Update: Leaside High School’s 75th reunion

Leaside High
Leaside High School, 1955. Photo James V. Salmon. Courtesy of Toronto Public Library Digital Archive.

The Leaside High School Alumni Association has been working steadily on its plans for the 75th anniversary, to be held on October 23 and 24, 2020. They have started meeting at the school once a month, most recently on May 15, with the next meeting on June 12 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Currently, the association has a dozen or so members, many of whom hold positions such as president, vice-president, treasurer, communications co-ordinator, secretary and staff representative.  They plan to form a committee specifically to organize the 75th reunion at their next meeting.

To date, some ideas for 2020 include an open house with rooms dedicated to each decade and some type of musical event or concert in the auditorium on Friday night, a sporting activity such as a football game and a gala dinner celebration featuring a slide show and a dance band.

Leaside High Crest.
Leaside High Crest.

At the May 15 meeting, Patty Clark, who planned the 50th anniversary at the Metro Convention Centre, presented her research on possible venues that can accommodate two to three thousand guests, the most popular being the Convention Centre again and the Beanfield Centre on the Exhibition grounds. There will be more discussion of this issue at future meetings.

The group is looking for new recruits to help with the website and managing social media, representatives from each five-year period to act as liaison and assist the co-ordinators, organizers for various events, fundraising, marketing and advertising support, and people to help with set-up at the school events.

Anyone who is interested in becoming involved and having fun with old friends is encouraged to attend the meeting on June 12 at 6:30 at the school. There will be no meetings during the summer months, but they will resume in the fall.

In the meantime, former students and staff are urged to visit the website: https://leasidehighschool.com/join/to register to get on the email distribution list and stay updated on all the 75th anniversary news. As Elaine LeBlanc, the communications co-ordinator, says, “the group is very excited and hopes that everyone gets involved in this rewarding experience.” Mark your calendars!