Virginia
High School League |
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History of the Virginia High School League When members of the Washington and Jefferson Literary Societies at the University of Virginia decided in the fall of 1913 to organize a debating league among the secondary schools of the state, they could not have conceived how their small project would develop, expand and grow into what is now the Virginia High School League. By the fall of 1914, 100 schools were enrolled in the Virginia High School Literary League. Its program was expanded during 1914-15 to include a contest in oral reading, and statewide competition in baseball, basketball and track soon followed. Each activity was governed by a set of standard rules developed by the League which was renamed "The Virginia High School Literary and Athletic League." As membership in the League grew (250 member schools in 1915-16), the duties of maintaining the League were shifted to the university’s Extension Division. Then, in 1926, a Legislative Council was formed to work with the Executive Committee. Members of the Council were chosen from among the principals of member schools. The new single governing agency was more effective, more democratic and more fully representative of all the high schools. This basic organization has essentially been retained ever since. World War II brought a drastic curtailment in the number of statewide meetings and contests, with a loss in school membership of 50 percent in the period of 1941-45. Nevertheless, significant qualitative changes were undertaken. A much-needed reorganization strengthened the League’s central organization and modified the various district organizations to reach and serve all schools more effectively. Progress was reflected in the name change from "The Virginia High School Literary and Athletic League" to "The Virginia High School League." Still further growth and increased services continued into the next decades. In 1951-52, for example, the League began conducting a revised training program for football and basketball game officials, requiring registration and examination of each official. Membership increased in 1969 with the merger of schools from the Virginia Interscholastic Association, an organization which served high schools attended by black youths. Thus the VHSL proudly claimed service to all public schools in the commonwealth. Girls athletics boomed in the latter part of the ‘60s and early ‘70s. District, region and state championships, both individual and team, were offered for girls in a wide range of sports. The League conducted clinics for administrators, coaches and officials as a means to promote girls interscholastic programs. On July 1, 1981, VHSL was incorporated, thus becoming the Virginia High School League, Inc. Continuing its commitment to serving its membership, the League expanded playoffs, implemented a comprehensive liability/catastrophe insurance plan to protect student athletes and activities participants and improved appeals procedures. In 1989, the League moved into its own brand new headquarters building. Today, as we celebrate more than 90 years of progress in education, the VHSL stands tall among organizations in the commonwealth -- serving more than 300 public high schools; conducting state championships in 27 different sports in which more than 165,000 boys and girls participate each year; sponsoring academic programs which involve an additional 25,000 students annually; building a program of student services to support student growth; and representing thousands of administrators, coaches and officials who supervise extracurricular programs. Virginia’s public high schools, through their alliance as the Virginia High School League, serve their youth by establishing and maintaining standards for student activities and competitions that promote education, personal growth, sportsmanship, leadership and citizenship. |