Madera High School - History

History

Madera High School's layout has been changed over the years. Originally, a brick schoolhouse served as MHS; this was destroyed in a fire in the early 1900s. In 1907 a new similarly styled brick building—nicknamed the "Main Building" -- was constructed. Soon, more buildings began appearing. In 1976, the "Main Building" was demolished, because it did not meet earthquake standards; the area where it was located is now known as "the Pit" and is the hub for lunchtime activities. By 2000, the school's current layout had been completed. In 2004, the main office building was refurbished, and most of the school followed suit in 2006.

The school's original colors were purple and white. In 1949, with the color purple becoming scarce after the events of World War II, it was changed to its current blue-and-white color scheme. Purple has since been adopted as one of the main colors of Madera South High School.

From the early-1900s until sometime in the 1950s, the school was known as Madera Union High School, and was subsequently referred to as such in the following decades until 1992.

In 1989, the Madera Unified School District commissioned the building of a new, separate high school; overcrowding at MHS was the main reason for this. Construction began in 1990, but the project was brought to an abrupt end in 1992, for budget reasons. Because the site was not big enough to be considered a stand-alone high school, the campus was renamed "South Campus," and served as the second half of Madera High School. The original flagship campus was nicknamed "North Campus" as a result. However, the November 2002 passing of a school bond allowed South Campus to be completed, and as renovations at North Campus were underway, the new Madera South High School opened its doors in August 2006. The last "mega class" of Madera High graduated in 2008, being the largest graduating class in MHS history.