The A Pioneer District is a high school conference in the state of Virginia that comprises high schools located in
Southwest Virginia
Southwest Virginia, often abbreviated as SWVA, is a mountainous region of Virginia in the westernmost part of the commonwealth. Located within the broader region of western Virginia, Southwest Virginia has been defined alternatively as all Vir ...
History
The District was originally composed of small schools in the Allegany Highlands and northern and western
Roanoke Valley
The Roanoke Valley ( ) in southwest Virginia 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 ...
. In 2017, the VHSL shuffled many districts, including the Three Rivers, because of demographic changes. In an effort to have schools of similar size competing in the same districts,
James River
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...
, who had largely dominated the district and had by far the largest enrollment, was shifted to 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 ...
. To replace the Knights, Eastern Montgomery High School of the Three Rivers District and Narrows High School of the
Mountain Empire District
The A Mountain Empire District is a high school conference of the Virginia High School League which draws its members from Southwest Virginia, west of the Roanoke metropolitan area.
The schools in the Mountain Empire District compete in A Regio ...
shifted to the Pioneer.
Geographic makeup
The Pioneer District comprises high schools in the Alleghany Highlands and the
Roanoke,
New River, and southern
Shenandoah Valleys. This Alleghany Highlands is probably best known for being the home of or at least nearby five-star vacation resorts such as
The Homestead and
The Greenbrier
The Greenbrier is a luxury resort located in the Allegheny Mountains near White Sulphur Springs in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, in the United States.
Since 1778, visitors have traveled to this part of the state to "take the waters" of the ...
, the latter which is in
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...
.
Although the schools in the Pioneer District are very small in size, most of its members do field teams in most of the sports offered 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 ...
. One notable exception to this is football, with
Highland High School not participating because of its small enrollment. The largest school in the Pioneer District is Parry McCluer High School, located in
Buena Vista, Virginia
Buena Vista ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city located in the Blue Ridge Mountains region of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 6,641. The Bureau of Econ ...
(with about 365 students), and the smallest is Highland, located in
Monterey, Virginia
Monterey is a town in Highland County, Virginia, United States. The population was 147 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Highland County.
History
The selection of Monterey as the county seat of Highland County in 1847 was associated ...
. Due to its size, Parry McCluer has dominated most of the district's sports in recent years, culminating with their winning of 5 state football championships. .
Regional and state competition
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. The Pioneer District is fairly unique when compared to other local districts as all members complete in Class 1, Region C (as of 2022).:
Member schools
Former Members
References
External links
PMHS HomepageBCHS HomepageCCHS HomepageJRHS Homepage HHS Homepage
{{A Region C
Virginia High School League