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 South Burlington High School

South Burlington High School (SBHS) is a public secondary school located in South Burlington, Vermont. The school's sports team is the Rebels and the school's colors are blue and grey. South Burlington High School is the one of the largest public secondary school in Chittenden County, Vermont. Enrollment in 2004 was 985.

Community
South Burlington is a city located in Chittenden County, Vermont, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 15,814. It is composed of multiple sets of suburban neighborhoods and a commercial center, which the residents are slowly converting to a downtown. The city's biggest draw is its excellent public schools, with correspondingly high taxes. It also has significant lakefront property, including the public park and beach, "Red Rocks."

History
Vermont’s politicians and civic leaders recognize the critical importance high schools have with regard to college preparation, employment training, and the future economy of the state. South Burlington has been a leader in secondary school renewal; the school’s focus on rigor, relevance and relationships has served our students well and earned external recognition from the Vermont Business Roundtable, The College Board, and the State Department of Education as well as profound community support. This is part two in a three part series of articles will look at each of the above areas and consider successes the school has enjoyed and challenges the school faces.

At SBHS many students have found relevance in the content of their class work. This is due to thoughtful assessments and teacher directed connections. An increasing number of students are also inspired by out of school placements. This year so far South Burlington’s Career Development Center (CDC) has placed 341 SBHS students in community service settings, professional internships, job shadowing experiences, senior challenge projects and mentorships. The increasing number of placements in the past four years (see graph) is evidence of the success of the CDC and of our school’s success in creating “real world” relevance for our students.

Since high school students need to focus on the present while planning for the future the Transition and Planning Program finds all grade nine South Burlington students are enrolled in Freshmen Seminar. It is there that all students are exposed to the CDC as a resource. The Seminar also assures that students are provided (early in their high school career) with essential skills and information focused on the importance of high school academic success and the significance of thoughtful academic planning. Currently the high school also offers junior and senior seminar electives to assist students with the complex task of college and post secondary planning.

Food Controversy
Drawing from a wealth of documents dating back to 1992, famed British reporter Nigel Sean reported that SBHS achievement test scores were flawed in 2002. According to unnamed sources, the food served by the school's cafeterias were emitting such a large quantity of radiation among other things that it had the potential to destroy enough braincells to cancel out any knowledge gained through the school's high academic standards.

The controversy ultimately boiled over (LOL, IMHO that the pun is funny, n00b) when Donald Rumsfeld bought the school's food so that George W. Bush could bury it in Iraq, thus giving credence to his claims that Iraq had biological weapons. Unfortunately, due to Bush's knowledge of geography, he accidentally buried the food in the Atlantic Ocean, spawning a large number of mutant fish. This would come back to haunt the President when, in the summer of 2005, the fish migrated to the Gulf of Mexico and heated up the water due to their body heat. The mutated fish then proceeded to swim about in a school stretching several miles that resembled the shape of the Apple Computer logo. This swirling warm water led to the formation of swirling clouds over the Gulf, which became Hurricane Katrina, named after the cook of the food dumped in the ocean.

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 has a relationship with the Center for Technology in Essex. 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. 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 SBHS.

South Burlington High School has long been known for academic excellence. College admissions officers and employers alike understand the effort and ability it takes to succeed at SBHS. The school’s mission statement challenges our “community committed to excellence in education…to ensure that each student possess the knowledge, skills and character to create a successful and responsible life.” All great organizations realize that continuous improvement not optional. SBHS readily recognizes this fact. Humorist Will Rogers once stated, “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” At SBHS one thing that is constant is the deep desire to improve.

Student activities

 * In 2004, the civics team represented Vermont at the national championships in Washington, DC. They returned again in 2006.
 * The Scholars' Bowl team frequently wins the regional title.
 * In 2005, the programming team won the regional title and was ranked fourth nationally.
 * The math league team finished 2nd in the Greater Burlington Math League in 2006.
 * Two oceanography teams finished 3rd and 4th in New England in a competition in 2006. In their first year of competition, the only SB Oceanography team finished fourth.

Athletics

 * The school has a stadium and track, tennis courts, and several practice fields. Additionally, the town's indoor hockey rink is located on school grounds.
 * The football team has won the state title five times since the school opened. The Rebels ran to victory, led by running backs CJ St. Onge and Taylor Devarney in 2005.
 * The boys and girls tennis teams have been dominant. In 36 years, the boys tennis team has won 17 state championships and have been runner-up 9 years.  They head into this season as favorites to win the state championship.