John F. Kennedy School, Berlin

The John F. Kennedy School is a primary and secondary school in Berlin, Germany offering integrated, bilingual education for both German and American children. Originally established in 1960 by the U.S. Military Government along with local Berlin authorities and parents, the school was initially called "Deutsch-Amerikanische Gemeinschaftsschule / German-American Community School" to provide elementary school facilities and to foster cultural exchange between young natives of West Berlin and children from U.S. Armed Forces families. The school was re-named in 1963 after the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy. The present buildings were built by the Berlin Senate in the late 1960s. After Germany's reunification in 1990 and the withdrawal of the Allied Forces, the mission of the school was redefined. Originally the focus was primarily on reconciliation after the Second World War; today, the school is a model for bilingual schools in Europe.