Though National Geographic reported last week that the Dec. 21, 2012 doomsday prediction is actually a misconception, and that the Mayans in fact predicted that the world would not end this Friday, one group of now-graduated Mahwah students is holding one of their former teachers to task about comments he made about the Mayan civilization in their middle school classes about a decade ago.

Now Mahwah High School teacher Randy Fuchs submitted the following letter to the Mahwah Patch:

To the Editor,

My name is Randy Fuchs and I am a teacher at Mahwah High School. Below you will find an invitation that has been posted under the Principal's Bulletin Board on the high school homepage.  

The posting is pretty self-explanatory, but how it came about is fairly surreal.  

About a year and a half ago, I started hearing from kids; sometimes it would be via an email and sometimes it would be running into kids that I hadn't seen in ten years at obscure places like Ramapo Reservation.  

As 2012 approached, it became obvious that many of my former students had never forgotten the statement I had made regarding the Mayan calendar, and more importantly, they expected me to fulfill my promise. As we have gotten closer the correspondences have accelerated.  

The last group that I taught at the Ridge are now about 21-22 years old, with the oldest being about 28-29, so the fact that they still remembered and wanted to come back is remarkable. I am not on Facebook but a few kids (kids no longer, but they'll always be my kids) set up Facebook event pages and it sounds like there might be upwards of 200 that might be coming back for it.

Considering recent events and the heartache felt by so many, what will be happening at the Ridge Friday night will surely bring smiles to so many faces.

Below is the post Fuchs’ referenced, inviting students to his Dec. 21 Mayan Celebration.

Mr. Fuchs’ Mayan Cultural Appreciation Celebration

Ramapo Ridge students that were in the 7th grade from the mid 1990s through the early 2000s may remember a unit of study based upon civilizations indigenous to the western hemisphere. The tremendous advancements made by the Maya, Aztec, and Inca captured our imagination and inspired our curiosity.

What began as a comment intended to ease concerns and provide levity seems to have remained a lasting part of the collective memory of many from that era.

While Mr. Fuchs may have promised a “party at his place” once 2012 arrived, he has reserved the cafeteria at the Ridge for those students to return, renew friendships and fulfill the promise made so long ago.  

Those interested in sharing in some light-hearted festivities with Mr. Fuchs and other teachers from that era on Friday, December 21 from 7-8:30 should rsvp to Mr. Fuchs at rfuchs@mahwah.k12.nj.us.

Randy Fuchs

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Send letters to the editor to jessica.mazzola@patch.com.