In 1996, Annie Coleman and her fellow Chestertown High School alums were watching an Alum v. Students basketball game at Kent County High School, when she voiced, “I wish we had an alum association like the other schools.”
A year later the idea came to fruition with their first annual picnic, and 15 years later the association is moving along with gusto. This coming Sunday, the Chestertown High School Alumni Association will host its 13th Annual Picnic at the Kent Agricultural Center in Tolchester. President Annie Coleman said of her idea, “We had been talking about it for a long time and we really needed to do it, so I talked to my classmates to get the ball rolling.”
The first picnic in 1997 was held at Worton Park in Chestertown and included Coleman’s own class, 1967, as well as the two previous, ’65 and ’66, and the next two graduating classes, ’68 and ’69. “It was really successful and a great time,” Coleman said, “So we said lets expand this and just do the whole hog, everyone from the first classes ranging back to the 1920’s.”
So Coleman and other members went about making phone calls and finding addresses to get in touch with as many alumni as they could. The membership has flourished since then, hitting 750, with a well attended picnic of 375 to 400, for which some travel from California, New Mexico and Hawaii and even overseas.
Although Chestertown High School no longer exists, (it closed in 1971 due to consolidation), its spirit is kept alive through this association, as well as through their cookbook, Dragon Tales from the Kitchen, now in its third printing. The dragon was the high school’s mascot. The cookbook is an amalgamation of alums’ recipes, including those passed and even from a cook at the old school. Also included are old pictures from when members were in high school. The book mostly sells to members of the association but is also available in Stam’s Drug Store and Paul’s Shoe Store.
The association has been able to achieve something special through the help of these book sales and donations – offering scholarships. This year they offered 13 scholarships, which are open to anyone wishing to continue on from high school to college or a secondary school. The applicant must be recommended by a dues-paying member, and can be from any area.
Through donations from former students, the association has put together a collection of “memorabilia, including most of the school yearbooks,” said Coleman, adding “These items are currently on loan to the Kent County Historical Society and everyone is encouraged to visit the Historical Society and take a stroll down memory lane.”
Almost 40 years after its closing, the good times and memories of Chestertown High School have brought its students together again. Alumna Florence Lucht Sutton writes, “There will always be a special place in our hearts with memories of the years spent at Chestertown High School and the principals, teachers and friends we knew there.”
For further information about the Alumni Association or to become a member, please contact Annie Coleman at 410-778-4936.
Susie says
A good time was had by all at the annual CHS Alumni Picnic on Sunday! The food was great, with everyone contributing, the company was spectacular and the weather even cooperated. Many thanks to all those who worked so hard to make it happen again.
Diane Daniels says
The Historical Society of Kent County is very pleased to house the collection of yearbooks, photographs and memorabilia of the Chestertown Alumni Association. We invite everyone to enjoy the collection at our local history and genealogy library at the Geddes-Piper House, 101 Church Alley in Chestertown, and also visit our museum of local history, which offers an overview of the story of Kent County from 1600s to mid-20th century.
We also welcome donations or copies of photographs, manuscripts, genealogies, and other items pertinent to local history. We carefully preserve our collection and, most importantly, make it available for future visitors and researchers! Our job is to keep history alive in Kent County.
Visit http://www.kentcountyhistory.org for our hours and other information.
Diane Daniels, Director