A reader requested a photo of the one rooms school house that was built at the corner of San Antonio Drive and Pine Avenue and here it is. The school was built to accomodate the growing population of the Los Cerritos subdivision which was created in 1906. Because there already was a Los Cerritos School on Willow Street, the school built at San Antonio and Pine became known as Los Cerritos School North. The photo is dated 1914, the first year this school was used. In the doorway, is teacher Marie Vignes. Note that this photo had been damaged at some point and someone traced in the outline of the bell tower on the top of the school. After a new two room school was built at the site of today’s Los Cerritos School. this building was moved to current school site at 515 West San Antonio Drive. The building was used as a wood shop and caretaker’s quarters until it was demolished in June 1970. I wonder if the school district knew that they were demolishing the original one-room school house at that time. Fortunately, the school bell was saved.
The bell was moved to the new school built at 515 West San Antonio Drive and used until 1946. The bell was restored by the Los Cerritos PTA and school patrons. A ceremony to dedicate the monument with the bell was held in 1958. Former teachers and students were invited back for the ceremony. This is a recent photo of the school bell monument which is right in front of the Los Cerritos School Auditorium.
These are wonderful photos — I love the cute little guy at the end of the ‘boys’ line’, grinning at the camera! And Marie Vignes looks lovely in her white muslin dress with black velvet cumberbund.