School Pride

Thomas Jefferson Elementary

History of Name

Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United states, from 1801 - 1809. He was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776). He also founded the University of Virginia. Jefferson envisioned America as the great "Empire of Liberty". He served his country for over five decades.

Sources: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Website: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson); Thomas Jefferson's Monticello (Website: www.monticello.org/site/jefferson/brief-biography-thomas-jefferson)

Date Built and/or Occupied

Originally, Thomas Jefferson Elementary was built in 1910. It was situated on the southeast corner of Seventeenth Street and Ross Street. It was demolished in 1965, and replaced by the grocery store, Alpha Beta, which no longer exists.

Thomas Jefferson Elementary was rebuilt in 1965, at 1522 W. Adams Street.

School Mascot

Jefferson Elementary School is the Home of the Jefferson Jaguars.

Famous People Who Have Attended

Rear Admiral Michael Manazir is the head of the Naval Aviation Programs, on the staff of the Chief Naval Operations. Manazir lived in Santa Ana for several years, and attended Jefferson Elementary and McFadden Intermediate. As a teenager he moved to Mission Viejo, and attended Mission Viejo High School. In 1981, he graduated from the Naval Academy, and finished training to become a pilot.

He was deployed 11 times to the Persian Gulf and the Pacific. In 2001 he was second in command of the USS Carl Vinson during the 9/11 attacks. In 2007, he was the top commander of the San-Diego based USS Nimitz, one of the largest aircraft carriers in the Navy's fleet. As commander of the Nimitz, Manazir was in charge of a crew of over 3,000 members and 18 ship departments, ranging from navigation to medical.

He was nominated in June of 2009 by the President to become a rear admiral, one of the highest ranks in the Navy.