Ernest J. King HS History
Opened: 2003
OPEN
E.J. King High School was formerly part of E.J. King Unit School, K-12. The unit school was split into two schools in 2003. The administrators for the new school were Linda Connelly, principal, and George Mans, vice principal. Mrs. Connelly received the DoDDS Principal of the Year Award in 2005. The new high school had 300 students in grades seven through twelve. The enrollment has remained between 250 and 300 students.
The school colors are red and black, and the mascot is the Cobras. The school yearbook is Kyushu. The middle school literary magazine is Metanoia.
According to the 2004 yearbook:
Ask anyone and they’ll tell you; this school year was different. Dozens of students have come and gone, replacing and refilling the E.J. King population. In a school filled with Filipino-Americans, it was both a surprise and a relief to see the King population diversify, but they nevertheless maintain a majority. Another change this year came with the split of the Elementary and Middle/High School. Some say they don’t feel a difference, but that is a good thing; changing without knowing it is the best kind of change to be had. This change will bring in more teachers for the coming years and will thus increase class options. That’s good, but in all fairness, the school year wasn’t easy. The ever-changing student population brought in so many new ideas and that it was hard to find what made King High kids kick.
Many clubs have been offered at E. J. King, and the number of them grows yearly. Clubs meet after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays and keep students active mentally and physically. The clubs included: National Junior Honor Society and National Honor Society; Speech and Drama Club; Feature Films Club; Medieval History and Sword Fighting Club; Running Club; Spanish Club; Homework and Interact Clubs; Model United Nations; and Middle School Student Council and High School Student Council. Students participated in regional programs such as the Harvard Model Congress, STEM Far East, and Creative Expressions Far East. The school also has an S2S, Student to Student, program to welcome new students to the school.
E.J. King’s Interact Club is the only American Interact Club in Japan. The Interact Club is a service club sponsored by the International Rotary Club. Girls in grades 9–12 are sponsored by Sasebo South Rotary Club. The club has been at King for over 10 years. They have made trips to Seifuen Children’s Home and meet regularly with their sister-school, Seiwa Girls’ School.
Paul Brennan, a teacher at King High School, was chosen as the Japan Teacher of the Year in 2006.
George Mann became the principal of the school for the 2005-06 school year and remained as principal until 2011. The assistant principals during this time were Sonja Rodriquez, Andrea Mail, and Shana Seawright. Dr. Gail Awakini began her principalship at King for the 2010-11 school year. Her assistants included Shana Seawright, Mr. LeFebre, Michael DeFrancesco, and Dr. Norman.
According to the 2012 yearbook, the school offered ninety courses. One advanced placement student commented that “Academics at E. J. King High School are very unique; it is well rounded with excellent instructors who have a very diverse background in their profession.”
Sports highlights for the school included:
- 2003-04 – Tennis team undefeated and won first place in DoDDS Tournament, boys’ basketball team won second place in Japan Basketball League
- 2005-06 – Girls’ volleyball team was the Far East Smalls Schools Champion2011/2012
- 2007-08 – Tennis team is undefeated.
- 2011-12 – JROTC rifle team placed first in the Varsity Division for the second year
- 2015-16 – Boys’ volleyball returned as a competitive sport
- 2018-19 – The school has its first track team
According to the students, the highlight of each sports team was playing in a Far East Tournament. Middle school students were involved in some sports teams and played sports through the base MWR (Morale, Welfare, and Recreation) program.
For the 2020-21 school year Dr. Lorenzo Brown became the principal with Dr. Norman as his assistant. Dr. Shanida Threatts was the assistant principal for the 2022-23 school year.
For the 2021-22 school year, E.J. King became a six through twelve school with 350 students enrolled.