Oakvale Grammar School

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Oakvale Grammar School

Oakvale Grammar Schoolhouse 1923 - 1951 Photo courtesy of _________

Photo courtesy of David Harrison

The Oakvale School District was the first district formed by the Kings County Board of Supervisors. The date was Feb. 6, 1904. The first schoolhouse was located on the north side of Cairo Avenue halfway between Eighth and Ninth avenues. A brick school building was constructed at the same site in 1923 between the Kings River, Dutch John Cut, and Cole Slough. The location of the schoolhouse in relation to these waterways eventually led to the demise of the building, and hence the dissolution of the school district.
Mr. Jim Focht was the principal and sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade teacher in 1950. He provided the author with the following account of the happenings the week before Thanksgiving in 1950. "It was a nice bright sunny day and they told us that there was going to be a flood. No one believed it, certainly not a country boy from the middle-west where you have to have rain to cause a flood. It was a very, very warm November. Water came down the river on Saturday night. It started rising Saturday night, and Sunday, and Sunday night. The levies on the sloughs and the Kings River all broke at the same time and we had six feet of water all over the area. It was just a basin for the flood. The next week there was no school, and we were trying to dry out. We had several kids who were rescued by army surplus Ducks. Richard Myers was a student at the time. His dad owned the Myers Well Drilling Company and was fighting the levies with his bulldozers. We went back to school after Thanksgiving but it was obvious that something was really wrong with the brick building. The water only got into one portion of the building, but the water was all around and under the building. It was made like a "T" and the wings of the "T" came off and split and left gaps of two or three inches at the top and all the way down to the bottom.
"So then we had a decision to make on where to go to school. We were able to get a room at Excelsior School where we housed our first and second-graders. Mrs. Strole, Elaine Cook's mother, taught the class. Mrs. Rudholm was the teaching principal at the time. We obtained two rooms at the vacant Wayne School on Flint and Eighth Avenue. Wayne had unionized with Kings River District shortly before. My wife, Nancy (Focht) taught the third, fourth, and fifth grades, and I had the sixth, seventh and eighth. We borrowed the old bus from Hanford High School and I had to get my bus driver's license so I could pick up the kids around the district. Chet Lindholm was the highway patrol inspector who gave me my driving test."
Mr. Paul Kleinsasser was clerk of the Oakvale board of trustees at the time. On Jan. 3, 1951, he requested an inspection of the school by the state Department of Public Works. The inspector's report was very succinct. "Experience has shown that this type of construction is inadequate and offers no assurance of safety to the occupants in the event of earthquake and wind. This structure is therefore unsafe for use. The general extent and nature of the defects in the brickwork, and the distortions of the roof framing indicates the probability of early extensive failure." Since board members become personally liable when they are informed such a condition exits the building was never used as a school again.
Two proposals for unionization with Kings River District were turned down. The Kings County Board of Supervisors rejected one on Dec. 14, 1938, and the electorate defeated the second in 1942. The Oakvale School patrons were community and socially oriented toward the town of Kingsburg. With the help of Bethel Mellor, director of education for the Kings County Superintendent of Schools, an election was held to annex the Oakvale District to the Kingsburg Joint Unified School District on July 24, 1951. The vote narrowly passed by a vote of 40 "Yes" to 37 "No." Students already enrolled at Hanford High School were permitted to remain with their class until graduation.
Harold "Hoot" Gibson is retired Kings County Superintendent of Schools. The above information is excerpted from his book, "History of Kings County Public Schools." Copyright 2004 by H.H. Gibson.

Linda's note: I'm inserting a few photos but not sure who sent them to me. Also, The first photo is probably in the correct sequence but the next two may be out of sequence. I would really like to make a new copy of the first one. I can bring my laptop and scanner to you or I can take it to Walmart or ?? to have it scanned. I need dates if possible on the last two photos and names if possible. Please let me know by emailing me at: LatonHigh@comcast.net

The following is a list of names that have been sent to me of some of the students who attended Oakvale. Possibly by reading the list, it may prompt you to remember others. It would be nice to put names to faces in these photos. Benny Caetano, Verlene Cato, Buddy Cato, Tony Dias, Eddie Downs, Sammy Downs, Gail Durst, Glenn Durst, Jean Durst, Vickie Hernandez, Carolyn Lowe, Duane Lowe, Larry Lowe, Glenn Meyers, Richard Meyers and Carol Spoelstra Pepper (not sure of Carol's maiden name)

Photo courtesy of Glenn Durst

Oakvale Grammar School 1948/49 - Grades 1 & 2 (#8003)

Top Row (left to right) Teacher Rae??, 2, 3, Glenn Durst, 5, 6, 7

2nd Row (left to right) 1, 2, 3, 4,

3rd Row (left to right) 1, 2, 3, Mary Verlene Cato

Bottom (left to right) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,

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Photo courtesy of Glenn Durst

Oakvale Grammar School 1947/48 - Graduating Class of 1948 (#8004)
(These students all attended Hanford High after Graduating from Oakvale. Names please!)

Top Row (left to right) 1, 2, 3

2nd Row (left to right) 1, 2, 3, Teacher Mr. Henry Taylor

Bottom (left to right) 1, 2,

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Photo courtesy of Glenn Durst

Oakvale Grammar School 19--- /---- - Grades (#8005)

Top Row (left to right) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,

2nd Row (left to right) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, Teacher Mr. Taylor,

3rd Row (left to right) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,

Bottom (left to right) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,

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Photo courtesy of Glenn Durst

Oakvale Grammar School Unknown date   - Grades ??    (#8006)

Top Row (left to right)   1, Richard Meyers, 3, 4, Gail Durst, 6,

2nd Row (left to right)    1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,

3rd Row (left to right) Duane Lowe, Paul Cato?, 3, 4, 5, 6,

Bottom (left to right) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,

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