WRITTEN BY Aria Kim-Brown

GRAPHIC BY Zachary Neitz

Four pages long, yellow now with age, seven letters encased in a box in the upper left-hand corner: the first issue of The Page might not look like much, what with its seven-decade-old paper that could rip at a moment’s notice. But, like any edition, Vol. 1 holds gems in its columns. 

Published on Friday, October 16, 1953, Volume 1 of The Page has 25 articles, ranging from an editorial on driver training by Anne Howard (9 paragraphs of a delightful experience with a young girl’s driving class—“Why does Mr. Kirkpatrick always leave his window open during driving training?”) to a one-sentence article about the Las Lomas Amigos: “Parents and teachers got together last night when the Las Lomas Amigos held ‘Back To School Night.’” Like our editions today, the back page shares sports, where we can see that “Las Lomas Murders Alhambra 40-0” and “Defeats Albany 38-0” (though, the Knights did lose to Acalanes 13-6).

Of course, perhaps the most intriguing column of them all would be Whispering Corridors—the renowned gossip column. In this piece, high school glee is fruitfully clear; only talented journalists with their finger on the pulse could aptly note how “it looks as though Pat Overs is the lucky one among all the girls who have been chasing Marv Hobbs” (followed by a “Congratulations, Pat.”) or that “the most commented-on car at L.L. is Mrs. Culver’s red Ford convertible.” Hilariously entertaining, everyone should give Whispering Corridors a read.

Soon to be available on The Page’s website under “The Archive”, The Page’s first issue is a delightful peruse; a true time machine into the 50s. 

 But, if its four pages aren’t enough to satisfy your historian craving, there are much more entertaining resources worth taking a look at. The Walnut Creek Historical Society has a reserve of images online that show Las Lomas in 1948 (before its construction), 1951 (during construction), and beyond. It’s incredible to see aerial shots of the school in its newborn ages—especially how different the surrounding land looks. While Main St. still seems to have a fair deal of traffic, South Broadway is almost entirely rural, completely unrecognizable as the busy street we see it as today. Free for all to see online, the Walnut Creek Historical Society website is worth checking out.

If you find yourself still interested in the long history of our alma mater, take a trip down to our school library, where decades of yearbooks from as early as 1957 lie in wait on the southeastern shelf next to books by Las Lomas graduate published authors. Though a few years might be missing, nearly every year is immortalized in our library. Check out the old school anthem or the Dean of Boys and Dean of Girls. Take a look at the clubs and activities students participated in—some of which are still around today (like The Page!). The fun graphic designs and iconic fashions are abundantly evident in each yearbook, allusive to the decades to which they belong.

It’s easy to forget that there’s so much history in our school. While the lockers might be newer (and freshly painted over the summer), the halls have held over seventy years of students. With the beginning of a new year, it can be nice to take a look back and see where we’ve come from. And as we start to near the end of the school year, no matter if you’re a freshman still recovering from your first finals week or a senior ready for college, we can all appreciate the service Las Lomas has done for us all—from 1951 and beyond.