Stearley Heights ES History
Opened: 1984
Closed: 2021
Stearley Heights Elementary School (SHES) was a completely new facility located on Kadena Air Base, Okinawa. The school was designed to accommodate 750 students in its two-story building. The school was situated in the middle of the large family housing area. The new school had twenty-five rooms, a general-purpose media center, a gymnasium, a cafeteria/kitchen, host nation room, music area, art room, special instructional area, and a teacher workroom. The new facility was handicapped accessible. Exterior facilities included a baseball field, a volleyball court/basketball court, a general-purpose field, a fenced kindergarten play area, and parking for 175 bicycles.
Stearley Heights Elementary School was named for Major General Ralph R. Stearley, Commander, Twentieth Air Force (31 July 1950 to 14 January 1953). At the time, Twentieth AF was the major USAF headquarters on Kadena. The housing area where SHES was located and the Wing Commander's Quarters were also named after General Stearley. Stearley Heights Elementary School was famous for its screaming yellow walls (school bus yellow) and a taxidermy bear on wheels in the lobby. The elementary mascot was the Dolphin.
Thomas Godbold was the principal for several years in the nineties with Clarence Hitch and then Glenn Giles as the assistant principal. Eric Gentry became the principal for the 1994-95 school year. He was followed by Mr. Van Dale Furusho with Al Barney as the assistant principal. The administrators for the 2003-04 school year were Mona Morgan, principal, and Monica Howard, assistant principal.
The enrollment at the school remained constant until the mid-nineties when the number of students dropped to 560. At that time there were twenty-seven classroom teachers, twelve specialists, and eight educational aides.
According to the 2002 yearbook, Stearley Heights Elementary School was…
The only true neighborhood school on Kadena, SHES kids live, work, and play within walking distance of Stearley Heights. And, since our classmates are also our neighbors, many students form lifelong friendships during their time here.
Our students, parents, teachers, and staff have developed a mission statement that says "Great Kids + Great Parents + Great Teachers = SHES”, and nothing describes Stearley Heights better. As you look through this book, now and in years to come, remember those great kids, parents, and teachers who have made the SHES experience a great one.
Stearley Heights Elementary School had a wide variety of clubs and activities for students. There were clubs to foster students’ interests in geography, space, recycling, crafts, computer and video production, model airplanes, sign language, and broadcasting. Students could pursue their interests in the arts by being in the different choruses, instrumentals groups or drama productions. Some of the school’s special activities included Saturday Scholars, School Musicals, Outdoor School, Safety Patrol, Festive Days and Library Helpers. District and regional events included American Education Week, D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), the Island Wide Science Exposition, Math Olympiad, and the annual Spelling Bee. Culture events at the school included participation in Nihon Matsuri, a celebration of Japanese and American cultures and presentations by the Taiko Drummers.
Parents and community members supported the school as classrooms helpers, tutors, members of FAST (Family and School Together), family nights and volunteers at events such as the annual Walk-a-Thon. The PTA sponsored sports events for soccer, basketball, and cheerleading. The elementary school participated in yearly events with its sister school, Koza Elementary School, and later had exchanges with Satsuki Elementary School.
The school was closed in 2021.
Information from dissertation by Harold Clifford Brown, 1981; school yearbooks; school webpage; and the DoDEA Pacific South District Chief of Staff