Los Angeles High School - Blue and White Yearbook (Los Angeles, CA)

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thirty-seven. Already we have outgrown our building and are doing our best to get a new one, which we hope to see in the near future. Our principals, since Mr. Clark, were Miss Elizabeth A. Packard, now vice-principal and head of English in Oakland High School 5 Mr. Cates, and finally our present much respected Mr. Housh, who has exercised his authority during his four years as principal so wisely and agreeably to all, and who we hope will continue in his position for a long time to come. Of the present faculty, Miss Dunham has been longest con- nected with the school, having been elected in 1884, and assigned to teach in the ninth grade, when that class was quartered in Leek's Hall. She has been for several years class teacher of the Senior A's. In 1886 Mrs. Erick, now vice-principal and head of the English Department, entered the faculty. Her work brings her into intimate relations with the Senior classes. Other teach- ers who have served long and faithfully in training the successive classes, are Miss Brigham, Miss Wooster, Miss Huston, and Miss Davis. The remainder of the High School teachers may be said to have joined the faculty at comparatively recent dates. We can't tell the history of the school without mentioning the Star and Crescent Literary Society, for it is a part of the school, having been formed in 1879, and it has been growing with the school since that time. Its Hrst president was Mary E. Foy. In the early times the object of the society was to drill the members in debates, declamations and essays, and every member was required to take part, but as the number increased it became too large for this, since all the pupils except those of the ninth grade were members and the original intention had to be given up, and some exercise had to be selected which should be agree- able to such large numbers. Therefore the prime intention grew to be entertainment, not instruction, except where the latter can be inserted in such small quantities that its presence is not rea- lized by the .audience. The membership is now about five hun- dred. There is one practice which has become custom by its long standing, and that is of presenting to the graduating class on closing day a gold pin in the design of a star and crescent, on which is engraved the ,date and L. A. H. S. The proudest day of the student's life is when he receives this distinguishing mark of his connection with the High School. CLINTON K. JUDY, S. '99.

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authority on the history of the schools of the city, and we are greatly indebted to him for our information on the origin of our High School, and extend our thanks to him for the interest he has taken in helping us in this article. Mr. Guinn supervised the methods of the school, but took no part in the teaching. In '82 he, with the aid of Professor Moses, now head of History in U. C., President Kellogg of U. C., and Professor jackson, a late teacher of literature in the same college, revised the existing courses of the High School so as to prepare the pupils for entrance to that university in the Freshman year. The courses have since been greatly amplified and lengthened, and a commercial department organized. In 1889 the school was placed on the ac- credited list in eighteen subjects, the highest number possible. By an Accredited Subject we mean one in which a pupil doing suiiiciently good work is recommended, and can enter the university without the entrance examinations. During Mr. Guinn's term it was found that, owing to the growth of the schools, the two oliices were too much for one man to try to iill, so at the next election, in the winter of '83-4, L. D. Smith was chosen for the oiiice of Superintendent of Schools, and F. H. Clark for that of Principal of the High School. Mr. Clark is now head of the History Department in the Boys' High School of San Francisco. Our school was now rapidly outgrow- ing its two rooms, and therefore part of the pupils were sent to Leek's Hall, on Main street, near Third 5 also those of the ninth grade, who were residents of East Los Angeles, went to school on the East side to Mrs. Graham. In several instances the ninth grade was taught with the grammar grades, and then the school was indeed in a scattered condition, and to cap the climax the High School building was needed for the lower grades, so the rightful owners were compelled, in 1885, to End a new home. This time they found a place on the second iloor of the Spring- street building, between Fifth and Sixth. At this time, too. a little German church on Spring street, between Sixth and Seventh, was rented for the ninth grade. The faculty now numbered live, the ninth grade being divided. At last in 1889 our present High School was built to accommo- date about six hundred pupils, though there were but four hun- dred then in attendance. We have grown in numbers steadily till now we have thirteen hundred students and a faculty of

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'lbl5tOI'Q of the Ziluilllfel' C1355 of '00 HE history of the Winter Class of 'oo is like the histories of the princesses in the fairy tales. Some malignant fairy is not invited to the christening, and comes uninvited, and, angered by the neglect, decrees that, until the princess is eighteen a malignant fate shall pursue her, and then, if certain conditions are fulfilled, she shall live happy ever afterward. The malignant fairy in the case of W. 'oo was not a fairy at all. It was a day. The class came into existence on Friday, and that day spoiled all its bright prospects, until it should grow up into a Senior B Class, and until it should have three success- ive class meetings without doing any business. That was the limit set, so it was believed. The history of the class so far has been entirely in accordance with this unfortunate decree. Its reverses started the very first day of its life as a class. When it came to the High School it was sent to the auditorium and kept there long hours, and then told that there was no room in the High School building, and that it would have to go to the Sand-street building to sit. Con- sider the indignity of it, after having looked forward so long Qeight yearsj to growing up into High School people I The next misfortune that befel it was crushing, because it wounded the dignity. The class, wishing to choose a class color, asked to have a class meeting. It was told, most scornfully, that B Q,S can't have class meetings. After much trouble it did have a class meeting, but the joy was gone from it because the call was informed that it could use the colors only for the coming Fiesta week. Then, too, after it had tasted the full bitterness of being exiled to Sand street, it was brought back to the High School building to undergo the other misery of being teased by the upper classes. A class can stand, and many classes have stood, the teasing, but the two are more than any ordinary class could survive. W. 'oo is no ordinary one. It survived. The rest of the ninth year, the class lived on its hopes of hav- ing class meetings when it grew to be a Junior, and on the assur- ance that, inasmuch as junior classes always are a power in the Star and Crescent elections, it would be courted and petted and made happy the coming term. But, alas ! just before it attained