A Stanislaus school celebrates 35th anniversary as its parent district hits century mark
On Friday morning, Bernard Hughes Elementary School honored Empire Union School District’s 100th year, celebrated the school’s 35th anniversary and paid tribute to its namesake in recognition of his birth month.
The event, led by Principal Jeri Hamera, was a walk down memory lane as former teachers and principals reminisced about the school’s history, challenges and triumphs since opening its doors in 1989. Superintendent C.W. Smith and school board members Carole Dovichi and Doug Bentley were also present.
When the school first opened, it had only seven teachers. Today, there are 22, with the highest number reaching 28 at one point.
“This campus does not look like it’s 35 years old,” said Rosalie Reberg, a former principal.
One of those original teachers was Gordon Olsson, who made an 11-hour drive from Idaho to attend the event. He expressed his appreciation for the school and how well it has been maintained over the years.
“It brings back a lot of memories,” Olsson said. “The school looks really nice for being 35 years old. I think it’s something we’ve all taken care of.”
Former teacher Candy Vargas pointed out the multipurpose room and cafeteria that didn’t exist when the school first opened, and recalled how students used to eat cold lunches due to the lack of a cafeteria.
Gary McDaniel, the school’s first principal and now a docent at the McHenry Mansion, reflected on the early days of Bernard Hughes Elementary. Surrounded by cement, dirt and large earthmoving equipment, the school was still under construction, he said. The office was housed in a trailer on the intermediate playground, which at the time had no grass.
He recalled watching the houses across from the school being built and seeing the children play with pieces of scrap wood.
“If any of our students at that time grew up to be heavy-machine operators, we would know where they were inspired,” McDaniel said.
At one point, Snowball the Husky mascot made an appearance, stealing the kids’ attention. Shortly after, a real husky was brought in and paraded among the students.
The event also paid tribute to Bernard Hughes, who was a father with children in the district, an active community member and a school board member in the Empire Union School District.
As part of the anniversary celebration, the school opened two time capsules, one from 1991 and another from 1999. McDaniel, who had hidden the time capsules in his office closet to prevent them from being dug up, unveiled items such as student drawings, class pictures, letters to their future selves and artifacts from school events.
“It’s a wonderful memory of that year,” McDaniel said.
The school plans to create a new time capsule to be opened in 25 years. The ceremony concluded with the students singing “Snowball” — its lyrics written by Vargas — followed by the promise of dessert with lunch.
