Iattended the Peoria school district and lived in Peoria from 1961 until 1968, and then I taught in the district and coached for over 38 years.
During that time I have seen some of the high points in the community and some things that have detracted from it.
I remember my first day attending the Peoria district in 1961 as a sixth grader in a portable building at Peoria Elementary School. At the time there was only one elementary school in the district but I had some great mentors such as Harold Amspoker, Lou Weems, Bob Dobson, Jim Prins, Al Heinz and many more.
Peoria Elementary was right across from the high school and has since been torn down and rebuilt down the street. We felt like a small community that had a lot of tradition.
There was only one high school at the time with 450 students. I remember my first day in Old Main and being overwhelmed by the huge structure, even though today it seems relatively small. What a magnificent building. And just last year it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The tradition at Peoria High School was reflected in athletics, academics and its great teaching staff. People like Mitokawa, Huber, Williamson, and Superintendent Murphy who led the cheers at the pep assemblies.
And those cheers led to the games ...
The rivalry between Cactus and Peoria was intense back then. It was not unusual to see 10,000 fans at the football game each year and the game having to be moved to Glendale Community College. Peoria was a powerhouse and won the state championships in the late 1980s. It was so big our buses had to receive a police escort back into town.
The games were amazing as all the alumni went to ASU to see the games. It was a school and community effort to win those championships. That is how tradition is built and that is what Peoria is about.
They were championships won with Peoria kids and not kids who were recruited from other districts, like today.
And of course, there was the growth ...
As the district expanded, now over 40 schools, the reputation of the district grew and people from all over wanted to bring their kids to the district. It was a golden age with Raymond S. Kellis as our superintendent and all our schools thrived.
Teachers from all over the state wanted to be part of what was going on in the district in the 80s, 90s and early 2000s. Salaries were high and moral was unbelievable.
Then Mr. Kellis retired and the district went into a period of depression. Growth slowed down, moral went down and salaries with the help of the state also went down. The district hitalullandnoonetooka step forward to become a leader. As a result the reputation of the district diminished.
Looking back, the city has grown from a small agricultural community to a destination city in Arizona. At one time it was a little sister to Glendale, but now it has surpassed Glendale to become one of the top cities to live in Arizona.
I think one thing to remember is if you want to keep what you have and want to keep improving as a school district and as a city, you need people to step up and lead. Apathy kills what is good.
Editor’s note: Bob Gonzalo is a retired Peoria High School counselor.
