Sollars ES (formerly Misawa ES) History
Opened: 1960
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Misawa Elementary School began as part of Misawa Dependents School, which opened in 1948. The Dependents School was separated into an elementary school, Misawa Elementary, and a high school, Misawa High School, in 1960. In May 1962, Misawa Elementary School was renamed Sollars Elementary School.
The school is located on Misawa Air Base, Misawa, Japan, in northeastern Honshu. The main building of the elementary school was located on 7.2 acres and was formerly a Japanese Air Defense Headquarters building at the end of World War II. The building was converted to a school in October 1948. The building consisted of forty-five classrooms. Twenty of these classrooms and the media center were of relatively new modern construction. The other areas were of an older design but had extensive repairs and maintenance.
School staff for 1981-82 was twenty-six classroom teachers, two administrators, a media specialist, physical education teacher, reading improvement specialist, speech therapist, English as a Second Language (ESL) specialist, compensatory education teacher, two special education specialists, two Japanese culture teachers, a school nurse, and an art teacher. There was a total of thirty-one educators for 725 students in grades kindergarten through six.
New construction, which consisted of three separate buildings, was added to the facility and occupied in August 1986. A new eight-classroom building was added to the present facility, with four of the rooms for the kindergarten program. This new primary area was connected to the primary wing. Additionally, a new administrative wing and a large combination gymnasium/auditorium/cafeteria was built.
By the 1987-88 school year, the enrollment has reached 950 and by the end of the eighties the enrollment was 1,370.
Three new buildings were added in 1990. The professional staff of the school consisted of thirty-nine classroom teachers, three administrators, a media specialist, two physical education teachers, two music teachers, 1.5 reading specialists, a speech therapist, two learning disabilities teachers, 1.5 guidance counselors, an ESL specialist, three compensatory education teachers, Japanese language teacher, school health nurse, art teacher, and a part-time school psychologist for the 1993-94 school year.
Sollars Elementary School’s current school building was completed in 1998 and currently serves approximately 850 students in grades PreK–6. The school has fifty teachers, and Art, Music, PE, and host nation classes. The school has a cafeteria, gym, information center, administrative offices, a large play area with basketball courts, a baseball diamond, and a separate playground for kindergarten and Pre-K use.
Sollars Elementary School was dedicated to Lt. Col. John A. Sollars. Lt. Col. Sollars was a pilot who died in a crash on December 19, 1961, after ejecting from his crippled F-100 Super Sabre. He avoided crashing in a populated area and waited to clear the town before ejecting.
The elementary school became a Sure Start through fifth grade school for the 2021-22 school year.
Information from internet sites, school yearbooks, DoDDS School Information Guides and DoDDS Pacific Region, 1946-1986