WELCOME 

To Our New

EC WHS CLASS OF 76' Website

50 Years Of Memories    Life Long Friendships    One Unforgettable Celebration

     It's hard to believe it's been 50 years since we walked through the halls of East Chicago Washington High School. The class of 1976 left a legacy of spirit, pride and lifelong bonds. Now it's time to celebrate everything we've shared. Our 50th class reunion will be a weekend of reconnections, laughter and nostalgia. Whether you've stayed in touch or haven't seen classmates since graduation, this is your chance to relive old memories and make new ones.

    This website was created specifically for our upcoming 50th class reunion. Information and feedback on the event will be posted on this site only. So spread the word to all our classmates to come to this specific site for all the up-to-date information on our class reunion.

www.ecw76senators.com

February 26, 2026

Unless you attended just one of our meetings, I know it’s difficult to believe everything I claimed. My goal when joining the reunion committee was simply to make it a meaningful & unforgettable experience for our alumni. It was never about insisting on my preferences or having issues with Johnny, until he made it one. At no point did I say the reunion was cancelled or ask anyone not to attend. Since day one, I have fought for the people who took the time to complete the survey and give their feedback on what WE as a committee should do for YOU. Felicia and I brought experience in event planning, sales, and finance to the table, but our skills were never utilized. Eventually, I reached a point where I no longer felt valued, was continually accused of causing division within the committee, and was told I was only still there because of him. The final tipping point was the dishonest way the costs are being presented to the class. This whole experience was exhausting and disappointing. I regret not being able to do more due to all the limitations. What I can do though is provide a detailed breakdown of the actual costs of the reunion in my next post. Stay tuned.

February 26, 2026

On Dec 23, Johnny sent a group text to us stating where all 3 events were going to take place, granted our last meeting was Nov 19, 2025 & the next one wasn’t until Jan 21, 2026 by zoom. So, who made all these decisions between that time because I wasn’t notified & half of us never voted on this. After I announced my resignation, several alumni requested that I share the detailed cost breakdown for each event day. I was tasked by Johnny to provide the final cost for the Blue Chip, which I gave precisely, down to the last penny & presented on Feb 4, 2026. Johnny sent text to us all on the final charges.

           THE ACTUAL PRICE                                                           WHAT YOUR BEING CHARGED

$79.36 pp Formal Dinner, 1hr hors d’oeuvres                        $125.00 Dinner & liquor combined for everyone

$46.08 pp optional bar pkg for 4hrs                                          NO OPTION GIVEN TO NOT PURCHASE LIQUOR

$20.28 pp optional Sunday Brunch                                          Sunday Brunch isn’t being offered

$17.90 pp Meet & Greet, hors d’oeuvres only                          $40.00 pp whether you drink alcohol or not

$27.67 pp optional transportation to Blue Chip & back             $40.00 pp to Blue Chip & back

$10 & $20 pictures, only 5x7 & 8x10 offered day of event        $10 & $20 pictures, only 5x7& 8x10 offerd day of event                          

Reception is butler served hors d’oeuvres (shrimp tempura, chicken quesadillas, meatballs)

Formal buffet dinner includes 3-entrees, 2 salads, 3 sides, 3 desserts, iced tea, lemonade, water, coffee

Bar pkg is open 1hr during reception, closed for dinner, open 3hrs after dinner

Brunch will be in the same ballroom for 3hrs, but we need a minimum of 30 people to attend.

Instead of another banquet hall where we have to pay for a DJ, my alternative for the meet & greet was a pool hall in Whiting that serves bar food (wings, shrimp, fish, fries etc…) in a buffet style, cash bar, Bluetooth juke box, darts, several TV’s, plenty of seating & the committee pays for the reserved pool tables. Same owner has a new bar being built right now on Kennedy in Hammond where he was going to close it down for us if we reserved the timeframe for earlier in the day. Same food setup, cash bar, in-house DJ, backyard patio which we could’ve reserved, hookahs & beer garden. It was just a better vibe for a meet & greet. At this meeting, I was told to get prices for poolhall & bar by Johnny, which would’ve been about $25-$30pp for either place. I got the price & was going to present it to the committee, but Johnny shut me down & said we’re doing the Dynasty, I am the president and that is "my final decision", despite our objections. I objected to that.

The Brunch idea was shut down by Johnny stating we don’t need it because we have the potluck picnic on Sunday. Very few alumni want a potluck, and only him & CeCe want it. "His final decision" bc he's the president. I objected to that.

Same with transportation. Most of us requested a 50-person party bus with wrap around seating, Paul said everyone enjoyed the last time there was a party bus rented. Instead Johnny chose a charter bus because it holds 56 people and it’s $250 cheaper. I suggested we could pay the difference from the account, but his argument to that was the charter bus holds 6 more people. "His final decision" bc he's the president. I objected to that, too.

I asked Johnny to see if the photographer offers packages of various sizes & a digital option of the class picture for the alumni who cannot attend. He stated nobody he knows wants that. "His final decision" bc once again he's the president. Seriously, he threw that title around so many times we got into a shouting match about it bc I thought we were all equal. 

Felicia, Debbie, Paul & myself suggested we needed at least 3 vendors per subject so we can compare prices and options but as you can see everything is the same as the last several reunions except for the Blue Chip Casino ballroom, fought for by me. Everything else has been chosen & decided by Johnny & Cece. 

February 18, 2026

Three weeks ago, I resigned from the reunion committee because of Johnny Mitchell's disrespectful and power-driven behavior. I recently found out he has been overcharging classmates for the events & mishandling funds. Maintaining my integrity & reputation matters, so I am choosing not to be involved with anyone or anything dishonest. He claims to receive free money from the various classmates, but there is no documentation indicating the sources or amounts contributed. Despite input from other alumni on the survey, he insists the survey is fake and completed by people who have never attended a reunion. He claims the role of “PRESIDENT”, stating that his decisions take priority over the preferences of others and Cece co-signs everything he says & does. As for the other members, Paul is just another vote for Johnny’s agenda and in his own words, a “runner” for the team. Because I don’t really know Deborah Tolbert all I can say is she doesn’t speak up or have an opinion whenever she does happen to attend a meeting. She also is only a vote towards Johnny's agenda. I originally joined this committee believing that we were all equal with an equal voice & vote, but that has clearly never been true.

At the final meeting I attended, I said I was going to let the class know what he was doing and Johnny said he didn’t care and to do what I got to do. He also has claimed previously, that if people don’t like the decisions he has made, they don’t have to come to the reunion. Since joining, I have worked with Debbie Sopko Pawlowski and recently Felicia Tolbert Kemp to help make the class of '76 reunion event memorable, but without any success. Johnny made all decisions regarding the costs for day 1 and day 2, where day 1 & 3 would take place, transportation, photography, and T-shirts—without input or approval from the entire committee or the alumni who took part in the survey. Whether or not you decide to attend, I wanted to ensure that everyone understands and is aware why your 50th class reunion is purposely overpriced and may not be as memorable as we other three members had hoped for.

If you have questions or would like more detailed information regarding the decisions held at these meetings, feel free to call, text, or email Melissa Franco-Smith or Debbie Sopko-Pawlowski through our class website at www.ecw76senators.com or thru classmates.com.  

Jan 1, 2026

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