NHS Class of '71 50th Reunion Survey Results

62 classmates responded to the online survey.

Below is a specific breakdown of the responses:

* Would you like to have a separate Class of '71 50th Reunion in 2021 or maintain a joint one along with the Class of '70 in 2020?

joint - 9
separate - 33
no strong opinion - 20


* Would you prefer the main Sat. reunion event to be:

informal picnic - 39
formal evening - 18
either - 4
other - 1


* If you have other main event suggestions, please enter here:

local alumni houses
dinner cruise on boat e.g. Lake Ticonderoga on Lake George
include a softball game
get some interesting venue


* If feasible, should we strive to have a live band perform at the Sat. main event -- e.g. band featuring NHS classmates?

yes - 46
no - 16

* Should a Friday night informal gathering at a local "watering-hole" be organized as we have previously?

yes - 46
not necessary - 16


* Would you like a tour of the high school to be offered sometime over the weekend?

yes - 31
not necessary - 31


* Should we organize an event for Sunday afternoon?

yes - 15
not necessary - 47
* If so, suggested Sunday planned activities

service project
brunch
river walk or stockade walk


* Other suggested activities for the weekend?

pot luck at NHS
organize a reunion hotel for out-of-towners


* What would be your max ticket price per person for the Sat. main event (assume cash bar) -- above which it would deter your attending?

$35 - 4
$40 - 12
$75 - 20
$100 - 12
$125 - 2
$ 150 - 12


* Are you interested to help organize and plan the event? (Out-of-towners welcome, but again, we really need some local folks!)

yes - local 10
yes - out-of-town 8


* We currently have about $450 in our class treasury. If we need to request some advance monies for deposits, etc., (e.g. $25 - $50), would you be willing to do that? (Assume it would be deducted from your eventual ticket payment)

yes - 56
no - 6


* This may seem like a rather odd question after filling out the above ones, but getting a preliminary sense of commitment re: attendance down in "black & white," even this far out, can be helpful for planning. Of course, we realize that future personal realities might alter expectations, but at this time, are you inclined to attend a 50th reunion -- regardless of how/when we decide to celebrate?

yes w/o guest - 22
yes + guest - 30
not sure - 9
no - 1


* Feel free to add any other suggestions or comments here:

if there is a band, make sure there is an area where others can still talk
invite faculty/admin that are still around
if a sit-down event, rotate seating during meal
have a joint reunion with '70-ers but in 2021
consider joint reunion with Class of '72


Feel free to contact me, David Ryan, at dcryan7@gmail.com

English Writing "Huh?"-ism #004

I recently received a marketing email from a highly respected Maryland-based video production firm. 

It had a feature about a project that had gone very well for them. The article contained the following phrase:

". . . we took a different approach to casting. We used non-union talent, but cast in NYC, Philly and Atlanta to increase the quality of the actors available to us here to shoot in Baltimore. . . ."

Hmmm, while I imagine a case could be made that NYC actors are generally "better" [i.e. "if you can make it in NY, you can make it anywhere"],  I doubt the same could be said for Philly or Atlanta actors. 

But I don't believe the author meant to "dis" the quality of Baltimore actors at all. Rather, I think he meant to say instead that the production team wanted "to expand the pool of quality actors for us to audition." 

The phrasing that was distributed in the eNewsletter needlessly offends, again, something I am sure this producer did not want to do. 

The latter phrasing that I suggest above would be perfectly acceptable to all readers, no?

So yeah, words, and how you organize them, really do matter. As in this case, not paying close attention to that can inadvertently cause one to sound obnoxious.

Suggestion: Whenever possible, take a break after writing the final draft of a communication and before hitting "send." An overnight respite is ideal if possible, especially if it is a communication of importance and/or wide distribution. The return and re-reading of what one wrote with fresh eyes often allows one to catch those subtle, cringe-worthy faux-pas.