How to Find Classmates When Planning a Class Reunion

Possibly the most difficult aspect beyond organizing a class reunion is contacting all the former classmates to alert them to this event. People move to new houses, new cities and new countries after graduation. Here are tips on finding them.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Contact the classmates' parents. Many times kids move away but parents are likely to stay in the same city and in some cases have the same address and phone number as always. Find these people and ask for updated information as to the child's whereabouts.

2. Search for the student's name on the Internet. There are several websites dedicated to finding people and their contact information. Choose either a free one or a site that asks you to pay for the service and seek the person by name.

3. Look in the phone book for names. This will be easier with men, since women often change their names after getting married. Look up and call the person who matches the name in the book to ensure that this is the correct person.

4. Find a reunion website like Classmates.com (see Resources). These websites are built exclusively to keep old classmates in contact with one another and are a way to find people who may have changed their names or moved far away from the school. Many of these sites are free. However, some are not. Look at the benefits of all before picking one.

5. Ask your school if they have a current list of contact information. Private schools and colleges do a better job of this than public schools since they regularly contact alumni to ask for donations.

Resources

• Find classmates on this website.
• Reunite with your classmates here.