Whittier High School - History

History

Whittier High School was established in 1900. when the few classes were in the upper floor of the old Jonathan Bailey School. At that time, there were 47 students in attendance. The classrooms included a study hall, a library, a recitation room, a science laboratory, and the principal's office. The library contained one stack of books. For a heating unit, there was an old-fashioned wood stove. A few pictures and a statue of Julius Caesar ornamented the building.

Following the addition of the East Whittier, Ranchito, Rivera, Los Nietos, Pico, and Mill Districts, the school became known as Whittier Union High School. In 1905 a new building was opened at the corner of Philadelphia and Lindley, which is the current site of Whittier High School today.

A rapid influx of students necessitated the constructions of a girls' gym, an administration building and an auditorium in 1923. Soon after, the shops on Pierce Avenue were built.

The Long Beach earthquake of 1933 rendered most of the buildings unsafe. Classes were held in crowded storerooms, basements, and bungalows until condemned buildings could be reconstructed. The Science Building was rebuilt in 1934; a Boys' Gym in 1935; dressing rooms and Cafeteria in 1936. The Auditorium stood idle for almost 20 years and then was renovated into the present Library.

In 1938, the District approved bonds for a new Girls' Gym and an Auditorium. Both were completed in 1940.

Following World War II, the Whittier area began to grow rapidly. In 1952, the student enrollment was over 3,500. It was at this time that the District opened a new high school called El Rancho. Growth continued and in 1953, California High School opened, followed by Santa Fe in 1955, Sierra in 1957, Pioneer in 1959, La Serna in 1961, and Monte Vista in 1964. By 1966, the District had almost 16,000 students in seven schools.

In 1967, Buffalo Springfield performed in the Whittier High School auditorium. A bootleg recording is in circulation.

Because of declining enrollment, two of the schools closed in 1979. Despite Whittier High School being the oldest high school in the district, with the oldest buildings (many in a desperate need of major repairs), the two newest schools in the district were closed at the direction of a school board that was comprised solely of graduates of Whittier High School. Many students from the Sierra High School area came to Whittier. Since that time, Whittier High School's enrollment has slowly increased each year.

Several areas of the Whittier High School campus were featured as Hill Valley High School in the 1985 blockbuster film Back to the Future, and its 1989 sequel Back to the Future II.

From government sources (including the Federal Emergency Management Agency) and bond financing, monies have been obtained for district-wide structural repairs. The seismic repairs and remodeling are still under way.

In 1998 the Boys Gym was destroyed by fire. The new Perry Gym opened in 2002. The Holloway-Poucher Aquatic Center was completed in 2001. Other buildings and areas on campus are named after alumni and members of the Cardinal community: the O.C. Albertson field after the first principal, the Myron Claxton ('36) Science Building, the Vic Lopez ('46) Auditorium, the Bob Chandler ('67) Sports Complex and the Marion Wilson Hodges fountain, also a former principal.