Do you remember the island of misfit toys from the childhood holiday classic “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer?” Or maybe you recall the memory dump from Pixar’s “Inside Out”. Perhaps you are a “Suicide Squad” lover and are familiar with the greatness that occurs when people from all different walks of life collide? 

Cal High has its very own collection of awesomeness that resides in what we call Cal High’s Amazing Storage Museum, or CHASM for short.

Cal’s beloved storage museum is unlike anything else on campus, located right behind the career tech building facing the student parking lot. Here, you can discover anything. It is a place without bounds. 

I have often found myself peering through my car window at this gated area as I drive myself home. What is on the other side? Would I uncover dinosaurs like in “Jurassic Park”? Or maybe it’s like the cursed Bermuda Triangle. 

I have had the honor of pushing my face through the fence and may have uncovered the world’s eighth wonder. 

Allow me to provide a brief tour of this fine establishment. There are two working pianos where artists can have intense classy piano battles; a couch with a matching lounge chair that I can only assume some wise tushes have sat on; a resort for filing cabinets of every style, height and size mingling to find the love of their life; a lawn mower with nothing to mow but concrete; a motorized wheelchair trapped by cabinets; football pushers that have been pushed to their limit; and an orange PE locker that towers over the filing cabinets. 

Personally, I connected most with the miniature car there. It is around the size of the Autopia cars in Disneyland. The car is classy and curvy with a bench, low windshield, and practical cup holders. It is the color of a bronze metal rolled in mud. Basically, the car is similar to a miniature Volkswagen Beetle, but with a complex backstory.

A steal, don’t you think? I could imagine me and the car – I will call it Yoshi – spending our days riding along the San Francisco slopes and enduring the long lonely nights together. Yoshi and I against the world (Insert “Yoshi” sound with your best Yoshi impression). 

While planning my life with Yoshi, I wondered how could all these wise filing cabinets, chairs, and pianos wound up here? Is there a way out? Is this place their paradise or prison?

I was able to talk with someone who has access to this remarkable place, day custodian Ricky Galvao. He enlightened me about how these pianos, bins, and cabinets were brought to this glorious storage museum. 

“Long story short, we cleared out the old stuff from the storages on campus, to clear [the storages] up and put new stuff from teachers, departments, or other items they want to keep for the season,” Galvao said. “The older stuff from those storages end up in that area.”

Hence, “Avengers: Appliance Edition” was formed. 

Galvao said the newest editions to the museum are the foosball tables that were injured in the line of duty. We thank you for your service.

“Time was short for them, it looks like,” Galvao said. “Unless we repair them, those are staying there for now.”

I am certain the museum residents have kindly welcomed those tables with open arms.

Galvao shared that the stuff needs to be picked up by the district or thrown away depending on their condition, but until then, take it in folks. We can marvel at these beautiful creatures and learn some of their wisdom. 

You can bet you will find me there learning piano from Yoshi.