Class of '53 Returns to SHS: How Old Are They? Do the Math!

As Scarsdale High School’s class of 2026 cheered on the Raiders at their last high school homecoming game on Friday September 26th, over at the Royal Sonesta in White Plains another generation of graduates happily toasted to a reunion of classmates turned life-long friends.

Coming from as far away as New Mexico and Texas, members of SHS’s class of 1953 not only celebrated a reunion of their peers, but a special milestone birthday as they collectively turn ninety this year!

Before the cocktail party, the alumni were treated to a meet and greet with SHS’s current Principal Mr. Ken Bonamo and Assistant Principal Andrea O’Gorman. Though it was a busy, celebratory day with a pep rally and evening homecoming festivities, the duo happily met with their esteemed guests to reminisce about Scarsdale High School in the yesteryears.

As the group came together in the Little Theater (formerly the school library), they met each other with delighted enthusiasm, happy to reconnect and to discuss all the changes that have taken place since 1953.

After an engaging Q and A session with Principal Bonamo, the alumni were then treated to a private tour of the high school led by current SHS students. As the group wandered the halls, it quickly became a walk down memory lane with one former student describing how Scarsdale High School prepared her to attend college in Ohio after graduation.

Another alumni who traveled all the way from California, noted the importance of how inclusive and accepting Scarsdale High School is and that he was impressed by the huge advances in technology available to current students.

While touring the contemporary library, another alum shared that he was the former editor of the Maroon (the SHS student-run newspaper). He went on to describe his time as president of the Harvard Crimson and how he is now writing a memoir about his rich and storied life.

The organizer of the reunion, Karl Panthen, felt that though he organized a get-together every five years, this year’s reunion was particularly special considering that the group was turning ninety. He also expressed his appreciation for his peers traveling from all over the nation to come together to share their memories and to honor those who are no longer with us.

The class of 1953’s reunion at Scarsdale High School was a powerful reminder that SHS has long produced thoughtful, curious, kind, and generous graduates. May their enthusiasm carry on as the class of 2026 prepares to take their next steps into the bigger world.