Daegu MS/HS History
Opened: 2017
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Daegu Middle High School is located on Camp Walker, Daegu, Korea. This camp was named for Lt. Gen Walton Walker, a highly decorated veteran of World War I and World War II. General Walker was the commander of the 8th Army during the Korean War, and his defense of the Naktong Line is regarded as a military classic. He died December 23, 1959, in a non-hostile accident while serving in Korea.
In 2017, the grand opening of the brand-new school was held. At the ceremony, principal Altorn Grade stated:
Today we continue the rich tradition that has been Taegu American School, Daegu American School, and now Daegu Middle High School. This school has been in many locations and in many configurations. At one time we were the TAS Tigers. We are now the Warriors and we carry the name with pride, from posthumous Medal of Honor recipient, Charles George. We are developing future warriors to be college and career ready, socially responsible, and to flourish in a global community.
The school is a split-level, two story, DoDEA 21st Century Middle/High School that encompasses 142,583 square feet. The construction began almost three years prior to the opening.
DMHS provides academic facilities adequate for 525 students in grades six to twelve. The school includes site improvements such as visitor and staff parking, bus drop-off with a covered walkway, landscaping, bicycle racks, artificial turf playing field, marquee board, flagpoles, exterior lighting, and utility service connections. Additionally, the school has common areas with multipurpose gathering spaces, a food service dining hall, and a dedicated performance space.
The school colors are green and black, and the mascot is the Warrior.
When the middle school became part of the high school, National Junior Honor Society was added as an extracurricular program. Other new programs included AVID and Problem Based Learning (PBL). PBL is a program based on collaboration with peers to work on a project that is presented to a panel. Several school fairs were held to showcase the students’ projects. The students also participated in district programs such as the STEMinar Conference, Robotics, Liguafest, Far East Drama, and Far East Journalism. The Student 2 Student program was started.
Ms. Rebecca Lentz, a middle school teacher, was the 2018 DoDEA Pacific West Teacher of the Year.
The school’s enrollment was about 340 students for the 2017-18 school year and dropped to less than 270 for the 2023-24 school year. The school’s programs were affected by COVID during the 2019-20 school years. Sports team could not travel, and district programs had to be cancelled. To maintain school spirit, the school held virtual spirit weeks and competed with base teams. A Student Ambassadors program was started in 2019-20. This program was a partnership between Daegu Middle/High School and a Korean school, Simin High School. Students attended special events at each school.
The principal for the 2023-24 school year was William Clites, and the assistant principal was Dr. Kimberly Kelley.
Information based on school yearbooks and internet sources