Newtown High School’s Class of 1975 went all out when it came to commemorating their 50th class reunion.

The NHS Class of 1975 Reunion Committee organized a special four-day celebration over Labor Day weekend where they and their classmates could reconnect, make new memories, and “party like it’s 1975.”

The reunion extravaganza kicked off with an informal gathering and casual meetup at Aquila’s Nest Vineyards on August 29. Around 55-60 people crowded around the vineyards Friday night, basking in the sunny weather as they ate food and talked amongst themselves.

With that, the weekend celebration had only just begun. The following morning saw around 65 graduates meet at the front entrance of NHS for a tour of the building. Since some of those at the tour did not go to the casual meetup, the early morning was spent with people laughing and taking photos with one another outside their alma mater.

For many of them, the tour marked their first time there since 1975.

The tour was led by Brittany Accettella, the administrative assistant to NHS Principal Kimberly Longobucco, with some assistance from current NHS senior and National Honors Society student Nicole Tabor.

Accettella said that, when Karyl Kreizinger Evans of the Reunion Committee reached out a year ago about a tour, she initially put it in the back of her mind since the date was so far away. However, as the date got closer, Accettella thought more on who would lead the tour and excitedly took on the challenge herself.

“And I was like, you know what, I’ll lead it,” Accettella said. “I love Newtown High School, and I love hearing from other people about what it was like in the past, so I’m just happy to hear about [the Class of 1975’s] experiences.”

Accettella guided the NHS Class of 1975 throughout the building. She covered new additions since they graduated, such as the F-wing with its chemistry labs, cafetorium, and culinary classroom. However, not everything about NHS had changed since they left.

Some places, like the old courtyard, looked similar to when they were in school. A few graduates debated on which floor the library was on back in 1975.

Perhaps no other room connected with the NHS Class of 1975 like the chorus room. When they arrived, several graduates rushed to their old seats and reminisced about the countless memories they shared together.

Among these people was Carol Ault, who helped organize the reunion. She had a big grin on her face as she sat down and waved, cheering, “This is my seat!”

Fellow graduate Scott Warren led everyone in singing the NHS Fight Song from 1975, a staple of the school’s sporting events back in the day. The song cheers on Newtown students to “fight on to victory” and “stand up and cheer for the blue and gold.”

With how busy people can get after graduation, it can be easy for classmates to lose track of one another. In that sense, Evans said the reunion served as a way to bridge that gap and have everyone reconnect.

“We don’t know what everybody’s done in the world,” Evans said. “We’re all finding out about each other. There’s 50 years to cover, so it’s a lot of time to look back on.”

Matt Karpacz, who helped organize the reunion and was the captain of the NHS swim team, was excited to see the school’s pool. The room itself had not really changed since 1975. Although his name was not up on the wall by the pool anymore, Karpacz said he was excited to come back.

Others deeply connected with the school’s auditorium. While the area was renovated in 2017, several graduates who spent their time there said it “didn’t change much” from when they graduated.

NHS 1975 graduate Vicki Goggin said coming back to the auditorium “feels like I’m home.” She was one of the two directors of her graduating class’s senior play alongside Nancy Schmidt, who also attended the tour.

Goggin said the senior play, The King’s Closer Out of Sight, brought them all together.

“Everybody got involved, from every single nook and cranny. It was the jocks, the theater kids, the band, the greasers, the patio crew — we all really got to know other. That was a defining moment for us ... so coming back is special,” Goggin said.

Another NHS 1975 graduate, Deborah Hossfeld, brought her friend and sister for the special occasion. They did not graduate with Hossfeld, but the three of them nevertheless had a great time exploring their old high school together.

Ed Seidel has been extremely busy since he graduated from NHS in 1975. Seidel graduated from Yale University, got his PhD in physics and astronomy, and has gone on to study black holes and black hole collisions, among other achievements.

Seidel is currently in his sixth year serving as the president of University of Wyoming. Returning to NHS after all these years, he said, was “fabulous.”

“What you don’t realize when you’re in high school is that so many of the things you do in your life, the experiences you have, they empower you to do those things later in life ... you don’t think about it, but it all comes together,” Seidel said.

Other Activities

The tour of NHS was far from the last special event that weekend. Later that same night was the main reunion event, a dinner at local restaurant Marygold’s On Main. Everyone enjoyed a spread of hor d’oeuvres including mini lobster rolls, mushroom tartlets, and cheeseburger sliders, as well as unlimited non-alcoholic drinks.

Afterwards, guests could head downstairs to Good Old Days Pizzeria & Cocktail Den to keep the party going.

August 31 was the Panacea Newtown Reunion, a town-wide event for all Newtowners at Dickinson Memorial Park Pavilion. People spent the afternoon enjoying each other’s company along with live music from beloved high school band Panacea.

Classmates could also catch up further at NewSylum Brewing Company in Fairfield Hills for pizza and drinks.

The culminating event for the four-day extravaganza saw the Class of 1975 march in the annual Newtown Labor Day Parade on September 1.

For Evans, marching in the Newtown Labor Day Parade is a dream 50 years in the making. She was a varsity cheerleader in her senior year and was supposed to march in the parade. However, Evans had to have surgery on her leg and was not able to march.

“And every year, my mother, who still lives in Newtown, would cry because I never got a chance to march in the parade. So this year is the first time I’ve ever gotten to,” Evans smiled. “It’s a full circle moment for me, I’ll tell you that.”

Evans got to see that dream through with her classmates on Labor Day. They marched together down Main Street, Glover Avenue, and Queen Street, brightly smiling in their classic NHS apparel.

Many of them shook blue and gold pom poms as they shouted out a song near and dear to them: the NHS Fight Song. As the NHS graduates cheered “For Newtown, for Newtown, fight on to victory,” the crowd could not help but to match their contagious energy and cheer with them.

In reconnecting for their 50th class reunion, the NHS Class of 1975 made new memories they are sure to never forget.

Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.