Hawthorne High School held the first All-Alumni Day for the classes of 1935-2011 on March 10, 2012 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. More than 300 HHS graduates from throughout the years gathered in the Media Center to meet up with old friends, look through Clarion newspapers, take tours through the building, and browse through yearbooks from past years.
“My husband and I had a great time,” said Carol Spages via Facebook Alumni Day page. “It was enjoyable meeting up with several classmates from ’62.” Pat O’Hagan added, “It was a great day. Well done. The O’Hagan Clan had a blast.” Tom Metzler, president of the Class of ’71 added: “What a GREAT event.” And Diane Rizzo Brown spoke for many when she wrote: “It was so much fun!”
“When I started here, WWII had just begun,” said Betty DeYoung, Class of 1946. “Then when I graduated, WWII was about to end, so I remember that a majority of my fellow graduates were enlisted into the Army or Navy.”
The event raised money for the renovation of the Library Media Center. In addition to giving a donation at the door, many attendees bought tee-shirts, old yearbooks, and used books. Alumni also supported the school by making financial donations or book donations chosen from the library wish list. The list is available at amazon.com by clicking on “wish list” and typing in the email [email protected] . Also, valedictorians were invited to choose their favorite books to contribute to the library’s new “Valedictorian Legacy Collection.” Alyson Flaker, valedictorian 2006 for example, contributed the book Top 100 Health-Care Careers.
On this special day, HHS alum were also invited to sign up for HHS Alumni Connect. This is a private database of HHS alumni who agree to answer questions for HHS students/grads about a particular career field. A graduate who becomes a police office, for example, would give contact information that the Library Media Specialist can then pass on to students/grads who are interested in finding out more about a career in criminal justice.
Alumni who would like to do this, even after the big Alumni Day, can do so by going to the High School Media Center website at http://www.hawthorne.k12.nj.us/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11&Itemid=21 and following the directions to send the needed information. It is hoped that this database will keep our alumni connected to our students to guide them through their college and career decisions.
Graduates who gathered in the cafeteria enjoyed food from the HHS Tennis Team, the Spanish Club, the National Honor Society, the HHS Softball Team, and the Class of 2015.
Albert Saporito (’92) wrote on Facebook: “Great idea, do it again!” Many who attended All-Alumni Day on Saturday would certainly like that to happen.