A few photos of Tonga High School, it's teachers and students. circa 1954 - 1976.

I found this photo on the internet. It is a shot of Tonga High School students. If the date is true and my math is correct this is some 66 years ago. Also, twenty years before I arrived. The uniforms look the same, but it would appear that the stylish hats didn’t make it to the 1970’s.  FYI, The Headmaster in this photograph is the first Tongan to fill the position. As I understand it all past Headmasters were from New Zealand, so I would dub this of historic significance. Also, the young girl in the back row, far left, is Georgina Edwards…Clive Edwards’ older sister if my information is correct.

His Majesty King Tupou IV leaving after officially opening Tonga High school new library (Circa 1980).

Tonga High School in all of it’s pink glory. Circa 1975.

The other side of Tonga High School. The clock on the clock tower was always correct…twice every day. I do believe I see room 19.

There it is, room 19, another view of “my” art class. Second level next to the stairwell.

A competitive game of lunch time volleyball. Teachers are welcome to join in. Names please (Circa 1976)

Barbara Wilson, a teacher at Tupou High School, and Tonga High School’s science teacher, Debbie Schutz. Her students called her Miss Debbie, much to the Headmaster’s frustration, because they couldn’t pronounce her last name.

John Myer, science teacher at Tonga High School.

All business as the school marches to the opening of Parliament. Circa 1976. Names please.

Tonga high School students heading off to the parade grounds during the Centennial celebration. (Circa 1975).

A nice shot of a group of senior class students and me seated on the never, ever finished Queen Salote “hall”. Circa 1976. Names please.

A grainy polaroid shot of THS students and me seated on the never, ever finished Queen Salote “hall”. Names please.

A couple of photos of our Friday morning assembles. Who didn’t love standing in the hot sun listening to the Headmaster chat’n us up. Names please.

                             Names please.

Sports day 1976. Word is Mr. Ken Waller, Aussie Principal of St. Andrews High School was the starting rifle gent in the all white outfit. No birds were harmed during these games.

Timing and recording each race. Names please.

My guess is a cute guy is winning a race. Names please.

 Although you didn’t ask me, I will tell you that the Sports Day yellow tee shirts were silk screened by me in room 19. I think some of you helped me make them. Names please.

School spirit is universal around the world. Names please.

Sports Day. Name please.

Tim Sullivan and Emile Hons at the Sports Day competition in 1976. It would seem that this was the appropriate time and place to enjoy a cigarette…it was, after all, the 1970’s and the Marlboro man, David McLean, would not die of lung cancer until 1995. Too much information?

I see Vicky Fish (the wife of Mark Fish, Tonga High’s shop teacher) checking the foul line as this Tonga High student jumps through the air. 

Tonga High seniors verses the teachers. I see Rod Hooker in school colors and myself in an all black and yellow jersey (my body soon to be all black and blue from the whooping we took on that day). Names please

Here I am in the science room “skillfully” teaching what appears to be chemistry…I have no idea why I was in this class room, but I do know I don’t know anything about chemistry. 

After school choir practice. I remember well just how effortlessly they sang like angles. This photograph won a blue ribbon prize at the San Mateo County Fair. Names please.

Tonga High School teachers, Emile Hons (Art Teacher) and Debbie Gardner (Science Teacher). Rich Dann is to the right and was involved in the Tonga Fishery Department, if memory serves me correct. We were at the airport, waiting for the new Peace Corps volunteers to arrive on the “kerosene canary” as  “days of old” Tongan’s used to call the planes.

Pygmalion practice one day before live production. All of these kids worked very hard for weeks to get this play right. And the practice paid off. It’s fun to see the makeup attempts to make these teenagers look like older adults…forty years plus later, nature has taken care of that for them. I worked for a few weeks designing and painting all of the back drops. It ain’t Broadway material, but I did the best I could with the limited budget, paint and time I had. The panels could turn to produce a different back ground with limited effort. It was a great time for everyone. Please help me fill in all of the names.

So much work went into making these young ladies look older. Me thinks Mother Nature has removed the need for make up pens 40 plus years after opening night. 

I know this wasn’t the musical version of the story, but in my head, I can hear the song, “The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain”. It’s probably just me.

Practicing a well deserved curtain call.

Enjoying a day off from school at a senior class beach party. I am 60% sure that what is in that bottle is water only. Names please.

I’m going to try to fix the color on this rather washed out photo, but while I figure out how best to do this, I present to you Tania and Ruth Wolfgram.

I recognize these great kids, but my old brain can’t remember all of the names. 

I’m not sure why we buried this student up to his head in sand, but I think he might still be there.

Actually, I vaguely remember talking to him about the book “Treasure Island” and he saying if he was Long John Silver and they tried to bury him up to his neck on a beach as the tide was coming in that he could get out. The coconut was an after thought.

A great photo of a collection of Tonga High School students during our yearly senior beach party. Who is that strikingly handsome gentleman in the back row? Oh, yeah, it’s me. Names please.

A sad ending to THE real Tonga High School. Circa 2000.