Since its opening in 1962 Torrington High School halls have seen a lot of history. With the building set to be demolished sometime this year many past alumni wanted a chance to revisit their old highschool memories one last time.
The Raider Reunion on Saturday January 4th opened the building’s doors free of charge to the public. THS graduates of all ages filled the school and came together to reminisce. Lin Shuhi and Carol Zander, both graduates from the class of 1966 said that “Nostalgia, and the good old days” were what drove them to come back. They shared memories of the school dances they used to attend and how they were some of the first students to attend THS after the school moved from Vogel Wetmore where the highschool was originally located.
“In high school everyone had a place, they found their friend groups and it felt like a good community,” shared Griffin Rapsilper, a 2011 THS graduate. For him coming back to his old school was a way to revisit one of the most formative parts of his life and just after entering he stated that the highschool was “pretty similar” now to how he remembered leaving it. Current THS staff member Mr Maniccia who graduated from THS in 1988 agrees that the school remains the same in some ways. “It was very exciting and very active, a lot of activity going on, a lot of energy. Students had a lot of school spirit. They would go to the football games at night, students were involved in a lot of clubs and for the most part students got along.”
For newer graduates like Jonah Wood, class of 2023, coming to the Raider Reunion was less about reminiscing and more so about saying goodbye to the building. Wood enjoyed their time in the building especially in the school’s theater department, being an avid member all 4 years but they said they mainly came “To destroy some stuff and see it one last time.” For reference, during the event visitors could pay to take a hit at one of the school’s walls with a sledgehammer.
The event ended up being a big success with over 1000 people showing up. With one if its main takeaways being that THS is an incredibly important part of the Torrington community. Although some community members were upset that their old school would soon be demolished, Shuhi and Zander agreed they were “Happy for the new students getting a new school.”
Article from the Register Citizen here. Also check out the gallery from the Republican American here.
