Time Machine: Beer Mile, spanking bill, smoking section
Highlights from The Olympian archives show the way things were at CVHS.
2006: students decided to sneak onto the high school track at night, and do something they would surely regret. “Tying their shoes, stretching and downing a Budweiser each, armed with a 30-pack, seven ex-members of the Castro Valley High’s boys cross country team were fulfilling two young men’s vision of a mile, running under the influence of alcohol, ‘The Beer Mile.’” The boys threw up after their run and were later suspended.
1996: spanking in schools was proposed. “A corporal punishment bill proposed by California state Assemblyman Mickey Conroy, stating that spanking shall be legal in California public schools, has been defeated.” How crazy is it that ten years ago, there was a possibility of being spanked in a public school?
1986: CVHS removed the student smoking section that had been around for over ten years. “This year the Castro Valley School Board…voted to outlaw the use of tobacco because of student health risks; complaints by teachers, students and parents; and the new state law.” Hard to imagine that smoking cigarettes was once permitted to students on campus.
1976: the Spartans (formerly the CVHS mascot) rousted the Rebels in football. “By coming out on the better end of a 33 to 7 score over the San Lorenzo Rebels, the Castro Valley Spartans ended their first season with a clean slate.”
1966: a book called To Kill a Mockingbird arrived at CVHS. “To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the best indictments of white superiority to be written in the decade—and it’s by a white southerner.” Who knew that this would become one of the most quintessential books for high school students across the United States?
It was very interesting to read about how CVHS was back then. There were some kind of wild things that seemed like a norm during that year. One thing. Rhat really surprised me was that there used to be a smoking area on campus. That seems completely outrageous that the school would allow smoking and tobacco on campus. Another thing that still relates to this time is the one about senior ball. It reflects what people think about it still. They spend tons of money on one night and some people don’t want to participate in that. I really enjoyed reading this article.