Prospectus
50th Birthday Celebration
Formal Ceremony and Reunion Party
The 1st April saw yet another memorable occasion in Downs School history. During its 50th anniversary year many events were organised to mark the occasion, which culminated in a formal unveiling of a plaque relating to a huge canvas as a permanent reminder of 50 years and in the evening a reunion party.
During the school day there was an exhibition and display of of photographs, video and old school documents which was open to current students and staff. In the evening the school and displays were open to the public and there were refreshments and tours of the school were conducted by current students. At around 6.30pm the formal ceremony took place and a commemorative plaque was unveiled by the youngest student and a former student from the very first day in September 1960.
Following this was a reunion party which had been excitedly anticipated by many, having been publicised locally, on Facebook, Friends Reunited and a list of those who had accepted an invitation was being updated daily on the Downs School web site and reached almost 500 names just before the event. The atmosphere was truly wonderful as individuals studied photographs and original admissions registers for themselves or friends, or chatted with reunited colleagues. Many a shriek could be heard as a long lost friend or a former teacher was spotted and greetings exchanged.
The evening went on into the night with music and entertainment and pledges to keep in touch. It was clear that the Downs School and its people was and are appreciated and both comments during the day and evening, together with messages received after the event show what a special occasion it was. A gallery of photos has been compiled to further remember the occasion.
