Our History
The history of the CUHSD began in 1900, when the first school in the district, named Campbell High School, opened with a student body of 35 students-23 girls and 12 boys. 2 teachers were hired to educate the students-Professor E.A.Powers and a Miss J. Newton. It was located on the second floor of the Campbell Grammar School.
By 1904, Principal Fred Smith was able to get the school moved to a new and bigger wooden building on the southeast corner of Campbell and Winchester avenues. (Where Psycho Donuts is now). See photo below.
With the growth of the Campbell community and an ever increasing number of students enrolling each year, the student population in 1935 had approached 500 students in number.In order to meet the present and future needs of the students, 44 acres on the northwest corner of the same intersection (Winchester at Campbell) were purchased. In 1936 a new school was built, where the buildings still are today.
The planting of the Roosevelt tree in 1903 was an exciting event. A photograph shows President Theodore Rooseveltwith a shovel in hand, along with Principal Smith and Benjamin Campbell, founder of the town of Campbell. The tree, not surprisingly, was named the “Roosevelt Tree”. In May 1966, the Campbell Kiwanis Club replanted the Roosevelt Tree from a planting of the original tree (at the southeast corner of Winchester/Campbell) to the corner of One West Campbell Avenue in front of the east wing building of the modern high school which opened in 1936.
In 1938, the auditorium of Campbell High School was built with funds from the Works Progress Administration. It is now commonly known as the Heritage Theater. (Over the course of its 40 years as part of the school, it is estimated that 20,000 students performed there).The Heritage Theater was renovated and reopened in 2004. Please check out this link to learn more about the Heritage Theater.
Click on the link “For more information” to the Friends of Heritage Theater page. A great thanks to all who worked tirelessly to get this historical theater restored!
Here is another link to the history of the Heritage Theater.
https://www.campbellca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/764/Theatre-History?bidId=
Laurance J. Hill (aka Larry Hill), Campbell’s principal beginning in 1946, and superintendent of the district until 1969, is credited for much of the district’s growth and planning in his years in office. An award in his name is given every year at each high school in the district. Between 1955 and 1968, seven more high schools were constructed. Camden was built in 1955, followed by (in order), Del Mar, Blackford, Leigh, Westmont, Branham, and finally Prospect in 1968.
Del Mar was the first school in the state to have a sunken football stadium. Why? Next to the school was a brick-making operation, Remillard Brick Company. Remillard excavated the area to the specifications of a football field in exchange for keeping the clay-heavy dirt. Later, Larry Hill made a deal to get bricks at a discount , to use in the building of the new schools in the district. Hence, all of Del Mar’s original buildings, and many of the buildings in other schools of the district (except Blackford) have a great deal of brick in them.
In 1980, due to declining enrollment, Camden and Campbell High Schools were closed. Campbell High School was purchased from the district by the city of Campbell in 1985. It is now the Campbell Community Center.
This is a summary from “A History of The Campbell Union High School District 1900-1988” , CUHSD 1988, written by George F. Miskulin. George served in World War 2 as a paratrooper, winning 2 Purple Hearts and a Bronze star. He became a teacher at Campbell High and coached a number of sports. In 1959 he supervised the opening of Del Mar High, and was its principal from its opening in 1959 until 1972,then principal at Leigh from 1972 to 1986.
We thank Sue Miskulin Hughes and Leanne Miskulin Teuber for making this material available. Both followed in the father’s footsteps as outstanding educators. Sue taught first in the Moreland district and then 22 more years in the Cambrian district. Leanne was a teacher, vice principal and principal in Modesto City schools. She then opened a school in Elk Grove, and overall spent 38 years in education. George and Ginny’s legacy continues with granddaughter Sarah, who was teacher of the year in Turlock and is now a vice principal!
If you wish to read more of George’s book, click here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aod52smfQshu0eTMDo4PaHpyyLAPllgu/view?usp=sharing