United in Celebration

Everyone loves a reason to celebrate, whether if be a wedding, a birthday, an anniversary, sports championship, holiday or other important event. Celebrations are festive by their very nature and most often involve in having a good time. But, there is more to a celebration, as you will see.

The Alumni Association is no different when it comes to celebrations. We are quite fond of them. As a matter of fact it could be said that the Alumni Association was conceived for the purpose of Celebrating. Not just for the traditional "Eat, Drink and be Merry" type of Celebration, although that is definitely a part of it, but also for celebrations of the type encompassed by the broader sense of the term - to honor, to praise, to pay tribute, to commemorate, to remember, to show recognition. These types of.celebrations were outlined in the vision of the Association and have been pursued as we developed as an organization.

Although the Association has been holding some formal celebrations for a number of years now, we did not start out that way. The Association first had to evolve and mature as an organization before we would be ready to commence the type of celebrations that we envisioned.

As the Association progressed to maturity, it has emerged as a unifying force among alumni and has become the means to bring us together in Celebration in order to honor our traditions and celebrate our shared experience of School and Community spanning generations of alumni. This is what we intended from our inception. It was no accident that each facet of the Association was intentionally designed to foster these founding purposes and create opportunities to harness our collective spirit in celebration.

This year begins our eighth year as a formal organization. It is hard to believe that eight years have passed since the vision for an Alumni Association was unveiled and the journey began.

Each year as I approach this column, the Association has been entering a new phase in the evolutionary process and that has provided my subject matter. As I reflected on the past eight years in search of the right words to provide an appropriate description of what phase of our development we have now entered, it should not be surprising that the words that kept coming to mind are "united in celebration" To have reached this phase has validated our efforts.

Simply stated I am extending a personal invitation for you to "Join us in Celebration. We as an Alumni Community have a lot to celebrate and your Association is forging the way.

Opportunities for celebration abound within the Association!! Consistent with the founding purposes, the Association has captured the very essence of the meaning Celebration; Celebrations for uniting Alumni, School and Community in a common spirit and bond.

When it come to Celebrations not too many can surpass Alumni Weekend!! Alumni Weekend has been bringing us together for the last six years in celebration and is currently the most recognized activity of the Association. As the vision of the Association unfolded, Alumni Weekend was the first event inaugurated to advance our purposes in celebration. Most of you probably regard Alumni Weekend as a celebration in the traditional sense but the celebration goes beyond the party. It is a celebration of friendship, a celebration of our traditions, a celebration of remembrance, and a celebration of our roots and of our home town. In effect it is a series of celebrations within a celebration. Each weekend activity has been created to afford you the opportunity to celebrate in different fashion. Each year the Weekend has grown in size and stature and with your support will continue to grow and expand. This year should be no exception with some 18 individual classes holding events in conjunction with Alumni Weekend. Alumni Weekend is the epitome of the word celebration and has offered a resounding response to the question put forth by this years theme "Who Says You Can't Go Home?" Defy the myth and return home for Alumni Weekend 2006!

Over the last several years, two new occasions for "uniting as in celebration" were implemented with the establishment and inauguration of the "SCSAA's Sports Hall of Fame" and the "SCSAA's Wall of Fame for Distinguished Alumni and Educators" These festivities both encompass the broader sense of the term celebration and were founded to honor, to praise and to recognize those among us who have excelled in their given field of endeavor.

The "Sports Hall of Fame" was established for the purpose, of celebrating the long standing tradition of excellence and accomplishments of the Sidney High Sports Programs, as well as to pay tribute to the Athletes and Coaches who distinguished themselves and made significant contributions in perpetuating this tradition. This is a tradition that over the years has not only produced exceptional athletes and coaches, championship teams and a winning spirit, but embodies the ideals of our founding purposes as it has captured the imagination, excited, inspired and served as a unifying force for the School and Community alike. To date nine exceptional Athletes and Coaches have been inducted into the "Hall" with four more slated to be inducted at the Ceremony scheduled for November 24, 2006. It is expected that the newest class of inductees will be announced at the Luncheon during Alumni Weekend. Another reason to celebrate!!

This sports tradition continues today and provides me an opportunity to formally congratulate the 2005 Football Team for their remarkable season culminating in winning the New York State Class C Football Championship. They have embodied this winning spirit and now have become a part of our tradition.

In the spirit of commemorating our sports tradition, we are hoping to add an additional celebration this year during Homecoming Weekend to celebrate the unveiling of "Sidney Alumni Field. This will be an exciting time in our history.

Last year in this column, I extended to you "An Invitation to a Special Moment". The occasion was the first annual induction ceremony for the "Wall of Fame" which was inaugurated during the All Class Reunion Luncheon last year.

This was one of the most memorable celebrations ever produced by the Alumni Association. It was both an inspiring and emotional experience. I expect the same to hold true for this year's celebration which will again be featured at the Sunday Luncheon.

The "Wall of Fame" was established to recognize, to praise and to honor those Alumni and Faculty who have had an impact on school, alumni and community in the spirit of the founding purpose of the Association. I reaffirm that our inductees to the "Wall" clearly demonstrate that each passing generation, who share, our common experience of school and community have produced remarkable individuals who are equally deserving of this honor. As I stated last year, those who come from among our ranks can measure up to anyone, anywhere, anytime. This is something worth celebrating!!!

As we become further "United in Celebration" we continue our vision for creating a link to all generations of alumni, regenerating our collective spirit and becoming an integral force in maintaining the vitality and traditions of our School and Community. The events that were designed to celebrate our traditions are becoming traditions in their own right. But without you there is no celebration. Here is your chance to seize the moment and "Join us in Celebration".