for a night and having fun.
The hivemind hated high school but most people look back fondly and itâs widely called âthe best years of our livesâ.
ForestWayfarer@reddit
No, not at all. Thank god. Facebook in sporadic micro doses is all the high school reunion Iâll ever need.
MetalEnthusiast83@reddit
I don't think so? I've never personally attended one. I'm not against going, just they always happen when I am already busy with stuff I care more about.
Comfortable-Bike9080@reddit
nah not compulsory to attend
Bluemonogi@reddit
As far as I know my graduating class has never had a reunion. I probably would not have gone even if they had one as I was not close with many people.
My mom went to all of her class reunions and it was just like old friends meeting up not a competition.
Cerebral-Knievel-1@reddit
If they happen, its usually a thing for those that are involved with your schools Alumni association.
Outlaw_Josie_Snails@reddit
I have never ever viewed a high school reunion as a mandatory social contest.
It sounds like you might be watching older Hollywood movies where the "successful" student returns to show off or the "underdog" seeks redemption. Lol.
In reality, that trope is largely dead.
The advent of social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram has made high school reunions a little less popular.
Some may choose to go to the 10th, 20th, 30th, and perhaps a final 50th.
Other people may go to the 10th and never go to a reunion after that (me).
Other people may never attend a reunion.
machagogo@reddit
Nowhere close to it.
I don't know what gives you this impression.
HammyOverlordOfBacon@reddit
I live within a couple miles of my highschool, my MIL is a sub there, my wife also graduated from the same HS, and my best man at my wedding was in my HS graduating class.
Still never went to a HS reunion despite there being 2 since I left
OrderAgreeable5046@reddit
Theyâre definitely not mandatory, and honestly a lot of people donât even go.
SteampunkExplorer@reddit
No, that's just a TV stock plot.
Certain-Monitor5304@reddit
No. I don't attend those
Scrappy_The_Crow@reddit
They're definitely common for certain generations. I'm GenX and graduated in '84 and have been to all of mine (10-, 20-, 30-, and 40-year).
For mine and every one I know of, the high school has nothing to do with it, and it's never been held at the high school. It's organized by the alumni.
sfdsquid@reddit
I've never been to one.
I feel like it's not really a thing as much now as it was 40 years ago.
PikesPique@reddit
I graduated high school in the 80s and have never been and will never go to a class reunion. I keep up with the people I liked in high school on social media, and I sometimes run into them IRL. Iâm good.
PierogiKielbasa@reddit
The organizers tried to put together our 25th and nobody bought tickets. Whomp whomp.
backpackofcats@reddit
I remember getting an email for our 10 year and thinking â$100 a ticket and itâs not even open bar?â Though I wouldnât have gone had it been free either. Coming up on 30 years and I have no idea if anyone is planning anything. I still have no desire to attend.
SabresBills69@reddit
many high schools try to do them. pre email/ cell phone/ social media days they were hard to organize if folks moved away because half the class or more moved away from small town for careers elsewhere. the only ones who attended were the classmate who have regular seen each other because they stayed in the area.
these are usually done in significant years like 10,20,25,30,40,50.
I moved away from my home town and there were very few classmates I had contact with after high school ended. I have a bunch of friends who attended the high school in other grades. the ones I did have contact with from my 225 or so class size wasâŚ
a friend from high school who a few years later I saw often in college. we kept in touch when I still lived there.
a classmate married one of my friends and they had a kid. they divorced and she abandoned her son
there was some events/ parties I might have seen classmates through friends. Me and my brother share a group of friends who were all from the same town. Me and my brother were the only ones to move away. My brothers wife is from the same town. Our sister still lives there and my SIL brother still lives in the area.
later on another classmate met and end up married (2nd for both, both already had kids) one of my friends.
MissHibernia@reddit
Since these posts are mostly negative from younger people I want to provide an alternative perspective. Went to a large high school with a big graduating class. Iâve been to the 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 year reunions with the 60 coming up. At the 10 we were still pretty snotty and yes, there was a bit of unspoken competition. But as you grow older, that mellows out. Weâve had six couples get married out of the reunions. People are noticeably aging. We have a memorial wall with pictures of those no longer with us.
Iâm glad to see even those I didnât know well being healthy and showing off pictures of their grandkids. And those who came out, a difficult thing earlier on, and are happy. You do get much more sentimental/nostalgic as time rolls along. But weâre human - the person you really didnât like then, to see them gain weight and get old - ha!
AKA-Pseudonym@reddit
They've mostly gone out of style, in part because everybody can keep up with each other on social media. They were a much bigger thing in the 80s and were probably already starting to fade in the 90s. They were never mandatory even in the sense of not going being frowned upon.
They aren't organized by the schools. Former students just do it themselves.
tragic1994@reddit
Mine had one I think I was 21 at the time I didn't go but after speaking to a friend that did go he said the majority of them were the same particularly the girls who still acted really childish.
Future-Mess6722@reddit
My class still has them and they are fairly well attended. Usually the class leaders are the ones organizing them. My sister was supposed to organize them for her class. She did a couple of them, but it was hard for her when she moved out of state. She also had to front the money for it. No one else wanted to do it, so I don't think they have them anymore.
Dear_Locksmith3379@reddit
I went to my 10-year reunion, which happened before social media. It was nice hanging out with a half dozen people who I was friendly with but hadnât seen since graduation.
I didnât notice the status comparisons that seem common in TV shows and movies.
FreeLobsterRolls@reddit
I've never had the desire to go to mine. Next year is the 20 year one, and I'm just fine avoiding it.
zinky8@reddit
No clue because Iâve never gone to mine.
mvanpeur@reddit
Every school I've heard of offers them, but it's up to each class to plan them. They usually get planned, but not always. I've been to my five year reunion, and my fifteen year reunion. My ten year reunion never got planned, so never happened. Both reunions were announced on Facebook, so I'm sure some people missed it because they didn't hear about it.
The five year was just awkward. Eleven people came, and we sat in a circle for an hour and barely talked. The fifteen year was awesome. Maybe half the class came, and it was one of the most supportive environments I've ever experienced. Everyone wanted to hear what everyone else was doing and acted proud of them, no matter if they were making mega bucks or barely getting by but had an awesome girlfriend. We've clearly matured a lot, and it was really nice to see.
MiddlePop4953@reddit
No lol. Not a single person in my graduating class has any desire to do a reunion. There were only 40 of us and we spent enough time together from k-12. That was plenty.
And frankly, if they organized one, I still wouldn't go. Fuck those people. (Well, not all of them. But almost all of them.)
msh0430@reddit
They're falling out of favor. I just attended my 20th. Maybe a quarter of my class was there. Probably not even that much. Millennials and younger generations aren't keeping that tradition going
Katesouthwest@reddit
Our last 3 reunions have been cancelled due to lack of interest. One was cancelled because of covid. The 50th is coming up in 2030. We'll see if that one is actually held.
TeamTurnus@reddit
Thats more of a television trope than a reality. Lots of people don't care at all about them/dont even attend.
Terradactyl87@reddit
I didn't go to my 10th or 20th reunion. I went to a large school, like 4000 kids, but the pictures they posted of the 20 year reunion Facebook event showed like 20 people showing up, and many of them were plus 1s. Tickets were like $40 too, so even if I didn't live states away, I still wouldn't want to spend $80 for my husband and I to see a handful of people whom I mostly didn't know anyways.
tex8222@reddit
Not mandatory.
Seems more common in small towns where many of the graduates still live nearby.
Less common in bigger towns where folks move away as their life progresses.
I know of one suburban high school that had a graduating class of 1000 students.
Someone organized a 25 year reunion. 50 members of the class showed up and it was considered a big success.
CheesE4Every1@reddit
I was invited for my 10th year reunion, and all the people that invited me through Facebook I did not recognize but they knew me quite well. The people that organized it were the artsy people. They tried again on night of because besides deaths I was the only one who didn't attend of who they invited.
FormBitter4234@reddit
Social media killed bug reunions but some small ones still happen. I think youâve seen the Hollywood version. What Iâve seen has been people catching up and reminiscing, though Iâm sure in certain circles the oneupsmanship likely exists.
Melinoe2016@reddit
Itâs usually ex students or a committee that plans them. I went to a pretty large school and it seemed like our 10 year was like maybe 30-40 people at a bar. I donât think theyâre very popular anymore.
december14th2015@reddit
How tf would that be mandatory? Lol
mewmeulin@reddit
nah. if my high school did a ten year reunion, good for them. i didn't go, and i wouldn't have gone, mostly because there is one particular former classmate that if i saw, i'd be catching an aggravated assault charge over it.
TheGrauWolf@reddit
We had a 25 year reunion. I didn't go. Iohjt go to the 50th reunion if there is one just to see who is still alive.
NastyNate4@reddit
Seems like a relic of the past tbh. Â The combination of social media and mobility of the workforce means people are either already connected or no longer around. Â Maybe itâs just me but i cannot see value in flying across the country to chat with people i barely knew from decades prior
Ask_starscream@reddit
I'm 45 and don't know anyone that has even been to one.
Hell, the high school I went to doesn't even do high school reunions anymore; I think the last one they had was in 2010, and that was for the classes of 2000-2005 together. Less than 40 people showed up.
skuzz_buckett@reddit
My graduating class had a 20 year anniversary that I attended. It was pretty chill and I did not get the vibe that people were competing amongst themselves.
PlaysWithSquirrels7@reddit
Mine so far have been organized by this 1 person from my class and not by the school at all. And I haven't gone to either of them because they were both outside, in the middle of the afternoon, in August, in south Louisiana..... so hard pass
Shabbadoo1015@reddit
No. They arenât mandatory.
And as far as I know, the high schools themselves arenât usually responsible in organizing them. Itâs the class officers/class president.
Genepoolperfect@reddit
I think HS reunions have fallen out of favor. It used to be an event where you could go catch up with people you hadn't seen in ages (and marvel at who peaked in HS). But in the age of social media, all that's online whenever you feel like searching someone up. So there's no point to having or going to HS reunions bc social media has filled that checking in.
cameronpark89@reddit
never stepped foot again in that place my niece started cheering there 2 years ago. and even then, itâs only the football field. i donât go to her basketball games.
TehTJ13@reddit
They arenât mandatory and arenât usually a big deal. What is kinda fucky is the fact that the people in charge if these things are elected in high school, so its common for schools to ask a 17 year old whose only skill is hanging up poster that they have to organize them every ten years.
wiarumas@reddit
The school doesn't organize them. That's the job of the class President (and/or Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer). Traditionally speaking of course.
Raddatatta@reddit
They are mostly held at most high schools, and I have no idea what they are like because I've never gone to one and that seems to be the same of most people. A fraction of the high school class does go, so maybe they are like that but most probably have moved away or just don't care that much. It's really only in media that they are viewed as this huge deal.
Otherwise_Ad2201@reddit
This was the first comment I came across that actually answered the question.
MindApprehensive3995@reddit
It usually falls on the "class officers" to plan them. We've had more people show up at out classmates funerals (for a class of 72 people, We've had like 10 people die from our class) than we did the 10 and 20 year reunions. I think 3 people showed up at the 20 year one. I still talk to the friends I had in high school and if I want to hang out with them, I do. I still DONT talk to the people I didnt talk to back then.
royalpeenpeen@reddit
Not at all lol, my 10 year reunion wouldâve been in 2023 and if we even had one I certainly did not go
MrLongWalk@reddit
Theyâre mostly just people catching up with friends they had more or less forgotten about.
Unusual_Artichoke_73@reddit
Never been invited to one. Class of 2007
DOMSdeluise@reddit
they are common but no they are not mandatory and no they are not always vehicles for social climbing. it is common to show them like that on tv shows because it makes for good drama or comedy.
Imaginary_Ladder_917@reddit
I do think that people want to shore themselves at their best, though, at least at the 10 year when itâs all still fresh. My 10 year was interesting, to say the least. I havenât gone since. Iâve moved out of state and the people I want to communicate with are all in a text group. I might go next year to my 40th.
wekilledbambi03@reddit
They have all but disappeared with the rise of the internet. No need for a reunion when you can open Facebook and see that the âcool kidâ from high school is working for a pyramid scheme while living with their parents still.
I graduated in 07 and I think like 5 people tried to get a reunion going at some point. But it usually boils down to a handful of people that didnât move out going to the local bar like they usually do.
BeaPositiveToo@reddit
Reunions are totally optional.
I think the class officers organize them.
Maybe go to your 10th if you want to. Otherwise, skip them.
Went to my 10th & 40th. The 10th was ok. 40th was a bust.
Old-Vermicelli7116@reddit
My little high school has one every five years. We had a graduation of about 100 and at least half of us had been together since first grade, so we are a pretty tight group.
The first two reunions had a fair bit of competition, either for how successful you were or for how much you could drink.
Now, they are really chill. Just a chance to catch up with each other and now that we are all hitting our early 60s we support our sick classmates and remember those that have died.
If you graduated with 3000 other kids, it's going to be a very different experience.
needsmorequeso@reddit
My parentsâ generation (late silent/early boomer) seems to love high school reunions. My parents, aunts, and uncles go as often as they can and genuinely seem to enjoy hanging out with their old friends.
I recently went to a big college reunion. It was fun, but it was also a quirky liberal arts college with <100 people in the graduating class, so it was a fun group.
I would not go to a high school reunion.
wino12312@reddit
I don't think they're a thing anymore. With social media, you can know how anyone is doing. I graduated in 1988. We had reunions until 2008. Haven't heard a thing since then. I only went to the 10th reunion. That was enough to remind me I hated high school.
Thereelgerg@reddit
No
HackDaddy85@reddit
My school has them but barely anyone goes. Mostly just the people who stayed in town. People donât really travel back for them.
Straight_Can8720@reddit
Most schools have them but they are definitely not mandatory. In our area, the class president is technically the one who is supposed to organize it. However⌠class reunions have fallen out of fashion these days. No one my age (elder millennial) really attends them because of social media. The only people I know who have attended them were baby boomers. My dad went to his 50th not that long ago. My 20th is coming up and Iâm undecided.
trikakeep@reddit
I donât know as Iâve never been to one. My class has never held one in the 50 years since graduation and Iâm not mad or sad about it. Our class president told everyone at our graduation ceremony he would never organize one and has stuck to that. He was a jerk who got elected by being a bully and Iâd rather not see the people who voted him in. High school was not an enjoyable experience.
ATLien_3000@reddit
Obviously it's school dependent, but (generally) they're fading in importance, since no one has to wait 5, 10, 20 years to find out what people are doing - they just jump on social media.
Further observation is that they tend to be more relevant at private schools, where the school will often play some part in organizing, including with resources, and pays more attention to where alumni go.
I'd suggest too that they've faded in the suburbs because everyone in the burbs is so transient these days.
CeramicKnight@reddit
Iâve never been to one, nor heard of anyone I know going to one.
That said, I am a weirdo with weird friends. I suspect Reddit users tend toward the âweirdoâ spectrum of humans as well, so the people who fulfill societal expectations of attending social contests may just not be here to respond to your question.
Next-Wishbone1404@reddit
I grew up in a small, one-high-school town, and our high school reunions are really well-attended. It's the only time most of us go home to visit, so they are special.
MattressBBQ@reddit
The thing I learned by going to my high school reunions was that for some of my classmates that was the high point of their life. They were in their peak at that moment. I wasn't and I'm happy that I wasn't as I look back on it now and that my peak moments came later. It's sad when your greatest successes in life were in high school
loweexclamationpoint@reddit
What happens is there's a small group that goes to every reunion, usually people who have remained in the area (Americans move a lot, especially away from rural areas.) Some others try it a few times, many others never.
Wonderful-Ad5713@reddit
I'm 40 years out of high school and I have never been to one.
KellyAnn3106@reddit
I went to my 30th recently because I happened to be in town. It was underwhelming. Very few of my friends were there. I can hold a conversation anywhere with anyone...except in that room. Everyone reverted back to a high school mentality and only talked to people they were friends with in high school.
KrazySunshine@reddit
I have never gone to any of my high school reunions, but I did go to my Catholic elementary school (grades K-8) reunion which was great. Reunions arenât mandatory at all
hisamsmith@reddit
My class hasnât had one. No one wants to spend the money to even organize one.
xSparkShark@reddit
Where do Redditors get these comically cynical tales from
MobileOrdinary6827@reddit
They do them for older classes at my high school like 1960s-1980s grads, but never seen one for 2007. My 20th is coming up and I live abroad. I don't believe I'd waste a flight to go. I'm not on social media and I don't talk to anyone from high school.
Pyewhacket@reddit
No
JadziaEzri81@reddit
I graduated a little more than 25 years ago and have not heard a peep through mail or email or a Facebook. What have you about any reunions and idgaf cuz most the people I went to high school with.. sucked The ones in a blue moon. I will think about it and be like why the duck haven't I been invited I'm only human. Lol
Zealousideal_Cod5214@reddit
They're not mandatory at all. They're also not organized by the school itself, at least for mine. The people who were elected to be the student council back then are the ones who organize it.
I didn't go and don't plan to.
snmnky9490@reddit
Nope haven't heard a single thing from my high school since the day I graduated
Everything_Breaks@reddit
I haven't gone to one. The people that were insufferable then turned into insufferable adults.
Quirky-Invite7664@reddit
Same. Agree.
FreakinB@reddit
I went to my 20-year recently-ish. At least for me it was pretty relaxed, and I got to see a lot of people I hadnât seen in forever. I was happy I went.
Itâs definitely not mandatory though.
unoredtwo@reddit
My most recent reunion: out of a 150 person graduating class, 16 people showed up.
I went partly because I felt bad for the organizer, but ironically we had a good time.
juan_humano@reddit
I think over the years, perceptions of highschool reunions have changed. I have never been to one, dont know anyone who has, and when I think of them I am thinking of a room full of people who either peaked in highschool and are looking to relive glory days, people looking to reconnect with a highschool crush, or insecure people looking to brag about how well they are doing in life. None of that interests me.
twoCascades@reddit
Nah I have never been to one.
1029394756abc@reddit
Reunions were a cool concept 20+ years ago before Facebook etc. now I already know who is in a MLM, no need to get the sales pitch in person.
byte_handle@reddit
Not every school does them, and attendance is entirely optional.
I never went to mine, and I don't plan to ever do so. If I really wanted to contact any of those people, I'm sure I could find them on social media.
t_bone_stake@reddit
I graduated high school 25 years ago and never went to mine.
quietly_annoying@reddit
As far as I know, my class hasn't held any reunions... But then I don't keep in touch with anyone from that school and I wouldn't go if they had one.
ChewBoiDinho@reddit
Relax
x3meech@reddit
My high school had homecoming dances and a homecoming king and queen. The part for old students to come back was for a football game. No contests or anything other than the class king or queen.
Tight_Steak_232@reddit
I went to our five year anniversary. I was in "the brainy" clique in school. I didn't dress well, party, or engage in sports, all which would have made me "cool". But my boyfriend at the time owned a limousine, so he took me to it in style. I was kind of embarrassed. I also was approached by some of the more popular girls who gushed over me even though I didn't matter in school. It was the last reunion I attended.
Typically, the class officers would be responsible for arranging them. Our officers a. died; b. had a handicapped child and cannot spare the time; c. lives in another country; and d. is now a ward of the corrections department. There will be no other reunion unless someone else decides to pick up the task. I still won't go.
My husband attended a massive school. He's still friends with about 10 of his former classmates. None of them go to the reunions because they say they're still in contact with the only classmates that matter.
manixxx0729@reddit
Nah. My 10 year reunion was just everyone lightly drinking, telling stories/memories, catching up, and shooting the shit.
No-Profession422@reddit
Never went to one, never stayed in touch with anyone from HS, except a cousin.
therewillbetime@reddit
They are very common, and while I did not love my high school experience, I actually had a great time at the reunions. I think everyone worries that is like going back to 9th grade or something and all of the crap that came with high school; however, I found it was actually nothing like that. Most people beelined it to the bar, and then made small talk like adults, and had fun catching up. You have a shared experience, so conversation is fairly easy. Occasionally you see the people who were assholes have kind of crappy lives, and that is great, but for the most part you run into people you completely forgot about and get to see what they are up to. Most of the cliques don't really survive post high school, despite what the movies would lead you to be leave. People do grow up and become better people (usually).
ThotsforTaterTots@reddit
Never been to one. Next year would be my 20th reunion and I wonât be going back for that either
rawbface@reddit
No. They often don't happen at all. I graduated 23 years ago and there was never any reunion.
MortimerDongle@reddit
I graduated in 2008 and my high school class has not yet had a reunion, and I probably wouldn't go if we did.
Devious_Bastard@reddit
I graduated with 48 in my class 20 years ago. If I want a reunion I just go to the local bar in my hometown.
Ms_Schuesher@reddit
I went to my 10 year, skipped my 20, and refuse to go to any others. In my experience, it's a pissing contest to see who had done better, and I don't care.
Pitiable-Crescendo@reddit
My school hasn't had one at all, so no
GhostOfJamesStrang@reddit
I have never attended any of mine. Couldn't care less.Â
Donohoed@reddit
Graduated 2004. Never been to a reunion. I guess it's possible somebody is having them, I've just never looked into it
Aggravating_Total921@reddit
I've never been to one. I'm not interested.
mr_miggs@reddit
Fuck no. I think most high schools have some kind of reunion. Â Iâve heard of a couple from mine, but Iâve never felt personally compelled to go. Â My high school had over 500 kids per grade, I donât even remember most of them. The ones I do remember I am friends with on social media.Â
Individual_Corgi_576@reddit
I went to my ten year because I hoped to catch up with one or two people I hadnât seen since graduation. This was before social media was a thing.
A couple of them had died. The rest were people I didnât much care for back then, and still didnât care for 10 years later.
Now some people still get together. I just ignore the invites now.
firelock_ny@reddit
I've never been to one, they're common but certainly not mandatory.
HairyHorseKnuckles@reddit
I didnât like those people when I was there with them so I certainly have no reason to want to catch up with how their lives are going now
Roam1985@reddit
Plenty of people just don't go to them.
Intelligent_Pop1173@reddit
No lol i never went to one and judging by the photos, only a very small handful actually go, and they are the ones organizing them. We got too much other stuff going on to have time for that.
Loisgrand6@reddit
No
WonderfulVariation93@reddit
LOL. In a country where it isnât mandatory to vote, attending a HS reunion definitely not mandatory.
I have gone to a couple of mine but I attended an all girlsâ school with 150 students in my class soâŚI see a LOT of them on FB or locally. Our HS reunions basically are like a bigger âgirls night outâ. Feel sorry for the ones who bring the spouse đ¤Łđ¤Ł
cdsbigsby@reddit
Absolutely not. The person who is supposed to organize my high school reunions is the class president, and he never has, so all we've ever had have been half-assed attempts put together by our graduating class page on Facebook. I went to the first, our 5 year reunion, and I was one of 12 people there. I didn't go to our 10 or 15 year reunion but I heard there were similar turnouts for those.
I don't think they're like they are in movies anywhere, maybe they used to be before social media but now we're pretty up on what everyone is doing these days.
GreenDavidA@reddit
At least as an elder millennial, I feel that Facebook and other social media platforms have made high school reunions obsolete. I already know whatâs going on with most of the people I graduated with.
KJHagen@reddit
Definitely not mandatory. I went to my 10 year reunion and it was fun, but I probably wonât go to another.
TricksyGoose@reddit
Not at all mandatory. Ours wasn't even organized by the school, it was organized by our class's student president. Our graduating class had about 360 kids, and around 150 showed up to the 10 year reunion, and maybe 50 or 60 showed up to the 20 year reunion. I enjoyed both reunions, but I also enjoyed high school which makes a huge difference. None of the kids who hated high school came to the reunions.
eyelikturtles@reddit
Went to my 10th, skipped the 20th. Talked with a few friends Iâd lost touch with and enjoyed the music (some of the guys from our class put it on). It was pretty low key. But it did dissolve into the social groups (as best I could recall anyway) from when we were kids so I canât speak for everyone there. I have a suspicion some did walk in ready to brag. But I didnât like them as a teen and I sure as hell didnât plan on that changing after ten years.Â
AdamOnFirst@reddit
The school itself doesnât usually organize it
Meowmeowmeow31@reddit
No, thereâs been a huge decrease in them over the last decade because of social media. And even before that, it wasnât almost mandatory.
Theyâre still used in TV shows and movies as a plot device.
WizeAdz@reddit
No.
I stopped going to my reunions after Facebook allowed me assuage my curiosity about how my classmates ended up.
If I actually liked those people, I would have stayed in that community and lived my life with them. Â I left town for a reason, and a quick peek at Facebook every few years addresses my curiosity.
OctopusCaretaker@reddit
Not every high school has reunions, and theyâre not mandatory. What are they gonna do, mark you absent?
HotSteak@reddit
No that's pretty silly. I loved my 10 and 20 year reunions. Great opportunity to see old friends and laugh at 20 year old inside jokes.
Amarastargazer@reddit
My 10th was a few years ago. I didnât live close, but my boyfriend at the time lived close enough to get the info about it outside of the Facebook invite; apparently it was mostly a group of friends planning who made an excuse to drink a bunch at a local bar. We both didnât want to go, and we were in the vast majority of the ~360 in the class. Iâm pretty sure no one travelled for it, it wasnât even everyone who still lived in town.
sideshow--@reddit
I think our HS had a 10 year one. I didn't go, and from what I heard it wasn't that well attended. There hasn't been once since, and I wouldn't be surprised if there was never another one.
TheBimpo@reddit
So few people went to my 10 year that I donât believe there has been any other reunions organized since. Even if there had been, I donât know how I wouldâve known about them.
Most of us have left our hometown and arenât in touch with each other, it would be sort of impossible for it to be âmandatoryâ.
Major-Assumption539@reddit
I donât know a single person whoâs ever been to one. I know they exist but theyâre probably a lot less common than media would probably portray (like pretty much everything the media says about America)
pinniped90@reddit
No.
My class had about 500 people. Less than half went to the 10yr reunion.
I talk to a bunch of high school friends but people live all over the world now - not everybody goes home for reunions. I was a 1hr flight away so I went. It was kinda fun but the people I was closest to...we just get together on our own.
noop279@reddit
I'm thankful my school never had any reunions haha
scenesfromsouthphl@reddit
Iâm not saying you are an incel, but this reads like the way an incel would describe a high school reunion.
For my high school itâs a pretty low stakes couple of hours at a bar where you BS with people you donât talk to regularly anymore.
OneNerdyLesbian@reddit
I graduated over ten years ago, and my class hasn't even had a reunion. No one can be bothered to plan one.
skaliton@reddit
no not at all. They used to be a thing before the internet days and even then it was more of a way to catch up.
but nowadays they are almost nonexistent outside of certain leadbrain circles, but the 'tradition' will die when they do
Actual_Signature6240@reddit
Probably depends where you are in the United States. In my area, itâs not a âmandatory eventâ and I probably wonât go to mine. I donât consider it a competition but I just have no desire to see people from high school again
Silently-Snarking@reddit
Uh no Iâm over 15 years out and me and my friends havenât gone to any of ours
DharmaCub@reddit
Lol no
emmasdad01@reddit
Not at all. I didnât go to my 20th and I wonât be going to any after that.