Homecoming: Behind the scenes

Carroll College hosted alumni, families, and students Oct. 2-4 for a Homecoming & Family Weekend, with class reunions, performances of “Firebringer,” and the homecoming football game among the weekend’s events. 

“It’s the one time here that I believe we invite everybody from the Carroll family back,” said Renee Wall, senior director of alumni, community engagement, and annual giving. “Of course, all of our alums come back on campus, but I think just as importantly, those parents and families of the students that are here really become, I would say, really ingrained in Carroll culture.” 

Caught up in the fun, however, it’s easy to overlook just how much work goes into coordinating events like these. According to Wall, planning for Homecoming & Family Weekend began almost immediately after the last one ended. 

When planning the weekend, she tries to consider what worked last year, measuring the success of different events – a difficult task, she said, as success is a tricky thing to estimate. 

“To me, it’s not just about numbers,” said Wall. “It’s about relationships that you see happening, people that you see back on campus that are reconnecting, connecting faculty and staff together with former students – that’s successful.” 

Usually, she said, that connection can be observed through social media, people posting pictures of their memories from the weekend. Wall is also present at almost all of the events, so she can personally gauge turnout and enjoyment. 

“I think as long as you’re looking out and seeing that people are enjoying one another and being on campus, that’s success,” said Wall. 

Putting on events like Homecoming weekend is also made difficult by the number of people Wall has to coordinate with: different Carroll offices, current students, alumni, and people from the Helena community.

Most reunions, for example, succeed as a result of combined effort between Wall’s office and the alumni themselves. She learned from past years that more people turn up when it’s alumni who reach out to their classmates, rather than just Carroll. The alumni office sends out messages, and if they get responses, they work together with a few alumni from that class to plan the event. 

“If we’re just sending [emails] out, and their peers are not involved, then they’re not successful,” said Wall. “It’s kind of sad because sometimes, I get calls from classes saying, ‘Hey, are we having a reunion?’ And I’ll say, ‘Well, it doesn’t look like your class was when I reached out in the fall. There was no response.’” 

In the past, Carroll attempted to organize reunions every 10 years, Wall said; however, they found that as time passed, fewer and fewer people turned up for the events. 

She believes this is partially due to things like social media becoming more prevalent – reconnecting with old classmates is made much easier through the internet, somewhat removing the need for a Carroll-organized reunion. 

“Not needing the alumni office to connect with one another is a challenge for what I do,” said Wall. “The office was the conduit to keep each other connected more, and people just don’t need that as much anymore.” 

Though reunions happen less often these days, Wall emphasized their value. 

“It is important to come back,” said Wall. “And everybody that comes back is so glad they did. They get to see their classmates, and they have a lot of fun, and they see what’s new on campus.” 

Through coordination with alumni, Carroll hosted an unusual 55-year reunion for the Class of ’71 this homecoming weekend.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Michael Tam ‘71 returned to China after graduation. Around the time that planning began for Homecoming & Family Weekend, he reached out to Carroll to organize a reunion, as he would soon be visiting the states. 

Eventually, the reunion developed into “Traditions,” a panel exploring components of the complicated relationship between the United States and China that was accessible to students and alumni alike during the weekend. 

According to Wall, what makes alumni want to come back to Carroll – even from as far away as Hong Kong – is the connections they built during their time here. 

“It’s their friends, seeing one another, revisiting all the old memories that I think get rekindled when they come on campus,” said Wall. “It really is all about the relationships with one another.” 

Class reunions are the events that Wall is usually the most excited about, as she has the opportunity to reconnect with students that she recruited while working in admissions. 

“I know generations of alumni that are coming back, and that’s by far the greatest reward for me,” said Wall.

Another event that Wall’s office helped plan was the 60-year reunion of Carroll St. James and Vincent School of Nursing Program, held Friday, Oct. 2. 

These women were some of Carroll’s first nursing students back in 1966. Although they did not graduate from here—earning their certification at Carroll before moving elsewhere—they consider themselves Carroll alums and return for an annual reunion. 

“That’s what makes it special,” said Wall. “We’re providing the support for their reunion that they want so passionately.”

They attended the annual Nursing Hand Blessing Ceremony the same day in the All Saints Chapel alongside the current nursing students. 

It’s this union of generations that Wall said demonstrates the heart of events like Homecoming & Family Weekend – alumni and current students both loving the school and just having fun together. 

This homecoming weekend was a little extra for Wall, as it was the last of her 38-year tenure at Carroll. 

“Obviously, it’s something that you know you need to do sometime in your life,” said Wall. “But it’s been a wonderfully rewarding job.” 

After 38 years, Wall has watched Carroll change, watched generations of students become alumni, and helped countless people find their way back to campus. 

“It’s called homecoming for a reason,” said Wall. “You know, people are coming home, and then students- you are home, and the mix of the current students with our alums is magical. It really is.”