online story

Forget waiting for your 10-year high school reunion to find former friends, there’s a new way to reconnect with past classmates. Janos Szablya, who graduated from Pullman High School in 1972, began the Pullman High School-Vintage Edition facebook page in order to reconnect with other alumni, and through networking discovered generations of post-grads.

The idea to create the page came about when a reunion photo was in the works for all former students who had been in the old building of Pullman High School. Although Szablya’s class size was not large, about 125 people, those coordinating the event found it difficult coming up with a way to get everyone involved, especially those that had been foreign exchange students, or locals that have since moved abroad.

“Without the university students Pullman has a very small community, when I went to high school everyone in the school knew everyone, your families all knew each other,” Szbalya said, “ Everyone was very much a part of everyone else’s lives, I felt that those who have moved away should still have the opportunity to be involved.”

Thus, Janos Szablya began a facebook page to spread the word about the photo opportunity. Szablya said he was surprised by the amount of people in his generation who were using the technology, and the sites’ membership number increased quickly. Now with 201 members, the facebook page has become a source for reconnecting, sharing, and supporting classmates ranging from the 1930s -1970s, Szablya said.

The page has eliminated the need for stashing old phone numbers in a shoebox, a method Szablya used up until he began the site, which is also the way he was able to contact the first members.

Most updates on the pages’ wall include general inquiries such as what became of a certain person or personal information posts, but recently support from old-friends to former student Gloria “Glo” Wiley, who has since died, have dominated the space. In her last days Szablya began frequently commenting on the site giving updates on Wiley’s health and inviting former friends to call or visit her in the hospital.

“The support and responses from others have been amazing,” Szablya said, “Gloria was very well liked in high school, and people do care.”

Another event included invitations to the former high school’s basketball coach Ray Hobbs’ 80th birthday party.

“A lot of people wouldn’t have made it to that party if I hadn’t written about the party, he died shortly after, and people were grateful I posted the information and that they were able to be there.” Thornton said.

But the older generations aren’t the only ones using facebook to stay connected with other classmates; the Pullman High School class of 2009 has a page as well. With posts concerning senior skip day and dates of departure for college, students of the 2009 class are a little less excited about finding peers online.

“Younger people already have their own pages and are pretty well connected, this was new for us.” Szablya said.

As for current students, Pullman High School has begun using the course management system Moodle to help keep students and teachers connected. Moodle is similar to Blackboard and Angel learning, used by WSU faculty and students, said Principal Joe Thornton of Pullman High School.

“With facebook, the faculty can’t manage it, there’s an upside and a downside to groups on facebook for students.” Thornton said.

Thornton said the upside to a facebook page for current students can be keeping connected with peers on school-based events, the downside being that students may tend to write inappropriate messages that are then associated with the school. Because negative messages may be conveyed outside of school, the school cannot take disciplinary action on the students who writes it, Thornton said.

“I’ve come across some pages with hateful language about other students or staff members, and it’s unfortunate.” Thornton said.

However, Szablya said he has opened the page to all alumni of Pullman High School, not only to include newer generations, but also to help connect the dots with former classmates’ families who may now be in high school.

“I have six brothers and sisters, and that’s the case for a lot of other families I knew, that’s almost 10 years of having siblings in high school, so the more generations I include, the more people I can ultimately reconnect with.” Szablya said..

Sources:

Janos Szablya: 484- 620-3360

Joe Thornton: 332-1551 ext. 202