Colton High, home of the Yellowjackets, has a deep and astonishing history, dating back all the way to 1895. Note that the school is so aged that no one is still alive since the construction of the school. (Fun fact, the Yellow Jackets could have instead been the Coyotes!)

Wilberforce F. Bliss was the first principal of CHS. He was principal for the 1897-1898 school year. Not doing much to the school, he left to the University of California at Berkeley to earn his Bachelor of Letters degree and Master of Letters. Unfortunately Bliss died on September 4, 1921 at the age of 63 due to heart disease.

The Whitmer Auditorium began construction on May 13, 1953 and finished in 1955. It was named to honor Dr. Charles F. Whitmer for his extraordinary commitment to the community through his life. The auditorium cost half a million dollars to build. It was as state-of-the-art as possible for its time. With a trophy filled foyer, a stage with disappearing footlights, separate boys and girls changing rooms, and a stagecraft room.

The school has too much history to be mentioned in one article. For more information about the school be sure to head to room 505 to ask Mr. Rainey for his “100 years of crimson and gold pride: Colton High School 1895-1996.