| Springs Valley Junior-Senior High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| 326 S. Larry Bird Boulevard French Lick, IN, 47432 USA |
|
| Information | |
| Type | Public secondary school |
| Established | 1957 |
| High School Principal | Troy Pritchett |
| Color(s) | Black, Gold & White |
| Athletics | IHSAA Class A |
| Nickname | Blackhawks |
| Website | SVJSHS |
Springs Valley Junior-Senior High School is a secondary school located in French Lick, Indiana. Athletic teams at the school are nicknamed "Blackhawks". The school opened in 1957 after the politically contentious consolidation of French Lick and West Baden High Schools. Fortunately, the basketball team of the new school proved to be a unifying force for the two arch-rival towns. In the Blackhawks' first season of 1957-58, they advanced to the final four of the Indiana state tournament losing to the eventual state champion, Fort Wayne South Side, 55-42..
The Jr High/High School band the "Blackhawk Brigade" has a long standing tradition of excellence. Originally directed by Gilbert Aylsworth, his son John Aylsworth took over as director upon the Senior Aylsworth's retirement. There was a period of a few years after John retired in 1994 that the band was directed by a few different directors. Then in 2001 Luke Aylsworth, John's son took over as director for the band, and the tradition in excellence was restored. The Blackhawk Brigade won the Class C state championship in 1977 and runner-up in 1978, 1992, and recently in 2007. They have been to the state finals twenty times. The Brigade moved to Class D in 1981.
This year the Blackhawk brigade has been very successful and is going to state for the twentieth time.
Larry Bird, former NBA player for Boston Celtics and current president of basketball operations for the Indiana Pacers