A record number of former MSMS students gathered for a weekend of nostalgia-filled fellowship and events. After month of preparation — lead by Wade Leonard, coordinator for Alumni and Public Relations — the faculty, staff and administration, there were many events lined up for the weekend including seminars hosted by the alumni themselves, tours of the school, group dining events and Tales from the Crypt.

While the events were open to all alumni, members of the classes of 1991, 1995, 1996, 1998 and 2006 hosted seminars for the current student body to show the paths that those who graduated in years past took through life. The seminars included “Open Source Organizations: Not Everyone Needs To Code” by Wesley Duffee-Braun, “Geographical Information Systems And You” by Sepideh Miller, “The Environmental Offset Industry And Ecosystem Restoration In Mississippi” by Cindy Henderson and “Putting Foreign Language To Use” by Kurt Smith.

Rhet Hailey was an emissary who helped to host the speakers instead of attending the three seminars required of other students. “It was nice that I was able to meet and connect with a MSMS alum. It was also nice to meet somebody who had graduated so I could make connections” Hailey said.

There were many more events for the alumni after the students left to prepare for prom weekend. A reception, tours of school, discussions of the future of MSMS and Tales from the Crypt performances were all on the agenda.  Alumni were invited to attend numerous events to reconnect with past classmates and learn more about their alma mater’s progression.

Alumni weekend also helped to boost attendance of the Tales from the Crypt at Friendship Cemetery. MSMS juniors performed not only for people looking to participate in Columbus’s annual pilgrimage event, but also for past students who have a connection to Tales from the Crypt through their time at MSMS.

Madison McLean was one of this year’s performers “I wanted to impress the alumni,especially because they have already been in Tales and I wanted them to be proud of all our hard work. It was a great experience!” McLean said.

This alumni weekend has marked the largest ever in MSMS’s history according to the event planners.