A Clinch Mountain District
Encyclopedia
The A Clinch Mountain District is a member of the Virginia High School League
, Group A, Region D
. The league's mission is to establish and maintain "standards for student activities and competitions that promote education, personal growth, sportsmanship, leadership and citizenship." The secondary schools within the district compete in various events, predominantly athletics. The district was formed as part of a comprehensive redistricting plan to balance the four regions competing in Groups A and AA.
The district's initial five member schools were Gate City High School
, John S. Battle High School
, Lebanon High School
, Lee High School
, and Virginia High School
. All five secondary schools are located in Southwestern Virginia either along or to the northwest of Interstate 81
. As of the 2006 realignment, the student enrollments of the schools were as follows: Battle, 638; Gate City, 599; Lebanon, 575; Lee, 840; and Virginia, 730.
Until 2006-7, Lee High School was part of Group AA, but as nearby schools were re-assigned to Group A, the nearest Group AA schools -- Marion
, Bristol
and Abingdon
-- were nearly a two hours' drive away for athletic teams. Thus, a travel hardship was declared, allowing Lee to play in Group A.
Virginia High School was also assigned to play in Group AA. The school had successfully appealed assignment to the Lonesome Pine District
of Group A during the 2005 redistricting plan, but this time chose not to appeal. With Lee and Virginia out of the district, the old Highlands District
had only two member schools, both of which were assigned to the Southwest District
, according to the state's 2007-08 and 2008-09 Final Alignment Plan.
Gate City High School was taken from the Lonesome Pine District and reunited with rival schools Lee and Virginia. The move was necessary to balance the district.
John S. Battle and Lebanon high schools were taken from the Hogoheegee District
of Group A and placed with in the A Clinch Mountain District. Both schools were in Group AA during the early 1990s but have been in Group A for more than a decade. While those schools tried to stay in the Hogoheegee district, the appeals were denied by the Virginia High School League.
2007-2008 District Officers
Chairman: Ina Danko, Virginia High School
Vice-Chairman: Tony Dodi, Lebanon High School
Secretary: Jeff Hawkins, John S. Battle High School
Treasurer: Ina Danko, Virginia High School
Virginia High School League
The Virginia High School League is the arbiter of interscholastic competition among public high schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Unlike similar organizations in many other states, private or religious schools are prohibited from joining. Non-public schools belong to other organizations,...
, Group A, Region D
A Region D
Region D is one of the four A regions of the Virginia High School League. It is made up of three districts: the A Black Diamond District, the A Cumberland District, and the A Lonesome Pine District...
. The league's mission is to establish and maintain "standards for student activities and competitions that promote education, personal growth, sportsmanship, leadership and citizenship." The secondary schools within the district compete in various events, predominantly athletics. The district was formed as part of a comprehensive redistricting plan to balance the four regions competing in Groups A and AA.
The district's initial five member schools were Gate City High School
Gate City High School
Gate City High School is a public high school in Gate City, Virginia. The school was built in 1956. The school employs 185 teachers and the student to teacher ratio is 21:1. The school recently received attention when David Taylor, a local resident, contacted the Virginia ACLU about a prayer that...
, John S. Battle High School
John S. Battle High School
John S. Battle High School is a high school located in the Southwest portion of Virginia in Washington County. The school was named after the Governor John S. Battle. It was built in 1959. There have been many additions. The Mason building is in the Northwest quadrant of the school. In the 1970s,...
, Lebanon High School
Lebanon High School (Virginia)
Lebanon High School is a high school located in Lebanon, Virginia. The school offers Dual Enrollment courses and Career/Technical courses in addition to other academic courses.-Extracurricular activities:...
, Lee High School
Lee High School (Lee County, Virginia)
Lee High School is a public school located in unincorporated Lee County, Virginia, near Jonesville. It is a part of the Lee County School District. It is one of two high schools in Lee County, Virginia.-History:...
, and Virginia High School
Virginia High School (Virginia)
Virginia High School is a high school located in Bristol, Virginia. In 1999, Virginia High started offering the Tri-Cities area's first International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. Classes from the Advanced Placement program are also offered to help students who are headed to college...
. All five secondary schools are located in Southwestern Virginia either along or to the northwest of Interstate 81
Interstate 81
Interstate 81 is an Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Island at the Canadian border, where the Thousand Islands Bridge connects it to Highway 401, the main freeway...
. As of the 2006 realignment, the student enrollments of the schools were as follows: Battle, 638; Gate City, 599; Lebanon, 575; Lee, 840; and Virginia, 730.
Until 2006-7, Lee High School was part of Group AA, but as nearby schools were re-assigned to Group A, the nearest Group AA schools -- Marion
Marion, Virginia
Marion is a town in Smyth County, Virginia, United States. The population was 5,968 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Smyth County. The town is named for American Revolutionary War officer Francis Marion.-Tourism:...
, Bristol
Bristol, Virginia
Bristol is an independent city in Virginia, United States, bounded by Washington County, Virginia, Bristol, Tennessee, and Sullivan County, Tennessee....
and Abingdon
Abingdon, Virginia
Abingdon is a town in Washington County, Virginia, USA, 133 miles southwest of Roanoke. The population was 8,191 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Washington County and is a designated Virginia Historic Landmark...
-- were nearly a two hours' drive away for athletic teams. Thus, a travel hardship was declared, allowing Lee to play in Group A.
Virginia High School was also assigned to play in Group AA. The school had successfully appealed assignment to the Lonesome Pine District
A Lonesome Pine District
The A Lonesome Pine District is a high school conference of the Virginia High School League which draws its members from the western part of Southwest Virginia. The district's name comes from The Trail of the Lonesome Pine. The schools in the Lonesome Pine District compete in A Region D with the...
of Group A during the 2005 redistricting plan, but this time chose not to appeal. With Lee and Virginia out of the district, the old Highlands District
AA Highlands District
The AA Highlands District was a high school conference of the Virginia High School League that included schools from Southwest Virginia, mostly in the Bristol and Kingsport areas. The schools of the Highlands District competed in AA Region IV with the schools in the AA Piedmont District and the AA...
had only two member schools, both of which were assigned to the Southwest District
AA Southwest District
The AA Southwest District is a high school conference of the Virginia High School League that includes schools from southwestern Virginia, United States. The schools of the Southwest District compete in AA Region IV with the schools in the AA Piedmont District and the AA River Ridge District...
, according to the state's 2007-08 and 2008-09 Final Alignment Plan.
Gate City High School was taken from the Lonesome Pine District and reunited with rival schools Lee and Virginia. The move was necessary to balance the district.
John S. Battle and Lebanon high schools were taken from the Hogoheegee District
A Hogoheegee District
The A Hogoheegee District is a high school conference of the Virginia High School League which draws its members from Southwest Virginia, many from the Bristol, Virginia area of the United States...
of Group A and placed with in the A Clinch Mountain District. Both schools were in Group AA during the early 1990s but have been in Group A for more than a decade. While those schools tried to stay in the Hogoheegee district, the appeals were denied by the Virginia High School League.
2007-2008 District Officers
Chairman: Ina Danko, Virginia High School
Vice-Chairman: Tony Dodi, Lebanon High School
Secretary: Jeff Hawkins, John S. Battle High School
Treasurer: Ina Danko, Virginia High School