Former students say farewell to Hillview Junior High School gym and cafeteria

PITTSBURG – Hillview Junior High School echoed with music and laughter as alumni gathered for a one-of-a-kind prom to bid farewell to their past.

To make way for a new campus, the gym and cafeteria at the school will be demolished this month.

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The oldest of three junior high schools in Pittsburg Unified School District, Hillview first opened its doors in 1958. It is among several schools that benefit from Measure N, an $85 million bond measure approved in 2016 for upgrades and improvements for schools.

Construction of the new campus, which will be right next to the current school, began in phases in November 2023 and is expected to be completed next year.

The new campus, which will be similar to Parkside Elementary School on West 17th Street, will have a new gym and locker rooms. The current cafeteria and gym will make way for two parking lots.

While many who attended last week’s prom event felt nostalgic about their old school, they said it was time for the institution to have a makeover.

Roshonda Glover and her husband Tederal Glover, who graduated from Hillview in the early 1990s, said the school holds a special place in their hearts.

“Our three girls attended this school, two older ones graduated, and our third daughter is graduating this year,” said Roshonda Glover on Friday at the event. “While I’m sad to see the school go, I think it’s about time we have an upgraded school similar to other cities.”

For Tederal Glover, his fondest memory was meeting relatives he never knew before.

“I have never met them until I got to this school, and seeing all of them grow into adulthood was great,” said Glover.

Betheny Jordan and Roshonda Glover attend an adult prom at Hillview Jr. High School in Pittsburg, Calif., Friday, April 11, 2025, where the cafeteria and gym are soon to be razed during a major campus renovation. Both women have children who have attended Hillview and Glover is an alumni. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)

Hillview Jr. High School alumni Cyndi Cappucini and Anita Marquez arrive for an adult prom in Pittsburg, Calif., Friday, April 11, 2025, walking the halls of the school before its cafeteria and gym are torn down during a major campus renovation. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)

Pittsburg Mayor Jelani Killings attends the Hillview Jr. High School adult prom in Pittsburg, Calif., Friday, April 11, 2025, where the cafeteria and gym will soon be torn down during a major campus renovation. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)

Homer Castillo attends an adult prom at Hillview Jr. High School in Pittsburg, Calif., entering the gymnasium dance floor Friday, April 11, 2025. The building will soon be torn down during a major campus renovation. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)

Hillview Jr. High School alumni Jenna Payton and Frank Ruiz, right, ham it up for the camera alongside Josh Marquez during an adult prom, Friday night, April 11, 2025, Pittsburg, Calif. The school held the event to allow the community to say goodbye to the cafeteria and gymnasium that are slated for demolition during a major campus renovation project. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)

Adult prom attendees at Hillview Jr. High School in Pittsburg, Calif., pose for a group portrait in the school’s cafeteria, Friday, April 11, 2025. The campus is undergoing a major renovation project that will be demolishing both the cafeteria and the gymnasium. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)

Hillview Jr. High alumni dance during an adult prom at the school’s gymnasium in Pittsburg, Calif., Friday, April 11, 2025, which will soon be demolished to make way for a major campus renovation. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)

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Janell White, class of 2002, said she has not been back on school grounds since graduation.

“A lot of memories I didn’t know I had, now it feels like it’s coming back to me,” said White. “I remember my classes and the people I went to school with.”

Pittsburg Mayor Jelani Killings, who graduated from Hillview in 2000, was excited to reconnect with classmates and discover that many members of the community also attended the school.

“It’s exciting to see folks that I didn’t know who went to Hillview and sharing that camaraderie, that we all went to the same junior high school,” said Killings. “That really, in essence, is the Pittsburg pride.”

Vice Mayor Dionne Adams reminisced about her days working in the lunchroom and participating in the choir.

“We had great teachers. I loved homeroom and my teacher; he was the dad of the class,” said Adams. “It’s exciting to be here.”

Homer Castillo said he remembers hating gym classes when he was a student.

“It gave me anxiety, and I felt it a little today walking past the gym, but I’m happy. It was a different time,” he chuckled.

Anita Marquez graduated from Hillview in 1969. She returned to work in the school providing violence prevention and anger management therapy for students before she retired in 2018.

Her son now works as a teacher in the school.

“Our roots continue here at Pittsburg. It’s sad to see the (original) school building go, but you got to do what you got to do.”

Kiana Ashley, Hillview’s community coordinator, said students were notified during the recent winter school dance that it would be the last time they would use the old gym and cafeteria.

“That sparked an idea, and I thought, why not have a prom for the adults (to enjoy),” said Ashley. “The community here is very strong, and I know a lot of teachers, students, and their parents who went to this school.”

The school, with the help of community members, parents, and staff, organized the prom quickly. Some vendors also provided free services as a way of giving back.

Hillview Principal Heidi Leber said many people approached her and Ashley and thanked the school for giving them the opportunity to relive their memories.

“Many felt like it was a closure for them,” said Leber. “Personally, we are ready for the new school, but this building has character.”

Leber said about 500 people had sent in their RSVP for the prom. Instead of buying prom tickets, attendees were encouraged to donate hygiene products to support the school’s community store that helps students in need.