This weekend the College gates opened to welcome back the Class of 2013, who returned to school to celebrate their 10 year reunion. The sun was shining as they arrived to a warm welcome from the RGC Pipe Band and Highland dancers who performed for our guests as they gathered in the Quad to listen and greet one another; a mix of excitement and nostalgia was certainly in the air at Schoolhill. 

For some former pupils, they had not been back to the College, or seen one another, since their school days, travelling from near and afar to reunite. During the morning, they enjoyed a welcome reception in The Craig Theatre, catching up with one another while viewing the photography exhibition from their days at school. Laura Presslie, Director of Development, Marketing and Admissions welcomed the year group back and introduced Head of College, Robin Macpherson, who provided an insightful update of life at RGC in 2023, sharing news on key priorities and initiatives, and how the school has evolved over the last decade. Former pupils enjoyed touring the College in small groups and enjoyed reminiscing about their time at school while sharing fond and funny memories. The tour included areas of the school that were old and familiar, whilst showcasing the new facilities which were greatly admired by all. Everyone was then invited to the Thomas Mackie Dining Hall to enjoy a two course lunch and continued catching up with school friends and teachers, past and present. We share a special thanks to former staff members that joined us in the celebrations: Mr Allan Bicket and Mrs Vicky Fletcher. 

Matthew McClure, contacted the Development team over a year ago to request assistance in organising a 10 year reunion and comments: "It was a fantastic step through the front gate at schoolhill once again to meet with fellow Gordonians 10 years on from graduation. The Development team at the College were invaluable in connecting past and current faculty with our year group. As we were given a tour of significant developments the College has undertaken since our departure, we had space and time to catch up on major life events and reminisce of joyful years spent around the schoolhill campus. We cannot thank the College enough for putting together such an intimate and valuable opportunity to it's former pupils and faculty. Many attendees have already expressed how grateful they are to their former teachers, mentors, and friends to take time out of their busy lives to rediscover how the College continues to be a place of opportunity for so many." 

Vicky Fetcher, former Head of Mathematics expressed: “I really enjoyed the reunion in so many ways. I was delighted to see how many of the attendees had achieved their ambitions and how some of them had even surpassed their initial plans. It was wonderful to listen to them reminiscing about their time at Gordon’s. The friendship that clearly existed between many of them was a testament to how much of a community you join when you go to RGC and that support will be there whenever they need it.”

Laura Presslie summarised: “We were thrilled to see so many former pupils return through the gates on Saturday to reunite for the first time since leaving school 10 years ago. I joined the staff at Robert Gordon’s in August 2012 when the Class of 2013 began their final year of school so seeing them 10 years on is incredible and I am so proud to see what each of them have achieved in the magnitude of pathways they have followed. Over the last 10 years, there has been a lot of exciting developments, new buildings and changes around the campus so having pupils join the reunion tour groups is a great way to bring pupils past and present together to showcase the many career paths that recent leavers have gone on to pursue and how much they value their time at Gordon’s. Many leavers go on to provide support to pupils through the Gordonian Mentoring Programme which is an impressive strength of the Gordonian community and why year group reunions are an important part of the school calendar.”

Reunions like these reinforce how special it is to be part of the Gordonian community. We wish to share our thanks to all those involved in making this day such a special and memorable occasion.