Sportfield ES History
Opened: 1982
Closed: 2006
Sportfield Elementary School was in the Sportfield Housing area of the Hanau, Germany, military community. The previous school at Sportfield was an annex of Hanau American Elementary School. It was made up of Quonset huts which were painted to represent fairy tales. This motif was used because the Brothers Grimm were from Hanau. When a new building was occupied in the spring of 1982 to replace several substandard facilities, the facility at Sportfield became a separate elementary school.
The school was officially opened for classes in August 1982. The school had grades one through six when it opened. All kindergarten students attended school at Argonner Elementary School. The first year of the new elementary school there were over 800 students enrolled.
School activities at Sportfield included a band, chorus, computer club, METRA tutors, safety patrol (later called crossing guards), book club, jugglers club, and a jump rope club. For the 1986-87 school year there were two choirs, the Canary Choir for younger students and the Eagle Choir for older students.
Mr. O’Reilly was the school principal for many years.
By the 1987-88 school year the faculty included two administrators, thirty-three classroom teachers, two host nation teachers, a compensatory education teacher, a librarian, a counselor, a learning development teacher, a speech therapist, a teacher for gifted and talented, a speech therapist, an occupational therapist, a child psychiatrist, and a behavior management specialist. There were 780 students for the 1987-88 school year.
By the 1989-90 school year, the student enrollment had decreased to 750 students for grades K–5. The sixth grade was moved to the new Hanau Middle School. By the 1991-92 school year, the enrollment had dropped to about 650 students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The enrollment continued to drop through the nineties, with about 300 students enrolled for the 1997-98 school year. The decrease in enrollment was due to the drawdown of the military in Germany.
The school was closed in 2006.
Information from DoDDS School Information Guides and school yearbooks.