Winter proms have long become a pleasant tradition, a meeting of memories for a large number of school friends. Such events are especially enjoyable, as they are a specific excursion to school time - the brightest side of childhood. Every adult, deep down, dreams of seeing his school class again, which has become the first step in the life ladder, meeting his classmates, an important group of people who share common school years, memories and dreams. Spending an evening of an alumni meeting 40 years later is definitely a good idea, but the event requires preparation.
Alumni tradition
This solemn tradition is practiced in many world powers. In order for the celebration to really give rise to many spiritual memories, and the offensive inevitability of the past did not come to the fore, of course, the alumni meeting should be planned ahead of time. Further recommendations will be given for holding such an evening and examples of scenarios for the meeting of graduates 40 years later are given.
Prom planning
This stage will be considered preparatory for the evening of graduates. It is worthwhile in advance (for 2-3 months) to start phoning old acquaintances, prompting them to interest in such a significant evening of meeting of classmates, highlighting the most initiative old comrades who will help with the organization of the planned event in the future.
At the first stage, it is necessary to immediately think over the possible scenarios of the meeting of graduates 40 years later, offering their classmates, for example, the following options:
- The meeting will be held in the classroom of the native school in the circle of classmates and teachers.
- Graduation evening can be carried out within the framework of the parallel parallel that was released 40 years ago.
- Perhaps the place of memories of the school will be a cozy cafe or a rented hall in a restaurant.
- Will there be an unofficial celebration ceremony, and where it is worth holding.
If the organizers of the holiday managed to agree on a variant of the event, then it is necessary to proceed to the next stage of preparing the scenario for the meeting of graduates 40 years later - the invitation of classmates.
Party invitation
It should be noted that this stage is the most important in the organizational plan and at the same time the most difficult. What happened to old friends after school? Finding many of them is now not so easy. Someone left to enter a university in another city and settled there safely, someone has long lost contact and will not even be able to find out where this person is now, someone is completely at work and will not find time to meet classmates for 40 years later because of his business trips.
Forty years of graduation is not such a short time, so the audience will be under sixty. Among them, unfortunately, there are those who will not be able to attend the event for health reasons. However, as life practice shows, many willingly agree to invitations and try to visit such a gala evening.
It would be nice to organize a group of initiative people who will search for their classmates, contact them and invite school friends to the event. The scenario of a meeting of graduates 40 years later should be disclosed only in vague characteristics, it is not worth detailing this event. In communication with school friends, it is important to initiate the next communication step. Perhaps the former classmate knows any information about others and can help establish a connection with them.
It should be understood that with the search for school friends, the size of the active group of the evening event increases. It is better to hold a meeting of this initiative group about a month before the day of the event, that is, immediately after the Christmas holidays. At this meeting, you will need to discuss the scenario, plan a venue for the event, select a menu, and so on. Most of those who agreed and approved this evening once again choose the option of its implementation. As a rule, participants insist on the simplest organization - to spend an evening with classmates in a cafe.
First Steps in Developing a Homecoming Scenario
Planning for the prom at first includes the following questions:
- making an appointment with your teaching staff;
- invitation of your favorite school staff to the official celebration ceremony;
- greeting and seating classmates 20-25 minutes before the evening.
How will the invitees communicate at the event?
It is very important to make a plan in advance for the evening participants. It is advisable to group your classmates by occupation, interests, and think about how communication will move from one table to another. For example, if a graduate meeting is held 40 years later, at the starting stages you can start talking about your future life after school, about a new job or your own children and grandchildren. Invitees, as a rule, willingly share information about themselves.
The unofficial part of the scenario of the meeting of graduates 40 years later can be carried out in the trends of the favorite music of graduation, that is, discos, for example, of the seventies. Many will support this idea. Only dancing to a graduate meeting 40 years after graduation is better to choose not fast.
Event Lead Appointment
The very form of organizing an event implies a host. Only school-age friends can know who to specifically identify for this role. If the old comrades are present, then it is reasonable to choose one of them. Specifically, the presenter will implement the scenario of a meeting of graduates 40 years later. In the event that a classmate is chosen as the host of the event, then the response of the audience and support from the invited guests is ensured for him, and the evening will certainly be a success.
Conversations to Avoid
It is worthwhile to realize that the scenario for planning such a gala event casts doubt on many topics for discussion with classmates. In this case, the taboo should be imposed on conversations about the death of loved ones, serious illnesses, sorrows of life, severely suffered loss of work and other difficulties. Such a briefing should be carried out while inviting classmates to a gala evening. Why should you taboo such questions? The subject of the meeting implies only bright and joyful memories and feelings, so it is worth discarding any opportunity to upset a person in any way this evening.
Event Budget Planning
One of the main points, of course, will be financial expenses. It is necessary to correctly calculate the estimate of the event. In any scenario of the celebration, a designated cost group will be present. The scenario of the evening of graduates certainly involves the acquisition of balloons and bouquets of flowers in deference to the teaching staff. The cost will include renting the selected premises, unless, of course, a school office has been selected as such.
Additional costs will be more significant if the chosen option for holding the prom goes beyond the usual and includes contests, live music, a joint photo shoot and so on. Of course, the resulting sum of expenses should immediately be discussed with the participants of the evening and the group of people who volunteered to help organize the event. As a rule, such an evening involves optimizing funds at the expense of classmate volunteers.
As a result, the scenario of a meeting of graduates in a cafe will involve the appointment of those responsible for:
- search for a photographer;
- planning and organizing entertainment events;
- collecting photos of school years for joint viewing;
- fundraising for the rental of the institution;
- preparation and decoration of the room.
The organization of a real festive event will require considerable expenses both in material and in physical terms. It should be noted that the organization of the holiday in the cafe will differ significantly from the school version. In our time of technological progress, it is possible to see those people who, due to life circumstances, could not make a visit to the alumni meeting. It is enough to get the Wi-Fi password at the institution and use Skype to bring the person to the interactive whiteboard. This is just an illusion of being at the evening, but how pleasant it will be even to those present at the evening, and to the person on the other side of the screen. Of course, issues of a person’s access to the Network and the implementation of connection should be discussed in advance.
How to choose a cafe suitable for the evening?
One of the main criteria when choosing an institution of this type will be: an affordable and varied menu, reasonable prices, a cozy and festive atmosphere, good reviews from people who have visited it before. Under the scenario of a graduate meeting in a cafe, you should look at the hall corresponding to the festive occasion. There must be excellent sound insulation so that the music from the main hall does not interfere with the scenario of the event or the memories of school friends. But the opportunity to dance in the chosen room should be present.
Examples of the beginning of the script. Introduction
How to start such a gala evening? In its most general form, this can be represented as follows. The facilitator thanks those present for the preserved team spirit of the graduation class. Briefly provides information about the absent (those who failed to notify, and who have good reason to be absent). He greets those present and begins an alumni meeting 40 years later (poetry or just an opening word will do).
An example of an opening speech as part of organizing an evening of a meeting 40 years later:
- Hello, my dear 11 (letter) class! What took you so long? Do not crowd in the office door, let's go ahead, take a seat at your desks! I really hope that you still remember where and with whom you sat in school lessons. So, everyone sat down in their place? Are these your places exactly?
Prepared school diaries should be lying on the tables at this time, in which names will be written and school photographs glued.
- Please check your diaries. During our evening you will be able to write each other a few words in these diaries, so to speak, small wishes and hopes for new meetings. It will be a very pleasant memory of this day.
You can start the evening of the alumni meeting 40 years later with a congratulation poem. For instance:
Forty years ago, they said goodbye
Celebrated graduation
And today we are all together
Today is not an easy day
Our meeting is a miracle
Outwardly we have changed.
Only the soul we stayed
Like children, mischievous.
I wish you to forget now all the insults of past years,
I want this evening
He took us to school again.
First toast
This event, of course, involves a feast and toasts at a graduate meeting, slow dances (school waltz). But in fact, such an evening involves the first toast to the meeting. This confirms virtually any scenario of meeting classmates: 20, 30, 40 years. In this regard, age does not play a special role. It is very important to present a toast at a meeting of graduates majestically, solemnly, to find the words that are necessary for everyone now, warm, friendly, and touch all corners of the soul.
The second toast at graduation winter evening, as a rule, addresses the memory of their teaching staff. In this role, of course, everyone faces a class teacher or favorite teacher. In this case, a speech at a graduate meeting 40 years later will be addressed to teachers, fond memories of them. Within the framework of this evening, one can also conduct the following interactive: display on the projector a poster on which will be an image of a school teacher and medals addressed to them for:
- sense of humor;
- help in the lessons;
- life example of virtue;
- ability to empathize;
- ability to organize a lesson;
- motivation to study.
Further, the scenario of the event can be varied with the following words:
- By unanimous decision of the people who have gathered today, we decide to present the diploma to a high-class teaching staff. We commit ourselves to invite you to all further graduation events and to allow the younger generation to educate! Let's raise a toast to our school teachers!
At the same time, during the whole event, it’s very good to launch a slide show of photos of school years so that these pictures accompany the meeting and are in the attention of the whole festive evening. Music for a graduate meeting 40 years later, “School Time”, will go well with the slide show. Another accompaniment will do. Songs for the alumni meeting can be selected related to the school or the time of release (popular music of the sixties, seventies, nineties and so on).
Entertainment part of the event
After the official part, a series of exciting games can be included in the script that will help those present remember the school time and feel like a real school class again. Example: Do Not Spill a Drop game. Guests sitting at the same table pass around the glass. Everyone should pour a small amount of a drink into it. The last one, whose glass overflows so that the liquid spills over the edge, is forced to announce the toast and drink the resulting “cocktail”.
You can also cite the example of the game "Find out a friend." It is necessary to blindfold the called “disciple”. He must touch and find out who is standing in front of him. The one who is recognized becomes the next player blindfolded.
There is a suitable game "Chocolate". For this game you need a plate of chocolate, a hat, mittens and a scarf, a knife, a fork, a dice-cube. All participants become one after another and throw a game die on the table. The first person to drop the number six needs to sit on a chair, put on a hat, quickly tie a scarf, put on mittens and begin to remove the wrapper from the chocolate bar. Then he takes a fork and knife and carefully cuts a piece of chocolate and eats in small pieces. If the other player drops six at this time, then he undresses the previous participant and bites off a small piece himself. The person who ate the last piece of the chocolate bar wins.
At this time, you can already include songs at the alumni meeting. As already indicated, it is better to choose calm music, and leave more dance tunes to accompany slide shows or congratulations. Perhaps those present will want to dance the school waltz again. For this, for example, a sensual melody from the cartoon "Anastasia" is suitable.
Impromptu interview
In order not to lose the festive atmosphere of the evening, it is advisable that the organizer, imitating reporters, take a comic interview from a group of classmates on the topic of what leprosy you remember during school. In this case, the main question can be veiled by a number of hidden ones, for example:
- Do you think childhood can be returned?
- How many times have you skipped classes?
- Have you corrected grades in your diary?
- Which of the school subjects was the hardest?
- Who was written off in the classroom?
- Have you had any ideas on getting into the teacher's room?
- Did you have a plan to hide a cool magazine from your teacher?
Such questions will set those present in a more cheerful way, liberate, stimulate further communication between classmates. You can recall the most significant moments, tricks and pranks together.
Features of the event
It is worth noting separately that the scenario of a meeting of graduates after 40 years collects classmates of pre-retirement age at the institution. In accordance with the age category of the invitees, the ideal task for the host of the festive event is to revitalize the audience and present this evening in the theme of school everyday life.
In the company of older people, the informal part of the prom should focus on contests and events of a logical, intellectual orientation, memories of the school time. There shouldn’t be so many dancing parties; a couple of slow dances is enough. At the end of the evening you can hold a competition of brief characteristics of those present. Characteristics should be humorous. It should immediately indicate to the participants that a characterization of a particular classmate should be made taking into account his school achievements.
Of course, evening events for graduates after 40 years will be different from the rest. The emphasis in such evenings should be placed on communication and memories of school life. Therefore, a good example would be the organization of an evening of memoirs, during which the classmates present have quiet conversations about their school past, sometimes exchanging toasts and remembering classmates who could not come today. As a result of such an event - a huge canvas of school destinies.
At such an age, of course, it happens that the reason for failure to appear on such a gala evening is poor health. That is why it is worth connecting all available interactive communication capabilities in order to please a person with at least an indirect presence at a graduate meeting. Thus, the evening, in its organizational basis, will have to assume the presence of a laptop computer, a mobile Wi-Fi router (or you need to find out the password from the Internet in the cafe where the meeting is held), a preliminary trial inclusion with the addressee. We need a clear time synchronization (especially if a classmate lives in a different time zone) and an additional communication channel. Given all the recommendations, an evening of graduates 40 years later will be held at the highest level.