It all started when Henry Miller decided to donate land on K Street to provide education for the younger population of Los Baños. At first, the old school house, located across the street from the old Catholic Church, was just a grammar school, but on September 20, 1897 the upper level of the school house opened its doors and became Westside Union High School.

One might ask why it was called that instead of the familiar Los Baños High School we all know and love today. The answer is simple, the school district was called Westside Union School District because Dos Palos and Gustine were in the district as well. Dr. CF Wade, the only doctor in Los Baños at the time, also gave up his extra hours to be the school board president. The first year the high school was here, 15 students were enrolled and taught by JT McManis, who was also the principle. Unfortunately after the first year of WSUHS, the school house burnt down. The second year, the students held class in the I.O.O.F. building until a new school was built. There were now 20 students enrolled and two teachers, JT McManis and DW Lindsay. 1901 came and nine lucky students were ready to graduate. Members of the first class to graduate from Los Baños High School were Smith Acker, Robert Lindsay, Isabelle McCleland, Anne McLeod, Iva Phillips, Walter Thiercof, Elmer Tully, Etta Wade, and Frank Wilkins.

Did you know that the school colors used to be gold and white but got changed to cardinal and gold when the "new" high school was built in 1966? Another question you might be thinking is: "What sports did Los Baños have and when did they start?" The first sport ever to be played on a high school team was baseball in the year of 1898. In 1926, football started being played in high school. They would play on Place Field, located where Westside Elementary is today, until the new stadium was built. Don't get us wrong, the football team has had some fault in the early days, but it also had major victories. For example, in 1926 when the Tigers took on Bakersfield they horribly lost 66-0. On the other hand in the early 30s, the Tigers won three consecutive championships. In 1935, the first three games played that season, the Tigers won the first two games, but lost the third against Merced - some things never change. Also, you might be familiar with Mr. and Mrs. Tiger, an award given to a senior boy and girl who have exceeded in sports throughout their high school career. In 1970, Los Baños started a similar tradition called the Mr. Tough award, which is for football players who have showed excellence up until their senior year. Arthur Ramos, a Los Baños native, was the first to receive this award. Throughout the years, many students have graduated from either Westside Union High School or Los Baños High School. In less than three weeks, the class of 2009 will also be graduating. Whether your school colors were gold and white, or cardinal and gold, every student is proud to say, "I am a Los Baños graduate."

 The old gym...