The class of ’64 visited San Dieguito Academy Friday for a tour of the school, considering that it’s changed quite a bit since it evolved from a high school to the Academy. Members of ASB divided the alums into three groups to give them a class-by-class tour of the ‘new’ campus.

Tom Helmantoler discussed the changes throughout generations that he had witnessed. After graduating, he had attended Palomar College for two years, and then got his degree at SDSU to be a teacher. “I never wanted to come back to San Dieguito to teach,” Helmantoler said. “So I taught at Julian High School and only came back down when our football team was playing a game here!”

He went on to discuss the effects of the Vietnam War and changes in dress codes on his high school experience.

“People started getting drafted in our class after graduating. If you didn’t go to college, you were subject to draft,” he said.

He also talked about the dress code, and what wasn’t allowed at school: “Things were a lot stricter back then. If you knelt down and your dress didn’t touch the ground, they’d send you home. Same thing if you were a guy and your hair went longer than your ears. We also didn’t have an open campus like you do now. If we went anywhere off-campus during school, we were in big trouble.”

Other alums also noted the dramatic changes in dress code from then to now. If a student wore jeans, or a shirt without a collar, or shoes without socks, ould be sent home. Girls had to wear dresses below the knee, no exceptions.

Overall, the class of ’64 had a lot to say about their time at San Dieguito High School. Some alum came from across the country for the reunion, while others have lived in Leucadia all their lives. Some things will never change though, such as the spirit of San Dieguito: living on through the years through the kindness and intelligence of their students. Once a mustang, always a mustang.