Century of school traditions

I am reminded of the old story of the new bride who prepares the first Thanksgiving turkey for her new husband. She slices off both ends of the turkey before placing it in the roasting pan, just as her mother had done for so many years.

Later she got to thinking about why the ends needed to be cut off, and she called her mother to ask. Her mother said she did it that way because her mother always did it that way.

Grandma was called and asked about this family tradition. She said she cut the ends off because she had no pans to fit the whole turkey. And so this tradition was passed on down the family.

I was reminded of this by alumnus Ann Minnie during the 100th anniversary of Huntington Beach High School. This school has had many traditions throughout those many years. Some have lasted for only a few years, some a decade or two and some continue today in some form or another.

This week we’re going to look back at a few of these early school traditions.

In 1914, the senior class came up with the custom of observing Senior Ditch Day, in which the senior class would secretly select a day when they would fail to appear at school.

They chose Feb. 11 as the first Ditch Day.

Thirteen seniors and a chaperon packed picnic baskets full of goodies and ditched school for a fun day at Balboa and a picnic and picture-taking at Rocky Point.

The seniors returned early, tired and happy at the prospect of starting a new school tradition.

This tradition continues today, but now seniors have to pay for the privilege.

Our next tradition, Farmers Day, was begun about the same time as the last tradition. Farmers Day was much like Sadie Hawkins Day, which I remember from when I went to high school.

The first Farmers Day was celebrated on Oct. 4, 1914. The boys dressed up in old overalls and straw hats, and the girls wore aprons and sunbonnets with large bows. These outfits were very practical, for this would be a day of work when each student was assigned a duty for the purpose of sprucing up the school.

The boys were assigned to fix the tennis courts, baseball diamond and the basketball courts, whereas the girls made costumes for the school drama department, fixed the girls’ restroom and cataloged the school orchestra’s music. Other girls prepared lunch for the hungry students.

Frances Porter volunteered to varnish the school bass violin.

The next year, Farmers Day was held on Dec. 10. The students arrived at school in their farmer finery to begin their tasks. The students washed windows, cleaned floors and varnished desks and tables.

After a good lunch, the students gathered for the crowning event of the day: the auction of all the lost-and-found items that had been turned in during the year.

Items included gold pins, rings, old clothes and even packs of chewing gum. They were quickly bought up by the eager students.

Farmers Day would continue until 1920.

Our last early school tradition was Banner Day, when each class hung a class banner on the auditorium wall. The classes also put on special programs, and the best one received a big prize and the right to move the banner to a new position on the wall.

The next year, Banner Day 1915, saw the senior class winning the big prize of a delicious coconut cake.

In 1919, there was great rivalry between classes as to who would win the big prize.

Judging the event this year were Bertha Proctor, James Conrad and Mrs. C.E. Levering.

On the evening of Nov. 14, 1919, the freshman class added their banner to the wall.

Each class presented a special program. The freshman class number consisted of a Halloween skit, and the sophomores presented a comic military drill performed by the girls and led by Ruby Vandruff as an army officer.

The senior class put on a courtroom scene, but it was the junior class with their version of Christopher Columbus appearing before King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella that won the prize and the right to move their class banner closer to the hallowed spot on the wall. Loren Maddux played Ferdinand, Ann Clark was Isabella and Francis McElfresh played Columbus.

Banner Day survived about 10 years.

Traditions give a family or school a special identity that becomes more important as the years slip by. Will our school traditions of today continue for the next 100 years? Only time will tell.

* JERRY PERSON is a local historian and longtime Huntington Beach resident. If you have ideas for future columns, write him at P.O. Box 7182, Huntington Beach, CA 92615.

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