On January 7, 1936, the people in the South Coast elementary districts voted 524 to 28 to form a new high school district. Encinitas voted 202 to 8 yes, Cardiff 102 to 0 yes, Solana Beach 96 to 3 yes, Del Mar 40 to 1 yes, Green Valley 14 to 0 yes, and Olivenhain 21 to 0 yes. — “The History of San Dieguito Union High school District 1936-1981,” by Robert Williamson
Nine months later, on September 14, 1936, students attended their first day of classes at the new San Dieguito Union High School.
There weren’t enough classrooms for the senior high at the Pacific View site, so the District purchased tents from the Los Angeles School District for $10 each. In the 1937 and 1938 Hoofprints, you may see members of the sports teams posing in front of those tents.
Across the street at the Methodist Community Church, Mrs. Janie Hammond Grice cooked meals and carted them over when it was time to eat. Mrs. Grice only learned how to cook after she’d married, yet she successfully managed the school cafeteria for 30 years.
The district board hired Miss Lilian J. Rice to design the school. One of the first two women to graduate from UC Berkeley’s School of Architecture, Miss Rice had a deep respect for Southern California’s history and tradition, and created a beautiful campus with open courtyards and covered walkways.