It was called the Bethel High School All Classes Reunion on July 12, 2025. It was open to all the classes that knew themselves as Bethel Braves. It was also open to the most recent classes since the July 2021 state ban on Native American mascots, now called Bison.

But the event was far and wide dominated by a showing of Bethel Braves. There were even some Kapowsin Loggers that were on the field. Kapowsin High School was the precursor to Bethel. Ed Niehl (101), was a teacher at Kapowsin who came to Bethel in the redistricting. The gymnasium was named after him. Sharon Corbett Jasmer ’47 (95), Gussie Klingenberg, and Betty Boettner Cooley ’44 (98) were the Kapowsin grads present. These are our awesome super alums!

The day was warm and sunny. In fact, by the time the 3 p.m. close arrived it was at least 84° F and people appreciated the two trees and grass in the stadium as well as touring inside the high school building where there was air conditioning.

Classes were welcome to have a booth and decorate it with memorabilia from their years at Bethel. There were tickets from the theater productions, band and cheer uniforms, jock jackets, old photos, and even a locker with an autograph. Most of those booths were on the track, the 50’s and Kapowsin were on the grass near the concessions stand. The Bethel School District Athletic Hall of Fame was on the grass with BHS Associated Student Body who were selling old unsold annuals.

There was an information booth as alumni entered the stadium grounds. They created name tags, bought Brave or Bison buttons, got T-shirt order forms, and signed the sign-up sheet. That sheet was a tablecloth with the 1975 Bethel Brave from the gymnasium printed in the center. They signed in with a Sharpie in red or black, maiden names, class years and in-memoriams for fallen Braves.

Teachers from the 1970’s and 80’s were also present. Marsha Williams, Glenda Clemmons, Larry Nelson (the voice of many football games) and Ed Niehl all had taught at the school.

There were cars. What is a high school without cars?! And there were food trucks with kettle korn, barbecue, espresso, kona-ice, and doughnuts! Staying hydrated was important too.

The Brave mural commissioned by the Class of 1975 was present in the stadium for posing. After all, it was his 50th birthday this year! It was painted by artist Darrell Harlow of Puyallup. Harlow passed away in 2005.

And as the day of hugs, greeting old friends, and reminiscing came to an end, and the people packed up, it wasn’t over for everyone. There were several “after parties” at local venues, some even a week later. Classmates that came from North Carolina, Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, California, Michigan, and more, had a few days to spare and made plans with their most special friends and family.

The Reunion Facebook page lit up with photos and greetings from attendees and those who were sorry to have missed the event. There are still individual class reunions taking place later this year. 1965’s 60th is August 16 and 1975’s 50th is September 20.

At the end of this coming school year, the Bethel High school building will be cleared out and temporarily Cedarcrest Middle School will occupy it while that school is rebuilt. After that, it is likely to be repurposed for another school while it is under construction, as the district continues to grow.

In the meantime, the brand new 300,000 square foot Bethel High School is under construction and will open a year from now, if projections are correct. It is located at 7718 224th Street East, Graham, WA 98338, just south of the Rainier View Christian Church. That link is a drone video of the work in progress.

To the Bison classes of ’22, ’23, ’24, ’25, ’26, we wish you well. We know you are young and being here wasn’t on your radar – yet. Hopefully, we will be around to see you in a few years.

For the Bethel Braves, it was fun to holler “Braves” at the end of the National Anthem one more time. Once a Brave, always a Brave.

—

Marianne (Scott) Lincoln, ’75, Spanaway Community Association (Sponsor), Editor-Pierce Prairie Post .com

Pop Quiz: Name the 5 school districts that were combined to form the Bethel School District.