Four years after the formal establishment of FGSCAA, members of the Festac Grammar School Class of 1998 came together in December 2020 for the Association’s first major Homecoming Reunion.
Organised as the 2020 Homecoming Weekend Retreat under the theme “The Year That Changed The World,” the programme brought members together for more than celebration. It combined fellowship, institutional business, service, recreation, recognition and networking within one Homecoming experience.
The weekend reflected an important part of FGSCAA’s developing identity: strengthening the bond among classmates while maintaining a commitment to the wider community and the alma mater.
A Homecoming Built Around Connection
The First Homecoming Reunion created an opportunity for classmates to reconnect beyond the Association’s regular meetings and communication channels.
Members gathered from within Nigeria, while some members living in the diaspora also participated in the reunion.
The programme was designed around fellowship, social interaction and business networking, allowing members to renew old relationships, strengthen newer ones and spend meaningful time together as a class.
This aspect of the Homecoming was especially significant in 2020, a year in which the COVID-19 pandemic had disrupted social, professional and family life around the world.
Association Business and Institutional Engagement
The Homecoming was not conceived solely as a social reunion.
Its programme also incorporated institutional and business sessions, including the Association’s Fifth Annual General Meeting and discussions touching on issues of relevance to members and society.
The wider programme included sessions concerning women and girl-child education, marriage and family values in the post-COVID-19 environment, business survival and entrepreneurship.
By bringing these activities into the Homecoming programme, FGSCAA combined celebration with continued institutional engagement and member development.
Sports, Games and Fellowship
Recreation formed another major part of the Homecoming experience.
Members participated in sporting activities and games designed to encourage interaction, teamwork and fellowship in a less formal setting.
The programme demonstrated that the Association’s concept of Homecoming extended beyond meetings and ceremonies. It also created space for members to relax, compete, reconnect and enjoy the friendships that had begun during their years at Festac Grammar School.
Service Beyond the Reunion
Community service was incorporated into the First Homecoming Reunion through a charity outreach undertaken as part of the weekend programme.
On 18 December 2020, FGSCAA visited an orphanage home within the Festac community and presented food, groceries and other support.
Association records place the value of the food and grocery items at ₦205,000, together with a ₦50,000 cash gift, bringing the recorded intervention to ₦255,000.
The outreach supported more than 50 children.
The activity reinforced a principle that had been present from FGSCAA’s formative years: that alumni fellowship should also create opportunities for service and practical community impact.
Recognising Service and Contribution
Recognition also formed part of the Homecoming programme.
The Association incorporated an awards segment acknowledging contribution and participation within FGSCAA.
The awards formed part of the wider effort to recognise service, commitment and activity within the Association while bringing members together in celebration.
Dinner, Celebration and Fellowship
The Homecoming culminated in an evening programme that brought together dinner, awards, entertainment and member fellowship.
The programme included a cocktail reception, the Homecoming Dinner & Awards Party, entertainment, cake cutting and opportunities for members to interact in a relaxed setting.
These moments captured another important dimension of the reunion: classmates who had left Festac Grammar School years earlier returning as adults to celebrate their shared history and the institution they had built together.
A Milestone in FGSCAA’s Development
The 2020 First Homecoming Reunion became an important milestone in FGSCAA’s institutional history.
It brought together many of the elements that would continue to define the Association in subsequent years: governance, fellowship, member engagement, recreation, community service, networking and recognition.
Coming during a year shaped globally by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Homecoming also demonstrated the value members placed on maintaining connection and collective purpose.
The reunion therefore stands not simply as a social event, but as part of the continuing evolution of FGSCAA from the formal organisation established in 2016 into a more active and visible alumni institution.