▁Later ▁that ▁year , ▁the ▁R ac ine ▁Cont inu ation ▁School ▁became ▁the ▁first ▁to ▁open ▁under ▁this ▁program , ▁and ▁the ▁first ▁public ly ▁fund ed ▁technical ▁school ▁in ▁America . ▁In ▁its ▁earliest ▁years , ▁the ▁school ▁r ented ▁space ▁in ▁dow nt own ▁R ac ine , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁using ▁the ▁high ▁school ▁and ▁Bull ▁Element ary ▁buildings ▁for ▁night ▁school ▁classes . ▁The ▁first ▁class ▁consisted ▁of ▁about ▁ 1 5 0 ▁students . ▁By ▁ 1 9 1 6 , ▁the ▁en roll ment ▁had ▁expanded ▁to ▁over ▁ 1 , 0 0 0 , ▁the ▁bulk ▁of ▁which ▁were ▁taking ▁English ▁and / or ▁citizens hip ▁classes . ▁Ren amed ▁the ▁R ac ine ▁V oc ational ▁School ▁in ▁ 1 9 1 7 , ▁expansion ▁continued ▁and ▁over ▁ 3 , 0 0 0 ▁students ▁were ▁en rolled ▁in ▁ 1 9 2 0 . ▁R ac ine ' s ▁program ▁was ▁said ▁to ▁be ▁a ▁model ▁for ▁other ▁technical ▁schools ▁throughout ▁the ▁state ▁and ▁country . ▁The ▁school ▁purchased ▁a ▁site ▁west ▁of ▁dow nt own ▁at ▁ 8 0 0 ▁Center ▁Street ▁in ▁ 1 9 2 8 , ▁and ▁the ▁completed ▁building , ▁which ▁brought ▁all ▁of ▁the ▁school ' s ▁programs ▁under ▁one ▁roof , ▁opened ▁in ▁ 1 9 3 1 . ▁The ▁school , ▁later ▁known ▁as ▁the ▁R ac ine ▁Techn ical ▁Institute , ▁opened ▁satellite ▁camp uses ▁in ▁Bur ling ton , ▁Union ▁Gro ve ,