Messages from Alumni

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Comments Page 2008

1995-97 | 1998-98 | 1999-October 2003 | October 2003-June 2004 | July-December 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007

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Name: Ruth Kneale
Years at AIHS: 1983-86, Class of '86
What I've been up to: Good heavens, this is Year 13 for this site! Keep your comments and information coming; I love getting emails from folks who've found old friends through this site!

Name: Jerry Schleining
Years at AIHS: 78-80
What I've been up to: AFCENT seems like another life time away...Graduated in El Paso, joined the Army. Retired in 2005 after a lovely tour in Iraq. Living the dream in Oregon now. 3 great kids and an fantastic wife. This site sure has brought back some memories. 4th of July on the Slag heap, Thursday night dances, and when Up with People came for a show..ha ha! among the best. Good times at AFCENT!

Name: Paul K. Smith
Years at AIHS: 1967-69
What I've been up to: Hi Folks: I attended AFCENT School from 1967-69. I was a Canadian student at the school, was a member of the wrestling team and also played for the soccer team. Jim Crang was the principal for the Canadian section at the time. In 1968-69 I was the president of the student council and was also awarded the Graf von Kielmansegg Trophy for the best contribution to international relations. I was also a member of the 1st, AFCENT International Scout Troop (UK). I returned to Canada, went to King's College, joined the Halifax police, earned a Masters in Sociology, worked for the NS Dpt. of Justice and am curently semi-retired. Would love to hear from anybody from that period.

Name: Helen (Hall) Ramaglia
Years at AIHS: 1976 - 1979
What I've been up to: These days I spend my days as a Relationship Banker with BB&T. I am a mother of two terrific children, Tanya 26 and Christopher 21. Although I was a single mother for 17 years and am now married these days to a fabulous and sweet man. Life is great - God has blessed me many times over. Hope to see everyone in 2010.

Name: Sean O'Brien
Years at AIHS: 1991 - 1994
What I've been up to: Roaming the Earth... I have been able to visit lots of interesting places courtesy the US Army. Since those days I am now a Computer Forensic Examiner and spend most of my time working or continuing my education. I know not the same picture you thought you would have of me 14 years later... If anyone wants to catch up and share some memories from AFCENT send me an e-mail.

Name: Dave Thompson
Years at AIHS: 1969 - 1972
What I've been up to: Here's a BIG scoop for all of you late 1960's AFCENT High School'ers, especially the American students. Do you folks remember Sam Sharpe, the former 1968/1969 AFCENT School president who was stripped of his presidency due to a rather unfortunate "incident" on a School ski trip? He was sent home from the trip and ultimately stripped of his President status, causing another election to be held that year. Well here's a 40 year old story that I've just learned over the past two days from Robert "Bob" Zwaagstra, a former Canadian Grade nine student at AFCENT. So please, read the story with interest as it was told to me by Robert "Bob" Zwaagstra a couple days ago in an email. Bob says: The first elected school president for that year was an American by the name of Sam Sharpe. Yup, I ain't kidding, his name was Sam Sharpe and he indeed thought he was SHARP. Ok, so I get banned from all chool trips for that year on account of a little episode in a pub in Aachen, Germany during another school trip, so no upcoming Ski Trip for me.... but Sam Sharpe goes. Now I'm not sure of all the sordid little details, but the story goes that Sam got caught in the buff with a female student. He was sent home in disgrace and stripped of his School Presidency on account of him not being a good example to the rest of us. So new elections were to be held. As with the previous high school elections, the Americans were expected to win because they made up 75% of the school population and always voted for their own. Soooo.. on the big election day, a fellow Canadian Gr. 9 student by the name of Ed Gordon and myself, quite by accident come into possession of a huge number of blank ballots. We smiled at our good fortune. While in the school cafeteria and during the speeches and otherwise loud election process we stuffed the ballot box to the point of over flowing with Paul K. Smith for President ballots! You won't gess what happened next. Ok you will, Paul won the election! The Americans were stunned, the Cheerleaders didn't know how to react. Lots of navel gazing on all their part. Traitors in their midst perhaps? Trust me Dave, there was much confusion. Had anyone bothered to cross reference the total voters to the total ballots, someone would've realised there were way too many ballots vs students, but they didn't... and thus Afcent history was made! I still recall Paul standing on the stage that day waving in victory as we Canadians cheered him on! Much silence and confusion though from the American ranks! Ed and I never spoke a word. Dave, that little tweaking of the democratic process still makes me smile. It's one of those feel good memories I have of Afcent. Paul by the way, became an excellent president. We remained proud of him for the duration of his reign. To the end the Americans never figured anything out. The Germans and the Brits I think were just pleased someone other than an American got elected. So his is the story of how Paul Smith, a Canadian became president of AFCENT school for one year. * Note from Paul Smith * Paul says: There is an interesting little addendum to the election story. At the time that guy Sharpe was dismissed the plan had been to simply appoint me as president as I was on the council and was the V.P. However, in my naive way and being a firm believer in democracy I said no and thus the election was called. So in my own way I inadvertently set the ball rolling for this election being called. I always wondered why / how I was elected. I just assumed that there were a bunch of PO'd Americans who either didn't vote or decided to vote for me. I'm pretty sure the Germans and English voted enmasse for me and the Canadians were a foregone conclusion. So how's that for some intriguing 1968/1969 AFCENT folklore? So this little Reagan-esque / Florida ballot counting incident should go down in AFCENT history as monumental. It's definitely laughable and undoubtedly intriguing and interesting.Bob Zwaagstra now lives in Manitoba, Canada and Paul Smith lives in Nova Scotia, Canada. I, Dave Thompson live in Ontario Canada and am very happy, thrilled even... to tell this story to you all. C ya!

Go Lions!