| CENTRAL COAST LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERS | WINTER 2001 |
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To view previous Lighthouse Quarterly editions, click here. ...and that's the way it was, in 1930 ...by Carol O'Neil |
 Pt. Sur Lighthouse School Children |
The Lighthouse school was started in September 1928. For the first three weeks we held school in Mrs. Mollering's living room, until the men were able to fix a room for the school. During the year we had four programs. The children made their own costumes for the plays.
In August 1929 we had to have a larger room as we had more children. Some of the outstanding things that happened during this year were: A trip to Mrs. Foster[']s school to see the moving pictures Mr. Eckman brought down. Making Christmas, birthday and Mother['s] Day presents for parents and friends. When the third grade read the recipe how to make pop corn balls the children brought their material to school and made pop corn balls. We had three programs this year and a Hallowe'en party. We also took many hikes after plants, flowers, sea moss and shell, and arrow heads.
One day we decided to take a hike over to the new road to see the steam shovel work. On the way we passed Indain [sic] caves and a Chineseman['] house. We went on top of a hill but could not see the steam shovel but we could hear it. We came down the hill and went around it. Then we were right where the men were working. One of the men showed us the steam shovel and how it worked. On the way home we picked wild flowers. We did not get home until three o'clock. We hike[e]d about eight miles that day.
[signed] Hannah Miller 3rd grade
Manny [sic] times this year Miss Young took us to the beach. We played games, waded in the water. Some of the games were Blind man's bluff, Last Couple out, Ru[n?] and Jacob, Baseball and other games. Sometimes we took the big school ball down and played with it. We have had lots of fun on our trips to the beach.
[signed] Hannah Miller 3rd grade
One day we went to the beach. We gathered some shells. When we came home we all brought some shells to school. Then Miss young got a box to put them in. We put some cotton in it and layed the shells. Later in the year we sent it to Miss Toles with a collection of other things we had made.
Miss Toles is a teacher in San Jose State Teachers College.
We sent her a collection of our art, drawings, and work.
[signed] Jeanette Mollering - 4th grade
We sent some of the things we made to Miss Toles, a teacher in San Jose State College. She wanted some of our things to show her classes. Some of the things we sent were a clay rock, like the one we live on, some of our drawings, sons, wooden toys, and other things we had done in our school. Miss Young took them up to her.
[signed] Leota Miller - 4th grade
A store in Salinas asked us if [we] wanted to plant some sweet peas, for the annual sweet pea show of Monterey county. We had to write a little pledge if we wanted to plant the seeds.
When we got them, Miss Young divided them so we would all have some of each kind. We had to dig our ground and plant them. Each child's mother let them have a little place to plant them. All of them came up but mine, the mice got them. We got some cats before the mice got the others.
Billy[']s are about to bloom. I am afraid they will not bloom until school is out.
[signed] Jeanette Mollering - 4th grade
One day after school we went for a ride after John[n]y-jump-ups in a field near the beach. We had to keep chasing the cows away. After picking all we wanted we went down to a little creek that ran into the ocean. There were lots of frogs. A little ways up we saw a few big trees. Jeanette and I went up as far as we could get. There was a little place where you would sink up to your knees. We went back and caught frogs with the rest of the children and let them go for a while. It was time for supper so we had to go home.
[signed] Leota Miller - 4th grade
On May Day mornning [sic] we brought flowers and made May baskets. At recess we slip[p]ed home and put them by the door and knocked, then we ran away back to school. In the afternoon we made a may pole. The stick was a clothes line prop. We made streamers out of pink and green crepe paper. When we were skip[p]ing around the may pole the streamers kept getting away from us. It was the first time any of us had danced a may pole.
[signed] Leota Miller - 4th grade
On Mothers Day we made a basket out of reed, covered fa[?] with envelope linings, raf[?] mat, cover[e]d-cloth[e]s hangers and made a scarf. We hid them until mothers Day and gave them to our Mothers. The coat hanger and scarf were stenciled with wax crayon. Nearly every child made something different for his mother.
[signed] Leota Miller - 4th grade
We are making a circus for the State Fair. The bears, tigers and seals are going to be in cages. The cages are made out of wood and sucker sticks. The wheels and animals are made out of wood. Some have spring necks and tails. We have made a lot of other wooden toys this year as well. Some of these will also go to the State Fair.
[signed] Leota Miller - 4th grade
By 1932, the road from Monterey to Big Sur was complete and the Pt. Sur School was moved down to the highway, to the grove of cypress trees that are still standing there today. Children from Big Sur could now attend.
To view previous Lighthouse Quarterly editions, click here.