By Ed Karvoski Jr., Contributing Writer
Hudson – Years after the closings of Hudson Catholic High (HCH) in 2009 and St. Michael School (SMS) in 2011, alumni are still displaying their spirit on those buildings’ properties – and on Facebook. Hundreds of photos including selfies, class group shots and informal family portraits are getting posted online before the buildings’ imminent demolition.
School spirit began its revitalization when Nora (Thompson) Watkins, of HCH 1983 and SMS 1979, posted her photo alongside the schools.
“On a whim I got a picture of me with both schools, then decided to put a selfie challenge out there,” she explained. “Quite honestly, I wasn’t sure if anybody would do it.”
Selfies quickly appeared online with alumni sharing memories. Watkins is pleased with the enthusiastic response.
“We’ll always have these pictures and stories on Facebook,” she said. “HCH was a great place to make friendships. It was a small school in a small community. Even if you weren’t in the same class, you knew everyone in the school.”
She and her six siblings are all SMS alumni, and each except the youngest attended HCH.
Her photo challenge was soon raised to the next level. Michael Gilles, of HCH 1977 and SMS 1973, had been reconnecting with classmates for the past several months through Facebook. He credits a comment posted by classmate Pat (Sarsfield) Emmons as his inspiration to invite the others to meet for a group photo.
“We haven’t been great at having reunions, so I thought this would give us a reason to get as many people together as we could,” he said. “It would be fun to get that old school spirit back.”
Seventeen classmates gathered for a photo and dinner afterward. Gilles challenged other classes to top their turnout.
“We’re already talking about getting together again over the summer,” said Gilles, whose siblings and children are also the schools’ alumni. “We have a long family history there.”
John Richards, of HCH 1983 and SMS 1979, shared his family’s history in the schools when posting a photo of himself alongside his alma maters. His daughters were attending SMS when it closed. At the time, Siobhan was a fifth-grader and Serena was a third-grader.
“They were definitely disappointed,” Richards said. “During the last Mass on the day that SMS closed, my youngest daughter just broke into tears.”
Richards was in preschool when his family chose to move to Hudson.
“One of my dad’s driving factors was that this little town had a great parish, a grammar school and a high school,” he explained. “Both schools were more than just buildings; they helped build our family.”
His siblings – Michael, HCH 1982 and SMS 1978; Bill, HCH 1971 and SMS 1967; and Cathy O’Connor, HCH 1969 – each met their spouse while attending the schools or through the Hudson CYO Royal Jades Band. Their parents, Angie and Bill, were avid volunteers for both schools and the band.
After Easter dinner, the Richards discussed seeing that week’s Facebook postings of the Collins and Thompson families.
“We decided to get a few pictures and show our support,” said Richards, who was joined by his daughters; siblings; and niece Amanda Fish Volk and nephew Brendan Fish, who attended SMS.
Richards is grateful that they and other alumni archived final visits to their alma maters.
“It’s a fun way to bring back good memories in the wake of a sad situation,” he said. “Those buildings will be gone, but it was the heart and soul that made the schools. The friendships that we made is something that can never be taken away from us.”
Alumni of all HCH and SMS classes are invited to gather at the sites for photos Saturday, May, 9, at 2 p.m. For updates, find “HCH Alumni” on Facebook.
Photos/submitted
