Campbellford District High School is celebrating its centennial anniversary in 2023 and as such, a Reunion Steering Committee has been formed to create a memorable weekend for everyone who has attended or worked at the school no matter how long ago, or will become a future student or staff in the next two years.
The reunion is scheduled for Friday to Sunday, July 14 – 16, 2023 with some spinoff events on Thursday. There is a multitude of information on our newly launched website – www.cdhs2023reunion.ca
CDHS is located in Campbellford, a part of Municipality of Trent Hills in Northumberland County, Ontario. It is a tight knit community so the Steering Committee knows that the reunion will be well attended. Within a few days of posting the possibility of a reunion on social media, they had more than 1200 followers. Now they’re up to 2400 followers!
Dave Sharp, a CDHS graduate of 1972, explained how it all started. “Over the past couple of years, I have been following the “My Hometown Campbellford” Facebook page and I saw a few comments about ‘wouldn’t it nice to have a special reunion for our 100th Anniversary of CDHS’. Given that I grew up yards away from CDHS and I have always called Campbellford my hometown; I thought I might throw the possibility of the reunion on social media to see if there was an interest and it has evolved from there. The response has been phenomenal, both in terms of local businesses sponsoring the Reunion, as well as CDHS students and staff all planning to attend.”
The Steering Committee was set up by Dave who is the Chair and is composed of members from across Canada and the United States.
The team (as Dave calls the Committee) has taken feedback from lots of alumni – through a survey which had almost 620 responses – and has put together a very comprehensive celebration including dances, socials, an open house, breakfasts, river cruises, local tours, musical entertainment and even “quiet times”! They also had feedback from the 50th and 75th CDHS anniversaries.
A number of businesses (including some from outside of Campbellford) immediately responded and confirmed that they would be very happy to support the reunion financially.
2. Platinum sponsors (the highest level): Windswept Group, Rotary Club of Campbellford; Sharpe’s Food Market, a “Tribute to All Teachers” from the family of former CDHS teacher, Mrs. Edith Symonds and the website designer, Lucas Graham.
3. Gold sponsors: Campbellford Chrysler, Impact Mechanical Services, Empire Cheese
4. Silver sponsors: Carol Thompson (Royal LePage), Lighthouse Wealth Management (Dave Sharp), Rawle Johnson Creative (who designed the reunion logo), Brighton Tire, Dooher’s Bakery, Newman Insurance, Melissa Smeets (ReMax) and Bennett’s Furniture & Mattresses
5. Bronze sponsor: Campbellford Lion’s Club
“I am absolutely thankful for the initial sponsorship. We recognize them on social media as soon as we get a commitment and recognition will be ongoing in the months ahead. Having this money up front is very beneficial as we have startup costs such as website development, banking fees etc. We are so grateful for our sponsors’ support and hope that many others will contact me to show their financial support.” said Dave Sharp. He reminds folks that you do not have to be a business to sponsor the event as there is a growing group of “Friends of CDHS” who have made smaller donations. More details are on the website.
The website is very comprehensive – containing information on CDHS History, Photo Gallery, Yearbook segment, CDHS Merchandise, the Schedule of Events, an FAQ section and others. There is a “Where Are They Now” section so that any registrant can find out where their friends are now. It also includes a listing of Restaurants and Accommodations in Campbellford and surrounding towns for those attending the reunion. The website has been constructed by Lucas Graham, a CDHS graduate of 2019.
“It’s been a great help (and fun) having our committee members be so involved in the process.” stated Dave Sharp. Committee members: Stephen Nelson, Marsha Connor, Ron Atkinson, Paul Connor, Eunice (Chrysler) Stapley, Rob Pope, Jill (MacMillan) Koplowitz, Elaine Barry, Evelyn (Waddell) McLeod and Bev (Sharp) Spencer. As the reunion gets closer, the team will be looking for on-site volunteers – so be sure to reach out to Dave at CDHS2023Reunion@gmail.com if you are interested in helping out.
Stephen Nelson, a CDHS graduate of 1974, who is chairing the CDHS History and History on Display portions of the reunion believes “The reunion is a time to celebrate – and see how the school has changed, and not changed. When you’re in school, you want to get out of it! When you’re out, you want to see what it looks like now. And you want to see all those people you haven’t seen in 40 or 50 years. I’m looking forward to the Opening Ceremonies, the School Open House and the dances! And of course, we’re having a lot of fun interviewing alumni students and staff and current students to put together the 60+ pages of the History book commemorating the school’s centennial.”
The CDHS History Committee, chaired by Stephen, is composed of Janice Hendy, Lynne Killingbeck, Elaine Barry, Abigail Miller, Cara Owens, Alan Bisson (who will also be scanning all past yearbooks) and Susan Jackson.
Stephen has also been the major creator of various school related questions on our Facebook site. ”I’ve definitely had fun doing it. We’re using the medium to gather items for the reunion – people’s football jerseys, trophies and other memorabilia, which we’ll showcase as History on Display at the school during the reunion weekend. We’re also surfacing memories of growing up in Campbellford – driving up and down Front St. on Saturday night – 15 times! Playing pool at Manse Shaw’s Billiard Hall. Heading into Gino and Dante Pace’s Food Market for watermelon for field parties and of course, either participating in, or going to those fabulous High School Operettas.”
Check out the CDHS Reunion website if you want to see the full weekend’s offering – https://www.cdhs2023reunion.ca/
As Dave Sharp says “Bottom line – this is a great opportunity to connect with friends, relax, and have a fantastic social weekend. Hope to see as many that can visit us on this special weekend in Campbellford, Ontario!”
For more information: www.cdhs2023reunion.ca
Contact – Dave Sharp – cdhs2023reunion@gmail.com (613) 475-5623
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
