Woodstock Union High School (WUHS) is a mid-sized public secondary school located in Woodstock, Vermont, United States. As a member of the Mountain Views Supervisory Union (formerly 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 in grades 8 and 7.
| Woodstock Union High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
 | |
100 Amsden Way Woodstock, Vermont 05091 United States | |
| Coordinates | 43°36′48″N 72°32′44″W / 43.61333°N 72.54556°W |
| Information | |
| Type | comprehensive public secondary school |
| Established | 1854 |
| Principal | Aaron Cinquemani (interim) |
| Teaching staff | 45.00 (FTE)[1] |
| Grades | 7–12 |
| Enrollment | 449 (2022-2023)[1] |
| Student to teacher ratio | 9.98[1] |
| Color(s) | |
| Mascot | Wasp |
| Newspaper | The Buzz |
| Website | wuhsms |
School history and overview
editWoodstock'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 40 acres (16 ha) of land along the Ottauquechee River just west of the village of West Woodstock on U.S. Route 4. In 2023 school and community members proposed that.a new school building be built.[2] Woodstock Union High 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.[3]
Academic programs
editThe high school has 10 academic departments including computer science, CRAFT, English, mathematics, modern & classical languages, music, science, social studies, visual and performing arts, and wellness. The interdisciplinary CRAFT program was introduced in 2023 to provide students with an ability to focus on environmental and sustainability themes. Classes in the program include foundations of agriculture, and economics and the environment.
There are Advanced Placement classes in subjects including art history, calculus, chemistry, computer science, government & politics, history, literature, and languages.[4] In 2023 the school offered 16 AP courses. 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.[5] 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 NuVu studio.[6]
Sports and clubs
editThe 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 and girls soccer, alpine skiing, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls ice hockey, boys and girls Nordic skiing, boys and girls snowboard, baseball, boys and girls lacrosse, softball, boys and girls tennis, and track and field. Mountain biking competes in the Vermont Youth Cycling series, and were champions in 2022.
The varsity girl's snowboard team won the state championship in 2024, as did the boys' Nordic team. The 2022 varsity girls hockey team won the Division II Vermont state championship, the first in the program's history,[7] and then repeated as state champions in 2023. The field hockey team also won the championship in 2022.[8] The 2018 and 2019 varsity boys hockey teams won two consecutive Division II Vermont state championships.[9] The 2018 varsity football team won the Division III Vermont state championship and finished the season undefeated.[10]
WUHS clubs include: YoH Theater Players, Scholar's Bowl, Math Team, Future Farmers of America, and Medical Club.[11]
Notable alumni
edit- Victor Ambros, Class of 1971, discoverer of miRNA, winner of many international awards, including the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine,[12] Lasker Award, Breakthrough Prize, Gairdner Foundation International Award, Keio Medical Science Prize, Wolf Prize in Medicine
- Keegan Bradley is an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour. He won the 2011 PGA Championship and was named the 2025 Team USA Ryder Cup captain.[13] He attended Woodstock Union High School through his junior year.
- John C. Sherburne was Vermont's first Rhodes Scholar and Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court.[14]
- Miro Weinberger, Class of 1988, served as the 42nd mayor of Burlington, Vermont.
- Daphne Zuniga, Class of 1980. After graduating she became a Theater Arts major at the University of California. She acted in Melrose Place, as Victoria Davis on The CW teen drama, One Tree Hill, as Princess Vespa in Spaceballs and opposite John Cusack in "The Sure Thing."
References
edit- ^ a b c "Woodstock Union Middle/High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
- ^ "Woodstock and surrounding towns will vote on $99 million school bond on Tuesday". Vermont Public. 2024-03-04. Retrieved 2024-08-25.
- ^ "Best Vermont High Schools".
- ^ "Home | Woodstock Union High School & Middle School". www.wuhsms.org. Retrieved 2018-11-27.
- ^ "Woodstock Course Guide" (PDF).
- ^ "In Woodstock, High School Innovation Lab Teaches Constructive Failure".
- ^ Wykes, Tris (March 7, 2022). "Wasps win D-II girls hockey crown". Valley News. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
- ^ Dugan, Michael (2022-11-06). "High school field hockey state championships - November 5". www.wcax.com. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
- ^ "Past Champions – Vermont Principals' Association". Retrieved 2021-06-14.
- ^ "Valley News".
- ^ "Woodstock Course Guide" (PDF).
- ^ "The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2024". NobelPrize.org. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
- ^ "Woodstock native happy to be Ryder Cup captain — but he wants to qualify as player, too". Valley News. 2024-07-09. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
- ^ Stone, Arthur F. (1929). The Vermont of Today. Vol. III. New York, NY: Lewis Historical Publishing Company. p. 29.
Sources
edit- Woodstock Uhsd #4. National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved on 2011-11-30.
- Wendling, Kathy (1989). "From One Room School to Union High School: The History of Windsor Central Supervisory Union".