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.
19-568: 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
38-586: A political context, the Roanoke Valley usually refers collectively to Roanoke City, Salem, and Roanoke County. Some governmental functions are consolidated. For example, there is a regional sewer authority, a regional library system, and the Roanoke Regional Airport is governed by a regional commission. Salem has traditionally been more reluctant to participate in these efforts, while Botetourt County's participation has grown, most recently joining
57-650: 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 . The Roanoke Valley is about twenty miles (32 km) long, from the Roanoke River gorge near Virginia's Explore Park in the east to Shawsville in
76-460: Is under the jurisdiction of Roanoke County Public Schools. Cave Spring is one of two high schools that serve southwest Roanoke County and one of five high schools that serve the Roanoke County school district. Cave Spring High School is located in the eponymous Cave Spring CDP and has a jurisdiction that includes suburban areas centered around Virginia State Route 419 and rural areas along
95-586: 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. The district is composed of large and medium-sized high schools primarily in
114-677: The Lynchburg MSA ) and eastern Montgomery County (part of the New River Valley MSA ) are also often considered parts of the Roanoke Valley. More frequently, the Roanoke Valley refers to the core urban and suburban areas, generally Roanoke City, Salem, Roanoke County within the geographic Roanoke Valley, and southern Botetourt County; however, areas of Franklin County and Bedford County near Smith Mountain Lake are becoming increasingly suburban. In
133-984: The Roanoke Valley Governor's School for Science and Technology and the Arnold R. Burton Technology Center . Cave Spring athletes are known as the "Cave Spring Knights" and compete in the Virginia High School League 's River Ridge District in regular season play, primarily against other schools in the Roanoke and New River Valleys . The Knights are also part of Class 3 (state classification) and Region D (for regional play), competing against similarly sized schools in Virginia . The Knights have won team state titles in: Notable athletic alumni include: Roanoke Valley The Roanoke Valley ( / ˈ r oʊ . ə ˌ n oʊ k / ROH -ə-nohk ) in southwest Virginia
152-510: The U.S. Route 220 and U.S. Route 221 corridors. Communities served include: Cave Spring High School opened in 1956. In 1968, the high school was moved to its current site, while its original building became Cave Spring Intermediate School, then renamed Cave Spring Junior High School, and would later become Cave Spring Middle School in 2002. Cave Spring held grades 10-12 for numerous years until 2002, when it fed approximately half of its 10-12 population into Hidden Valley High School after it
171-770: The Roanoke Valley was an important fork on the Great Wagon Road , with one branch leading to the Carolina Piedmont region and the other branch, the Wilderness Road , leading to Tennessee and Kentucky. The Roanoke Valley is sometimes synonymous with the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area , which is made up of the political subdivisions of Roanoke City , Salem , Roanoke County , Botetourt County , Franklin County , and Craig County . Adjacent communities such as western Bedford County (part of
190-577: 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
209-640: 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
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#1732895748083228-400: The following formats (as of 2024): 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 Cave Spring High School (Roanoke, Virginia) Cave Spring High School is a public secondary school in Roanoke, Virginia . It
247-564: The main campus of Virginia Western Community College , part of the Virginia Community College System . There are currently three, four-year institutions of higher learning in the valley: In addition, there are 12 public high schools in the Roanoke Valley. They are: As of 2018, three professional sports teams play in the Roanoke Valley: The Roanoke Valley contains the lowest point above sea level in
266-643: The mountains of southwest Virginia . As a result, the Norfolk and Western Railway chose the valley as its primary route between the ports of Hampton Roads in eastern Virginia and the coal fields of southwest Virginia , West Virginia , and Kentucky . The Norfolk and Western was headquartered in Roanoke for nearly a century before merging with the Southern Railway ; the newly merged Norfolk Southern 's corporate headquarters moved to Norfolk . The railroad has remained
285-473: The north by a ridgeline formed by Fort Lewis Mountain and Brushy Mountain, and to the southwest by a ridgeline formed by Poor Mountain and adjacent peaks in the Blue Ridge , which also forms the east and southeast boundaries of the valley. However, this area generally features isolated peaks and wide gaps , with the notable exception of the aforementioned gorge, instead of continuous ridgelines. Historically,
304-456: 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
323-403: The water and sewer authority and regional greenway commission. Whether more functions should be provided on a consolidated basis, or if the governments should be consolidated , is an often discussed issue. Consolidation referendums in 1969 and 1990 failed because of the opposition of voters in Roanoke County. The issue has remained dormant since the 1990 referendum. The city of Roanoke hosts
342-542: The west, and as much as ten miles (16 km) wide around Roanoke City though the width is closer to five miles (8 km) in most areas. The Roanoke Valley is part of the valley and ridge province of Virginia, which also includes the Shenandoah Valley to the northeast and the New River Valley to the southwest. The Roanoke Valley is bound to the west by a ridgeline commonly known as Christiansburg Mountain, to
361-574: Was completed and first opened. In 2019, the high school underwent a $ 43.3 million renovation, with the "new" Cave Spring opening its doors in August 2020. According to U.S. News & World Report , Cave Spring ranks 2nd in the Roanoke Valley , 3rd in Southwest Virginia , and 52nd in the Commonwealth of Virginia in terms of academic quality. Cave Spring students are also eligible to take classes at
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