Those attending included 10 from Manville High School’s original graduating class.
By: Mary Ellen Zangara
About 150 Manville High School alumni, teachers, parents, students, friends and families helped launch the school’s 50th anniversary Saturday, with a dinner dance at St. Mary’s parish hall.
The event was organized by the MHS Student Council and advisor Michael Lapatosky, offering former classmates a chance to catch up, as well as meet some of their counterparts at the school today.
The members of the student council helped serve hors d’oeuvres to the guests during the cocktail hour. All of the funds from the tickets to the dinner will be sent to The Little Rock School for the Blind, the state student council charity.
"Anybody who has grown up here, has family here, (knows) there is something special about Manville that only Manville people can appreciate," Mr. Lapotasky said during his greeting to the crowd. "It’s nice to see teachers that I had Ms. Linderman, Mrs. Romancheck however, most people would probably agree with this, the people who have had the most profound effect on you are probably the people who taught you in high school.
"The people who molded you into an adult, the people who teach you right from wrong as far as adulthood goes, and while it is very rewarding to come back, and teach in a school district that you graduated from, I could think of no other thing that is a greater pleasure to me," he said.
A 20-minute presentation of photos from the past 50 years was shown, featuring a montage of photos of the first class to the Class of 2007 the presentation showed the changing times of Manville High School sports, clubs, staff, facilities and fashion.
Two of Manville High School’s longtime staff members were honored, also Art Lisciandro, a foreign language teacher and Ned Panfile, a former vice principal and current volunteer football coach. Both men were given plaques noting their dedication to MHS.
"These two gentlemen have committed their lives to Manville High School, these two gentlemen have also served in this community in each of the five decades that Manville High School has been in operation," Mr. Lapatosky said.
DJ Robert Kita a MHS alum took a poll as to how many MHS alumni were in attendance, counting class by class. Ten representatives of Manville’s original graduating class of about 90 attended Fred and Elaine Wolven Bobrowski, Fran Risdosh Fierst, Marjorie Papawick Evans, Nellie Seigler Mahilo, Jackie Bozenberry Wisbeski, Mary Benesz Marsicano, Judy Esock Pietrzyk, Thomas Pietrzyk, and Mary Ann Viglonese Bossert.
Other classes from the 1950s through the 2000s all came out for the evening.
When all the formalities were finished, the attendees enjoyed dessert and an evening of dancing to the music of MHS alumni Robert Kita of De Ja Vu DJ’s.
There was a copy of the dedication edition of the Manville News from Sept. 19, 1957, on display giving attendees a chance to look back and see what it was like 50 years ago at Manville High School.