Organizers are hoping the third time’s the charm when it comes to the Copper Cliff High School Reunion.
A reunion of the 40th anniversary of the high school’s closure was originally planned for July 2020, but was cancelled due to the pandemic. Organizers were then hoping it could be held last summer, but the pandemic once again intervened.
With most COVID-19 pandemic restrictions now lifted, the event is scheduled once again, this time for July 15-16 at the Steelworkers Hall.
The deadline to register is coming up June 15 (phone Diane Hebert at 705-470-2577, Kim Kanerva at 705-682-2684 or email [email protected]). There is also a Facebook page associated with the event.
The reunion will include an official opening, live music, an audio visual presentation featuring images of life at CCHS and of Copper Cliff, a golf tournament, a Slo-Pitch game and a “Ramble Around the Cliff” (walking tour of Copper Cliff).
Copper Cliff High School, a small, close-knit high school that primarily served the community of Copper Cliff, closed back in 1980.
The school building itself is still in use, as it has been occupied by Copper Cliff Public School — a JK to Grade 8 school — since the high school closed.
A previous CCHS reunion held in 1990 attracted about 2,500 people. With the passage of time and the aging of alumni, organizers were hoping for 500 participants when the event was originally planned for 2020.
But with the pandemic and two consecutive cancellations, only 210 people have signed up so far for this summer’s event.
One of the event’s organizers, Al Nesseth, said he taught at CCHS as a young teacher, from 1974 to 1977.
“I’m just anxious to get more signups, and more people taking advantage of what I think is not only the last opportunity, but a great opportunity for them to strike up some old relationships with friends from the past,” Nesseth said.
“I mean, it was always a school that had a great spirit, and there’s various things that you can point to, sports in particular. They were very strong in hockey and football.
“But it's not just about the sports. It's about the clubs and the school events that people chose to participate in at the time.”
