PYEONGTAEK, South Korea —
The new Humphreys Middle/High School opened to rave reviews as
students entered their new, state-of-the-art school for the first time
Wednesday.
“I was like, in awe, jumping for joy and just so happy we were finally
in our school,” said Katherine Chipps, a junior at Humphreys M/HS, and
one of three triplets.
Her sister Emily, also a junior at the school, agreed.
“When I first saw the auditorium, I was basically in tears,” said
Emily. We’re both really involved in the music program and it’s going to
be an amazing place. I can’t wait to have a concert there.”
To welcome the students into their new school, Humphreys M/HS Principal
Shelly Kennedy and her team organized several spirited events including
a flag-raising ceremony led by Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps
students with music provided by the school band; a pep assembly with a
special guest appearance by the Blackhawks’ new mascot; and special
tours to help students locate all their new classrooms.
Addressing the students, Kennedy said, “This is it! The school that was
built just for you! I have every confidence you will be very excited
with the beautiful facility.”
Several special guests were on hand to celebrate the opening of the new
school, including DoDEA Korea District Superintendent Dr. Irby Miller.
“Humphreys Middle/High School is truly an exceptional learning facility
in every regard,” said Miller. “The new DoD schools at Camp Humphreys
are also great additions to our two nationally recognized Blue Ribbon
schools, the continued strong academic performance of our students, and
the unique learning and cultural exchange opportunities available here
in South Korea. I’m looking forward to seeing our students and educators
make the most of this extraordinary campus for years to come.”
In addition to modern and well-appointed classrooms, science labs, and
digital art and music rooms, the three-story school features a
cutting-edge digital video production studio, performing arts
auditorium, rooftop garden for planned culinary arts courses, and an
indoor regulation marksmanship range for the JROTC program.
Emily Chipps said the new classrooms are important for the way students learn today.
“I had physics today and it was amazing,” said Chipps. “We can have
full labs in our physics classroom now and I really like hands-on
learning. I have a hard time learning from a book, but I get it quickly
with hands-on biology, physics and chemistry labs.”
The campus also includes impressive athletic facilities such as a
gymnasium, football/soccer stadium, five tennis courts, a baseball
field, and a softball field.
Humphreys M/HS is environmentally-friendly with several energy efficient, water conservation and indoor air quality features.
Built for a capacity of 950, current student enrollment for Humphreys
M/HS is 342 but will grow substantially as students transition over the
next few years from the Seoul and Dongducheon areas where several DoD
schools are slated to close as part of a strategic multi-year
re-stationing of U.S. military personnel south of Seoul.
As the historian for the student council, Katherine Chipps will not
only document the historic transition to the new campus, she’s part of
that history.
The new school was funded by the Republic of Korea and built by the
Samsung C&T Corporation—renowned for having built three of the
tallest skyscrapers in the world—with project management and oversight
provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Far East District and the
Multinational Division U.S. Forces Korea base Relocation Office (MURO).
Humphreys Middle/High School is the second of five new DoD schools
planned for Camp Humphreys with two additional elementary schools and a
new middle school due to open over the next few years.
Once the new middle school construction is complete, students in grades
6-8 will move to their new campus. Humphreys Middle/High School will be
reconfigured to grades 9-12 and renamed to Humphreys High School.
School construction at Camp Humphreys is scheduled for completion by
school year 2017-18 with an end-state enrollment capacity of 4,675 for
all DoD schools located there.
Before entering the school for the first time, Kennedy reminded
students that what really makes a new school special are the people
inside and their shared experiences, “I would like to remind each and
every one of you to get involved --- you will get out of school what you
put into school. Participate, make positive contributions and reap the
benefits of building school traditions and fond memories to last a
lifetime.”
Emily Chipps, the junior class secretary and a member of student
council, said she and her classmates are ready to do just that, “We were
so happy to get in and to know we’re finally in our home. We’re actually here … we’re actually home. It’s so exciting!”
Parents, students and community members are welcome and encouraged to
attend an open house for the new school on Monday, Jan. 13 from 4:30 -
5:30 p.m.
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