Sarah Lim: How the 1918 flu pandemic shaped high school life in Merced County

The reopening of Merced County schools for in-person learning in March was welcome news to many seniors.

There was an overwhelming sense of relief as they realized their final months of high school life were going to look more or less normal with Senior Night, Homecoming, and a formal dinner (aka Prom). Best of all, there will be in-person commencement ceremonies in compliance with the CDC’s COVID-19 safety guidelines.

This school year has been a demoralizing time for many high school students as they struggled with distance learning, family obligations, and an uncertain future. Despite these obstacles, they embraced the challenges bravely just like their counterparts in 1919 whose lives were shaped by the 1918 influenza pandemic.

When the new school year began in September 1918, everything was running smoothly at the Merced Union High School (MUHS) from organizing the Student Body to playing fall sports. But it all ended abruptly when the flu pandemic rampaging through Merced County resulted in school closures.

During their “flu vacation,” the students received assignments for independent learning at home and reported periodically to their teachers. As Merced schools reopened in early February the following year, the students at MUHS were determined to make the final months of their school year as normal and meaningful as possible.

The editorial of the school annual states, “Influenza has been the dominant factor in school life this year …. Returning to school in February, after a siege of ‘correspondence course,’ we of course found that the rest of the year, if we intended to finish our course, would be a rush. But we set to work, and here we are at the end of those weary months, triumphant over influenza and hard work!”

It was really a memorable year for the Merced High students considering how much they achieved in four months. The Student Body with Herbert Keeler as president, Phyllis Caton as vice-president, Jerome Murry as treasurer, and Phyllis Wolf as secretary marked the first decade of its existence as it was created on October 27, 1909.

The Student Body also started two new organizations: Cadet Corps and The Road Runner Club. The Cadet Corps was created in the fall of 1918 in response to a new state law that required every California high school to have some form of physical education, and the Road Runner Club may have been a byproduct of the pandemic as city girls at Merced High felt the need to stay physically fit.

The Cadet Corps was composed of two companies, the 75th and 76th respectively. Student Body President Herbert Keeler took the helm of Major and commanded 85 young men with a slate of able officers. Under the leadership of Mr. R. M. Ross, the cadets drilled three times a week. On Fresno’s Raisin Day, April 30, the Merced High boys brought home the champion cup in the competitive drilling category for San Joaquin Valley Cadet companies.

The “flu vacation” must have taken a toll on the physical health of the city girls; upon returning to school, the Merced High girls organized a hiking club called “The Road Runner.” The manager of the new club was the Student Body Vice-president Phyllis Caton. The club decided to take one hike each week. The last hike of the season was the highlight of the club’s young history as its members hiked out to the Bellevue Ranch where they had a swimming party and a moonlight dinner before walking home on a lovely evening.

Of course, the hardest work for the Student Body was the school annual, “El Rodeo,” since it was started so late into the school year. The staff under the editorship of Helen Byram and management of Charles Cross did their best to publish a very satisfactory paper. The editorial board chose “Variety is the Spice of Life” as the motto, which was most fitting for the time as they hoped “it would drive all terrors away.” The 1919 annual was dedicated to Miss Louise Norvell, the senior class teacher.

As the commencement loomed closer, Flora Rodrigues recalled the history of the Class of 1919 in a poignant, and yet optimistic, note. She noted that the 96 freshmen entering the school four years ago created a radiant constellation. As time went by, only 21 were left in the “constellation” not lessened in brilliancy as most of them were set to enter higher institutions. Rodrigues wrote, “At last we have arrived at commencement week. The constellation recedes but still throws its light upon the school, for such light can never fail.”

While the Class of 1919 may have been small, its impact was significant because several of the class members held leadership positions on various student organizations such as the El Rodeo editorial board, the Glee Club, the Cadet Corps, and the Student Body. More importantly, they helped rebuild campus life after the 1918 flu pandemic and provided new hopes and dreams to the lower classmen.

More than a century later, we are about to bid farewell to the Class of 2021 in the midst of another public health challenge. Quoting from my daughter, a Golden Valley High School senior, “Our spirit of resilience is stronger than any pandemic.” Congratulations, Class of 2021! May a brighter future bring you new adventures and endless opportunities.