Burnsville High School
| Burnsville Senior High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
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600 E. Highway 13 Burnsville MN , 55337 | |
| Coordinates | 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 |
| School code | ISD 191 |
| Principal | Dave Helke |
| Grades | 10 – 12 |
| Gender | Co-Ed |
| Number of students | ~2400 |
| Color(s) | Black and Gold |
| Athletics conference | Lake 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 |
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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 dollars in damages. 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 concived 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.
The school also participates in the University of Minnesota's College in the Schools program.[1]
Demographics
As of the 2008-09 school year, there were 2,267 students attending Burnsville High School. In terms of race, white students made up 73% of the student population, while black students made up the largest minority, representing 13% of the student population. Asian and Hispanic students made up 8% and 5% of the student population respectively. American Indian students made up the remaining 1% of the student population.
Students with limited English proficiency made up 6% 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 one-fifth (20%) of the student body.[2]
Athletics
Burnsville High School is affiliated with the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) and is a member of the Lake Conference. They will leave the Lake Conference to form 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 | |
| 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 | 5 | 1997, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2009 | |
| Nordic Skiing, Girls | 1 | 2009 | |
| Spring | Golf, Girls | 3 | 1990, 2000, 2007 |
| Badminton, Girls | 4 | 1996, 1997,1998,1999 | |
| Track and Field, Boys | 1 | 1978 | |
| Total | 79 | ||
Notable alumni
- David Knutson -- BHS Class of 1978, Federal Judge and former State Senator for the Burnsville area.
- Jannell Cannon -- BHS Class of 1975, Author and Illustrator, most notably of Stellaluna.
- Pradeep Venkatasetty -- BHS Class of 1977, CIO of Varel, Intl.
- Randy Scheunemann -- BHS Class of 1978. Lobbyist and Foreign Policy advisor to John McCain.
- Weasel -- 93x Half Assed Morning Show disc jockey.
- Mark Osiecki-- BHS Class of 1987, Former NHL player 1990-1993
- Melissa Peterman -- BHS Class of 1989. Played Barbra Jean on the show Reba
- Cedric Yarbrough -- BHS Class of 1991, Actor, most notably of T.V. shows Reno 911! and The Boondocks (TV series).
- Nate Dicasmirro -- BHS Class of 1997, Phoenix Coyotes AHL team.
- Cameron Beckman -- BHS Class of 1988, Winner of two events on the PGA Tour
- Todd Okerlund -- BHS Class of 1983, Member of the 1988 U.S.A. Olympic Hockey Team.
- Ryan Solovjovs -- BHS Class of 1999, Author of the German novel Gekränkt.
- Jason Suttle -- BHS Class of 1994, NFL Football Player for the Denver Broncos.
- Kevin Gorg -- FSN TV personality
- Jesse Singh-- Songwriter/Singer/DJ/Rapper signed to New America Entertainment