Pliocene Ridge School, 2007
Less than 10 years after the 1974 article mentioned last week was published, construction began on the new school in Pike. It was open in time for the 1983-1984 school year, my senior year of high school. I had missed my Junior Year at Alleghany School, because I was living on the Big Island of Hawaii. I will always remember the first day of school at Pliocene Ridge. I came into the office to enroll and long-time Alleghany School Secretary Audrey Vance got emotional when she saw me. She pulled my file from the filing cabinet and said: “I didn’t send your file to the district office; I kept the light on for you”. At that point, I got emotional too.
Even though I had missed 11th grade, I had enough credits to graduate that year. I’d always taken advantage of any extra credit opportunities that came my way, plus I was allowed to take high school French classes both years that I was in Jr. High. I did PE on my own after school to fit the French classes in. This was usually accomplished by jogging around the loop in Alleghany. On May 1, 1979, as I jogged past Casey’s Place, a pack of dogs ran after me and one of them bit my calf! I remember the date because it was May Day and in French “M’aide” means “help me”. The bite broke the skin, but it wasn’t too bad.
But back to the new school: either the contractor did a shoddy job building it or else the plans and specs weren’t adequate. Everything looked beautiful the first day of school, but as soon as it started raining, water began seeping into the lower portion of the library and a few other rooms. With no drain or exit, indoor puddles quickly formed. The building design features partially subterranean rooms (a portion of some walls are below ground level). Students and staff worked to move things from harm’s way, but many library books and textbooks were destroyed. Carpets had to be pulled. The heating system didn’t work, making it difficult to dry things out. The landscaping wasn’t in yet, and the “football field” quickly morphed into a giant pit of beautiful red clay mud. The gymnasium floor had to be completely replaced after only a few years because it started buckling.
The first-year student body got to pick colors for the new school. Alleghany School’s colors were blue and gold and the mascot was a Hornet. I might have been the only student who voted to keep Alleghany’s colors and mascot. The colors that won were burgundy and gray and the chosen mascot was a Pirate. I was disgusted. Years later, another student body changed the mascot to a Panther.
Most of the students were boys. There was a new group of older boys, and I quickly became a target of their shenanigans. I was constantly being hit on the back of the head with spit wads! After a year of living on the Big Island of Hawaii and working, I had a hard time settling into the school routine. I left before the school year was out. I earned my diploma four years later via an adult education program.
When the new school was built, there was an assumption that students from nearby Camptonville and North San Juan would be able to enroll. Especially, the high school students who were being bussed to Nevada Union High School. Logistics with funding between school districts made this proposal more difficult than expected. There was also an assumption that the population of kids in Pike, Forest and Alleghany would increase, but the opposite turned out to be true. The school did have some good years, with pretty good attendance. It even earned The State of California Distinguished Schools Blue Ribbon Award more than once. Debra Sandoval was Principle at that time.
If buildings have souls, then the Alleghany School building lost its soul when the school was moved. Not only that, but the new school seemed to lack a soul (especially at first, maybe it takes time to “grow” a soul). Whatever the cause, the new school lacked the community involvement that we had in Alleghany. The fact that Alleghany occupies a much smaller area than Pike probably contributed, with the proximity of the houses in Alleghany making it easier for townspeople to participate in school events. My son Wyatt graduated from Pliocene Ridge School in 2003, three years before the final graduation ceremony was held in 2006. Low attendance forced the closure.