Huntington Park High School - El Recuerdo Yearbook (Huntington Park, CA)

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J r lrsJi r i i r i i gJr li Jpalr r I a a a a a a r EJnzJr i Jr i i Jr Jr lt l i JF F J i a a a a a a a a a i p i il utntmnmiM With the onset of the twenties, HPUHS began To take on an entirely different look. With 21 rooms consisting of a print shop, a publication room, a student store, an office, classrooms, and restrooms, the new Liberal Arts building was added to the existing structures. Then, in the following year, an auditorium was built on the same loca- tion as our present auditorium. Each building was con- nected to the others by corridors and broad covered pavements. Together with the reflecting pond, greenery, and spacious lawns, it was a splendid view. The students were proud of their school, but little did they suspect of the tragedy that would befall HP in the earthquake of 1 933. Due to the size of our school in the 1910 ' s, sports were very limited. Our entire athletic program then con sisted of a baseball team, boys ' and girts ' basketball, track and cross country. But soon, diverse and exciting sports such as water polo, tennis, swimming, volleyball and hockey became an integral part of HP ' s tradition. Football made its entrance at HP in 1921. Although losing the first season miserably, the players always put up a hardy fight for the good old Honor and Pride. Could you imagine yourself being classified as a Flea- weight? Well, you would have been just that had you been on a Cee team. It was in the early twenties that both football and basketball teams were divided into Heavy- weights, Lightweights and Fleaweights instead of Varsity, Bee and Cee. Organizations such as Girls ' League, Boys ' Forum, Spartans, Red Cross and C.S.F. all originated during the pre-30 ' s era. Many other clubs were widely active during that time. Cives Romani (Latin Club), the Debate team. Rooters Club and the Ukelele Club were a few that one might have belonged to. The large music department, composed of Advanced Orchestra, Band, and Glee Club not only enriched and enlivened the existence of many HP students, but those of the community as well. Class activities were continually in the making. With each year, every class — Freshman, Sophomore, Junior and Senior — produced their own plays. These were per- formed in the evenings for the community. Included in the long list of dazzling performances were such plays as, Romeo and Juliet and Snow Whtte. On these nights, the auditorium was filled to capacity. Many significant changes came about in this decade at HP that may have gone unnoticed. One quite obscure incident occurred in 1925 when the Bell branch of Hunt- ington Park Union High School (now Bell High School) was opened to ease the overcrowded situation at HPUHS It was also in this year that a name was given to the, as yet, nameless school newspaper. It became, appropriately, the Spartan Shield. One additional change came about when problems arose concerning school colors. Proud of their green and white colors, HP relinquished them and opted for the new Spartan orange and gray when it became difficult to distinguish one school from another. During these swinging twenties, what would life have been like without a few parties? HP was not about to be left out of the song and dance. To keep up with the times, each class threw a wild party in the school bungalow. Apparently these parties could not have been too wild for by twelve o ' clock midnight, it was time to go home. Clockwise from the left: 1 . An architect ' s rendition of the school in 1922. 2. Students out for a drive in a 1920 Chrysler. 3. Cast of the school play Merton of the Mov- ies, 1925. 4. The Ukelele Club. 5. The Bell branch of HPUHS. 6. HP ' s first yell leaders.

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cr TRAGEDY r f= r f==li= n=Ji=di= i= r=dr==Jf==ii=if==if==ipSmi JIHI1IUJH-H1I Itru ■ Althcugh the ' 30s held en era of depression and hard times, the people of Sparta knew that it wouldn ' t last long and made the best of it! During this decode, the campus had on entirely differ- ent look from that of today In front of Westovei Hall stood a fountain, the Administration building was o stately brick structure and HP also housed an Industrial Arts complex Then suddenly at 5:55 p.m. on Match 10, 1933, the walls of Sparta and the city of Huntington Park crumbled The Administration building, several bungalows and the beautiful fountain were destroyed, cancelling classes for many days. The shock and tragedy rendered by the earthquake were not soon forgotten, but despite the thought of knowing that their school lay in ruins, HP stu- dents resumed classes at South Gate High School, once port of HP Union High School. The fountain has since been replaced by a flowerbed, the Administration building has been rebuilt and the fac- ulty parking lot now covers the place where the Industrial Arts complex once stood. Movie theaters on Pacific Boulevard showed double feature films for an incredible 1 5 or 20 cents, along with a mug of ice cold Hires Root Beer for another nickel. Imagine, o Friday night out for less than a quarter! School dances, being inexpensive, were also a popu- lar pastime. From the Howdy Dance to the Senior Prom students danced on the new gymnasium floor doing steps like the Big Apple. The favorite postime during school hours was Hi- Day. Every Friday students roamed Stockton Court say- ing hi to everyone they passed, thus creating the warm atmosphere for which HP is still known. In 1937, students of HP received a special treat. An assembly was held in Westover Hall featuring a demon- stration of o new mechanical luxury, the television. The show consisted of a three foot television screen, this being the third largest screen in the world at the time. Fif- teen thousand dollars worth of equipment was used to explain the function and use of the TV. It was predicted that the television would be m wide use by the late ' 30s to the early ' 40s. Other happenings in and around campus included the bitter rivalry between the Spartans and the Compton Tar tors. It wasn ' t until the 40s that the Bell Eagles became the arch-enemies. In 1939 HP clenched its first City Championship title. And in 1936, Reeder Field was hon- ored to host the Ohio State football team as they prac- ticed for a game against USC. In track, Foy Draper was making headlines. He tied the World ' s High School Record for the 100 yard dosh, 9.6 seconds, and went on to qualify for the Olympics but that dream never came true — he was killed in World War II. Eccentric weather also plagued HP. In our usually mild winter, freezing temperatures, sleet and even snow touched the ground here at Sparta. Stranger still, in early spring Huntington Park set a national record high when the mercury topped 81 degrees before noon! Of all the long lived changes that were evident in the 30s, only one remains with us . . . enrollment at HP reached the 2,000 plus mark. This caused a bit of crowd- ing in HP ' s corridors but once again students at Sparta made the best of it while en|Oying the low prices, getting the good times out of the hard ond letting happiness guide them through the thirties. Pictures (clockwise from left}: 1 . Sparta ' s Gymnasts — 1938. 2. Masker ' s Club — 1930. This was the honor dramatics society They presented plays for the Student Body. 3. Aeronautics Club. Though limited to boys, it involved 40 aeronautically inclined students 3 of whom were licensed pilots. 4 Students holding class on the bleachers after the earthquake. 5. R. M. Westover, Boys ' Vice-Principal, as he appeared in 1934 Westover Hall is named after him 6. Foy Draper — HP ' s stor of track. 7. 1 934 Social Board which organized dances and ban- quets. 8. Junior Volleyball Team — 1931 Girls ' sports at that time were intrascholastic. 9. Yell and Song Lead- ers of 1938. 10. Yelt and Song leaders of 1934. Notice the drastic change in dress in |ust four years!!