Harwood Union High School - Royal Tartan Yearbook (Moretown, VT)

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On September 29, 1961, after six years of careful study, the Waterbury School Building Committee submitted its report and recommendations to the Waterbury voters. The committee had made extensive surveys, scrutinized existing facilities, and in an effort to resolve the problems recognized as far back as 1955, it recommended a new elementary school building to consist of eight classrooms and a multi-purpose room. The proposed building would have been built behind the Waterbury Library, facing Winooski Street. Although much consideration was given to a new union f I-7 H W A:-3' AN Q wg, it --...3,w- school, and though meetings were held with representatives of Waitsfield, Warren, Fayston, Moretown, Stowe, Bolton, and Duxbury, the consensus of opinion was that a union school was not needed at this time, and the Waterbury planners formulated what they consid- ered a completely feasible plan for solving the problems. At a special Town Meeting held on October 17, the towns- people of Waterbury were presented with a 35215, OOO bond issue for the new elementary school and defeated it. The bond issue was only one of sev- eral brought before the voters of Water- bury at about that time. The proposed remedies for the educational system became progressively less expensive and were repeatedly turned down, de- spite the hard work and careful con- sideration put into each plan. An Alter- nate high school and several plans for separate Waterbury and Waterbury Center elementary schools were voted down. Between March, 1962, when yet another plan was turned down, and October, 1963, the situation at Water- bury and Waterbury Center became pro- gressively worse. As enrollment grew and existing buildings were harder pressed to provide adequate facilities, the building committee recognized the drastic needs and worked on plans for improving the buildings already stand- ing. ln October of 1963, the committee

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TABLE OF CDNTENTS Faculty Seniors Underclassmen Athletics Organizations School Life is ix , 2

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Q was considering Plan A which would have renovated the Waterbury High School by converting the gymnasium into classrooms and erecting a new gym and cafeteria on the hill behind the school. On December 18, the plan was approved by the School Board, and sub- sequently warnings were sent out for a special town meeting on january 28. This time the bond issue was much greater than that of a new elementary school, but the need was even more immediate. The citizens passed a f15625,000 bond issue by a 510 to 441 VOEG. Immediately after this measure was passed, some townspeople felt that there was a need for a complete about-face. These people circulated a petition to rescind the Plan A vote, and brought this motion up in the March 3 town meeting, when the Vote was rescinded by a 463 to 353 majority. It was obvious that many people had new convictions about the renovations to the high school. Some thought that with new state laws requiring all schools to be brought to certain mini- mum standards, Plan A would not fulfill the minimum and would be obso- lete before it was built. Others felt that considering the new stride being made in education, renovating the old facili- ties would only be tying. our hands against using the money to provide a more modern curriculum. Several alternate plans were pre- sented but all were voted down before they gained momentum. However, at this time a special committee was set up specifically to consider a union school with the neighboring towns. On March 18 the interested citizens from Waterbury, Waitsfield, Moretown, and Duxbury formed a Curriculum Study Committee. This committee's report was essential to the well-rounded, mod- ern curriculum employing the advantages of the new building to their utmost. Shortly after the study committee was organized, the town voted in favor 5 .gi N'-x. A fi. : I .. 1' nf . ti ' 1 i 2 4 ,Q A A n,1lf..:'1 . 12- ft.-lgilfletg-,W ' ..,, L-I .,., ,, ..,. K...r,,..5,7f, www-wwivw' f- - ' f ,gig V . .-.. 2. .,.. W. -,.i .W f-,. 4. V .. . , L , - fs-wiwwvzimfo isgtfi,,.WWiw..2, iiimiwzligt-wi,..,,..,,,..gtQt , f M, r- f .. 'iii .iw futtizgggii f- fm ..,.f..,N-mi ., ...,., ,, W ..,f.fiw2.e,f1w:.:z.s 2. if .tis :QM Vswip2tgjm,g2,2 ggwmwsf W. , Si if 'Y ' A 'K-if 2 'fi ix ., iviisilszsfr if-45'-f1iii2f2ft 'K .W H .wig . 3 M 5 4