La Maddalena ES (aka Vista Mare ES) History
Opened: 1973
Closed: 2007
La Maddalena Elementary was originally a kindergarten to eighth grade school. The school was located on the island of La Maddalena which is just north of the island of Sardinia. The school at La Maddalena was beautifully situated with a spectacular view. Students who lived on Sardinia took the ferry to school each day.
La Maddalena American School was first established in September 1973. This first school met in a house in the town of La Maddalena by the pier in Cala Gavatta (Harbor School) with 4 teachers and an enrollment of seventy-nine students grades 1 through 8. Later, grades 1 to 4 met in the house downtown, and grades 5 through 8 were located in a barracks building by the dump area. This area was called the “Tin” School. Enrollment then was about ninety students.
A new facility was opened for the 1975-76 school year. The new facility, in addition to nine standard classrooms, had a kindergarten, a learning resource center, a multipurpose room, a teachers’ work room, a teachers’ lounge, administrative offices, and supply rooms. All classes were self-contained.
In Spring of 1976 a student contest resulted in the school being named the “Vista Mare School” which was the name used by the local community. The student body of La Maddalena American School was composed of the dependents of the military and US civilian personnel stationed here.
For the 1981-82 school year there were 250 students in grades kindergarten through nine with a school staff of eleven educators. The school’s enrollment in the late seventies through the mid-eighties ranged from 200 to 240 students.
For the 1989-90 school year there were only 150 students enrolled in the school. By the 1993-94 school year the enrollment had increased to 275 students. Ms. Janice Barber was the school principal. In addition to the classroom instruction, the school curriculum offered physical education, compensatory education, host nation, music, and computers. There were also services for guidance, speech, learning development, talented and gifted, and health. The school had an extensive Partnership for Excellence program with the naval personnel from the USS Simon Lake, NAS, and Squadron 22. Extracurricular activities included yearbook, journalism, chorus, band, drama, and a step team. Due to the increased enrollment, an annex site with one third grade and one fifth grade class was held at Paradise City.
Michael Duff replaced Ms. Barber as principal, followed by Kathleen Cummings who was the principal from 1996 through 1999.
Two portable classrooms in La Maddalena and a primary school annex in Palau were opened August 1995. During the 1995-96 school year the enrollment reached over 325 students. A DARE program was added for the fifth grade and the school began its participation in Math Counts.
During the mid-nineties, many technological innovations were added to the instructional program. A high-quality instructional computer lab and media resources were available to students and teachers. Odyssey of the Mind and an annual Spelling Bee were new activities for the school.
Ms. Barbara Mueller became the principal for the 1999-2000 school year and remained at the school through the 2001-02 school year. The staff had increased to thirty-six, and the enrollment was 290 students. Stephanie El Sayed was the school’s principal from the fall of 2002 until the school closed. The enrollment in the 2000s was between 270 to 290 students.
The school closed in 2007.
Information from DoDDS School Information Guides and school yearbooks