Woodstock Union High School Explained

Woodstock Union High School
Type:comprehensive public secondary school
Grades:7–12
Principal:Garon Smail
Enrollment:320 (2016-17)[1]
Mascot:Wasp
Newspaper:The Buzz
Location:100 Amsden Way
Woodstock, Vermont 05091
Country:USA

Woodstock Union High School (WUHS) is a mid-sized public secondary school located in Woodstock, Vermont, United States. As a member of the Windsor Central Unified Union School District, the school serves seven towns: Barnard, Bridgewater, Killington, Plymouth, Pomfret, Reading, and Woodstock. In addition, WUHS receives tuition students from other surrounding towns such as Hartland, Ludlow, Pittsfield, Sharon, Stockbridge, and Weathersfield, among others. The institution is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. Woodstock serves approximately 385 High School students and 190 Middle School students.

School history and overview

Woodstock's first public high school opened January 16, 1854. This opening was less than a year after the town, at its annual meeting, had voted to build the school. The land, purchased in April 1853, was on a knoll below Linden Hill. The current high school, built in 1957, sits on approximately of land along the Ottauquechee River just west of the village of West Woodstock on U.S. Route 4. The school is consistently recognized for its educational quality and in 2020 was listed by U.S. News & World Report as the third best school in the state.[2]

Academic programs

The high school has 10 academic departments including Mathematics, Modern & Classical Languages, Computer Science, and Music. There are Advanced Placement classes in chemistry, English, government & politics, and languages.[3] In 2018 the school opened a new Innovation Studio dedicated to "navigating the messiness of the creative process, from inception to completion," according to the 2018-2019 curriculum guide.[4] In the studio in the fall of 2018, students partnered with peers in Turkey to design a playground. Teachers at Woodstock partner with staff at NuVu Innovation School in Cambridge, Mass., to operate the studio.[5]

Sports and clubs

The school athletic programs fall into the Vermont Principals' Association Division II and Division III for all sports with the exception of Division I boys lacrosse. Woodstock athletics include: cross country, field hockey, football, golf, boys soccer, girls soccer, alpine skiing, boys basketball, boys ice hockey, girls ice hockey, Nordic skiing, snowboard, baseball, boys lacrosse, girls lacrosse, softball, boys tennis, girls tennis, and track and field. Mountain biking competes in the Vermont Youth Cycling series, and were champions in 2022.

The 2018 varsity football team won the Division III Vermont state championship and finished the season undefeated.[6] The 2018 and 2019 varsity boys hockey teams won two consecutive Division II Vermont state championships.[7] The 2022 varsity girls hockey team won the Division II Vermont state championship, the first in the program's history,[8] and then repeated as state champions in 2023.

WUHS clubs include: YoH Theater Players, Scholar's Bowl, Math Team, Future Farmers of America, and Medical Club.[9]

Notable alumni

Sources

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Woodstock Senior UHSD #4. National Center for Education Statistics. February 19, 2019.
  2. Web site: Best Vermont High Schools.
  3. Web site: Home Woodstock Union High School & Middle School. www.wuhsms.org. en-gb. 2018-11-27.
  4. Web site: Woodstock Course Guide.
  5. Web site: In Woodstock, High School Innovation Lab Teaches Constructive Failure.
  6. News: Valley News.
  7. Web site: Past Champions – Vermont Principals' Association. 2021-06-14. en-US.
  8. News: Wykes . Tris . March 7, 2022 . Wasps win D-II girls hockey crown . Valley News . May 30, 2022.
  9. Web site: Woodstock Course Guide.
  10. Book: Stone, Arthur F. . 1929 . The Vermont of Today . III . New York, NY . Lewis Historical Publishing Company . 29 . .