The Newtown High School Class of 1984 Reunion Committee, in collaboration with Newtown Scholarship Association, created a scholarship for future NHS graduates ahead of their class’s 40th reunion this September.

The Class of 1984 Scholarship will support graduating NHS students, and will be awarded with preference for those who have financial need. According to the scholarship’s description on the NSA website, special consideration will be given to “young people who have faced challenges and those who have demonstrated their commitment to community.”

This is a full circle moment for the recently formed committee, as many of its members received scholarships from NSA when they graduated high school. Established several months ago, the reunion committee is made up of nine people who have been hard at work to make their 40th reunion their biggest and best one yet.

It was in the early stages of planning for the reunion that the group came up with the idea of the scholarship, according to NHS Class of 1984 Reunion Committee member Mary Ellen Babbitt. Everyone came together and realized that they all wanted to find a way to give back to their town, she said.

Setting up for the reunion "has been a chance for everyone to reconnect, but it’s also a chance to do something deeper than that. So we’re trying to give back; to leave a legacy for those who come after us,” Babbitt said.

For Babbitt, who was one of the many committee members that received a scholarship four decades ago from NSA, she says it helped her journey of putting herself through school. It was that generosity, she says, that made it “possible for me to open a door that I might not have been able to go through.”

One memory that Babbitt says always stuck with her was during their graduation, when they had everyone who received a Newtown scholarship stand up. As Babbitt looked around, she was amazed at all of the people standing up around her.

She never forgot that joyful feeling of seeing so many people supported by the community, and says she always thought, “I hope that someday I could give back.”

“And so when we were all talking about [the reunion], we all kind of felt the same way,” Babbitt continued. “Like, how great would it be at this age, when people are almost through their careers and looking towards retirement, to now be able to give. That’s how we came up with the idea.”

To the NHS Class of 1984 Reunion Committee, the scholarship gives them that chance to give back and help others who are in the same place they were 40 years ago. Babbitt and fellow reunion committee member Jessica Dorman note that having scholarships to help students through school is especially important considering the rising cost of college.

“When I think about my experience … I got such a great education, and so I was just so well primed for what comes after that in life; to really go out and discover myself,” Dorman said. “And when I think back, I just want to help the people who are in Newtown today to have the same opportunities.”

The reunion committee worked with NSA member Julie Savino to help shape the Class of 1984 Scholarship. Babbitt said she made a cold call to Savino asking about establishing a scholarship, not having any idea whether it would even be possible for them to do so. Luckily, Savino said they could, and from there helped them outline the parameters of the scholarship.

Babbitt says Savino was a fantastic help throughout the entire creative process, and receptive to hearing out the committee and capturing what they wanted for the scholarship. The committee made it a point for the scholarship to have flexible parameters so as to leave it open for as many young adults as possible.

The Class of 1984 Scholarship will continue beyond this upcoming school year, according to Babbitt. Donations for the scholarship are currently being accepted on NSA’s website.

“We’re using the occasion of the 40th reunion to initiate this scholarship, and hope that people would be able to donate again next year and to keep it going,” Dorman said. “I wish anyone who is applying for the scholarship the best of luck with this, and with the rest of this transition into the next chapter of their lives.”

A Team Effort

Planning for both the scholarship and the reunion have very much been a team effort. Babbitt and Dorman both gushed about their fellow reunion committee members, and how much work they have all put in on both fronts.

While the reunion committee was not officially started until several months ago, Dorman said it had actually been about two years since she first talked with Babbitt and Nora Melville, who has since joined the planning committee, about their class’s 40th reunion. They were all excited for the huge milestone, but as time went on, they knew they wanted the reunion to be big. They have actively been doing Zooms for about a year.

According to Babbitt, the reunion that saw the biggest turnout to date was their class’s 20th reunion, which featured an entire weekend of events for everyone to enjoy. Many reportedly wanted to have another reunion that big again, as they had been getting smaller over time. For Babbitt and Dorman, who now both live far away from Newtown, they and the others wanted the reunion to be worth the expenditure for everyone regardless of how far away they are.

“If people are going to spend that much money to get there, I want it to be a big thing, you know? So that’s why we said, ‘we don’t know how many more reunions we have left, so let’s make this one bigger,’” Babbitt said.

From there, they reached out to other classmates to find the nine members who would eventually make up the Class of 1984 Reunion Committee. There is Kym Knapp-Venezia, who Babbitt says organized most of the reunions in the past and has been their dedicated person in maintaining a class contact list.

Susan Hendrickson-Vogelman has been a large help thanks to her strong organizational skills and being “a whiz with everything computer-related,” according to Dorman. She also says they have people like Rebecca Mitchell Honan, "who is as wonderfully creative as she is thoughtful"; and Alexandra Papayani-Maldonado "bubbles over with energy and makes everyone laugh, and has been working to come up with fun ideas for the event," according to Dorman.

Alongside Melville, who Dorman says connects with so many different friend groups, there is also Amie Petro, who is going to be their “DJ dance master,” and Andrew Gere, who has also been hard at work making the event happen despite living in California.

Babbitt and Dorman both say that everyone has been "such a fantastic help for the reunion," as well as the scholarship. They are grateful, they added, to have been able to work alongside them.

Reunion Weekend Events

The NHS Class of 1984’s 40th Reunion will have special events spanning both Friday and Saturday, September 20-21, for everyone to enjoy. Even if someone is not from the Class of 1984, students from all graduating classes, as well as current and former Newtown Public Schools employees, are welcome to attend.

Kicking off their reunion plans is a casual happy-hour gathering at Antoinette’s Bar & Speakeasy at Nouveau Monde, 6 Washington Avenue in Sandy Hook, on Friday at 7 pm. The reunion committee notes that Antoinette’s only has drinks available for purchase, no food. They also say that parking is limited, and encourage people to park down the street.

They then have their Saturday Night Bash at Heritage Hotel, 522 Heritage Road in Southbury, on Saturday at 7 pm. The night will kick off with drinks and appetizers in The Tavern, followed by dinner and music in the Garden Room. Dancing and other fun activities are all on tap, along with a buffet dinner and cash bar. Discounted rooms are also available at the hotel for those attending the event.

The reunion committee has been hard at work personalizing the Saturday Night Bash for everyone to enjoy. Papayani-Maldonado came up with “Superlatives With A Twist,” an activity where, instead of categories like Best Looking or Most Popular, there are categories like Most Grandkids or Who Married Somebody From Newtown. There are prizes for each category, all 80s themed.

There will also be a slideshow filled with pictures of classmates over the years, and a playlist of 80s songs that everyone can get up and dance to. The reunion committee is still taking submissions for photos, as well as song suggestions for the 80’s playlist.

Hendrickson-Vogelman and Knapp-Venezia are also working on creating an “In Memoriam” list that will feature and pay tribute to fellow classmates who have died.

There is also a Financial Assistance Fund set up for anyone who would like to attend the reunion, but needs assistance in getting a ticket.

Tickets for the Saturday Night Bash are $84 per person, which includes dinner and one drink. The last day to purchase tickets is on Saturday, September 7.

The reunion committee is also encouraging people to round up the cost of their ticket from $84 to $90, with the additional funds being used to support the reunion’s Financial Assistance Fund. Any remaining funds will go to the Class of 1984 Scholarship. Babbitt says they wanted to make sure there are as few barriers as possible for anyone who might want to attend.

The reunion committee does not have anything planned for Sunday, as Babbitt said that they hope people will use that as a free day and catch up with whoever they want.

“We’re really excited to get as many people as possible,” Dorman said. “Even though I live far away from Connecticut now, Newtown is always my home. And when I think about what shaped me into who I am today in addition to my family … It always comes back to Newtown, so I feel so lucky to be a part of this.”

To donate towards the Class of 1984 Scholarship, visit www.newtownscholarship.org/class-of-1984-reunion-scholarship or mail the donation to Newtown Scholarship Association.

For more information on the Class of 1984 Reunion, email Mary Ellen Babbitt at gomeetmary@gmail.com or visit the NHS 40th Reunion Bash Facebook event page.

To purchase a ticket for the Saturday Night Bash, mail a check payable to 84 Reunion to Mary Babbitt, 6264 Cedar Creek Way, Farmington NY 14425, or Venmo Mary @marybabbitt13. Those buying tickets are asked to write their full name and “84 REUNION” on the check or the Venmo description box.

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Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.