A HISTORY OF ANAHEIM (UNION) HIGH SCHOOL
Pride of the Colony – Built on Tradition
Anaheim High School, first established in 1898, is the oldest of nine comprehensive high schools in the Anaheim Union High School District. It is the third oldest high school in Orange County, behind Santa Ana (1889) and Fullerton Union High School (1893).
Following is a timeline of the formation of Anaheim High, from its humble beginnings in an crude adobe structure to a clapboard, then brick, then a columned “Crown of the Colony” Greek Revival, to its current art deco building.
ANAHEIM HIGH SCHOOL TIMELINE
1859 – Soon after the first German colonists arrive, they petition the Los Angeles County superintendent to establish a school in Anaheim, their new home by the Santa Ana River.
1860 – Anaheim’s first school opens in an adobe building located on a lot owned by August Langenberger, a prominent merchant and colony leader. The first teacher is F
red William Kuelp. His initial nine students are: Carola, Regina and Fred Langenberger; Elmina and Louise Lorenz; Pifanio and Antonio Burruel; and Tomas and Felipe Yorba.
1862 – One hundred dollars, paid in pure gold, purchases one of Anaheim’s original city lots for a new adobe school house. The new building is destroyed shortly thereafter by flood. Classes are moved to the second story of the Langenberger building and later moved again back to the adobe where classes were first held. This building is also occupied by the Anaheim Water Co. and a third room of this building served as the town jail. The school master was also the town’s notary public and justice of the peace.
1867 – Anaheim School District is formed.
1869 – Anaheim’s first teacher Fred William Kuelp re
signs due to ill health. He is replaced by Carl Van Gulpen, who is replaced shortly thereafter by James Miller Guinn, a Civil War Veteran who becomes known as the “Father of Anaheim” education.
1870 – The first monthly report of Anaheim students lists an enrollment of 91 students, divided into two departments (Primary and Grammar) and taught by two teachers. The town’s population at this time is estimated at 1,000.
1871 – The first school exhibit is staged with a program of declamations, dialogues, farces, tableaux and music. By charging a fee for this first open house, Guinn is able to purchase charts and an outline map for the school. Guinn also establishes the first final examination dates, which included an oral exam that was open to the public.
1874 – Guinn, a graduate of Oberlin College in Ohio, serves as teacher and prin
cipal, offering subjects for high school diploma and classifies students into grades. His 20 pupils attend school in an adobe building with one window, empty boxes and benches for seats and crudely constructed tables for desks.
1877 – A plot of land 231 Chartres Street is purchased for a new school building at the cost of $1,500.
1878 – Guinn writes and champions a bond to construct a new school building, raising $10,000. When the bill is passed by the legislature on March 12, 1878, it marks the first time ever in California that a school district uses a bond issue to finance new school facilities.
1879 – The new two-story Central School, called the “handsomest school building 
in the country outside of Los Angeles,” opens on January 16. The school, which features as clock steeple and bell tower, is built in the center of a two-acre lot at 231 Chartres Street. The 217 elementary through high school students are taught by two men and two women who are paid $75 a month.
1880 – Matilda Rimpau, daughter of Anaheim pioneer Theodore 
Rimpau, is the first student in the Anaheim school system to earn a high school diploma.
1869-1881 – James M. Guinn
1881 – Guinn resigns his position as teacher and principal to become Los Angeles Superintendent of Schools. From the time of his resignation through 1898, there are no high school classes taught in Anaheim.
1898 – High school classes officially begin on the second floor of Central School after C.P. Evans, principal of Loara Elementary School, convinces the school board that classes should extend past the ninth year. Evans becomes principal and, assisted by Miss Helen French, they teach a student body of 39 student, 17 boys and 22 girls in grades nine through twelve.
1900 – Football begins with the first recorded game played against Fullerton at Anaheim on Nov. 6. Anaheim wins 2-0. Local sports reporters began referring to Anaheim High teams as the “Mother Colonists.”
1901 – When Central School becomes overcrowded, citizens fund a $12,500 bond measure to buy land, build a separate high school building and equip it. Anaheim’s first high school, an imposing brick structure, is constructed on south side of Lincoln (then Center), between Harbor and Citron. Principal Fred G. Athearn over sees seven teaches. Central School’s first seven graduates are: Edith Bannerman, Alma Mills, Dora Snyder, John Dauser, Bernard Snyder, Bowman Merritt and Welborn Wallop.
1902 – The high school’s first literary effort, The Stentorian, is publish
ed in February and sold for 50 cents per year. The first issue shows a photo of the faculty and the graduating class of 1902: Arthur G. Baker, Carl Zeus, Olga Boege and Ruth D. EnReal. The first meeting of the Anaheim High Girl’s Athletic Association (GAA) is held on Oct. 5.
1905 – Principal J.F. Walker oversees a student body of 79 students.
1908 – Citizens unite to form Anaheim Union High School District. AUHSD becomes the largest union school district in California, covering 46 square miles. Students feed into Anaheim junior highs from Anaheim, Cypress, La Palma, Stanton, Los Alamitos, Rossmoor and portions of Garden Grove, Orange, Fullerton and Buena Park. Anaheim High is joined in the District by Loara District and, by petition, Magnolia District.
1910 – The student body is outgrowing Central School. There’s demand for more room, as well as for a richer course of study. An auditorium and rooms for manual training and domestic science are added. Physical education is added to the curriculum. Up to this time, the curriculum consists of math, English, Latin, German, biology, chemistry, and history.
1911 – Music and commercial subjects were added to the curriculum. Principal Walker teaches science while overseeing 10 teachers. Voters approve a $150,000 bond to purchase 11 acres a half block from existing school site at the northeast corner of Lincoln (then Center) and Citron. Construction of a Greek Revival high school begins and, within the year, a group of six buildings is erected.
The school building at 608 W. Center (now Lincoln) is sold to the elementary school district for $25,000. The building is demolished in 1937 to make way for the construction of Fremont Junior High, which was closed in 1979 and demolished in 1980.
1912 – New Greek-revival Anaheim Union High School is dedicated and graduates its first class of 17 students. By the following year, almost 200 had earned a high school diploma from the school’s combined campuses.
1918 – Class of 1918 becomes the first to wear caps and gowns at graduation.
1919 – The school adopts a logo (or crest) of a laurel wreath, topped by an open book, with the school’s initials AUHS appearing in the center of the wreath. This design appears on the cover of the 1919 yearbook.
1920s – Music education begins with teacher Joshua Williams giving free lessons in an effort to assemble a complete orchestra. He continued this practice over three decades.
1920 – March 19 of this year Volume 1, Edition 1 of the Anaheim High School newspaper is published. The paper was 7 ½ inches-by-10 inches. It not only contained news pertaining to the school, but also included a Chinese student directory, news on the Russian Bolshevik movement, and a United Press story on new games being played by girls and boys.
1921 – In November of this year an official mascot name is selected by Anaheim High’s staff and student body. In a spirited contest, the three top name choices were the “Homers,” “Pioneers,” and “Colonists.” The school newspaper reported: “Colonists was the final choice as the appropriate, dignified name for the representatives of the “Mother Colony.”
1924 – First high school swimming pool in Orange County opens on the AHS campus.
1927 – Clayes Stadium in constructed and, at some point in the school’s history, is named after Joseph Clayes, Anaheim High’s longest serving principal. The athletic field is called Clayes Field. Painting the stadium with class years becomes a Colonist tradition.
1928 – Principal Joseph Clayes, who first joined the school staff as a teacher of art and commerce, designed the first logo of a pilgrim profile embedded in the book-topped laurel wreath. The new Colonist logo appears on page 2 of the 1928 yearbook with a copyright notation.
1929 – The Colonist pilgrim logo appears on the yearbook cover.
1933 – Long Beach earthquake irreparably damages AUHS, requiring its demolition. Construction begins on a new art deco administration building as part of the Work Projects Administration (WPA) project #8291.
1936 – A new art deco AUHS main building, library and auditorium are dedicated.
1937 – A sunken garden and fountain in school’s central patio is created.
1939 – The Class of 1940 football team wins the Sunset League Championship.
1940 – Robert Morton theater organ installed in Cook Auditorium, and a new swimming pool replaces its 1924 predecessor.
1950 – Beginning of the coach Clare Van Hoorebeke’s legendary football era, which endured through 1972.
1953 – Anaheim High’s first drill team is formed and is coached by Helen Gruenfelder.
1956 – On Dec. 14, Anaheim Colonists tie the Downey Vikings in the CIF Southern Section title game at the LA Memorial Coliseum. Considered the most highly attended high school football game in California history, both teams came into the legendary game undefeated. Unmatched in terms of local interest, young idols and a record-setting crowd, the game is still being celebrated by historians, football fans and alumni from both high schools.
1957 – Western High School opens with students who graduate as seniors in 1960, ending Anaheim’s reign as the city’s only high school. According to Louise Booth’s AUHSD history.
1959 – Anaheim plays Western in football, marking the first time Anaheim played a high school within the same district.
1960s – School district returns Anaheim High to its original name, dropping Union from its title. New buildings are constructed during this time, replacing the remaining pre-earthquake coded buildings.
1960 – On October 16, Anaheim High hosts the NBA world champion Boston Celtics against the new Los Angeles Lakers in an exhibition matchup held in the gymnasium.
1964 – New “cereal bowl” fountain replaces sunken garden.
1967 – The Class of 1968 Varsity Football Team wins the CIF Division AAAA Championship.
1972 – The Art Quad and other buildings are constructed to replace old barracks that had been “temporary” quarters for 15 years.
1977 – “Wimpy’s Stand,” a popular student landmark for several decades, is changed into the Student Activities Office. The building was taken down in 2007.
1997 – Alumni join with the Class of 1997 to plan the school’s 100th anniversary in 1998. It turned out to be a great day with activities all throughout the campus, starting on the athletic field with a ceremony and band performance. The day ended with a musical program presented by AHS alumni and presentations by members of the planning committee.
2008 – Two new buildings with 49 state-of-the-art classrooms open. Classes begin February 2009.
2009 – In February of this year, Anaheim High graduates established the school’s first federal- and state-recognized non-profit corporation. The mission of the Anaheim High School Alumni Association (AHSAA) is to promote and support opportunities and programs for the benefit of the Anaheim High School students
2009 – On October 10, the AUHSD holds the Grand Re-Opening of Anaheim High celebrating the construction of two new buildings and other campus improvements. The newly formed AHS Alumni Association plays a major role in the dedication ceremony.
2014 – Anaheim High Varsity Soccer Team wins the CIF Division III Southern Section Championship.
2017 – Robert Saldivar from Class of 1996 becomes the first alumnus to become Principal of Anaheim High School.
2017 – On December 28, demolition of Clayes Stadium begins. Constructed in 1927, it was the oldest structure on the campus at 90 years old.
2018 – Anaheim High School launches a digital newspaper, Anaheim Exclusivo. Previously, Anaheim High’s school newspaper was published from 1920 through the 1990s. For several decades it was named “Anaranco” under advisor Lawrence Quille.
2018 – In October of this year, the Fassel Fitness Center is dedicated by Jim Fassel ’67, in memory of his father, Bud Fassel, Anaheim High’s longtime athletic trainer. The new state- of-the-art equipment aids in the training of the football team and other athletic teams at Old AU.
2019 – On December 13, the AUHSD unveils the new Jon Urbanchek Aquatics Center, a state-of- the-art facility that includes a swimming pool, offices and new locker rooms. Anaheim High soon debuts a new swim team, the first in 29 years. Shortly thereafter, a water polo team is established, the first since 1991.
2019 – On March 13, the AHS campus is closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Classes are conducted virtually through the rest of the school year. The Class of 2020 graduates with a virtual ceremony, the first in the school’s history
2020 – The Class of 2020-21 continues with virtual learning and the campus remains closed throughout the school year.
2021 – In spring, sports teams are able to practice on campus, but competition starts and stops due to COVID-19 surges. The Class of 2021 is able to graduate in person with only parents attending. The ceremony is held at Western’s Handel Stadium.
2021 – On August 11, classes resume on campus. During the 17 months the campus is closed, the campus receives numerous upgrades. Solar-powered lunch tables are installed for students to charge their devices. A new lunch area and additional benches are added to provide more shaded seating areas for students. The campus is beautified with new murals representing Colonist Spirit, Pride, and Tradition, and the school’s entire exterior receives a fresh coat of paint. Improvements were also made to the athletic fields, and to HVAC, fire alarm and security systems.
Photos: Courtesy of Anaheim Public Library & the AHSAA
References:
“One To Twenty-Eight – A History of Anaheim Union High School District” by Louise Booth
AUHS and AHS yearbooks, especially copy written by Vice Principal Bella J. Walker.
Scrapbooks donated to the AHSAA.
“Anaheim” by Elizabeth J. Schultz and Stephen J. Faessel, a chapter in “A Hundred Years of Yesterdays,” published by the Orange County Historical Commission.
“Anaheim Colonists Football – A Century of Tradition” by Dennis Bateman
Other sources: “Anaheim High (Central School)” by Brad Pettigrew
