Plans are in the works for a celebration of Park Street Collegiate Institute.
The Orillia high school closed in 2013, but that isn’t stopping a group of people from organizing a reunion, which they’re calling PSCI 60 + 1.
John Winchester, who taught at Park Street for more than 25 years, is organizing the event with Brian Hare, Don McIsaac and Carmen Novosky. He also helped plan the 40- and 50-year reunions.
“We figured that was going to be the last big thing,” he said of the 50th, “but as the saying goes, you can take away the school, but you can’t take away the school spirit.”
The celebration is being planned for July 15 to 17, 2022. The main event, and the only ticketed event, will be a dance July 16 at the Barnfield Point Recreation Centre, with live music from Park Street alumni Peter Sanderson, Mark Stewart, and Even Steven, which includes grads Steve McEown and Steve Eyers.
On the 15th, there will be a “restaurant tour,” with grads from different decades getting together at spots around town.
There will also be a reunion of the school’s hockey players from the late ’60s and early ’70s.
While the event is a year away, there has been plenty of interest. More than 1,100 people have joined the reunion Facebook group.
“That tells me that school is such an important part of people’s lives,” Winchester said. “They’ve maintained those connections. They’ve maintained that connection to Orillia.”
The event is open to grads as well as anyone else with a connection to Park Street, and Winchester encourages everyone to take part.
“We’re in the closing stages of the worst pandemic of our lifetime and I think, for a lot of people, it’s really made them appreciate the things we haven’t been able to do,” he said. “We’re going to have the opportunity to do that next year.”
To register, click here. Updates will be posted to the Facebook group.
