| Our School History Kubasaki is the oldest existing high school amongst Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS). It has withstood destruction from fire and typhoons on six different campuses to become a school rich in tradition with a reputation for academic excellence. The first classes started with a student body of 25 on September 15, 1946 at a site named “Okinawa University High School”. They were held in Okinawa University buildings and a large quonset hut nearby. The following year, after the quonset hut burned down due to defective wiring, classes were moved to a group of 15 prefabricated buildings in the Awase housing area.  In 1948, the school moved again to a new site in Zukeran in order to accommodate the number of students and a need for more recreation area.Typhoon Libby hit Okinawa in October of 1948 and damaged the school's unfinished buildings, books and other materials. In July of 1949, Typhoon Gloria destroyed the school and delayed the opening of the school year. When school did begin, teachers and students were forced to conduct their classes in two temporary family residences in the Zukeran housing area. The school then moved back to quonset huts in Awase in November of that year.  In 1950, the school name was changed to Okinawa-American Dependent High School and was relocated to quonsets in the Awase area. Few new students enrolled in the school because the communist aggression in Korea necessitated a ban of dependent travel until 1951. But in 1952, rising enrollment forced a move to another set of quonsets at the Army Training School located at Kubasaki – later referred to as “Kubasaki Nine (K-9).”In 1958, the school was moved to partitioned barracks in the Wheel area of Naha. By the early 1960s, the school was hosting grades ten through twelve. Finally, in 1964, the school moved to its present location in Kishaba Terrace, overlooking Fort Buckner, and was renamed Kubasaki High School. Early Association History The idea to organize an alumni association for Kubasaki High School began when Kit McKeon and Karen Hennie Stevens planned an event in Colorado Springs in the mid-1980s. By 1986, the group organized to become the first KHS Alumni Association. This organization included Kit McKeon ('65), Karen Hennie Stevens ('62), Sonja Taylor "Sunny" Schwentner ('62), Virginia Lee (Faculty), Lois Shook (Faculty) and a handful of class representatives.  Throughout the rest of the 80s and into the 90s, the organization enjoyed rapid growth as word of the association spread. All communications were handled via phone calls and snail mail and the role of the class representatives was never more important. Reunions were planned every two years in various locations throughout the U.S. and classes from every decade were invited. Over time, the duties of operating the organization fell to Sunny Schwentner. Her dedication kept the association going and, for over twenty years, she maintained a large database of alumni contact information to keep the paid membership informed of alumni activities and reunions. Sunny, Kit, Karen, Ms. Lee and Ms. Shook have been honored as Lifetime Members of the Association. Their diligence in locating lost Dragons formed the core of the connections we enjoy today. The Association Today In August 2006, a Coordinating Counsel was formed to make preliminary plans for the establishment of a new, online-based Association. On August 27, 2006, the Counsel voted to name Sherry Bastion ('76) the KHSAA Interim President and charged her with the responsibility of transforming the Association into a global organization that served the needs of a growing alumni community. Jon Yim ('75) assumed the roles of Interim Secretary and Alumni Relations/Public Affairs Officer and leveraged his extensive public relations network to distribute press releases about the revitalized Association. In addition to broad coverage announcing the new Website, Jon established enduring links with the administration at KHS to ensure the awareness of the Association's presence for future alumni. Rounding out the slate of officers was Carri Babcock Morones ('76) as Interim Vice President, Kathy Warren Sovine ('76) as Treasurer and Sunny Schwentner ('62) as Past President. Less than a year later, on August 17, 2007, the KHSAA "Members Only" Website was launched to enable the Association to accept memberships and manage the administrative tasks of the organization. The new online tool serves the existing membership and promotes relevance for newer generations of alumni by leveraging the communication possiblities only the Internet can provide. Alumni are now able to pay their yearly dues online and receive exclusive member benefits. These member-only benefits include voting privileges, access to the alumni database for mailing addresses, email addresses and phone numbers, reduced fees for association-sponsored reunions and access to the online publications. On October 15th, 2007, active members of the KHSAA voted unanimously to confirm Sherry Bastion ('76), Carri Babcock Morones ('76), Jon Yim ('75) and Kathy Warren Sovine ('76) as the first officers of the new Association. Nominations and voting for new officers will take place in August, 2008. To join the Association, please visit the Members Only site and sign up today! Contact Our Historian Rick Albert (1975) has begun the process of collecting the stories and artifacts of our history. If you have any materials you would like to donate for our archives, please contact Rick at history@kubasakihighschool.com. |
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Kubasaki High School Alumni Association