Munich HS History
Opened: 1946
Closed: 1992
School Colors: Blue /White
Mascot: Mustangs
Munich American High School, Munich, Germany, opened its doors for the first time on October 14, 1946. The school was one of the original DoDDS high schools. It opened with thirty-two students and five teachers. Classes were held in two residences on Holzkirchener Strasse. The buildings were originally the residences of a wealthy Harliaching family. One building housed students in grades K–8 and the other for grades K–12. Army field tables served as desks, plywood painted black was a chalk board, Army education manuals were used as mathematics books, and as paper was scarce students did assignments on paper bags from the commissary. Sixteen seniors graduated in the first class on July 14, 1947.
Munich student population came from sixteen communities. By the end of the first year the enrollment had risen to ninety-six students. The following year the school had an even greater increase in enrollment. To accommodate the growing student population, the Army requisitioned and repaired an old German school (formerly the Hans-Schemn-Schule) on February 19, 1948. The school was located at 81 Rotbuchen Strasse. The 1947-48 school year closed with a student enrollment of 130 students, including twenty-five seniors. The boys’ dormitory opened in September of 1947 with twenty-eight boys. The girls’ dormitory opened in October 1946 with fourteen girls.
The following three years, 1948, 1949, and 1950 saw a phenomenal growth. In 1948 there were twenty-five seniors and an enrollment of 159 students. In the spring of 1950, the enrollment reached 210 students. A new building was constructed adjacent the existing one. In 1949, Mr. Herman Search was Superintendent and Mr. Gleason remained principal. By this time there were approximately seventeen staff members. On January 3, 1951, Munich High School moved to a completely new building that included a science laboratory, music room, library, and a social room.
In the 1952-53 school year, the enrollment of the school reached nearly three hundred students. The enrollment make up was thirty-one seniors, sixty juniors, 101 sophomores, and 100 freshmen. The faculty had grown to twenty-four. The senior class of 1953 had the distinction of having the largest graduating class—thirty-five—in the school’s brief history. Only seven of the thirty-five had been enrolled at the school for the entire four years. The seniors were highly active, staffing the publication and holding office positions on the Student Council. Student Council members monitored the lunch lines and raised funds for the support of their activities. One way of raising funds was by setting a cover charge for each person attending the basketball game with Frankfurt. The seniors organized social activities including the Gridiron Ball, the annual regal Christmas Ball, Valentine’s Day Dance, and the Junior-Senior Prom. The school newspaper—the Mustang Messenger—was published bi-monthly. Munich seniors attended the Dachau war trials as part of their studies.
The Teenager’s Club was the social hub of the school. Dances were held every Tuesday and Friday. Special dances included the Halloween dance, Sadie Hawkins Day Dance, and those during Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. Other clubs included:
- Chess Club
- Annual Staff
- Drama Club
- Library Club
- Chorus
- Ski Club
- Munich Girls’ Athletic Association
- Rifle Club
- Stamp Club
- Chess Club
School Milestones:
- The school’s football team was undefeated and the USAREUR football Championship In the 1953-54 school year
- By the 1954-55 school year, the school’s enrollment had increased to 557 students including those in the junior high school.
- A newly constructed school opened in Perlarcher Forst for the 1955-56 school year.
- The 1955 tennis team captured the USAREUR Boys’ Doubles Championship.
- The Corral Commission, the governing body for the school, was established during the 1956-57 school year.
- In the 1957-58 school year, the school won the USAREUR Tennis Championship
- Munich High School students were extras in movies filmed in Munich. Among these films were “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” and “Rollerball”.
Munich High School closed in 1992. The yearbook theme was “Final Tour of Munich.” Mr. Richard Tom, principal, and Mr. Robert Lawson, assistant principal, were the administrators during the final year of the school’s 46-year history.