Classmates of Montclair Elementary School gathered for their 58^th elementary school reunion (Spring 2014). The reunion celebration was spearheaded by classmate Miles Standish.  For those of you who attended Montclair Elementary and couldn’t make the event and for those of you who knew classmates at Montclair Elementary, this is how the day flowed, courtesy of classmate, Miles Standish. 

Our day was low key and informal by choice. Originally we expected some 23 classmates; however, as is frequently the case at the last minute 3 were unable to actually make the gathering. Touring the school was wonderful! The powers that be did a fantastic planning and designing job of the newer buildings. It was pleasing to see part of the old school has retained a lot of its old look, such as the original kindergarten classroom, the cloakrooms, and the auditorium still has the gingerbread trim! The experience brought back such memories and needless to say much conversation! Our day concluded with a fabulous dinner, with entertainment, at the home of Arthur and Kathy Horn…thank you both!

In case you were not aware, Montclair Elementary was first built in 1925 in response to home development in the Montclair Village hills. The four classroom structure welcomed 87 students, K-4, for its first semester. The original building of brick with tile roof was later considered an earthquake risk and replaced. The new school building, with nine classrooms, an administrative suite, an arts and crafts room, a PTA room and a Library, was created. In 1947, a Cafeteria and Assembly Hall were added. Today, Montclair continues to grow in response to its neighborhood and houses ten additional portable classrooms.

Putting a reunion together takes a lot of effort and motivation…taking a moment to honor our fellow classmates who worked hard to make the gathering such an enjoyable a success. Barbara Bird (Sonnenshine) and Art Neighbor did a lot of the work prior to the reunion, Christine Ronay (Johnston) for the name tags, the many that contributed pictures for the website and our perusal at lunch, and last, but certainly not least, Nancy Bloom for her grand tour and Irene Thompson for the coordination. 

Thanks Miles for the recap of your Montclair reunion!