1970: New Courses Offered As Students Go Back to School

According to the Spring Valley Bulletin, here's what was happening in your neighborhood, this week in 1970:

– New courses were being offered at Grossmont High School and Grossmont College, as local students returned to school. At the high school, a law enforcement class, taught by retired California Highway Patrol Sgt. George Dowdy, was being offered in the school's new facility. At Grossmont College, there was an anticipated record number of enrollees in electronics courses, including Basic Electronics and DC Circuit Analysis.

About 15,000 students were expected to be in the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District, which is about 2,500 more students than are in the District today. At newly constructed La Presa Junior High, a concept called "team teaching" allowed for collaborative learning by removing wall partitions, and opening up classrooms. The District also adopted the National School Lunch Program, which offered reduced lunch prices for underprivileged kids.

– Plans were being proposed for a 10-acre public park in Spring Valley, located on Jamacha Boulevard, just east of Sweetwater Road (which is now Spring Valley Park). There would be no acquisition costs for the park, according to William Fitzpatrick, president of the Spring Valley Chamber of Commerce. The park was planned to occupy the land where a sewage pumping station once sat. Plans for the park included retail spaces for an ice cream shop, a putting green, craft stores, and other private enterprises.