150 years after the small town of Petaluma decided to build a school, we find a thriving school community educating a diverse, engaging student body. 

Visit the Petaluma Historical Library and Museum until October 15 to browse their historical artifacts covering the first half of PHS's history, from 1873 through 1940.

Here at the Petaluma Regional Branch, we've highlighted the years from 1950 until 2015 with the school’s newspaper, The Trojan, by displaying some front pages over the years. On the opposite side of the display board, we give shout-outs to a few things that make PHS special including the museum, band, FFA, and others.

With 150 years of school activities to choose from, it isn’t easy to pick just a few items to display. Here are some of the highlights from the Petaluma History Room collection. Each adds to the rich history of the school and the community. 

Built in 1915, this incarnation of Petaluma High welcomed students to a new location on Fair Street from its former location on Keller. In the mid-1950s however, with an increasing student enrollment and an aging structure, it was deemed important to build a new school for the new times ahead. 

One of the artifacts we have in the History Room includes this image of the graduating class of 1953.  The yearbook from that year highlighted the many events that took place: the FFA judging team at Waterloo and the North Bay League football championship, among others.

The new building took shape quickly.  The Editor of the 1958 Yearbook reminds grads that this is the last year in the buildings: “We of the ENTERPRISE staff are asking you to join with us in giving a last good-bye to one hundred years of Petaluma History.”   We don’t own a copy of the 1959 yearbook but note that the graduation did take place at Durst Field in June of that year. 

The 1960 edition of The Enterprise opens with a full-page view of “Our Modern School Plant”. It particularly notes that “the New PHS represents a functional, economical, and pleasant building. It will undoubtedly be used for fifty years or more.”

When the new building was completed, the dedication took place on October 31, 1959. 

It has passed that 50 year mark, and with new buildings added, upgrades, and plans in the works for more, PHS is indeed…still going strong

Football game programs from the 1940s included player names and/or pictures. This November 11, 1944, program from the Santa Rosa/Petaluma November 11^th game includes action shots of each player, team scores from each school, team songs, and coaches' comments.

In 1944 Petaluma’s players were “a green untried team with a very little practice season and no practice games due to the harvest emergency.”

Because of wartime, their coach added “They had lost 17 men out of the first 22 by graduation and to the military so that when we defeated a strong Analy team we felt our team was off to a good start

The 1964-65 Student Handbook outlines the important roles played in the school including student government, school services (school lunches are $.35), student responsibilities.

This handy booklet gave students and their families information that helped them prepare for the school year including rules, important dates, names, services, and clubs.

NOTE: The student dress code included:

Boys: “hair should be neatly trimmed, face clean-shaven, pants worn at the proper level at the waist.”

Girls: “hair should not be in curlers at any time. Makeup should not be excessive. Dresses and skirts should be at least extended to the bend at the knee in back and be full enough for modesty when seated. Slacks, shorts, strapless dress or spaghetti straps should not be worn.”

This commemorative booklet captures the trip taken by the PHS Trojan Marching Band to Disneyland in May 1972.  Under the direction of Band Director John Schuster, band members visited Universal Studios, swam in the hotel pool, explored Solvang, and marched in the big event itself: the parade down Main Street USA. 

Their playbook included “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” “Sister Suffragette”, “The Mickey Mouse March” and “The Band Played On”.  It appears that Frisbee was a passion of teens everywhere.

Starting in the late 1990s, the Cow Pie Plop has been a fun, local fundraising event… known to set off chuckles from students as they observe the meandering bovine hoping for a ’plop’ in their chosen square.

Around 2010, the library created its own logo and buttons were made to share the website address.

By the mid-1990s the school library, under the direction of Jane Merryman, converted the old card catalog to a modern on-line catalog.  Ms Merryman took on an ever-increasing role of incorporating the new technology into the library and classrooms by working with faculty and students on how to use it effectively.

By 2010, The internet was taking hold and the PHS library website was created to provide links to the resources students needed to complete assignments as well as for personal information. This button was made to remind students to use the library as an entre to information discovery. 

Anniversaries allow us time to look back and reflect on the joys, tears, hard work, and exuberant fun that make up a school community. Here is an image from the 2023 Yearbook, reminding everyone that the present springs from the past and reminding us of where we’ve been, we can move forward by taking inspiration from those who came before us.

Drop by the History Room sometime (Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays) to check out more news from Petaluma History.