There have been many things that can be considered landmarks as Cupertino High School approaches its 50th Birthday. Here for your consideration are my Top 20. These are signposts that enabled Cupertino High School to accomplish so much in the last 50 short years. These are what enabled Cupertino High School to become “The school we love the best”. Numbers 19 & 20 deal with the future of CHS. It is a dream I have had since the final few years of my 40 wonderful years at Cupertino High.
                                                      Mr. Boggie

The (1)1953 Bond Election that the FUHSD proposed and got passed raised the necessary money to not only build Cupertino but also the late Sunnyvale High School. In (2) 1957 groundbreaking ceremonies led to the start of construction of CHS. One year later the all the citizens of Cupertino celebrated (3) Opening Day for not being just a school but a true Cupertino civic institution.

For the next five years CHS was a focal point of civic recreation, culture and community pride. At night and during the weekends the gym, auditorium, pool, cafeteria, athletic fields were in constant use by the entire Cupertino community that, as yet, had few if any of these facilities available for public use.

196l was the (4) 1st Graduation class in the history of CHS. They had attended Fremont High as Freshman. A select group of them, while Freshmen at Fremont High, helped make decisions about the new school they would be attending the next year. School colors, the mascot, names for the newspaper, yearbook and student center were among the things they helped decide.

In (5) 1962 Television, delivered to classrooms via a closed circuit network (CHSTV), thrust Cupertino into a leadership rule in combining technology and education. Every academic subject had its own channel. In 1963 we became the first school west of the Mississippi River to use videotape for instructional purposes in the classroom. In (6) 1964  2nd in the U.S. was where CHS was ranked among all high other schools with regard to using technology in the classroom.

In the 1963 NORCAL Wrestling tournament brand new the CHS varsity team emerged victorious. Since all the best high school wrestlers were in Northern California it was truly a (7) 1963 STATE CHAMPIONSHIP. Wrestling matches would fill the gym and when 1200 Pioneer fans shouted PIN! PIN! It was something to behold.

In (8) 1966 Football Lights were installed at the school. To this day only Fremont and CHS have the ability to host night-time football, track and band competition among all the schools in the FUHSD. Students  raised a good part  of the money needed for the installation of these lights.

The (9) 1971 Rose Bowl Parade saw the CHS Band proudly march before a huge national TV audience. They would do this often in following years at 49er and Raider games, many times where Championships were decided. In 1979 they again marched in a New Years Day Parade held at the
Cotton Bowl.

In 1978, twenty years after the school had opened, a new institution of pride and achievement was born. In (10) 1978 the CHS Hall of Fame was born. We wanted  to take stock of what the school’s alumni had accomplished in the outside world during the past 20 years. Once selected, they would be presented to the current students at a rally as positive roles models. The idea was to honor alumni accomplishments across the career board, not just athletics. Thus the CHS Hall of Fame includes such varied
Career paths as  scientists, entertainers, inventors, authors, educators, politicians, the military, surgeons, photographers, lawyers & more. It has remained an extra curricular institution at CHS for what will be thirty years this year, 2008.

In (11) 1984 CHS was saved from closing its doors forever. For the full story click on to the link Saving CHS. We did survive this threat of extinction but always during the 1980s and 1990s we battled against declining enrollment and the decline of the tax base in the FUHSD area. Then came the Silicon Valley phenomenon that reshaped Santa Clara Valley as the Baby Boom had done following WWII. This time we weren’t just a bedroom community. Giants of the new technology like Apple and HP decided to build their facilities right in the heart of the Cupertino community. That did wonders for the tax base.

Cupertino became a (12) Distinguished School in 1990. We have gone on to several times win this, badge of Educational Excellence. The last time was just 2 years ago in 2006. But the highest educational award out there was awarded to CHS in 1996. Presented by President Bill Clinton in a lovely White House Rose Garden Ceremony, it is the (13) 1996 National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence.

In (14) 1996 Measure H was passed with CHS teachers heavily involved its being accepted by the voters. This resulted in each school in the FUHSD receiving upwards of $30,000,000 for complete renovation. In (15) 2004 work was done on the CHS campus and the results are marvelous.

Ironically as this renovation of the campus was completed the state began cutting and continues to cut California educational funding. Thus was born (16) CHSAAA in 2006 whose prime purpose was to help make up for these  state financial cutbacks. Can one Public High School’s Alumni in significant numbers step up and begin doing what Private School Alumni have always done. I think Cupertino alumni can be the ones to lead the way.

The 1st generation of teachers, from 1958 to 1979 saw much growth and change in their time.

The 2nd generation of teachers from 1980 to 1999 saw much decline and then a slow growth.

A (17) 3rd Generation 1999 to 2008 of teachers are now manning the learning stations at Cupertino High School.

As they began their stewardship the school was one vast construction site. The student population has grown to a very health 1500. Something like it was when I first came to CHS in the fall of 1962. Also  the physical look of the campus itself is reminiscent of how it appeared in 1962, brand new and sparkling.

During the 1st generation of teachers the parents were a bastion of support for CHS with a huge Parent Faculty organization.

During the 2nd Generation the community and alumni rushed to CHS’s support when it was threatened with closure.

Now Cupertino High School once again needs alumni to come to its aid. Let’s look on Cupertino High as a real estate property. In 50 years it has built up an equity of 20,000 alumni & most of the 700 teachers who taught at Cupertino consider that time the happiest in their educational careers. One could also add thousands of parents of alumni to the equity CHS has built up in the past 50 years. Just so it comes out even let’s say 9300 really loved CHS. If my math is right that adds up to (18) 30,000 in equity and quite
probably even more. One person might even match that.

Now, the question is, can we tap into all these warm memories and positive feelings about Cupertino. How can we convince just one third of this total equity base of 30,000 to automatically have $25 deducted each year for Cupertino High School. The annual impact it would make on their “alma mater”. If my math is correct would be a (19) $250,000 subsidy would annually be given to CHSAAA. A Board elected by all CHSAAA members (all those giving $25) would disburse this money each year to Cupertino High School at really no cost to anyone.

So what we need to come up with is a master plan to realize getting just one third
of this potential equity pie that Cupertino High school has deservedly accumulated in the past 50 years. This (20) Operation Give Back could ensure Cupertino’s financial future and send shock waves all through the Public High School World.

The financial crunch caused by state cutbacks will not effect Mitty High School. One big reason for this is that it is standard procedure for students of private schools to continue to support their alma mater financially after they graduate. Can't we do that too?