9-21-18 Sec 1 pg 1-9_Edition 9/19/18 3:57 PM Page 6

6 Friday, Sept. 21, 2018 HIGHLAND HISTORY Highland Community News n highlandnews.net

Brian Montez remembers Highland Junior High School

Brian Montez grew
up in Highland more
than 40 years ago.
He attended many
schools in the area.
Yet his fondest memo-
ries of his schooling
were in seventh,
eighth and ninth
grade while he was
enrolled at Highland Prado
Junior High School.
Montez attended Highland
Junior High from 1973 to 1976.
Highland Junior High School
was where San Andreas High
School now stands.
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From listening to fun things to do.” called scrubs. The eighth-
his story, it is evident At 6 feet by age 12, Montez graders were called dishwash-
that he has an affinity was the tallest student in the ers and the ninth-graders were
for the school and its school. called upper classmen or fresh-
history. Montez lived “All throughout my junior men. I don’t know why. That’s
in a mobile home park high school years I was the just what they were called.
on Pacific Street and tallest kid on campus. I was “The other scrubs would get
Victoria Avenue. taller than the teachers,” said pushed into the water, but I
“I walked to school Montez with a smile. never did because I was taller
Paul every day, down Pa- Montez said that the worst than everybody else. Being the
cific Street. It was thing that could happen to a stu- tallest had its advantages at the
probably a couple of dent was to be pushed into the time.”
miles to the school from my water when there were puddles Everybody on campus was
house,” said Montez. after a rain in the wintertime. friends with everybody. No one
“They were good times. I “I remember being called a was excluded from groups, ac-
have no regrets being at that scrub,” said Montez. cording to Montez.
junior high. There were always “The seventh-graders were “We were a tightknit school.
Everybody was friendly, and
we didn’t have problems on
campus. It was very quiet. It
was more laid back than it is
now,” said Montez.
“There were cliquey groups,
but everybody got along.”
“You could sit at anyone’s
table. The office staff, the li-
brarian and the people that
worked in the kitchen. All the
kids were friends with every-
body.”
At the junior high they had
vending machines, according to
Montez. At lunchtime, he said
the students could either pur-
chase a hot lunch, bring their
own lunch or they could buy
from the vending machine.
For less than a dollar, the stu-
dents could purchase some-
thing to drink and choose two
items to eat from the lunch-
room.
“Candy bars were 10 cents
apiece. It was a simpler time. It
really was,” said Montez.
In 1973, the school still prac-
ticed corporal punishment re-
called Montez.
“When I was in seventh grade
I got my first taste of corporal
punishment,” said Montez.
“In my English class, the
C ourtesy of B rian M ontez
Brian Montez stands in
front of Highland Junior
High school in the mid-
1970s.
teacher was Mr. John Barter.
There was a girl that sat behind
me. Her name was Sheri Ger-
ber. I’d been there for about a
month, and I kept turning
around talking to her.
“At 12 years old you’re start-
ing to get inspired at that time
in your life. Well, I wouldn’t
stop talking to her, so I got
brought up to the front of the
class and the paddle came out
and I got swatted by Mr. Barter.
“It never happened again,”
said Montez.
“I drew a lot of respect for
my teacher. I felt that many
things changed in my life at
that point.”
What other interesting things
did Brian Montez experience at
Highland Junior High? Read
next week’s column to learn
more about Brian and Highland
Junior High.
Do you know anything inter-
esting about Highland or it’s
history? I would like to hear
from you. You can contact me
at (909) 816-0318.

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