Victoria Composite High School’s Class of 1976 marked 50 years since graduation, back in the days of bell-bottom jeans, leaded gasoline and the dawn of disco. While graduating classes from countless schools in Edmonton and around the world have celebrated similar milestones this year, Vic Comp’s Class of ’76 has a tradition all its own: this year’s gathering marked its fifth reunion. Every 10 years, classmates have come together to catch up and reminisce about their teenage years. Before social media, organizers relied on word of mouth to spread news of the reunions. Today, a Facebook group helps keep classmates connected. “We keep telling people to join,” said Debbie Pietrzykowski, the class’s media coordinator. “We’re always posting on social media and keeping people up to date, so that’s been the easiest way. In the beginning, reunions were basically organized through word of mouth or email. People changed their email addresses or phone numbers, but on Facebook, everybody pretty much stays the same, so that’s our biggest way of communicating with classmates.” Dave Monilaws, the class president in 1976, said seeing his former classmates brings back “all of the memories that we shared up to that point.” “Everybody’s changed in their own little ways. But you still recognize them and recognize who they are,” Monilaws told CTV News Edmonton on Sunday outside the school building, now known as Victoria School of the Arts on 101 Street and 108 Avenue. About 50 people attended this year’s reunion. Organizers estimate roughly 700 students, including 350 graduates, were in Grade 12 at Victoria in 1976. The group is already planning its next milestone, a joint 70th birthday celebration in two years. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Miriam Valdes-Carletti
