High school reunions aren't unusual, but a group of Roslyn High School alumni are planning a gala reunion next month in Roslyn so open that it doesn't matter when you graduated from RHS, or if you were even an alumnus. Not only are graduates of every graduating class in Roslyn High School's history invited, so are faculty members, administrators, cafeteria workers, janitorial staff, aides, advisers, other staff members and relatives of all of the above. The reunion is set for Saturday, Sept. 23 at the Duck Pond in Roslyn Park.

The idea began on the Internet as a group of Roslyn High School alumni decided that traditional reunions weren't "inclusive" enough for their tastes. And so, this Internet group began planning the Sept. 23 event. The reunion was the idea of Brian Hollander, Class of '66 and a longtime resident of Woodstock, NY.

Organizers of the event began meeting on a website on the net, "classmates.com" which lists every high school in the country. Interested persons can simply go to the New York file, then go to Roslyn and find the names of graduates from every graduating class in the school's history. No fewer than 11,000 names are listed on the Roslyn High School site. In addition, a former Roslyn High School teacher, Adrian Danzig, is contacting former principals and assistant principals to see if they can attend.

The organizers have been talking about the reunion for the past two months. They now have their own website, "reunion2000.eboard.com" which includes photos of the some of the alumni and a chat board. Cynthia Shub, a Roslyn High School graduate and a current resident of Woodmere, has already applied for and received a permit from the Town of North Hempstead to hold the reunion at the Duck Pond.

The reunion is scheduled to last from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sept. 23, but no one would be surprised if it went on longer than that. Ken Merena, also a Class of '66 alumnus and the "self-proclaimed Honorary Mayor of the bulletin board," added that there "are no planned activities whatsoever." Ms. Shub said there will be no catering, but participants can bring their own food and drinks. The reunion is being advertised as having "no fees, no agenda, [and] no excuses not to be there."

It will probably be impossible to provide old yearbook photos for all those attending, but Ms. Shub hopes at least that the alumni in attendance will wear a name tag to handle the usual problems such reunions bring. When it comes to the food and drinks, the organizers are counting on good behavior by the attendees. Another potential problem is parking, namely since no one can be sure how many people will attend. Ms. Shub recommends that those worried about parking can take the Long Island Railroad to the Roslyn station on Warner Avenue in Roslyn Heights and then contact, via cell phone, the organizers for a ride to the park.

So far, the alumni who hope to attend range from a 94-year-old great grandmother who lives in Roslyn Heights to RHS graduates from around both the U.S. and the world, including one who currently lives on The Isle of Man, off the coast of England. That night, the Roslyn High School Class of '57 is having its own long-scheduled reunion at another Long Island location, so they get to have two reunions in one day. Mr. Merena himself is now a resident of Utah and he plans to motorcycle his way across the country to the reunion, where he hopes to arrive at the Duck Pond "at sunrise" on the big day.

The three contact people are Meridith Hollander at merrytag@aol.com or (201) 447-6470, Cynthia Shub at CynShub@aol.com or (516) 295-0271; the Western U.S. contact is Ken Merena, club-omni@juno.com or (801) 375-0011.

Ms. Shub said the event so far is receiving a good response from alumni all across the country, even though many people, for various reasons, cannot attend. "Nothing will surprise me," Ms. Shub said about the day in question. Prior to Sept. 23, The Roslyn News hopes to run another article on the reunion, updating the progress the event is making.