Manzanita

In 1909, Oakland suddenly became the second-largest city in California with a population of 300,000 by annexing Brookline: 60.7 square miles east of Lake Merritt. After the annexation, Oakland needed to quickly build schools to accommodate their large population. The first school to open after the annexation in 1910 was Manzanita Grammar School, named after the native manzanita shrub. This resilient plant has a unique requirement in order to germinate and thrive: fire. Fire scarifies the plant's hard-coated seeds and sterilizes the soil it grows in.

Coincidentally, while Manzanita Grammar School students were out at recess in 1920, a gas explosion rocked the school's basement. Despite this setback, the school persisted (much like their namesake), eventually relocating to its current site on East 27th Street in 1958.

Today, Manzanita Community School prioritizes culture, family-school integration, bilingual abilities, and cultural competence, echoing the resilience embodied by the manzanita, the most endangered plant along the Sausal Creek watershed. To learn more about pallid manzanita restoration efforts, watch this YouTube video.