Rich history of Eureka's schools to be explored

As the first day of the 2005-06 school year for the Eureka Union School District on Aug. 23 approaches, you might be surprised to learn that schools have been serving what is now Granite Bay since 1868. So much of the population of Granite Bay and Roseville has moved in over the past two decades that few people realize the rich history of the Eureka Union School District. We will be exploring that history within the district this year and welcome memories that community members have to share with us.The Eureka Union School District was officially formed in 1925 when two one-room school districts - the Excelsior School District created in 1868, and the Rosedale School District, created in 1908 - were combined. After starting with two old one-room school rooms on the current Eureka site, a new two-room school was built and one of the first teachers was Miss Willma Tescher, later Mrs. Willma Cavitt. Mrs. Cavitt eventually served as the principal at Eureka School and continued on as a teacher after her time as a principal. In 1961, Dale Bartell became the first official superintendent of the Eureka Union School District and oversaw the building of the second school, Greenhills, in 1965. By 1981, the district had grown to over 1,000 students and the district's second superintendent, Wally Newberry, opened a third school, proudly named Willma Cavitt Junior High School.Dr. Ron Feist became the district's third superintendent as the real growth of the district began. He saw the district grow from just over 1,000 students to more than 4,000 during his tenure from 1982 to 2004. Dr. Feist closely supervised the building and opening of Oakhills in 1990, Ridgeview in 1994, Maidu and Olympus in 1996, Excelsior in 1999, and finally Olive Ranch in 2003, before his own retirement in 2004. If you were a student or staff member or just an involved person in the community with something to share about our history, please give us a call at 791-4939, fax us at 791-5527 or e-mail me at bschultz@eureka-usd.k12.ca.us or my executive assistant, Vivian Gundestrup, at viv@eureka-usd.k12.ca.us with your stories, photos, or other memories. - Bob Schultz is the superintendent of the Eureka Union School District in Granite Bay. His columns appear in The Press-Tribune on the first Wednesday of every month.