Kenyan Boarding School Celebrates 50th Class Reunion In Oklahoma

Some traveled across states and others around the globe, but no matter the distance, being in Hulbert, Oklahoma, for Labor Day weekend was a must for graduates of Rift Valley Academy.

It’s been a while since the class of 1974 reminisced. Rift Valley Academy High School graduates live all around the world.

“And who would have known Oklahoma’s the center of the world,” said alumni Thad Peterson of Tanzania. 

So, the class is celebrating its 50th high school reunion in Hulbert, Oklahoma.

“We’ve got people here from east Africa, from Europe, from Canada, from all over the United States, and so it’s just good to get back together and compare notes,” said alumni Mark Alison of Arkansas. 

As they caught up on half a century of life, they looked back on their years spent together at their Kenyan boarding school.

“At first, it’s a little awkward because where do you start? 50 years covers a lot. But I think once we get chatting, it’s easy, it just sort of flows,” said graduate Donna Whitson of Texas. 

Some classmates set up makeshift “dukas,” a Swahili word for store, to help the space feel a little more like Africa.

“Some beadwork or jewelry that they’ve made, or just some artifacts from Africa. A lot of us are downsizing, and so we brought some of those maybe for other people to take home,” Whitson said. 

An opportunity for them to make their current homes feel like the ones from their teenage years.

“If you went to a big family reunion and you hadn’t seen these people in a long time, and it just really feels like that connection. We just really feel like a family; we still have that connection of home, which is Africa,” said Whitson. 

With nearly all of their graduating class in attendance, they look forward to this weekend’s celebrations back together again. “I think about the common heritage that we share that is very different and unique, and we’re just privileged to be able to celebrate it together,” said Whitson.