Burnsville High School

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name = Burnsville Senior High School
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streetaddress = 600 E. Highway 13
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city = Burnsville
state = Minnesota
zipcode = 55337
country = USA
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district = Burnsville-Eagan-Savage Independent School District 191
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principal = Dave Helke
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type = public high school
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grades = 10 – 12
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mascot = Sparky
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team_name = Blaze
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colors = Black and Gold
yearbook = "The Blaze"
publication = "The Reading Edge" (online)
newspaper = "The Voice"
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established = 1957
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students = ~2400
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communities = Burnsville, Savage, Eagan, Shakopee, Bloomington
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homepage = http://www.isd191.org/bhs

Burnsville High School (BHS) is a three-year public high school located in Burnsville, Minnesota. The school is part of Burnsville-Eagan-Savage Independent 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 Bloomington. 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 ever in the United States was started and 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 due to concerns about political correctness and the mascot's meaning to the Native American communities in the area. The name "Blaze" was thought of because of the word "Burnsville" in the school name, and had nothing to do with the fire as it was merely a coincidence. The Braves icon is still widely accepted, and many students still have Brave apparel, however 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 dollars 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 to not 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. [ [http://www.cce.umn.edu/cis/schools.html College in the Schools - Participating Schools ] ]

In 2007 the school's principal Kay Joyce announced her retirement. Allegations among students is that her resignation stemmed from her seemingly drunken appearance at the Class of 2007 graduation.Fact|date=October 2008 That same year, Superintendent Benjamin Kanninen announced his resignation.

Athletics

Burnsville High School is affiliated with the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) and is a member of the Lake Conference.

Notable alumni

*David Knutson -- 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.
* 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).
*Mike Hunter -- BHS Class of 1993, MVP football, Defensive cord. soph
*Nate Dicasmirro -- BHS Class of 1997, Phoenix Coyotes AHL team.
*Daniel Beckmann -- BHS Class of 2007, Actor and Musician, most notably as the role of Officer Lockstock on Broadway.
*Rob Finnerty -- BHS Class of 2008. Distance runner and 2008 Junior National mile champion.

References

External links

* [http://www.isd191.org/bhs/ Burnsville High School]
* [http://www.bhsxc.com/ BHS Cross Country Website]
* [http://www.isd191.org/se3bin/clientschool.cgi?schoolname=school80 Burnsville-Eagan-Savage ISD 191]