With Central Catholic opening in 1957, the class of 1961 is unique in CC history as it was the first class to attend the school for all four years. Throughout the years, the class has continued to stay close to one another.
Recently, the Class of 1961 recently held their 60th reunion during the 2021 CC Alumni Weekend. Sheila (Flynn) Bonne, one of the members of the reunion planning committee had the below reflection on their class:
In September 1957 the doors of Central Catholic School opened, and four classes walked in.
Our freshman class, class of 1961, was the largest, with 120 students. We would be the first class to attend 4 years at CC. I think it’s safe to say we were all excited, but pretty nervous too. We were coming from 4 (plus) different grade schools, we had no guidelines to go by, no traditions to follow, no upperclassmen to show us the way, because they were all new, too. I think that’s the reason we’ve always been a close class. We just had to make our way together.
We were given the task, responsibility, and opportunity to initiate the traditions. We chose our school mascot (Knight), picked the school colors (blue and white), named the yearbook (Lance) and the newspaper (Centralight), and wrote our school Fight Song (Onward Central Catholic). At the time, I don’t think we appreciated what an honor that was, and is.
Through the years, we’ve had strong support and leadership from our Lafayette classmates, Dan Metzinger, John Frye, Claire Ferguson Brettnacher, Judy Cooley Moore, to name a few. The group has gotten together regularly and established an email link to keep us updated on our fellow classmates, and keep us all connected. And, they have coordinated reunions. Our 60th took place Homecoming Weekend this year, and was wonderful!
Just like 60 years ago, it was exciting to be at our Alma Mater. And, as at our previous reunions, it was great to see classmates that we hadn’t seen for years. We shared lots of memories and lots of laughs. We all agreed that we were lucky to have gone to Central Catholic, and are so proud of the way the school and campus look, and the excellent reputation that it has earned. We’re looking forward to our 65th Reunion!
And, as always, GO KNIGHTS!
