Blacksburg High School


Blacksburg High School is a high school in the Montgomery County public school division. The school serves the town of Blacksburg, Virginia and surrounding areas of the county.

History

The first Blacksburg High School was located in the former Blacksburg Female Academy building downtown on the block between Draper Road on the east and Otey Street on the west; and between Roanoke and Jackson Streets. The Female academy was created in the 1840s by an act of the Virginia General Assembly. By 1908, the Female Academy had closed and the town had established public school at that location. A yearbook and other published data bearing the name Blacksburg High School exists from the time when the school occupied the Female Academy building. In 1916, a dedicated high school building was constructed in the same block adjacent to Otey Street. Photographs in the Virginia Tech collection from the 20s and 40s show this building and the structure itself bears a cornerstone dated 1916. Today the building is owned and used by Virginia Tech.
In the 1930s a dedicated Elementary School building was constructed on the corner of Roanoke Street and Draper Road. In the early 1950s, the Female Academy building was finally demolished.
The third Blacksburg High School was constructed in 1952 and was located on South Main Street in Blacksburg, VA, The fourth Blacksburg High School was built in 1974. After moving out, the old building housed Blacksburg Middle School, but Blacksburg High School still returned to use the football stadium behind their original building until a new stadium was constructed in October 2008 behind the new Blacksburg Middle School. The original Blacksburg High School building was demolished in the Summer of 2011, 7 years after the middle school moved out.
In 2002 the mascot of Blacksburg High School was changed from the Indian to the Bruin after extensive debate and controversy. The corresponding middle school mascot, the Brave, was changed to the Titan.
On February 13, 2010 following a snowstorm which dropped two feet of snow on the area, the gymnasium roof on the previously occupied Blacksburg High School suffered a catastrophic structural failure and collapsed, causing structural damage to other areas of the school. The school building was condemned and students attended night school on a split schedule with the Blacksburg Middle School students at their school for the remainder of the year. It was determined that repair costs would exceed $18 million and would not be feasible given the age of the school; it was decided not to repair the building. Before the school year of 2013-14 Blacksburg High School was operating on a normal schedule out of the Blacksburg Middle School building on 3109 Prices Fork Road, and the middle schoolers were going to school in the old Christiansburg Middle School.
The new school building is located at 3401 Bruin Lane, behind the current Blacksburg Middle School and Bill Brown Football Stadium. It opened in the 2013 fall semester.

Academic recognition

The Newsweek list of "America's Top Public High Schools" lists Blacksburg High School at 617 for 2012, which was down from 2011 where the school ranked 384. Blacksburg High School was ranked at 422 for 2009 while the highest ranking for 2008 was 227. Blacksburg High School was ranked 164 in 2003. This status is based partially upon how many Blacksburg High School students elect to take the Advanced Placement Exams.

Athletics and extracurriculars

Blacksburg High School is a member of the Virginia High School League and competes in the AAA River Ridge District, a district in Region IV of Group AA. Blacksburg formerly competed in the Group AA Blue Ridge District, which it had joined when the AA New River Valley District dissolved. Blacksburg has also captured the Wachovia Cup, the VHSL's award for overall excellence in athletics for the academic years 1989-90, 1990–91, 1992–93, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10, and 2011-12.

Soccer

Blacksburg won state championships in boys' soccer in the following years: 1989, 1993, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2013, and 2018 This is more state championships than any other high school in Virginia by far. The boys soccer team were also state runners-up in 1990, 1992, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.
The 2002 and 2007 seasons resulted with 23 wins which is the record for second-most wins in a season in Virginia. Blacksburg is currently second for most consecutive wins with 64 from 1998 to 2001.
Additionally, Blacksburg holds the record for the longest unbeaten streak with 87 wins from 1998–2001. The 1999 season has the second-highest goal differential of any season with 103. The 2015 team holds the record for most shutouts in a season with 19, while the 1999 teams holds the record for the lowest average goals scored against with 0.18 goals per game.
The Blacksburg Girls Soccer program has a state record 63 straight games unbeaten including the state championship in 2014, 2015, and 2016.

Tennis

Blacksburg were State Champions in 2015, and State Finalists in 2014, 2016, and 2017.

Football

Blacksburg High School won state championships in 1977,1978, 1989, and 2016.

Basketball

Blacksburg High School won state championships in boys' basketball in class IB for 1965 and 1978. The girls won state championships for girls' basketball in 1978, 1982, 1992, 1993, and 2002.

Swimming

Blacksburg High School won state championships in boys' swimming in class 4A in 2019 and 2020. The girls were runner up in 2020, 2019 and 2016.

Cross Country

The cross country program has won 25 state championships and 11 runner-up state finishes. The Bruin boys won state championships for cross country in 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1998, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. The Blacksburg boys have the state record with the most state championships. The boys were also state runners-up in 1963, 1971, 1973, 2008, 2014 and 2015. Additionally, the girls won state championships in cross country in 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1992, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015. The girls were state runners-up in 1980, 81, 2005, 2009 and 2010. In 2009, 2013, 2014 the Blacksburg girls xc team was invited to the Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, OR. The girls were 6th nationally in 2009, 31st in 2013, 7th in 2014. The girls also won the Nike Southeast Championships in North Carolina in 2012 the Blacksburg Boys finished 10th at nationals. The Roanoke Times has awarded Blacksburg athletes with the Cross Country Athlete of the Year several times.

Track

State championships for boys' outdoor track were won in 1949, 1981, and 1982. The boys were second in 2013, 2014. State championships for girls' outdoor track were won in 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1990, 1991, 1993, 2009, 2010, and 2014. Blacksburg is ranked #1 for team records for most championships in girls' outdoor track & field for Virginia with ten. Blacksburg also holds state championships in boys' indoor track 1972 and in 2013. They were second in 2010, 2014 and 2015. Girls' indoor track in 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015. Blacksburg has five indoor state meet records in the boys 4x800, boys 1600 and 1000 meter runs and in the girls 1600 and 3200 meter runs. The Blacksburg Boys won the Nike Indoor Nationals 4xmile in 2010. In 2014 the Blacksburg Boys 4x800 ran the US #5 time in US history in the 4x800 and ran 7:37 in the outdoor season for the #2 time in the nation that year. The Blacksburg girls Distance Medley Relay team broke the national high school record at the New Balance Nationals winning in 11:31. Those records have since been broken. Blacksburg has both Virginia AA state meet records in the 4x800 and the girls 3200 meter run. The girls 4xmile team in 2014 Indoor season won the national title in New York.

Golf

Blacksburg also has state championships in golf in 1969, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2016.

Band

The BHS Band program is one of the best in the state of Virginia - a 27 time Honor Band. The marching band competes at the AAA Level.

Choir

Blacksburg High School has always offered a variety of vocal musical experiences to its students and alumni. The select vocal ensemble, "Madrigal Singers” along with “Women’s Chorale” and “ManBand” consistently earn superior ratings at VCDA District Performance Assessment.

Theatre

Blacksburg High School is home to thespian troupe 3600. In spring of 2014, BHS Theater put on Legally Blonde. Since then, students have performed Into the Woods, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin Jr., and Annie Get Your Gun, among with other notable plays and musicals.

Forensics and debate

The team won a string of district and regional championships between 1981-1985 that included state championships every year between 1981-1985. From 1988 to 2003 the school won 15 consecutive Group AA state titles in forensics, "the longest unbroken chain of championships in VHSL history". In 1999 the combined speech and debate teams were named one of the top five teams in the country at the National Catholic League Tournament in Chicago. The school has students qualifying to national level competition annually, and has had several national champions in the extemporaneous speaking category. The debate team currently consists of 4 divisions: Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Policy Debate, Public Forum Debate, and Student Congress. The debate team won the 2007 VHSL Group AA state title, against opponents including Potomac Falls and Charlottesville. The debate team also won the 2010 VHSL Group AA state title, winning AA Student Congress and AA Contemporary Policy Debate and semifinaling in Classic Policy Debate.

Academic competition

MACC

is a high school quiz bowl league of the Academic Competition for Excellence.
The math and all-around teams finished first for the season in the eastern division. The science and social studies teams finished 2nd for the season, and the English team finished 4th.
The math team finished 2nd in the tournament, and because they were the season winners, they will participate in Super MACC on March 26, 2007. The science team finished 1st in the tournament, making them also eligible to participate in Super MACC. The all-around team will also go to the Super MACC because they finished first in the season.
The 2007 MACC season was officially over on March 26, 2007 after the Super MACC. The Blacksburg Math and Science MACC teams took the gold trophy home with very close matches. The all-around team finished second in the tournament.

VHSL Scholastic Bowl

Blacksburg won the state championship in the scholastic bowl in 1999 and again in 2010. They tied for 97th in the NAQT National Competition in 2017, their highest ever finish.

Science

Susanne Dana won the Teacher of the Year award in 2008. Dana is a Chemistry teacher at BHS. She attended a ceremonial conference where she was presented with a plaque to honor her creative and enthusiastic approach to teaching students.

Notable alumni