Brattleboro Union High School
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Brattleboro Union High School is a public school in Vermont that serves the towns of Brattleboro, Vernon, Guilford, Dummerston, and Putney. It has approximately 1,000 students and is easily accessible from exit 1 off of I-91.
Facing increasing enrollment in the late 1940's the town moved to establish a new high school to serve area towns that would be equipped with modern facilities and safety features as well as plenty of space for sport related activities, something desperately unavailable at the then downtown location.
In the early 1950's the decision was made to build the new high school on the "Old Fairgrounds" in the southern section of town. The school officially opened for the 1956 school year.
Over the years a number of additions were built to deal with increasing enrollment. In the 1960's a middle (junior high) school was added to the campus and in the early 1990's a Career Center was added for technical education. These additions, while accommodating, created a hodgepodge of buildings and eventually led to structural and health problems. The decision was made in the early 2000's to renovate the high school.
The project would come to be the largest and most expensive highschool renovation in the states history. $56 million dollars was dedicated to a complete, down to the walls renovation, of the campus that now serves over 2,000 students. Completed in 2007, the renovation has brought many modern features to the school community as well as increasing energy efficiency and accommodating a growing number of students. In addition, steps were taken to preserve key historical features in the original section of the school, such as wood paneling and certain light fixtures. The original building is currently listed on the National Historic Register.