Missisquoi Valley Union (MVU) is a middle and high school, grades 7–12, located in Swanton, Vermont, United States. MVU's campus contains two main buildings. The school serves the communities of Swanton, Highgate, and Franklin. Students from Sheldon and Alburgh are given the choice to attend MVU or another surrounding school. There were 902 students and 94 teachers for the 2014–2015 school year. MVU is located just off exit 21 of I-89. Infrastructure Misssiquoi Valley Union's main/original building was constructed in an open design format with five circular self-contained "pods" to house the more than 1000 expected students. On campus, there are four soccer fields, two baseball fields, three softball fields, a track, and a football field. There is also an agricultural building that houses cows, pigs, sheep, donkeys, etc., that are raised by the students. The beef is used for lunch at the school. In the building there is a gym that is used for basketball and volleyball. The building also contains the Trahan Theater which is used to host the school's annual Skit Nite and Musical. It is also used for concerts, award ceremonies and assemblies. The gym is also used for assemblies.
Athletics The school mascot is the Thunderbird and blue and white are the school colors. The school competes in the following sports
Fall Sports Field Hockey Girls Soccer Boys Soccer Football Cross Country Boys Golf Girls Golf Girls Volleyball Boys Volleyball
Winter Sports Boys Basketball Girls Basketball Cheer leading Dance Team Girls Ice Hockey Boys Ice Hockey Indoor Track
Spring Sports Softball Baseball Girls Golf Boys Golf Outdoor Track Each year in the fall any senior girls can participate in the Powder Puff football game against the long time rival BFA St. Albans. The game raises money for kids with cancer.
MVU Football Despite being one of the largest high schools in the state of Vermont, Missisquoi Valley Union High School did not field a football team of any variety until 2014. Prior to 2014, several attempts were made to obtain funding through the school's budget, but the motion was voted down each time...most recently in 2016. As a result, the team continued on their own and raised the money themselves in order to fund the program. In 2014, the program received a $10,000 grant from the Vermont chapter of the National Football Foundation as well as donated gear from Middlebury College and the New England Patriots among other organizations. After a lot of hard work and determination, the MVU Thunderbirds made their debut in the fall 2014 season on a JV schedule and finished with a 5–2 record. They remained on a JV schedule for the 2015 season as well, also finishing with a 5–2 record.
The 2016 season marked the varsity debut of the MVU Thunderbird football program. Even though the rest of the athletic programs at MVU play in Division 1 or 2, the football program began its varsity journey in Division 3. An eventual move up to Division 2 or 1 is expected once the team is able to gain more varsity experience. Unfortunately, the MVU Thunderbirds finished their inaugural season with an 0–7 record and were outscored 313–48. The Thunderbirds won their first game as a varsity program on October 21, 2017, when they beat their rivals at BFA Fairfax 54–24.
Music and Drama Missisquoi has held a musical and Skit Nite annually since its first year of operation. For Skit Nite each class; freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors, create an original play that is no more than half an hour long. All classes compete against each other for victory and bragging rights. There are two nights to perform for an audience and graduates serve as judges to determine the winner. However the judges do not know any of the students so there is no bias. MVU has auditions for the musical in November and practices from January to the beginning of April, at which time the musical is held. Grades 7-12 may participate. 2026 - Anastasia 2025 - Once Upon a Mattress 2024 - Footloose 2023 - Newsies 2022 - Mary Poppins 2019 - The Addams Family 2018 - Big Fish 2017 - Young Frankenstein 2016 - The Little Mermaid 2015 - Shrek the Musical 2014 - Annie 2013 - Singin' in the Rain 2012 - The Wizard of Oz 2011 - Seussical 2010 - Into the Woods 2007 - Beauty and the Beast 2006 - The Music Man 2005 - Bye Bye Birdie 2004 - Once Upon a Mattress 2003 - Leader of the Pack 2002 - Godspell 2001 - Our Town 2000 - Man of La Mancha 1999 - Brigadoon 1998 - The Fantasticks 1997 - Barnum 1996 - Guys and Dolls 1995 - Jesus Christ Superstar 1994 - Oklahoma! 1993 - Little Shop of Horrors 1992 - The Wizard of Oz 1991 - Into the Woods 1990 - Starmites 1989 - The Pirates of Penzance 1988 - Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat 1987 - Oliver! 1986 - West Side Story 1985 - Godspell 1984 - Anything Goes
MVU has a middle school chorus, a high school concert chorus, and Mastersingers, a more advanced high school chorus. MVU also has a middle school band, a middle school string ensemble, a high school concert band, a jazz band, and a wind ensemble, a more advanced high school band. The band director, Aron Garceau from the band Prydein, selects talented students and adults to play in the pit band for the musical. Both the high school concert band and wind ensemble march at the St. Albans Maple Festival at the end of April and the Memorial Day parades at the surrounding towns of Swanton, Highgate, and Franklin on Memorial Day. The Vermont All State Music Festival was held at MVU in May 1992 and was held at MVU again in May 2016.
A notable former band director was Brooke Ostrander, who was previously the keyboard/flute player in Wicked Lester, the band that eventually became Kiss.
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