Fifty years ago, they walked across the stage at the Concord Pavilion as the first graduating class of Northgate High School, unaware they were also stepping into a shared story that would bind generations to come. They were the class of 1976. They came to Northgate as juniors as the newly constructed school was built to relieve overcrowding at Ygnacio Valley High School. “We were the top dogs as juniors,” said Joni Chiesa. “It was very exciting to start at a brand-new school.”
Dorene Soe, who still lives in the neighborhood, said, “We were told when we were at Foothill that we would be the first students at Northgate.” Some students joined a steering committee led by Mr. Russo, the Director of Student Activities. Joni, Vicky Harrison and Dorene were part of that committee and were tasked with coming up with the new school’s mascot and colors. Joni suggested Broncos and the red and gold color scheme because this was the mascot of the University of Santa Clara where her brothers attended. Others presented their choices, but in the end Joni’s suggestions won in the voting.
Sept. 4, 1974 was opening day for Northgate. There was a parade in the parking lot, a basketball game and gymnastics exhibition in the gym.
There was also a puppet and variety show in the Little Theater, with guided tours of the school lead by the Varsity Cheerleaders. Mr. Hansen, the principal, gave an opening day speech followed by the ribbon cutting ceremony and Northgate High School became a reality. According to a Northgate Sentinel article by Managing Editor Vincent Tanforan on March 24, 2022, “When Northgate opened in 1974…it was part of a cutting-edge wave in education. The layout was open…
Five-foot walls, like the ones still present in the library … served as dividers between classrooms.” This set up proved to be problematic and disruptive to teaching, so walls were phased in starting in 1991. The school also lacked a swimming pool and a football field. There were very few windows, just lots of concrete and red carpet at the entrance of the school. The basketball courts weren’t wood, but some kind of synthetic flooring. Students drove their Ford Mustangs, Datsuns, or their parents’ Buicks to DVC to watch Friday night football games. Swimmers practiced at Heather Farms. It was not until 2012 that Northgate had a stadium with bleachers and regular home football games, thanks to a group of parents who started Northgate Community Pride Foundation. This group also raised money for the pool, a new wood gym floor, and renovations for the Little Theatre.
In 1976, girls donned their Gunne Sax dresses and boys their powder blue tuxedos for the first Senior Ball at the UC Berkeley Pauley Ball Room. There was a “smoking” area on campus. There were driver’s ed classes and auto shop. Favorite memories include the first time it snowed in W.C. and they had snowball fights in the parking lot. The first Senior All- Nighter was at Great America after graduation.
As Ann Katzburg reflected, “It was great. We got to choose the mascot, write the theme song, choose the colors, stake our own territory at lunch time. And we got the coolest teachers because everyone wanted to come to a new school…On the track team we got to set every record because we were the first. We made up the rules and started the culture that would create a legacy for our campus.”
As the class of 2026 prepares for graduation, those who wrote the first chapter of Northgate are preparing for a 50-year class reunion, to be held in September. Thousands of students have donned the red and gold, sang the theme song, and walked the halls of Northgate since its opening, each generation carrying on some of the traditions started 50 years ago while also writing new chapters and binding a community through a shared story.
By Kara Navolio, Resident since 1991