Bobcat spirit is still alive

BETTSVILLE --- The graduating classes from Bettsville Local Schools might have been small in size, but they were big in spirit. Bettsville schools closed in 2015 to merge with Old Fort School District, but the Bobcats' pride lives on. Bettsville graduate Nicol Crum said class reunions for Bobcats always have taken place, but usually had low attendance due to the small class sizes at Bettsville. She said graduates from 1988 and 1992 tended to "always get together and do things," and in 2019 decided to try a new approach - a reunion to include all graduates from Bettsville, no matter their graduation year. She said the initial event took place at The Front Nine golf course, and "has grown every year." While the reunion had to take 2020 off from gathering due to Covid-19, the first event had been such a success that a second one took place in 2021 and a third is planned for Saturday. However, Crum said, interest in attending the reunion has grown to the point that a new venue was needed. The American Legion in Bettsville, she said, "donated a room for us," and doors will open for the reunion at 5 p.m. "The students, staff, and Bettsville residents involved with the school are invited to attend to catch up with their Bobcat Family," Crum said in a press release. Crum said that after interest in the idea initially began to grow, a Facebook group was created to help Bobcats stay in touch and be informed about each other and the reunion. The group, she said, now includes more than 800 people, and features albums from each class. Crum said after the reunion this year, the group plans to set a permanent date for future events. "People are really excited," she said. "It's like a family." Even graduates who no longer live in the area, she said, are planning to come back. Crum said in addition to the reunion itself, a "Bobcat Memory Room" has been created in the former Bettsville school building that will be open from 3-5 p.m. on Saturday. Visitors can browse displays of Bettsville's awards from over the years, uniforms, pictures, and yearbooks, she said, and a mural encompasses one wall as a symbol of Bobcat pride. Even though the last class graduated from Bettsville in 2014, Crum said in the press release, the response to the open reunion shows that "the Bettsville Bobcat spirit is still alive."