That's so 80's
The Class of 1980 Returns to the Lycée
Instead of wishful thinking and wondering "what if," Christine Auclair decided she had waited long enough to see her friends and classmates from the Lycée's class of 1980. She got motivated and became a catalyst, planner and co-founder of the Lycée Français de New York Class of 1980 Reunion Committee - roles that led to Ms. Auclair and her friend and reunion committee member, Alessandra Kelmas de Bozzo, being appointed as Class Captains by the Lycée's Alumni Board. Now, with reunion plans formalized and invitations sent to every classmate she and her reunion committee members could track down, Ms. Auclair is anticipating two weekends filled with memorable events.
The reunions will take place in New York City on September 10th and 11th and in Paris October 17th through the 19th (just two weeks before the two launch events for the school's 75th Anniversary celebrations, also in New York and Paris respectively). Highlights for the two 30th reunion weekends include a highly anticipated party to be hosted in the Lycée's state-of-the-art building on 75th Street near York Avenue in New York as well as a reunion dinner at Ante Prima restaurant in Paris. There are also cocktail parties planned in each city, and picnics are certainly not being ruled out.
Before solidifying plans for the New York City party, Ms. Auclair and Ms. Kelmas de Bozzo came to the Lycée to get acquainted with the new building and plan for the September reunion. They were sold on the space the moment they walked in and saw how the Lycée's common areas breathe vibrancy into the structure. Immediately, Ms. Auclair and Ms. Kelmas de Bozzo had ideas and questions regarding logistical possibilities for the reunion. Needless to say, the plenary meeting for the September 11th event went better than expected. In fact, the only misfortune of the afternoon was the lack of time the ladies had to spend touring the building. They were assured, however, that tours will be provided the night of the reunion.
As time was of the essence on this day, I did not have an opportunity to interview Ms. Auclair about the reunion. Therefore, I emailed her questions I felt would capture the spirit of her strong desire to reconnect with Lycée friends from years past.
Aska: What inspired you to initiate a reunion with former classmates?
Auclair: The class of 1980 has not had a reunion since its graduation, thirty years ago this year. Some alumni have not had the chance to see other alumni since that time.
Aska: Do you have any anecdotes or funny situations about the reunion planning process that you'd like to share?
Auclair: The process of rallying alumni and organizing activities has been surprisingly smooth. By far, the most common complication to the lofty goal of finding alumni has been identifying women with different last names.
Aska: What are your expectations or goals for the reunion?
Auclair: The school's Alumni Association keeps track of all alumni, even those who may have just come through the Lycée for one year. My expectations for the reunion is for all of the classmates to reconnect, while discovering new "classmates" who had just passed through, but yet have maintained contact with the school.
Aska: What was it like to come back to the Lycée and see the new building?
Auclair: Coming back to the Lycée and seeing the new building was wonderful. The Lycée is in continual growth and keeps offering its students an excellent program in a beautiful setting; quality curriculum, state of the art technology, a commodious gymnasium, an auditorium, and a modern cafeteria to name a few of the facilities.
Aska: What future plans do you have to stay in contact with your former classmates and the Lycée?
Auclair: In the future, I would like to keep better contact with my former classmates and the Lycée than I have in the past. I would like to keep organizing a reunion on a regular basis, the frequency not decided at this point; possibly in five years, maybe sooner, depending on the response to this coming event.
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