About Us: HSC Class of 1996
In 2016, Tim Ferris once said, ‘We officially got old!’
But I say, with old age comes maturity. decades of maturity. It’s the maturity that you find in single malt Scotch whisky…or vintage wine.
It’s time to start uncorking that bottle.
As a generation who were born between Generation-X and Millenials (now called Xennials, born between 1977 to 1983), and living in the greatest country in the world: Canada, we've been through it all when we were in school. From the Toronto Blue Jays winning back-to-back World Series, to the birth of the Toronto Raptors, to Donovan Bailey clocking 9.84 to win gold in Atlanta. From the birth of internet and personal computing, to virtual reality and tamagotchis. The City of Hamilton had its own sesquicentennial. The Grey Cup happened at Ivor Wynne Stadium that year. Jagged Little Pill won Best Album at the Juno Awards. And the Upper James Cinemas were still running The Fifth Element. We've been through the best of times, and the worst of it. The Montreal Massacre, the Oka Standoff, conversations of Quebec separatism, and Nina de Villiers.
Throughout our time at HSC, we were no short of making our own memorable moments. Our accomplishments and contributions in the football fields, soccer fields, basketball courts, volleyball courts, and tennis courts has earned us a memorable place in the Hall of Fame. The band trips to Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, New Orleans, and the overseas trips to France and Italy had made us enriched with arts and culture. Remember the first Grade 9 trip to Canterbury Hills? We came in as young individuals starting our first year in Senior School, and we came back to school smelling like a campfire! Who can forget Spirit Day, Slave Day, Games Day? But who can also forget those mundane moments? Kavit Puri's funky monkey on the bus. Mindy Hubbard's 80's leather jacket. Sarah Melville's 'Classic!' quote. Those quiet group studies with Allison Haid and John Alexiou. And whether or not Wojtek Arciszewski ever returned Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy back to the library. There are so many memories that we share. But that's just the tip of the iceberg.
And just a footnote, please don't get me started on Harry Potter. Our house system at HSC was cool before J.K. Rowling put the idea from pen to paper. I'm just saying.
All in all, we've etched our names in history. From the moment that we walked through those glass hallways, to sitting down for lunch at Lawson Hall, to chapel and Prize Day at the Old Gym. For most of us who graduated senior year, for some of us that came from Montessori and Junior School, and for others who got to experience the higher education of Hillfield-Strathallan College for least a year or two; Our history matters. For all of us. For HSC. For Hamilton. For curious people who want to more about private school life, and for the younger generations who want to make their mark in HSC history as we did in 1996.
Our Reunion...
So let's talk about our upcoming reunion. In 2026, it’ll be 30 years since we last took off that green uniform.
This reunion will be different. We've gone through an uncertain pandemic over the last few years. And we're willing to get back to normal and host a physical reunion. 2026 will be honouring classes ending in 1 and 6. Most importantly, we’re looking forward for our Class of 1996 to be the most memorable reunion ever.
Traditionally, our class hasn't had the best attendance numbers for these events. We don’t blame you. We’re all busy with our own lives. But this coming 30th will be our milestone. We’re inviting as many people as possible to get together to catch up, reminisce, make more memories, and go beyond towards the future. Maybe plan for the next reunions as we get older.
We’ve got a lot work to do plan for the 30th. But time flies when you’re having fun. Our epic reunion depends on all of us involved. Won’t you join us?
More details will follow. But for now… a) please join us and share memories and ideas for our reunion… b) keep an eye on HSC1996 and other social media platforms for more updates.
Looking forward to seeing everyone online! And Tim, here's hoping for more meat pies.
Ten Reasons Why Reunions Matter.
When that invitation to a class reunion shows up, your first instinct may be to toss it in the trash. And I would say, 'You're crazy!' After all, adolescence is usually an awkward time that most people would rather forget rather than reminisce about.
But while many people will say those senior years were the best times of their lives, this isn’t always true for everyone. Still, there are plenty of reasons why attending your class reunion is a good idea. So without further adieu, these are ten of the reasons why you might want to think twice before you chuck that invitation into the garbage can.
To Reconnect With Old Friends – Remember the best friend that you talked to for hours every night on the telephone and swore you’d never grow apart from? Unless you’re one of the lucky few, chances are that you haven’t seen one another in years and may even have lost touch altogether. Erased from existence. Few events offer the opportunity to reconnect with people that were once important to you like a class reunion, and you may never see them again if you skip the event. Seriously. Never.
Because You’ve Changed Dramatically – If you’ve lost a ton of weight or were the ugly duckling that became a swan in college or later in life, there’s something very satisfying about showing up to your class reunion to flaunt those changes. Poise and confidence often come with age, so you can navigate your reunion much more easily than the halls of HSC when we were students. So you might as well flaunt that dress/suit when you can.
To Come to Terms With Aging – I know. We've reached a plateau between youth and maturity. But seeing new fine lines and more gray hair isn’t easy to deal with for most people. When you arrive at your reunion and realize that everyone is getting older, it can make the experience feel less isolating and help you come to terms with the fact that aging is an inevitable part of life.
Because Living Well is the Best Revenge – Senior year can be rough, especially for kids that don’t quite fit the mold. If you suffered through senior year and have since built a wonderful, rewarding life for yourself despite the bad experiences, showing off your success to the people that treated you badly can be quite vindicating.
To Network – I can't emphasize this enough. Networking is so important in some fields that there are entire social websites built solely around the premise of helping people to network on a professional level. Attending your class reunion can be a great experience, but it may also afford you some networking opportunities that you would otherwise miss out on.
To Reminisce – Some people suffer through senior year, but there are also those that reveled in the experience. Looking back at your memories at HSC and sharing a few laughs with the people that were by your side for all of those great times can be very rewarding.
To Show Your Spouse Where You Came From – Attending your class reunion with your spouse is a great way to share a part of your formative years. You can tour Hamilton, introduce old friends and share stories that you’d forgotten all about, helping you forge an even stronger bond. Of course unless you are one of the luckiest people in the world and still married to your school sweetheart (which is even more of a cause to celebrate with mutual friends)!
To Party Like It’s 1996! - When careers and kids come along, opportunities to let your hair down can be few and far between. Your class reunion will give you the chance to have that VIP treatment. Rather than sharing the dance floor with a crowd of college kids at a nightclub, you’ll be surrounded by people your own age rocking out to songs you haven’t heard in years. Millenials will never understand how much fun we had, and early Gen-X and Baby Boomers can't stand us! it's a win-win.
To Satisfy Your Curiosity – If you’ve ever wondered where people ended up and what they have done with their lives this is your chance to find out. Whether it is the motor head that constantly tinkered with his cool car or the nerd that always raised his hand to answer the teacher’s questions, it’s fun to see what became of them.
Because Wall Posts Aren’t Real Conversations – Seriously! Seeing pictures and Facebook status updates from your old friends or even sending a few messages back and forth just isn’t the same as seeing them in the flesh and catching up. As hard as it may be to believe, some people don’t even maintain social networking accounts. If you haven’t seen your class friends since graduation, there’s no better place to catch up than the spot where you all went your separate ways.
So I hope you keep these 10 reasons in mind once we approach the date.
