The Panther Valley High School Class of 1996 celebrated its 30th class reunion on Sept. 12 at the 80’s Bar in Lansford. More than half of the class came together for a night filled with laughs, memories and a trip down memory lane. One of the highlights was opening a time capsule that had been tucked away for 30 years. The capsule was hidden inside the base of the panther statue, which was donated to PV by the Class of 1996 and now sits in the high school lobby. Over the years, the statue has been the backdrop for countless student photos, but few knew that its base held a little piece of the Class of ’96. Inside were mementos and letters written by classmates to their future selves and to friends. The capsule was sealed in 1996 by wood shop teacher Scott Reinhart, who even added his own well wishes inside for the class. Thirty years later, classmates opened those letters and got a chance to hear from their 18-year-old selves. There were plenty of laughs and a few surprises as they read predictions about where life would take them. Some turned out to be pretty accurate. Attendees at the event included, kneeling, from left, Brandon McKee, Samantha (Zeigler) Washousky, Bethann Molinari, Chris (Lowmaster) Forrest, Jennifer (Miller) Kashlak, Diane (Sommers) Reese, Nicole (Mizak) Fulper, Sharon Labenberg, Roger Gehrig. Second row, Megan (Searfoss) McGorry, Alice (Matasyik) Andrews, Rachel (Burrell) Barron, Renee (Ogozalek) Warke, Samantha (Yasson) Rose, Renee (Giantesano) Terry, Nichole (Hrinda) Greenberg, Tara (Barron) Yurichek, Kristin (Midas) Sommers, Michelle Hrinda, Jonna (Coniglio) Green. Back row, John Orsulak, Mike Crampsie, Mike Mattrazzo, Kristen (Romankow) Oeltjen-Bruns, Jeremy Benack, Marta (Fox) McLaughlin, Nicole (Benek) Hedrick, Tina Gogal, Rick Clifford, Robert Ritchie, Frank Marek, Brian Davis, Ronnie Yurichek. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO