Soesterberg ES/JHS History
Opened: 1966
Closed: 1994
According to information from The Italian Lesson and Other Hard Luck Stories by Kim Medders et al, Soesterburg Dependents School was located on the Air Force Base at Camp New Amsterdam, Netherlands. The base was the home to a fighter interceptor squadron. The principal of the school supervised the elementary and junior high and maintained an office in the elementary school. The school contained at least twenty classrooms and had a multipurpose room for assemblies, a library, and lunch service.
Soesterburg Junior High School was located off base in the old German SS headquarters building. It served dependents from Camp New Amsterdam Air Force Base. The junior high only had four classrooms on the first floor and a large loft area on the second floor that was used as a small gym and for school activities such as dances. In 1966-67 the classrooms were semi-self-contained. Students remained in their homeroom classes and the teachers rotated in and out for English, mathematics, science, and social studies. The school had a formal physical education program. The school had grades kindergarten through nine until the high school was opened in the fall of 1981.
The school’s Parent Teacher Organization published the school yearbook. The school mascot was the Wildcat. There are pictures of the school in the 1991-92 yearbook.
For the 1976-77 school year, there were thirty-two faculty and staff for the student enrollment of about 450 students with 120 students in grades seven through nine. Mr. James Burns was the principal. The school offered a full athletic program with football, cheerleaders, boys’ and girls’ basketball, coed cross country, and gymnastics. Organizations included a Student Council, Safety Patrol, and Pep Squad. The junior high/middle school offered several electives for the older students. When the upper grades were moved to the high school, the elementary students had an intermural program. Specials assemblies for the students included dancers, speakers, authors, and holiday programs. Students also participated in chorus, D.A.R.E., a Keyboard Club, and multicultural programs.
After the high school opened, the elementary school had grades K–6 until the 1986-87 school year when a PreK program was added. The principal for the 1985-86 school year was Mr. J. Lang, and the assistant principal was Ms. B. Johnson. Mr. David Morris was the principal and Phyllis Fuglaar became the Education Program Manager (EPM) for the 1989-90 school year. The enrollment was 465 in 1985-86, 420 in 1986-87, 430 in 1987-88, and 445 in 1989-90.
A new elementary school opened January 1989. School specialists included counselor, preschool handicapped teacher, learning disabilities teacher, speech therapist, media center specialist, host nation teacher, and volunteers for the nurse’s station.
The last four years of the school, Esther Cook was the principal. The assistant principal for the 1990-91 school year was Noel Senecal. Ms. Phyllis Fuglaar-Ennasri was the EPM for the last three years. The faculty had an average of thirty-five teachers, with half classroom teachers and the other half specialists and support staff. The enrollment was about 400 until the final year of the school when it dropped to 350 students.
Information from DoDDS School Information Guides, school yearbooks, websites, and alumnus Kimball Medders