Frankfurt HS (formerly The American Community School) History

Opened: 1946
Closed: 1995

School Colors: Black and Gold
Mascot: Eagle
Motto: Eagles Uber Alles
Grades: 10–12

Frankfurt Community High School was one of the original six DoDDS High Schools opened in 1946. The original site for the school was a building constructed in 1929-30. It was said to be the first of its kind in Europe and drew visitors from throughout Europe and the United States. The building had many uses over the next fifteen years. From May 1945 to September 1946 it was used as billets for American troops. On September 2, 1946, the building was vacated to be used as the Community High School. The first principal was Mr. Joe Donahoe. The school opened with 185 students. There were twenty-four graduates in the class of 1947. During the 1946-47 school year seventh and eighth graders attended the school. In 1951 the school became known as Frankfurt High School. In 1961 the name was again changed to Frankfurt American High School. Freshman attended the school from 1946–1949 and again from 1988–1995. Originally known as the “Maroon Raiders”, the “Eagle” was adopted as the school’s mascot during the 1948-49 school year. The school newspaper was Eagles Echo, and the school yearbook, the Dackel.

In the fall of 1954, the school moved to a newly constructed set of buildings on Siolistrasse at Miquelalle, near the I.G. Farben building. This became known as the Abrams Complex. The new complex included new male and female dormitories. There was a five-day dorm and a seven-day dorm. The girl’s dorm was separated from the boy’s dorm by a social lounge. Freshmen attended the school from 1946 until 1959 and again from 1988 until 1995.

School Clubs: (1947)

  • Band
  • Student Patrol
  • Glee Club and Choir
  • Drama Club
  • Photo Club
  • Dackel and Filibuster
  • Hall Patrol

Notable dates, activities, and alumni:

  • May 30, 1948 – Baccalaureate services for forty-three seniors
  • May 31, 1948 – Junior/Senior Prom
  • April 30, 1948 – Student Performance of the play “Seven Keys to Baldpate”
  • May 13, 1948 – Student performance of the first school operetta
  • 1950 – Basketball Team went undefeated and won EC championship
  • Senior Class Day – All seniors in the EU met in Wiesbaden and took a cruise down the Main River on Hitler’s Yacht
  • 1952 Senior Prom at Kronberg Castle was featured in the June 1952 issue of LIFE magazine
  • The 1957 Senior Prom was held in the casino, near the I.G. Farben building
  • General Norman Schwarzkopf, Commander of the Coalition Forces in the in the 1991 Gulf War, is the most notable alumni of the school.

Frankfurt High School closed following the 1994-95 school year.

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