By Joe Milliken
THE SHOPPER
LANGDON — Thanks to the ambitious work of a few classmates from the Fall Mountain Regional High School class of 1975, the Langdon-based high school, which opened in 1967, has officially launched the Fall Mountain Regional High School Alumni Association (FMRHSAA).
In 2019, a handful of 1975 classmates got together to plan their 2020, 45th-year class reunion, and started to wonder if indeed other classes from their high school alma mater also organized reunions every five years like clockwork.
“Our group had formed to prepare for our 45th-year reunion that following year,” FMRHSAA President of the Provisional Board of Directors Earl Gochey said in a recent interview. “We had been holding weekly ‘Google Meet’ meetings for a few months, until it became obvious [due to the pandemic] that our reunion would not occur in the summer of 2020 as planned.”
During these meetings, the question of a possible “Class of 1975 gift” was raised, to be dedicated at their 50th-year reunion in 2025, as well as the idea of creating an official “alumni association” for FMRHS. This alumni suggestion was born out of the recognition that such an entity would address a real need that has been overlooked for many years.
After further discussion, it was also agreed that this new alumni association would create an annual “alumni scholarship,” to be given to a deserving Fall Mountain senior each year. “I had a plan for an official alumni association fairly developed, going back before the planning of our 40th-year reunion, but it was ultimately put on the shelf,” Gochey said. “When the question was raised five years later, I knew its time had arrived.”
The FMRHSAA was created by a five-person, “Class of 1975” reunion-organizing team of: Vice President Allegra Miller, Kathy Bascom-Rich, Chris Young, Mike Kolodziej, and the aforementioned President, Gochey. “When presented the idea, our team hopped right on it. Miller also had a latent desire to create an alumni scholarship as well. The two ideas [forming an alumni association and establishing an annual scholarship] were then merged into one.”
After initially not getting much of a response, Miller made a good connection with the FMRHS guidance department after the “alumni association” scholarship selection process had been firmly established. Consequently, FMRHS strongly supports the efforts of the FMRHSAA Provisional Board of Directors.
“The immediate goal is to now spread the word that the FMRHSAA exists, as our initial rollout was simply a post on the FMRHS Alumni Facebook page, established by Fall Mountain graduate, Annalisa Parent, in 2009. An email campaign will also start soon to help spread the word.
“We would also like to recruit some fellow Fall Mountain graduates as to help ‘flesh out’ a board of directors, five standing committees, and to have at least one ‘class agent’ from each of the current 55 graduating classes from FMRHS.
“Our Provisional Board has expended a great deal of energy to lay a well-organized foundation and also added a respectable chunk of seed-funding to set up this organization for success. However, the foundation was also created to be built upon from here.
“Fall Mountain alumni are strongly encouraged to reach out, for the future effectiveness of the FMRHSAA depends on the imagination and efforts of those graduates who appreciate the valuable friendships created and the education received at FMRHS.”
To reach out and learn more, visit fmrhsalumni.org or by email at [email protected].
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