James River High School (JRHS) is a Group-2A-size

public high school State schools (in England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand) or public schools (Scottish English and North American English) are generally primary or secondary schools that educate all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in pa ...

Buchanan, Virginia Buchanan ( ) is a town in Botetourt County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,196 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was the western terminus of the James River and Kanawha Canal when cons ...

. It serves the northern part of

Botetourt County Botetourt County ( ) is a US county that lies in the Roanoke Region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Located in the mountainous portion of the state, the county is bordered by two major ranges, the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Appalachian Mount ...

, including the towns of Buchanan,

Eagle Rock Eagle Rock may refer to: Entertainment * "Eagle Rock" (song), a hit single in 1971 by Australian band Daddy Cool * "Eagle Rock", a song by Motörhead * Eagle Rock Entertainment, a record label Places * Eagle Rock (formation), in California * Eag ...

, Fincastle, and Springwood. James River was founded in 1959 with the consolidation of the Buchanan, Eagle Rock, and Fincastle high schools.

FFA Organization

In June 2017, the James River FFA Chapter was named the #1 FFA Chapter in Virginia through the National Chapter Award. In October 2017, the chapter was named as a Model of Excellence Finalist and one of the top 10 FFA Chapters in the country.

Sports

James River athletes are referred to as the "Knights" and they compete in the

Three Rivers District Three Rivers is a local government district in southwest Hertfordshire, England. Its council is based in Rickmansworth. The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by the merger of Rickmansworth Urban District ...

against similarly sized schools in the Roanoke and New River Valleys. James River is classified as a Class 2, Region C school by the

Virginia High School League 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 sta ...

for Regional and State competitions. The Knights have captured four Group A State Championships in Women's Softball in 2003, 2004, 2006, and 2011. Pitcher

Angela Tincher Angela Tincher O'Brien (born Angela Susan Tincher; December 16, 1985) is an American, former collegiate All-American, retired professional All-Star softball pitcher and coach. She most recently served as the pitching coach at Virginia Tech. She ...

graduated from James River before having an All-American college career and playing professional softball. The Knights also won states in Group A Men's Basketball in 2010. James River has a successful volleyball team, winning the State Championship in 2010.

Drama

JRHS advanced to the Virginia State Theatre Competition in Charlottesville in 2007. The "Knightly" players won second in the Region C Theatre Competition earlier in November 2007.

Marching band

The James River Marching Knight Band is under the direction of Kevin English. The Marching Knights participate in many competitions in and out of state and have received honors, such as Band of the Day at the Lord Botetourt Cavalier Classic in 2016. Past Shows include: Minutes to Midnight (2010), Rock 'n Roll Road Trip (2011), Blues Brothers (2012), We Will Rock You (2013), Pirate Radio (2014), Power of Love (2015), Man of Steel (2016), Grimm Tales (2017), Les Miserables (2018), and Time After Time (2019).

Notable alumni

Akron Racers The Akron Racers were a women's softball team based in Akron, Ohio. They have moved to Cleveland and been renamed the Cleveland Comets in 2018. The team was started by Joey Arietta in 1999 to participate in the Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL). ...

professional softball pitcher *

Matthew Ramsey Matthew Thomas Ramsey (born October 21, 1977) is an American country music singer and songwriter who is the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of his band Old Dominion, with several hit songs on country radio to his credit. Early life Ramsey gr ...

, songwriter and lead vocalist of

Old Dominion Old Dominion most commonly refers to: *The Old Dominion, a nickname for the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia ** Colony of Virginia *Old Dominion University, a public university in Norfolk, Virginia **Old Dominion Monarchs, the athletic teams represe ...

References

__FORCETOC__ {{authority control Public high schools in Virginia Educational institutions established in 1959 Schools in Botetourt County, Virginia 1959 establishments in Virginia