Coral Springs High School

By: Sharon Aron Baron

Back in the late 1970s, students at Coral Springs High School entertained themselves by watching football games, attending dances at Mullins Park or heading over to “party canal” – now Eagle Trace, to hang out and light bonfires.

When students at Coral Springs High School Class of ’78 were freshman, their school wasn’t finished being built. Students spent their freshman year at Coconut Creek High School, which served as the only high school in the area. The school wasn’t yet finished by the 1976 school year, so the Class of ’78 spent their sophomore year in portable classrooms on the site of the current Coral Springs Medical Center.

Construction was completed the following year, allowing the first class to spend their junior and senior years in the newly built classrooms on Sample Road.

In September, the first class of Coral Springs High School will be holding their 40th reunion and alumnus Andrea Ferrante DaSilva, who is part of the planning committee, said she is looking forward to seeing old friends.

“It’s nice that Facebook keeps us connected. We were such a tight class – and we were always the oldest.”

When her family moved to the Glenwood community in 1972, she said Coral Springs was a really nice place to grow up.

“We were one of the first homes in there,” she said. “The town has just grown by leaps and bounds now.”

Back then, the City of Parkland was cow pastures and there were no restaurants in town. There also wasn’t a middle school and they attended Crystal Lake Middle in Pompano Beach.

One of the benefits of being the first class is the students were able to choose the school’s colors and mascot. After much debate, members of the Class of ’78 rallied for Coral Springs High to house the Kelly green, royal blue, and white Colts.

Students also experienced many of the school’s ‘firsts’ while enrolled. They were there for the first edition of the Pony Express, the school’s newspaper and held the first official student government election. They also saw the school expand its curriculum to offer one of the most comprehensive education programs in the nation at that time.

This fall, the first class will experience another first. They will become the first class to come together, welcome old friends from across the country and celebrate their 40th reunion.

Held on September 21-23 at the Bahia Mar Resort in Fort Lauderdale, the planning committee has organized a three-day party full of activities and opportunities to reconnect with fellow Colts.

The series of events will begin on Friday, September 21, at 7 p.m. with the First Class Cocktail Party. This casual party will offer hors d’oeuvres and cash bar for a cost of $40 per person. The next event is the First Class Beach Day — a free party from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, September 22, across from the hotel on Fort Lauderdale Beach. Colts are encouraged to bring their coolers, beach blankets, food and sunscreen as they hang with their fellow classmates in the sun.

On the evening of September 21, Colts are invited to attend the First Class Dinner Dance featuring a deejay-hosted ‘70s-themed dance party, buffet dinner and photo booth. They also will receive raffle tickets for a chance to win prizes donated by local businesses. The cost of the Dinner Dance is $120 per person.

The last chance for the Class of ’78 to mingle will be at the First Class Poolside Coffee, which will take place Sunday, September 22, at 9 a.m. on the Bahia Mar pool deck. It is a free opportunity to say goodbyes and work in last-minute mingling.

Said DaSilva “It’s going to be great to see some people who I haven’t seen again.”

To RSVP and purchase tickets for all events, please visit CSHS 40th Reunion.

Author Profile

Sharon Aron Baron

Editor of Talk Media and writer for Coral Springs Talk. CST was created in 2012 to provide News, Views, and Entertainment for the residents of Coral Springs and the rest of South Florida.