Posted on 08/25/2006 6:09:16 PM PDT by FreedomCalls
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — Department of Defense Dependents Schools-Europe told administrators this week that schools will have to drop the word “American” from their official names. Also, any schools named after a person will have to be called by a moniker more reflective of its location.
That means Ramstein American High School will simply be known as Ramstein High School. And David Glasgow Farragut High School in Rota, Spain, will take on the shorter name of Rota High School. The school in southern Spain is named for the U.S. Navy’s first admiral.
School administrators were notified of the changes in a memo sent out earlier this week. The name changes are only for schools in Europe.
DODDS-Europe spokesman Dennis Bohannon said the changes are to make the names more consistent, in the case of elminating “American,” and to help people more easily match where a school is by name.
“Someone back in the United States, if they know that they’re coming to Wiesbaden, they may want to try and look up Wiesbaden High School not knowing that it’s called H.H. Arnold,” he said. That school is named for the aviation pioneer and founding father of the U.S. Air Force.
“This is just to make it easier to identify exactly where that school is at.”
That doesn’t mean seniors have to rip off the names of their schools from their letter jackets.
Schools can keep the original names on signs, fliers, doormats and letterheads, but the official name of the school will reflect its location in official school publications, Bohannon said. DODDS-Europe’s Web site already refers to schools by their official names.
Kyla Jeffries, a 12-year-old at Naples High School in Italy, applauded the measure to remove “American” from schools’ names.
“I think that is acceptable. More people of different heritages might feel more welcome now, not like they have to feel like they’re just American,” said the seventh-grader, who has a mixed heritage of Japanese, Puerto Rican, black and white.
Necole Yeager had a mixed reaction. On one hand, the parent of a seventh-grader said, few people she knows used the full name of Naples American High School; opting instead for just Naples High School. “So in a way, it doesn’t really matter,” Yeager said.
But, she said, the name was a small way of staying connected to the States while living overseas.
“It’s one way of keeping American pride without exploiting it in huge quantities,” she said. “It’s one way to keep a piece of America wherever we go.”
Next they'll recommend using the names of "recent" famous Germans like Adolph Hitler ~ making the name REAL EASY TO REMEMBER.
"“Someone back in the United States, if they know that they’re coming to Wiesbaden, they may want to try and look up Wiesbaden High School not knowing that it’s called H.H. Arnold,” he said. That school is named for the aviation pioneer and founding father of the U.S. Air Force.
“This is just to make it easier to identify exactly where that school is at.” "
You gotta wonder if this is indeed bureacratism run amok (a fixed aspect of DOD and DODDS) or if there is some perverse agenda behind it.
I am inclined to believe that a dodds person in power simply got tired of having to ask where xxx HS was, and used their position to push this through. When in doubt, petty motives are always a good guess.
Ironically, Farragut was of partially Spanish heritage, so in fact the name of the school IS reflective of its location.
Geez, you'd think the Spanish would want to claim Farragut.
"Fast Times at Hitler High"?
Kind of catchy, actually. ;^)
Note the multicultural drivel here:
“I think that is acceptable. More people of different heritages might feel more welcome now, not like they have to feel like they’re just American,” said the seventh-grader, who has a mixed heritage of Japanese, Puerto Rican, black and white."
My kids have been in DoDDs schools around the world and this attitude not only is imbecelic it fails reflect pride and basic education of the contributions of America ...like democracy and freedoms...such that one would not be ashamed to refer to it. No, we would rather be humble and wimpering and shy and shameful about identifying ourselves as an American school.
All of the Armed Forces community services and installation web sites have the names of the schools and the links to their web sites readily assessible. This is a nonsense excuse.
I would tell DoDDS if they want to drop A"merican School" from their name then they can drop my tax dollars from subsidizing it...
Write your Congressman; this DoDDS administrator is reeking of PC ideology and I won't put up with it.
It's just a cover story for political correctness. Note that the seventh-grader recognized this right away:
"More people of different heritages might feel more welcome now, not like they have to feel like they’re just American”
This must be a Diplomats kid, not an Armed Forces dependent.
Goebbels School of Jorunalism and RTVF
Goring's School of Aeronatucial Engineering
Himmmler Police Academy
Raeder School of Oceanography and Nautical Engineering
Yeah ... those just roll off the tongue.
you are going on the assumption that the quote wasn't fabricated by the author of the piece to fit the theme of the article.
My long-held and often verified belief is that most if not all non-attributed quotes or attributed quotes from non-public persons are blatant fabrications written to meet the bias/theme of the piece. I have personally seen my own name next to propagandistic things I NEVER said in a company newsletter when I worked at UPS, and have seen similar situations in print newspapers.
The department of defense schools are run by the Education department.
After the Education Department was formed, during the Carter Administration I believe, they realized that they didn't have any elementary or high schools all their very own. Oh, but they wanted some desparately. And got some.
The Department of Defense was forced to cough up the schools.
or they don't exist, or exist but never said this (but their parents know one of the authors?).
attributed quotes are a journalistic trick for creating the impression that the premise of your article is actually supported by others.
i think ann coulter had a piece where she found some huge 'man on the street' opinions from the NYT were named as being from the same person, but could find no evidence that person exists.
The nation continues unabated its headlong rush to commit PC suicide.
Does CinC know about this? Secdef? CJCS?
Anyone have their e-mail addies?
We NEVER get the names and it just drives me up a wall!!!
Traditionally host nation nationals paying tuition and certain USG civilian employees were allowed into the schools on a space available basis.
If we are keeping these schools open while US forces drawdown, and then allow host nation civilians to fill the open classroom seats at taxpayer expense then all the more reason TO KEEP "American" in the school name.
I predict this will be a talkradio and Fox News item by next week where it will come under poltical Congressional scrutiny and be reversed... or some Congressman will pass the next MILCON bill with a rider saying "American" stays in the DoDDS schools name.
I promise you, once the veterans community catches on, of which I am one, and now I can tell you about 100 already others know about it, and several of them have their own distro lists you will witness the power of the internet once again.
No doubt they already personally signed off on it.
This doesn't pass the smell test. 'Multiculturalism' and 'diversity is perversity' are rampant here. It stinks.
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