Schweinfurt ES History
Opened: 1946
Closed: 2014
Schweinfurt American Elementary School was located in the Askren Manor Housing area, which was a short distance from Ledward Barracks and one kilometer from Schweinfurt.
The elementary school was built in 1954 and included twenty-seven classrooms, six metal prefabricated buildings, and offices for specialists and administrators. The principal for Schweinfurt Dependent School for the 1954-55 school year was Olivia Fisher, and there were 248 students enrolled in the school.
The school originally had grades kindergarten through nine. Students in grades ten through twelve attended the high school in Wuerzburg. An annex was built for the junior high school students in 1977. It was a modern two-story structure that contained twelve general classrooms, including three science labs, one music/band room, one industrial arts shop, a home economics room, teachers’ lounge, typing laboratory, and an art room with a clay and kiln room. There were offices for administration, clerical staff, a nurse, and supply. One multipurpose room served as a physical education room for the elementary school in the morning, as a cafeteria during lunch, and as an auditorium for the elementary, junior high, and community. The junior high used the elementary gymnasium since this gym had shower facilities. The junior high used the elementary gymnasium since this gym had shower facilities. The junior high housed the media center for both schools, grades kindergarten through nine, in a center with offices and workrooms for media personnel, twelve general classrooms, and science laboratories
The 1971 yearbook only covered the junior high. The yearbook reported that the year was filled with challenges and attempts at new ideas. The school had its first competing basketball team. The school dress code was liberalized to allow girls to wear slacks and give boys “new privileges”. The school also had an evening Christmas dance with a band.
According to the 1972 school yearbook:
The school year of 1971-72 has brought many new activities into the Schweinfurt American School[.] A band was organized, consisting of beginners’ and advanced groups. These diligent students contributed greatly to the atmosphere at SAS.
This was also the first year for a competing soccer team. Their tireless efforts earned for them and the school a new and better name in athletics.
Another first at SAS was the organization of a Girls’ Athletic Association, which provided for further development of athletic skills in the various areas of sports.
Through the initiative of the Yearbook Staff a Foreign Language Day was established, giving the language students a chance to dress in the native costumes of France and Germany.
A group of students, under the direction of Mrs. Gibson, presented a delightful Christmas play entitled “Thirty Minutes with Santa Claus”.
Mrs. Anthony organized a Teachers’ Aid Group, which proved beneficial to the entire school.
The RATTLER Staff decided to undertake the tremendous task of publishing a bigger yearbook to include for the first time grades 1-6. Long hours after school and many Saturdays were spent making this book. The words “copy”, “layout”, “pictures”, “preliminary”, and “triplicate” are imbedded permanently in the minds of every staff member!
When nostalgia arises in later years, if you can pick up this edition of the RATTLER and relive with pep and spirit the school year of 1971-72 in Schweinfurt, Germany, we will have accomplished our goal.
The yearbook for the 1971-72 school year was called the Rattler, and it was the third volume for the school. The principal was Phillip Crooks, and the deputy principal was Felix Martinez. There were approximately 900 students enrolled in the school in grades kindergarten through nine.
In 1976, the school buried a time capsule by the flagpole which was to be opened in 2076.
In the seventies and eighties, Schweinfurt Elementary and Junior High were at times one school and at other times separate schools with different administrations. Even when the schools had different administrations, the school may have had a combined yearbook—Pig Tales—and there was a great deal of collaboration between the two schools.
For the 1981-82 school year there were over 1,000 students in grades kindergarten through six with forty-five teachers. Even though there were separate administrators for the elementary and junior high, there was a combined yearbook. The elementary administrators were principal Renato Guastini and deputy principal Mary Gorman.
By the 1987-88 school year, there were about 1,600 students in grades kindergarten through nine. In addition to the main school and annex, three satellite schools housed four morning and four afternoon kindergarten classes, two third grade classes, and two classes each for fourth, fifth, and sixth grade.
In the early nineties, the elementary school and now middle school were run as two separate schools, with different administrations. In 1993-94, the elementary school was kindergarten through five with 925 students.
The school was closed in 2014. The last principal was Dr. Lee Hill, and the school had grades Pre-K through six. The final year of the school, due to the small number of students in grades four through 6, there were several multi-level classes.
Information from DoD School Information Guides, school yearbooks, internet articles, and class photos