In the summer of 1893, two women with an abundance of public spirit, Mrs. R.P. Mace and a Mrs. Wear, circulated a petition calling for an election to determine the public will in the matter of a high school in Madera. The efforts of these two ladies brought forth immediate results among the Board of Supervisors and the electorate, all of whom affirmed the measure.
A separate school board was elected, and plans were made to accommodate Madera’s high school age students. The board hired Ann Nicholson as the school’s first principal and gave her two important tasks. In the first place, she had to supervise the remodeling of the second story of the Westside school, turning it into high school classrooms. Hallways and cloakrooms had to be transformed into laboratories, and the structure had to be hurriedly made ready to house high school students in the fall of 1894.
In addition to supervising the remodeling project, Ms. Nicholsen also had to prepare to teach all of the course work, since she was the only employee the high school hired during its first year.
To further complicate things, state law dictated that at no time could the enrollment of any high school fall below ten; therefore it was with a great deal of relief when precisely ten students took their seats when Madera High School’s first class walked across the threshold on the second floor of Westside School that first day.
The first class of Madera High School graduated in 1897, under the supervision of a new principal, W. L. Williams, who remained at the helm until 1900. He was succeeded by Miss Bovard and classes continued in the Westside School until 1904.
When Miss Bovard was replaced as principal by J. Irving Reed, she continued to teach as part of his faculty. Sometimes she was accused of being insubordinate to him, like that time in 1903. Two of the girls in her class had been quarreling. Mr Reed intervened, and Miss Bovard was accused of opposing the principal in the management of Madera High School. This she emphatically denied. She felt so strongly about the situation that she wrote a letter to the editor of the newspaper explaning her position.
In 1904, Madera built a beautiful, new high school, and the town’s high school students moved into new classrooms. With a new school came the new principal, Irving Reed, who led the facility until 1906. He was followed by E. B. Williams (1906-1908) and Walter Bristol (1908-1910).
Throughout the next few decades, Madera High School enjoyed a vote of confidence from the community because of the dynamic leaders who served as principal. They include the following:
C. J. Burrell (1910-1914) Under his leadership, MUHS students performed above average at the best universities.
F.O. Mower (1914-1918). The thirst for interscholastic battle in the debate arena continued at Madera High School under the watchful eye of this Principal. The target for the local warriors was the girls’ squad from Fresno High School.
The debate was held at Madera High where it was said some star girl debaters resided. Fresno had the negative of the proposition, “Resolved, That the state capital should be moved to Berkeley.”
Robert J. Teall (1918-1927).
M. C. Taylor (1927-1932).
L. C. Thompson (1932-1959)
Rinaldo Wren (1959-1965) Principal of Madera High School at the time of unification.
Alex MacDonald (1965-1969). It was under the administration of Alex MacDonald that Madera High School students were challenged emotionally by the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Madera High School Principal Alex MacDonald Friday afternoon praised the student body and faculty of the school for coming through a harrowing day without a serious incident. MacDonald reported that the day was tense and fraught with emotionalism, but resulted in only a wastebasket fire and a false alarm later in the day. A group of Negro students, angry about the shooting death of Dr. King, failed to return to classes immediately after the fire alarm clearance early in the morning, but soon followed requests to go inside.
The President’s morning address to the nation, which was transmited throughout the school, was credited with helping stave off a noon-hour outbreak feared by some students and teachers, MacDonald said. Shortly before noon, conferences were held with students, school district officials, community representatives and faculty members. Then MacDonald scheduled a memorial program for 1:15 p.m. The program was delivered over the intercom to avoid creating any incidents which could arise by crowding students together in an assembly.
Madera County Action Committee for the War on Poverty, teacher Bill Gamboa, MacDonald, student body president Ken Sellai and Negro student Bruce McAlister were the speakers. MacDonald compared the emotion-charged situation at the school, in which teenage girls were in tears, to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Mr. MacDonald was succeeded by the following principals:
Robert Warner (1969-1986).
Beau Carter (1986-1992).
Julia O’Kane (1992-1993).
Robert Peasley (1993-1998).
Ron Pisk (1998-2008).
Kent Albertson (2008-2014).
Alan Hollman (2014-2017).
Robyn Cosgrove (2017-Present).