Alumni of a Winnipeg high school are using a milestone anniversary to help pay it forward for the next generation. As they step back in time looking at their yearbook from Churchill High School’s graduating class of 1976, 50 years of memories come flooding back for Teresa Garside and Martino Vergata. “I do remember; we were making hundreds of tissue paper flowers to decorate the cars in those days for graduation,” Garside said with a smile. “The student body was amazing, lots of sports, lots of studies together, semantics, of course, it’s high school,” Vergata said as he laughed. Garside, Vergata and a number of alumni from their class got together three years ago to start planning a 50th anniversary reunion. On June 12, a majority of the 155 graduates aim to reunite at The Gates on Roblin for a special evening. But it’s not just reminiscing and seeing how people ended up. They are launching an annual scholarship in honour of the class of ’76. “It rewards a student who exemplifies kindness, compassion and community spirit,” Garside said. “We hope that this will become a coveted prize in the community for years to come.” Called the Golden Bulldog Award, or ‘Goldie,’ for short—a statue will be given to recipients. It was made by Geoff Murray, an alumnus now living in British Columbia. An endowment fund has been created with generous support from beyond the class. “We felt it was important just to leave a legacy of who we were; it was an amazing, it still is an amazing graduating class,” Vergata said. “We want to leave a legacy; we want to leave something besides just a name.” Garside said her friendship with Vergata started when they were 12 years old. It’s been difficult to reach everyone from their class. Of the 155, she estimates 20 have passed on, leaving about 40 people they are hoping to reconnect with ahead of their event on June 12. “Part of organizing this, I’ve kind of reacquainted myself with people that I didn’t even necessarily have conversations with in high school, but there’s a bond that’s intangible,” Garside said. Churchill High School alumni looking to reconnect for more information ahead of the event on June 12 can visit goldenbulldogs.com. A donation matching challenge for the endowment is in place until May 31, and any donation will be doubled. It is currently managed by the Winnipeg Foundation. Garside said they expect to present the first ‘Goldie’ on June 23.
