Narrative
During the years 1980-84, Buena introduced a wide variety of changes throughout this time period. They included new events, new clubs, and new offerings that students could participate in.
Campus Beautification
During 1982 Senior students began to plan a layout of paintings and murals around the campus that would add a sense of artistry to Buena. The biggest mural which would be the main mural was planned to be a painting of a huge bulldog surrounded with different athletic equipment required to play a variety of sports the campus offered. This mural would be labeled “Home Of The Bulldogs” and located on the outside wall of the boys locker room which faced the faculty parking lot. To further beautify the campus, we focused on painting bleachers, and adding new equipment such as backstop padding and new scoreboards (Volume XXI, Number 7 March 17, 1982 by Mark Chapman)!
During the 1980-1981 school year, the District Advisory Organization Committee was in talks about making Buena High School a four-year high school. It would’ve strengthened the ninth graders' student curriculum and would be a bonus to the school's sports programs, but some students opposed the school bringing in 9th graders, saying that it would make Buena crowded, while others thought that mixing 13 and 18-year-olds was a bad idea. The principal at the time, Mr. Shanahan, was looking forward to having ninth-graders on campus, and by the 1982-83 school year, the school was officially a four-year high school.
Buena offered a wide variety of clubs the students may participate in. One of them being the American Field Service, in which they help bring an understanding of different cultures to Buena. The Pep Club is an organization that promotes the school's spirit on campus and at athletic events. Another club that Buena offered was the Boys Federation, in which boys promoted better service towards fellow students, and sponsors many activities throughout the year.
During this era, there were concerns that many teenagers began to think that there weren't any jobs available for them, but Buena was able to help that problem. The Regional Occupational Program or R.O.P, was a special program off-campus that was for students and non-students. There was a wide variety of classes that R.O.P offered, it included auto repair, floral design, dental assisting, retail merchandising, etc. One of the more popular offerings was auto refinishing, in which students learned metals, plastic-surface preparation, and masking techniques.
In 1983, Buena’s Auto Shop was selected as one of the top twelve auto programs in California, and the State Department of Education asked the Auto Shop if they wanted to participate in the Automotive Certification program, with Buena to be used as the model program of 1984-1985. The program started with students completing the program who will be qualified to take the National Certification test at the end of the course. Students who passed the test would have a better chance of getting a job in the automotive industry. The program would also give Buena equipment for the 1984 school year.
No Reservations For Grad Nite to Disneyland
Due to there being a huge mess up, there were no reservations made for Grad-Nite to Disneyland for the seniors, which is something all seniors look forward to. No one wanted to take responsibility for not making the reservations because they wanted to blame it on others. PTA was supposed to have ordered the tickets, but somehow this fell through, so there was no Disneyland Grad-Nite for the graduating class of 1979-1980. However, they did not give up - they began looking for a new location to celebrate Grad-Nite, and Knotts Berry Farm was the second option which worked out (Volume X, Issue No. XV, Feb. 22 1980 by Melissa Gillmore)!
On New Year's Day 1983, Buena High School represented Ventura at the 94th Annual Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena. The band walked in parade formation in extremely cold weather on the freeway at around 6:00 pm. Many students thought that the band was not getting any television coverage because a parade float that was entitled “Picnic” which was presented by the International House of Pancakes was destroyed by fire, causing the media to turn its attention to that instead. But overall, the band members thought that it was a great experience, some of them saying that it was a friendly and easy atmosphere.
In conclusion, this period was marked by expansion in enrollment, offerings that the school gave to its students, and the achievements that the students did which were beneficial to themselves, and to Buena itself.
Time Capsule.pdfThis video shows the Buena High School class of 1982-1983 opening a 20-year-old time capsule left by the class of 1962. It begins with the ceremony where they opened the time capsule, and then includes various footage and interviews showing what Buena was like in 1982-1983. This video was left inside another time capsule that was intended to be opened in 2002-2003, but was unearthed in 1992, only to be rediscovered on accident in 2003.
In conclusion, this period was marked by expansion in enrollment, offerings that the school gave to its students, and the achievements that the students did which were beneficial to themselves, and to Buena itself.
1980-1984 Student Newspapers
Volume 12 Issue 1
Volume 12 Issue 1 (October 7,1981).pdfVolume 12 Issue 1 (part 3).pdfVolume 23 Issue 2
Volume 23 Issue 2.pdfVolume 24 Issue 11
Volume 24, Issue 11.pdfStudent Handbooks
'79 Buena Student+parent Handbook.pdfBHS '80 Student & Parent Handbook.pdfStudent Handbook Of 1981-82.pdf1982-83 BHS Student & Parent Handbook.pdfWorks Cited
Buena High School. Conquistador, Vol. 19. Ventura: Graduating Class of 1980. Print Archives, Buena High School Library.
Buena High School. Conquistador, Vol. 20. Ventura: Graduating Class of 1981. Print Archives, Buena High School Library.
Buena High School. Conquistador, Vol. 21. Ventura: Graduating Class of 1982. Print Archives, Buena High School Library.
Buena High School. Conquistador, Vol. 22. Ventura: Graduating Class of 1983. Print Archives, Buena High School Library.
Buena High School. Conquistador, Vol. 23. Ventura: Graduating Class of 1984. Print Archives, Buena High School Library.
"Buena High School 1982-83 Time Capsule Video." YouTube. Uploaded by Kevin Downey. 22 March 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQYdcVWaoqA.
(Handbook & Newspaper Citations Needed)
This part of the project was completed by:
Web Designers: Anthony Carrasco & Mya Martinez
Researchers: Cody Blackler & Peyton Holladay
Archivists: Mallely Perez Diaz, Carla Cardona, Alexander Escobar, & Sonia Moreno
Narrators: Juan Ramirez & Destynie Hogue-Villanueva
Editor: Mr. Downey
