Thank You
On behalf of the Shawnee Class of 1986 Reunion Committee, thank you for coming. Whether you traveled a long way to be here tonight or maybe just rearranged a very busy schedule, or both, thank you. Your being here says that what we shared still matters.
It also matters to say that not everyone who should be here tonight could be. We also remember our classmates who have passed away. They’re still part of this class, still part of our story, and they’re definitely with us in spirit tonight.
I would also like to thank the Reunion Committee: Scott Kaplan, Maya Abadji, Shawn Cone, Stephanie Powers, Heather Bacon, Kelly Huston, Cathie Beck and Anne Casey.
Without them, this event couldn’t have happened. In the past few years, our committee members bonded over both good times and bad. Just as it has for everyone in this room, life happened. Brave new moves, new grandchildren, retirements, health issues, hearing loss, job loss, and the passing of spouses and parents. Yet the amazing thing is that no one walked away. This group held each other up and cheered each other on through it all.
44 years ago, we all walked through the doors of Shawnee High School for the first time. FORTY FOUR FUCKING YEARS AGO. That’s wild. We came in as freshmen in 1982, packed into the auditorium, dreading freshman crawl day.
There were 535 of us in the Class of ’86, so let’s be honest—we didn’t all know each other. But we all knew the same place.
We walked the same halls and sat in the same classrooms with the same teachers. We started our days listening to music on Mr. Steinmetz’s morning show. We mastered the art of leaving class, racing to our lockers and running through a crowded hall of over 2,000 students to get to class in under five minutes. Some of us even managed to squeeze in a cigarette break.
Outside of school, we grew up back when life felt more local, less scheduled. We sped down Lenape Trail, grabbing Riviera pizza, and drinking at the power lines. We wore Members Only jackets, Chess King outfits, preppy clothes, and concert tees the day after shows. We had mullets before they were called mullets. It was the WILD WEST and we all somehow survived, with our parents having no way to locate us!
Some of us liked high school. Some of us couldn’t wait to leave. Many of us felt a little of both, depending on the day. And when we were living it, everything felt very micro—stuck in our friend groups, practice, jobs or neighborhood.
But 40 years later, looking back at high school from a macro level, it’s easier to see how much we all actually had in common. Growing up together in a small town gave us an incredible shared experience—one we didn’t fully understand as teenagers.
We have the ability to see each other differently now—people who went through something meaningful together during our most formative years. That shared experience created a bond we didn’t recognize back then… but we can now. It’s like coming home.
Forty years later, it’s pretty amazing that we get to overlap again. We may have lost Spirit Week our senior year, but, looking around, we won our 40-year reunion today! It’s never too late, guys.
We did it.
We are the Class of 1986
Oh What a Weekend!
To everyone who attended the Shawnee High School Class of 1986 40-Year Reunion — thank you.
What an incredible weekend of reconnecting, reminiscing, laughing, and making new memories together. After 40 years, it was amazing to see so many familiar faces and realize that, no matter how much time has passed, the bond we share as classmates remains strong.
A special thank you to everyone who traveled near and far to be there, especially those who made the effort despite busy schedules and life’s many challenges. Your presence made this reunion truly meaningful.
From Friday night’s walk through Shawnee and our class photo on the football field, to Saturday night’s celebration, every moment reminded us how special our time together was—and still is.
Thank you also to everyone who helped organize, volunteer, contribute memorabilia, and support the event in any way. Reunions don’t happen without a lot of hard work behind the scenes.
Most of all, thank you for showing up—for each other, for the memories, and for the friendships that have lasted a lifetime.
Here’s to the Class of ’86. Once a Renegade, always a Renegade.
Until next time