Helen F. Stacey

History of Helen F. Stacey Middle School

Helen F. Stacey Middle School was the last of three WSD intermediate schools and its history is intertwined with its sister school Ada B. Clegg Elementary. Its namesake, Mrs. Helen F. Stacey, was one of the Westminster School District’s most well-regarded educators and administrators. Hired in 1942, she taught at the Hoover School before she became a principal at several different new schools such as Midway City, Johnson, and Gill. In addition to her administrative duties, Mrs. Stacey helped organize the Westminster Teacher’s union, the district’s intermediate curriculum, and served on many schools’ PTA.

While Johnson, 17th Street School, and Warner adequately served northern Westminster, a new intermediate site was needed for the western schools such as Eastwood and Schroeder. Instead of building a single middle-school, a new concept was formulated: the new site would be a combined elementary and middle school on the corner of Larchwood Dr. and Sunnycrest Lane. The dual campus would be different in design from other schools in the district, with movable walls and white brick rather than the red schoolhouse brick. The multipurpose room would be used by both schools with a moveable wall. To summarize, these schools represented, in the words of Superintendent John Land, “…a bold venture on the part of the board and staff. ”

Like most new Westminster Schools, Stacey was not ready for students, so they attended Clegg until it was finished. When it was finally completed, the dedication ceremony for both schools was held in October 1965, with President Eisenhower’s Treasurer Ivy B. Priest in attendance. The school was also opened at the height of the Cold War in which American ideals were romanticized and promoted to counter the influence of the Soviet Union. The first mascot, the Sentinel dressed as a minuteman, reflects this period of American history.

The district’s innovative approach proved successful, with the multipurpose room quickly becoming a community center and perfect for holding district events. The school would also become associated with both Huntington Beach and Westminster. Extracurricular clubs such as Equestrian Club would meet in Huntington Beach, or the Bowling Team would play at Westminster Lanes. Also like the other Middle Schools, several WSD educators and administrators would graduate from Stacey.