Happy Birthday Clemens

Happy Birthday Clemens


           This year marks the 50th year of Samuel Clemens High School being open. On Saturday, January 20, the staff held an open house on campus to welcome the community in to celebrate with us.
           Students decorated the halls, and old photos, letterman jackets, yearbooks, and more were displayed throughout the halls, mall area, and library. The schedule was relaxed, and allowed the community, and specifically Samuel Clemens alumni to remember the past, and see the changes the school has undergone throughout the years. The day consisted of people looking around freely, tours led by students and staff, entertainment attractions, and performances by the cheerleading team, the Belles and Stars dance teams, band and drumline, orchestra, ROTC, and more. The event ended with a full pep rally where past and present superintendents, district workers, founders, and administrators each spoke about their favorite memories of the school in their time. Even the first secretary of Samuel Clemens High School, Lloyd Sandifer, was able to make it out to the open house.
           The 50th anniversary celebration was an emotional trip down memory lane for some
Clemens alumni. Julia Jachimowicz, junior Belles member tells a story from her experience this Saturday, “There was a woman who had been on the dance team in the 90s who came back to visit during the 50th anniversary open house. She said she had been on the JV team when she was in high school. She told the current dancers about all the plaques and awards they had received that unfortunately were taken down and gotten rid of recently. She got really emotional talking about the hard work they had put in and what those awards symbolized, and it was really touching”. Many other alumni had similar experiences to these. For some, they hadn’t stepped foot on Clemens ground since they graduated, and being back on the campus was a very nostalgic feeling for them.
When Julia Jachimowicz was asked her favorite part of working the event, she says “It was really cool to see all of the alumni and hearing their stories from their high school years. I especially liked getting to talk to some previous Belles who came back to see the dance hall and watch us perform”. It was a great experience for current students at the school as well to learn more about the school in the past in what it looked like, the atmosphere, and much more.
           The whole day was a great way to honor the school and its growth throughout the years, and its many more years to come. 

Madeline Sturdrivant