CHS Yellowjackets Reunite for Night of Fun and Friendship

For Colton High School’s (CHS) Class of 2003, Saturday, Aug. 10, wasn’t just a chance to relive old high school memories, but it was also a chance to catch up and see old friends many hadn’t seen in years. Just over 100 guests made their way that Saturday to the Elks Lodge in Redlands, draped appropriately in brilliant shades of crimson and gold (the school colors), to engage in some Yellowjacket pride. When the idea was first brought up, said event coordinator Adelina Abril, the event planning committee of four—including Abril, Leticia Ames, Judy Chacon and Carlos Perez—first thought about gathering their classmates for a more casual, buffet-type event, but then they changed their minds. “Then we thought, ‘You know what, we want to go the traditional route and have a place to go that’s just for us,’” Abril said. That’s how the idea for a full-scale 10-year reunion was fledged. About 75 classmates and their guests, 110 in total, got together for the night to reminisce nostalgically about old times and to share their life accomplishments with each other. A DJ entertained the crowd with music. A taco and full-fledged dessert bar provided the good eats. A photo slideshow played on a projection screen to help classmates remember their high school years, shared Abril. The committee hosted what they all believed was a successful event, due in large part to the contributions they made or received from the Colton and Colton High School community. It was important to event planners that all Class of 2003 classmates were invited to the event, as the goal was to bring everyone together in friendship, she noted. While many thought that communicating after high school via social networking sites like Facebook was satisfactory, still others wanted the chance to see each other face-to-face, according to planning committee member Leticia Ames, who still lives in Colton and is now married with three children. “The event really brought us together as a community,” Abril said. “When we were putting up the fliers we tried our best to reach out to every single classmate. We didn’t want to leave anyone out.” Abril explained that her drive to throw the reunion was driven by her sense of solidarity. “I wanted our interaction with each other to be more than just a ‘Like’ on Facebook. I take a lot of pride in the city I come from and I want to know that if I have a flat tire on the street, you will stop to help me, and you can expect the same from me,” she said. Old high school cliques were nowhere to be found, either, as people mingled together in one large group, said Abril. “That was the good thing, was that there was no factions of groups. There was a good variety and mix of people.” Planning committee member Judy Chacon, who now lives and works in Los Angeles, attended schools in the Colton Joint Unified School District from second grade up until the middle of her sophomore year at Colton High School. Though she didn’t graduate from CHS, she said she still has strong ties there that inspired her to keep involved. “One of the things I love most about Colton is that everyone is so real. I have friends of all different ethnic and economic backgrounds, and I just love that people are [up front],” she said. “There are a lot of connections between the people here [in Colton],” said Ames. “If we’re not related to each other, there are a lot of ties that bind us together. There were groups there that went all the way back to elementary school with each other and we were totally satisfied and proud to have [our classmates] join us.”