Giessen ES History
Opened: 1946
Closed: 2007
Giessen Elementary School, formerly Giessen American Dependent School, was one of the original schools opened in Germany after World War II. The school was originally part of the Frankfurt district. The original school had students in grades one through eight.
The principal for the 1954-55 school year was Roger F. Luce, and there were 440 students in grades K–8.
The new elementary school was completed in 1978. All the classrooms were carpeted and had retractable walls which would accommodate a variety of teaching/learning styles. In addition to the classrooms, the elementary school had a media center, teacher’s lounge, teachers’ workroom, and a large multi-purpose room which was built to accommodate physical education programs, drama, and a cafeteria. The multi-purpose room also supported community activities in the evenings. A spacious supply room, conference room, records room, and a large, grassy and hardtop outdoor play area were also part of the school complex.
In 1981-82 the elementary school had an enrollment of approximately 700 students in grades kindergarten through six. The faculty had twenty-five classroom teachers, a guidance counselor, and specialists for speech therapy, compensatory education, learning development, physical education, and host nation. A school nurse and school psychologist were shared with the junior high school.
For the 1986-87 school year, the elementary school became a K–5 school, and the sixth graders were relocated to the middle school. Later in the decade, there were eight classrooms located in relocatable buildings adjacent to the main building.
By the mid-nineties the enrollment at the elementary school had dropped to about 300 students. The school had fourteen classroom teachers, a guidance counselor, school nurse, media specialist, host nation teacher, and specialists for compensatory education, learning development, English as a second language, art, music, physical education, and Talented and Gifted.
The school was closed in 2007.
Information from DOD School information guides and military webpages