Road to 50
Renaissance 1978–2028
In 2 years Renaissance turns 50. The work that makes an anniversary worth attending happens now — finding the people, the photographs and the stories before they scatter.
What we're collecting
Four things, and the clock is the point
Every year that passes, a little more of this becomes unrecoverable. That is the whole argument for starting in 2026 rather than 2028.
01
Photographs & memorabilia
Yearbooks, game programmes, prom pictures, homecoming, the old building on the Catholic Central site. Anything in a box in a basement.
02
Former teachers & staff
The people who taught the first classes are the hardest to find and the most worth finding. If you know where a Renaissance teacher ended up, tell us.
03
Alumni stories
What Renaissance did for you, in your own words. These become the spine of the 50th — not a slideshow of logos.
04
The 40th anniversary
Who organised it, who performed, who sponsored it, what worked. That institutional knowledge is sitting in people's heads and nowhere else.
Fifty years, so far
The record as it stands
Every entry sourced. The gaps in this list are exactly what the Road to 50 is for.
1978
Renaissance opens
Founded on the former site of Catholic Central High School, opening with freshman and sophomore students only.
1981
The first class graduates
Renaissance graduates its first senior class.
1982
The first four-year class
The first cohort to spend all four years at Renaissance receives its diplomas in June.
1990
The alumni network takes shape
Formal alumni efforts crystallise through the late 1980s and 1990s as early graduates reach professional maturity.
2004
Boys basketball, Class B state champions
The Phoenix defeat DeWitt 61–42 under coach Mark White.
2005
A new building, and a state title
The school is dedicated at the site of the former Sinai Hospital. The same year, the girls' team wins the Class B state championship under coach Diane Jones.
2017
The IB programme begins
A full International Baccalaureate programme launches in the autumn.
2023
National chess champions
Thirteen students win the U800 national title at the US Chess Federation National High School Championship in Washington DC, against 67 teams — a year after placing eighth.
2025
A clean sweep of the city
Renaissance takes both the boys' and girls' PSL championships — the boys' first league title in 21 years.
2026
Four in a row
The Lady Phoenix beat Mumford 63–37 for a fourth consecutive PSL championship.
2028
Fifty years of Renaissance
Plans, events and partners will be announced here as the association makes them. Nothing is scheduled yet, and this page will not pretend otherwise.
Be part of it
The 50th will be as good as what alumni send in
Claim your record so the association can reach you, and send anything you have — a photograph, a name, a story.