Burnsville High School

Burnsville High School (BHS) is a four-year public high school in Burnsville, Minnesota, United States. Burnsville is a southern suburb about 15 miles south of Minneapolis. 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. Most of the incoming freshmen come from Eagle Ridge and Nicollet Middle Schools. The school mascot is Sparky, a humanoid with a fireball for a head. Burnsville High School athletics are a part of the South Suburban Conference.

Burnsville High School
Address
Map
600 East Highway 13

,
55337

United States
Coordinates44°47′05″N 93°15′57″W / 44.78472°N 93.26583°W / 44.78472; -93.26583
Information
School typeTaxes/alumni, public high school
Established1957
School districtBurnsville-Eagan-Savage Independent School District 191
SuperintendentTheresa Battle
School codeISD 191
PrincipalJesus Sandoval
Teaching staff111.49 (FTE)[1]
Grades912
GenderCo-ed
Age range14-19
Number of students2,119 (2022-23)[1]
Student to teacher ratio19.01[1]
Hours in school day6.6
Color(s)Black and gold
  
Athletics conferenceSouth Suburban Conference
Sportsfootball, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer
MascotSparky
Team nameBlaze
NewspaperThe Voice (online)
YearbookThe Blaze
Communities servedBurnsville, Savage, Eagan, Shakopee, Apple Valley
Websitewww.isd191.org/bhs/

History

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Burnsville High School originally opened in 1956[2] as a K-12 school with an 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, later renamed Metcalf Middle School, which has since closed.[3] Today, students attending Burnsville's newer Eagle Ridge and Nicollet Middle Schools go on to Burnsville Senior High School for grades 9-12.

On April 25, 1994, the largest high school arson in the United States occurred, which resulted in over $15 million in damages.[4] 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. 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, it was opened for use. At the end of the 2015–16 school year, the Burnsville High School Senior Campus closed permanently, and is now used for school district offices.

 
Former Burnsville logo

The original portion of Burnsville High School was constructed in 1959, with additions in 1962, 1971, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1993, 1998, and 2016, that bring the school's area to over 440,000 square feet.

A three-year, $13 million renovation began in 2011. Renovations included upgrades to the building's science labs, heating system, bathrooms and classrooms, and made the school more accessible to people with disabilities. Lockers were replaced, the cafeteria was enlarged and reconfigured, and a larger, more open commons was created.[5][better source needed]

On February 24, 2015, voters from around the school district voted to approve a funding levy to transform Burnsville High School into a 9-12 school, close the Senior Campus, and convert junior highs into 6-8 middle schools, and elementary schools into K-5 schools. As a result of the increased number of students, Burnsville High School required an expansion, including classrooms, new fabrication and auto labs, a new gymnasium, and further renovations.

The school participates in the University of Minnesota's College in the Schools program.[6]

Demographics

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As of the 2017–18 school year, 2,534 students attended Burnsville High School.[7] White students made up 50% of the student population, while African American students made up the largest minority, representing 20% of the student population. Asian and Hispanic students made up 9% and 16% of the student population, respectively. American Indian students made up less than 1% of the student population. 52% of the student body was male and 48% female. Students eligible for free or reduced price lunch made up 41% of the student body.[7] As of 2011, Students with limited English proficiency made up 5% of the student body. Students with special education needs made up 9% of the student body. [citation needed]

Curriculum

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Through the Minnesota state Post Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) program, students are eligible to take classes at state colleges and universities.

Athletics

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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 it 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[8][better source needed]
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 7 1997, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2014
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

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Burnsville High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  2. ^ "Burnsville High School showcases history with memorabilia display". SWNewsMedia. October 3, 2018. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  3. ^ "Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School Board closing 3 schools". Kare11. December 13, 2019. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  4. ^ Nisja, Jon (June 1, 1995). "Automatic Sprinkler Effectiveness Evident In Minnesota School Fires". Fire Engineering. PennWell. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  5. ^ "Bids Sought For Burnsville High School Renovation Project". ThisWeekLive.com. February 9, 2011. Archived from the original on September 18, 2012.
  6. ^ "College in the Schools - Participating Schools". University of Minnesota. 2004. Archived from the original on February 11, 2006.
  7. ^ a b "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for BURNSVILLE HIGH SCHOOL". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
  8. ^ "Burnsville High school Football Webpage". Burnsville Blaze Football. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  9. ^ "2016 Senior Goalies of the Year Announced". mghca.com. February 5, 2016. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  10. ^ "Burnsville standout Sam Carlson drafted 55th overall by Mariners". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
  11. ^ "'No Regrets': Holly Manthei On Throwing Away World Cup Medal". 2019-09-03. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
  12. ^ "Panthers.com, the official website of the Carolina Panthers". www.panthers.com. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
  13. ^ "Myhra, Pam". Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  14. ^ Editor, Loren Nelson (2011-09-29). "Driven to succeed". MN Boys' Hockey Hub | High School Boys' Hockey News, Scores & Standings. Retrieved 2020-09-29. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  15. ^ Schardin, Tom. "Burnsville grad gets drafted by the NFL". SWNewsMedia.com. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
  16. ^ "Burnsville's Cedric Yarbrough ready to leave you 'Speechless' on new ABC show". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
  17. ^ "Dakota County election voting returns for county, city and school board races". hometownsource.com. 2022-11-08. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
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