Livorno Unit School History
Opened: 1994
Closed: 2007
Livorno Unit School was formed when the elementary and high school were combined for the 1994-95 school year. Even though the elementary and high school buildings were a mile apart, the student bodies shared teachers and activities. In fact, the community referred to the school as “The Best Kept Secret in DoDDS”.
Mr. James McNeil was the new principal and Mr. Rex Burgett was the assistant principal. There were now less than 100 students in the high school grades. Even with such a small number of students the school continued to have a full athletic program and arts program. The school newspaper became The Growl.
Students participated in the Jason Project for the first time. The Jason Project was started by Dr. Bob Ballard. The program offered students the opportunity to participate via telecommunications with scientists at a designated site. The site for the 1994-95 school year was Hawaii. Livorno students spent two months studying the Hawaiian ecosystem and then traveled to the PIN site at RAF Lakenheath where they participated in evening programs and competed to ask questions via computer and satellite hook-ups with scientists. Two Livorno students had their questions selected for broadcast in Hawaii.
Through the nineties there were about 200 students in the unit school. Ms. Connie Ennix became the assistant principal for the 1996-97 school year and Mr. Bob Kubarek was named principal for the 1997-98 school year.
Due to its strong arts programs, Livorno was selected to host the All-Italy Band Festival and All-Italy Drama Festival during the 1997-98 school year. Student art was displayed in a local Italian hotel. This was also the first year of the AVID, Advancement Via Individual Determination, program and Livorno later was designated as a demonstration school for AVID.
In October 1999. The Livorno students and other members of the Camp Darby community had the unique opportunity to meet Mrs. Hilary Clinton, the United States First Lady. Classes made signs to welcome the First Lady to the base. Mrs. Clinton even posed for pictures with many of the students.
For the 1999-2000 school year, Livorno only had a lone senior, Krystal.
Il Tesoretto, the name of the school yearbook, means “little treasure” and was the traditional name of the Livorno Unit School.
The last principal of the school was Ms. Cathy Magni and Carol Paulsen was the assistant principal. The final graduating class of the school (2007) had four graduates.
Information from school yearbooks and DoDDS School Information Guides