Crestmoor High School

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Crestmoor High School opened in San Bruno, California in September 1962 to relieve congestion at Capuchino High School and Mills High School. It was the seventh high school to be built by the San Mateo Union High School District, based in San Mateo, California. Construction began in 1960 on a graded plateau in the Crestmoor district of San Bruno and took about two years to complete. The buildings, which are similar in design to those of Aragon High School, Burlingame High School, and Mills High School, were constructed mostly of steel and glass, featuring expansion systems to provide earthquake resistance.^[1]

The view from the school site, which takes in the East Bay and SSF to San Mateo, remains one of the best in the Bay Area.

[edit] History

the former Crestmoor High School building as of April 2007

During the 1961-62 academic year, high school freshman who lived north of San Bruno Avenue or west of Junipero Serra Boulevard in San Bruno attended Mills High School. These students then transferred to Crestmoor the following year. In addition, incoming freshmen in the 1962-63 academic year who lived in the same area also attended the new school. Students who were juniors and seniors that year, who lived in the Crestmoor attendance area, continued at Capuchino High School. Another freshmen class was added for the 1963-64 academic year and another one for the 1964-65 academic year. Thus, some families had students attending two different high schools in San Bruno until the fall of 1964. In the 1964-65 academic year Crestmoor finally was a four-year high school.^[1]

The high school was officially dedicated in the boys' gym during Sunday afternoon ceremonies in early October 1962. The school's first music teacher, Dr. Randolph Hunt, led the school band and a girl's vocal ensemble, including the first performance of the school hymn, Hail to Crestmoor, which Dr. Hunt had composed.^[2]

David Studebaker, who had served as dean of boys at Capuchino, was Crestmoor's first principal. Stewart Dimon was the first dean of boys and Florence Gorman was the first dean of girls.

The school's student newspaper was The Crest, initially published every two weeks by the Millbrae Sun. First faculty advisor was June Aldritt, who was followed by Sam Goldman in the fall of 1964. Under Goldman, The Crest began publishing every week; the paper was a quality production, as Goldman went on to head the Journalism Department at Skyline College in San Bruno, when it opened in the late 1960s. The student yearbook was Wingspread.

Crestmoor's school mascot was the Falcon. The official colors were blue and gold. The school hymn was regularly sung at the end of varsity football and varsity basketball games, as well as at the graduation ceremonies.^[3]

The first graduation ceremonies took place in the boys' gym in June 1965. Among the first graduates were the first student body president, Gus Lopez, and the first senior class president, Mike Wise. Bob Davis led the band for the final time; he joined the faculty of Santa Barbara City College in the 1965-66 academic year.^[4]

Math teacher Mr. Davis sponsored the Math Team, which topped the district in the 1969-70 academic year.

Memorable counter-culture history: student organizations of the late 60s included the bohemian New Shavian Society. A student-organized school fair under the moniker "Milk Faire and Hay Fever Show" resembled the legendary 1967 Golden Gate Park Be-In on a small scale. A 1969 rock concert held in the boy's gym was headlined by an early Earth, Wind, and Fire, and also featured the Sons of Chaplin, and Little Princess 109 (a professional period multi-media light show, run by a Crestmoor alumus).

[edit] Sports

Cheerleaders, pom pon girls, the pep band, and students at a 1965 varsity basketball game in the Crestmoor boys gym (Wingspread 65)

Crestmoor became part of the new Mid-Peninsula League, which included all seven of the high schools in the San Mateo Union High School District. The school had a limited athletic program during its first year, then added a varsity basketball team, coached by John Christgau in the 1963-64 academic year. (Christgau, who taught English at Crestmoor, later became a published author.)^[5] The first varsity football team, coached by Chuck Kent, debuted in the fall of 1964, only winning one game (against Oceana High School). However, the Mid-Peninsula League officially commended the team for its efforts.^[6] Kent also coached the first varsity wrestling team. The 1965 varsity football game also won only one game (against Half Moon Bay High School).^[7]

Crestmoor's first Mid-Peninsula League victory in football would wait until 1967, a rainy Friday night affair, the Falcons victorious over Hillsdale (14-7?). This victory followed the week after a rainy and muddy 6-0 loss to rival Capuchino, Cap's defense doing the game's only scoring on a botched punt; the blue and green of the jerseys from the two teams were invisible due to being coated with the ubiquitous dark mud of the lighted Burlingame High School field.

Coach Kent coached the school's wrestling team to the most successful sports team run in the school's history. Over several years, the team won league titles and sent several wrestlers to Section Championships and beyond.

In 1971, the track team sent sprinter Chuck Bommarito to the State Track and Field Championship in Westwood, where he won in the 220 with a time of 21.2 seconds. Chuck finished second in the 100 at 9.6 seconds, in a race that was run twice. Chuck soloed for Crestmoor to a second place team finish for the meet. see: http://www.dyestatcal.com/ATHLETICS/TRACK/1971/stateres.htm

[edit] Fine Arts

Dr. Randolph Hunt, who had taught at Capuchino from 1950 to 1960, was Crestmoor's first music director, directing both the band and a choral group. Dr. Hunt did not return to Crestmoor for the 1963-64 academic year (he went to Merritt College in Oakland)^[8]; instead, Robert Davis took over the school's band and choral groups. Under Davis the school established its first mixed chorus; by the 1964-65 academic year there was a beginning choir and an advanced choir. Davis greatly improved the band, but he did not form a marching band. By 1967 a full marching band was created under his successor, Robert Musser.^[9] Robert Meadows, who had formerly taught in Petaluma, took over the music programs when Musser left. Meadows paid considerable tribute to Dr. Hunt, who had started both Capuchino's and Crestmoor's music departments.^[10]

Arthur Fischer directed the school's first dramatic productions, including Junior Miss, Arsenic and Old Lace, and Death of a Salesman.

During Fischer's sabbatical (to earn a doctorate), Elizabeth Barton continued the high standards in Crestmoor's plays with Liliom (Ferenc Molnár's play that inspired Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel) and You Can't Take It With You during the 1965-66 school year. She established a working relationship with actors and staff from San Francisco's American Conservatory Theatre; some of the plays produced at that time were The Miracle Worker and Blithe Spirit. Crestmoor's first musical comedy production was Bye Bye Birdie.

Crestmoor's last productions, including its final performances of the Gilbert & Sullivan operetta H.M.S. Pinafore (in June 1980), were directed by Robert Meadows, who transferred to Capuchino and was the first director of the Capuchino Community Theatre.^[1]

[edit] Closing

Declining student enrollment in the San Mateo Union High School District prompted the school board to consider closing a school in the fall of 1980. The final choice came down to Burlingame High School or Crestmoor. In the vote the board decided to close Crestmoor, despite being a newer facility with lower operating and maintenance costs than several district schools. The buildings were later used for a continuation high school, Peninsula High School, and a municipal courthouse.^[1]

[edit] Footnotes

1. ^ ^{a b c d} San Bruno Herald
2. ^ Eyewitness account by Robert E. Nylund, Crestmoor Class of 1965
3. ^ Wingspread 1964 and 1965
4. ^ Eyewitness account by Robert E. Nylund
5. ^ John Christgau website
6. ^ Wingspread 1965 edition
7. ^ Wingspread 1966 edition
8. ^ Interview with Dr. Hunt, 1964
9. ^ Wingspread 1966 edition.
10. ^ Interview with Robert Meadows, 1982

[edit] External links