I remember my Middle School graduation as being one of the happiest and saddest days of my life. The whole class celebrated another milestone in growing up, and we looked forward to being “cool” high school kids the following year. Although most classes at AISB are tight-knit, our 8th grade class was unusu- ally small and because of that, we felt even closer. I celebrated with friends that I had considered cootie infested some years back – one friend had even been my arch-nemesis (9 year old Thomas Wesson, I’m looking at you). I joined AISB back in 1992 (when it was ASB) for Kindergarten and enjoyed every second of it, each year better than the last. 8th grade (2000- 2001) had been a wonderful year full of hiking, skiing, a mud pit, kicking fallen chestnuts, and even some learning.

There was only one problem: I was leaving. Actually, about half of our already tiny class was leaving. To make matters worse, this was the last year the school would use the Dorobanti campus. The school was growing and it was evolving. It was the end of an era.

Our class reacted the only way we knew how to at 14 years of age: melodramatically (at least I did!). We hugged, we cried, we made promises, and we wrote feverishly in each other’s year- books. As part of our graduation ceremony, we chose to sing  “One Sweet Day” by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men, a song about seeing lost loved ones again.

We graduated 8th grade, half of us moved, and we slowly lost contact. But technology is a beautiful thing. Through social media, we were able to nd each other again and reconnect. Nothing beats the thrill of digging through pro le pictures to recognize your childhood friend’s smile!

A reunion was suggested and after some trial and error we nally have one in the works! At rst, I was worried about dusting o old connections and possibly ruining the memories I had, but planning this reunion has already brought our class back together. In the rst few days of planning we have already found a few more lost friends, lled in blurry details of our favorite memories, and found out that we haven’t changed all that much after all. I can’t wait to see everyone!

Technically, as the “Class of 2005,” a reunion in September of 2016 is one year o our 10 year anniversary, but late is dedinitely better than never. I hope to celebrate once more with all my friends, and make some new ones while I’m at it. One Sweet Day is nally on the calendar! 



Read the entire WORLD Magazine Summer 2015 edition here.