Santa Paula High School Open House

  
Physical History of Santa Paula High School
February 4, 1995

Below is a brief timeline of the history of Santa Paula High School that was originally published in the Santa Paula High School Open House handout on February 1995. To the best of my knowledge, this open house was held to commemorate the opening of the new three story “400” building.

Historical information was gleaned from documents compiled by Bob Raitt, SPHS teacher 1949 - 1983, and by Bess Richardson, SPHS teacher 1920 - 1951.

1889-1890
These were the years of Santa Paula’s first school beyond the elementary grades. The cornerstone was actually laid on April 24, 1889. The school at that time, a private school, was called the Santa Paula Academy. It was built on the site of this plant with money contributed by Wallace L. Hardison, C.H. McKevett, J.M. Sharp, N.W. Blanchard. The curriculum included Latin, Greek and Roman history, medieval and modern history, English, algebra, trigonometry, chemistry and physics.

1891
The state Legislature provided for incorporation of Union High School districts, and the academy was turned over to the state to become a public high school.

1905
The ground between 6th and 7th streets was bought. At that time, there were 100 students enrolled at Santa Paula High School.

1909
Ground purchased in 1905 was exchanged for the present Santa Paula street frontage between 5th and 6th streets.

1912
The plot was bought which houses the gym. The student body numbered 125 and the faculty 6.

1914
A three story concrete school was built with a concrete shop in the rear for “Manual Training.” The new school had electric clocks in every classroom. The original frame building was moved to Briggs school.

1924
A new study hall unit was added to the east side of the building, parallel to the auditorium unit in the middle. Original intentions were to add a third unit on the west side of the auditorium; but by the time such space was needed, the building and equipment were thought too outmoded to do so. The SP on South Mountain was built by the Freshman Class.

1925
The present football field was opened on newly acquired ground between Santa Paula Street and the Blanchard estate.

1929
The alumni dedicated the football field as Jones Field in 1929. The library was established in the study hall. The student body numbered about 250 and the faculty 20.

1930
Enforced attendance led to expanded housing needs. Required physical education resulted in building the gym. During this time, the land was acquired on which the industrial building now stands. The area was first used for tennis courts.

1937
District trustees, reacting to the 1933 Long Beach earthquake damage, heeded State Division of Architecture engineers’ warning about local school building safety, and urged district voters to vote money for a new school plant. Said the trustees, “The main building and additions are not considered safe for occupancy during an earthquake.” Voters overwhelmingly approved monies for a new school plant.

1938
As the new campus plant was being constructed, seven classrooms of students were temporarily put in the gymnasium, and the “homemaker” courses were taught under the Jones Field bleachers.

1939
The new campus plant was completed in the spring of 1939. The architecture was a modified Spanish style. The first program in the new auditorium was a school assembly on Thursday, March 9, 1939. The public was welcomed to the campus the next evening. More than 700 Santa Paulans attended the new campus dedication program held in the auditorium.

1945
Property was acquired on Palm Court. This included the site of the pool, a passage way to Jones Field, and the homemaking cottage.

1950
The swimming pool and industrial arts building were built.

1951
The property was acquired on the northwest corner of 5th and Santa Paula Streets, joining the gymnasium area.

1954
A major campus expansion program commenced in January after voters approved a $980,000 bond issue. Stuart Courtice and fellow trustees and Superintendent Max Forney led the way for a building program that would provide for an agriculture building, a second gymnasium, a new football stadium, and administration and cafeteria buildings. The student body now totaled 845.

1957
Remodeling was complete on previous structures: the girls’ gym, agriculture building, Jones Field, boys’ gym, cafeteria, administration offices, and health office, as well as renovation and lighting in science rooms, homemaking rooms, and other classrooms. The enrollment at SPHS consisted of 1,063 students with 45 teachers on staff.

1990
A $5,000,000 School Bond Issue for construction was passed by approximately 85% of the citizens of the Santa Paula Union High School District.

1991 – 1992
Modernization I Project. Using 2.7 million dollars of State Construction Funding, the girls’ gym and a majority of the classrooms in the Center and Upper Courts were renovated. An elevator and other improvements for handicapped access, new classroom furniture, computers, and other technological improvements were also part of this project. Approximately $600,000 of bond money was used to match state funds to replace the water system, the fire alarm system, and to install conduit connecting all rooms and buildings for future technology.

1994
A 15 classroom Humanities building was completed at a cost of 2.1 million dollars using funds from the $5,000,000 bond issue.

1994 – 1995
Modernization II Project. This project consisted of improvements in the cafeteria, converting the former Board room into a food preparation area and snack bar serving lines, constructing a covered eating area outside the cafeteria, converting the staff lounge into a student store, and constructing a band room in the old snack bar area under the cafeteria. The total cost of the project was $700,000. Five hundred twenty-five thousand dollars ($525,000) of bond funds were utilized as matching funds with state funds.

1995
During the Spring, construction on an eight (8) classroom math/agriculture facility is scheduled to begin. The warehouse along Virginia Terrace will be torn down to make room for the new building on the Upper Courts. Completion is scheduled for Spring, 1996.