Zukeran (Sukiran) ES History
Opened: 1954
OPEN
Zukeran Elementary School was located in central Okinawa, within the Kishaba Terrace military housing area on Camp Sukiran in 1954. Camp Sukiran was later renamed Camp Foster, and Sukiran Elementary School was renamed Zukeran Elementary to align with the Japanese spelling. The original brick facility was comprised of a main building, with four wings and several support buildings. It had thirty-three classrooms plus rooms for specialists such as the counselor, nurse, learning development teacher, speech therapist, and reading specialist. There was a full-sized gymnasium with a stage and a hot lunch cafeteria. All classrooms were air-conditioned.
Dr. Arlynn Sweeney was the principal for the 1978-79 school year with Leo Spence as the assistant principal. In the 1981-82 school year, there were forty-three educators on the staff for the 850 students in kindergarten through sixth grade. The principal was Glenn Turquand, and the assistants were Justamona Mack and Leo Spence. Mr. Turquand remained the principal for several years, and Madeline Williams replaced Ms. Mack as assistant principal followed by Bert Riley. For the 1985-86 school year, the administrators were Olan Knight, principal, with assistants Leo Spence and Timothy Kilkenny. During the 1988-89 school year the community raised $21,000 to purchase additional computers for the school. Mr. Ed Davis was the principal with Timothy McKinney and Dr. Donald Fenwick as assistants.
Mr. Thomas Whitaker was the principal to start the nineties with Al Lohse and Becki Boatwright as the assistant principals. Russ Claus replaced Ms. Boatwright as the assistant principal the next year. By the mid-nineties, the enrollment had dropped to approximately 690 students with fifty-nine educators and eleven paraprofessionals on the staff. The school administrators for the 1995-96 school year were Russ Claus, principal, and Jill Breaux, assistant principal, with student enrolled in PSCD (Preschool Services for Children with Disabilities), Sure Start, and grades kindergarten through six.
Students at the elementary school had a wide variety of activities and school events. The clubs in the eighties and nineties included drama, chess, video, Japanese drum, Japanese language, music, math, and Young Astronauts. A sampling of the local school events included Career Day, Kids on the Block, Artists in Residence, Family Math Night, and Brain Bowl. The Read Across America program began in 1997. Each grade level participated in several local study trips such as visiting the Botanical Gardens, Pineapple Factory, and Manza Beach. Additionally, the school had a student council, safety patrol, peer counselors, a school newspaper, and yearbook. Students participated in local cultural events such as “Undokai” which was a Sports Day. The school also had Japanese culture clubs such as yoga and Taiko Drums.
For the 2000–2002 school years the principal was Sharon Carter. The first year her assistant was Dr. Deborah Carlson, and the next year Patrick Buckley was the assistant. Mr. Buckley remained the assistant for another year, and the new principal was Mr. Furusho. At the beginning of the millennium, the enrollment was under 650 and then grew to 775 by the 2002-03 school year. A new playground was opened during the 2001-02 school year.
Mr. Reynaldo Toquero became the principal for the 2017-18 school year and remained principal through the 2020-21 school year. Christina Young was the assistant for the 2017-18 school year followed by Kerwin Jones who was the interim principal when Mr. Toquero retired.
Fifth grade students participated in a week-long adventure to Yuron Island. On this trip children from Japanese, Indonesian, and American schools become family for four days. This trip is a “once in a lifetime” adventure. In 2018 the Adventure School had been held for over forty-two years.
On 29 August 2018, Zukeran Elementary opened its 21st Century facility directly across the street from the former post-WWII-era campus. It is a two-story facility with an expansive Commons area used for lunch and other large group gatherings, six grade-level instructional neighborhoods, separate art and music rooms, a gymnasium with a wood floor, a dual-purpose stage which opens to the Commons, and a performance room. Along with its unique architectural features, the school is equipped with the technological features necessary to facilitate 21st Century teaching and learning.
The school colors are blue and lime green, and the mascot is the Toucan. The school motto is “We’re not too small, we’re not too tall, but we Toucans, can do it all.”
The school currently has pre-kindergarten, Sure Start, and kindergarten through fifth grade. There are about 430 students enrolled, and the principal for the 2023-24 school year was Lori Hill. This was her third year at the school.
Information from the school website, school yearbooks and DoDDS School Information Guides