Burnsville High School

Burnsville Senior High School
Address
600 E. Highway 13
Burnsville MN
Burnsville, Minnesota, 55337
United States
Coordinates 44°47′05″N 93°15′57″W / 44.78472°N 93.26583°WCoordinates: 44°47′05″N 93°15′57″W / 44.78472°N 93.26583°W
Information
Funding type Taxes/Alumni
Established 1957
School district Burnsville-Eagan-Savage Independent School District 191
Superintendent Joe Gothard
School code ISD 191
Principal Dave Helke
Grades 10 – 12
Gender Co-Ed
Number of students ~2400
Hours in school day 6.5
Color(s) Black and Gold
Athletics conference South Suburban Conference
Sports Football, Basketball, Baseball, Hockey, etc.
Mascot Sparky
Team name Blaze
Publication The Reading Edge (online)
Newspaper The Voice
Yearbook The Blaze
Tuition Free
Communities served Burnsville, Savage, Eagan, Shakopee, Apple Valley
Website http://www.isd191.org/bhs
Burnsville High School front entrance

Burnsville High School (BHS) is a three-year public high school located in Burnsville, Minnesota. The school is part of Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191, which covers most of Burnsville, as well as parts of the surrounding cities Savage and Eagan, and small parts of Shakopee and Apple Valley. A majority of the incoming sophomores come from Eagle Ridge Junior High, Metcalf Junior High, or Nicollet Junior High. The school mascot is Sparky, a humanoid with a fireball for a head.

History

Burnsville High School, originally opened in 1957 as a K-12 school with an initial enrollment of about 400 students. In 1966, upon completion of the newly constructed school, students in grades seven through nine started attending Metcalf Junior High. Today, students attending Burnsville's Metcalf, Eagle Ridge and Nicollet Junior High Schools will attend Burnsville Senior High School for grades 10-12.

On April 25, 1994, the largest high school arson in the United States began, which resulted in over $15 million in damages.[1] The same arsonist also started fires at Edina High School and Minnetonka High School. During the restoration, high school students studied at nearby Nicollet Junior High and Sky Oaks Elementary Schools. Around the time of the fire, the school's mascot was changed from the Braves to the Blaze to avoid stigmatizing and stereotyping Native Americans. The name "Blaze" was conceived because of the word "Burnsville" in the school name, and had nothing to do with the fire; it was merely a coincidence. The Braves icon is still widely accepted, and many students still have Brave apparel. Prior to The Braves, the first mascot of Burnsville High School was the Bulldogs.

In September, 2012, the BHS school board started looking towards Burnsville High School becoming a grades nine-twelve school. If done so, they would have to add on a new portion of the school, being a 40,000-square-foot building addition estimated at $12 million. Randy Clegg (Former superintendent of District 191,) also recommends closing the Burnsville High School Senior Campus in 2014 and holding all senior classes at the main campus.

In 1997, District 191 bought the Diamondhead Mall and converted the top level into the Senior Campus to handle increasing enrollment. A year later, in 1998, it was opened for use. Students can drive or take a shuttle bus to move from one campus to the other. Many classes available only to 12th grade students are offered at the Senior Campus; including many English, math and social studies classes. Most seniors at Burnsville High School spend half their day at this separate campus. The time needed to travel from one campus to the other is only about 10–15 minutes but many students structure their schedule to consolidate their lunch and travel time.

In 2006 the Beautification Committee, a group of volunteer parents, raised $50,000 from donations and proceeds from 50th anniversary blanket sales to purchase an electronic greeting sign, replacing an old stone one, as part of the school's 50th anniversary. Burnsville was one of the last not to have an electronic sign, as Lakeville, Bloomington, and Eagan already did. This group has also volunteered their time, energy, and resources to help upkeep the gardens and grounds of the school. There was some controversy among students and community members over the cost of the sign, asking if people would raise such money for books, new computers, or technology education equipment. The money for the sign, however, was raised by local businesses and private donors, and not taken from the school's budget.

Former Burnsville Logo

The original portion of Burnsville High School was constructed in 1969, with additions in 1958, 1962, 1971, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1993, 1998 that bring the school's total square footage to 405,553.

A three-year, $13 million renovation commenced during summer 2011. Renovations will include upgrades to the building’s science labs, heating system, bathrooms and classrooms, and making the school more accessible to people with disabilities. Lockers will be replaced, the cafeteria will be enlarged and reconfigured, and a larger, more open commons will be created.[2]

The school also participates in the University of Minnesota's College in the Schools program.[3]

Demographics

As of the 2010-11 school year, there were 2,218 students attending Burnsville High School. In terms of race, white students made up 69% of the student population, while black students made up the largest minority, representing 13% of the student population. Asian and Hispanic students made up 10% and 8% of the student population respectively. American Indian students made up less than 1% of the student population.

Students with limited English proficiency made up 5% of the student body. Students with special education needs made up 9% of the student body. Students eligible for free or reduced price lunch made up just over one-quarter (26%) of the student body.[4]

Athletics

Burnsville High School is affiliated with the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) and was a member of the Lake Conference until 2010-11 when they left to join the South Suburban Conference.

State Championships
Season Sport Number of Championships Year
Fall Soccer, Boys 4 1980, 1982, 1990, 1993
Soccer, Girls 2 1992, 1993
Cross country running, Boys 5 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1986
Cross country running, Girls 1 2007
Football 5 1972, 1980, 1985, 1989, 1991
Swimming, Girls 5 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 2002
Cheerleading 4 1986, 1987, 1998, 1992, 2011
Chess 15 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
Winter Dance team, Girls 10 1982, 1983, 1987, 1990, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2008
Gymnastics, Girls 4 1975, 1977, 1978, 1982
Gymnastics, Boys 1 1988
Hockey, Boys 2 1985, 1986
Swimming, Boys 2 1985, 2007
Basketball, Girls 3 1977, 1991, 1992
Drumline 6 1997, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2010
Nordic skiing, Girls 1 2009
Spring Golf, Girls 3 1990, 2000, 2007
Baseball, Boys 1 2011
Badminton, Girls 4 1996, 1997,1998,1999
Track and Field, Boys 1 1978
Softball, Girls 3 2004, 2005, 2010
Total 82

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑
  3. ↑ College in the Schools - Participating Schools
  4. ↑ http://education.state.mn.us/ReportCard2005/demographics.do?SCHOOL_NUM=014&DISTRICT_NUM=0191&DISTRICT_TYPE=01
  5. ↑ "Heroes 2006: ‘Just proud to serve the way we did’". Stars And Stripes. Retrieved 14 June 2006.

External links