Wethersfield Dependent School History
Opened: 1952
Closed: 1993
The school was located between the two villages of Wethersfield and Finchingfield in the rural area of Essex County, England. The school was on two separate sites in the housing area. Facilities included a regular modern school building that contained six classrooms (kindergarten and grade 4–8 combination class), a media center, administrative office, lounge, and kitchen. There were four Quonset huts which contained one classroom, a lunchroom and two supply stores. The school also had an annex, grades one through three, that was approximately a quarter of a mile from the main school. The annex was a fully renovated Quonset complex that consisted of two self-contained classrooms, two classrooms in a large open planned room, a small assembly room, teachers’ room and supply room. The main school had a large play area while the annex had an adventure playground next door.
According to the 1957 Vapor Trails:
The Wethersfield American School, which is in its fifth year of operation, is located in a rural area of Essex County sixty miles north of London. As the school buses wind around the narrow East Anglia roads, students glimpse manor houses and farms dating back four or five centuries. Essex is part of the area of England which was invaded in 43 A. D. by the Romans; so numerous Roman relics may be observed in nearby Colchester. In order to profit from the rich cultural and historical heritage available, students have made field trips to London, Stratford-on-Avon, Cambridge, and Colchester. The Wethersfield American School has grown from seventy-five students and five teachers in 1952 to the present three hundred and eighty students and fourteen faculty members during the current year.
In 1981-82 the total staff consisted of 10.5 classroom teachers, a full-time librarian, learning development teacher, one administrator and two British National clerical positions.
By the 1988-89 there were 200 in grades kindergarten through nine. The new school was located in the housing area were most of the buildings had been completed in 1986. The new school consisted of eight academic classrooms plus a computer classroom, home economics room, a music room, an art room, a special education classroom, a kindergarten, administrative offices and counselor’s office, a library, and a multipurpose room with gym, cafeteria and stage.
Students attended school from 8:10 to 3:00 daily. A variety of after school activities were offered including student council, newspaper, intramurals, craft club, computer club, host nation club, chorus and drama. The school mascot was the Wildcat and the school colors were blue and white.
The school closed in 1993.
Information from DoDDS School Information Guides and yearbooks