Members of Cordova High School’s Class of 1966 gather during the 2026 Alumni Celebration Reception and homecoming festivities.

RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - Decades after their own Friday nights at Cordova High School, generations of former Lancers returned to campus Oct. 2 to reconnect with old friends, revisit familiar traditions and walk the track once again.

Graduates from classes spanning 1965 through 2026 gathered in the school cafeteria for Cordova High’s annual Alumni Celebration Reception before joining the halftime alumni parade during the homecoming football game.

For some, returning has become almost automatic.

“Every year I say I’m not gonna go this year,” said Stacy McCall, a 1986 graduate. “And then something happens where I’m like, why do I miss it? I can’t miss it.”

Cordova High School alumni watch the Lancers compete during the 2026 homecoming football game, part of an evening that brought together generations of graduates and current students.

McCall said walking back onto campus brings memories of a school that has changed considerably since the 1980s. Buildings have disappeared, new construction has reshaped the campus and areas once central to student life look different today.

Still, the connection remains.

“This is our home,” McCall said. “This is what brings back our memories.”

That attachment could be seen throughout the evening as classmates reunited over snacks and cake, former cheerleaders prepared to perform, and alumni grouped together by graduating year for the halftime walk.

The earliest class represented was the Class of 1965, whose members attended Cordova when the campus was still new.

The school’s cheer squad, the Big Red Marching Machine and the color guard performed to the delight of the alumni during the reception.  

One Class of 1965 graduate recalled a school without the mature trees, developed athletic facilities and buildings students know today. As members of the first graduating class, those students helped establish traditions that would follow generations of Lancers.

“We wrote the school song. We picked the colors, we picked the mascot, we started everything.”

The advice for students preparing to become alumni themselves was simple: stay connected.

“There’s nobody like the people you went to high school with. It’s important to stay connected to that past.”

Kirsten Ireton, a 1987 graduate, returned after several years away and said some parts of campus still immediately bring back memories.

“The amphitheater,” Ireton said. “Who doesn’t come back to Cordova and remember the amphitheater and the rallies that we had there?”

Former Cordova High School cheerleader and Class of 1973 graduate Terry Behrens (center) joins a current Lancer cheerleader during the 2026 homecoming festivities. Alumni cheerleaders returned to perform alongside the current squad.

As a student, Ireton served as student body treasurer and German Club president, attended football games and participated in dress-up days and other school traditions.

“It was just part of who I was,” she said.

Those memories, she said, can become more meaningful with time.

“You may not think about it right now, but the memories that you have today and those friendships … 20, 30 years from now, you’ll have those fond memories and it’ll bring such joy to you,” Ireton said.

Cordova High School alumni gather in the campus amphitheater before performances by current students during the school’s 2026 homecoming celebration.

Keeping those connections alive requires work behind the scenes.

Terry Behrens, Class of 1973, organizes the annual reception without a formal alumni association, relying on help from fellow alumni and community partners. This year’s reception included a children’s book drive, alumni apparel, specially made treat bags and performances by Cordova’s cheerleaders, Big Red Marching Machine and color guard.

“It’s a labor of love,” Behrens said. “I absolutely love it.”

Behrens knows the traditions from both sides. A former Cordova cheerleader, she remembers building elaborate floats with classmates, including a Lancer riding a Pegasus with moving wings, and now watches current students build floats of their own.

“I love them making memories,” Behrens said.

Members of Cordova High School’s Class of 1973 gather during the annual alumni celebration. Terry Behrens, who organizes the alumni reception and is a member of the class, is pictured with fellow graduates.

For her, maintaining the alumni tradition is about more than nostalgia. It is a reminder that leaving Cordova does not necessarily mean leaving the Lancer community.

“This is home,” Behrens said. “Remember where you came from. Remember your roots.”

Later that night, alumni walked the stadium track by graduating class as current students, families and fellow Lancers watched from the stands.

Buildings may change and graduating classes may move on, but for many who returned Friday, the connection remains remarkably simple.

“Once a Lancer, always a Lancer,” Ireton said. “Lancers for life.”

Members of Cordova High School’s first graduating class, the Class of 1965, pose with their familiar “65 and Still Alive” sign during the annual alumni celebration.