Student Perspectives: San Fernando Valley High School Newspapers

Student newspapers offer insight into the types of issues and events that were seen as newsworthy to the student body. They are generally written by students, for student readers, often as part of a writing or vocational curriculum. As well as having a full run of our own Daily Sundial student newspaper, we also have several student papers from local high schools that document early 20th century youth culture in the San Fernando Valley.

In a pre-social media era, student newspapers provided classmates an opportunity to learn what was going on in school and the local community around them. The newspapers included front page news about school accolades, events, sports sections with the latest scores, jokes, humorous references to fellow students, and advertisements for local businesses. The newspapers we have in Special Collections & Archives were generally published weekly. Article topics demonstrate what was seen as news-worthy to students and instructors in the early 20th century Valley. Although photographs are limited in these publications, there are many names of students listed.

The Van Nuys High School Newspaper Collection contains issues from 1923 until 1969. In the early 1920s the student paper was called the Crimson and Gray News, then Van Nuys High School Weekly, before settling with the title Van Nuys Mirror for several decades. In the 1930s students in the school's journalism classes wrote the newspaper. Issues of the paper comment on earthquakes and campus parking issues, timeless topics that still resonate today.

The Baldwin-Shaffner Family Collection contains many issues of the San Fernando High School paper The Whirlwind. The September 26, 1932 Whirlwind noted, "Your school paper is a student product. Keep posted on school news, athletics, personals, campus gossip and jokes." The Whirlwind also featured cartoon illustrations, a creative writing section, and often had colorful decorative borders to celebrate holidays and other occasions. The Whirlwind editors turned the entire December 2, 1932 issue the school color gold, in honor of the San Fernando High School football players winning the conference championship. In 1940 The Whirlwind called their gossip column "Huffs and Puffs by Ima Windbag," infusing humor with speculations and the comings and goings of fellow students. The column writer quipped, "You can't believe everything you hear, but, you can repeat it."

Canoga Park High School first opened its doors on October 4, 1913 as Owensmouth High School. When the town of Owensmouth changed its name to Canoga Park, the school was renamed as well. The Canoga Park High School Collection contains several issues of Hunter's Call, the school's newspaper, along with other ephemera documenting student experiences, including event programs, football rosters, and playbills from the 1930s. Like other student newspapers, Hunter's Call also included a gossip column, but theirs was named "Meow." The content is not far off from what you would read or see on a social media platform today. The papers also include special features on graduating Seniors, including class prophecies dreaming of the students' futures, and information on where they would work or what college they would attend.

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