When a school’s alumnae association has been dissolved long ago and there is no database about the alumnae, organising a reunion should be a daunting idea.
However, thanks to a few members of the 1994-batch of Lady Willingdon Higher Secondary School in Triplicane, these obstacles were surmounted, and the old students of the 96-year-old institution had a reunion on July 16.
“Some of us who were in the same section in class X in 1992 wanted to have a gathering as it was 25 years since we passed out. Then, we decided to call people from other sections and also our old teachers,” says L. Saraswathi, one of the organisers.
“But when we approached the school management and asked them to provide us with contact details of these people, we realised there was no database containing such information,” she says.
The members decided to make use of social media and forwarded the invitation to as many people as they could.
“In just four days, we received responses from nearly 300 alumnae, around 250 of which were able to make it to the meet,” says Akila Rajesh, another organiser. “This is a small number, considering that the school, which has a trilingual medium of instruction, had about 3,500 students at one time,” she says.
Improving infrastructure
At the reunion, teachers were honoured, and cultural programmes were presented by the alumnae and their children. An alumnae website was also launched through which former students can register for more such meetups.
“We are also in the process of registering for a formal alumnae association,” says Saraswathi.
Another major reason for hosting this reunion was to bring to attention the declining condition of the school.
“Some of us who have been involved with the school have been able to help a bit, such as getting proper washrooms, but there is a lot more that we can do,” says Saraswathi. “There are many who want to help out, and we are hoping this can be a platform for them,” she adds.
A garden and improvements in the school’s infrastructure are among the other plans. “In four years, the school is going to enter its 100th year and we want to resolve as many issues as we can,” adds Akila.
Seventy-three-year-old Krishna, one of the oldest alumnae present at the meet, says “I graduated from the school in 1962, and it has been many years since I came to the campus. The first thing I noticed is that the building needs renovation. When I was a student here, we had a nice canteen and a lovely book stall, but all of these things have gone now. We need to get some of it back,” she says. To register with Lady Willingdon’s alumnae association, visit www.lwhssalumni.org.