Kennedy High School alumni to gather for multi-year reunion

Kennedy High School graduates of all ages will come together to celebrate “Cougar Nation” on Saturday, Sept. 21, at a multi-year reunion.

The event was organized by the school’s alumni association, Bellmore JFK Alumni, Inc., for former Kennedy students who graduated between 1968 and 2010. Alumni and past and present teachers, coaches and staff members over age 21 are welcome at the reunion, at Mulcahy’s of Wantagh, 3232 Railroad Ave., from 7 to 11 p.m.

For a $40 per-person admission fee, attendees will receive a buffet dinner from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., and there will be a cash bar.

Attendees will also be entertained by alumni bands. Acts will include bands like Kamelot, comprising Dr. Gary Morganstern, the alumni association president and a member of the class of 1973, Ben Phillip Abruzzo (’73), Robert Gallo (’73), Scott Russo (’74), Tom Appel (’77), Keith Foley (’77) and Joe Zogbi (’80). The band Friends to the Ends, made up of 1980 graduates Suzanne Levy, Rick Gigi, Larry Schwartz, Scott Sanders, Elliot Negrin, Brian Hand and David Kane, will also take the stage. Dana Ritacco, a 1997 Kennedy graduate whose stage name is Dana Rayne, will perform with her band, LaBouche. And the Kennedy Alumni Choir will be on hand.

Alumni celebrating milestone anniversaries may have their own parties within the party. There will be a private area for the class of 1973, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, and special reunion areas will be designated for the classes of 1983 and 1993.

The graduating class with the highest turnout at the event will have a plaque placed at Kennedy and a scholarship will be presented on its behalf.

To register for the reunion, visit the association’s website, bellmorejfkalumni.org. The first 500 people to purchase tickets online will receive free Kennedy alumni T-shirts, organizers said.

Calhoun and Mepham high school alumni are also welcome to attend.