Gelnhausen ES History
Opened: 1948
Closed: 2006
Gelnhausen Elementary School was situated approximately thirty-five miles east of Frankfurt. The school was on Coleman Kaserne. The school mascot was the Gopher. Later, the mascot became the Gator.
When the school opened in 1948, students were enrolled in grades one through eight. The principal for the 1954 school year was Alice I. Walker, and there were 413 students in grades K–8. By the early seventies, the enrollment was just under 675 students in kindergarten through eight. By the 1979-80 school year the enrollment had dropped to 525 students.
The classrooms were housed in one large, two-story building, five prefabricated buildings, and a two-story annex. There were twenty-three classrooms in the school, and all except two were 900–1,000 square feet. The staff for the 1981-82 school year consisted of two administrators, a nurse, a counselor, a reading improvement specialist, a speech therapist, education learning specialist, a learning development teacher, two host nation teachers, and twenty-three classroom teachers. The enrollment was approximately 500 students and remained at that level through the 1987-88 school year.
Scarlett Rehring was the principal for the 1983-84 school year. She continued as the principal the next year and her assistant was Derris Harter. Student activities included Jump for Hearts, Students Helping Students, annual Spelling Bee, the glee club, and student council.
The number of students enrolled for the 1988-89 school year was 840. The school had additional classrooms in an annex located ten miles away from the main school in the town of Buedingen. The annex had 175 students in kindergarten through second grade. The school now had three administrators, twenty-seven classroom teachers, and several specialists.
By the mid-nineties the enrollment had dropped to about 200 students. There was only one administrator and eight classroom teachers. The staff included a nurse, counselor, speech therapist, talented and gifted teacher, and specialists for art, music, host nation, and physical education.
Dr. Shirley Sheck was the principal for the 2001–2003 school years. The staff of thirty-three provided services to 250 students from Sure Start through the fifth grade. Essie Grant was the principal for the last two years of the school.
Student activities included clubs for chess, Young Inventors, music, first aid, Young Authors, intramurals, homework, and yearbook. Special events during the year were annual field trips, Dr. Suess celebrations, Read Across America, Red Ribbon Week, Dental Health Week, and the D.A.R.E. program.
The school was closed at the end of the 2006 school year.
Information from DOD School information guides and school yearbooks