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
Information
Funding type	Taxes/Alumni
Established	1957
School district	Burnsville-Eagan-Savage Independent School District 191
Superintendent	Randall Clegg
School code	ISD 191
Principal	Dave Helke
Grades	10 – 12
Gender	Co-Ed
Number of students	~2400
Color(s)	Black and Gold
Athletics conference	South Suburban Conference
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^{[citation needed]}. 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 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.

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

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.

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

• Greg Baker -- BHS Class of 1986, Appeared as "Elliott" in Sports Night, "Mr Corelli" in Hannah Montana, "Burger Pitt" in I'm with the Band
• John McCoy -- BHS Class of 1996, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Operator, Earned 2 Bronze Stars and multiple other decorations during 5 tours in Afghanistan and Iraq
• Steve "Bjorn" Engberg -- BHS Class of 1995, F-16 Pilot, Earned Distinguished Flying Cross during Operation Iraqi Freedom
• Gary Barta -- BHS Class of 1982, Athletic Director at the University of Iowa
• Cameron Beckman -- BHS Class of 1988, Winner of three events on the PGA Tour
• Dan Beckmann -- BHS Class of 2007, actor, most notably for his role in the 2009/2010 International Tour of Footloose
• Pat Brown -- BHS Class of 2005, Lead singer and guitarist for Sing It Loud, which is a local band now signed to Epitaph Records
• Janell Cannon -- BHS Class of 1975, author and illustrator, most notably of Stellaluna
• Lester "Bubba" Carpenter, member of the Mississippi House of Representatives for the First District of Mississippi
• Nate Dicasmirro -- BHS Class of 1997, Phoenix Coyotes AHL team
• Kevin Gorg -- FSN TV personality
• David Knutson -- BHS Class of 1978, Federal Judge and former State Senator for the Burnsville area
• Todd Okerlund -- BHS Class of 1983, Member of the 1988 U.S.A. Olympic Hockey Team
• Kirsten Olson -- BHS Class of 2010, figure skater and actor in Ice Princess
• Mark Osiecki -- BHS Class of 1987, Former NHL player 1990-1993. Currently the Head Men's Hockey Coach at Ohio State University
• Melissa Peterman -- BHS Class of 1989. Played Barbra Jean on the show Reba
• James Ruffin -- BHS Class of 2005, NFL Football Player with the Cincinnati Bengals
• Randy Scheunemann -- BHS Class of 1978. Lobbyist and foreign policy advisor to John McCain
• Ryan Solovjovs -- BHS Class of 1999, author of the German novel Gekränkt
• Jason Suttle -- BHS Class of 1993, NFL football player for the Denver Broncos
• Pradeep Venkatasetty -- BHS Class of 1977, CIO of Varel, Intl.|
• Cedric Yarbrough -- BHS Class of 1991, actor, most notably of TV shows Reno 911! and The Boondocks
• Weasel -- 93x Half Assed Morning Show disc jockey.
• Dual 6 -- BHS Class of 2006/2007, The infamous birthplace of.
• Ryan Fitcher -- BHS class of 2007, U.S.A. Rugby team.

External links

• Burnsville High School
• BHS Cross Country Website
• BHS Football Website
• Burnsville-Eagan-Savage ISD 191
• Class of 1980 Reunion Website
• Class of 1985 Reunion Website
• BHS All Class Alumni Website