Housatonic Valley Regional High School

Housatonic Valley Regional High School (HVRHS) is a regional high school in the town of Falls Village, Connecticut in Litchfield County. The school currently has a student population of approximately 590 in grades 9 to 12. It serves six towns: Sharon, Kent, North Canaan, Canaan (Falls Village), Salisbury, and Cornwall, including the unincorporated villages (such as Lime Rock and Lakeville) within those towns. It was established in 1939 as a result of a special act of the Connecticut State Legislature in 1937. It is the first regional high school in New England.

History

In recent years,when? the school has expanded, with the most recent addition being the new agricultural education center built in 2001. The school grounds encompass one gym, auditorium, cafeteria and dozens of classrooms. The school sits under the shadow of Music Mountain, a few hundred feet from the Housatonic River. In between the river and the school are the athletic grounds that include two baseball diamonds, one track/ football field, a field hockey/ lacrosse field, Soccer/ Lacrosse fields and Tennis courts. The school's 300+ year old tree, from which the yearbook "The White Oak" takes its name, recently fell after being struck by lightning. It was located in the Senior Courtyard. The School also has two other courtyards: the Sophomore Courtyard located near the cafeteria, and the Faculty Courtyard (formerly Freshmen courtyard). In 2007, HVRHS became the North American Champions of the Canon Envirothon competition, [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_/ai_n19396264] and are once again competing, with a team that includes some of the former champions.

In early 2008, a plan was unveiled to renovate the former Clark B. Wood Agricultural Center on campus. Part of it has already been turned into the artgarage, an afterschool activity center. Completion is expected in 2011.

Curriculum

In addition to the normal curriculum, the school offers a variety of creative classes such as drawing, color and design, painting, photography, pottery, sculpture, wood shop, metal shop and drafting.

Athletics

Housatonic supports a large variety of sports in comparison to other schools in its league. Its notable alumni to continue on to professional sports careers are [http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=lambjo01 John Lamb] and Steve Blass, both Major League Baseball pitchers for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Blass was drafted out of HVRHS, and pitched in the 1971 World Series. He is currently a sportscaster for the Pirates.

The Housatonic mascot is The Mountaineer, and was drawn by current Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles penciler Jim Lawson. The school's colors are royal blue and gold, and is a member of the Berkshire League (it is a member of the Pequot Uncas for football). The school has the following sports:

Boys' Sports

Fall:
* Football
* Soccer
* Cross-Country

Winter:
* Basketball
* Hockey
* Swimming
* Wrestling
* Alpine Skiing

Spring:
* Baseball
* Track and Field
* Tennis
* Lacrosse
* Golf

Girl's Sports

Fall:
*Soccer(BL co-champs 2007)
*Cross Country
*Volleyball(BL champs 2007)
*Field Hockey

Winter:
*Basketball(BL champs 2007-08)
*Swimming
*Alpine Skiing(CHAMPS 2007-08)

Spring:
*Softball
*Track
*Tennis
*Lacrosse
*Golf

References

External links

* [http://www.hvrhs.org/ Housatonic Valley Regional High School official website]
* [http://www.region1schools.org/ Region One School District official website]