Burnett Elementary has grown from ‘handful’ of students in 1855
to 400 today
Morgan Hill – Young and old, past and present – students, teachers, principals and administrators gathered at Burnett Elementary School Thursday evening to commemorate the school’s 150th birthday.
Those gathered in the auditorium were treated to memories from Elena Moreno, former kindergarten teacher at the school, and Larry Carr, city councilman and former Burnett student.
Current Burnett students told the history of the school through a series of skits and narration.
Burnett Elementary School Principal Barbara Neal said the school has been collecting reminisces of former students and staff to create a scrapbook.
Former Morgan Hill Unified School District Trustee George Panos, who helped organize the event, talked about the changes in the area since Burnett opened in 1855.
“Today, our crop of choice has changed in the valley around us since the beginnings of Burnett School, but our goal has remained the same, to pioneer a new crop for the 21st century, well-educated children in a nation of public schools where our first stakeholders simply said that an educated citizenry is the best assurance of a free democracy,” he said.
Many longtime Morgan Hill residents attended Burnett or know someone that did, Moreno said.
George Thomas, whose family has lived in Morgan Hill for generations, said he attended Burnett as a kindergartner in Moreno’s class.
“She drove us to school, and her twins were in the class with us,” he said. Thomas’ father attended Burnett in the 1920’s and his grandfather in the 1880’s, he said.
Moreno said she attended the celebration because she loves the school.
“All throughout my childhood and my adulthood, I kept coming back,” she said.
She told the audience how she walked to school with her brother from the family’s prune ranch. Later, when they moved farther away, they rode their bikes to school.
Moreno remembers a young teacher at the school who had a boyfriend who flew a plane, and when he landed near the school, for most of them it was the first time they had seen a plane. She also recalled when the dirigible Akron flew from Moffett Field over Burnett School on a regular basis.
Thursday night’s celebration opened with the Live Oak High School Jazz Band providing accompaniment as people arrived. Then Nayanci Lopez, the Burnett Elementary student of the year, rang the historical bell in the school’s courtyard. Later, to close the ceremony, Bren and Judy White rang the bell. The Whites are former Burnett teachers who met at the school and had their wedding reception, hosted by Burnett’s Home and School Club, at the school years ago.
During Thursday’s ceremony, Carr said he remembered when Arlene Machado, now director of technology for the district, was a teacher at Burnett Elementary School. He told the younger guests at Thursday’s celebration to remember and enjoy their elementary school days.
One of the favorite stories about Burnett’s early days involves the first male teacher at the school. According to the tale, before 1874, women teachers did not stay long at the school, mainly due to the “large and rowdy” boys whose goal was to make their lives wretched. The board decided to advertise for a “man-teacher,” and the only applicant was a Mr. Grey, who was described as “a meek little man.”
One day, according to the story, five older boys decided to “smoke out” Mr. Grey by placing a board over the school’s chimney. Mr. Grey then “thrashed” the students and sent them home. Four of the boys returned to school the next day with their six shooter, but Mr. Grey trumped them by pulling out a Colt. 44, placing it on his desk so the boys were looking down the muzzle of the gun. Reportedly, the school year was a very successful one.
The school was originally built on land owned by J.J. Bowen in 1855 by parents of children in what was then the Madrone Village. Parents donated money to hire a teacher and provided a place for the teacher to board. In 1862 Burnett School District was established.
The property was sold to the school district for $100 in gold coins in 1881.
By 1897, there were so many students at the school that a new, two-story building was constructed. In 1921, the second story was considered to be a hazard and was removed. Classrooms, an office and a nurse’s room were added to the original building.
In January 1949, the Burnett District and Morgan Hill Unified School District were consolidated.
Today’s Burnett Elementary School building, 85 Tilton Ave., was dedicated on Jan. 8, 1961.
Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. Reach her at (408) 779-4106 ext. 202 or at md****@*************es.com.
