[2] The first class graduated at Smith's Opera House on June 7, 1878, with a total of four pupils: Evelyn Pope, Cornelia Chappelmann, John Cooper, and Underwood McCann, receiving diplomas.

The cause of the fire remains unknown, however the Santa Cruz Sentinel reported the following day that the blaze appeared to have broken out on the third story of the building.

Neighbors used their garden hoses from across the street, with reports of people climbing on the roofs of their houses to better aim the jets of water.

While the firefighters made several advances, most notably by getting onto the second story balcony at the North corner of the building, they ultimately were forced to retreat.

The school was deemed unsalvageable around 7:00, after the water from the fire hoses was dissolved into steam by the heat of the flames.

[7] In 1919, the graduating class carved the names of those alumni into the marble facing of the wall of the entry hall, as a memorial to those lost in the war.

"[8] In the early 1920s, eleven black walnut trees were planted around the athletic field, one for each of the alumni who died during the war.

In 2008, there were tensions between neighborhood residents of Myrtle Street and the Santa Cruz City School District over plans to cut down four of the trees as part of a track renovation project for the Santa Cruz High School Memorial Track and Field.

First published in 1906 and edited by George Griffin (class of 1907), it gave accounts of events around the school, student opinion, activities and administration at SCHS.