Alconbury HS History
Opened: 1971
OPEN
Alconbury Middle/High School is located at RAF Alconbury, 70 miles north of London in Cambridgeshire, England. The nearest local community is Huntingdon.
The first dependents’ school in the Alconbury area was opened at RAF Molesworth in 1951 and enrolled students in grades one through nine. Grade 10 was added in 1960. The RAF Molesworth School closed in June 1974 and its activities relocated to the present site at RAF Alconbury. Students from RAF Chicksands began attending Alconbury Junior High School in 1976 and ended their tour in 1995.
In the 1980’s the high school was housed in four modern one story buildings, three of which were opened for the first time in school year 1981–82. The main building opened initially in 1974 and had twenty-one classrooms, including a multi-purpose hall, industrial arts facility, art, home economics, music and science rooms. In 1981 the three newer buildings included a five-bay automotive facility, a modern and well-equipped business education facility, and a gymnasium with a seating capacity for approximately 600. Grades eleven and twelve were added to the junior high at the start of school year 1981-82 at which time Alconbury became a full high school. Previously eleventh and twelfth graders were dorm students at Lakenheath or London Central High Schools. That year there were 438 students enrolled in grades seven through twelve with a school staff of thirty. The school enrollment continually increased through the eighties. By the 1988-89 school year there were over 600 students in grades seven through twelve with a graduating class of approximately ninety students and a staff of fifty. In the nineties the student population began to decrease and for school year 1993-94 there were 450 students in grades seven through twelve. In the early 2000’s the school enrollment was about two hundred students with a teaching staff of twenty-two. For the 2008–2009 school year the six grade was added to the high school and it now was a middle/high school
Students in grades six through twelve from RAF Alconbury, RAF Molesworth, and RAF Wyton now attend Alconbury Middle High School.
Alconbury High School seniors have been able to have graduation ceremonies in amazing locations. Until 2013, Alconbury students graduated at Peterborough Cathedral. In 2013, the graduating class was able to have their ceremony at Ely Cathedral. The first high school prom was held at Castle Ashby.
Just as other American high schools stateside and overseas, Alconbury offered numerous extracurricular activities. Alconbury had and has a variety of sports teams such as cheerleading, cross country, volleyball and football in the fall; basketball, cheerleading and wrestling in the winter season; and soccer, tennis and track in the spring season. All of these sports culminate in their specific Europeans Championship. Alconbury is currently a member of the District IV teams of DoDEA Europe, due to the size of the student population. In 1985 the Alconbury football team won its first UK football championship.
The school has had an active drama program most years, as well as a Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced and Jazz Band. Other extracurricular offerings include student council for the senior and junior high, honor society, yearbook, newspaper and clubs though the years for computer, Shakespeare, stamps and coins and bowling. For many years, students took an annual week-long field trip to Burell House to study video production.
In addition to the usual extracurricular offerings, being in England offered some unique opportunities for high school students such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Scheme. This program was designed as an introduction to worthwhile activities, as a challenge to the individual to personal achievement and as a guide for those people and organizations who would like to help their fellow citizens. The program has three levels bronze, silver and gold. Students participating in the program traveled to different locations and provided service by working in libraries, homes for the elderly, childcare centers and conservation projects. In 2005 sponsor Carol Bilverstone took her team of Silver Award level students to Slovenia to participate with a group of students there in a Silver Level expedition. The following year, the Slovenian students came to the U. K. and joined the Alconbury students and students from RAF Menwith Hill students for their final Silver Expedition. Unique opportunities like this have been available throughout the history of the school.
The school yearbook is the Dragon Tales and the school newspaper is the Dragon Dispatch. The school colors are green and gold.
The first principal at Alconbury High School was George Boehm followed by Kay Galloway. Ms. Galloway was selected as the DoDDS principal of the year in 1992. Other school administrators included Darryl Mackey, Lee Johnson, Thomas Smith, Beth Bond, Michael Jimerson and Patrick Martin.
The school is currently open with an enrollment of 201 students.
Information from school website, yearbooks and DoDDS School Information Guides