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---------- 11 February 2012 BHS 50th - Contest Hello Everyone; Just a short note to say we have multiple winners for the Contest. The additional clues must have helped. We'll keep this going until Feb 29th. Those of you that have not entered, you are still free to do so but rememebr, you have to have purchased either a Friday Night Pub Night ticket or a Saturday Evening Dinner and Dance ticket. Send your answer in an email to Brian Mac Millan by clicking here. If you use GMail, Yahoo Email or other web-based email client, send your answer to Brian at brian.macmillan@rogers.com and please make sure to put the word "Contest" in the subject line. Failure to do that will disqualify your answer. And please, only one submission per family. The winner will be notified by email and the tickets will be placed in their registration envelope. Good Luck, Brian Mac Millan |
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---------- 8MONTHS TO GO Hello everyone, I'm pleased to report that since the ticket sales went "live" on Jan. 1st everything is working "according to Hoyle". No errors, no shutdowns and the tickets are selling well. It's interesting that 75% of all tickets sold include the gala dinner for Saturday evening so with this kind of early indication we are fairly certain of a sellout for this event. As of today we have not had a winner for our contest for January. I’ll give a hint and run it again for February...he is NOT a student but a great friend of Bell High School. Be sure to check out the contest area of the website and enter for your chance to win! We are getting some fairly good response for the sports activities and also for the band concert. If you are interested in these activities, let us know soon via the “contact us” link. At the moment most of the committee members are working on sponsorship, souvenirs , Show and Shine and participation for the open mic. Rose Timmerman and Al Albania have done a fabulous job with the sponsorship brochure and we're confident that aspect of the reunion will be very successful. I hope everyone made it through the festive season in good spirits and good health. As we approach the month of "love", why not consider buying reunion ticket/s for your "valentine(s)". What a great way to show a spouse, children or parents that you love them!!!! You can purchase tickets online or by mail. To those "snowbirds" who are enjoying the many golf courses in the sunny south, all I can say is: FORE! Brian Mac Millan, Chair, Bell High 50th |
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19 January 2012 Alumni Band Before Friday's Assembly Hello everyone; Are there any past band members in the Ottawa area that would be interested in forming a band to play before the assembly on Friday October 5,2012. If anyone is interested, or has any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me, Kim Deschamps, at reunionband@bellhigh50th.ca. Thanks Kim Deschamps |
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---------- 1 January 2012 9months to go. A Very Happy New year everyone — WE MADE IT TO 2012!
The women will really understand this — 3 ½ years to conceive and now 9 months to wait — but the real work is to come.
Before I go too far, I want to thank everyone for all their notes and offers of assistance.
Tickets are now on sale on-line our website and we've also made available a “downloadable” registration form for mail-in registration if you prefer. Please, if you know of folks without a computer, please pass a copy or two of the form along to them. We know that not everyone is comfortable making purchases on-line but rest assured that the facilities we're using are secure.
This may be lengthy but I would like to answer as many of the questions you might have. I will outline the complete weekend. There's a lot there and more will be added if needed BUT the prices will remain the same. We have done our level best to give value for dollar and ensure all will have a good time.
There were and are still, two goals. a) To have party and b) to leave something for future Bell students. To this end I am sure we will succeed. There may be small timing changes at the school on Friday evening concerning the end of the assembly and the start of the Pub night but nothing major. Any changes will be noted on the website and sent out in a Broadcast Email.
You may have noted a couple of little changes on the website. The * that you see in the Website menu column denotes that something new has been added. The * on the “home page” refers to an addition near the bottom of the page! I would suggest you click the link and take a listen to the words. This took us completely by surprise. The test pages at the bottom are for NEW pages that we're working on and some of those are now up on the site.
Another change is the Reunion LOGO. We are sincerely indebted to Mary-Lou Coulter for the one we have used until the present time.
We also once again want to thank Richard Ye for his work with the original website — it really helped us to get our feet wet.
OK — lets get going,
THURSDAY October 4th This day will be set aside for the current student body. We are funding this and the current school administration will mainly run it.
FRIDAY October 5th FIRST AND FOREMOST The entrance onto the property for the reunion will be the NORTH entrance — one-way traffic flow — handicap parking WITH PERMIT in visitor parking. We have 200 parking spots on the grounds and we have obtained permission to use the BRUCE PIT NCC lot across Cedarview Rd. — another 250 spots. A shuttle bus service will be in place. The RCMP will patrol the lot at regular intervals. Street parking will be available on the surrounding streets and extended parking times have been requested. Arena parking lot is off limits as there is a tournament that weekend.
We have made a request for a compressed day on Friday. This would give us the school for 2:00 pm to start our set-up. Registration will be held in the WEST HALLWAY. Entrance to the school will be the West Door — closest to the music room. Registration will start at 4:00pm — further details will be posted on the website as they become available. The decade rooms and coffee shop will be in the centre wing — now called the English Department and will also open at 4:00pm.
ASSEMBLY An “old school” assembly will be held in the Gym, at approximately 6:30 pm. It will be something not to be missed — as this will not be an assembly of the “old”. Personally I am going “on record” here and saying there will be surprises. We promise we will do this efficiently — the gym must be reconfigured quickly for the pub night.
ANOTHER ASK: We would like a number of past band members that are in the Ottawa area to form a 12 to 14 piece pre-assembly group. We are looking for music that would raise the tempo of the evening. I think you know what I mean. You can contact Kim Deschamps by clicking here.
For the PUB NIGHT we've secured the services of “the caterer to the stars”, Mr Dave Smith, who will be providing a hot and cold buffet for all pub night attendees. Dave will also be providing the refreshments and will donate a portion back to the reunion. David is very familiar with the school, as he has worked tirelessly with the school for the UNITED WAY for many years.
The musical entertainment for the evening will be provided by RIVER CITY JUNCTION. They are a local-area 4-piece band that lends itself very well to this type of atmosphere. Although normally a 3 member group — they will be adding a keyboardist for our evening. www.rivercityjunction.com
One thing we have learned, people want to talk so we're providing 2 “quiet areas”. One will be near the “coffee shop” for General Admission ticket holders and the other will be the gym for Pub Night ticket holders. A bar will be set up in the gym. The band and buffet will be in the cafetorium.
SATURDAY OCT 6th A Saturday Morning Pancake breakfast will be held in the cafetorium starting at 9:00 am, again catered by Dave Smith.
Following the breakfast, John Belisle has organized an open mic session to be held in the cafetorium, from approx 11:00 am to 1:30 pm. At present he already has 6 participants (acts) that will combine with our “house band’ River City Junction. RCJ has kindly allowed us the use of their system so as to move things along steadily.
Following the Open Mic there will be an Alumni Band Concert. This was a huge success in ’86 and it again promises to be the same for 2012.
Two of our volunteers, Rob Mauchel and Grant Lawrence, would like to hear from any and all interested in participating some sports activities; basketball, volleyball and rugby have been suggested. Click here to contact them or make other suggestions.
A Show and Shine on the front lawn is also planned — dependent on the weather of course — but we know it will be beautiful and sunny.
We will be working with the school for the students to operate a hot-dog/hamburger stand during the day.
The Decades Rooms and Coffee Shop will open at 10:00 am and will close promptly at 2:00 pm. The co-ordinators must “tear down” and store the display material before 4:00 pm and of course get ready for the evening's festivities!
THE GALA SATURDAY EVENING DINNER AND DANCE, TUDOR HALL, BOWESVILLE RD - 6:00 to Midnight (at least) 1:00 am (at the latest).
Cocktails will be from 6:00 to 7:00. Dinner is from 7:00 pm to roughly 8:30 pm. The dinner is a four-course meal with red or white wine included.
THE STEVENS AND KENNEDY BAND will provide our music for the evening. They have come highly recommended by everyone we have talked to. This was not an easy decision to make as we do have quite a few bands in the Ottawa area. The one thing we seriously took into consideration was the fact we had 4 major decades to deal with. We did talk to the band regarding music selection. The comment was “we will play the music that will put people on the floor”. www.stevensandkennedy.com
The one thing missing from the above list is a speech. There WILL be one. We realize that people come to a reunion to meet old friends and to visit — therefore we will plan this around a time that will not interfere with “important issues”. Now that is a mouthful — considering who wrote this!!!!
Parking is available in the adjacent parkade.
SUNDAY OCTOBER 7th. There is a memorial service planned in the cafetorium hosted by Marni Hunt and Brian Bevridge. This will be a non-denominational service recognizing our lost friends and remembering Thanksgiving. We are hoping the Alumni Band and Choir will be able to participate. This event is free and open TO ALL and there will be no offering collected. One thought being discussed was perhaps a food donation to the food bank in Bells Corners. The school itself has always participated and this may be a fitting end to our celebration. Coffee and biscuits served in the lobby afterwards.
This would conclude the official REUNION CELEBRATION. We have purposely left the balance of Sunday open, as we know there are still many family ties in the area.
MONDAY OCTOBER 6th A golf tournament is planned at the CANADIAN GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB. Many of you may not know but “way back in the day” the Seabrook kids all had a weekend job with their DAD. As a result we now have this gem in the west end. The aim of the tournament is NOT to raise a LOT of money but more or less to have a good time. I have already approached Mark. There is also another person in the wings that I think will surprise everyone as well. We will have LOTS of prizes. We are NOT offering a combined golf and dinner price — as you will be allowed to make your own meal choices — the kitchen will be open as will the bar.
We would really love to fill the golf course — if we can get 144 golfers — a shotgun start can be arranged. In that way everyone would finish at the same time.
Further details will be worked out in the spring. The CGCC has their own online registration system and we will use that. We'll let you know more when the details have been finalized. www.canadiangolfclub.com.
IN CONCLUSION I am sure we've done our homework. Willi said to me the other day “the devil is in the details” and details are being worked!
2ND ASK! Do we have any carvers in the group? Please Contact Us
If there is something glaringly amiss here — please let me know.
What I have learned from this is — patience and respect for all. I want to thank EVERYONE involved so far for his or her support and hard work. It has been an honour.
To everyone;
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL
Brian Mac Millan, Chair, Bell High 50th
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---------- 6 December 2011 10months to go, this is my attempt at a count down clock!
Hi everyone; I will try and keep it short and sweet. I am sure all you Santa’s will be busy with other things.
First the bad news. Mr Don Torney, the schools first Tech Head, Football Coach and Concert Producer passed last week. I tried to reach as many of the 60s group as possible but I had trouble with the list size and it would not send. Details will be on-line with the Ottawa Citizen until November 2012. He was so looking forward to the reunion.
We had a tremendous response from our last email --- thank-you.
As of today we almost have our caterer, our band, our prices, our timetable and our sponsorship brochure finalized. We have a few small details to nail down but we WILL be ready for January 1, 2012.
Right now I have 2 “asks”
Some of you are probably wondering; “What happened to my volunteer offer?” Don’t worry, you have not been forgotten. We have a “volunteer wrangler” to organize everyone. Overall everything is falling into place very nicely --- now it’s a timing game. In other words; let’s not jump the gun.
DINNER SEATING AT TUDOR HALL. For safety and logistic reasons seating will be assigned by the registration committee. Tables will be arranged by years, within decades. This will be only for dinner itself. If you have a group that wants to sit together, you’ll be able to contact us to make special seating arrangements. We’ll also be able to cater to those with food allergies.
Merry Christmas Everyone Brian Mac Millan Yippee ---- only one page.
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29 November 2011 Band and Choir Participation at BHS 50th Anniversary Reunion Are there any former band or choir members out there that would be interested in participating in a concert at Bell's 50th Anniversary Reunion? If anyone has thought about dusting off their musical instruments or warming up their singing voices we would love to hear from you. Dates for the musical event are being planned and we certainly hope to have interest from enough former Bell Band members to make this happen. If you are interested or have any questions about the band and choir participating in the reunion just send us an email at reunionband@bellhigh50th.ca. Thanks Kim Deschamps |
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16 November 2011 Alumni vs. Current Sports Team Match-ups for the BHS 50th Anniversary Reunion Hello Everyone,
Feel like grabbing your running shoes, shorts, shirt, and capturing some of the feelings from the old days?
Well, for the upcoming Bell High 50th Anniversary Reunion, interest has been expressed in one or more sports team match-ups pitting alumni against a team of current Bell student players, with the current leading candidates for such match-ups being basketball and volleyball.
If you are interested in playing in such match ups (male or female!) please reply to this email, or send to sports@bellhigh50th.ca so that the degree of interest can be gauged to see if it is sufficient to warrant the incremental costs involved in staging such events at the reunion?
Feel free to suggest other sports that could be played, though considering the time of year the reunion will be, and the entertainment value for spectators that would presumably be desirable, we thought it best to stick to indoor interscholastic level team sports.
The games themselves would be played on Saturday, with timing yet to be determined, and onsite shower facilities would be made available.
Further details can be pinned down if/once sufficient interest has been established.
Considering the number of sports alumni who haven't registered at the Bell High 50th Anniversary Reunion website yet, now you have one more reason to bug them to do so (and forward this email on to them) if you have some way of reaching them!
Let us know, so we can GO TEAM GO! (Hey that actually rhymes!)
Best regards,
Rob Mauchel & Grant Lawrence
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5 November 2011 "11 Months To Go" Hello everyone;
Hopefully all the spooks and goblins have “left the building" and now you can all concentrate on “the big one”!
I don’t imagine I have to remind folk about this; November 11th is just around the corner and I know it hits home to many of us.
LET'S NOT FORGET
Firstly thank you to the alumni that have sent in suggestions of where we can hold a large meeting. This will help immensely. By now, those of you that have volunteered their time must be wondering what is happening. Not to worry, you have not been forgotten.
Because we were able to start this process 3 years ago, it looks like we have been able to escape the "mad rush" of "we forgot this and that". For the most part everything is under control.
We have looked at 6 bands over the last few months, and we have one more to audition. They are in Toronto and we will see them within the month. We have also sent out proposals for food for the Friday Evening Pub Night and have received return bids. The sponsorship package is ready to go to print. The next biggest thing that causes me concern is parking at the school for Friday night. I am presently in negotiations with the NCC to use their large parking lot at the Bruce Pit. If this turns out to be feasible we will use a shuttle bus system. There will also be street parking in Lynwood village.
At the present time we are looking for a few specific volunteers to actually take on some specific jobs. This has to be looked at BEFORE we ask for an all out effort. I will try and describe each as they are mentioned.
1) ACCOMODATION LIASON - An individual that would approach motels and hotels in the immediate area to negotiate a Bell High Reunion price. There have been several built in the last few years. A link can be supplied on our web site and I'm sure it can be tied in with a "sponsor note". This position would have to be filled by an area resident.
2) MAPPING LIASON An individual that has enough computer knowledge to make a map that would include the immediate Bell High vicinity as well as the Tudor Hall. This whole road structure has been drastically changed in the last 15 years. This map would then be available on the website. That person would have to contact Mike Shacklock to co-ordinate.
I know most of this is available via GPS and computer but we do know a lot of folk haven’t adopted the new technology. We want to cover ALL bases.
BTW ---- in all the new construction ---- BELL HIGH SCHOOL is no longer on Cedarview Road ---- it is now on Cassidy, and reached from BRUIN LANE!
3) VOLUNTEER CO-ORDINATOR - This position will be ongoing right up to the reunion. We need one person to actually keeping track of all volunteers and designate them to the most useful position.
4) TEACHER CO-ORDINATOR - This individual would be responsible to compile a separate faculty list ---- contact the 3 retired teachers publications and placing announcements as well as a bi-monthly notice to keep them aware of the upcoming event.
We had originally thought of a "teacher hunter" but that has proved to be too labour intensive. We DO have quite a list already, but sometimes a little nudge in the right direction helps.
If anyone does have pertinent knowledge of the whereabouts of certain individuals feel free to pass them along.
5) SPONSORSHIP SALES - Rose Timmerman Gitzi has worked out our sponsorship package with all the different levels and benefits. She will be coordinating the "final sale" in regards to benefits etc. If we have someone with professional sales experience to approach businesses in the west end, we could use your help. The major time period for this would be between December this year and February of 2012 as I think any of our sponsors would like to have the benefit of the longest web site exposure time. Rose can be contacted through via our "contact us" link
6) EVENT PUBLICITY - Willi Lotz is in charge and if anyone has any ideas on how to further advertise our event you can contact Willi at boscolotz@aol.com
7) OPEN MIC - This event is to be held on Saturday in the cafetorium. We have several offers already. John Belisle is heading up this particular event. John is an accomplished Blues Musician. We have seen him in action ---- you would surely think he stepped right out of "the big easy". John can be contacted at jblues@live.ca
8) DECORATING COORDINATOR - This individual to look after decorating the stage in the gymnasium for the "old fashioned assembly ---- the stage in the cafetorium for the pub night and memorial service on Sunday --- the stage at the TUDOR HALL for the dinner/dance as well as welcoming decorations in the registration area and lobby
All of the above listed items will help us to better come up what is required ---- so that the custodial staff, etc. can plan for it.
As you can see we have been trying to cover ALL bases in a timely effort and trying not to miss anything. Inevitably we are going to miss something ---- hopefully nothing major and nothing that can’t be dealt with before the big weekend. This HAS been a huge undertaking, and that HAS been acknowledged by quite a few of you. All of us on the steering committee wish to thank you for your accolades.
Although you may see my name more often than others, do not think for a moment this is a one-person act. There are many more individuals on the steering committee and also those in the wings that are diligently working to make this event a success. For any of you that visit the website you will notice a little more activity. Believe me when I say that after January 1, 2012, every single one of these individuals will a lot busier. Even as I write this, our secretary in on a working trip to Australia ---- with laptop in hand! “They can run but they can't hide.” All of us will be in steady contact via the Internet for the next 11 months.
At this time some folk have already stepped up to the plate and contributed a lot already to get us where we are today and I think they should be recognized at this time ---- their work will be foremost in the next couple of months.
Al Albania; 1962-63;
Rose Timmerman Gitzi; 1981-85
Rick Pancham, and
Ron Simpson
If you haven’t updated you profile on the reunion websitein the last year or so, please do! The password for the “Who’s Checked In?” webpage is “cafetorium”.
I think that's about it for now ---- some folk think I talk too much (no offence taken) ---- after re-reading this I tend to agree. LOL
Be safe everyone,
Brian Mac Millan, Chair Bell High 50th
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5 October 2011 One Year To Go! Hello again everyone, I just looked at the calendar and realized that there is now one year to go before the big reunion! I cannot for the life of me believe it’s been over 3 years since we started this project. I want to say a big "thank-you" to all that have sent little comments and kudos to the group. The comments are greatly appreciated and the kudos keep us going. A lot of things have changed in the past 25 years since the last reunion. It is not as easy to finalize small details that in the past were taken for granted. I know for some of you it seems like it is taking too long to put out more information but we want to do it right. You may have noticed "test pages" in the menu. These are the pages to be added once we have all of our facts. We are still looking at January 1st 2012 for our ticket release assuming we are completely ready beforehand. Our sponsorship package is almost ready to go. Rose Timmerman Gitzi has done a great job putting all of the wording and pricing together. Al Albania and Ron Simpson did a photo shoot at the school for the brochure and commemorative booklet. We have been “auditioning” bands the last month or so and still have 2 more to go before we make a decision on the live music. We have been informed that the present and past school bands are on board with a LARGE number of participants. This, I’m sure, is not an easy task as people are located literally all around the world. What has been extremely easy to do are the BIG things --- it’s all the small stuff that takes the time. Parking, privacy issues, security, shuttle service, snail mail ... just a few of the "smaller items" taking lots of time and effort to finalize. For those of you that have indicated your willingness to volunteer your time, please be patient. We want your help ... we need your help ... but now must rent a room at the school in order to have a volunteer meeting! The purse strings are being tightened everywhere. This is one reason the sponsorship package is so important. So far committee members have put money into the pot when needed but the pot is only so deep. Maybe now would be a good opportunity to ask if anyone has the facilities to host 50 to 70 volunteers for a 3 hour meeting in the evening. Needless to say it would have to be in Ottawa. Do we see any “hands up”? I have been informed that some people have contacted the school directly with questions. PLEASE DO NOT CALL THE SCHOOL! The staff at the school is not able to answer any questions about the reunion. For this reason we do have a “contact us” form on the website and our goal is to reply to all queries in a timely manner. We have also noticed that the registration number on the website has been quite static at 1575 for the last 2 months. This number represents only 10% of students that have passed through Bell High School. While this number is 33% higher than any other Ottawa Reunion, we want more!!!! We want this to be the best reunion so please keep bugging your old classmates to sign up now. Maybe some of them don’t even know about the reunion yet. Just think...one year from now you could be having a drink and something to eat with a school mate that you haven't seen in many many years ... exciting, isn't it?!!!! On a sad and closing note, we learned last month of the passing of Mr. Blake Harris. He was a teacher at Bell in the beginning and was so looking forward to the reunion and to reuniting with the old wrestling teams. We extend our condolences to his family. Happy Thanksgiving, Brian Mac Millan |
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9 August 2011 Hello everyone, I know it's been a little time since anything "NEW" has appeared on the website. It may seem like it IS taking forever, but believe me there is a lot going on behind the scenes. We have noticed a dramatic increase in the number of updated profiles lately and the little notes attached. We have also seen the photo albums grow. These albums are there for everyone to use as well as the message boards --- you are more than welcome to jump in. As we are quickly approaching the "point of no return", this will be the last call for anything you think we have missed or anything in particular you would like to see in the Reunion Weekend. We are still using the original dates and spreading things out for many reasons. Quite a few things have changed in 25 years with regards to insurance, security and costs related to using school facilities. We are doing our best to keeps costs reasonable and to get the best possible return on our dollar. We monitored closely the three reunions held in Ottawa over the last few years (Laurentian, Woodroffe and Hillcrest) ---- we will be offering what was successful at all three. We (your steering committee) volunteered for most of the weekend at Hillcrest this past May 13th weekend and learned a lot. The group that organized Hillcrest has in return offered to help out at ours, for which we thank them. They have also donated quite a few generic items to fill our decade rooms. Believe it or not we have had quite a few requests for tickets NOW! This is very heartening and tells us we are on the right track. Unfortunately we will not have ticket prices available until Jan 1st 2012. With the fluctuation of food prices and changing wage prices this will be the earliest we can do it. Fortunately our suppliers will hold their prices and not include "riders" in their contracts. For this we are thankful. What are we doing now???? Number 1 on our agenda is formulating our sponsorship package. We are extremely fortunate to have had 2 individuals step forward and offer their expertise. They are both at the top of their game nationally as well as internationally. They are both alumni and will be recognized accordingly at the proper time. We have also added 2 new members to the steering committee. They are Rose Timmerman and Rick Pancham. They are both from later decades so that will give us a broader perspective. Number 2 is formulating the final program/schedule. Nothing is "written in stone" as of yet but will be completed well before Christmas of this year. I will only say, "We have a surprise or two in store for you." Number 3 will be the organization and planning of a commemorative booklet that will be in someone's words "a collectable". This will be similar to our "old yearbooks" but smaller. It will contain "tweets" --- "memorials" --- address book (so you don't lose new found friends) advertising by supporting alumni and sponsors --- maps --- schedules and other useful things. Number 4 is the finalization of our entertainment for the weekend. Our plan is still to have "all live entertainment". Someone asked me a year ago "why should I attend a reunion?" I think it is renewing a bond that was formed many years ago. It may not seem that the "casual acquaintances" that were made way back then were that important; believe me when you catch the eye of an old friend you will know. It's not just the old acquaintances; it's also the bond you form with the new ones - ones that you just knew by name. You come to realize that back then when we thought everyone was different; we see now everyone was the same. We all had our dreams, hopes and plans. Some have come to fruition; some have not. In the end it does not matter. Everyone still wants to know what are you doing, where have you been and where are you going? So, before it's too late, drop that old schoolmate yours a line. And if you want to get involved, please contact us. Sincerely, Brian Mac Millan, Chair, Bell High 50th |
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25 April 2011 Hello all! Was the Easter Bunny good to you? Did you know that in the 60's there was a group of grade 6's or 7's from Bells Corners Public School attending Bell High School? Well, neither did we! However, some of you 60's and 70's grads out there were part of that group. David Harwood, at Bell HS 1965-1970, was and he contacted us with this fascinating bit of history. If you know anything more about this Overflow Class, please contact us at admin@bellhigh50th.ca. Thanks Mike Shacklock for The Bell High 50th Anniversary Reunion Steering Committee |
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5 April 2011 BREAKING NEWS --- STREAMING NOW ---- BREAKING NEWS Hello everyone --- just a little note to remind everyone that as of today we are exactly 18 months until "liftoff"! A few of us -- actually a lot of us oldies are just finishing up our sojourn in the very very sunny south. It has been a banner year for sunshine. The balance of the crew has been at home finishing up small details on the sponsorship -- finances -- entertainment -- etc. We have a regular scheduled meeting for the steering committee coming up and we will be having another open call for volunteers to fill specific duties. This larger meeting will be held at the high school -- date and time to be announced. NOW is the time for any specific input to be voiced as we are reaching the point of no return for certain aspects. Hillcrest High is celebrating their 50th this May and we will be doing a little scouting for ideas. The one area that is a little hard to complete is reaching teachers. IF anyone has any info or location for ex teachers could they forward them to us through our Contact Us link - we don't want to miss anyone. Still trying to keep to our schedule ---- sponsorship packages releasing this spring --- finalization of timetable and events this fall. Ticket prices are to be announced in the New Year and will be made available on-line through a secure site. For those of you that are leery of on-line financial transactions, provisions will be made for "snail mail" registration. Further details to follow. Brian Mac Millan, Chair Bell High 50th Anniversary Reunion |
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21 February 2011 Greetings all! We’ve received a “heads up” from the folks that are running the Hillcrest 50th Anniversary Reunion that some of their alumni have been receiving junk mail, spam or phishing. They suspect that it might be as a result of “web-bots” using the “Send This Person a Message” feature of their website. Since we are using the same web host, it is possible that our Alumni and the former members of the Bell High Faculty and Staff might begin to receive similar unwanted emails. In an effort to thwart this, we have chosen to follow Hillcrest’s lead and add a simple password to our “Who’s Checked In?” webpage. The password will be “cafetorium” (no quotes) and the hint will be, “The name of the room where students ate their hot meals” We trust you understand the need for us to take this action. Best regards, Mike Shacklock Website Administrator On behalf of The Bell High School 50th Anniversary Reunion Steering Committee |
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14 February 2011 Hello everyone. Here it is, a year closer to the big event. I can't believe it has been over 3 years since we started working on this. We can now say "see you next year"! A lot is starting to happen ----- a few key alumni have stepped forward to help with the band. Thanks Alex and Kim. Rick Pancham has also stepped up with some great ideas and Bill Irwin has agreed to help steer us in the proper direction in regards to accounting. There are still lots of little things to be added, in good time. I am writing this while looking at the beautiful sunrise in Hilton Head SC. The temperature for the next week is supposed to be in the high 60s to low 70s. Maybe things are starting to warm up. We have spent the last week or so ----- on and off with Paula Chill Munro and her husband Gillis having the time of our lives. We will endeavor to see some more old friends as well. As Valentines Day is approaching it seems like it would be a good time to reach out to an old friend and say hello. Last years "reach out" gained us almost 400 new alumni. Some may be hesitant in doing so or may be shy -----believe me you will be thanked for doing so. For us "oldies" it is starting to hit home that so much time has passed ----- don't put off for tomorrow what you can do today. We have recieved too many in memoriam notices and family tragedies that have shocked some of us. On behalf of "the committee" our sincerest condolences to all affected. So; take a few moments and call an old classmate ----- email ----- skype -----twitter ------ tweet or whatever and let them know what's coming in 2012. Happy Valentines. Brian Mac Millan, Chair, Bell High 50th |
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12 January 2011 Hi everyone! Here we are making our way into 2011! It's hard to believe that we're a little more than a year and a half away from our celebration of Bell High School providing the youth of Nepean an excellent place of learning for 50 years! Your Reunion Steering Committee, under the leadership of Brian Mac Millan, continues to meet, fine tuning the events of the Thanksgiving weekend next year. Today’s addition of an entry in the website Guest Book points out what a wonderful resource we have. Lauren Thompson, daughter of former Bell alumnus Cam Thompson, came across some pictures of her dad taken in the 70’s. Lauren would like to make contact with anyone that might have any more pictures of Cam in his younger days. If you have anything that might be of interest to her, you can contact her via the link below her post to the Guest Book. If you haven't visited the website for a while, have a look around. Also, you might want to have a look at your profile and bring it up-to-date. I trust that 2011 is unfolding as it should for you. All the best Mike Shacklock Website Administrator Bell High 50th Anniversary Reunion |
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25 October 2010 Hello all, This is an email to everyone that’s Checked In to the Bell High School 50th Anniversary Website. We now have a little over two weeks under our belt operating our new website. Of the 1500 people now listed there, only 220 or 15% have checked it out and updated their basic profile there. If you haven’t, please drop by, have a look around and update your profile. Here’s the easiest way to do it: - 1. Go to the Who's Checked In? page. 2. Do a search on your surname. For the ladies, it can be your maiden name or your married name. 3. Once you’ve found your name, click the Edit Profile button. 4. You’ll be prompted to enter your email address. 5. Once you've done that, and clicked the "Submit" button, the system will send you an email with your username and a temporary password. 6. Return to the website and edit the rest of the information in your profile. And hey, why not upload "Then and Now" photos. We’re all dying to see what you look like these days! If you’ve changed your email address recently, this message will pop up on your screen: - We are unable to send you the requested information because no email was found associated with your entry. Please refer to the site owner if you wish to update your entry. If you do get that message, simply return to the Who's Checked In? page and click the “Add Your Profile” button. Don’t worry; I’ll delete your basic profile so you won’t have two entries! Looking for more reasons to go to the website and update things? Here a few: - 1. It’s fun scanning through the entries and seeing where people are now and looking at their pictures. 2. You can click on the “Where Are They Now?” button and see a global map showing where everyone that’s attended Bell has wound up. I think that the continents of Africa and South America are the only ones not represented. 3. Be sure to go to the home page at least once a week and listen to the music of our youth. I'll be changing the music every Friday. Thanks for reading the email all the way to the end and once again, please update your profile if you haven't already done it. Thanks & cheers! Mike Shacklock Website Administrator Bell High School 50th Anniversary - Reunion 2012 admin@bellhigh50th.ca www.bellhigh50th.ca |
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19 October 2010 To all Bell Alumni; Well everyone, here it is less than 2 years from the biggest party of your lives. This is really starting to get mind-boggling. I cannot believe that it was 23 years ago that I wrote a thank-you letter to the steering committee and it ended up as the cover page of the 25th year reunion yearbook. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine having the opportunity to work with some of the most genuine people I have ever met. Young, younger and really young !! How's that for stepping around the age thing ? I'm thankful we all made it this far. We, the steering committee, as a group are acutely aware of how big a task this has become. We must applaud the organizers of the 25th----they did this without the internet. As you can see we have opted for a new website---------one that has all the bells and whistles. Again we want to thank Richard Ye for his past website work and wish him the best in his graduating year. We are right now, as this is being written, finalizing our sponsorship package which we will put into action very soon. We are also finalizing the actual schedule of events....................not the events themselves but the timing. We have quite a list of volunteers for which we thank you. We have created a "wanted and looking for" page in the menu. If you can fit yourself into any of the tasks that will be posted please let us know. We are also in the midst of organizing the entertainment for both evenings. We have had meetings with the school and are very happy to report that a lot of enthusiasm from the current staff has been forthcoming. There are specific things in the "works We do not want to divulge all the secrets or surprises before their proper time. If anyone out there knows of alumni who have turned to a professional entertainment career, please let us know. At the present time our contact base is growing. We now have over 1500 contacts on the official web site. There are 2600 contacts via Classmates. There are in excess of 1500 on Facebook, plus various groups from the 60s, 70s and 80s. We know that there is some duplication of names but we also realize that there are folks who for some reason have not registered on the official site. This website, www.bellhigh50th.ca, is the official website for the reunion If you haven't entered your profile here, we urge you to do so. The site and the individual email addresses are secure. As I was quickly going through the "who has checked in" page I was struck by some of the comments and the pictures. Please post your comments and pictures. Don't be shy. You would be surprised who would be glad to hear from you ! For most of us this opportunity comes only once in a life time; as can be attested to by the Memorium page. A little explanation of the schedule before it is made public. All of Sunday will be left open except for time in the morning for a non-denominational Memorial/Thanksgiving Service. Sadly we have reached the time in our lives to reflect why we have what we have. Who gave it to us; and who is continuing to help us hold on to it. This is something WE as a generation growing up maybe took for granted. We are planning to have this service be a memorable event and an intragal part of the reunion. I hope this little note will stir a few memories. Please feel free to use the message boards, post your ideas and continue to stay tuned. There will be lots more to come. Sincerely, Brian Mac Millan, Chair, Bell High 50th. For---Paula, Myfanway, Mary, Karen, Jane, Alison Lorne, Willi, John, Mike and everyone else contributing. |
