European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 08, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday february 8, 1993 education the stars and stripes Page 11 osterholz makes most of its final Days. ,. F by Mark Kinkade Shaft writer osterholz Germany All but five boys made the osterholz High school foot Ball team last season. Of course making the Blackhawk team involved Little More than meeting the coach. The rules were simple 23 positions on the team to be filled with 28 boys to choose from. Not 28 boys interested in playing football 28 boys enrolled in the school at the time. Those who did not make it either were not interested or were too Young. Osterholz is one of Many schools in the department of defense dependents schools system caught in the draw Down. At one time More than 42 teachers and administrators worked the classrooms of the sprawling Complex in osterholz Scharm Beck roughly 35 Miles South of Bremerhaven. The military Community is scheduled to close in september. Three years ago the school served the entire Bremer Haven Community once the largest geographic military Community in Germany encompassing five Subco Muni ties throughout Northern Germany and nearly 16,000 people. At one time nearly 600 pupils in grades seven through 12 from Garf Studt flens Burg Hess Isch Oldendorf a Ellinghausen and other areas in Northern Germany were bused to Bremerhaven where they stayed in dormitories during the week and re turned Home for weekends. Now the student population which includes a Junior High and High school stands at 62. With 12 teachers and six educational specialists the Pupil to Tea Char ratio is extremely High. The Best thing about such Small classes is personal attention said osterholz Stu dents. We have a lot of advantages said Christy loader 18. It s More relaxed Here than at larger schools More one on one with the  bit there Are drawbacks. Extracurricular activities Are dying. Basketball football and volleyball a gone. The cheer leading squad had to be disbanded last year when some of the girls opted to play volleyball before the sport was cancelled. The student newspaper is history. Larry Aquiningoc 17, has experienced the Good and the bad of a Small school. When the number of pupils dropped below 100, Aquiningoc normally a second Stringer on the basketball team was Sud Denly shoved into the limelight. Suddenly 1 was Center stage he said. I had a Chance to show what i could do. I did t have the older Guys to contend  he responded with a record setting game of 43 Points earning him distinctions a Mark Al Okado scan Bergeron 13, Rocs through his locker at osterholz High school which is scheduled to close in May in the Bremer Haven Germany military Community. And Praise. But the student numbers kept dropping and the basketball team was Dis mantled. That Hurt said Aquiningoc who has been in the Bremerhaven area since he was 2 years old. "1 had a Chance to really make a name for myself. Now i have to work my Way onto the team at another  on the up Side grades for the pupils arc going up said Richard Saddlemire Princi pal for the last three years. Dodds has done a Good Job taking care of these kids he said. As the num Bers have dropped we be managed to keep most of our teachers and we re Able to offer most of the full High school curriculum they would teach at larger schools. That Means the kids Are getting the Best curriculum on a very personal  the school continues to offer a variety of courses from Standard subjects such As mathematics and English to More specialized instruction in computer science Laboratory science and business. According to Saddle Mirc the latter programs would be the first to go Al school districts in the United states. I be taught in other school districts and As the students go so docs the Money the teachers and the programs. Not Here he said. The needs of the specialized curriculum has kept the school in osterholz sadder Marc said. Laboratory space for science and computers along with rooms with multiple outlets to support computers and business equipment in t available in Bremer Haven and the Cost of Retro rating a building to meet the needs would Cost too much he said. While some pupils like having a teacher All to themselves some teachers think they need More students. I miss the give and take you get from a Large class said Barbara Davis who has taught health Home economics and Span ish at osterholz for seven years. I have such Small classes that 1 know each student Well and know what their in puts will be. 1 miss having a Large class thai provides for a lot of brainstorming on sub  there is also debate about socialization skills. Paul Moc a Counselor who started working in  in 1975/said the Young people will either learn to Deal with people better or become prone to be in Cli ques. All students form cliques he said. They stay with people like themselves. They Don t have any Choice Here. We re All part of a clique and they arc forced to Deal. With each other every Day 1 but for the pupils the solution is simple. We have friends outside school Loz adar said. I go outside the school for dates and i be made some Good friends in the school. It s pretty typical High school life when it comes to  the school closes at the end of these Mester in May Saddle Mirc said. Lozadar is ready to move on to College and Aquilino Goc is waiting to find out where the army will Send his family. Saddle Mirc and most of the faculty will probably find jobs in Dodds. Regardless of where they go or their feelings about the Quality of social life and the difficulty of closing a Community teachers and pupils alike agree that being at osterhos for the past three years has been an experience. I m glad 1 got to be a part of the school now said Shawna Perry 17. It s an experience everyone should have. 1 know 1. Won t forget my High school  Heyford no kept up studies by commuting to . By Nancy Torner . Bureau Raf upper Heyford England if awards were bestowed for the most dedicated ingenious and persistent col lege student the air Force has in Europe staff sgt. Harold Demmings would have to be a prime contender. For 10 years Demmings 29, had been inching toward a degree in health care management. He had about 12 credits to Complete when he was resigned from Andrews fab md., to Raf upper hey Ford. At first i was Happy because i wanted to come to England Demmings said. Then i thought of of " alter his initial excitement the new noncommissioned officer in charge of ears nose and Throat sen ices for the 20th medical group wondered How he could still finish his education while working in England. His solution was to commute to school in Maryland. Us tunings first tried to sign up for the Bootstrap program enabling him to stay in the states to Fin ish his degree re paying the air Force with three years of duty for every year of study. That option was not available in part because he already had received Relo cation orders. He also found that the University Dummings did not offer correspondence courses. That left me with no other Choice hut to make those trips Demmings said. From August through november of 1992, Demmings made nine trips from upper Heyford to the Bethesda National naval medical Center in Bethesda my. My metabolism was definitely out of whack Demmings said. The classes which Sere hollered via an Extension program of Southern Illinois University were held every other sat urday and sunday from 8 . To 4 30 . Missing just one Day of classes was cause for a student to be dropped from the course Demmings said. Twice snags that developed during hops on military flights nearly sabotaged his educational efforts. The greatest problem arose during the Finali weekend of the so Mester when the Pra Neoh which Demmings was travelling was ordered to refuel fighter planes Over the Atlantic lengthening flight time to 1u hours. To make matters worse it wound up at Warner Robins fab outside Macon ga., More than 1,000 Miles from his destination. It was eight o clock at night and everything was closed Demmings said. Still he managed to catch a bus to the Atlanta Airport from where he drove to school in a rented car. When i came in the afternoon they gave me a standing ovation he said. On another occasion Demmings Mili tary hop was diverted to  Etc new York he went by bus to new York City an eight hour trip then boarded a Tram to Washington and took a cab to school. Extracurricular commuting and lodging also Cost him about $4,000, but he said it was Worth every Penny. Just on my Job Here alone i be been Able to use some of my education he said. Demmings ultimate goal is to enter the Hospital management Field but he noted that the Only Way he could accomplish that goal stateside would be As a Navy commissioned officer. He has Al ready submitted paperwork to that end and is awaiting a final decision. Meanwhile he is considering enrolling in classes at a British University. If he is accepted and later is transferred to the United states Demmings said he would again consider commuting despite his dislike for Hying