Since that milestone event I mentioned in yesterday’s vanity post (#132) is now history, I thought I’d share the history of my first alma mater (San Juan High School) that I found on the school district’s Web site. Here goes…
“The History of San Juan High School
In 1911 the need for a four-year high school was recognized. The original school was convened in a building in Fair Oaks with the Grammar School. That building is the Community Clubhouse now. The San Juan Union High School District was organized by 1913. It was composed of Sylvan, Orangevale, Fair Oaks, Roberts, and San Juan Districts. In 1913-1914 when the first classes were being held in the Grammar School, there were 46 students of whom 41 were freshmen. In June 1914, the first student graduated (Dorothy Gertrude Jerauld).
By 1915, the decision was made to locate at the present site on Greenback Lane in Citrus Heights. The land for the school was donated by Walter Trainor (the man who named Citrus Heights). In the summer of 1915 work was begun on the building. Enrollment swelled to 92 with a large group coming from Folsom (Folsom High School was not built until 1922). The original building was a two-story school with a frame construction and a tile roof. This structure remained until the late 1950s (since 1938 it was hidden behind the auditorium and the “A” and “B” wings of the present structure). At its inception, San Juan served all students living east of Fulton Ave., south of the Placer County line and north of the American River. Boys rode in a Tally Ho Mac Truck and girls in Pierce Arrow Stages. Some farm families transported students to the old Railroad Station south of Fair Oaks Village, where the bus met them.
By 1940, two years after the “A” and “B” wings were built, the school enrollment totaled about 400. The old school building, which had been nearly abandoned in the 1930s, was reoccupied room after room until it was in full use again. Following the end of World War II, it became possible to add the “H” wing (music) west of the auditorium. A gradual program of building shops, a gymnasium, and classroom wings was begun, which culminated in the late 1950s with razing of the original building and the construction of the “C” and “D” wings on its former site. The present enrollment at San Juan is approximately 600.
We are indebted to Phoebe Cale, San Juan High School Librarian for 37 years before her retirement in 1977. No one person knew more about San Juan and its history.
Drawing from our rich history of academic excellence, San Juan High School is preparing for a dramatic new change to give students an excellent foundation in career and technical education as we enter the next 100 years of San Juan High School.”
So, there you have it: the history of my first alma mater: San Juan High School! Don’t ya just love history? I know I do!!
Once again, you’ll notice that I highlighted a couple of things in this article. This is because they brought back memories of the four years I spent at San Juan High School. The first of these (the “H” wing (music) was where I spent a great deal of time. No, I wasn’t musically inclined back then (nor am I now), but my best friend in high school (Hi, Daina!) was! Consequently, she’d often ask me to meet her at one of the practice rooms in the “H” wing before school, between classes, during lunch, or after school since we didn’t have very many classes together. So, yeah… During those four years, I became very familiar with the “H” wing… and the auditorium, for that matter.
In addition, I highlighted the name Phoebe Cale because I also spent LOTS of time in the library at San Juan High School — for studying AND attending IMC Club meetings. The “Instructional Media Center” was Phoebe Cale’s name for the library, and the IMC Club members (including me) could often be found in the library — doing a variety of “literary activities” (most of which I don’t remember anymore). I always enjoyed talking with Phoebe Cale, probably because I loved soaking up all the history she knew, especially about the history of my/our high school. I’m glad she decided to retire AFTER I graduated from San Juan High School!
I’d love to hear about any memories you have of your years in high school (and/or attending any of your high school class reunions), so please take a moment to leave me a comment.