Home... it's been defined both as a state of mind and a physical place. Many of us call places other than Sidney home now - the place where we finally settled, took our first job, raised families. That city or town is home and the words to the song by Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland and Jon Bonjovi aren't exactly true." It's not the only place to "call us one of their own." But the ties are undeniabe and sooner or later, we think about coming back to the town which gave us our shared experience.

In some instances coming back is just a "mile up the road" but the tug on the heart is the same. Home is also represented by the friends we made during the school experience and we come "home" to see them as well. Sometimes, we didn't even know how good those friends were - coming back to a reunion and rekindling those relationships can cement old friendships and make new ones with people you might not even have known well during high school.

For the past six years alumni have been answering the call to come home and have made Alumni Weekend one of the most successful events of the year in our hometown. The SCSAA is planning on making this year even better.

Many of the events are the same - the formula is tried and true and we know it works. For those who are coming back for the first time - it will be a new experience and we hope it will be a good one.

Some 18 classes are planning some sort of event during Alumni Weekend. From 1940 to 2001 - class representatives are getting in touch with classmates to plan activities ranging from a simple get together, to a significant birthday celebration, all the way to a formal anniversary reunion dinner. They are using the message boards on the website, this newsletter, emails and phone calls to get the message out and are using the structure of the weekend to help them "come home."

Along the way, they'll meet at the Golf Tournament, the socials, the Pancake Breakfast, the "more fun than you've had for a long time March of the Classes", the Nature Walk and the ultimate foundation of the weekend - the Annual All Class Reunion Luncheon, which now encompasses the Wall of Fame Induction Ceremony. The Luncheon, begun by the Class of 1937, celebrates it's 18th year this July. It doesn't get much better than that.

This year, we have some younger class representatives working on the reunion committee with us and it's fun to see how enthusiastic and creative they have been. Instead of just one "Alumni Window" there will be many on Main Street with different classes decorating in their various styles and celebrating whatever anniversary it is for them.

There are also some innovations in the March of Classes that can only make it more fun. This event which started in the rain in the year 2000 with only 3 classes marching, has grown to something classes plan and design costumes and signs for, but it still only requires one person from a class to participate. One or 50 - it's still a parade in which all can take part.

If you haven't yet made the decision to come back - let this be the year you do it. The Association will do everything we can to make it easy for you. We have class representative contact information on page 11. Use the message boards on the website to get in touch and let others know you would like to get together. Contact any board member, the editor of the newsletter - anyone - and we will try to answer questions and possibly offer advice on everything from where to stay to where to meet your friends.

And so the question of the weekend is "Who says you can't go home?" The answer is up to you.