Photograph courtesy of Campbell Historical Museum
Old School: The original Campbell Union High School building opened in 1904.
Campbell Union High School District celebrates 100 years
Festivities include a homecoming parade and special exhibit at historical museum
By Steven Raphael
A hundred years ago, Campbell was a small farm town surrounded by orchards and open fields. A town government had been formed, but the city was still a half century away from formal incorporation. The town also had a high school district that is now celebrating its centennial year.
"Can you believe we're that old?" mused Superintendent Rhonda Farber, who has led the district for the past 29 years. "It's really special."
In celebration of the big year, Campbell Union High School District is holding a number of soirees. All of the high school homecoming celebrations, which are being held throughout the month, are dedicated to the district. In what is becoming an annual tradition, Westmont High School students will bring their school spirit to the streets with a big homecoming day parade on Oct. 28.
On Oct. 3, the city council passed a resolution recognizing the district's anniversary.
And the Campbell Historical Museum, which is currently displaying an exhibit of artifacts from the early days of Campbell schools, will be open to the public at no charge Oct. 28, thanks to a $500 donation by CSS, Architecture. The Palo Alto firm has worked with the district for years, designing all the CUHSD schools, according to district spokeswoman Gaylene Hinkle.
Of course, a lot has changed since the district was formed. Farber said the most significant change is the availability of information due to technology.
Centennial Celebrations: Special events and exhibits to celebrate CUHSD's anniversary.
"No longer do we have the teacher who stands up in front of the room and knows everything," she said. "The information multiplies itself so quickly, there's no way to know everything.
"Instead, teachers facilitate looking up that information. Whereas at one time we didn't even have computers, now computers are a major part of everyday life."
Before the district existed, most students did not continue their education past the middle school level. Those that did were forced to travel long distances to high schools, since there were none in the immediate area.
When Campbell High School opened on Sept. 14, 1900, there were 35 students: 23 girls and 12 boys, according to Campbell: The Orchard City by Jeanette Watson. The school was located on the second floor of Campbell Grammar School and there were only three teachers responsible for educating the children.
That's a far cry from the current crop of 7,400 students spread across six high schools in three cities.
The first graduating class consisted of one student, Charles Beardsley. Beardsley helped the district establish itself as a serious academic institution, and continued his education at Stanford. This was no small accomplishment, as it meant Campbell High School had been recognized as an accredited school capable of producing top students. Beardsley eventually became a lawyer and went on to serve as president of the California Bar Association and, later, of the American Bar Association.
Photograph courtesy of Campbell Historical Museum
Growing: The second Campbell Union High School building (shown in about 1940) dominated the intersection of Campbell Avenue and Winchester Boulevard, before both roads were widened.
By 1903, the small quarters above the grammar school were beginning to feel a little confining, and Campbell High School Principal J. Fred Smith set his sights on a new building for the high school. The site he selected was at the southeast corner of what is now Campbell Avenue and Winchester Boulevard.
To call attention to the need for a new high school, Smith convinced President Theodore Roosevelt to visit the site and plant a redwood tree on the potential school grounds. The shovel Roosevelt used, which is engraved with his name and the date, is one of the items on display at the historical museum.
Smith must have made a convincing case, because only one year later, the school was built and students began attending classes. Parking wasn't an issue for the new school, which had a horse shed out back to house the student's transportation.
Over the next 30 years, as student enrollment swelled, the new school building began to seem too small. The district began looking for a new building as early as 1927, and in 1936, a new building, located at the northwest corner of Campbell and Winchester and the current site of Campbell Community Center, was built.
The district hit its enrollment peak in 1972, with 15,700 students, according to A History of the Campbell Union High School District, by George F. Miskulin. At that time, there were nine high schools serving the district.
As enrollment declined, the district closed Campbell High School and Camden High School in 1980, and Branham in 1992. Branham was eventually reopened when enrollment began to rise again to current levels. The city of Campbell leased the Campbell High School property in 1980 and bought it five years later for $9 million.
Today, the district is made up of Blackford, Branham, Del Mar and Leigh high schools in San Jose, Prospect High School in Saratoga and Westmont High School in Campbell.
With CUHSD turning 100 on the cusp of the new millennium, Farber said the district has set its sights on the future. "We're starting on the next 100 years. What we hope to do is to prepare these schools for the future," she said. "I'm sure there are many students sitting there who are going to create new things, and I want our students to have an exceptional education, to have a foundation that will allow them to do whatever it is they want to do."
Looking forward, Farber said the next challenge the district must face is teacher shortages. "I think one of the big challenges for all of us will be to retain teachers," she said, citing the high cost of living as a major foe.
But, on a positive note, she said many former students return to teach at CUHSD schools. "I think it's a real tribute to their school that they had a good experience and they want to come back and share that experience with everyone else," she said.
As for the students, they are focused on the present. Westmont sophomore Tamara Oskoui, 15, is one of many students working on the homecoming parade. She said the students are "pumped and psyched" about the event.
"The whole big thing about this is getting the community involved in Westmont," Oskoui said. "It's time for us to give back to the community and show what we're about."
Campbell, California
