Back to the Past of AHS

ELLEN LEI
Staff Writer

The history of AHS can be traced all the way back to 1898 when two local residents, A.C. Weeks and L.B. DeCamp, decided to petition for a local high school. The petition was a success; 84 out of 128 heads of households signed the petition for the establishment of a high school. AHS was then founded with A.C Wheat appointed as the assistant principal and Miss Hill as the first teacher, according to A Centennial Portrait: Alhambra High School 1898-1998, a book on the history of AHS.

The first campus was far from luxurious. The classrooms were less than 400 square feet, the basement had a very low ceiling and there was only one small laboratory. The campus did not have electricity, heat or window screens.

Fortunately, in 1904, a special bond election provided $45,000 for the construction of a new high school. Thus, a three-acre site was chosen on Main Street between Cleveland and Winsor (currently Third and Fourth streets) for a new high school campus to be built. On Nov. 5, 1905, the new and improved AHS opened for students.

Although the campus was expanded and had improved facilities, it was not adequate. AHS was rebuilt again an additional three times in 1924, 1964 and 1996.

In total, the school has been renovated five times. The AHS that students know now is completely different from the AHS that past students knew. It is astonishing how over the years a campus can change so immensely.