John R. Cummings ES History
Opened: 1990
Closed: 2015
John R. Cummings Elementary School opened its doors in August 1990, in the north housing area of Misawa, Japan. Misawa is located on the northern tip of the island of Honshu. The school served the Navy, Marines, Army, and Air Force dependents in the housing area, and it had three bus routes. Cummings Elementary School was the most northern DoDEA school in Japan at the time.
The school was named for John R. Cummings who was born in Pocatello, Idaho on December 22, 1932. He was a combat veteran of both the Korean and Vietnam Wars. After retiring from the military, Mr. Cummings taught for DoDEA for many years. He was a business education teacher at Edgren High School at Misawa Air Base. He was active in both military and education and military communities and was committed to the ideal of Excellence in Education.
The school mascot was named after the Siberian Swan. Lake Ogawara, which borders Misawa Air Base, is a popular layover point on the swans’ migratory path. The school slogan was “We Choose to Care” which was demonstrated by many events at the school including collecting toys, clothes, and blankets for children in Iraq (2004), donating to tsunami victims (2005), gathering school supplies for children in the Philippines (2005), and donating to the charity Smile Train to provide dental services to needy children worldwide (2005).
The first administrators for the school were principal Scarlett Rehrig and assistant principal Lucas Drake. The school had a full cadre of specialists and pupil personnel services. The support staff included specialists for art, host nation, English as a Second Language, reading improvement, compensatory education, speech and language development, music, and media. The school complex sported a large playground and backed onto the base golf course. The first year the school had a BEAR—Be Excited About Reading—program and a DARE—Drug Abuse Resistance Education—program. Extracurricular programs included drama, music, and classes to learn the host nation skills of soroban and origami. The next year the elementary school hosted its first artist-in-residence program, and the band and choir were well established. Dr. Markewitz was the assistant principal.
For the 1994-95 school year, there were 490 students in grades K–6 and twenty classroom teachers. Frank Vahorich was the principal. Additionally, the faculty included a guidance counselor, language and learning impaired teachers, and a nurse. An itinerant school psychologist served the school. Jim Bowers was the principal for the 1994-95 school year followed by Ruth Morgan who was principal from 1995 to 2000. Ms. Morgan’s assistants included Bill Ramos (’95–’96), Scott Sterry (’96–’99), and John Fletcher (’99–’00). In the mid-nineties, the school began its Schoolwide Enrichment Program, participated in the district media fest, earned Presidential Academic Fitness Awards, and competed in the Math Olympiads and National Geography Bee. By the 1998-99 school year the sixth grade had attended the Sapporo Ice festival for the eleventh consecutive year, and the fifth grade made their ninth overnight trip to the Ogawara Youth House. The school also had annual ski trips for different grade levels. The elementary school had an extensive arts program including a diverse music program, dance groups, drama presentations, and cultural programs.
A news article in the Stars and Strips reported on the school’s news network, Cummings News Broadcast Channel. The news show was believed to be the only live news broadcast, at the primary level, using an analog feed in DoDDS in Japan, if not the entire Pacific. During the broadcast, sixth-grade staff delivered information vital to the young students such as the lunch menu, daily weather, school announcements, and which students have birthdays or are moving. Many days the broadcast is enlivened with science trivia, Japanese culture tidbits, book reviews, and more to fill up the ten minutes of airtime. The program was started in 2001 by sixth grade teacher Leesa Rompre and, later, was overseen by Jim Moody, the school’s educational technologist.
In 2000, approximately 165 children participated in a modified version of the “Lift, Link, Love” effort established by Like It For Time, an organization created to raise public awareness of the one percent of the American population shouldering a decade of continuous war.
In 2001, Cummings Elementary was closed for two days because of damaged heating coils and burst water pipes, which partially flooded the school. The problem began on a Friday when the school lost heat in the gym and cafeteria. The 35th Civil Engineer Squadron personnel worked around the clock to repair the damage.
John Williams became the principal for the 2000-01 school year and remained at the school until his retirement in 2008. The 2008 yearbook was dedicated to Mr. Williams. His assistants include John Fletcher and Ms. Holzclaw.
The school was closed in 2015.
Information from internet sites, school yearbooks, and DoDDS School Information Guides