Blue Ridge School

Last updated
Blue Ridge School
Gibson Memorial Chapel at BRS.jpg
Gibson Memorial Chapel
Address
Blue Ridge School
273 Mayo Dr

Saint George
,
Greene County
,
Virginia
22935-1370

United States
Coordinates 38°15′54.5″N78°33′18.8″W / 38.265139°N 78.555222°W / 38.265139; -78.555222
Information
Former nameThe Blue Ridge Industrial School
Type Independent college-preparatory boarding high school
MottoTeaching Boys To Reach
Religious affiliation(s)Nonsectarian [1]
Established1909;114 years ago (1909)
FounderGeorge P. Mayo
StatusCurrently operational
CEEB code 472020
NCES School ID 01434842 [1]
Head of schoolWilliam A. "Trip" Darrin
Faculty33.3 (on an FTE basis) [1]
Grades9–12
GenderAll-boys
Enrollment158 [1]  (2021-2022)
   Grade 9 16
   Grade 10 29
   Grade 11 64
   Grade 12 49
Student to teacher ratio4.7:1 [1]
Hours in school day6.5 [1]
Campus size751 acres (304 ha)
Campus typeDistant rural [1]
Color(s)Blue & White   
Nickname Barons
Endowment$19.9 million (2019) [2]
Annual tuition$62,500
Revenue$13.5 million (2019) [2]
AffiliationsNAIS, TABS
Website blueridgeschool.com

Blue Ridge School (formerly The Blue Ridge Industrial School) is an independent, all-male boarding school for students grades 9-12 located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Saint George, Virginia, United States. Approximately 185 students attend Blue Ridge from 27 states and 15 foreign countries, with many from Virginia and other Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states. The school's campus is 751 acres (3 km²) in Greene County, Virginia, adjoining Brokenback Mountain at the edge of Shenandoah National Park in the Appalachian Mountains. The headmaster is William "Trip" Darrin, since 2012. [3]

Contents

History

The school was originally founded in 1909 by The Rev. George P. Mayo, an Episcopal clergyman, as the Blue Ridge Industrial School, a school for the rural mountain students in the region. The school opened in January 1910 as a coeducational vocational school with about 35 students; two students graduated at the first commencement in 1918. Enrollment rose to 112 in 1922 and 165 in 1928. The first building was Neve Hall; the school lost buildings to fires in 1911, 1918, and 1962, when the first infirmary was destroyed and was hit by a tornado on September 30, 1959. Mayo served as Superintendent until 1944. It closed in 1960.

Blue Ridge became a college preparatory school for boys in 1962, with a short-term reduction of the student body to 66. [3]

Curriculm

Blue Ridge School uses project-based learning principles developed by PBLWorks to create a learning environment well-suited for boys. In 2018, the school introduced an entrepreneurship program that put students through the process of conceiving a product, developing a business plan, and pitching the product to a panel of judges. The following year, this program became a series of entrepreneurism classes. [4]

The Fishburne Learning Center provides individualized learning skills development for approximately 25% of the students. Learning Center classes occur during the school day, and each class has two to three students.

Extracurricular activites

Athletics

Blue Ridge School offers many sports and participates in the fall, winter, and spring seasons. As of April 2020, the school has 26 athletic teams. [5] It participates in the Blue Ridge Athletic Conference (BRAC) and the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association (VISAA). Its football team won state championships in 1994, 2012, and 2016. Its basketball program won state championships in 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 [6] [7] and has produced many Division-1 NCAA players. In the 2016-17 sports year, their football and basketball teams won a VA state championship. It has a 22,000 square foot (2,000 m²) indoor field house; its facilities include Massey Gymnasium, indoor tennis and basketball courts, an exercise and weight-lifting facility, wrestling-room, and batting cages. Blue Ridge's athletics teams include:

Fall

  • V Cross-Country
  • JV Cross-Country
  • JV Football
  • JV Soccer
  • Mountain Biking
  • V Football
  • V Soccer
  • Outdoor Adventure Sports

Winter

  • Indoor Soccer
  • JV Basketball
  • Outdoor Sports
  • Varsity B Basketball
  • Varsity Basketball
  • Wrestling

Spring

  • Outdoor Adventure Sports
  • Baseball
  • Golf
  • V Lacrosse
  • JV Lacrosse
  • V Tennis
  • JV Tennis
  • Track & Field

Beginning in the mid-1990s, Blue Ridge developed a well-regarded basketball program, with players including LaRon Campbell-Hall, Barry Harper, Brandon Freeman, Luke Minor, Tom Timmermans from the Netherlands, and Andrey Savtchenko from Russia, and won a state title. [8] Recent NCAA standouts from Blue Ridge School include Aamir Simms and Mamadi Diakite. [9]

Outdoor program

Blue Ridge School has an outdoor program involving mountain biking, archery, fishing, and hiking, among other activities. Students are also taught wilderness survival skills. It has 18 miles of mountain biking and hiking trails on campus. [10]

Campus

The original 148 acre (0.6 km²) campus, located 20 miles (32 km) from Charlottesville, Virginia, sits at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The campus has grown to nearly 750 acres (3.2 km²) and includes a lake and several ponds. The Robert A. Gibson Memorial Chapel, the Martha Bagby Battle House (former Headmaster's Residence), and the old St. George Post Office still stand on the school's grounds. The Gibson Memorial Chapel, designed by architect Ralph Adams Cram and built in 1929–1932, and the Martha Bagby Battle House were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. [11]

Notable faculty

Amber Wilkins was named Dean of Faculty in 2021. Former Blue Ridge School Dean of the Faculty Pete Bonds was a recipient of the 2019 International Boys' Schools Coalition Action Research Award for his work with 12th-grade history students. [12] Approximately 80% of faculty live on campus.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia Wesleyan University</span> Private university in Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S.

Virginia Wesleyan University (VWU) is a private university in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The university is nonsectarian but historically affiliated with The United Methodist Church. It enrolls 1,607 students annually in undergraduate and graduate programs, 355 students at LUJ/VWU Global (Japan), and 1,403 in VWU Online. Virginia Wesleyan transitioned from a college to a university in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Virginia Wesleyan College</span> Private college in Buckhannon, West Virginia

West Virginia Wesleyan College is a private college in Buckhannon, West Virginia. It has an enrollment of about 1,400 students from 35 U.S. states and 26 countries. The school was founded in 1890 by the West Virginia Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church and is currently affiliated with the United Methodist Church. West Virginia Wesleyan College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norfolk Collegiate School</span> Independent school in Norfolk, Virginia, United States

Norfolk Collegiate is a coeducational independent day school in Norfolk, Virginia for students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. Norfolk Collegiate is accredited by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools (VAIS). It's also a member of the Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools, which includes 10 private schools from the Hampton Roads region of Virginia, as well as a member of the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association.

Ferrum College is a private college in Ferrum, Virginia. The college was established in 1913 as the Ferrum Training School for primary and secondary education to serve the mountain communities of rural southwest Virginia before becoming Ferrum Junior College between 1940 and 1976. The school was founded by the United Methodist Church and gradually developed from primary to post-secondary education. Today, Ferrum enrolls around 800 undergraduate and graduate students and offers over 54 undergraduate majors and four graduate programs. Ferrum College's 700-acre (280 ha) campus is in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in southwestern Virginia, near Rocky Mount, Virginia, in Franklin County.

East Catholic High School is a private, college preparatory high school located in Manchester, Connecticut, United States, under the auspices of the Archdiocese of Hartford. The parochial school was founded in 1961 and is inspired by the charism of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. East Catholic is the only school in the Archdiocese of Hartford that has had the continued presence of its founding order throughout its history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association</span> High school sports association

The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) is an association of hundreds of New Jersey high schools that regulates high school athletics and holds tournaments and crowns champions in high school sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Mary's High School (Annapolis, Maryland)</span> Private school in Annapolis, Maryland, United States

St. Mary's High School is a small, co-educational, college-preparatory Catholic high school located in downtown Annapolis, Maryland. It is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore. St. Mary's is accredited by AdvancED, the Archdiocese of Baltimore, and is recognized and approved by the Maryland State Department of Education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henrico High School</span> High school in Henrico, Virginia

Henrico High School is a public high school located in Henrico County, Virginia and operated by the Henrico County Public Schools. It has two specialty centers — the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years/Diploma Program and the Center for the Arts program (CFA). It is one of the oldest schools in Henrico County, and it has a highly diverse student population.

Maplebrook School is a small boarding school in Amenia, New York, that serves adolescents and young adults with learning differences.

Highland School is an independent school located in Warrenton, Virginia. Highland was founded in 1928 by Dorothy Rust and Lavinia Hamilton as the Warrenton Branch of the Calvert School of Baltimore. It was renamed Highland School in 1957 and moved to its current location. As stated in its mission, "Highland School prepares students to thrive, lead and serve in a diverse and dynamic world, developing essential skills and character by challenging them with a demanding academic and co-curricular program." Its upper (high) school was established in 1996. It serves 509 students from twelve counties.

West Springfield High School, in Massachusetts, United States, is the city of West Springfield's high school. It is located near West Springfield Middle School and John R. Fausey Elementary, one of the city's five elementary schools. The school's mascot is the terrier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washburn Ichabods</span>

The Washburn Ichabods are the athletic teams that represent Washburn University, located in Topeka, Kansas, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division II ranks, primarily competing in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) since the 1989–90 academic year. The Ichabods previously competed in the Central States Intercollegiate Conference (CSIC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1976–77 to 1988–89; in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) from 1972–73 to 1975–76; in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) from 1968–69 to 1971–72; in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (CIC) from 1940–41 to 1967–68 ; as an Independent from 1933–34 to 1939–40; and in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) from 1902–03 to 1922–23.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christ School (North Carolina)</span> School in Arden, North Carolina, United States

Christ School is a private college preparatory boarding and day school for boys in Arden, North Carolina, a suburb of Asheville, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. While affiliated with the Episcopal Church, it is open to students of all faiths and backgrounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott</span> Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University campus

Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott is a residential campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona. The university offers bachelor and master's in arts, sciences, aviation, business, engineering, and security & intelligence. The Prescott campus also offers a master's degree in Safety Science, Security & Intelligence, and Cyber Intelligence & Security.

Rancho Solano Preparatory School Private school in the United States

Rancho Solano Preparatory School is a PK-12 school located in Scottsdale, Arizona, United States. The school is part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program.

The Metropolitan Learning Center (MLC) is a magnet school that is based in Bloomfield, Connecticut. The school is part of the Capitol Region Education Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Lawrence Saints</span> Sports programs at St. Lawrence University

The St. Lawrence Saints are composed of 33 teams representing St. Lawrence University in intercollegiate athletics, including men and women's alpine skiing, basketball, cross country, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, nordic skiing, riding, rowing, soccer, squash, swimming, tennis, and track and field. Men's sports include baseball and football. Women's sports include field hockey, softball, and volleyball. The Saints compete in the NCAA Division III and are members of the Liberty League for all sports except ice hockey, which competes in NCAA Division I, as a member of ECAC Hockey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chadwick International</span> Independent school in Songdo, Incheon, South Korea

Chadwick International is a PK-12, coeducational, nonsectarian, non-profit, independent, international day school located in the Songdo International City, Republic of Korea. The curriculum is based on the International Baccalaureate (IB) program and received PYP, MYP, DP, and CP accreditations. It is currently run by the Roessler-Chadwick Foundation and is named after Chadwick School in Palos Verdes, California, United States.

The Roanoke Maroons are the athletic teams that represent Roanoke College, located in Salem, Virginia, a suburban independent city adjacent to Roanoke, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UCCS Mountain Lions</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of the University of Colorado Colorado Springs

The UCCS Mountain Lions is the official name of the athletic teams that represent the University of Colorado–Colorado Springs, located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Mountain Lions compete as members of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference for all 16 varsity sports. The school mascot is the mountain lion, Clyde, with official colors of gold and black, the same de facto school colors of University of Colorado Boulder.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Search for Private Schools – School Detail for Blue Ridge School". National Center for Education Statistics . Institute of Education Sciences . Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Form 990" (PDF). Tax Exempt Organization Search. Internal Revenue Service. 2019.
  3. 1 2 "History", Blue Ridge School, retrieved 2018-04-28.
  4. kknott@dailyprogress.com (434) 978-7263, KATHERINE KNOTT. "Entrepreneurship class teaches Blue Ridge students to 'think outside the box'". The Daily Progress. Retrieved 2020-03-11.
  5. "About Blue Ridge School".
  6. jharvey@dailyprogress.com (434) 978-7250, JOHN HARVEY. "Blue Ridge basketball team wins second straight state championship". The Daily Progress. Retrieved 2020-03-11.
  7. "Athletic Experience".
  8. Adam Himmelsbach, "Blue Ridge School becomes a major prep player", The Free Lance-Star, July 26, 2004, p. B5.
  9. "Former Blue Ridge Teammates Connect at ACC Media Days - WVIR NBC29 Charlottesville News, Sports, and Weather". www.nbc29.com. Archived from the original on 2019-10-10.
  10. "Students at Blue Ridge School Find Their Way Through Outdoor Program". 3 July 2019.
  11. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  12. "News & Events - International Boys' Schools Coalition".