By Jeff Devine, The Chronicle
The Carroll High School Class of 2006 is preparing to celebrate 20 years since graduation with a weekend filled with fellowship, memories and fun Sept. 18-20 in Ozark.
Organizers have planned a full weekend of activities designed to bring classmates back together, celebrate their shared history and create new memories two decades after walking across the Carroll High School stage.
The reunion weekend will begin Friday, Sept. 18, with the Carroll High School homecoming tailgate. Class members are encouraged to show their school spirit and support the Eagles as they take on the Ashford Yellow Jackets.
The main reunion celebration will take place Saturday, Sept. 19, at The Warehouse in Ozark. The official 20th reunion party will provide classmates with an opportunity to reconnect, reminisce about their school days, dance and enjoy an evening together.
Organizers said classmates attending the Saturday celebration will not have to worry about arranging childcare. A designated children’s section will be available, with Carroll High School cheerleaders volunteering to supervise the children during the ceremony as part of their volunteer hours.
The weekend will conclude Sunday, Sept. 20, with a church service at Church of God by Faith, located at the former Mame Tompkins site.
Organizers described the return to the former location as a “full circle moment.” The service will provide classmates with an opportunity to give thanks and pray for continued blessings, peace and prosperity.
A brunch at Hoppergrass will follow the church service, giving classmates one final opportunity to gather and enjoy time together before the reunion weekend concludes.
Organizers are currently finalizing the cost of the reunion and plan to release official pricing and a registration form next week.
Class members are also encouraged to help spread the word to former classmates, particularly those who may not use Facebook, to make sure no one misses the opportunity to take part in the celebration.
The reunion weekend is intended to celebrate more than 20 years since graduation. Organizers say it will be a chance for classmates to reconnect, celebrate how far they have come, and make new memories together.
Additional information about registration and pricing will be announced as plans are finalized.
For nostalgic purposes:
For the Carroll High School Class of 2006, the opening notes of a song can take you back 20 years in an instant. “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers, “Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson, “Sugar, We’re Goin Down” by Fall Out Boy, “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” by Green Day, and “Hollaback Girl” by Gwen Stefani were more than songs on the radio. They were the soundtrack to a time when friendships felt endless, Friday nights revolved around football, and the biggest decisions in life seemed a long way off. “Gold Digger,” “Candy Shop,” “Don’t Cha,” “Pon de Replay,” and “Don’t Phunk With My Heart” could turn up on a school dance playlist or blast from a car stereo while friends cruised around town, windows down and the future still wide open.
Then there were the songs that seemed to capture something deeper. “We Belong Together” and “Beautiful Soul” carried the emotions of young love, while “Wake Me Up When September Ends,” “Best of You,” and “Feel Good Inc.” became part of the soundtrack of growing up. By the spring of senior year, songs like “Bad Day,” “You’re Beautiful,” “Temperature,” “So Sick,” “Over My Head,” “Unwritten,” “Move Along,” “Dance, Dance,” “Dirty Little Secret,” “I Write Sins Not Tragedies,” “SOS,” and “Ridin’” were everywhere. Hearing them today can bring back memories of classrooms, ballgames, dances, late-night conversations, first cars, first loves, old friends and all the little moments that seemed ordinary at the time but became some of the memories people would treasure most. Twenty years later, those songs don’t just sound like our senior year of high school. They sound like being young, being together, and believing there was still an entire lifetime ahead.
