1961-1964
So it begins...
Like many other places in the country, Buena High School has definitely changed significantly over time, but it has never stopped providing many of the same services, programs, and experiences that have helped students learn about themselves and prepare for adulthood. Even though its storied history has stretched over the past six decades, one of the most important periods was the formation of the school, and the many traditions created by its founding members from 1961 to 1965. We are eternally grateful for all of the Bulldogs that have come before us, and we wish a bright future for all of the future Bulldogs to come. Enjoy this blast from the past as we discover how Buena began!
The Quad in 1962
Buena High School’s history dates all the way back to the 1960s, a time that was 6 decades in the past from where we are now. The year was 1961 when the school first opened to the public, allowing students to enroll there. Under their first principal, Arleigh McConnell, the school began its life and soon started construction on an auditorium, using a team of workmen to begin the building process. The auditorium was planned to have everything that we have in the auditorium today, including a large auditorium that could seat a thousand and a little theater that could seat two hundred, as well as a choral music room and an instrumental music room ("Auditorium Under Construction" 1). The auditorium was planned to be finished in March of the following year, but it would not be finished until later that year. By December of 1962, it could be seen on campus fully constructed and standing alongside the other buildings ("Construction Creates New Facilities" 5-6).
Auditorium under development
September 8, 1961
The completed auditorium
December 19, 1962
1962 CONQUISTADOR-combined.pdfAnother noteworthy difference between then and now was the newspaper. At this point in time, it was known as the "Buena Vista" and was printed using actual newspaper (Buena would later change the name to "Buena Speaks" in 1998, and stopped printing papers in 2019 when it moved all of its content online to https://buenaspeaks.org/). One interesting issue from 1963 covered the Kennedy assassination, which had a role in reporting and reflecting on the feeling of mourning going across the country. In that issue, the principal wrote a message where he urged that the country should improve its efforts through education in order to combat the rampant feelings of fear, anger, and hatred that were involved in the tragedy, and voiced his hopes that President Kennedy’s untimely passing would “serve to rededicate this nation to the rights guaranteed in the federal constitution” (Smith 1). The yearbook also came out during this time period, first introduced in the year 1962 under the name “Conquistador”, which remained the name of the yearbook until 1999. Since then, various titles have been used, depending on the year.
In memory of JFK
Published December 6, 1963
Student Life
Buena´s Athletic Programs
Since the very beginning of Buena High has always had plenty of athletic programs. Since the school opening in 1961. The sports available at the time were Football,Cross-country, Basketball, swimming, Baseball, Track and Tennis. With Football having the spotlight and beginning in the fall. Since offering of athletic programs it has opened up a hole variety of opportunities for its players. To this very day Buena has expanded their athletic programs to a plethora of sports with the new addition of Wrestling,Water-polo,Golf, and Cheer.
To follow up with the rest of the events happening during that time, the school had a slightly different schedule and did not feature all of the buildings that it currently does. The school day began at 8:30 instead of 8:00 and ended at 3:15 instead of 3:05 (Buena High School Student Handbook 1961-62). The campus featured most of the current buildings for the most part, but lacked the A, I, and J buildings, as well as a stadium (Buena High School Student Handbook 1961-62). The map of the school back then considered the I and J buildings to be the offices and the cafeteria, instead of the I and J buildings that are in the school today. The A building was intended to be built as the school grew in size. The stadium, meanwhile, did not exist at all, and the area where it would be built had been nothing more than a dirt track off to the side of the school. It would be four decades before a stadium was finally built there. Despite the lack of these buildings, the school did have most other buildings at this time, including most of the classrooms, the auditorium, and the gym. Though it did not have all that we have now, the school back in the beginning was just as prepared to be used as it is today.
Layout of School, 1961-1962
(Buena High School Student Handbook 1961-62)
BHS Bell Schedule, 1961-1962
(Buena High School Student Handbook 1961-62)
In conclusion, this time period of the school’s history shows us just what kind of place the school was when it started, and though it was simpler and had less than it does now, there can be no doubt that it was functional, and that the staff that worked there both had a structure that worked in the present and plans for a structure that would fit the future. With a schedule only somewhat different from ours, handbooks for both teachers and students alike featuring forewords from the first ever principal, and a room directory that featured some classes that no longer exist today, the school is shown to have started with differences. All this culminates to show us that Buena has changed quite a lot from where it began, but some of what it had in the beginning is still here in the modern day, exactly as it was when it first opened several decades ago.
Room Directory from Staff Handbook
1961 - 1962
Miscellaneous
Buena High School Alma Mater (Updated for 2022).mov
Ventura County Secondary Schools 10th Annual Music Festival 1962
In 1962, the following record was manufactured by Century Records, from Saugus, CA.
Works Cited
"Auditorium Under Construction." Buena Vista [Ventura, CA], vol. 1, no. 1. 8 September 1961, Pages 1-4.
Buena High School. Conquistador, Vol. 1. City of Ventura: Graduating Class of 1962. Print. Archives, Buena High School Library.
Buena High School. Conquistador, Vol. 2. City of Ventura: Graduating Class of 1963. Print Archives, Buena High School Library.
Buena High School. Conquistador, Vol. 3. City of Ventura: Graduating Class of 1964. Print Archives, Buena High School Library.
Buena High School Student Handbook. Class of 1961-1962, Pages 1-68.
Buena High School Staff Handbook. Class of 1961-1962, Pages 1-85.
"Construction Creates New Facilities.” Buena Vista [Ventura, CA], vol. 2, no. 7. 19 December 1962, Pages 5-6.
Smith, Jack. "In Memoriam: President John Fitzgerald Kennedy." Buena Vista [Ventura, CA], vol. 3, no. 6. 6 December 1963, Pages 1-4.
This part of the research project was completed by:
Andrew Coombes & Arianna Valdez: Researcher/Archivist
Christopher Fitzgerald & Lorenzo Tangouma: Narrator
Hannah Bleiweiss: Researcher
Devin Avila & Malia Kaluna: Archivist
Juan Gonzalez & Lorenzo Tangouma: Web Designer
Mr. Downey: Editor
