KELVIN HIGH SCHOOL TO MARK 100 YEARS WITH REUNION CELEBRATION

Media Release
December 22, 2011

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA – In a city where people joke about having less than six degrees of separation, there may never be a better time to tap into the network than now. One of Winnipeg’s best known high schools, Kelvin, will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a three-day reunion May 25 – 27, 2012. And organizers need help to make sure everyone knows.

“We’re calling on all Kelvin High School alumni to help spread the word over the holidays and in 2012 about the Kelvin High School 100th Anniversary,” says Jim Pappas, a Kelvin alumnus and anniversary committee co-chair. “’The more the merrier’ couldn’t be more true when it comes to a reunion, so we’re making sure every possible communications tool is available for the celebration of 2012!”

He says alumni can find each other, connect and make plans by checking the alumni list at www.kelvin100.com, on the Kelvin100th Facebook and Twitter pages and at the Twitter hashtag #kelvin100.

“The Kelvin High School 100th Anniversary motto is ‘Get your group back together,’ because, it really is a one-of-a-kind school, known for giving students a platform for careers in the performing arts, professional sports, philanthropy, broadcasting, academics, whatever,” Pappas says. “If any high school has a reason to reconnect and celebrate its heyday peer groups, it’s this one.”

Pappas and co-chair Richard Bracken estimate thousands of alumni will attend the weekend’s festivities. A school open house featuring Kelvin memorabilia is scheduled for May 25. A Friday evening concert will feature a narrated, pictorial history of the school backed by a grad choir as well as Gilbert & Sullivan performers. A social will be held following the concert where the highlight is sure to be a number of Kelvin High School bands that will be reunited for the occasion.

It is anticipated that over 4,000 grads will attend the reunion gala dinner scheduled for Saturday, May 26. Kelvinites – and well-known radio personalities – Roger Currie and Fiona Odlum will host.

Founded in 1912, Kelvin High School is one of Winnipeg’s best-known educational institutions. Committed to academic distinction, Kelvin also has a long tradition of excellence in athletics and fine arts. Its graduates have gone on to distinguish themselves in every field of endeavor.

Some of Kelvin High School’s notable alumni include:

Gail Asper, philanthropist and community leader
Gerald W. Schwartz, co-founder of CanWest Global Communications and
CEO of Onex Corporation
Andrew Coyne, journalist and national editor of Maclean’s
Brothers Danny and Ken Finkleman
Jay Ingram, former co-Host of Discovery’s “Daily Planet”
Michaele Jordana, artist and musician
Mike Keane, three-time Stanley Cup champion
Mary Morrison, O.C., opera singer
Don Oramasionwu, Winnipeg Blue Bomber
Fred Penner, children’s entertainer
John K. Samson, musician
Glen Scrivener, former CFL player
Shirley Tilghman, president of Princeton University
Neil Young, musician

Register for the reunion celebrations now at www.kelvin100.com. Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/kelvin100th, on Twitter @kelvin100th and at hashtag #Kelvin100. Event sponsors include McKim Cringan George and Kelekis Restaurant.

For more information, contact the Kelvin High School 100th Anniversary committee at 204.942.4113 or email [email protected].

Contact the committee co-chairs directly at: Jim Pappas [email protected] Richard Bracken at [email protected]

Friday May 25 12:00 pm – 4:00pm – Welcome Event – Kelvin High School

Open house at Kelvin
Nostalgia rooms by decades
Photography in the gym
Donuts, coffee, tea available
Merchandise available
Registration pick-up

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Evening Concert – Winnipeg Convention Centre

Choral concert presenting some of the best-loved choral music of John Standing, Derek Morphy and Kim Brown, the three most recent choral directors at Kelvin. It will also include musical theatre, and Gilbert & Sullivan performances sung by some of the fine soloists that have performed at Kelvin. Finally it will include a history of Kelvin told through pictures and words.

9:00 pm – close – After Concert Event – Winnipeg Convention Centre

Great food – food and beverage stations Social Time – Bands of alumni playing in 1/2 hour

Sat May 26 -10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Open House at Kelvin

Nostalgia rooms by decades
Donuts, coffee, tea available
Merchandise available
Registration pick-up

6:00 pm – close – Gala Dinner – Winnipeg Convention Centre

Hosted by Roger Currie – Talk of the Town, Regina SK and Fiona Odlum “Eye in the Sky” air 680 traffic

Sun May 27 10:00 am – 1:00 pm – Farewell Gathering – Kelvin High School

Please register by May 7, 2012.

No tickets will be mailed out, all will be available for pick-up at Kelvin High School on the Friday May 25, or Saturday May 26, during the day. If you are unable to pick-up your registration package at these times, please contact [email protected]

Refund & CancellationPolicy

In some cases, it will be necessary for people who have registered to change their plans. If they have paid but are now unable to attend, a refund will be issued. Note: Refund requests must be confirmed by e-mail or phone by April 30, 2012. You must have confirmation by the Reunion Committee by April 30, 2012.

If you have any questions about the reunion or the registration process, please e-mail: [email protected]

**Any funds made from the event will be placed in a designated endowment fund of the Winnipeg Foundation for Kelvin High School. All other events are open and free of charge.

Add the event weekend to your calendar – once you click, select open and then save from inside the appointment window. Share this site with all of your friends by clicking on this Forward to a friend link. It’s sure to be an event that all Kelvinites will remember for years to come.