Kaiserslautern High School
Kaiserslautern High School, (formerly known as Rhine High School or Kaiserslautern American High School) also known as “K-Town” or simply “KHS” is a Department of Defense (DoD) operated international school in Kaiserslautern, Germany. The school, which serves over 800 students with 62 full-time educators (11:1), is located on Illinois Place in Vogelweh.
| Kaiserslautern High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
Kaiserslautern , Rheinland Pfalz Germany | |
| Information | |
| Type | DoDDS Secondary |
| Established | March 12, 1953 - moved to current location summer of 2018 |
| Administrator | Mr. Dana Francis |
| Principal | Mr. Jason James |
| Faculty | 62 |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 762 (August 2018) |
| Campus | Urban |
| Color(s) | Red and White |
| Mascot | Raider |
| Website | www.dodea.edu/KaiserslauternHS/ https://sites.google.com/a/student.dodea.edu/kaiserslautern-high-school/ |
KHS is part of the DoDEA (Department of Defense Education Activity) as well as DoDDS (Department of Defense Dependents Schools) system. KHS is located in the Kaiserslautern District, one of the six European school districts run by DoDEA, and is one of the largest DoDDS schools by population in Europe. KHS serves students of the KMC (Kaiserslautern Military Community). With approximately 50,000 American inhabitants, KMC is the largest community of Americans outside the United States.
Shortly after the development of Western Area Command (WACOM) in 1952, when Americans took over the western area of Germany from the French, KHS was housed in a converted apartment building. On March 12, 1953, the school moved into an old hospital building and expanded continuously over the years.
From 1953 to 1958, the school included a dormitory for approximately 150 French and German students. The school was originally known as Rhine High, not being referred to as "KAHS" until the early sixties, and "KHS" fairly recently. The school grew quickly, in 1982 KHS (with an enrollment of more than 1600 students) was the largest military-operated high school outside the continental US.
Today, Kaiserslautern High School's enrollment has increased due to the relocation of military forces in Europe. Nevertheless, KHS is known for providing excellent education and has a graduation rate of over 85%. When compared to other DoDEA schools, KHS ranks first in standardized test scores. With an annual tuition of approximately $26,000, KHS is also a rather expensive institution (due to being concerned a private school) . However, dependents of the military, Department of Defense contractors, NATO members and retired military dependents are exempt from paying.
KHS is fully accredited by the North Central Association for Accreditation (NCAA). Every five years the school is visited by North Central to assess the success of the school's individual school improvement plan. The professional and auxiliary staff members at the school complete an in-depth report which addresses one affective and one cognitive area that the school has chosen to address in an outcomes-based school improvement plan. This self-study is submitted to the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools for their review and evaluation.
In 2012, Dr. Barriett Smith replaced Dr. Jennifer Beckwith as principal. Smith transferred from Ramstein High School, one of the largest schools in the DoDDS system. In 2011, the former vice principal Ms. Claudette DeWitt was replaced by Mr. Dana Francis. Ms. Patrice Powdar became assistant principal in 2016.
Smith transferred to [unknown] and was replaced by Dr. Jackie Ferguson. Ferguson was Principle for one year (2019-2020), after which she transferred to [unknown]. She was replaced by Mr. Jason James, starting in fall 2020.
Campus History
KHS currently comprises one main building with four different wings from A1-D2. Attached to the school is the raider gym as well as a work out room with plenty of equipment.
Along with the outstanding gym, the school also has a tennis court, a baseball/softball field, a football stadium, a shooting range for JROTC, and music rooms with practice rooms; for their Orchestra, Band, Choir, Piano and other music classes.
Schedules
KHS runs on a two-day block schedule (red: 1-4, and white: 5-7 + advisory), each day having four classes 85 minutes long. The first period starts at 8:20 AM and instructional periods end at 3:00 PM each day. All students are required to take four years of English, two years of a foreign language, four years of mathematics, three years of science, one semester of health, two semesters of physical education, three years of a social-studies-based course, and several electives. The current graduation requirement is a GPA of 2.0 as well as 26 credits.
Note that the schedule has undergone drastic changes during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Demographics
- Seniors 128
- Juniors 176
- Sophomores 169
Kaiserslautern High School Common Area-Stage & Lunch Room - Freshmen 199
- Staff 72
Sports
During the school year, KHS sports teams compete in many competitions against schools from Wiesbaden, Ramstein, Patch, and Vilseck. All teams compete in the European Championships at the end of each season. KHS is known for the exceptional Girls basketball, boys soccer, and the Track & Field teams, with standout performances from Jada Branch, Jacob Winchell, Eric Santiago, Phillip Rimmler, Ervin Johnson, Austin Higby, and Esteban Saldana in recent years.
- Fall season (September – November)
- Golf (boys, girls)
- Volleyball (girls)
- Football (boys, girls)
- Cross Country (boys, girls)
- Tennis (boys, girls)
- Cheerleading (boys, girls)
- Swimming (boys, girls)
- Winter season (November – February)
- Basketball (boys, girls)
- Cheerleading (boys, girls)
- Wrestling (boys, girls)
- Swimming (boys, girls)
- Spring season (March–May)
- Soccer (boys, girls)
- Track and Field (boys, girls)
- Baseball (boys)
- Softball (girls)
Clubs 2018-2019 School Year
- Academic Decathlon (Brain Bowl)
- AFJROTC Color Guard
- AFJROTC Drill Team
- After School Scholars
- Art Club
- Concert Band
- CyberPatriot Team
- Deployment Buddies
- Drama Club
- Equestrian Club
- French Club
- Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)
- Future Educators' Association
- German National Honor Society
- International Thespian Society
- Interscholastic Sports
- Jazz Band
- K-Raider Staff
- K-Pop Club
- LGBTQ+ Club
- Model US Senate
- Model United Nations
- National Honor Society
- Prom Committee
- Rainbow Club
- Robotics Club
- Spanish National Honor Society (Korin Harris is the Vice President)
- StellerXplorers
- Student 2 Student
- Students Against Destructive Decisions
- Student Government
- Tri-M (National Music Honor Society)
Feeding Schools
Vogelweh Elementary School
Kaiserslautern Elementary School
Kaiserslautern Middle School
Sembach Middle School
Landstuhl Elementary Middle School
Notable alumni
- Alonzo Babers, Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist
- Boris Byrd, NFL Player
- Robert Keeley (instrument maker), Guitar Effects Pedal Manufacturer
- Brett Paesel, Author / Actress
- Scott Ritter, United Nations Weapons Inspector
- Dior Tran, Super Cool
Notable guest speakers
- Robert Gates, 22nd United States Secretary of Defense, spoke at the Graduation ceremony for the 2010 graduating class.
- Josh Simpson, professional soccer player, formerly on the local team 1. FC Kaiserslautern spoke at the school several times.
- Luis Robles, professional soccer player, formerly on the local team 1. FC Kaiserslautern spoke at the school several times and assisted with the school's boys soccer team.
- Chuck Yeager, spoke to the graduating class of 1988.
- Umut Balli, spokesman for the Republican People's Party (Turkey).
- Gen. Sir John Hackett, author of The Third World War: August 1985. Spoke at the school between 82-85.