First graduating class reunites

Aragon’s first graduating class reunited for its 50th anniversary to a campus very different from the one it left. Alums from Belgium, to Virginia, to here in San Mateo journeyed to Aragon to reconnect and witness 50 years of growth. Leadership students and service commissioners gave tours of the new facilities and choir students put on a performance.

Since its founding, Aragon has evolved with the times. Alum Harley Licht remarks, “The first thing we did when we walked in here was look over to try to remember where our lockers were. I think what impressed us the most is how different the school is and how much it’s grown. The facilities are absolutely phenomenal. It’s a far cry from what we had when the school first opened.”

Alum John Evans agrees, “The only thing I recognize is this interior quad—the pool, the hill—all that’s the same. Everything else is additions and changes. It looks terrific. I’m really impressed by the variety of coursework.”

Alum Chuck Biederman says, “I was a baseball player and I was struck by the fact that there are dugouts, there is a scoreboard, there are batting cages. Other people that were really interested in chemistry are in awe of [the science] rooms.”

Alumni also agreed that the time at Aragon helped mold the students to become the people they are today.

Evans, Aragon’s first Student Body President, says, “I think my involvement in student government got me interested in politics and service. I was a federal public servant my whole life. I worked 35 years for the government. I knew I wanted to be in public service, and that stemmed from experiences here.”

Aragon was established to meet the district’s population needs and alleviate overcrowding at San Mateo and Hillsdale High Schools. Alum Orlando La Rosa says, “We loved it because when we moved over from San Mateo [and Hillsdale] to here, as sophomores, we were upperclassmen. For the next two and a half years, we were upperclassmen—so that was always a big plus.” Licht also remarks, “It was an interesting class because none of us attended the school for all four years. We all came from either San Mateo High School or Hillsdale, so it was kind of a fractured group.”

Despite not knowing each other very well, Diane Williams says, “The change was tough during the first semester, but after that first semester, we were together.”

Members of the class of 1963 look back on the academics fondly. Alum Marcia Cohn says, “This was a state-of-the-art school, with the premier faculty of the district. Ken Allen, who was our principal, raided this district for the best teachers he could lay his hands on—lots of young faculty, lots of faculty with master’s degrees, which was unusual in the sixties.”

Being the founding members of the school also came with the privilege of establishing a mascot and the school colors. Evans says, “All the original traditions is all us. We were setting up clubs and establishing the traditions. Everything we did was done for the first time.”

With regards to the colors, the class united its roots. Churchill recalls, “The red is from Hillsdale High School and the black is from San Mateo High School.”

Though their time was ephemeral, four years of high school created memories that transcend time. Evans says, “I haven’t seen some of these classmates for decades. It’s so funny. Some people you recognize immediately. Others have changed so much. It’s just like ‘Who is that?’ and you’re trying to surreptitiously glance at the nametag.” Churchill adds, “Seeing my classmates during the fiftieth reunion makes it more special [than the fortieth reunion]. It also makes me realize how time flies. Basically, a lot of people have stayed the same. Everybody’s very close-knit.”

Even as Aragon continues to progress, alums continue to return to their roots. The unique bond that the founding class shares is untempered by the fifty years that have transpired. Aragon continues to maintain the vital essence that it possessed fifty years ago. As La Rosa remarks, “It’s changed a lot, but it’s still the same school. It’s still Aragon.”