Quaker Valley High School celebrates homecoming

Jim McCrory could not help but swell up with pride as he sat in the stands of Chuck Knox Stadium in Leetsdale.

That feeling of being around old high school friends, some not seen in years, and catching up at their alma mater and seeing what has changed.

It was a moment McCrory and other members of the Quaker Valley High School class of 1969 would not soon forget.

“It’s awesome,” said McCrory at Quaker Valley’s homecoming on Oct. 4. “We got a tour of the high school yesterday, a few of us did. I tell you, if you had sat me down there in the middle of it I could not have told you where I was. It’s changed that much inside and much for the better. It’s marvelous what they’ve done. The senior class size is like 130. We had 240 back then. We think we might have been the largest graduating class from Quaker Valley.”

The Camarillo, Calif., transplant from Haysville and retired helicopter pilot wore his track letterman jacket to cheer on the Quakers as they battled Avonworth earlier this month.

He hopes to pass on his jacket to great grand niece Olivia Hoose, a junior and captain of the girls soccer team.

McCrory, 72, sat with about a dozen classmates, including former cheerleader Helen (Kowal) Buckley of Bellevue. She had her black and gold megaphone from 1969.

“It’s been pounded on and repaired with duct tape,” said Buckley, 73. “It’s the only relic that has survived from my cheerleading days. We all had them. Mine survived and now my granddaughter (Eliza Ruggiero) loves it.”

They talked about the changes in uniforms; how the school in their time leaned more into the gold of the black, white and gold school colors, socks with stripes on them and stylish hats.

“They looked like they stepped off the oatmeal box,” McCrory said.

Buckley, a retired sales associate for a metal manufacturer, loved the students’ enthusiasm from the band’s opening note to the last snap of the game. The alumni sat near midfield not far from the student section.

“It’s just lovely to be with old friends,” Buckley said. “We have so many wonderful memories. Our class was very close. We’ve had several reunions. We always get together. It’s real special, especially at this age.”

Other Class of 1969 members in attendance included Jim Roolf, 73, of Joliet, Ill. The former Leetsdale resident played split end and free safety for the Quakers team that went 8-1. They were led by quarterback Ken Alvania, 74, of Bell Acres. His work ethic resulted in a 36-year career as a boilermaker. The team, coached by John Nusskern, will be inducted into the Quaker Valley Sports Hall of Fame later this month.

“We were focused on playing the game and we had a lot of teamwork,” Roolf said. “We averaged about 23 points a game to our opponent’s two.”

Quakers could have used some of their talents on the field as the team struggled to find its footing and ultimately lost to their division opponent 7-46.

The biggest on-the-field highlight took place at halftime with the crowing of the king and queen — seniors Kwilai Karto and Willy Winnowski.

Teachers nominated members of the homecoming court. The royal winners were selected by the students.

Karto is a four-year member of the track team, a member of the Black student union, key club and student council. She also serves as a student rep on the school board, volunteers at a church and works part-time as a lifeguard at the Edgeworth Club. She plans to attend Emory University and study finance.

“It’s definitely a great feeling,” she said. “The thing I’m most thankful for is just this community at QV that supported me all these years, and the chance to continue to celebrate the senior year and really appreciate friends, the teachers, everyone around me. It’s been really heartwarming.”

Winnowski is a two-year member of the football, cross country, bowling and track and field teams. He has been a part of the district’s Best Buddies chapter since 2018.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever had this opportunity before,” Willy said about becoming king. “(Quaker Valley) is a good learning environment. The people here are really nice. There are really a lot of opportunities here for me.”

Best Buddies is focused on fostering one-to-one friendships between students and their peers with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Willy did not announce his future plans.

Kwilai understands why alumni would want to come back to the area 55 years later.

“The best thing about Quaker Valley is the community,” she said. “It’s such a tight-knit one. I really appreciate the close relationships I have with my fellow peers and also my teachers. Even people who I maybe haven’t seen in a while, just because of our community, they’ll always check in and say, ‘How are you doing? How can I reach out and help you?’

“I really appreciate how caring everyone is for one another.”