HISTORY OF YOKOHAMA AMERICAN SCHOOLS

The American school system in Yokohama was officially established in September 1946, with an elementary school in the present high school building. Yo-Hi was opened in September 1947, and the Beach school later the same month.

The High School, formerly a Japanese Girls' Commerical College, overlooks Yokohama from its site on the Bluff. It is a three- story stucco buiding, providing room for twelve classrooms, plus a gymnasium-auditorium, a laboratory, a kitchen, a sewing room, and an art studio. The library has to date a total of 2275 books, some of which were bought with funds from the Thrift Shop and some of which are on loan from Army libaries. The dispensary, under the supervision of a school nurse, provides adequate medical care for the students. Health and immunization records are maintained, and annual physical examinations are conducted.

An important part of the life of the Yokohama High School student is the athletic program which involves major sports including football, basketball, and track. A Girls' Athletic Association has been organized in the past year and provides that a girl may qualify for a letter if she participates in five major sports.

One hundred and six students were enrolled in the High School on the first day of operation with faculty consisting of eight teachers. This has since swelled to one hundred and ninety students and sixteen teachers.

The plan of study at Yokohama High has been carefully prepared and meets with the approval of the North Central Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges.

Two modern languages, French and Spanish, are taught, as is Latin. There are courses in mathamatics and science, history, social studies, and English. The school sponsors a journalism club, a dramatics club, a Spanish club, a chess and checkers club, a rifle club, a glee club, and a school newspaper, "The Yo-Hi Echoes", which is published twice monthly, and a yearbook which is published at the end of each year.

In 1949 the school received its charter, and the Yokohama Chapter of the National Honor Society was installed. Thirty-one students are charter members of the organization, ninteen of whom have returned to the states.

The Nasugbu Beach Elementary School was opened on September 22, 1947. Located between Area One and Two, it was formerly a Japanese elementary school. In this three-story building are twenty-six classrooms, a library, and art studio, a music room, an anditorium, a kitchen and dining room, a gymnasium, and a repair shop. Since around ninety children attend the Beach School who do not live in Yokohama, some way had to be provided to give these pupils hot lunches. For this purpose a cafeteria was set up and has been a welcome feature of the Beach School.

There is an athletic program which consists of football, basketball, and softball teams, and of daily supervised recreation periods conducted in classes.

Each class sponsors one or more clubs. In addition to these, are numerous Scouting activities which include Brownies, Cubs, and Scouts. Older pupils may belong to the Neet-Nac Club where grade school parties are held monthly.

The music program includes a band, a chorus, and a glee club.

The enrollment has grown from the original three hundred pupils and fifteen teachers to five hundred and sixty-two children and a faculty consisting of twenty-seven teachers, a librarian and a nurse.

The only new school building in the Yokohama area was opened in September 1948, three months after construction was begun. Located in Housing Area X, it is known as the "Area 'X' School", though its official name is the Negishi Heights Elementary School.

Two stories tall, this is a modern, well-lighted building. In addition to sixteen classrooms, there are two playgrounds, an athletic field, an auditorium-gymnasium, and a music room.

There are four hundred pupils enrolloed in the Area X School, one hundred and thirty-five of whom are kindergarten students taught by five of the seventeen teachers.

The Yokohama American School System is completing its fourth year of operation. This time has been devoted to the successful accomplishment of the aims and purposes expressed in the dedication of the Area X School. "To lay a foundation of democratic and Christian living which may reach to the ends of the earth".

SCHOOL CALENDAR

Photos from George Casey 1950 Yearbook unless otherwise noted