The Virginia High School League ( VHSL ) is the principal sanctioning organization for interscholastic athletic competition among public high schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia . The VHSL first sponsored debate and also continues to sponsor state championships in several academic activities.
40-490: [REDACTED] This article does not cite any sources . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . Find sources: "Dogwood District" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR ( December 2009 ) ( Learn how and when to remove this message ) The Dogwood District
80-562: A few outliers in the Roanoke, Lynchburg, and Danville areas. Group A schools were typically found in rural areas, with the largest concentration in Southwest Virginia . Group AA schools were somewhat more widely distributed than the other two and found in rapidly growing areas like Loudoun County , in and around cities such as Roanoke , Lynchburg , Harrisonburg , and Charlottesville , and in some cities and counties which have
120-637: A group. Several schools in the Richmond and Hampton Roads areas competed in the Central and Eastern Regions of Group AAA instead of Group AA due to a reluctance to travel long distances in the post-season. In Southwest Virginia, some schools with Group A enrollment levels competed in Group AA due to traditionally being part of that group. Lee High School in Jonesville received a special dispensation from
160-562: A lesser extent, some smaller schools from the former Group AA have been assigned to Group 2A, a few larger school from the former Group A to Group 3A, and some larger schools from the former Group AA, particularly in Loudoun County, to Group 5A. The district system largely based on the prior group classifications has been retained for regular season competition and districts may now include schools from different group classifications to maintain local rivalries and minimize travel during
200-399: A list of all the schools in district Dogwood District Altavista Galileo Magnet William Campbell Click here for a list of all the schools in district James River District Cumberland Click here for a list of all the schools in district Shenandoah District Buffalo Gap Click here for a list of all schools in
240-533: A school in Group 6A but is required to play against schools in Groups 5A and 4A. In some cases, no district championship is awarded when there is not a full round robin schedule of all district teams. Schools have also been assigned to a conference of schools from the same group classification for the first round of post-season competition. There are a total of 48 conferences, designated by numbers in reverse order of
280-478: A series of journalism education workshops in four cities across the state that is sponsored by Jostens. The VHSL/Jostens Regional Workshops began in 2005 and target both students and advisers of newspaper, magazine, and yearbook publications. The 2007 series included stops in Virginia Beach, Richmond, Roanoke, and Dulles. This event is followed up by what is referred to as the state journalism workshop, or
320-502: A single day in late March/early April and consists of ten individual events: duo interpretation, serious dramatic interpretation, humorous dramatic interpretation, storytelling, poetry interpretation, prose interpretation, foreign extemporaneous speaking, domestic extemporaneous speaking, impromptu speaking, and original oratory. At this tournament, Group A, AA, and AAA competition occur separately, but simultaneously. The top six students in each category and in each group are recognized with
360-399: A single high school. Unlike many state associations, districts and regions were the same for every sport with few exceptions. Redistricting and regrouping occurred every two years. Group AAA schools typically had enrollments above 1,500 students, Group AA schools typically had from 700 to about 1,500 students, and Group A schools had fewer than 700 students. Schools could request to play up
400-547: A team sweepstakes. The team champion and runner-up are also recognized. The VHSL academic activities season culminates with the judging of creative writing entries announced in mid-late May. In March, schools submit a folder containing six works (2 poems, 2 short stories, and 2 essays) written by six different students. These school folders have traditionally been evaluated by judges at the University of Virginia's creative writing department. Judges award individual awards for
440-958: Is a high school athletic conference of the Virginia High School League with most schools based in the Southside Virginia region. All of the James River District schools are relatively small with enrollments under 1,000. The schools in the James River District compete in Region 1B with the schools of the Bull Run District , the Dogwood District , the Shenandoah District , the Tidewater District , and
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#1732794012313480-1468: Is a high school conference of the Virginia High School League which draws most of its members from Lynchburg and Danville, Virginia areas. The schools in the Dogwood District compete in Region 1B with the schools of the Bull Run District , the James River District , the Shenandoah District , the Tidewater District , and the Tri-Rivers District . For several years, the district was a "combination district" with some teams in Group A and others in Group AA Region III , with often-complicated procedures for advancement to Region playoffs. Member schools [ edit ] Altavista High School of Altavista, Virginia Appomattox High School of Appomattox, Virginia Chatham High School of Chatham, Virginia Dan River High School of Ringgold, Virginia Galileo Magnet High School of Danville, Virginia Gretna High School of Gretna, Virginia Nelson County High School of Lovingston, Virginia William Campbell High School of Naruna, Virginia v t e Virginia High School League Region 1B Schools Bull Run District Rappahannock County Click here for
520-456: Is divided into two regions of four conferences each. The two regions are designated North/South in Groups 6A, 5A, and 4A and East/West in Groups 3A, 2A, and 1A. In most team sports, the top two teams from conference playoffs advance to compete in regional playoffs. The top two teams from regional playoffs advance to a final four state playoff competition to determine the state champion. The conferences are not used for football playoffs in ten of
560-651: Is overseen by an Executive Committee elected from the principals and superintendents of the various Virginia school districts. Day-to-day affairs are handled by the Executive Director and Assistant Directors. From 1970, the VHSL's member schools were organized into three group classifications based on enrollment: A, AA, and AAA. Each of the three groups were split into four geographic regions, which usually contained three or four districts. District sizes vary and consist of four to eleven teams. The group of schools with
600-725: The Tri-Rivers District . The original James River District was created in 1970 when the Virginia High School league reorganized into AAA, AA, and A classifications. Original schools included Fluvanna, Goochland, Amelia, Powhatan, Cumberland, Buckingham, and Prince Edward. Clover Hill and Lunenburg-Central became district members a few years later. The James River District was reorganized in 1999 with seven charter members, Central High School (also known as Lunenburg or Lunenburg Central), Prince Edward County High School , Buckingham High School, Amelia County High School , Randolph-Henry High School , and Cumberland High School. After
640-570: The University of Virginia to serve as a debating league for the state's high schools. During the 1910s, it expanded to over 250 schools and added championships in oral reading, baseball, basketball, and track and renamed itself the Virginia High School Literary and Athletic League. After World War II , it adopted other sports and began standardizing officiating practices for high school sports. In 1969, it merged with
680-406: The 1999 season, Prince Edward moved to a different district. Membership remained the same until the 2009 season when Goochland High School moved to a different conference, which left Amelia, Buckingham, Randolph-Henry, Cumberland, and Lunenburg. In 2011, Goochland rejoined the James River District along with Nottoway & Bluestone High School (s). Before the 2015 season, Prince Edward re-joined
720-681: The Championship Journalism Workshop in October, which is both an educational and recognition event. Held at Virginia Commonwealth University since 1989, the CJW celebrates the results of the newspaper, magazine, and yearbook evaluations that schools submit each June to the VHSL. The two-day workshop offers about 100 classes that are taught mostly by the state's top advisers, but also by college professors, industry professionals, and recognized out-of-state advisers. Since 2005,
760-489: The James River District after spending 14 years in a different conference. After the 2020-21 schoolyear, Goochland left the conference and joined the Jefferson District . Bluestone High School left the James River District after the 2021-2022 schoolyear due to the school consolidating with nearby Park View High School to form Mecklenburg High School. School classification abides by the schools enrollment, which
800-755: The Student Journalist of the Year to a deserving senior, which comes with the Savedge scholarship. The VHSL academic season continues with the Group A and AA One Act Theatre Festivals, traditionally held the first week of December in Charlottesville. Eight schools representing the top two in both district and regional competition present plays that are 35 or fewer minutes in length. Preferably four, but no fewer than three, judges usually consisting of both high school directors and professionals evaluate
840-434: The VHSL intends that the group classifications will remain approximately the same size, and schools will not be allowed to compete for a state championship in a group classification above or below the one determined by their enrollment. Regrouping will occur every two years. Many schools which had competed at the former Group AAA level, particularly in the Central and Eastern Regions, have been assigned to Groups 4A or 3A. To
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#1732794012313880-472: The VHSL to play in Group A despite having Group AA enrollment numbers due to being far away from the nearest schools in Group AA and not having substantially more students than large Group A schools. In football, each region was further split into two divisions based on school enrollment, so statewide champions were determined in Divisions 1 through 6. Divisions 1 and 2 were for Group A with Division 2 being
920-695: The Virginia Interscholastic Association, which was a similar organization that had served African American schools around the Commonwealth during segregation . Girls' sports were added around this time. Statewide football playoffs also began in 1970. The VHSL is headquartered in Pantops Charlottesville and has 308 member schools and conducts championships in 27 different sports. Nearly 200,000 students participate in its activities annually. The VHSL
960-529: The awards portion of this event has been held in the nearby historic Jefferson Hotel 's ballroom. State champions in newspaper, magazine, and yearbook publications are given an evaluation on their publication known as Trophy Class. Publications that receive five Trophy Class ratings in seven or fewer years are also awarded the Savedge Award for Sustained Excellence, named after renowned yearbook adviser Colonel Charles Savedge. The VHSL also annually awards
1000-409: The different division of another region. Most districts contained members in both divisions of its group, and a single district had two state championship teams on a few occasions. Because of the number of schools choosing to play up, in some years a state championship team from a lower division had a greater enrollment than a state championship team in a higher division. In the 2013-2014 school year,
1040-832: The district Tidewater District Carver College & Career Click here for a list of all schools in the district Tri-Rivers District Appomattox Regional Brunswick Franklin Surry County Sussex Central Click here for a list of all schools in the district Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dogwood_District&oldid=1212701799 " Category : Virginia High School League Hidden categories: Articles lacking sources from December 2009 All articles lacking sources Virginia High School League Private and religious schools and teams of homeschooled students belong to other sanctioning organizations,
1080-464: The former three group classification system was replaced by a six group classification system with Group 1A schools having the smallest enrollments and Group 6A schools having the largest enrollments. Generally, schools which had competed in Group A have been assigned to the new Groups 1A and 2A; in Group AA, the new Groups 3A and 4A; and in Group AAA, the new Groups 5A and 6A. Unlike the former system,
1120-449: The fourth round. In Groups 6A, 5A, and 4A, the two regional champions play for the state championship. (i.e. The regional championship game is also the state semi-final.) In Groups 3A, 2A, and 1A, the final four teams are cross-bracketed in the state semi-finals with the higher remaining seed in one region hosting the lower remaining seed in the other region. (i.e. No regional championship is awarded.) This format could allow two teams from
1160-510: The group classification numbers. (i.e. Conference 1 is in Group 6A while Conference 48 is in Group 1A.) Conferences are not uniform in the number of the member schools and almost always include schools in other districts. Only two conferences are composed solely of the members of one district. There are no uniform rules for the seeding of schools in conference competition based on regular season results. The six groups are not divided into four regions as before. Instead, each group classification
1200-479: The largest enrollments were in Group AAA, the group with the next largest enrollments were in Group AA, and the schools with the smallest enrollments were in Group A. Regional boundaries were different for all three groups as average school sizes vary substantially in different parts of Virginia. Nearly all Group AAA schools were located in Northern Virginia , Hampton Roads , and Greater Richmond , with
1240-763: The largest of which is the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association. Proposals in the Virginia General Assembly to mandate that the VHSL allow homeschooled students to compete for the public high school they would otherwise attend have failed to pass. The VHSL was established in 1913 by members of both the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society and the Washington Literary Society and Debating Union at
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1280-488: The need for extensive travel during the regular season. Schools begin the post-season with Regional tournaments and then State tournament play. Athletic activities include the following: For boys and girls : Basketball, Cross Country, Golf, Lacrosse, Gymnastics, Indoor track, Outdoor track, Soccer, Swimming/diving, Tennis, Volleyball For boys : Baseball, Football, Wrestling For girls : Cheerleading, Field hockey, Softball Boys' and girls' sports will allow members of
1320-413: The one for schools with larger enrollments; 3 and 4, the Group AA schools; and 5 and 6, the Group AAA schools. The division format was first adopted in 1986 for football and was expanded in the late 2000s and early 2010s to some other sports in Groups A and AA. Since the average enrollments of schools varied by region in each group, some schools in one region had enrollments which would have placed them in
1360-521: The opposite sex to participate. Academic activities include the following: Creative Writing, Debate, Drama (one-act plays), Forensics (a variety of individual events ), Magazines, Newspapers, Scholastic Bowl , and Yearbooks Academic activities are coed and not considered varsity athletics by most schools. Academic activities are usually awarded different letters and honors from athletics. The VHSL academic activities season begins in September with
1400-938: The performances and recognize both the champion and runner-up school. Also recognized are eight outstanding actors. In February, the top eight schools that have advanced from regional competition in Groups A, AA, and AAA go to the College of William and Mary for Scholastic Bowl competition. Two four-person teams meet head-to-head in this double-elimination tournament, answering questions in mathematics, science/health, social studies, English, and miscellany (including current events, fine arts, music, entertainment and sports). There are three rounds, including two toss-up rounds where either team may answer and one round of directed questioning toward individual schools. Toss-up rounds consist of 15 questions and directed rounds include 10 questions per team. The champion and runner-up are recognized in each grouping. The state forensics tournament occurs on
1440-426: The regular season. Some Group AAA and AA districts with few schools and which were geographically isolated from other districts in the same group were dissolved and their member schools assigned to districts of nearby schools with smaller enrollments. Schools are not required to play a district rival which is at least three group classifications higher. For example, a school in Group 3A is not required to play against
1480-604: The same region to play for the state championship. VHSL member schools are classified based on enrollment into six classifications, 1 through 6, with schools having an enrollment of 475 or less in the smallest (1) classification. The remainder of the League’s member schools are divided equally into fifths, with the largest schools in Class 6. Each Classification is made up of four Regions (A, B, C, D). For regular season play, schools are placed into geographically-based Districts, eliminating
1520-751: The three categories in each group (A, AA, and AAA) as well as an overall school folder winner in each group. The VHSL also awards the Wachovia Cup for each group to the schools which accumulate the most points across all competitions much like the NACDA Director's Cup for college athletics. There are separate cups for athletic and academic activities. Districts are geographically-organized groups and may contain schools in varying classifications. Class 6 Class 5 Class 4 Class 3 Class 2 Class 1 James River District The James River District ( JRD )
1560-514: The top four earning points toward a team sweepstakes. The team champion and runner-up are also recognized. Debate is a two-day tournament in April that features four events: Student Congress, Lincoln-Douglas, Public Forum, and Policy. This competition has taken place at Liberty University since 1999. Public Forum, added in 2011, is the newest VHSL debate event. The top four individuals (or two-person policy and public forum teams) earn points toward
1600-464: The twelve regions. Instead, the sixteen schools with the most VHSL points from each region compete in the regional playoffs. The exception is that the first three rounds of the playoffs in the South regions in Groups 6A and 5A are split into two sections of two conferences each with eight schools qualifying for the playoffs in each section. The two sectional champions meet for the regional championship in
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