By Brian Ly | Staff Writer

 On Sept. 8, teachers and students celebrated Gabrielino High School’s 26th anniversary.

   A video created by the ASB, featuring numerous staff members and students, was released in celebration of the milestone. Newspaper clippings depicting the school’s history and development were also included in the video.

   Gabrielino, currently one of the top high schools in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Reports, was once an unwelcome idea in the community.

   Before 1992, students in San Gabriel attended San Gabriel High School through the Alhambra Unified School District (AUSD). In April of that year, however, San Gabriel residents fought for the right to educate their own students. 

   Two years later, after the city won a lawsuit issued by AUSD, Gabrielino opened as the San Gabriel Unified School District’s first high school campus.

   The school was named Gabrielino in honor of the Tongva Native Americans who resided in the San Gabriel Valley.

   At first, the campus was a converted middle school on Lafayette Street and only taught ninth graders. Each year, another grade level was added and the first seniors graduated in 1998.

   Construction on the new campus began in 2001 and was completed in 2006. Since then, a new science wing was added and construction is currently underway for a new music and dance building. 

   For this year’s celebration, teachers posted congratulatory messages on their Google Classrooms, such as “Happy Birthday Gab!” or “Happy 26th Anniversary Gabrielino!”

   Kevin McClure, physics teacher, has worked at Gabrielino since its inception.

   When asked about parts of the school that he misses from the past, McClure stated, “The only thing I miss from the past is the kids I’ve known. I have many fond recollections of many different kids and in each way they have given me a myriad of treasured memories.”

  Gabrielino has gone through many changes over the years, but one thing that has not changed is the constant support from the community of San Gabriel. 

   Even though Gabrielino has changed over the years, students agree that the school has kept its uniqueness. 

   Darian Tam, a 2017 graduate stated, “The people were most unique to the school. They defined what the school represents and what the school meant most.”