Sembach ES (formerly ES/MS, Sembach Dependent School) History
Opened: 1971
OPEN
Sembach Dependent School was opened in 1971, and the first principal was Timothy Kelley who continued as principal through the eighties. The school had over 1,000 students in grades kindergarten through nine. High school students were bused to Kaiserslautern High School. The school mascot was the tiger, the school newspaper was Tiger Talk, the yearbook was the Tiger, and the school colors were blue and gold. For the 1974–1976 school years, the deputy principal was Leo Orlando, and the vice principal was Justamona Powe. The junior high boys had traveling basketball and cross-country teams. An annual musical was presented by the junior high students who also participated in band, chorus, and guitar classes. There was also an AV club and a pep club.
By the 1977-78 school year the middle school students (grades four through nine) were in a separate building with a different administration. (See the Sembach Middle School History). Through the eighties the enrollment of the elementary school was between 450 and 550 students with the highest enrollment for the 1979-80 school year.
During the nineties the elementary and middle schools had the same administration but remained in separate buildings. Shelly Rucker was the principal from 1990 until 1998. Jean Waddell became the principal for the 1998-99 school year when the schools were separated again. Donna Kirsch was the principal for the 2001–2003 school years followed by Monica Harvey who was principal from 2003 to 2008.
Mr. Sonny Bertschinger was the principal for the 2011–2014 school years followed by Tiffany Weddle and Dr. Barnett Smith. Martha Enyeart became the principal in 2020 and remained in the position through the 2024-25 school year.
Annual schoolwide events in the 2000s included Read Across America, yearly Fasching events (a pre-Lent celebration involving costumes, parties, and parades), Storybook Character Day, Dr. Suess Day, art shows, and musical presentations. Other extracurricular activities included clubs for drama, STEM, speed stacking, cooking, Lego Robotics, origami, and Spanish. Sembach students participated in district and regional events/programs such as the Spelling Bee, Student Ambassadors, and Anchored 4 Life.
A preschool program was started for the 1999-2000 school year. The enrollment for the elementary school, grades Pre-K through 3, peaked at approximately 450 for the 2000-01 year and continually decreased to about 210 students by 2019-20. At the end of that school year the middle school was closed, and the elementary school now had students in PreK through fifth grade. The enrollment for the 2020-21 school year was 250 and remains at that level.
The school is still open.
Information from school yearbooks and websites