A Virtual Reunion
By Brian Sibley ’90
The coronavirus pandemic threw a wrench in the works of a great many events this year, and class reunions were no exception. But one Colorado Academy class was undeterred, and made the best of the situation, even though no in-person reunion was possible this year.
On Saturday May 9, the class of 1990 held a virtual reunion over Zoom, hosted by Brian Sibley, who was joined by 14 of his classmates. A lively conversation was had by all, catching up on events since the last reunion in 2010.
This particular group was truly global, including members from across the U.S., along with three members from overseas: Adrienne (Whitelaw) Batkin in Brisbane, Australia; Akio Nishikawa in Tokyo; and Patricia Vriesendorp in Biel, Switzerland. Thanks to those international classmates for getting up early or staying up late to join us!
A natural topic of discussion was a comparison of the various local and international responses to the coronavirus pandemic, differences in local schools, and work experiences, as well. The class certainly found out that a lot of us were going through this in very similar ways, but there were also many key differences.
Overall, everyone is looking forward to May of 2021, when the rescheduled (31-year!) reunion can take place on campus, and we can see each other in person.
“A lot of things have moved online now,” said Sibley. “I’ve been encouraging a lot of people to find ways to connect during this time when we’re all having to stay physically distant from each other, so when Sue asked if I’d be willing to host a ‘virtual’ reunion, it was an easy decision. I’m glad so many were able to make it! I hope other classes will find ways to reunite online this year too.”
In addition to the main reunion, the class of 1990 went into smaller breakout rooms to have smaller conversations. Most folks appeared from their living rooms and kitchens, but Joe Giersch took his video camera outside for the afternoon and impressed us all with his views of Glacier National Park in Montana. And no Zoom meeting these days is complete without livestock, it seems: at one point, a couple of Nathalie Eddy‘s goats made a guest appearance, and Jane (Sinclair) Petersen introduced us all to the bevy of newborn chicks temporarily taking up residence in her living room, while her husband and kids were out back building them a chicken coop.
Other classmates who joined the virtual reunion were Julie Beattie Reeves, Jeff Burroughs, Brendan Dallas, Julie Ivker Dubin, Maud Kernan Lonergan, Gene O’Neill, Lisa Miller Robert, and Will Schoyer.
HOPE TO SEE YOU on MAY 21-23, 2021 for OUR RESCHEDULED 30th REUNION!