January 22, 2019

Carolyn Ridenour

“Build a family tree to see your story emerge.”
………..from the ancestry.com webpage

Why is ancestry.com so popular? Why do I find it so intriguing to learn about Christoph Rintelmann, born in 1718 in Germany? He married Dorothea Ann in 1740, and they ultimately made their way to the USA and North Carolina. Why am I drawn to him? Because I can identify with him and maybe find a thread that’s intertwined with who I am, six generations hence, a descendant. I’m in his family. His story is, in part, my story.
The Garrett Schools Alumni Association is the ancestry.com for your growing up years. Consider your place in the family tree: where did you come from? What is your heritage? Is it in the public schools or the Catholic schools? Or both? Did you grow up in the musical branch of the family, maybe in the marching band or the choir? Or maybe you come from the athletic branch: basketball, or track, or golf? Were you in the journalism branch, on the Aeolian staff, perhaps? Or the technical branch of the family tree: computer science, or math, or building trades? Maybe you grew out from the intersection of multiple branches. While the branches of the tree grew in many directions, we all grew from the same tree, Garrett Schools. We share much in common. If you went to a Garrett School, your story is, in part, my story.
Whether we graduated in the 1940s or the 2000s, a core of our common story would be that of a multigenerational family, a tribe that shares a common history as well as sharing values, language, and customs. What branch of the big alumni family do you identify with? What if you would “build a Garrett Schools family tree to see your story emerge?” What would that story be?
The alumni association is a place where we share our stories, strengthen our identities, and build a strong heritage for the Garrett Schools, six generations (and more) into the future. Come join us!