U-32 High School known most officially as Union High School District No. 32 is in East Montpelier, Vermont, United States. It is the regional high school for the central Vermont towns of Berlin, Calais, Middlesex, East Montpelier, and Worcester, and students from Orange, Washington, and Roxbury can choose attend U 32 after middle school. It encompasses grades seven through twelve in a combined middle and senior high school.HistoryThe school opened in September 1971 with a strong liberal orientation, using open classrooms, student directed schedules and several of the concepts of Vermont philosopher-educator John Dewey, notably learning by doing. The school followed, and still follows a non-traditional philosophy where teachers and staff are referred to by given first name rather than by surname.Over time, the school has migrated more to the mainstream of public education.There was a $13 million renovation in 2002 to bring it up to fire codes and replace open, wall-less classrooms with more traditional ones.The official mascot of the school is the Raider. U-32 is known now for its extensive art and music departments, its accomplished drama club, Stage 32, its outstanding sports programs, and its improved facility. It has about 296 middle schoolers and 707 high schoolers (2009).
