Scecina High School Class of 1957 celebrates 50-year reunion

Members of the Father Thomas Scecina Memorial High School Class of 1957 are all smiles as they ­celebrate their 50-year class reunion on Sept. 22. (Submitted photo)

By Bryce Bennett

The four years spent in high school may seem like a short time when ­compared to the life of a person.

For the 1957 Class of Father Thomas Scecina Memorial High School in Indianapolis, those four short years have ­fostered a lifetime of bonds, ­marriages, values and friendships.

The 1957 class, which celebrated its 50-year reunion in September, has the distinction of being the first coeducational, ­archdiocesan high school graduating class in the Indianapolis area.

This created a ­characteristic of ­anticipation, remembered Judy Felts, a member of the class who attended the Scecina reunion.

“Going to a brand new school was exciting. We got to pick the school ­colors, and we were upperclassmen the entire way through school,” Felts said.

This enthusiasm among the first class created a close-knit group, and that ­feeling has persevered for 50 years.

“Being the first class, we had a ­certain sense of camaraderie that went with being the first class,” recalled class member Ed Fillenwarth.

The reunion reflected the feeling of family among the class. It began on Sept. 21 with a casual gathering at a north side restaurant. On Sept. 22, 120 class ­members attended festivities that included a Mass and dinner. The night concluded with time for the alumni to visit with each other, and share laughter, conversation, pictures, ­memories and speeches by original faculty members.

Several class members said that the group would not have achieved its sense of family if not for the ­outstanding staff and administration.

“We had a wonderful faculty,” Fillenwarth said. “Many of the surviving faculty attended the reunion. Our band director led us in the Scecina fight song that he wrote. The original athletic director was there, five Franciscan sisters were present, and we also received numerous ­letters from other teachers and coaches who were not able to attend.”

“Sister Hortense was a wonderful nun who cared for every student she had,” Felts recalled.

Members of the class also remember the Catholic ­values and morals taught during those four years.

“Attending a Catholic high school has taught me hard work, dedication and loyalty to others,” Fillenwarth said.

“It [attending a Catholic high school] gives you a great base,” Felts explained. “You have to have something to lean on through life, and it is comforting to know God is there through the good and the bad.” †