Colton High “Fact of the Day” – Apr. 12

Victor+Schiro+takes+a+group+of+Colton+community+members+on+a+tour+of+the+high+school+in+Sept.+2018.

Victor Schiro takes a group of Colton community members on a tour of the high school in Sept. 2018.

Colton High School opened in 1895. It is one of the oldest high schools in the Inland Empire. In this daily feature, we celebrate Colton High’s rich history.

On March 8, 2014, Colton High Assistant Principal Victor Schiro delivered a presentation at the Colton City Museum about the myths, stories, and strange history of Colton High. 

Schiro, a historian of the school, talked about a number of myths surrounding the campus, like the swimming pool atop the MacIntosh gym, and the presence of dungeons and bomb shelters under the school. The dungeons and bomb shelter were apparently constructed during WWII, but were finally covered over during the construction of the current Math and Science building.

He also talked about the haunting of the Whitmer Auditorium due to the death of a girl who had a falling accident inside the building. Or, perhaps the haunting was due to the ugly murder of a mother and child in one of the four houses the Whitmer replaced.

No one will ever truly know, and when Mr. Schiro retired in 2018, he took much of that history with him.