Time travel just became real at Hempfield Area High School. This summer, students and staff from the past and present seized the opportunity to walk the historic halls of the high school before construction commences. This community effort allowed previous generations to relive their years as a high school student.

The visiting alumni ranged from almost seven decades of former students, the eldest being from the first class to graduate from Hempfield Area High School  in the year 1956 to the most recent graduating class of 2023. One of the many student helpers, senior Sarah Podkul, commented, “I thought the alumni walk was an excellent idea. As a student, it was cool to be able to see all of the people who have walked the halls of Hempfield before me.” One such couple, class of 1970, collected a token of greenery from the ground outside to later add to their own garden in hopes that their children, grandchildren, and future great-grandchildren would commemorate the history behind the district tree. The reverence for our building was obvious as it permeated through each attendee, each holding a different story, a different experience, a different memory. 

Superintendent, Tammy Wolicki, said many people asked to visit the high school in its present condition before the remodeling. Wolicki, in her interview with the Tribune Review, noted that a lot of the alumni enjoyed reminiscing about their old memories made in these halls and classrooms.  

The classes of 2024-2026 will now embark upon these halls, forging their own paths and adding to our building’s great history. It is our duty and privilege to carry forth a legacy started in 1956. It’s important to remember that each day, we have the opportunity to determine just what our mark will be.