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Cliff Williams / TPI Charles Fuller, left, looks over some of the history of Holtville High School curated by Jackie Earnest, center, in the schools auditorium Friday during the annual alumni tea. Holtville is celebrating 100 years of graduates this year.

It didn't take long to figure out at an alumni tea at Holtville High School the connections to the school are deep. It’s something graduates already know.

There are at least nine families with five generations involved in Holtville schools — one family has five generations of graduates. Another family has 71 years of continuous student attendance at Holtville schools. 

Even the staff and faculty connections run deep. Out of the current school staff members, 14 are graduates of the school, including principal Sean Kreauter who walked the halls as a student for the last time in 2001.

Even though Holtville isn’t technically a town, the school has served as town hall for generations.

“I think Holtville is a special place,” Kreauter said. “It’s just community. I feel like it’s unified small town vibes.”

Susie Nell Yarbrough Johnson is the first graduate of Holtville High School in 1925, though the history of the school goes back for a century more. Yarbourgh and her other classmates celebrated graduation at Cains Chapel. The Class of 2025 will graduate on Boyd-Chapman Field, the same field Yarbrough’s son Gary Johnson played on.

“I went on to the Navy,” Johnson said. “But came back to Holtville.”

Johnson wasn’t the only graduate to come back. Kreauter’s two children are the fifth generation through his wife’s family. Though Kreauter himself might not have ever been a Holtville graduate were it not for a decision of his parents. 

They lived on Deatsville Highway and when redistricting was talked about, the Kreauter’s moved closer to Holtville High School.

“I’m glad they did,” Kreauter said. “I got to stay with my friends and classmates.”

The United States Department of Agriculture called Class of 1952 graduate Paul Fuller. The federal government took Fuller to places like Chicago, St. Louis and Washington D.C. But Holtville and its stories called him back. 

One of those stories got Fuller in trouble with Eclectic native and Holtville High School principal James Chrietzberg. 

“I had on some skates,” Fuller said. “Uncle Joe drove a bus and I was gonna hold on behind it. Instead of a short ride, he pulled out into the road. He went to Slapout.”

Fuller was spotted and met with Chrietzberg. The two had a few visits in the principal’s office over the years. But it didn’t taint Fuller’s admiration for Chrietzberg.

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“He was a great man,” Fuller said. “He did wonderful things for this school and community.”

Fuller had two daughters to graduate from Holtville and one to walk its halls for an additional 25 years as a teacher.

The Gray family was at Friday’s alumni tea. Nine siblings graduated from Holtville High School between 1957 and 1973. Only five are still living including Debbie Gray Bozeman. She said most everyone’s favorite teacher was Jackie Earnest. But for Bozeman it was Georgia football coach Kirby Smart’s mother Sharon Smart.

“She taught me to come out a little bit,” Bozeman said.

Smart had Bozeman memorize the prologue to The Canterbury Tales and then recite it for the class. 

“I loved her,” Bozeman said. “It was probably the first time I ever was able to stand up in front of the class without crying.”

All the stories were told and swapped at the alumni tea before the game. It was held in the library that was the auditorium until the new gym was constructed. Earnest said the back wall was new and the location fit the event. Earnest recalled the auditorium being the community center for movies and more decades ago.

For the tea Earnest gathered memorabilia and turned the now media center into a public place again for the tea.

“Ms. Earnest knows everything about Holtville,” Michael Morgan said. “She is the best person to curate something like this.”

Earnest pulled together old band uniforms and cheerleader outfits. She even got the descendants of Class of 1958 graduate Donna Pittman Watson to put together a board tracing the families 71 year continuous connection to the school.

“For seven decades straight they have been here,” Earnest said. 

Despite traveling around the world, Fuller feels he made the right choice returning to a place that gave him the foundation to succeed anywhere.

“I went to all these places, but I’m right back where I grew up,” Fuller said. “I couldn’t wait to get back home. There is no better place to be.”