Hahn HS History
Opened: 1976
Closed: 1993
Hahn American High School was located in the housing area of Hahn Air Base, fifty miles due west of Wiesbaden, Germany. The air base was on the crest of a mountain range.
Built in 1975, the high school was a three-story structure with twenty general purpose classrooms, four science labs, business lab, art room, music room, industrial arts area, home economics lab, multi-purpose area that was used for the cafeteria, automotive shop, graphics lab, complete gymnasium, and large media center.
The first yearbook stated:
The students at Hahn High have worked together to make the first year of their high school a very profitable one. Not only did most students take six classes, but they also found time for activities, projects and just having fun. With all the accomplishments that have been achieved this year, they have started many traditions for future classes to follow. So they leave the future students of the school with this thought: “Go For It!”
The first senior class demonstrated how honest and hardworking a class could be. Many of the students had lived in a dorm the previous year and had developed a keen sense of friendship and care that was not often found in school. According to the yearbook, “The senior class of ‘77 will be long remembered as the first and foremost graduating class to come from the area. Long after they leave, their call will echo through the halls: ‘Yo Bro!’”.
The school had their first homecoming on October 14, 1976. Instead of the usual student council, Hahn High had a Student/Faculty Council and several committees to accomplish the work of the council. These committees included the Hut committee that ran the student store, the Welcoming Committee, the Activities Committee, and the Poster Committee.
School Spirit was enhanced by the cheerleaders, the pep club, the band majorettes, and the Hahn High Kickers, an eighteen-girl drill team.
The band and chorus performed at school, military, and German events. The drama club presented the play, Diary of Anne Frank. The ski club had sixty-five members. The high school continued the German exchanges that had been part of the junior high. Other clubs at the new high school included the Keyettes, Teen Involvement, Radio Club, Chess Club, and Forensics Club.
The yearbook was Der Habicht—The Hawk—and the newspaper was Hawk Talk. The school colors were green and gold, and the mascot was the Hawk.
The school had a full sports schedule the first year. The first football team had a winning season with a 4–3 record. There was a varsity and junior varsity girls’ volleyball team. The boys’ basketball team had a 11–8 record, and the coed track team earned third place in the Benelux Region. Other sports included girls’ basketball, wrestling, and gymnastics.
Dr. Robert Bureker continued as principal with Jack O’Reilly as the assistant principal. The student enrollment was 570 students in grades seven through twelve with fifty-two seniors.
Student enrollment continued to be between 500 and 550 students through the seventies. In November 1977, the Forensics Club sponsored the Invitational Speech and Drama Festival for the region. That same year, the ski club had 100 members. The school had a National Honor Society and a National Junior Honor Society. The sports teams had several highlights for the remainder of the decade. The 1978 girls’ basketball team had a 17–6 record, and the wrestling team won the Benelux Regionals. During the 1979-80 school year, the gymnastics team was first in the Class B Regionals, and the school had its first complete girls’ cross country team. In 1979, the football team won its first homecoming game.
The administration for the 1979-80 school year and several years that followed was principal Loyd G. Walker and assistant principal Hollis Cox. The school had its first North Central Association accreditation visit during the 1979-80 school year.
The enrollment for the 1981-82 school year averaged 438 students in grades 7–12. Hahn High School had thirty-one teachers and thirteen staff and administrative personnel for that school year. The previous school year the name of the newspaper was changed to The Talon.
Hahn High School celebrated the twentieth year of exchanges with their one German partner school and the tenth anniversary of exchanges with another German school in during the 1982-83 school year. The students also prepared a time capsule for the school. Seven new school records were set in track, and the Hahn High Players celebrated their fourth year of school productions.
Mr. Ron Miller became the principal for the 1983-84 school year. The school enrollment was 450 students. The school had its seventh French exchange with a school in Bitche, France. The school’s wrestling team was first in the Smalls Schools Division of Western Germany, and the track and field team were the Benenor Champs and won the Regional Tournament.
The next school year, the Student/Faculty Council became the Student Government. The base swim team, the Sea Hawks, was now recognized as a school sport, and students participated in regional Outdoor Education Programs. The school sent a team to the Model United Nations.
Dr. Don Torrey was the principal for the 1986-87 school year, and the enrollment had grown to over 600 students. The school newspapers’ title was changed to Hawk Squawkers for the 1988-89 school year.
The administrative team for the 1988-89 school year was principal Dr. Dennis McGuane and assistant principal Doug McEnery. The sports teams had a banner year. The boys’ soccer team placed second in the European Championship, the girls’ track team was first in the Benenor, and the boys’ track team was second in the Benenor. The Hahn football team was undefeated and were the Benenor Conference Champs. The school now had a golf team.
The 1989 yearbook provided this description of the student body:
If someone was to characterize us the one thing we all have in common is that we all are part of Hahn Air Base. We are one group of people associated with Hahn High School. Within that group we are specifically the student body of Hahn High School. Compared to some other student bodies we may seem small. To others we appear to have an over abundance of people. Within Hahn High School we have many cliques, crews, and groups. We are a diverse group of people with many different likes, dislikes, attitudes and personalities.
As different as we all are, we have a bond which joins us as the student body of Hahn High School. Each class lends its special flare to the school, making Hahn High School very unique. Hahn High School is important to Hahn Air Base since all parents of teenagers count on the school to enhance our education while living overseas.
We are all different, and yet very similar.
The yearbook the following year stated that the major benefit of Hahn High and its small environment seemed to be the attitude that surrounded the students and staff. According to the yearbook, it was always easy to feel welcome at Hahn American High School.
The nineties brought new clubs to the school including an African History Club, Auto Club, Athletic Training Club, Christian Club, Career Outlook Club, Students Against Drunk Driving, Skater Club and a Varsity Club.
The final year of the school, 1992-93, there were only 180 students in grades seven through twelve. The junior class was the smallest, with less than twenty students, and the seventh and eighth grades had sixty-four students. The administration for the final year was principal Richard Tom and deputy principal Gilbert Mebane. Hahn High School was recognized as a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. Students felt Hahn was more like a private school, since the student-teacher ratio was 8 to 1. Seven teachers had been at the school all seventeen years that it was open. The football team had a 4–0 conference record and the school hosted the boys’ basketball Regional Tournament.
Again, the yearbook summed up the feeling at the school:
The closure of Hahn has made the few remaining people come closer together. It’s not often you find an entire high school that considers all of its students part of a huge family. The drawdown has caused some many painful separations among friends, but this “Hahn Family” that we have created makes this final year a year to remember.
Information from DoD School Information Guides and school yearbooks