Essex High School (Vermont)

For the school in Virginia, see Essex High School (Virginia).

Essex High School
File:Essex High School.jpg Aerial view of Essex High School
Address
2 Educational Drive Essex Junction , Vermont 05452 USA
Coordinates	44°29′50″N 73°06′30″W
Information
Type	Public secondary
Established	1957
School district	Chittenden Central and Essex Town
Principal	Robert Reardon (2006—)
Grades	Ninth–Twelfth grade
Enrollment	~1600
Campus type	Suburban
Colour(s)	Blue and gold
Mascot	Buzz the Hornet
Team name	Hornets
Feeder schools	Town of Essex:   Essex Middle School (6–8) Village of Essex Junction:   Albert D. Lawton Intermediate School (6–8) Town of Westford:   Westford School (preK–8)
Phone	(802) 879-7121
Website	Essex High School

Essex High School (EHS) is a public secondary school located in Essex Junction, Vermont. The school's sports team is the Hornets and the school's colors are blue and gold. Essex High School is the largest public secondary school in Chittenden County, Vermont. Enrollment in 2004 was 1625.

Community

The Village of Essex Junction and the Town of Essex, with a combined population of 18,626, are suburban areas located ten miles from Vermont's largest city, Burlington. The immediate area (Chittenden County) population is 148,990. Most Essex residents are employed in business, education and the professions, with the largest employer being an IBM microelectronics plant located in Essex Junction.

History

The school was established in 1957 as Essex Junction High School. In 1970, a new, larger campus was constructed several blocks away, containing both the high school and a technical center. This new campus was named the Essex Junction Community Educational Center, while the former building became Albert D. Lawton Middle School. In the 1990s, the school's name was changed to Essex High School to reflect the two communities it served, Essex and Essex Junction.

The original EJHS building was designed for future expansion by the addition of a second story. Despite these plans, updated federal building codes mandated that any changes to the main building must bring its electrical code up to current specification. When more classrooms were needed in the 1980s, the cost of renovating the old building's electrical facilities showed that a new wing would be more practical. A two-story "C wing" and a courtyard were added on the east side to alleviate overcrowding problems. In 2002, a new library and media center were added on to the east of the building.

In 2005, the town school district replaced the school's outdated telephone system with a district-wide IP Phone infrastructure. This was done to alleviate safety concerns and save operating costs; however, at an upfront cost of almost one million dollars, many were concerned with both the investment and longevity of the technology. In late 2005, these concerns were reinforced with the adoption of a BioPay fingerprint scanner payment system for the school's cafeteria. At a cost of over $50,000, this system later proved ineffective.

Academics

The school is accredited as a public secondary school by the New England Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges and by the Vermont Department of Education. The school adjoins the Center for Technology, Essex, located in the same building. Students can enroll concurrently in both high school and technical programs; approximately ten percent of students do so each year. The school also offers students substantial media and computer facilities.

The school offers accelerated programs in Mathematics, Science, French and Spanish; honors courses in English and Mathematics; and a selection of fourteen Advanced Placement courses. Not all AP courses are taught each year. Students are also offered a four-year reprehensible Air Force Junior ROTC program. The school tends to attract students interested in science, mathematics, and technology.

The school is reputed as competitive against many private secondary schools in the state. In addition, a sizable portion of the student body commutes because of its academic offerings. In many distant towns where there are no local secondary schools, such as South Hero and Calais, some students and faculty elect for a lengthy daily commute to EHS.

Student Activities

Students participate in a wide variety of extracurricular activities: approximately 31 clubs and 18 sports are offered each year, depending on student interest.

• In 2004, the We the People team won its first state championship and represented Vermont for the first time at the national competition in Washington, DC. Essex returned again in 2006 and placed among the top 10 teams in the nation. Essex has won the state title five times since the school began competing in 2003, winning its third title in a row in 2008.
• The Essex High School Jazz Band has ranked in the top two bands in the state of Vermont for 2006 and 2007 at the IAJE Jazz Festival in Burlington.
• The Scholars' Bowl team frequently wins the regional title.
• In 2005, the programming team won the regional title and was ranked fourth nationally.

Athletics

• The school has a stadium, track, tennis courts, several practice fields, and the town’s indoor hockey rink located on school grounds.
• The hockey team has won the Vermont state championships 3 years in a row - 2006, 2007 and 2008.
  • Coach Bill O’Neil was named national boys’ hockey coach of the year for 2006.
• The football team has won the state title five times since the school opened.
• The cheerleading team has won the state title nearly every year since 1986. In 2005, the cheerleading team placed third at the national championships in Orlando, Florida.
• The cross country and track and field teams are unrivaled in the state of Vermont. The boys’ and girls’ teams have won a total of 62 state titles since 1973.
• The boys lacrosse team won their first ever state title in 2007 by dominating CVU 9-4.

Noted Alumni

• 1977, Brian Dubie, Lieutenant Governor of Vermont
• 1978, Michael Dubie, Adjutant General of Vermont
• 1989, Sean Lattrell, artist, designer and cartoon animator
• 1989, Loung Ung, author and human-rights activist
• 2000, Cpl. Christopher R. DeGiovine USMC, K.I.A. (Iraq) April 26, 2007

External links

• Class of 1977
• Class of 1997