The History of Laton High School
This photo was probably taken in the winter of 1906/07, soon after construction was completed.
THE BUILDING*
In the early years, before Laton had a high school, the majority of the students had no schooling after grammar school. The few students who were interested in continuing their education had to attend classes in other towns. Finally, in the fall of 1904, classes began for high school students in a single room at the Laton grammar school. Since there is no record of a teacher being hired to teach them, most likely, during the first year at that location, a grammar school teacher taught the few ninth graders who attended. (Three of those students, Alice Card, Eleanor Hardman, and Thomas Moody, would be the first Laton High School graduates in 1908).
For the second school year, in the fall of 1905, Thomas Maitland Marshall, was hired as both the principal and teacher and while the task was a difficult one, he taught the students without any assistance. (Mr. Marshall held that position for the next two years.)
Soon after Mr. Marshall was hired in 1905 he realized that the number of students enrolling in the 9th grade had increased from the previous year’s class. It was also evident that there was a need for a place where students could receive more advanced instruction - instruction that they couldn’t receive in the grammar schools.
From the THE FRESNO MORNING REPUBLICAN - October 28, 1905 --- "When the Laton school house* was enlarged, it was thought that there would be plenty of room for both the Grammar and High schools for several years but the present roll of attendance shows 126 pupils in the grammar rooms and twenty-seven in the high school. T. M. Marshall, Principal of the High School, states that the next term will undoubtedly begin with forty or fifty pupils and there are even now twenty or thirty additional pupils coming on for the grammar rooms. The Union High School will probably be compelled to erect its own building next summer". *Laton Grammar School
The new Union High School District was formed and consisted of the five Grammar School Districts: Laton, Laguna, Kingston, Lillis and Grant. An election was held to decide where the new high school would be built and Laton won by a small majority. At the election held in the different districts, the following men were chosen as trustees of the new institution; J.W. Beall, Laguna; J.P. Michale, Kingston; Robert Phillips, Lillis; E.W. Hampton, Laton. Mr. Phillips was elected President of the Board and D. Hardman, clerk. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Phillips and Mr. Beall resigned from the Board and J.F. Moody and Fred Smith took their places.
A building was needed for the high school so they applied to the supervisors for an appropriation. The design for the building was given by Architect Matherson of Fresno. The time for building was very favorable with eight contractors bidding for the contract but the successful bid was made by Oleson & Johnson of Selma. Their bid was over $1,000 lower than the next highest bid. The ground on which the building was located consisted of about three acres (compared to 21 acres as this time) on the east side of Laton. It was donated to the District by Nares and Saunders, managers of The Laguna de Tache Grant, which was one of the finest and most productive bodies of land in the San Joaquin Valley.
Construction on the new building was probably started during the summer of 1906 and a photo showing the almost completed building was most likely taken during the winter of 1906/07. (Note: This photo was found in the Fresno Bee’s archive and captioned with a date of 1904. The high school consisted of a one-story, 78 x 78 feet building which included three recitation rooms, a laboratory and a library that contained about 300 volumes. The white columns in front of the building made it quite impressive. Laton High was now on its way.
Since the October 1905 newspaper article is the first mention of a high school being built, it would have been impossible for the wintry photo to have been taken in 1904 or even 1905. There would have been a lot of pre-construction planning needed before the actual work could begin so it seems logical that the photo was actually taken the winter of 1906/07.
If construction was finished during the spring of 1907, it’s doubtful that they would move the students to the new building so close to the end of the school year. Therefore, we can assume that the first classes at the new school began in the fall of 1907 which would have also been the first year that the school had a senior class.)
That same year they had many firsts. This was the year that they started the "Oak Leaves". At this time, "Oak Leaves" was the school newspaper, not a yearbook as it is now. This was also the first year that seniors graduated from Laton High. They were only three; Alice Mae Card, Thomas Leroy Moody, and Eleanor Elizabeth Hardman. At this time, there were also three teachers; Miss Mable S. Clarke, Miss Edna Newburt, and a new Principal, Prof. O.S. Hoover.
When the new school year opened in the fall of 1908, the number of teachers remained the same. Two of the original teachers remained but one of them, Miss Edna Newburt, was replaced by Miss Abbie M. Sykes.
During the 1908/09 term they published the second "Oak Leaves" The early "Oak Leaves" editions contained more stories and poems than pictures. The way they wrote back then makes it difficult to know if they were writing about something true or if they were just telling a story.
That same year there were four graduates; Ionia Mae Ryan, Alta Gertrude DeBaun, Bessie Naomi Holsinger, and Ruth Cora Askew.
There were still only three teachers in 1910/11; Mr. Hoover, Miss Balsbac, and Miss Tracy. Each teacher taught more than one subject and Mr. Hoover, the principal, also taught mathematics, physics, chemistry and German. He held the position of principal for the next five years.
There were only four students graduating from Laton in the spring of 1911; Anna Mabelle Haggard, Earl Ryan, Anna Ruble, and Henry Simerly. Henry Simerly later became the editor and owner of the "Laton Argus", the town newspaper.
The reason for the small number of graduates was due to the large number of students that ‘dropped out’. A class could be quite large when they entered high school, however, by the time they were seniors, many had dropped out for reasons such as getting married, working on the family farm, or moving away.
The sixth edition of "Oak Leaves" in 1912/13, told of Laton Union High School joining the Joint Union High School league of Fresno County. There were now four teachers and six students in the graduating class of 1913.
In September 1916, the Board of Trustees asked for bids on a new 24 x 40 building (the auditorium), which would consist of two rooms, one to be finished as a boys’ dressing room and the other as a work shop. Bids were also solicited for a low pressure steam heating plant to heat the new auditorium and the old high school building.
THE BUILDING*
In the early years, before Laton had a high school, the majority of the students had no schooling after grammar school. The few students who were interested in continuing their education had to attend classes in other towns. Finally, in the fall of 1904, classes began for high school students in a single room at the Laton grammar school. Since there is no record of a teacher being hired to teach them, most likely, during the first year at that location, a grammar school teacher taught the few ninth graders who attended. (Three of those students, Alice Card, Eleanor Hardman, and Thomas Moody, would be the first Laton High School graduates in 1908).
For the second school year, in the fall of 1905, Thomas Maitland Marshall, was hired as both the principal and teacher and while the task was a difficult one, he taught the students without any assistance. (Mr. Marshall held that position for the next two years.)
Soon after Mr. Marshall was hired in 1905 he realized that the number of students enrolling in the 9th grade had increased from the previous year’s class. It was also evident that there was a need for a place where students could receive more advanced instruction - instruction that they couldn’t receive in the grammar schools.
From the THE FRESNO MORNING REPUBLICAN - October 28, 1905 --- "When the Laton school house* was enlarged, it was thought that there would be plenty of room for both the Grammar and High schools for several years but the present roll of attendance shows 126 pupils in the grammar rooms and twenty-seven in the high school. T. M. Marshall, Principal of the High School, states that the next term will undoubtedly begin with forty or fifty pupils and there are even now twenty or thirty additional pupils coming on for the grammar rooms. The Union High School will probably be compelled to erect its own building next summer". *Laton Grammar School
The new Union High School District was formed and consisted of the five Grammar School Districts: Laton, Laguna, Kingston, Lillis and Grant. An election was held to decide where the new high school would be built and Laton won by a small majority. At the election held in the different districts, the following men were chosen as trustees of the new institution; J.W. Beall, Laguna; J.P. Michale, Kingston; Robert Phillips, Lillis; E.W. Hampton, Laton. Mr. Phillips was elected President of the Board and D. Hardman, clerk. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Phillips and Mr. Beall resigned from the Board and J.F. Moody and Fred Smith took their places.
A building was needed for the high school so they applied to the supervisors for an appropriation. The design for the building was given by Architect Matherson of Fresno. The time for building was very favorable with eight contractors bidding for the contract but the successful bid was made by Oleson & Johnson of Selma. Their bid was over $1,000 lower than the next highest bid. The ground on which the building was located consisted of about three acres (compared to 21 acres as this time) on the east side of Laton. It was donated to the District by Nares and Saunders, managers of The Laguna de Tache Grant, which was one of the finest and most productive bodies of land in the San Joaquin Valley.
Construction on the new building was probably started during the summer of 1906 and a photo showing the almost completed building was most likely taken during the winter of 1906/07. (Note: This photo was found in the Fresno Bee’s archive and captioned with a date of 1904. The high school consisted of a one-story, 78 x 78 feet building which included three recitation rooms, a laboratory and a library that contained about 300 volumes. The white columns in front of the building made it quite impressive. Laton High was now on its way.
Since the October 1905 newspaper article is the first mention of a high school being built, it would have been impossible for the wintry photo to have been taken in 1904 or even 1905. There would have been a lot of pre-construction planning needed before the actual work could begin so it seems logical that the photo was actually taken the winter of 1906/07.
If construction was finished during the spring of 1907, it’s doubtful that they would move the students to the new building so close to the end of the school year. Therefore, we can assume that the first classes at the new school began in the fall of 1907 which would have also been the first year that the school had a senior class.)
That same year they had many firsts. This was the year that they started the "Oak Leaves". At this time, "Oak Leaves" was the school newspaper, not a yearbook as it is now. This was also the first year that seniors graduated from Laton High. They were only three; Alice Mae Card, Thomas Leroy Moody, and Eleanor Elizabeth Hardman. At this time, there were also three teachers; Miss Mable S. Clarke, Miss Edna Newburt, and a new Principal, Prof. O.S. Hoover.
When the new school year opened in the fall of 1908, the number of teachers remained the same. Two of the original teachers remained but one of them, Miss Edna Newburt, was replaced by Miss Abbie M. Sykes.
During the 1908/09 term they published the second "Oak Leaves" The early "Oak Leaves" editions contained more stories and poems than pictures. The way they wrote back then makes it difficult to know if they were writing about something true or if they were just telling a story.
That same year there were four graduates; Ionia Mae Ryan, Alta Gertrude DeBaun, Bessie Naomi Holsinger, and Ruth Cora Askew.
There were still only three teachers in 1910/11; Mr. Hoover, Miss Balsbac, and Miss Tracy. Each teacher taught more than one subject and Mr. Hoover, the principal, also taught mathematics, physics, chemistry and German. He held the position of principal for the next five years.
There were only four students graduating from Laton in the spring of 1911; Anna Mabelle Haggard, Earl Ryan, Anna Ruble, and Henry Simerly. Henry Simerly later became the editor and owner of the "Laton Argus", the town newspaper.
The reason for the small number of graduates was due to the large number of students that ‘dropped out’. A class could be quite large when they entered high school, however, by the time they were seniors, many had dropped out for reasons such as getting married, working on the family farm, or moving away.
The sixth edition of "Oak Leaves" in 1912/13, told of Laton Union High School joining the Joint Union High School league of Fresno County. There were now four teachers and six students in the graduating class of 1913.
In September 1916, the Board of Trustees asked for bids on a new 24 x 40 building (the auditorium), which would consist of two rooms, one to be finished as a boys’ dressing room and the other as a work shop. Bids were also solicited for a low pressure steam heating plant to heat the new auditorium and the old high school building.
The new auditorium would soon be completed and include a main study hall with a stage that was four feet high in the south end. Additionally, a girls’ dressing room and another room would be used as a room for the class in dairying. The new auditorium was dedicated on October 6th, when the students gave a musical entertainment.
New concrete walks, sanitary drinking fountains and many other improvements were also made this year.
This year there were 18 freshmen attending the high school and the senior class was now composed of 12 students.
The graduating class of 1939 was the first class to have an outside graduation. They were also the first ones to use a microphone.
The campus has changed a great deal from what it first looked like. The buildings have changed and a new gym was built in 1953. Before this time, school basketball games were being played in the Laton Lions Hall. (This same hall was also being used as a skating rink for the local kids.)
The old auditorium was torn down in approximately 1963 and the gym is now used to present plays. In the early years, the school plays were very popular which produced big ticket sales. The plays would run for two nights to a standing-room-only crowd. The plays started at 8:00 p.m. and if you weren’t there by 7:30 p.m. you didn’t get a seat.
New concrete walks, sanitary drinking fountains and many other improvements were also made this year.
This year there were 18 freshmen attending the high school and the senior class was now composed of 12 students.
The graduating class of 1939 was the first class to have an outside graduation. They were also the first ones to use a microphone.
The campus has changed a great deal from what it first looked like. The buildings have changed and a new gym was built in 1953. Before this time, school basketball games were being played in the Laton Lions Hall. (This same hall was also being used as a skating rink for the local kids.)
The old auditorium was torn down in approximately 1963 and the gym is now used to present plays. In the early years, the school plays were very popular which produced big ticket sales. The plays would run for two nights to a standing-room-only crowd. The plays started at 8:00 p.m. and if you weren’t there by 7:30 p.m. you didn’t get a seat.
Laton High School Now
Laton High School is now composed of nine buildings on a campus of about 21 acres. There are now (in 1976) 22 teachers and 257 students at Laton High School, plus in the afternoon, the Junior High Students come to the school. This is quite a difference from the number of students that was going to Laton in 1908
For additional information go to: http://www.laton.k12.ca.us/LHS%20WEB/Index.htm
SPORTS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES
Baseball was started back in 1913 and it’s a sport in which Laton usually does quite well. At the same time we also had girl’s baseball and volleyball teams.
The boys had football. This is a sport that Laton usually doesn’t do well in, however, in 1934 Laton High School won the Valley Championship with only 13 men on the squad. As it turned out, when they played the last game, they were playing with one man short and they still won.
Basketball is another sport where Laton succeeds having taken the Championship even back in 1916, as well as the Championship of the Southern Division. In 1955 Laton also won the Valley Championship in basketball. To prove how much pride and spirit the team had, they all had butch haircuts and an "L" shaved on the top of their heads. (See the story as written by Greg Miranda)
There were other teams that won though, not just in sports. For some years Laton had a championship debating team which started in 1912 and they were regional champions that year. That same year they tried for State Champions but only received second place.
Francis Landis, a graduate of 1939, was an example of the good debaters. Francis won the F.F.A. Speaking Contest and went on to place third in the entire United States and its territories. In 1938 or 1939, they were debating the energy issue. They debated on "Private or Government Owned Power". It’s interesting that they were debating this issue back then and we are just now beginning to be concerned about the issue.
During the history of Laton there have been drill teams, majorettes, and bands. In 1939, the band won the Valley Championship for Class "C" bands and, for their prize, they won a trip to the World’s Fair in San Francisco.
Laton has many traditions. They had a "Freshman Invitation" which was started around 1908. It was continued until the school year 1976-1977. It, as well as "Sadie Hawkins Day" was stopped that year, because both had gotten too rough. There are still some traditions though, like the Junior/Senior Prom, and the senior’s annual Catalina trip, plus others.
Laton High School has also had a fair share of clubs and organizations and there actually seemed to be more when there were fewer students. One of the clubs that is no longer in existence is the Glee Club which was organized around 1916. There was also a club named Hi-Y and a Girls Reserve Club which was formed in 1926. The Girls Reserve Club was a branch of the Young Women’s Christian Association. There was also the Speech Club, Girls League and Dramatics Club which are no longer active. However, the Spanish Club, which was formed in 1926, is still active, as well as the F.F.A., F.H.A., C.S.F. G.A.A., Block L., Rep Club, N.H.S., Band Club, F.B.L.A., Live Club, Chess Club, M.A.Y.O., and Student Council.
All of these played an important part in the school. When one looks at the list, we can see the clubs that we no longer have like the Glee Club, Hi-Y, Girls Reserve Club, etc. were important in their time. They all served the purpose of uniting the students.
SOME OF THE GRADUATES
Through the years, we have had many successful graduates. A number of them have even returned to the Laton School District as teachers and administrators; Paul Kercher (Class of ’41), Jennings Brown (Class of ’42), Tom Van Groningen (Class of ’50), Ruth Cora Askew ('09), Jim Adams (Class of '51), Bob Fraley (Class of ’56), Art Lopez (Class of ’59), Olivia Lopez (Class of'53), Joe Avila (Class of ’60), David Fraley (Class of ’60), John Gregory (Class of'41), Ernest Perry (Class of '43), Matthew Gamble (Class of '87) Janice Leavelle (Class of '71) and Albert George (Class of ’62). You can read more about them on their Classes’ web pages.
For additional information see http://latoncalifornia.org/
* Portions of this history was written in 1976 by Frances Gregory as a subject for her California History term paper. Frances is now a teacher in the Chico school system. .
For additional information go to: http://www.laton.k12.ca.us/LHS%20WEB/Index.htm
SPORTS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES
Baseball was started back in 1913 and it’s a sport in which Laton usually does quite well. At the same time we also had girl’s baseball and volleyball teams.
The boys had football. This is a sport that Laton usually doesn’t do well in, however, in 1934 Laton High School won the Valley Championship with only 13 men on the squad. As it turned out, when they played the last game, they were playing with one man short and they still won.
Basketball is another sport where Laton succeeds having taken the Championship even back in 1916, as well as the Championship of the Southern Division. In 1955 Laton also won the Valley Championship in basketball. To prove how much pride and spirit the team had, they all had butch haircuts and an "L" shaved on the top of their heads. (See the story as written by Greg Miranda)
There were other teams that won though, not just in sports. For some years Laton had a championship debating team which started in 1912 and they were regional champions that year. That same year they tried for State Champions but only received second place.
Francis Landis, a graduate of 1939, was an example of the good debaters. Francis won the F.F.A. Speaking Contest and went on to place third in the entire United States and its territories. In 1938 or 1939, they were debating the energy issue. They debated on "Private or Government Owned Power". It’s interesting that they were debating this issue back then and we are just now beginning to be concerned about the issue.
During the history of Laton there have been drill teams, majorettes, and bands. In 1939, the band won the Valley Championship for Class "C" bands and, for their prize, they won a trip to the World’s Fair in San Francisco.
Laton has many traditions. They had a "Freshman Invitation" which was started around 1908. It was continued until the school year 1976-1977. It, as well as "Sadie Hawkins Day" was stopped that year, because both had gotten too rough. There are still some traditions though, like the Junior/Senior Prom, and the senior’s annual Catalina trip, plus others.
Laton High School has also had a fair share of clubs and organizations and there actually seemed to be more when there were fewer students. One of the clubs that is no longer in existence is the Glee Club which was organized around 1916. There was also a club named Hi-Y and a Girls Reserve Club which was formed in 1926. The Girls Reserve Club was a branch of the Young Women’s Christian Association. There was also the Speech Club, Girls League and Dramatics Club which are no longer active. However, the Spanish Club, which was formed in 1926, is still active, as well as the F.F.A., F.H.A., C.S.F. G.A.A., Block L., Rep Club, N.H.S., Band Club, F.B.L.A., Live Club, Chess Club, M.A.Y.O., and Student Council.
All of these played an important part in the school. When one looks at the list, we can see the clubs that we no longer have like the Glee Club, Hi-Y, Girls Reserve Club, etc. were important in their time. They all served the purpose of uniting the students.
SOME OF THE GRADUATES
Through the years, we have had many successful graduates. A number of them have even returned to the Laton School District as teachers and administrators; Paul Kercher (Class of ’41), Jennings Brown (Class of ’42), Tom Van Groningen (Class of ’50), Ruth Cora Askew ('09), Jim Adams (Class of '51), Bob Fraley (Class of ’56), Art Lopez (Class of ’59), Olivia Lopez (Class of'53), Joe Avila (Class of ’60), David Fraley (Class of ’60), John Gregory (Class of'41), Ernest Perry (Class of '43), Matthew Gamble (Class of '87) Janice Leavelle (Class of '71) and Albert George (Class of ’62). You can read more about them on their Classes’ web pages.
For additional information see http://latoncalifornia.org/
* Portions of this history was written in 1976 by Frances Gregory as a subject for her California History term paper. Frances is now a teacher in the Chico school system. .