Boyd alumni rekindle high school memories – Eight graduating classes gather for first reunion
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Former students were happy to come back and see all their old friends and former environs. Jeff King says he has fond memories of his Boyd years. King graduated in 2003 and has been working at Bridgestone for two years.
?I went all four years of high school here,? King said. ?It was just a lot of fun. I remember all the friends I made, getting together. My class was real close. We?re still pretty close. There are only a few of us we?re not still in touch with. We played sports together, still hang out. I loved it. It was a lot of fun.?
Boyd teacher Linda Love explained how the event came about.
?It?s homecoming for our current classes here,? Love said. ?But we invited our alumni to come. We?re really like a large family here so we thought they might enjoy joining in on the festivities, so we decided to have a special reception for them, spend some time with them, and let them come back and see all the new things we?ve added in the last few years.?
Love said the alumni would be a big part of the homecoming celebration.
?We?re having this reception, and then the high school graduates will be recognized between the boys? and girls? games tonight,? Love said. ?So we?re looking forward to a very big event. We?re playing Webb School and most of our graduates have played them at some time or other, either in soccer, baseball or basketball.?
The school began in 1979 and became a full-fledged high school in 1999 with its first graduating class. The invitations to alumni included not only high school graduates, but those who had attended Boyd before it became a high school. Love said she could only estimate, but since 1999 there were probably around 100 high school graduates.
Kati Sutton, a 2003 graduate, agreed with King. She is in her last semester at Motlow, after which she will be transferring to MTSU where she plans to become an X-ray tech. To say Sutton is proud of her class would be an understatement.
?My class, the one I graduated with, was the best class hands down, no question,? Sutton said with a broad grin. ?We?re all still close. We all played sports. We always hung out every weekend together. I?ll always remember the closeness of everyone.?
Megan Hamblen said the reception was an excellent way to keep in touch with old friends.
?It?s just good to be back and see everybody again,? Hamblen said. ?Like everyone else, I remember the closeness of everyone, having close friends and being able to play sports, having fun. It was just a good time.?
Megan is graduating with a degree in biology and plans to attend dental school in Memphis.
Megan?s sister, and fellow alumni, Leann Hamblen Long, said she has good memories of Boyd as well.
?I guess I?d have to echo my sister?s sentiments,? Long said. ?The closeness of the classes, and the interaction you had with the teachers was really one-on-one, so I felt like I really mattered to the entire school here. It made you feel like you made a contribution to the entire school.?
Alumni Holly Ferrell, a 2002 graduate, made a stop to chat with Boyd president C.M. Womack during the reception, and said she also cherished her time at Boyd.
?It was awesome,? Ferrell said. ?It was the best time of my life, and if I could go back, I?d do it all over again. Seeing everyone today, well, it sends chills up my spine and brings tears to my eyes. It?s great.