Missisquoi Valley Union Middle/High School

Missisquoi Valley Union Middle/High School
Address
100 Thunderbird Drive Swanton , Vermont 05488 U.S.
Coordinates	44°55′42″N 73°06′06″W
Information
Type	Public High School
Established	1970
School district	Franklin Northwest Supervisory Union
Superintendent	Winton Goodrich
CEEB code	460170
Principal	Denis Hill
Faculty	91
Grades	7-12
Enrollment	851 (2013-2014)
Color(s)	Blue & White
Mascot	Thunderbird
Nickname	T-Birds
Website	School website

Missisquoi Valley Union (MVU) is a middle and high school, grades 7-12, located in Swanton, Vermont. MVUs campus contains two main buildings. The school serves the communities of Swanton, Highgate, and Franklin. Students from Sheldon and Alburgh are given the choice to attend MVU or another surrounding school. There were 902 students and 94 teachers for the 2014-2015 school year. MVU is located just off exit 21 of I-89.

Infrastructure

Misssiquoi Valley Unions main/original building was constructed in an open design format with five circular self contained "pods" to hose the more than 1000 expected students. On campus there are four soccer fields, two baseball fields, three softball fields a track and a football field. There is also an agricultural building that houses cows and/or pigs that are raised by the students. The beef is used for lunch at the school. In the building there is a gym that is used for basketball. There is also the Trahan Theater that is used to host the schools annual Skit Nite and Musical. It is also used for concerts, award ceremonies and assemblies. The gym is also used for assemblies.

Athletics

The school mascot is the Thunderbird and blue and white are the school colors. The school competes in the following sports:

Fall Sports

• Field Hockey
• Girls Soccer
• Boys Soccer
• Football
• Cross Country

Winter Sports

• Boys Basketball
• Basketball
• Cheerleading
• Dance Team
• Girls Ice Hockey
• Boys Ice Hockey
• Indoor Track

Spring Sports

• Softball
• Baseball
• Girls Golf
• Boys Golf
• Outdoor Track

Each year in the fall any senior girls can participate in the Powder Puff football game against the long time rival BFA St. Albans. The game raises money for kids with cancer.

Music and Drama

Missisquoi has held a musical and Skit Nite annually since its first year of operation. Skit Nite is where each class; freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors, create an original play that is no more than half an hour long. All classes compete against each other to win, and have bragging rights. There are two nights to perform for an audience and both nights there are previous students as judges to determine the winner. However the judges do not know any of the students so there is no bias. MVU has auditions for the musical in December and practices from January to the beginning of April, which is when the musical is held. Grades 7-12 may participate.

• 2016 - The Little Mermaid
• 2015 - Shrek the Musical
• 2014 - Annie
• 2013 - Singin' in the Rain
• 2012 - The Wizard of Oz
• 2011 - Seussical
• 2010 - Into the Woods
• 2000 - Man of La Mancha
• 1999 - Brigadoon
• 1998 - The Fantasticks
• 1997 - Barnum
• 1996 - Guys and Dolls
• 1995 - Jesus Christ Superstar
• 1994 - Oklahoma!
• 1993 - Little Shop of Horrors
• 1992 - The Wizard of Oz
• 1991 - Into the Woods
• 1990 - Starmites

MVU has a middle school chorus, a high school concert chorus, and Mastersingers, a more advanced high school chorus. MVU also has a middle school band, a middle school strings, a high school concert band, a jazz band, and a wind ensemble, a more advanced high school band. The band director, Aron Garceau from the band Prydein, selects very talented students and adults play in the pit band for the musical. Both the high school concert band and wind ensemble march at the St. Albans Maple Festival at the end of April and the Memorial Day parades at the surrounding towns of Swanton, Highgate, and Franklin on Memorial Day. The Vermont All State Music Festival was held at MVU in May 1992 and was held at MVU again in May of 2016.

A notable former band director was Brooke Ostrander, who was previously the keyboard/flute player in Wicked Lester, the band that eventually became KISS.