LANSDALE- Nostalgia permeated the halls of Penndale Middle School this past Saturday morning as the North Penn High School Class of 1964 began celebrating their 50^th reunion with a tour of their former school.

Before the tour began, the group of about fifty classmates met in Penndale’s main entrance where they began greeting and hugging one another, as well as reminiscing about memorable experiences. Many classmates shared stories about an unforgettable teacher or staff member in the building.

Rockwell Finley mentioned that one of his teachers, who indicated that he would not be well suited for college, served as a major motivator for him.

“I always remember that because this particular teacher was one of my favorites before,” explained Finley. “As it turned out, he was wrong.”

Finley noted that after his time in the Vietnam War, he knew he wanted to serve people. As a result, he went on to earn a Ph.D., two master’s degrees, and a bachelor’s degree and currently works in a local school district as a clinician.

The tour, which was led by three Penndale SGA representatives, Anissa Gardizy, Clare Dentner, and Kaitlyn VanDame, began with a visit to the woodshop classroom. Many of the classmates recalled creating a hammer in this class, which was more commonly referred to as ‘shop’, and some even noted that they still have the piece. As they continued, the group made stops in other subject specific rooms including the library, FCS (Family Consumer Science) kitchen, large gym, cafeteria, band room, and auditorium. After pausing for a group picture, the classmates worked their way up to the 500 and 300 level hallways to inspect the halls and classrooms.

Throughout the tour, classmates spoke of many changes they noticed since they attended the school. Some were surprised that the lockers didn’t have padlocks on them anymore, while others were shocked that the library was in a completely different location.

Nevertheless, the classmates were a cheerful group as they poked fun at some of Penndale’s outdated features. Many agreed that the cabinets in the FCS kitchen are in dire need of a makeover. One classmate even remembered once believing that the shell surrounding the stage in the auditorium was a modern addition; however, he started to second guess that thought from the 1960s.

Stephen Wright mentioned that one of the most memorable experiences during high school was the regular drill in preparation for a nuclear attack. As a result of the Cold War that was warming up, the school would go into a lockdown that consisted of pulling the shades down over the windows and crawling under a tiny desk.

“When you think about it today, that [drill] was so dumb. It wouldn’t have made any difference being under your desk,” explained Wright. “That’s what we grew up with, though.”

Wright also went on to explain that after graduation, if one didn’t attend college, a draft notice would probably be received for the Vietnam War. Once drafted, one would be sent to the Army, Navy, or Marines.

Many of the women in the group remembered many of the same events. They unanimously noted that the worst experience from high school was being forced to shower after physical education class, whereas one of their most cherished experiences was the regular ‘Sock-Hop’, which was a school dance. The dance received its name as students wore socks since they were not allowed to wear shoes in the gymnasium, which is where it took place.

Graduation may have been fifty years ago, but many of the classmates shared pieces of advice to offer to a current high school student. While Bill Bennet talked about the importance of getting involved in school, Nancy Washington McHugh expressed that she believes high school students will be fine if they can persevere through difficult things.

North Penn graduates interested in learning more about the North Penn Alumni Association should contact Maddie Bergman at [email protected].