Alumni and staff had the opportunity to celebrate their old stomping grounds on Saturday, when Pontiac High School (PHS) opened their doors for tours, reunions, and more as it marked a special anniversary.
In recognition of the school’s 50th anniversary, it was decided there had to be a bash, so why not make it a homecoming? Complete with old photos and yearbooks on display as history lined the walls and display cases, PHS pride was out in full force as past students and teachers wandered the halls through the afternoon, before enjoying an evening of dining and dancing at the Agricultural Hall.
“We said, ‘Wouldn’t it be neat if we could put together some sort of a homecoming?’” said PHS Principal Debra Stephens, of brainstorming the idea with staff. “We had no idea if we could pull it off, but here we are.”
Admitting that she thought the idea would be beyond the school’s ability to actually pull together, especially at this time of year, Stephens was proud to share that her staff just ran with it, with everything suddenly becoming feasible.

“I’m kind of walking around going, oh we pulled this off?” said Stephens. “There really was just a little crew of us … we were doing this on the side.”
Once everything started coming together, activities began to be organized for the day. A Battle of the Decades volleyball tournament took place in the gym, while just down the hall in the cafeteria, a social for former staff took place.
All the while in the afternoon, guests were free to roam the halls at their leisure. Small groups would go from room to room, sharing memories about events within the walls of each one, or remarking on noticeable changes to the layout.
“The biggest transformation probably, for people who haven’t been here will be the fact that there aren’t locker bays anymore,” said Stephens.
In fact, that was a major change overheard from many touring the halls. The stretch downstairs of the school that was once lockers from one end to the other now features classrooms, offices and lounging space, while lockers line the walls instead.
One to confirm this sense of surprise at the missing locker bays was Cynthia (Burman) Yach, an alumnus who graduated in 1976, while others remarked on the state of the structure and classrooms.
One such was Greg Collins, an alumnus from ’75, who said he was surprised at how nice the school had stayed inside and out after 50 years. His father, Ken Collins, who taught at PHS from ’68 to ’75, shared in Greg’s surprise and delight at finding everything doing well.
Many similar thoughts were shared as tours continued, especially following the wrap-up of the staff social. From there, more rooms were busy with chatter as people strolled about, travelling from all over to be there.
“[We’re expecting] a lot of out-of-town folks who haven’t been here,” said Stephens. “There are people who are coming home who haven’t been here since they graduated 40 years ago. They’re looking forward to coming and so am I … It’s fun for us to see the building through somebody else’s eyes.”
Reception to the event was overwhelming, Stephens said, as many expressed excitement and an eagerness to return. While the staff social saw 60 people RSVP, the accompanying dinner and dance sold 200 tickets ahead of time.
After the tours finished up at the school, there was an opportunity to attend the Agricultural Hall for an evening party. With a sold-out meal catered by Billy T’s, plus drinks and a dance, it was a fitting way for a high school to celebrate.
“We didn’t want anything formal, we wanted it to just be kind of casual, come, enjoy and reminisce, see people,” said Stephens.
Topping it all off, the community sought to give back to its high school in its own way. The use of the hall was donated by the Pontiac Agricultural Society, and it was all done up by Pontiac Wedding Event Décor and Rentals in a fitting fashion. As well, Pontiac Supply Co. sold PHS reunion gear in various states.
Even the Shawville-Clarendon Fire Department played their part, as they usually need the hall ahead of Canada Day to get prepared for their events, said Stephens. Lucky for PHS, they stepped aside for the evening to let PHS have their fun.