Today's Saratoga Elementary School is a completely different institution compared to what it looked around the time of the Civil War. But a focus on the educational advancement of children has remained constant since 1854. The school celebrates its 150th anniversary this year, with events featuring historical accounts of its past by former and current students. The center for learning also prides itself with being Saratoga's oldest school and the oldest continually operating school in the state of California on one site, according to Principal Marybarbara Zorio.

"We know that our school holds a special place in the hearts of our alumni," said Zorio. "We're hoping to involve as many graduates and former students in the celebration as possible."

The milestone celebration began July 31 with an annual Saratoga Grammar School alumni reunion and picnic. The reunion was only for graduates from 1965 and earlier, since 1965 was last year that grades K­8 were offered at the school. After that year, Fruitvale School—now called Redwood Middle School—offered seventh- and eighth-grade classes.

The reunion featured guided tours of the school in the morning and continued into the afternoon at nearby Wildwood Park with music by a local band, the Skillet Likkers. Many of the musicians in this folk group once attended or taught at the school.

Saratoga Elementary School was once called Saratoga Grammar School, and remained known as Saratoga Grammar School until the mid-1960s, Zorio said, and more informally it has been called "Oak Street School."

"Lately, they've been fighting to put the word 'elementary' back in there," said retired teacher Les Landin, also the former principal of Foothill Elementary School. "We've been fighting like cats and dogs to keep the 'grammar' in it."

One of the major festivities at the school and for the city was Halloween, Landin remembered. Students paraded in costume around the school's auditorium and through the Saratoga Village. Some of the highlights were old-fashioned games like bobbing for apples, donuts on strings, and chewing soda crackers and trying to whistle.

The school also celebrated similar merriment annually on May Day, with softball games, kite flying, and sack and spoon races.

The school's present library was an auditorium starting in the early 1920s, Landin said, and included a stage. Children and community members would gather to watch free, black and white movies—like Laurel and Hardy—displayed from a projector booth. The booth was located on a third floor area, over the back end of the library.

"We had silent movies in the auditorium on Friday nights," said Jane Whiteman Garrod, class of 1932. "And my mother played the piano. It was for the whole town."

Jane, her husband Vince Garrod, and close friend Hilda Hanchett Faurman, all from the class of 1932, reminisced about riding the street car to school, while still other students who lived closer simply walked. Back then, pupils who attended the school went on to graduate from Los Gatos High School, since Saratoga High School had yet to be formed. There were 21 graduates from the school's class of 1932, and only a handful are still living.

Willys Peck, a Saratoga historian and columnist with the Saratoga News who attended the school from 1929 to 1937, described the school as being like "a community center." Peck said various civic meetings, theater productions, dances and an annual talent show were held in the school's auditorium.

Peck also recalled being able to see the dirigibles—USS Macon and its sister ship, USS Akron—at Moffett Field from the windows and treetops of the Saratoga Grammar School. The Akron was wrecked in a storm off the New Jersey coast in April 1933, and The Macon perished over the Pacific Ocean in February 1935.

Lee Ann Hernandez, class of 1958, remembered how Myrtle Cox was the cafeteria manager, appointed to the position in 1945. Cox was known for serving hamburger gravy over mashed potatoes, Sloppy Joe's, chili beans and tamale pie, according to Cox's children who attended the reunion. Prior to that time, a Mother's Club and later a home economics class served hot dishes for students. The children were charged a small amount per plate, ranging from five to 15 cents. However, other graduates, like Peck, said his mother used to make him walk home for a hot lunch.

Classes often didn't start until the picking season was over in September, since many of the students and their families harvested apricots, prunes, cherries and walnuts in Saratoga's once abundant orchards.

Tom Dorsey, class of 1953, and Frank Paris, class of 1932, gawked over the computer labs and technological classroom advancements during a tour of the school.

"Look at how big this classroom is," Dorsey said. "This is something else."

"But we had more fun with those old-fashioned desks," Paris said, remembering the desk tops with ink wells and lids that lifted to store materials.

The alumni also relived happy memories from their graduation ceremonies. They once sang "The Green Cathedral" during commencement exercises under the oak trees at the site of the today's Saratoga Union School District office, 20460 Forrest Hills Drive.

But the roots of this rural school date back much further. In the early 1850s, classes were held at a Catholic church off today's Big Basin Way, Zorio said, as a subscription, or private tuition-based school. The start of Saratoga's first official public school was at the Sons of Temperance Hall in 1854.

The school was in Redwood Township, District No. 1, which is today called the Saratoga Union School District. The McCartysville Division No. 55 Sons of Temperance was a fraternal society that used the building by evening, allowing children to use it by day. It was referred to by pupils as the "little chocolate school house," Peck said, because of its unpainted, brown shanty-type appearance. It was meant to be a variation of the little red schoolhouse theme.

The first teacher of the school was Andrew T. Swart, who received a salary of about $125 per month, and the first superintendent was James P. Springer. Attendance records from 1860 included an enrollment of eight boys and 12 girls. The school today houses grades K­5 with more than 500 students.

But the hand-hewn redwood building of 1854 wasn't just a school. It was used for social, religious and public gatherings by some of the first settlers of Saratoga. Classes continued in the Temperance Hall for 12 years, until the building was condemned and sold during an auction for about $23, according to Saratoga's First Hundred Years written by the late Florence R. Cunningham. Cunningham's book, published in 1967, is one of the only sources of Saratoga's origins. Cunningham was a former teacher and pupil of the school.

In her book, Cunningham wrote that the Temperance Hall was on the lower part of the present school grounds on Oak Street, near the upper end of Fourth Street. After the 1854 school was condemned, and while a new, second school was being built, students attended classes at an upstairs hall on the corner of either Third or Fourth and Lumber streets, where Big Basin Way is today.

In November 1869, the second schoolhouse was opened. The two-room framed building, costing about $2,000, was located on the same site as the former Temperance Hall clubhouse. But within 10 years, the schoolhouse became overcrowded, so the original two rooms were raised and two additional rooms were added beneath it. It was painted white with green shutters. According to Cunningham, the boys' and girls' playgrounds were separated by a high board fence.

As enrollment continued to increase, Cunningham documented that an 1895 campaign was started to build a new, larger third schoolhouse. It took three elections before a $5,000 bond was issued to purchase more land for $500 and a more modern building. By 1897, 100 pupils were registered at the school.

The wooden schoolhouse had a grand appearance, designed by local architect Charles F. Boosinger and built by San Jose contractor W.S. Boyle. It was two stories, complete with a bell tower, fire escape, combination office and library, classrooms and an auditorium that could be divided and used as classrooms. A dedication ceremony took place on Sept. 4, 1898.

This school was also located on Oak Street, the site of present day Saratoga Elementary School. Robert Loosemore, an Englishman, taught and served as principal for 25 years, until his retirement in 1918. And in the early 1920s, parents financed a bus driver to transport their children to and from school for several years.

The old schoolhouse, however, was not destroyed. Rather, it was sold at an auction and moved to Big Basin Way, where it was used as a post office, store and general office.

By 1922, the school's increasing enrollment required another expansion program. The fourth school, erected in 1923, still looks as it did then, at least from the front. In 1928, it had an enrollment of 150 students. It included a library, auditorium, cafeteria, bigger grounds and a landscaped front. This site was treasured by many graduates at the reunion.

"I remember it was a beautiful school with beautiful teachers," said Nick Miljevich, class of 1939, puffing on a cigar at the picnic. "It was very quaint, homey and strict. It was very educational."

The school's claim to fame was that actress Olivia de Havilland graduated from Oak Street School in 1930. Her sister, Joan Fontaine, also attended the school. DeHavilland currently lives in Paris, and although she has never attended a reunion, she still corresponds with select Saratoga residents and the school's alumni association.

The school's most recent renovation was in 1999­2000, and included a new roof, paint job, multi-purpose room and two-story building. The structure also was retrofitted for earthquake safety. Zorio said all the existing classrooms received face lifts and updated technology, such as telephones and outfitting for computers, VCRs and DVD players. Many of the school's latest additions were made possible generous community members and parents, rather than state funds.

While the school colors were once orchid and maize, Zorio said, now the school color is red. It was recognized as one of California's first distinguished schools in 1987, and again in 1993. In addition to more than 500 students, there are about 25 teachers, two county autism classes, an on-site day care center, and after-school enrichment activities in partnership with the Los GatosSaratoga Department of Community Education and Recreation. It is the largest school in the district, Zorio said, but was once the smallest.

Zorio said that the oldest existing part of today's school is an outdoor, covered breezeway from the 1920s, which is visible from the front. Consistent features over the years include the school's backdrop of rolling hills, and many of the oak trees on the property. A weather vain on top of the new multi-purpose room dates back to about 1932, Zorio said, and a birdbath on the playground is from 1928­30.

The front entrance of the school also includes a heritage 1854 Regulator clock and an 1854 Steinway & Sons piano. These items came from the same time period as when the school first began, but didn't originate there. Visitors can still see them on display, and Zorio said they are always looking for historical artifacts to exhibit in the school lobby.

"We do celebrate the present and look to the future," Zorio said. "But we can't forget to remember and honor the past."

The Saratoga News would like to thank the following people and organizations for their assistance with this story: The Saratoga Historical Foundation; Saratoga Elementary School's 150th Anniversary Committee including chairwoman Kathleen Barco; Don Armstrong, Saratoga Historical Museum board member; Willys Peck; Les Landin and Marybarbara Zorio. We are also indebted to the late Florence R. Cunningham whose book, "Saratoga's First Hundred Years," provided insight on the early years of the school.

Early 1850s—A subscription school, supported by private tuition and donations, was started at a Catholic church off Big Basin Way.

June 12, 1854—The Sons of Temperance, a fraternity group, was organized in McCartysville, later called Saratoga.

Fall 1854—The Sons of Temperance clubhouse became the first school on the Oak Street site, known as the "little chocolate schoolhouse."

1860—Average daily attendance reached eight boys and 12 girls.

Dec. 22, 1863—The town name changed to Bank Mills.

March 13, 1865—The town name changed to Saratoga.

1866—The chocolate schoolhouse was condemned and sold at an auction for around $23.

1869—The school's second building was erected in the form of a two-room schoolhouse, for $2,000 on the present Oak Street site.

1879—Two more rooms were added to this building, and it was painted white with green shutters.

1897—A $5,000 bond was issued to pay for the school's third expansion, passing after its third vote and much controversy. School attendance reached 100 pupils.

Sept. 4, 1898—The modern, two-story wooden school was dedicated. This third schoolhouse had a bell tower, fire escape and faucets for drinking water. The school acreage also increased, and boys and girls shared one, large playground.

1913—A Mother's Club started hot lunches at the school for 5 cents a plate.

1918—Robert Loosemore retired after 25 years as principal and teacher.

1920s—Parents hire the first school bus driver.

1923—The school was again expanded for the fourth time, complete with an auditorium, cafeteria and landscaping.

Feb. 6, 1931—The editor of the school publication was Olivia de Havilland.

June 1965—The school graduated its last eighth-grade class before students began attending Fruitvale School, now called Redwood Middle School.

1999-2000—The school receives its fifth expansion and modernization including a new roof, paint job, technology updates, multipurpose room and was retrofitted for earthquake safety.

Summer 2003—Lane Weiss was appointed as Saratoga Union School District superintendent, replacing Mary Gardner, who served as superintendent for 11 years.

Sept. 2004—The school celebrates its 150th anniversary.

Timeline is courtesy of Saratoga Elementary School Principal Marybarbara Zorio.

A sesquicentennial kickoff assembly will take place at Saratoga Elementary School on Sept. 15 at 8:30 a.m. for local dignitaries, elected officials, alumni and the media. For more information, call the school office at 408.867.3476. This event is open to the public.

Saratoga Elementary School, 14592 Oak St., will host an annual family picnic celebrating the school's 150th anniversary on Sept. 17 at 5 p.m. The event is being sponsored by the Saratoga Parent-Teacher Association and Little Lou's BBQ, and includes hot dogs, veggie burgers and barbecue chicken. Participants are encouraged to pay for their meals in advance because a limited number of walk-ins will be accommodated. For more information, call Sandy Cichanowicz at 408.741.5457.

Reminisce with the students: Saratoga Elementary School's 150th Anniversary Committee members are looking for alumni who can bring to life the bygone eras of the school for its current students. They are looking for volunteers to bring traveling "trunk shows" to classrooms. They are also seeking alumni who are willing to correspond, speak or perform throughout the school year, and teach crafts to the children related to what school life was once life. To participate, email ses150@saratogausd.org or write to Kathleen Barco, Saratoga Elementary School 150th Anniversary Committee, 14592 Oak St., Saratoga, CA 95070.

If you attended Saratoga Elementary School, or if you know someone who did, send that information to Barco at ses150@saratogausd.org.

In mid-March, the California Theatre Center will present a production about the history of Saratoga, featuring current students with cameo appearances by alumni. The script is being drafted with the help of Saratoga historian Willys Peck. Students will be participating in acting workshops and after-school enrichment sessions to prepare for the show.