CLASS OF 1966 TO CELEBRATE
GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY
As the class of 1966 prepares to celebrate its golden anniversary, it might also be the poster child for the golden age of Catholic school enrollment. When Sr. Lucetta and Msgr. Stenger distributed diplomas they might have scheduled an intermission while they conferred degrees on the 143 member strong class. 
By contrast, several diocesan schools opened their doors this year with 150 students, or less, in kindergarten through eighth.
The size of the student body wasn't the only significant change to occur at Saints Peter and Paul School in the past fifty years however. Borrowing the Wayback machine from Peabody and Mr. Sherman, we have a completely different school today than five decades ago.
For example, for the Class of 1966:
- There were no school uniforms. Students wore their Sunday best.
- Kindergarten did not exist.
- Latin was the foreign language which all seventh and eighth graders took. Some students, however, were able to take French or German
- The entire student body attended Mass daily.
- The Eucharist was received at the Communion rail.
- Basketball was the only sport offered, and it was just for the boys.
- There were no 'B' teams, so students had to try out for the team.
- Cheerleading was the only athletic option open to girls.
- The only extracurricular activities available were patrol, band, choir, and altar servers.
- The vast majority of the faculty consisted of nuns.
- There were two square dances per year.
- There was not a School Board.
- The class trip was visiting museums in Chicago
One of the highlights for the class was winning the coveted Bishop's Trophy. "At the end of each season," said Bill Esser, "the Bishop sponsored a tournament for the top teams in Will, Kankakee, and DuPage County. We took great pride at being the first team from Saints Peter and Paul to achieve this honor." Those glory days, as well as many other wonderful memories, will be recalled, or even enhanced, when the group returns to our campus in the fall.
The reunion committee is being led by the aforementioned Bill Esser, Don Kuhn, and Dave Lisson. To date they have reconnected with 123 of their classmates who are spread out over Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia. Sadly, nine friends have already gone back to our Lord. "There's still a core group that has remained in Naperville," said Don Kuhn, "and many are still members of the parish."
Festivities are scheduled for Saturday, September 17, with returnees attending the 5:00 p.m. Mass before heading over to the lower level of the Jr. High, today known as Zuker Hall in honor of the pastor, Fr. Charles Zuker, who founded our school in 1853. In addition to dinner and plenty of socializing, Advancement Director, Frank Glowaty, will give tours of both the elementary and Jr. High buildings to help jog everyone's memories. Later there will be plenty of time to reminisce about the good old days. Prizes will be awarded to graduates with the most children, grandchildren, and whoever has been married the longest.
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Trivia