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

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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a petition to rescind the Plan A vote, and brought this motion up in the March 3 town meeting, when the Vote was rescinded by a 463 to 353 majority.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

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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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i .1 H.. I .f of forming Union School District 1119, encompassing the towns of Waterbury, Waitsfield, Warren, and Duxbury. In May, money was appropriated for a study and preparation plans for a new union high school district facility, and at special town meetings throughout the valley in September, the voters elected their school directors. These town meet- ings also approved funds for retaining an architect and employing contractors to begin work in order that the new school could be realized as soon as physically possible. Immediately after receiving the go- ahead with the funds, the School Board interviewed architectural firms and retained Roland Whittier as architect. Mr. Whittier went ahead immediately and had preliminary plans drawn up by November when Fayston and Moretown petitioned to join the union and were admitted. In December of 1964, folders with the plan for the school and budget figures were distributed. The voters were asked to approve a 331, 600, 000 bond issue for a new union school to be built on the Badore farm in Moretown. The vote was held on February ll, 1965. lt was passed in all the towns on a cumulative 6 to l ratio. ln March bids were opened for the preparation of the site and the contract was given to Burnett Contracting Com- pany of South Burlington, who began work on the site in june. Prior to the work on the site, the USD iil9 School Board had voted to name the school in honor of Dr. Charles E. Harwood. The name, Harwood Union High School, was approved by the State Board of Education in june. Also in june, the bids went for a 51.6 million bond issue, and were accepted at 31.396, which has since gone up to 4.32. ln August of 1965, bids were received for the actual general contract. Pizzagalli Construction Com- pany of South Burlington had the lowest bid, and ground-breaking ceremonies were scheduled for October. On Saturday, October 10, 1965, ground-breaking ceremonies were held Compliments of NORGE APPLIANCES from CONTFS and MID-STATE BOWLING ALLEY