Pleasanton's first school provided instruction for grades one through eight. Local teenagers were forced to go elsewhere for higher education. "By 1921, Pleasanton teenagers had been attending Livermore Union high school for nearly thirty years," notes author Ken MacLennan in Pleasanton, California: A Brief History. In 1893, a mere four Pleasanton students made the expensive, inconvenient, and sometimes dangerous commute on the Livermore-Pleasanton road or via train, according to MacLennan. By 1921, an estimated two dozen were making the trek to attend Livermore Union.

The city clearly needed a high school of its own. In March 1922, residents voted to establish the Amador Valley Joint Union High School District. The new school district built a temporary facility at the grammar school, and 59 students enrolled for the 1922-1923 school year, according to MacLennan. The new building was formally opened in August 1925, and the community and the student body pulled together to support the new high school.

In October 1926, for example, the Oakland Tribune newspaper reported that "pupils in the manual training and drawing classes of the Amador Valley high school here have decided that they will do their own designing for the new cement sidewalk that is to encircle their campus," according to the Oakland Tribune. "The blueprints have already been drawn. Miss Mercedes Anderson, student in drawing, was one of the most interested in drawing the plans for the school improvement and did her share of the actual work in preparing the plans. Professor R. O. Moyer is pleased with the public spirit the student body is showing."

In the 100 years since it was created, Amador Valley High School has played a central role in Pleasanton. The entire community is invited to participate in the school's official centennial celebration, which will be held on September 14, 15, and 16. Events will take place at several locations. The Centennial Exhibition at Museum on Main opens on August 29 and runs through October 7. The exhibit kicks off with a panel discussion by former and current Amador teachers and staff on August 29 from 5 to 6 pm. Reservations are required to attend the panel; the filmed event will be publicly available in September. A no-charge, no-reservation public reception will follow the panel at 7 pm.

Other events include campus tours on Friday, September 15 led by current students. Limited reservations are available for the free tours, which must be reserved directly with the Amador Valley High School office. A Centennial Parade will begin at 2:30 pm on September 15 at the Veterans Memorial Building on Main Street. The free, annual Pigskin Event will follow at 4:30 pm and a varsity football game, which requires tickets, at 7 pm.

A Centennial Pancake Breakfast celebrating teachers and staff will be held on Saturday, September 16 between 8:30 and 11 am. Proceeds from the event will go to Amador Friends of Music. Those interested in attending are urged to pre-order a meal ticket no later than September 1. A number of Amador Valley High School classes are planning reunions over the centennial weekend. Additionally, both alumni and celebrants are encouraged to meet up with friends and fellow classmates on Saturday, September 16 at Wayside and Delucchi Parks.

The City of Pleasanton has often been lauded for its quality of life. Historically, the city has long depended on volunteers and nonprofits to help build its sense of community, according to MacLennan. The upcoming city-wide celebration of Amador Valley High School is another example of Pleasanton's own celebrated sense of community spirit.

For more information about the Amador Valley High School Centennial Celebration and related events, please visit www.amadorvalleycentennial.com. 

Photo: The original Amador Valley High School building under construction, late 1923. Museum on Main collection. Image cropped.