Yokosuka MS History
Opened: 1998
OPEN
Yokosuka Middle School was opened in 1998 as a 6–8 grade school with the separation of middle school grades from Nile C. Kinnick High School. When the school opened, Yokosuka shared its campus and facilities with Kinnick High School. In addition to a main classroom building, there are three annex buildings, a cafeteria, a library/media center, an industrial arts building, a gymnasium, music building with a 150-seat theatre, and an administrative office building. The faculty and staff included two administrators, Lesley J. Dunkle, principal and Don Christensen, assistant principal, two counselors, a media specialist, a nurse, a psychologist, and forty-nine educators.
On August 27, 2003, Yokosuka Middle School celebrated the grand opening of a new school with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Captain King Deitrich, Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Dr. Joe Tafoya, DoDEA Director, and Ms. Lesley Dunkle, Principal Yokosuka Middle School, were assisted in the ribbon cutting by students Jamie Maricle and Krystal Lontoc.
The school is located on Yokosuka Navy Base, a one-hour train ride south from Tokyo and a half hour train ride from Yokohama. It is located on the coast at the mouth of Tokyo Bay. Just outside the base is Yokosuka city, which has a population of about 400,000. The school is within walking distance of The Sullivans Elementary School and Nile C. Kinnick High School. The school’s students come from an area covering Yokohama, Ikego, Yokosuka city, and the surrounding Kanagawa area.
The school mascot is the Dragon who is named Tatsu, and the school colors are green and gold. The first school motto was Respect, Responsibility, and Results. New guiding principles were implemented for the 2015-16 school year: Dragon P.R.I.D.E. (Preparation, Responsibility, Integrity, Diligence, and Excellence).
The first principal, Ms. Dunkle, was the principal through the 2004-05 school year. Mr. Christianson was the assistant principal for three years and was followed by George Mann (2001–2003), Dave Crittenden (2001–2002), Dr. Laura Kelley (2002–2004), Mary Leinard (2003–2005), and Jack Graham (2004–2005).
During its existence Yokosuka Middle School has followed middle school concepts that include teaming, a wide variety of activities to involve all students with a focus on the arts and physical events. Competitive sports included sports teams for cross country, girls’ and boys’ basketball, wrestling, soccer, and volleyball. Later, track was added, and the swim team was added for the 2002-03 school year. Softball and baseball were added in the mid-2000s. In addition to the formal teams, students also participated in intramurals in several sports.
Band, chorus, art, and drama were integral parts of the school from its inception. Currently, the middle school has a beginning, intermediate, advanced, and jazz band as well as two string groups. Students have also been offered guitar lessons as an afterschool club. The art program includes photojournalism, and drama and dance are featured as afterschool activities and perform for the entire school. In the 2020s after-school activities include a focus on technology with several science clubs such as CSI—Crime Scene Investigations; Robotics; Engineering Design; and other S.T.E.M.—Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics—activities. Activities were students directly assisted other students included Peer Mediators, Student Tutors, and Student Ambassadors as well as the service-oriented activities of Student Council (later Student Government) and National Junior Honor Society. Student awards included several different Honor Rolls and P.R.I.D.E. awards for each grade.
Yokosuka Middle School students participated in district and regional programs since the school opened. These include Brain Bowl, Math Counts, the National Geography Bee, and Reading Across America. A partnership with the 7th Fleet Band includes yearly performances at the school. To honor the host country, the school teams adopted Japanese words as team names for several years. Currently, the teams are named after naval ships.
The other principals for the school included Mary Leinard (2005–2008), Geoffrey Fong (2008–2013), Ms. Binyard (2013–2015), Denise Leach (2015–2019), Stacey Hull-Walsh (2019–2024), Jason Goodwin (2024–2025), and Teresa Hahn (2025–2026). Assistant principals for this time period included Willette Horne-Barnes (2005–2008), Sonja Rodriquez (2008–20010), Ms. Rhine (2011–2012), Ms. Geesa (2013–2015), Ms. Smith (2015–2016), Katrina Watts (2017–2020), Deborah Connolly (2021–2024), Teresa Hahn (2024–2025), Dr. Bonnie Ramos (2024–2026), and Dr. Jason Goodwin (2025–2026).
When the school opened, the student enrollment in grades six through eight was 670 students. By the 2002-03 school year, the enrollment reached its peak at 770 students. The lowest enrollment was for the 2011-12 school year due to COVID. By the 2013-14 school year, the enrollment rebounded and has stayed between 630 and 680 students. During the 2024-25 school year, Yokosuka Middle school included the fifth grade. The fifth-grade students were instructed in self-contained classrooms while the sixth through eighth grades continued in teams. The school returned to a six-to-eight middle school the next year.
Information from school yearbooks and internet resources