Bureau Valley High School
Encyclopedia
Bureau Valley High School is a high school located on 9154 County Road 2125 North in Manlius, Illinois
. The high school is part of Bureau Valley Community Unit School District #340. BVHS was the first high school in Illinois to construct and run a full-sized wind turbine. Students are from ten different villages (Bradford, IL, Buda, IL, Harmon, IL, Manlius, IL, New Bedford, IL, Normandy, IL, Sheffield, IL, Thomas, IL, Walnut, IL, Wyanet, IL), three different area codes (815, 309, 779), and four counties (Bureau, Stark, Lee, Whiteside).
On (insert date), at the now Bureau Valley South (temporary BVHS campus), the name of this new school district was announced to the high school and communities. After a long drawn out light and fog show with the first track from Ridin' the Storm Out
playing in the background. The name was announced on a sign to be "Bureau Valley High School" with a large crowd acceptance
Dedicated in (date), the new Bureau Valley High School is a focal point for western Bureau County. It is located on a highly visible 36.5 acres (147,710.4 m²) site five miles (8 km) north of I-80 on the corner of Route 40 and 2125 N Ave in Manilus, IL, a central location of the 340 square miles (880.6 km²) district, with just under a 15 minute drive from anywhere in the community. It is 103830 square feet (9,646.1 m²). It has support for 450 students with a central commons, 1,800 seat gymnasium, 750 seat performing arts auditorium, and a central media center. In the academic wing, there are 31 classrooms - 23 standard classrooms, 2 computer labs, 2 computer classrooms, 3 science labs, and 1 distance learning lab. The faculty offices are located in the center of the wing, allowing sharing of classrooms with flexibility for eight-block scheduling. The entire campus is state-of-the-art with fiber cabling, audio/video equipment built into every classroom, overhead projectors in most of the classrooms, and WiFi.
Several grants helped a large chunk of money for the $1 million dollar turbine. This included $331,000 from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation and $150,000 from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The rest of the project was covered by a loan from Union Bank
using tax free bonds at a rate of 3.37%
The turbine offsets the electricity consumption of the campus, and extra energy will be sold back to Ameren
at a rate of $0.03 per kilowatt-hours. This will result in a profit of $1.6 million after the loans are paid off but before the 20-year life expectancy ends. In its first seven months of operation, the turbine's computer had shown that it has produced over 646,397 kilo-watt hours for the school. This amounts to approximately $100,000 worth of energy savings every year.
The construction was not without public disapproval. Noise, construction, and danger to birds were huge issues. None of these issues are noticeable now, except a slight whisper from the back 100m on the school track.
The turbine is now a popular field trip, with students from all over Illinois, such as Abingdon High School (Illinois)
, to study the turbine and it's feasibility.
Bureau Valley High School Wind Turbine Case Study
. They belong to the Three Rivers Conference
. The school has 1 state championships on record in team athletics or activities, Boys Football in 2005-2006 (3A).
BVHS athletics programs include:
Baseball
Boys Basketball
Boys Track
Girls Track
Boys and Girls Cross Country
Football
Girls Basketball
Golf
Softball
Volleyball
, Bureau Valley High School is 99% Caucasian, <1% Hispanic, and <1% American Indian. The average class size is nineteen students.
Manlius, Illinois
Manlius is a village in Bureau County, Illinois, United States. The population was 355 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Ottawa–Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Manlius is located at ....
. The high school is part of Bureau Valley Community Unit School District #340. BVHS was the first high school in Illinois to construct and run a full-sized wind turbine. Students are from ten different villages (Bradford, IL, Buda, IL, Harmon, IL, Manlius, IL, New Bedford, IL, Normandy, IL, Sheffield, IL, Thomas, IL, Walnut, IL, Wyanet, IL), three different area codes (815, 309, 779), and four counties (Bureau, Stark, Lee, Whiteside).
History
(info of district concept)On (insert date), at the now Bureau Valley South (temporary BVHS campus), the name of this new school district was announced to the high school and communities. After a long drawn out light and fog show with the first track from Ridin' the Storm Out
Ridin' the Storm Out
Ridin' the Storm Out is the third album by REO Speedwagon, released in 1973. It was the first album to feature Mike Murphy on vocals. The sessions started out with Kevin Cronin, but he left the band before the album was finished, due to creative differences. The title track would later become a hit...
playing in the background. The name was announced on a sign to be "Bureau Valley High School" with a large crowd acceptance
Temporary Campus
From 1995 to 1997, the former Western High School and future Bureau Valley South Elementary, was used to house the Bureau Valley High School Students. Three classes had graduated in this building.New Campus
Dedicated in (date), the new Bureau Valley High School is a focal point for western Bureau County. It is located on a highly visible 36.5 acres (147,710.4 m²) site five miles (8 km) north of I-80 on the corner of Route 40 and 2125 N Ave in Manilus, IL, a central location of the 340 square miles (880.6 km²) district, with just under a 15 minute drive from anywhere in the community. It is 103830 square feet (9,646.1 m²). It has support for 450 students with a central commons, 1,800 seat gymnasium, 750 seat performing arts auditorium, and a central media center. In the academic wing, there are 31 classrooms - 23 standard classrooms, 2 computer labs, 2 computer classrooms, 3 science labs, and 1 distance learning lab. The faculty offices are located in the center of the wing, allowing sharing of classrooms with flexibility for eight-block scheduling. The entire campus is state-of-the-art with fiber cabling, audio/video equipment built into every classroom, overhead projectors in most of the classrooms, and WiFi.
Wind Turbine
In January 2005, Bureau Valley High School was the first Illinois high school to pioneer, construct, and put a turbine online on their campus. This project was a large vision by the board and Mr. Keith Bolin, a hog farmer who lives in the district and spent two and a half years working to get this project approved and completed. The turbine can produce 660-kilowatts and is just over two hundred seventy feet tall.Several grants helped a large chunk of money for the $1 million dollar turbine. This included $331,000 from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation and $150,000 from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The rest of the project was covered by a loan from Union Bank
Union Bank
Union Bank was established in 1991 and had its headquarters in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Prior to the merger with Standard Chartered Bank , it was Pakistan's eighth largest bank and had 65 branches in some 22 cities, about US$2 billion in assets, and about 400,000 customers.In 2006, Standard...
using tax free bonds at a rate of 3.37%
The turbine offsets the electricity consumption of the campus, and extra energy will be sold back to Ameren
Ameren
Ameren Corporation was created December 31, 1997 by the merger of Missouri's Union Electric Company and the neighboring Central Illinois Public Service Company . It is now a holding company for several power companies and energy companies. The company is based in St...
at a rate of $0.03 per kilowatt-hours. This will result in a profit of $1.6 million after the loans are paid off but before the 20-year life expectancy ends. In its first seven months of operation, the turbine's computer had shown that it has produced over 646,397 kilo-watt hours for the school. This amounts to approximately $100,000 worth of energy savings every year.
The construction was not without public disapproval. Noise, construction, and danger to birds were huge issues. None of these issues are noticeable now, except a slight whisper from the back 100m on the school track.
The turbine is now a popular field trip, with students from all over Illinois, such as Abingdon High School (Illinois)
Abingdon High School (Illinois)
Abingdon High School, or AHS, is a public four-year high school located in Abingdon, Illinois. AHS is part of Abingdon Community Unit School District 217, which also includes Abingdon Middle School, and Hedding Elementary School.- Academics :...
, to study the turbine and it's feasibility.
Bureau Valley High School Wind Turbine Case Study
Athletics
BVHS is Class A, 1A, or 2A depending on the sport in the Illinois High School AssociationIllinois High School Association
The Illinois High School Association is one of 521 state high school associations in the United States, designed to regulate competition in most interscholastic sports and some interscholastic activities at the high school level. It is a charter member of the National Federation of State High...
. They belong to the Three Rivers Conference
Three Rivers Conference (Illinois)
The Three Rivers Conference, also known as the TRAC-8 , is a high school conference in northwest Illinois. The conference participates in athletics and activities in the Illinois High School Association...
. The school has 1 state championships on record in team athletics or activities, Boys Football in 2005-2006 (3A).
BVHS athletics programs include:
Baseball
Boys Basketball
Boys Track
Girls Track
Boys and Girls Cross Country
Football
Girls Basketball
Golf
Softball
Volleyball
Music Department
Bureau Valley High School Music Department WebsiteDemographics
According to the Illinois State Board of EducationIllinois State Board of Education
The Illinois State Board of Education administers public education in the state of Illinois. The State Board consists of nine members who are appointed by the Governor with the consent of the...
, Bureau Valley High School is 99% Caucasian, <1% Hispanic, and <1% American Indian. The average class size is nineteen students.