London Central Elementary High School (LCEHS), formerly London Central High School, was a

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national sec ...

Dependents School ( DoDDS) in the Isles District of DoDDS Europe for pupils in

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

through

grade 12 Twelfth grade, 12th grade, senior year, or grade 12 is the final year of secondary school in most of North America. In other regions, it may also be referred to as class 12 or Year 13. In most countries, students are usually between the ages of 17 ...

. It operated from 1952 until 2007, with its first graduating class in 1953. In about 2005 the average number of students was 360 and there were at least 75 students boarding. Students originated from the United States and Canada, with most students being in military families; those from non-military families paid tuition fees. The school had a high rate of students enrolling or transferred away due to job changes. Students living in dormitories, which served grades 9-12, had parents doing military duties or other duties for the U.S. federal government in remote areas in other countries. LCEHS fell under the command of the

U.S. Naval Activities, United Kingdom Commander, U.S. Naval Activities, United Kingdom (COMNAVACTUK) was an echelon three command subordinate to the Commander in Chief, U.S. Naval Forces, Europe until 2007. As the regional area coordinator for the United Kingdom and Northern Europe, CO ...

(COMNAVACTUK).

History

London Central High School (commonly known as "LCHS" or just "Central") was established in 1952 at

Bushy Park Bushy Park in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames is the second largest of London's Royal Parks, at in area, after Richmond Park. The park, most of which is open to the public, is immediately north of Hampton Court Palace and Hampton ...

, in north west

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, for students in grades 7 through 12. Subsequent base closures led to two moves: to Bushey Hall in 1962, and to

RAF Daws Hill RAF Daws Hill was a Ministry of Defence site, located near High Wycombe and Flackwell Heath, in Buckinghamshire, England, close to the M40 motorway. The station was established in 1942 on land owned by Wycombe Abbey School, for use by the Uni ...

, its final location, in 1971. For the 2006–07 school year, LCHS merged with West Ruislip Elementary School, which had closed in the spring of 2006. Consequently, it accommodated grades K-12 and "elementary" was added to the school's name. At the time of its closing, LCEHS was the last remaining DoDDS school with

dormitories A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm) is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or university s ...

. The USNAVEUR Headquarters were relocated from London to

Naples, Italy Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

in 2007. As a result,

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

Daws Hill, along with other naval installations in the area, was scaled down and eventually closed. LCHS staged a formal closing ceremony on May 15, 2007 and locked its doors for the last time in June 2007, with a handover of keys back to the US Navy/RAF on 30 June. The website was completely removed in mid-June 2014.

Facilities

Male students lived in Mansfield Hall while female students lived in Trinity Hall.

Notable students

* Charles Baker, actor * Gerry Beckley, co-founder of the band

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

Bo Bice Harold Elwin "Bo" Bice Jr. (born November 1, 1975) is an American singer and musician who was the runner-up against Carrie Underwood in the fourth season of ''American Idol''. Prior to auditioning for ''American Idol'', Bice released a solo alb ...

, singer *

Dewey Bunnell Lee Merton "Dewey" Bunnell (born 19 January 1952) is a British-American musician, singer, guitarist, and songwriter, best known as a member of the folk rock band America. Biography Bunnell was born in Harrogate, Yorkshire, England, to an Americ ...

, co-founder of the band

Jerry Donahue Jerry Donahue (born September 24, 1946, Manhattan, New York City) is an American guitarist and producer primarily known for his work in the British folk rock scene as a member of Fotheringay and Fairport Convention as well as being a member of t ...

, guitarist and producer * Charles Easley, Mississippi Supreme Court Judge *

William Frederick Fisher William Frederick Fisher (born April 1, 1946) is an American physician and a former NASA astronaut. Fisher went into space in 1985 on board the Space Shuttle. He retired from NASA in 1992 and returned to the full-time practice of medicine. His ...

, NASA astronaut and physician *

Megan McArthur Katherine Megan McArthur (born August 30, 1971) is an American oceanographer, engineer, and NASA astronaut. She has served as a Capsule Communicator (CAPCOM) for both the Space Shuttle and International Space Station (ISS). Megan McArthur ha ...

, NASA astronaut and oceanographer * Paul Miller, Canadian actor *

Dan Peek Daniel Milton Peek () was an American musician best known as a member of the folk rock band America from 1970 to 1977, together with Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell. He has been called a "pioneer in contemporary Christian music". Early life ...

, co-founder of the band

Doc Rosser Eric Franklin Rosser (born January 17, 1952) also known as Doc Rosser, is a former keyboardist for John Mellencamp. He joined Mellencamp's band in 1979 and toured with Mellencamp for over two years. He recorded with the band on Mellencamp's 1980 ...

, former keyboardist for

John Mellencamp John J. Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951), previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his catchy brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrumen ...

and convicted felon * Dale Van Atta, columnist A book about London Central High School entitled ''From the Faculty Lounge'' was published in 2008. It features memories of the school in all three of its locations from around 35 former principals, teachers and staff.

Notes and references

External links

* Archived official websites ** (after December 31, 2004) ** ** **
LCHS alumni website
{{authority control 1951 establishments in England 2007 disestablishments in England American international schools in the United Kingdom Bushy Park Defunct boarding schools in England Defunct schools in Buckinghamshire Defunct schools in Hertfordshire Defunct schools in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Educational institutions disestablished in 2007 Educational institutions established in 1951 High Wycombe History of the United States Army in the United Kingdom International schools in London United States Department of Defense