August 2001: Well, the reunion happened and was a smashing success! Chris Morales writes, "Just returned from the 2001 D.C. reunion and needless to say it was absolutely fantastic! We missed everyone that couldn't make it but most of all we enjoyed spanning the ages and partying till dawn with schoolmates from the 70's, 80's & 90's!". He was kind enough to send some pictures, included below. (Click on the button for a full-size image.)

Leading Up To It All....

ATTENTION ALL AFCENTERS from the 70's, 80,s and 90's! The AFCENT Reunion to be held in Washington D.C. has grown! Anyone attending or teaching Junior High or High School at Afcent during the 70's, 80's or 90's is invited! The list of who is attending is growing by the day - we have two professors joining us -- Coach Calvert and Coach Driggers! The reunion will be held the weekend of July 28th, 2001 in the Downtown Washington D.C. area.

Please contact Jane Jones (Afcent 78-81) for more details! Also, Tracy Becker Hill is putting together a scrapbook for us -- if you would like to contribute please contact her (see below for more information). This book will be available to anyone! We will have copies at the reunion OR we can mail you a copy. (There may be a nominal fee for materials, postage, etc.)

New Information, May 2001:

Top 10 Reasons to come the the AFCENT reunion July 27-29, 2001!

10. You get to proudly wear your Afcent Letterjacket in the 100 degree heat! (;-(

9. How old is Coach Calvert??....... (:-O

8. Let's face it....it's been awhile since you've had fries with Fritz sauce! :}

7. How long has it been since you've heard the Afcent school song?....(Did we have a school song? <:-)

6. It's been since Christmas since you've worn red and green ... {:?

5. You HAVE to see the 20 years of yearbooks...the paper ones and the hard-cover-coffee-table-book-like-ones. >;-)

4. How long has it been since you've seen Mr. Speth? (Wish we could provide the real man himself, but we just have pictures ...) :O

3. We're voting on the new AFNORTH school cafeteria food........ (:?

2. When else can you stay in the heart of DC (2 blocks from the capital) for just $119/night? <;-|

1. And the number one reason WHY you should come to the reunion this July?? Don't you want to meet the person who's been clogging up your In-box these past few months?? (:-}

Jane Jones Bates (Afcent 78-81, Class of '85)

Due to the "payment must be made in full 15 days prior to the event" I am going to have to ask everyone to mail me a check by JUNE 30th. We are going to charge everyone $75/ticket/person and $20 for kids. The fee covers the following: Sat dinner, Sat dinner Bar Fees for the waiter and cashier, Hospitality suite, Goodie bag & Other stuff like the dance floor, slide screen, use of the stereo, etc. IF WE HAVE $$ left over then I will buy everyone a round of drinks OR we will apply the money toward Tracy's memory book. We're not quite sure how much the memory book is going to cost yet.....it is a "Work in progress" right now. The kids meals are for kids 12 and under. Hotel policy, not mine. See "KIDS" below for more info...THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE YOUR HOTEL ROOM FEE.

FOR TICKET PURCHASES: Mail me a note with your name and who ever else is attending with you along with a check to: Jane Jones Bates, 6304 Lacoste Love, Spring, Texas 77379. JUNE 30th DEADLINE FOR ALL TICKET SALES! I will send you an e-mail confirmation or a letter in the mail. If you cancel I can refund your money up until 10 days prior to the event.

AGENDA

Friday night --join us on the Rooftop at the pool to reminisce, reunite, and munch on Fritz and Fritz Sauce -- yes, true Holland Fritz Sauce flown over by Coach Calvert himself. The hotel will not let us have an 'official gathering' by the pool so we'll have to bring drinks up from the bar or order them from room service. The view is said to be spectacular! Kids and adults are welcome to swim and hang out!

SaturDAY--The Hospitality room will be open from 9am - 7pm. It will be located on the first floor of the hotel. (If you are driving in, see CAR info below). Come in and see old Afcent stuff!; letter jackets, hats, even a homecoming attendant's crown! Also, pick up your Holland goodie bag, memory book, and just hang out with old friends!

Touring -- The hotel is located 2 blocks from The Capitol. (415 New Jersey Ave). Other sites within walking distance include; National Gallery of Art, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Museums, Union Station, Library of Congress, to name a few. Sightseeing tours are available through the concierge including Half Day tours and Twilight tours.

Saturday NIGHT -- Happy hour will begin at 6PM with a cash bar. Dinner at 7PM. Our Master of Ceremonies for the evening will include Bob Pelham ('80-'81)and Coach Calvert ('74-'84). Dinner will be a fine German meal (we have a German chef preparing it!). For kids prices see TICKETS above. Coach Calvert will be showing a video of the old stomping grounds, video interviews of teachers that are still there, and much much more. Of course we can always top the evening off by kicking back the chairs and dancing til dawn to the "oldies but goodies"....music from the 70's, 80's & 90's! **Note - if you are Driving in for this dinner, the Hotel charges $5/hour -not to exceed $18- to park your car!

Breakfast for Saturday and Sunday Mornings: We will all meet in the Senators Sports Grille.....at your leisure....I'll be on vacation so don't expect to see me early.......

HOSPITALITY ROOM:

Located on the first floor (closest to the bar...) we will have the hospitality room set up on Saturday, July 28th from 9am-7pm! Come and hang out with old friends,...see old Memorabilia,... old Yearbooks,.... Letter-jackets, photos! BRING WITH YOU anything that you would like to share with others! Do you still have an old Afcent duffel bag? Locker Grams? Homecoming and Prom Invitations? Bring them with you to show!!

OK you children of the 90's....YOU HAVE THE MOST WONDERFUL YEARBOOKS I HAVE EVER SEEN!!

I am trying to obtain copies of ALL Afcent yearbooks, beginning from the 70's and going through the year 2000. Thanks to several people mentioned below, I now have copies of 1970, '71; '79-82; '84; '89, '90 & '91. You wouldn't believe the difference 10-20 years makes!! The 'yearbooks with all black & white pages' days are OVER!.......Those of us with yearbooks from the early 70's and then again in 1980 where it is entirely done on plain white paper, in cluding the cover, (which is now yellow) were ripped off! (:O The Afcent Yearbooks from the '90's have FULL PAGES in COLOR for EACH, yes, EACH Senior! And, It is now as thick as the state of Rhode Island's phone book!

If you have any of the years that I am missing and are willing to share them with everyone at the reunion, Please send them to me....(Jane Jones, 6304 Lacoste Love, Spring, TX 77379) I am working on a slide presentation for the Saturday night dinner and am trying to pull pics out of each yearbook.

Thanks goes to Sheryl Rice McLandsborough, Rob Jones, & Laura DeLong Winter for sharing their yearbooks with us!

MEMORY BOOK INFO

We Want More Memories!! The book is coming along nicely but will be skewed towards a certain era (78-81) if we don't receive any more photos! Send them NOW! Send all old photos, mementos, ticket stubs, Homecoming/Prom napkins, etc. to Tracy Becker Hill (thills@icehouse.net) who is putting together a Memory book for us! You WILL receive all of your items back as soon as she is through photographing and copying them!

We are also going to include an 'In Memoriam' page ....along with the people already listed on the Afcent Website -- do you know anyone else that should be added to the list?

We would also like to do a "Then and Now' page -- send one picture of you (and current family if you have one) along with the old pictures.

Hey AFCENT peeps,

If you are going to send me things to put in the memory/scrapbook please don't wait too long. I know it seems like there is a lot of time left, but putting this together is taking a little more time than I thought. I will not be able to work on the book during the whole month of June. I am involved with Hoopfest and will need that time. (Hoopfest is the worlds largest 3 on 3 outside basketball tournament - we have teams from all over the world fly in to play.)

Like Jane said, it will be limited to specific years unless more people send things. Right now, the book is dominated by Jane, Calvert and me. That's not much fun for other people to look at.

Send me your pictures! Send me your written memories, send me anything you want (NO KIDS - I have my own)!! I am having a lot of fun looking at other peoples pictures. Jane even sent one with my little sister in it.

If you need my snail mail, just e-mail and let me know.

Tracy

HOTEL INFO

Holiday Inn, Washington on the Hill Call 1-800-638-1116 for reservations. People have begun to make their reservations so DO SO NOW before they book up! You may cancel your hotel reservations w/ no penalty up until one week before the reunion. (July 19th)

When making reservations, tell them you are with the AFCENT International School Reunion Group in order to receive the $119/single/double, $129/triple/quad rates. Those with kids, now is the time to request rollaway beds if you need them. If you wait until after June 27th to make your reservation you will not be guaranteed the above rates. All reservations will be guaranteed to individual credit cards or individual advance deposits of one night's room plus tax. This is a great rate as if you go on to their website and ask for a regular rate, they will quote you $199-$225/night.

The hotel rooms provide "coffee maker, hairdryer, iron and ironing boards, telephones with voice mail and modem, a 25" television with on-demand movies and Nintendo game system, and a work desk with lamp." There is indoor secured parking for those driving in. There is an expanded work-out room with 14 stations near the pool. CHECK IN time: 3pm, Check out time: noon.

There is a Hyatt Hotel directly across the street of the Holiday Inn if you prefer. Their rates are much higher....Their phone number is 202 737 1234. We do NOT have group rates there.

KIDS --BRINGING THEM?

Many of you have expressed the desire to bring the kids! Bring them on! How fun it will be to share old memories with them.....or, if they find this extremely boring the hotel has a DISCOVERY ZONE KIDS CLUB which is a supervised playroom with computers, games videos, and arts and crafts. There is a fee to check your child in to this service...the website says $5/per child/per day. If you need a roll-a-way bed in your hotel room, reserve one when making reservations as they are limited.

The choices for the kids menu (12 and under) for the Saturday evening dinner are:

Cheese Quesadillas with Mexican Rice
Chicken Tenders with French Fries
Tortellini Marinara with Garlic Bread
Fried Chicken with Mashed Potatoes
Hamburger/Cheeseburger with Onion Rings
Spaghetti with Meatballs and French Dinner Roll

I agree that $20 is a little steep, no, a LOT steep, for the above, but again, it's the hotel's fee -- not mine. All of the above dinners include carrot sticks and Iced Teas with Lemon, Vanilla Ice Cream and Chocolate cookies.

CAR -- DRIVING IN FOR THE EVENT OR RENTING A CAR FROM THE AIRPORT?

Please be aware that the hotel will charge you $5/hour -not to exceed- $18/day to park your car!! The hotel is located at 415 New Jersey Avenue, NW Phone# 202 638 1616 for directions. The hotel is two blocks from Union Station, and three blocks from McPherson Square Metro Station.

AIRPORT INFORMATION

Reagan National Airport (DCA) is the closest airport to come in to. If you fly in to Reagan, take the metro from the airport to the McPherson Square Metro Station. This will put you three blocks from the hotel. Taxi fee (according to their website) is $13.

If you choose to fly in to Dulles Airport (IAD), (approx. 35miles east of the city) the taxi fee (according to the website) is $45. If you choose to rent a car and drive in, please be aware of the $18/per day parking fee that the hotel will charge.

If you choose to fly in to Baltimore-Washington International (BWI), (approx. 40miles SW of the city), the taxi fee (according to the website) is $50. If you choose to rent a car and drive in, please be aware of the $18/per day parking fee that the hotel will charge.

WHO'S COMING?

We have 255 names on our list of people that are interested in an AFCENT reunion..... We know what states 148 of them live in...... In the USA we have......

on the East coast residing in:
15=VA
1=AL
1=CT
1=DE
4=FL
5=GA
3=MD
3=MA
2=NH
6=NY
1=NC
3=PA
2=SC
3=TN
1=NJ
1=DC

West coast residing in:
22=CA
8=CO
1=AZ
1=HI
3=NV
3=WA

And in the Middle of us all....
8=CO
3=IL
1=IN
1=KS
1=KY
12=TX....that's where I am located...
2=LA
1=MN
4=MO (that's missouri, not montana)
2=NM
1=OH
5=OK
There are also 8 Afcenters living in Canada and 1 in Nova Scota!!

And around the globe: 2 in England, 3 in Germany, 1 on Guam, 1 at Afnorth!, 1 in Japan, 1 in South Korea, 1 in Thailand, and 1 in Turkey!

WANT NAMES to go with WHO lives WHERE?? YOU HAVE TO COME TO THE REUNION!!!