San Joaquin County Biographies


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WEST SIDE UNION HIGH SCHOOL.
 
        Few institutions of learning have done more to help shape the destiny of 
the younger and fast growing communities than has the West Side Union high 
school. The excellent standing of this institution as an accredited high school 
admitting students to colleges and universities without further examinations 
meets the entire satisfaction of all concerned. The high standard of this school 
is partly due to the scholarly and untiring work of its former principal, George 
Wadsworth.
        The grounds include ten acres facing the recently completed Lincoln 
Highway. A group of fine concrete buildings have been erected at a cost of 
$200,000 and are an excellent monument to the energetic citizens of Tracy and 
the West Side. There are excellent facilities for athletics, including a new 
gymnasium, concrete tennis courts together with football gridiron, baseball 
ground and field for track and all other events. The gymnasium that has just 
been completed represents a financial outlay of $45,000, the equipment of this 
department being modern and complete in very sense.
        The high school course includes four years' work, beginning with the 
ninth and extending through the twelfth grade. There is also an opportunity for 
a year's post-graduate work and it is expected that this will be extended as the 
opportunity offers itself. As a modern high school the program includes in 
addition to the regular academic courses, a commercial department, a department 
of home economics, music department, manual arts, including machine shop, auto 
mechanics, woodwork and mechanical drawing. The physical education and athletics 
department is under the supervision of a man employed especially for that work.
        All student affairs are in charge of a representative body known as the 
executive committee; with the approval of the administration their decision is 
final. The high school at present is under the administration of H. O. Williams 
as principal and the remainder of the faculty is as follows: vice-principal, L. 
E. Richards; Mr. Richards has charge of the science department; Miss Leila 
Sloan, History; Miss Ruth Templeton, home economics; Miss Elizabeth Wetmore, 
commercial department; Miss Minerva Turner, English; Miss Alice Sharp, Spanish; 
Mr. W. F. Drew, manual arts; Mr. A. J. Fagin, physical education department; and 
Mr. A. A. Graham has charge of the instrumental music and is the conductor of an 
orchestra of twenty-five pieces. Each one in the faculty is a specialist in his 
department and the citizens of the West Side have every reason to feel proud of 
the continued advancement that has been and is being made by the school.
        Vocationalized ideas of education are growing in high schools through 
the country and the West Side Union School is not lacking along this line in the 
opportunities it has to offer students. The most excellent opportunities in all 
departments are being offered not only in the day school but in the evening 
classes as well. In addition to the regular day school courses that are offered, 
courses in Americanization are taught in the evening school. Gymnasium classes 
for the business men and women are proving very attractive. From the present 
indications the West Side Union high school promises to keep abreast with the 
modern ideas of education.
 
History of San Joaquin County, California � Los Angeles, Historic Record Co., 
1923
p    1020      
Transcribed by Kathy Sedler.