Dana Hills High School will be marking its semicentennial anniversary with a time capsule, historic videos, a pep rally and more on Saturday, Oct. 14.
The event will kick off with a pep rally in the gym at 5 p.m. showcasing DHHS dance and band, speeches from alumni and a video time capsule. From 6-7 p.m., attendees can enjoy live music, food trucks and more.
“We want everyone to come, anyone who wants to be here and celebrate the birthday, the 50th anniversary of Dana Hills,” Principal Brad Baker said. “We’ll be blowing out the candles and all that fun stuff.”
Former DHHS student and teacher Mark Reid will share a video featuring interviews from former teachers and historic video footage.
Baker added that the event aligns with the school’s vision to “connect and inspire.”
“That’s exactly what this event will be doing, will be reconnecting our past Dolphins and inspiring our future Dolphins with the entertainment, relationship building, the video, thinking about the future with the time capsule and some great time and great friendships to celebrate.”
During the event, Baker noted that there will be announcements on two key projects for which the Dolphin Foundation is fundraising. The Parent-Teacher Association will also be selling sweatshirts featuring the school’s original yearbook on it and other merchandise.
“We’ll also have artifacts available for people to go through, old yearbook pictures, extended video, historic video,” Baker said. “And then we have a new time capsule that we’ll be asking people to donate items to put in the new capsule to be buried this year.”
The school will be re-burying the time capsule, which is set to be dug up again in 25 years, Baker said.
Pat O’Connell, surfer and actor in TheEndless Summer II, is among the alumni speakers, Baker said.
The anniversary celebration will be an opportunity for past and present students, faculty, families and the Dana Point community to reconnect and “see the years of relationships that have been forged over the years here at Dana Hills.”
Baker added that he hopes attendees leave with a sense of the traditions and legacies that have been left over the years and feel excited about the future ahead for the school.
“I hope they take away just the incredible tradition of past staff and students that have passed these hallways and have gone on to be these great citizens in our community and done notable things out in our world,” Baker said.
Following the festivities, the Dolphin Foundation will host a gathering at the Dana Point Ale House, where 20% of the proceeds will support the school.