Help Us Improve Our Website

 

Prior to our 50th Year Reunion in 2012, this site was bustling with activity.   Classmates were going to the site, posting personal information, stories and pictures in their profiles, signing up for the various activities planned by the reunion committee and communicating with each other.  The site served us well in organizing the reunion, making it the success that it was.

Since the reunion, activity on the site has declined significantly.  While there are no class activities to report at this time, future activities have been identified and information will be posted here at the appropriate times.  Meanwhile, life goes on and this site can serve as a central source of personal information for our classmates as well as providing the ability to just communicate with each other.

To heighten interest in this site, major changes have been made.  Visually, the site has a completely new name and design.  Existing site-related content has been expanded and new content added, but we would like your help to further expand and update the information portions of the site.

Profiles:  The ideal profile contains the highlights of your life from the time you left BTHS to the present.  Many of the existing profiles consist of old information from prior reunions with subsequent updates.  Often, the old information is no longer valid or of little interest.  If this describes your profile, please take the time to write a new, up-to-date profile.

If you provided a complete and current profile for the 50th year reunion, it may need to be updated.  In the past year has there been a change in your marital status, have you gotten a new job, retired, had a new grandchild or done something exciting?  Please share it with your Classmates by updating your profile.

Contact Information:  Although addresses and phone numbers are no longer displayed on classmate profiles, it is important that you update any changes to these items, as well as your e-mail address(es), so that we can contact you with information regarding future events.

Membership:  Because of the tireless efforts of the various reunion committees over the years, information for 421 fellow classmates has been entered into the database for our website.  Of those classmates, 225 (53.4%) have joined the website.  If you have not yet joined the website, we invite you to do so.  If you have any information about any of the missing classmates, we request that you contact them and encourage them to join.  You can also use the link in the Missing Classmates box on the right side of the home page.

Classmate News:  Hopefully, most information regarding our classmates will come from the classmate’s profile.  However, there will be times when a classmate will not be in a position to provide such information or feels awkward in doing so.  Perhaps a classmate is seriously ill or has had a tragic event in the family where our thoughts and prayers would be greatly appreciated. 

As we approach our golden years, we can expect to start losing our classmates at an increasingly more rapid rate.  The primary source for classmate passings are the obituary notices in the Belleville New-Democrat, which are checked daily.  Because so many classmates now live outside of the Belleville area, our only sources for their passing are fellow classmates.

If you have any information to share with fellow classmates, please use the Contact Us link.  If more information is needed, you will be contacted.

In Memory:  At the bottom of each deceased classmate’s  In Memory page is a  button where classmates can post comments and stories.  Posting your experiences can give other classmates some insights about the person, especially about their pre-high school years.  You are encouraged to post your thoughts about and  experiences with your deceased classmates, even if they passed away some time ago.

Past Reunions:  If you have photographs from any of the reunions prior to the 50th year reunion, we would like to post them on our website.  It would be helpful if you could identify as many classmates as possible.  If you are willing to share your photographs, please contact the website administrator for assistance using the Contact Us link.

Classmate Forums:  Over one-third of our classmates live outside of Illinois and Missouri.  Small groups of classmates are scattered across the United States.  Some classmates have expressed interest in having local gatherings in their area.  If anyone is interested in organizing a local gathering in your area, please provide your information through the Contact Us link.   A Classmate Forum will be established where classmates in that area can correspond to make the arrangements.

Other:  If you have any suggestions for making our website more informative and/or user friendly, please use the Contact Us link.

8/1/13