About four dozen Newtown High School Class of 1972 graduates participated in reunion events recently, including a spirited tour of the facility where they once roamed the halls.

The September 30-October 2 weekend opened with a gathering at NewSylum Brewing, then continued at NHS Blue & Gold Stadium, where alumni cheered as the Nighthawks rolled over the visiting Pomperaug Panthers, 49-0.

Graduates were treated, according to Barbara (Wasko) Fitzgibbons, a member of the reunion committee, “to watching Newtown decisively shut out rival Pomperaug. The classmates admired the big screen digital scoreboard and screen in the end zone and remarked it was an improvement over the electronic board of 50 years ago once thought of as state-of-the-art.”

The updated restrooms and refreshment stand were also noted and appreciated, she said.

Those who wanted a look inside their former high school returned to 12 Berkshire Road the following afternoon, when members of the NHS You’re Welcome Club led guided tours of a building that has expanded exponentially since the Class of 1972 left five decades ago.

The weekend’s formalities concluded Saturday evening at Anthony’s Lake Club in Danbury.

The reunion committee decorated the venue with ‘70s themed posters, balloons, lights, centerpieces, and a photo booth. Dinner was followed by cake and dancing.

Thirty classmates who have died were remembered through the presentation of a Memory Tree.

“Senior class secretary Dawn Komornik wrote in tribute, ‘For those of you no longer with us, you are not forgotten,’” Fitzgibbons said of the special memorial.

As Fitzgibbons explained last week, her class was among the first to finish high school through the circa 1969 building in Sandy Hook.

“The class of 1972 was only the second class to step off the auditorium stage of the ‘new’ high school and enter the world to pursue dreams,” Fitzgibbons said. “Some went to college, some began work, some started families.

“This was a class with strong ties that drew many of its members back to reunions held every five years,” she added. “For this 50th year, a committee was formed to seek out as many classmates as possible to celebrate reaching this milestone.”

A total of 74 classmates and guests, and three teachers, enjoyed any combination of the weekend’s reunion activities, Fitzgibbons said.

Touring Today’s NHS

There have been a lot of changes at 12 Berkshire Road since the Class of 1972 graduated. The building itself has had major renovations and expansions, policies have changed, and new offerings have arrived while others have been phased out.

Even the school’s original mascot has long been replaced. Since 1996, the former NHS Indians have been NHS Nighthawks.

The Newtown Bee was invited to join the alumni on Saturday when they were welcomed by members of the high school’s You’re Welcome Club. Eleven current NHS students, primarily seniors, joined the graduates and their spouses for a group photo before gathering in the school’s lobby, dividing into three groups, and embarking on tours of the building.

One group went northeast off the lobby, traveling past classrooms and looking around while listening to the current students explain what they were walking past.

One of that group’s first stops was in an area adjacent to an outdoor seating area, the Senior Courtyard. The current students explained that the outdoor area is for current NHS seniors only.

“We’ve seen a few juniors try to sneak out there, and they’ve been put in their place pretty quickly,” one student said.

“We didn’t have that when we went here!” one alumnus exclaimed.

While the alumni were surprised to see the Senior Courtyard, the current students were equally surprised to learn that five decades ago, smoking was allowed on the campus.

“You could smoke at school?” one student said.

“You could, but you had to be outside, in a designated area,” came the reply.

A smaller change was found around the corner, when the group encountered a bulletin board filled with the post-high school destinations of the Class of 2022. The names of students had been printed, and stapled to the board, with the names and logos of their college, military, or other post-graduate destinations affixed near their names.

Tom Young told the students that he and his classmates had a similar board to look at when they were Newtown High School students.

Far Flung Alumni

“Ours was set up on a map, though, with strings leading from Newtown and going across the country, to show where everyone in the class ahead of us had gone,” Young explained. “A lot of the strings stayed right in Connecticut, but some of them went clear across the country.”

The starting points for the alumni were very diverse for the weekend. In one walking group alone on Saturday, folks reported traveling from as far as Modesto, Calif., Colorado Springs, Colo., and Iowa for the reunion weekend. Others live within the state, including one on Saturday’s tour who only needed to drive in from neighboring Bethel.

The graduates were also surprised to learn that many students no longer use lockers.

“We have them assigned to us, but we don’t use them, just because the way the school is laid out and how far apart classes are,” Nick Tetreault told his group.

As they continued on their tour, the graduates continued to struggle to gain their bearings. A cafeteria they remembered off the main lobby has been replaced by gymnasiums, an entire wing was added to the building 25 years ago, and even some of the fields have been shifted or added to.

Looking out from a second story window over the back playing fields, the graduates were stunned to see a ropes course at the far end of the ball fields they once competed on.

Nevertheless, there were smiles and continued conversation between the current and former students the entire time the groups were walking around the building on Saturday.

Fitzgibbons was among those to fully embrace the walking tour.

“The guides had as much fun as the grads, learning what high school life was like 50 years ago,” she said Tuesday morning. “The grads were enthralled seeing the gleaming culinary arts kitchen, computer rooms, senior cafeteria, and many amenities they could only have ever dreamed of.

“The student guides listened raptly as they heard that the ‘72 students had chorus with the actual Mr Joseph Grasso, whose name is still revered in the music hallways.”

The tour, according to Fitzgibbons, was “a highlight for many.”

Fitzgibbons said she and others are already looking forward to their next reunion in five years.

During the formal event Saturday night, she said, “there was much visiting between tables, much laughter, and a feeling that 50 years had melted away and we were still in high school together.

“Promises were made that all will be back for the 55th reunion.”

Managing Editor Shannon Hicks can be reached at shannon@thebee.com.