![Msairpic](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/Msairpic.png)
W.T. Sampson Elementary/High School is a K-12 school in
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base ( es, Base Naval de la Bahía de Guantánamo), officially known as Naval Station Guantanamo Bay or NSGB, (also called GTMO, pronounced Gitmo as jargon by members of the U.S. military) is a United States military base ...
,
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
. In 2010 the school had 331 students in two campuses that are apart. As of 2010, 227 (Sure Start-6th Grade) are in the elementary campus, and 104 (7-12) are on the secondary school campus.
[W.T. Sampson Elementary/High School]
" Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base ( es, Base Naval de la Bahía de Guantánamo), officially known as Naval Station Guantanamo Bay or NSGB, (also called GTMO, pronounced Gitmo as jargon by members of the U.S. military) is a United States military base ...
. Retrieved on November 7, 2010.
It is operated by the
Department of Defense Education Activity
The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) is a federal school system headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, and managing prekindergarten through 12th grade educational programs on behal ...
of the
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 secu ...
. W.T.S. is the oldest
DoDDS
The Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS) are a network of schools, both primary and secondary, that serve the dependant, dependents of United States military and civilian United States Department of Defense (DoD) personnel in three ar ...
school.
As of 2010 currently enrolled in W.T. Sampson High School are 167 students. Students are the children of military and civilian families stationed at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The school is accredited by the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges (NCA) and has held accreditation since 1931.
History
It is the oldest continually operating
Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to:
Current departments of defence
* Department of Defence (Australia)
* Department of National Defence (Canada)
* Department of Defence (Ireland)
* Department of National Defense (Philippin ...
school. It opened in 1931, operated by the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
. At the time, the sole staff member was Guantanamo Bay's Protestant chaplain, and the school facility was the chaplain's office. By 1932 the school had over 30 students. When a faculty was assembled, it taught elementary school on mornings and high schools in afternoons.
In 1941 the high school moved to a building on Chapel Hill.
A new W. T. Sampson School was officially dedicated on October 25, 1956. Named after
Admiral W. T. Sampson, USN, who during the Spanish–American War headed the U.S. Fleet that operated in the water surrounding Cuba.
During the
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis (of 1962) ( es, Crisis de Octubre) in Cuba, the Caribbean Crisis () in Russia, or the Missile Scare, was a 35-day (16 October – 20 November 1962) confrontation between the United S ...
students were evacuated to the mainland United States.
In 1976 the school was incorporated into the
United States Department of Defense Education Activity and was no longer directly operated by the Navy. In 1985 the high school moved to its current location.
In 2016,
NAVFAC awarded a project to demolish the existing W.T. Sampson school buildings and replace with a multi-story elementary-middle-high school building that is expected to be finished by November 2018. The price per student would be $250,000, while a typical public school in
Miami-Dade County
Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most populous county in ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
would have a price of $30,000 per student. Carol Rosenberg of the ''
Miami Herald
The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by the McClatchy Company and headquartered in Doral, Florida, a List of communities in Miami-Dade County, Florida, city in western Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County and the M ...
'' characterized the new Sampson as "one of the world’s priciest schools". The company that built the school was Munilla Construction Management LLC, a
Cuban American
Cuban Americans ( es, cubanoestadounidenses or ''cubanoamericanos'') are Americans who trace their cultural heritage to Cuba regardless of phenotype or ethnic origin. The word may refer to someone born in the United States of Cuban descent or t ...
concern based in Miami.
Academic assessment
Students of the
DODEA
The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) is a federal school system headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, and managing prekindergarten through 12th grade educational programs on behal ...
school system are subject to two assessment standards to measure academic performance.
There is the
TerraNova that is taken in Grades 3-11. "DoDEA students scored substantially higher than the national average (50th percentile) in all subject areas."
The other test is the
SAT
The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times; originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, it was later called the Schol ...
. The SAT is not a required test. The participation rate of DoDEA students in 2009 was 67%. The national SAT participation rate was 46%.
TerraNova results
SAT results
Campus
Previously, the high school campus was on Chapel Hill. Chapel Hill is the location of the base church. Across from the chapel was a series of offices and classrooms that was the original location for the school from 1931 to 1986.
The prior campus was dedicated in 1986.
The school has been remodeled in recent years. The school has an Information Center, one full-size computer lab, Internet access in all classrooms, and a gymnasium.
References
External links
W. T. Sampson School-
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base ( es, Base Naval de la Bahía de Guantánamo), officially known as Naval Station Guantanamo Bay or NSGB, (also called GTMO, pronounced Gitmo as jargon by members of the U.S. military) is a United States military base ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:W.T. Sampson Elementary High School
Schools in Cuba
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
Educational institutions established in 1931
Department of Defense Education Activity
1931 establishments in Cuba