Len Yanni, board member/volunteer, said the idea behind the tour was to give the high school students a chance to see what is there, not just the building, but also the history; and to stimulate students who graduate with the mindset of getting out of East Liverpool.  

Yanni is hoping that members from the Class of 2026 will be interested in joining the ELHSAA, despite the trend of it being the older alumni that make up the majority of the membership.  

The students began their tour outside the ELHSAA Center,  located  at 216 E. Fourth St., viewing the clock tower, which is where the origin for the association began.    

Yanni along with Jason Croxall, interactive multimedia instructor, ELHS, shared with the students how the non-profit organization was founded and why.    

Len Yanni, board member/volunteer, East Liverpool High School Alumni Association, speaks to East Liverpool High School students about the ELHSAA and its history. (Photo by Kristi R. Garabrandt)

Students learned that the alumni association originally started in 1984, with the late Frank Dawson leading a group of people who were trying to find a way to save the clock from the old Central High School after the school had been demolished.    

From that point, a decision was made that the alumni association would be a multipurpose organization designed to stimulate interest in the school and community, restore the clock,  establish all-class reunions, create a scholarship foundation and inspire great heights for  Pottertown.    

As students made their way inside the center, they were given the opportunity to view  the original bell mechanisms and ELHS memorabilia such as yearbooks dating back to 1919, old class rings, copies of the school newspapers, photos of notable graduates such as Clark Wilson from Class of 1975 who has won an Oscar Award and others.    

Croxall told the students that the alumni association looks for ways to bring things to life in East Liverpool to make things happen for the students.    

He noted that at one time the ELHSAA was the number one alumni association in the country, but has fallen into the number two spot now, and the ELHSAA was the largest active alumni association in the United States.    

East Liverpool High School sophomore Evan Bznek looks at the collection of yearbooks dating back to 1919 at the East Liverpool High School Alumni Association Center. (Photo by Kristi R. Garabrandt)

Yanni told the students that the East Liverpool Scholarship Association is their own board but falls under the ELHSAA and they fund a lot of student scholarships through the association as well as scholarships for the school for classroom supplies and such.  

He addressed the seniors in the group and told them to be watching for notification of the scholarship application which should be going out at any time and only one application is needed for all the scholarships.    

Croxall also noted that the display case that lines the wall in the main room currently has student artwork in it, and some of the students present had work on display in it and that would remain on display through the end of March.    

Croxall also told the students and teachers present that the display cases would be used to showcase ELHS achievements such as student athletes going to state or the band going to state competition for the first time and asked the students and teachers to come up with other ideas for displays to highlight the students.    

Yanni told the students that as they go through their lives after graduation to think back on their high school days and consider being a member of the ELHSAA and give back and they could call anytime to offer help. He noted it would be great for the school and the community to see students coming out to help.    

East Liverpool High School art students look at a wall of photographs of notable ELHS graduates during a tour of the East Liverpool High School Alumni Association Center. (Photo by Kristi R. Garabrandt)

Yanni also told the students they were discovering as they get older that there is more to get from giving and volunteering than receiving.  

Freshman Chloe Boyer said she enjoys having her art on display at the ELHSAA because she enjoys showing off what she is capable of doing in the community and she thinks the ELHSAA was interesting because it shows that a lot of things can happen in small towns and small high schools and she feels inspired after the tour to become a member of ELHSAA. She was not familiar with the ELHSAA before the tour.    

Freshman Alden Jones said he knows a little bit about the ELHSAA and after the tour he is interested in the association and he likes what they are doing with helping out in the community. When asked about becoming an alumni association member, he  said maybe after he retires.    

“Croxall said it was important for the students to see and learn about the ELHSAA because “anytime that you can provide a link to the past so that they know that the path they are about to step out to might be new to them because it’s a new era and time in history, but it isn’t a path that someone hasn’t done before.”  

He went on to say “folks have left this  high school, for  generations, and they have been the first to do what they have done for their families, the first to ever graduate, the first to attend college, the first to get a job to move them away from home. These are the first things that have happened in many lives and for them to have that connection and see someone that has done it before, I think that is key. But not only to see a picture on a wall or a picture in a yearbook, but to meet people that are here actively involved in the alumni association and they get a chance to share their stories and their type of determination with excitement about what they have experienced, it’s invaluable.”  

Jason Croxall, interactive multimedia instructor, East Liverpool High School, shows students photos in an old ELHS yearbook while talking to them about the East Liverpool High School Alumni Association. (Photo by Kristi R. Garabrandt)

Yanni would like to seek board approval to use the center’s main room as a means for fundraising by making the room available to rent for events, parties, showers and meetings.    

The ELHSAA is planning multiple fundraising projects and hosting events throughout the year including a spaghetti dinner, a job training program, spring basement sale, alumni golf outings, the Olde Guard, taking part in a First on Fifth, Wheels and Meals, Library Jam, Oktoberfest, and a fall basement sale. Details on each event will be released as they are provided.    

Funds raised go to the scholarships, and community projects such as the Elks Lodge Children’s Christmas program, the police and fire departments and other community projects. 

For information on the ELHSAA visit their website www.elhsaa.com, call 330-385-0591 or email info@elhsaa.com.    

The ELHSAA Center is open on Tuesdays and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2p.m. or by appointment   

From left, East Liverpool High School art students Amarie Sattler, Natalia White, Oriah Coles, Chloe Boyer and Emma Alford stand in front of a display case in the East Liverpool High School Alumni Association Center where their art is currently on display. (Photo by Kristi R. Garabrandt)

East Liverpool High School art students Jordan Ansell and Emma Alford, both sophomores, look through some of the old yearbooks from ELHS while touring the East Liverpool High School Alumni Association Center. (Photo by Kristi R. Garabrandt)

East Liverpool High School students learn the history of the East Liverpool High School Alumni Association and what the organization currently does while touring the East Liverpool High School Alumni Association Center. (Photo by Kristi R. Garabrandt)