By a single MCHS Sixties Reunion ticket we mean a ticket for one person, whether single or married

I’ve recently had some great phone and email discussions, in part about definitions of terms.

First, we’re gonna have a great time

A couple of people who attended the 2000 MCHS reunion in Montreal said that they really, really enjoyed that event – the old time music from the Sixties, the dancing, and everything else. So that’s a key thing – fun and music!

Define your terms clearly

It’s important that we talk back and forth and establish clarity about definition of terms.

Single tickets

First, by single MCHS Sixties Reunion ticket we mean a ticket for one person; we don’t mean that if you’re single you pay the single price. We assume that there may be many couples where the person who’s the MCHS aluma (female graduate) or alumnus (male graduate) is keen to attend, and that the other person in the couple – the person who didn’t attend MCHS – would not be interested.

Our assumption has been that $125 would be what you pay if you buy one ticket and the $200 is what a married couple would pay.

We’ve discussed whether to have people meet by class or as a whole group

The thought has been that “by class” we mean Grade 11-B, 11-F, in 1962-63, Grade 11-B, 11-F, etc in 1965-65, and so on.

The “whole group” concept is that everyone sits at tables together, period, and just meets people from all of the classes and years.

High school social hierarchies

It’s most interesting what people I’ve spoken with have mentioned about hierarchies. My wife, who did not go to MCHS, mentioned to me yesterday that different people have different memories of high school – based on where they were within the hierarchy of a given school.

When we met on May 21, 2014 in Kitchener for a Malcolm Campbell High School reunion meeting, we spoke of some other high school reunion that somebody had attended. One person had mentioned she was disappointed that all of the old social hierarchies, from decades ago, were still in place, when she attended the reunion. Lynn Legge, however, looked at this matter in another way. She said (and I very approximately paraphrase this : I don’t have a great recollection of conversations) : “We just have to accept it, embrace it; hierarchies are a part of life.”

That’s a topic that I’m looking forward to exploring at the June 16, 2014 planning meeting in Kitchener.

My own views on this topic are my own views, not necessarily of interest to anybody else.

However, by way of promoting conversations, here’s my perspective:

I’m keen about a flat-heirarchy approach to decision making.

By way of an anecdotal example, I was a key player in the founding of the Canadian Stuttering Association over 25 years ago. The association has successfully developed a culture where leadership succession is built into everybody’s thinking, and there’s a recognition that the title that a person has doesn’t mean that person knows more than anybody else, or is entitled to a greater say in decision making.

That’s been my approach to community development, over a period of many decades of successful work in this area of volunteer work.

However, I do not seek to impose a flat hierarchy approach on others. Instead, I’m keen to do what I can to bring people together and ensure that the views of as many people as possible are taken into account when decisions – in this case concerning the 2015 reunion – are made.

We can also meet in Toronto for planning meetings

We’re meeting on June 16, 2014 in Kitchener because that enables Lynn Legge to join us. If we were to meet in Toronto, that wouldn’t work for her. As well, people can join us via Skype at such meetings. I think my Skype address is @jaanpill so if you want to attend future meetings via Skype, please let me know. If you want to try Google + or any other platform, please contact me. I enjoy exploring all of these options.

I also believe, based on decades of experience with meetings planned by fax, email, Basecamp, and everything else, that there is no substitute for face to face meetings.

The non-verbal cues are absent in  email; that makes it very difficult to avoid misunderstandings and stay on track in  the long run. I enjoy face to face meetings and talking by phone as well! If I can look you in the eye, we can communicate really well.

We can also have meetings in Toronto from time to time.  Face to face meetings over coffee – a great way to move projects forward.