Seoul ES History
Opened: 1959
Closed: 2019
Permanent facilities for Seoul Elementary school were opened in August 1959. Seoul American Elementary School was located on Yongsan Army Post about two miles from central Seoul. The school occupied several buildings with some being of relocatable construction. In addition to the classrooms, the buildings contained office space for specialists and administrative staff. The 1981-82 staff numbered fifty-eight and included two counselors, a reading improvement specialist, a speech specialist, and a psychologist.
When the school opened, the grounds were barren but would become the venue for various activities and Very Special Festivals. A flurry of building occurred in the eighties, and on September 6, 1984, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held at Seoul American Elementary School. The new facility housed approximately half of the school’s 1,400 students. Seven units of three classrooms each surrounded an activity pod and teacher work area. A Korean Culture room, designed to resemble a Korean classroom, looked out onto an oriental landscaped courtyard. In addition to the classrooms, the school also housed an art room, a music room, and a spacious media center. The elementary and high school shared a cafeteria.
By the 1987-88 school year, the administrative office, media center, reading center, music, art, Korean culture, English as a Second Language (ESL), and talented/gifted centers were located in a new brick building. Twenty-one of the fifty-five classrooms were also located in the new building. The remaining classrooms are housed in nine other buildings.
The Special Education Development Center for DoDDS schools in Korea was located at the school and the Army operated a dental clinic for the students at the school.
Fourteen hundred and twenty students were enrolled for the 1989-90 school year. By the mid-nineties the enrollment had fallen to about 1,250 students. The staff of eighty-eight included two counselors, two reading improvement specialists, special education personnel, three ESL teachers, two gifted/talented teachers, and a school psychologist.
The last Seoul American Elementary School campus consisted of seven buildings and a cafeteria. The main building housed primary classrooms, the Information Center, the Dolphin Theater, and computer labs. Grades three through five and some kindergarten classrooms were located in the outlying buildings. At its largest, the elementary school was one of the largest in DoDDS. It had about 1,100 students with a staff of over ninety professional educators, twenty educational aides, and ten clerical staff.
The school had its first yearbook, The Wave, in 1987 and its first newspaper, The Dolphin Times, in 1983. The school was the “Home of the Dolphins”. Several after school activities were available including a stamp club, a calligraphy club, and a ski club. Numerous cultural activities were available to all students.
The school was originally kindergarten through sixth grade. With the opening of the middle school in 2001, it became a Pre-K through fifth grade school.
The students at Seoul American Elementary School had a unique opportunity to understand the Korean people and culture by growing up in Korea’s capital. Students at the school attended Korean culture classes, where they learned about the history, culture, and customs of the country. Many students studied the Korean language, and the teachers enriched their curriculum by taking field trips exploring local sites and activities.
Seoul American Elementary School was recognized in 2016 as a National Blue Ribbon School. The school was closed in 2019.
The administrators for Seoul American Elementary School were:
- Ms. Delores Scholl – 1959 to 1961?
- Mr. Bill Logan – 1961? To 1965
- Mr. Ed Adams – 1965 to 1973?
- Mr. Tom O’Connor – 1973? To 1983
- Ms. Betty Noone – 1983 to 1991
- Mr. John Blom – 1991 to 1999
- Ms. Venita Swenty – 1999 to 2002
- Ms. Nancy Meek – Jan 2003 to June 2003 (Acting Principal)
- Ms. Donna Kamarski – 2003 to 2008
- Ms. Missy Klopher – 2008 to 2010
- Ms. Cathy Yurica – 2010 to 2015
- Ms. Suzanne Landrum – 2015 to 2016
- Ms. Tiffaeny Weddle – 2016 to 2019
Based on information from DoDDS-Pacific Region 1946-1986 publication, DoDDS School Information Guides and other sources