TPHS celebrates 50th anniversary in the community

In honor of the TPHS 50-year anniversary, the TPHS Foundation has planned many campus-centered activities for the 2023-2024 school year to connect students, parents and alumni in the Falcon community.

The first of these many activities is the annual Homecoming tailgate, which will be held in front of the PAC on Oct. 6 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., with lots of activities for everyone to enjoy.

According to ASB Athletics Commissioner Declan Flanagan (10), a second-generation Falcon, TPHS ASB is also planning to bring “the chaos” to the Homecoming football game with microphones and more music to keep the student section engaged, even after halftime.

Later in the year, the foundation will host the Falcon Festival. On Nov. 4, students will be able to share their clubs and sport teams with their families.

“There will be bands, food trucks and student-run booths,” Traci Acers, president of the TPHS Foundation, said.

The festival aims to allow parents, alumni and prospective students to see what it is like to be a Falcon. According to Acers, the foundation will also use the gathering to support TPHS with fundraising for student organizations and the foundation.

Following the festival, there will be a party in March 2024 for parents and alumni to celebrate the anniversary. The event will include music and food, along with fundraising for classroom and student enrichment.

Much of this outreach to the TPHS community is a joint effort between the foundation and campus administration.

“I’ve been trying to reach out to alumni via Facebook … to get a database of people … to share memories and share where their lives are now,” TPHS Principal Rob Coppo (‘86) said.

Since its establishment in 1974, TPHS has been an anchor of the surrounding community. Many alumni return to TPHS as faculty or enroll their children. To these Falcons, this anniversary is more than just a number.

“When I was growing up, I had so many dreams of going here,” ASB Social Media Commissioner Grace Livingston (10) said. “It’s exactly as I imagined. When I saw my brothers and their friends here, it made me really excited for my time at TPHS.”

Livingston has been around the school her entire life, as her father and older siblings all attended TPHS. Growing up going to football games, dance competitions and school plays, Livingston has watched the campus flourish over the years.

“When my dad went here, it was just a little school, about the size of the learning commons. Now there are a bunch of new classrooms and fields, and I think that’s really cool because my dad gets to watch me grow with the school,” Livingston said. “I think it’s really cool that my family has gone through a lot here.”

A graduate of TPHS himself, Coppo hopes that this year students will get the opportunity to really celebrate TPHS and what makes the school so special.

“Any time you get a chance to celebrate something you’re a part of, it gives you a little more personal connection to it,” Coppo said.

To many, being a Falcon is more than just being a student. In Coppo’s eyes, it means having high expectations for yourself and for others.

Flanagan agreed.

“I think [being a Falcon means] being proud of the school, representing and embodying what it stands for,” he said.

While Falcons look to the past to celebrate this milestone, it also marks a new era for TPHS.

“It’s exciting to celebrate history,” Coppo said “But let’s not lose sight of what’s going on in the future.”