Orleans High School (Vermont)

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Orleans High School
Name

Olreans High School
Address

53 School Street
Orleans, Vermont 05860
Years of Operation

1901-1967
Community

Village
Type

Public
Students

approx 150 students (1953)
Grades

9 to 12
Principals

Charles S. Rising 1928?-1945?
Rolfe Schoppe 1945?-1953
Dustin White
Nickname

OHS
Mascot

Red Rapiers
Colors

Red and White
Publications

Hourglass (Newspaper)
Yearbook


Orleans High School was a school in Orleans, Vermont. It functioned as both a high school and middle school to the village of Orleans and surrounding towns for nearly half a century. The high school was replaced by the Lake Region High School on September 11, 1967. Orleans alumni continue to meet annually. They fund scholarships for descendants of graduates.

The building today is used to educate elementary students from the village.

Contents

[edit] History

Orleans graduated its first class in 1901 from a wooden two-story building where the Federated Church now stands on School Street.[1] While that school was differed in name and location from the eventual brick structure on School Street, its graduates were recognized as part of a continuous alumni for attendees.

In 1914, only 35 students were attending the high school out of a total for the system of 232. The purpose of all high schools of that time was to prepare scholars for college. To improve attendance and the overall efficiency of the system, the school began to offer Agriculture, Home-Ec and Commercial.[2]

The final structure was opened in March 1923.[3]

Besides the village of Orleans, the following towns sent their children to be educated there: Albany, Irasburg, Coventry, Brownington, and Charleston.

[edit] Recognition

There were girls and boys basketball teams at the beginning of the 20th century, as well as baseball for boys. Basketball was the only girls sport. In the late 1950s both boys and girls played soccer. In the 1960s golf arrived for boys.

  • Girls basketball northern Vermont champions 1907[4]
  • Girls basketball Orleans County champions 1926-7
  • Boys basketball, Rutland Rotary Tournament champions 1928
  • Boys basketball Vermont Junior tournament champions 1933
  • Baseball Northeast Vermont champions 1930
  • Unmarked baseball trophy 1930s?
  • Baseball NE Vermont champions 1935
  • Unmarked trophy from Headmasters club 1935
  • Boys basketball Junior Tournament champion. Headmasters club. No year (about 1935)
  • Boys basketball northeast Vermont conference champions 1934-5, 1935-6, 1936-7
  • Baseball state runner-up 1944
  • Boys basketball northeast Vermont tournament champions 1950
  • Girls basketball northeast Vermont B champions 1951
  • Baseball northeast conference co-champions 1951
  • Girls basketball northeast conference B champions 1952
  • Boys northeast basketball tournament B champions 1953
  • Boys basketball league B champions 1953
  • Boys basketball northeast conference B champions 1954
  • Boys basketball Northeast Conference B champions 1955
  • Baseball northeast conference B champions 1955
  • Girls basketball northeast conference B champions 1956
  • Girls soccer northeast conference champions 1957
  • Baseball northeast conference B champions 1957
  • Girls Basketball Champions, Conference B 1958
  • Boys Soccer Northeast conference champions 1958
  • Boys basketball NE conference I 1958-9
  • Boys basketball champions, Class I 1959
  • Boy's basketball Northeast Tournament champions Class I 1959
  • Baseball - NE Champions 1959
  • Boys basketball northern border league champions 1959-60
  • Boys basketball north M champions 1960
  • Boys Basketball Co-champions, Northern Border League 1961-2
  • NBL soccer champions 1965
  • Golf Champions 1964, 1965, and 1966

[edit] Principals

  1. Charles S. Rising 1928?-1945?
  2. Rolfe Schoppe 1940?-1953
  3. Dustin White

[edit] Notable alumni

  • Susan J. Barlett - State Senator, Lamoille County 1993-2004 (maiden name and class unknown but probably class of 1964)(Susan Walker?)[5]
  • Nancy Hall Sheltra 1966 - Representative, Vermont Legislature 1989-2004
  • Kermit Smith 1946. Sergeant-at-Arms, Vermont Legislature 1988-1993[6]
  • Henry Alexander Stafford 1920, professional baseball player for the New York Giants[7]

[edit] Additional information

  • The mascot was the "Red Rapiers"
  • School colors were red and white.
  • School newspaper was the Hourglass
  • Its main rival was cross-town Barton Academy
  • Howard Frank Mosher, author, taught English here during the school's final years.[8]

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ NEKG - Vital Records of Vermont Schools
  2. ^ 1918SaskChapter14
  3. ^ Barton, Vermont - Schools & Community - Northeast Kingdom
  4. ^ trophy doesn't actually mention a standing. Village name was still "Barton Landing."
  5. ^ http://vermont-elections.org/2003BioSketchWeb.pdf
  6. ^ State Of Vermont
  7. ^ BIOPROJ.SABR.ORG :: The Baseball Biography Project
  8. ^ http://www.caledonianrecord.com/pages/top_news/story/4b4814d3a

[edit] External References

NEKG Vital Records of Vermont Schools