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The AA Blue Ridge District is a district in the Region III of the Virginia High School League. The district is centered around the Roanoke Valley in Southwest Virginia and is named for the Blue Ridge Mountains, which feature prominently in the region's geography.
From the late 1980s through the early 2000s, the district steadily grew as four schools dropped in classification from the former AAA Roanoke Valley District. Two schools entered after the AA New River Valley District disbanded when other schools dropped in classification to Group A. For the 2002–2003 school year, the student body of Group AAA Cave Spring High School in Roanoke County was split into two Group AA sized schools with the opening of Hidden Valley High School. These two new schools gave the district eleven members that year except in football, where Cave Spring remained in AAA and Hidden Valley did not play a full schedule.
The district was split for the 2003–2004 school year. The name Blue Ridge District remained with this group of schools because Alleghany, Lord Botetourt, and William Byrd had the longest tenures in the district. The other group of six schools formed the AA River Ridge District. The Blue Ridge District only had four members starting in the 2007–2008 school year when William Fleming returned to Group AAA, but it grew to five members starting in the 2009–2010 school year when former member Staunton River returned from the AA Seminole District and to six members in the 2010–2011 school year when former member Rockbridge County returned from the AA Southern Valley District.
The Blue Ridge District will be preserved in the 2013-2014 VSHL reclassification. William Fleming will also return to the district from the AAA Western Valley District. The district will include schools from classifications 3A and 4A. Each school will compete only against members of the same classification in post-season play. [1]
The district is composed of large and medium-sized high schools primarily in the eastern and northern areas of the Roanoke Valley. The district currently includes two schools located in Roanoke County, and one each in Bedford County, Botetourt County, Franklin County, and Roanoke City.
While the VHSL uses District formatting for regular season contests and determining postseason eligibility, the teams are divided into different classes and regions for Regional and State-level competitions. As such, Blue Ridge District members compete in the following formats (as of 2024): [2]
| School | Location | Mascot | Colors | 2022-23 9–12 enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin County High School | Rocky Mount | Eagles | 2,016 | |
| Lord Botetourt High School | Daleville | Cavaliers | 1,052 | |
| Northside High School | Roanoke | Vikings | 1,013 | |
| Staunton River High School | Moneta | Golden Eagles | 1,343 | |
| William Byrd High School | Vinton | Terriers | 1,107 | |
| William Fleming High School | Roanoke | Colonels | 1,911 | |
| School | Location | Mascot | Colors | Current District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alleghany High School | Covington | Mountaineers | Three Rivers | |
| Blacksburg High School | Blacksburg | Bruins | River Ridge | |
| Cave Spring High School | Roanoke | Knights | River Ridge | |
| Christiansburg High School | Christiansburg | Blue Demons | River Ridge | |
| Covington High School | Covington | Cougars | School Closed | |
| Glenvar High School | Salem | Highlanders | Three Rivers | |
| Hidden Valley High School | Roanoke | Titans | River Ridge | |
| James River High School | Buchanan | Knights | Three Rivers | |
| Liberty High School | Bedford | Minutemen | Seminole | |
| Pulaski County High School | Dublin | Cougars | River Ridge | |
| Rockbridge County High School | Lexington | Wildcats | Valley | |
| Salem High School | Salem | Spartans | River Ridge | |
Note: Covington High School was closed following the 2022–23 school year, with its student body being merged into Alleghany High School. The new, larger Alleghany High School has since adopted Covington's Cougar nickname
Botetourt County is a US county that lies in the Roanoke Region of Virginia. Located in the mountainous portion of the state, the county is bordered by two major ranges, the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains.
Alleghany County is an American county located on the far western edge of Commonwealth of Virginia. It is bordered by the Allegheny Mountains, from which the county derives its name, and it is the northernmost part of the Roanoke Region. The county seat is Covington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,223.
Area codes 540 and 826 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the U.S. State of Virginia. Areas included are the outer portions of Northern Virginia/D.C Area along with areas in or around the Shenandoah Valley, Blue Ridge Mountains, New River Valley, and the Roanoke metropolitan area. The Virginia State Corporation Commission authorized the addition of 826 to the numbering plan area for implementation in May 2022.
The Roanoke Valley in southwest Virginia is an area adjacent to and including the Roanoke River between the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east and the Appalachian Plateau to the west. The valley includes much of Roanoke County, as well as the two independent cities of Roanoke and Salem.
Northside High School is one of five high schools in Roanoke County, Virginia.
The AAA Western Valley District was a high school conference in the state of Virginia that included the small number of schools in Central and Southwest Virginia which competed in Group AAA, is largest enrollment class of the Virginia High School League.
Salem High School is a public high school in Salem, Virginia. It is the sole high school for the City of Salem public school system.
The AA River Ridge District is a district in Region IV of the Virginia High School League. It is centered around the Roanoke Valley and New River Valley in Southwest Virginia.
The A Three Rivers District is a high school conference of the Virginia High School League located in Southwest Virginia.
Southwest Virginia, often abbreviated as SWVA, is a mountainous region of Virginia in the westernmost part of the commonwealth. Located within the broader region of western Virginia, Southwest Virginia has been defined alternatively as all Virginia counties on the Appalachian Plateau, all Virginia counties west of the Eastern Continental Divide, or at its greatest expanse, as far east as Blacksburg and Roanoke. Another geographic categorization of the region places it as those counties within the Tennessee River watershed. Regardless of how borders are drawn, Southwest Virginia differs from the rest of the commonwealth in that its culture is more closely associated with Appalachia than the other regions of Virginia. Historically, the region has been and remains a rural area, but in the 20th century, coal mining became an important part of its economy. With the decline in the number of coal jobs and the decline of tobacco as a cash crop, Southwest Virginia is increasingly turning to tourism as a source of economic development. Collectively, Southwest Virginia's craft, music, agritourism and outdoor recreation are referred to as the region's "creative economy."
In the U.S. state of Virginia, U.S. Route 220 (US 220) is a major north-south state highway that extends from the North Carolina state line through Roanoke to the West Virginia state line. South of Roanoke, US 220 is a four-lane highway within the proposed Interstate 73 (I-73) corridor. US 220 narrows to two lanes north of Roanoke, connecting to I-64 near Clifton Forge and then paralleling the Appalachian Mountains north-northeasterly in the direction of Cumberland, Maryland.
Pulaski County High School is a public secondary school located at 5414 Cougar Trail Road in Dublin, Virginia about 45 miles southwest of Roanoke, Virginia. It is the sole public high school in Pulaski County, Virginia and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Roanoke Valley Governor's School for Science and Technology (RVGS) is a Governor's School in Grandin Court, Roanoke, Virginia, United States. RVGS is a magnet school with students from the Roanoke Valley and Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area districts. The Roanoke Valley Governor's School for Science and Technology was established in 1985 as one of the original five Academic Year Governor's Schools (AYGS) in Virginia. As an AYGS program, RVGS receives funding from the participating school divisions and the state. The school is a regional program, operated and governed by the RVGS Regional Board populated by one member of each participating division's local School Boards.
William Fleming High School is a public school, one of the only two public high schools in the Roanoke City area school division, the other being the Patrick Henry High School. The edifice itself is located at 3649 Ferncliff Ave. Roanoke, Virginia 24017 and is positioned within the Miller/Arrowood neighborhood of the city. William Fleming along with the other public elementary, middle, and high schools comprise the Roanoke City Public School System that is regulated by the representatives that serve on the Roanoke City School Board.
The Roanoke Region is the area of the Commonwealth of Virginia surrounding the city of Roanoke. Its usage may refer to the metropolitan statistical area or the Roanoke Valley, but it sometimes includes areas in the Allegheny Mountains and New River Valley which includes Alleghany County, Montgomery County, Covington, Clifton Forge, Blacksburg, Christiansburg, and Radford. Bedford County and Floyd County are sometimes included as part of the region.
The Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission (RVARC, founded in 1969, is one of 21 Virginia Planning District Commissions. The Regional Commission is not a State Agency, but was established by its member governments through a charter agreement under Virginia law as a political subdivision of the Commonwealth. The Regional Commission serves the governments, businesses, and citizens of the region.
Christopher T. Head is an American politician. A Republican, he currently serves in the Senate of Virginia, representing the 3rd district which includes all of Alleghany County, Botetourt County, Craig County, Rockbridge County, Buena Vista, Covington, Lexington, Staunton and Waynesboro, and parts of Augusta County and Roanoke County. He previously served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2012-2024, representing the 17th district, made up parts of Botetourt and Roanoke counties and the city of Roanoke, in the western part of the state.
The Group 3A West Region is a division of the Virginia High School League. The region was formed in 2013 when the VHSL adopted a six classification format and eliminated the previous three classification system. For the purpose of regular season competition, schools may compete within districts that existed prior to 2013, while post-season competition will be organized within four conferences that make up each region.
Fleming Bowyer Miller was an American lawyer and politician who represented Botetourt County, Virginia in both houses of the Virginia General Assembly during three decades, including in the Virginia Senate following the American Civil War. He also served in the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1829–1830, Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1850 and the Virginia Secession Convention of 1861.
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