Sigonella MS/HS (formerly Stephen Decatur HS and ES/HS) History
Opened: 1986
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Sigonella Middle/High School was formerly Stephen Decatur Elementary/High School and, also, known as Stephen Decatur High School. The original school was located on Sigonella Naval Air Station approximately nineteen miles west of Catania, Italy. To the north, Mount Etna, a 3,300-meter-high active volcanic peak, makes a scenic backdrop for the school. The original school was built in 1961 and an elementary addition was added in the 1974-75 school year. From 1961 until 1981 high school students were dorm students at other DoDDS schools.
During the eighties the elementary and high schools were located in the same complex and in 1987 the high school had a separate identity and administration. The first high school yearbook was published for the 1986-87 school and was called the Jaguar Times. The high school newspaper was the Trinacrian Times. The high school had grades seven through twelve. There were eighteen seniors, sixteen juniors, thirty-seven sophomores, and thirty-nine freshmen. The seventh and eighth grades had about 100 students. There were sixty-one teachers for the elementary and high schools. The school administrators were Mr. Emil May, principal, and assistant principals Dean Rains and John Allen.
Extracurricular athletic opportunities included boys’ and girls’ basketball and volleyball as well as boys’ wrestling and Spring sports. The high school had a National Honor Society, Intermediate and Advanced Bands, and a Chorus.
The next year there were over 200 students in the high school with thirty seniors. Dr. Fred Antrobus was the principal and Dean Rains was the assistant principal. This was the first full year for the high school student council, and a National Homemakers of America club was added to the extracurricular activities.
By the 1990-91 school year the high school enrollment had increased to over 265 students. The new school assistant principals were Jenna Beth Arms and Erik Swanson. The high school faculty numbered twenty-six, and a full sports program was available to boys and girls. Students attended the All-Italy Leadership Conference in Vicenza and the Speech and Drama Festival in Vicenza. Club Beyond was added as an extracurricular activity. Pete Price became the principal for the 1992-93 school year.
For the 1993-94 school year the school was designated as a middle/high school when the sixth graded was added to the high school. The middle school had its own events, newspaper and student council and was configured using middle school concepts.
The next school principal was Jim Bowers.
For the current school year, 2021-22, the enrollment for the high school is about 100 students. The majority of the students are Navy command sponsored. The school website states that the “students are enriched by the American and Italian cultures and have opportunities to travel throughout Europe for academic and athletic competitions.” The website describes the school population as one that represents all fifty states and includes students from Norway and Germany. The current principal is Mr. Marc Villareal, and the assistant principal is Ms. Alexia Kunkle.
Information from school yearbooks, website and DoDDS school information guides