Los Angeles Times Article
April 17, 1982
REDONDO BEACH - The Redondo Beach Union High School District Board of Education has voted 3-2 to close Aviation High School at the end of this school term.
The board also directed Supt. Hugh Cameron to begin talks with the three elementary school districts in the beach area to study the feasibility of a unified school district for all grades.
According to Cameron, Aviation was chosen for closure instead of Mira Costa or Redondo Union high schools because the Aviation property can be sold or leased easily. It is at the northern edge of the district at Aviation and Manhattan Beach boulevards.
A tentative plan, to be approved this week, would send students living in Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach north of Artesia Boulevard to Mira Costa. The remaining Redondo Beach residents and those living in Hermosa Beach would attend Redondo Union. Aviation has an enrollment of 1,650.
The Aviation faculty and administration are to be divided between the two other high schools. Aviation Principal Bob Fish, 60, will coordinate the school closure. He said he probably will retire soon afterward.
Closure Will Save $1 Million
Cameron said the school’s closure, prompted by financial pressures because of districtwide declining enrollment, will save about $1 million a year. He said the district might be able to lease the property for about $50,000 a year.
Although there had been speculation for several months that Aviation would be the school chosen, students on campus last week were still stunned and angry.
About 700 students gathered on the football field after the closure was announced on campus. Some student government leaders suggested a boycott of classes to keep the district from receiving state funds based on daily attendance.
The protest became more of a pep rally when Fish addressed the crowd and praised them for their patience during the last year.
“I told them we have something very special here at Aviation that they will never lose,” Fish said. “These kids are genuinely concerned with their school.”
According to students interviewed on campus, teachers and students seemed to be in a daze. The closure was discussed in classes, between classes and at lunch. Some students cried openly. Others vowed not to go to the other schools. Word was spreading quickly on how to maintain Aviation school spirit on their new campuses.
“I heard that we can get diplomas that say Aviation High School,” said Deanna DeMaro, a 17-year-old junior who will be reassigned to Mira Costa. “We’re also going to get black and orange tassels to wear on our caps when we graduate.” Those are Aviation’s colors.
“I’m going to feel like a freshman again,” said Dawn Hedberg, 16, of Manhattan Beach, who also will attend Mira Costa. “I’ve just gotten comfortable here after three year, and now I have to start over. It’s not fair.”
Several students gathered around a reporter and spoke of the difficulties they expect at their new schools. One girl grumbled that she will have to buy a new wardrobe to be accepted by the “fashion-conscious girls at Costa.”
When a skywriting plane began drawing the letter “C” above the campus many students were certain students from Mira Costa had gone to that extent to rub the closure in their faces. When the second letter became an “O” students began walking out of class to gaze at the sky.
Some students were getting angry and thinking of a way to retaliate even after the third character turned out to be the number 2. The entire message apparently was a birthday greeting for someone turning 21, but some students still were not convinced Mira Costa was not sending a message.
“We figured it out,” said one girl. “It says Costa loves to win.”