Schweinfurt HS History
Opened: 2011
Closed: 2014
Mascot: Razor Backs
School Colors: Red/Black/Silver
Schweinfurt High School was located on Yorktown Village in Schweinfurt, Germany. The school opened in 2011. According to Ms. Beth Potter, School Liaison Officer, the idea for the high school was discussed as early as 2009. Prior to the 2011-12 school year, high school students in the Schweinfurt area commuted to Bamberg High School, a travelling time of three hours for some students. A concerted effort was put forth by the Garrison, community members, educators, and parents to open a high school in Schweinfurt. Finally, an announcement was released by the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA), the governing agency for the school system, that a high school was planned for the Schweinfurt area. Three months following the announcement, Schweinfurt High School opened with 27 teachers and 225 students. The rapid opening was made possible by moving the junior high school students to the existing elementary school and renovating the building for high school purposes. Furniture and other high school related items and equipment were procured from the old Mannheim High School, which had closed the previous year. Dr. Vince Diaz, principal, and Mr. Mark Villarreal were the initial school administrators.
Schweinfurt’s inaugural graduation was held in the auditorium of the Mercure Hotel on June 12, 2012. It was the first time a high school graduation had been held in the Army’s 70-year history in the Schweinfurt community. There were thirty-three seniors in the graduating class. The graduation took place 348 days after the announcement of the school’s opening.
The drawdown of military personnel in Europe had a profound impact on the school age population in the Schweinfurt military communities. The 12,000 people, including soldiers who lived in the various communities, dwindled to 4,000.
In the spring of 2012, DoDEA announced a new configuration for the school, adding the middle school with the high school.
Schweinfurt High School closed in 2014, three years after it opened. Friday, June 6 was the school’s final day.
*Information extracted from a newspaper article in the Bavarian News dated, July 4, 2012.