A note from Principal Hill
Dear Dominion Ridge Academy Families,
We are excited to announce that this year’s Silent Auction will take place on May 2nd and 3rd, 2025! To ensure its success, we are seeking donations and volunteers from our wonderful community. All items must be received by April 30th.
To gather a diverse selection of contributions, we are reaching out for donations from both local vendors and talented community members who can provide homemade gifts. Some theme ideas include:
🎂 Baking/Cooking
🎬 Movie Night
💪 Fitness
🌿 Garden
🏖 Beach
💆♀️ Spa
🏕 Camping/Outdoor Adventures
🍷 Wine Country
🏈 Sports Fan
🎨 Crafters
🏡 For the Home
If you’d like to donate an item or volunteer to help, please complete the attached Google Form outlining ways you can assist.
🔗 Silent Auction Volunteer Form
Join Us in making this year’s silent auction a success and thank you in advance for your generosity and support!
Carrie J. Hill, Ed.S.
Principal
Dual Enrollment Coordinator
Upcoming Events
Upcoming Events:
3/13- End of Q3
3/13- Wear Green- Casual Dress Day- Senior Fundraiser
3/19-3/20- Science Fair
Looking Ahead:
4/3-4/6 Senior Missions Trip
4/14-4/21 Spring Break- No School
4/22- Students Return to School
4/26- Prom
From the Office
114795 Dominion Ridge Academy.pdfDOC022825-02282025085938.pdfDOC022825-02282025085949.pdfWill We Have to Make Up Snow Days?
This question comes up every time we have an unusual number of snow days, so let’s clear it up: Most likely, no—unless we get significantly more snow!
Here's why: Accredited schools must meet either 180 school days or 990 instructional hours. At DRA, our school days are longer than average—nearly 7 hours instead of the standard 6.5. This schedule not only works well for us but also provides additional instructional time.
For the 2024-2025 school year, we have:
182 school days
1,266.5 instructional hours (counting full 7-hour days and a few shorter ones)
Even with a traditional 6.5-hour calculation, we still exceed the requirement with 1,006.5 hours.
Since we rarely have half-days, we maximize our instructional time, keeping us well above the required hours. Additionally, thanks to Governor Youngkin’s “State of Emergency” declaration, we don’t need to make up any snow days at this point. If make-up days do become necessary, we will begin with the start of Spring Break.
Ultimately, God is in control of both the weather and our schedule. Hopefully, this helps answer any concerns you may have may have!
Athletics
🏹ARCHERY
Mar. 8th- State Tournament- Doswell VA
🏀 BASKETBALL
Basketball Conditioning will begin on March 5th, 2025 from 4:30-5:30 pm. It will be every Wednesday after school. Please bring a water bottle and prepare to work on conditioning/fundamentals to improve your basketball abilities! For those in drama, you will have practice from 3:30-4:30 pm and then be able to practice with basketball conditioning from 4:30-5:30 pm!
🏈Flag Football
Flag Football open practice will begin next Tuesday, March 4th, 2025. The players will meet in the cafe at 3:30. Please bring your own water bottle and tennis shoes. Practice will then transition to the soccer field once general instructions are given. Practice will conclude at 5 pm and players will need to be picked up at that time. Practice will also be on Thursday next week from 3:30-5 pm as well. Games will be in April and May. Six Games have been scheduled by Mr. Gibson. Three games will be home and three games will be away. Schedules will be handed out by Coach VanCuren once it is determined who is on the team.
For any questions or interest please contact Coach Gibson directly at jgibson@dominionridgek12.com.
Calendar - Changes to practices will be communicated via this email group, however feel free to visit our school calendar for confirmation. https://dominionridgeacademy.com/calendar/
High School- Announcement Board
Rotary 7570 District Conference!
Who: All District 7570 Interact Clubs
What: Presentations from Rotary (youth-focused), lunch included, a special Interact presentation, and an Interact service project.
Where: The Skelton Inn at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA
When: April 5th, 9 am - 3 pm
Why: Connect with Rotary, Network with other Interact clubs, & Celebrate another year of service!
Cost: $10/person, but the Rotary clubs will pay our registration fees!
Registration closes on Monday, March 3rd - you can register your high schooler at this link!
I realize that this is the same week as the senior missions trip, but 9-11th graders are encouraged to attend this wonderful opportunity fostering youth leadership.
A chaperone will be in attendance and transportation is available with enough interest. If your child is interest in attending or you have any questions, please reach out asap as the deadline to save our spots is approaching.
For more information on your Rotary Interact Club visit: https://www.rotary7570.org/interact/
Thank you for letting your high schoolers serve through the Interact Club this year!
Dana Winner
Rotary Interact Advisor
Valley Internship Connect - For Employers 3.26.25.pdf
2025 Spring Senior Missions Trip
We are excited to share an incredible opportunity for our senior class: a senior missions trip. This trip is a chance for us to step outside our comfort zones and make a tangible impact on communities in need. We’ll be serving, building relationships, and spreading hope through the Appalachia Service Project, helping to rebuild from Hurricane Helene. Not only will this trip make a difference in the lives of others, but it will also deepen our understanding of the world and strengthen the bonds among our senior class. It’s about leaving a legacy of compassion and service as we wrap up this chapter of our lives. I hope you'll consider joining us on this life-changing journey by giving using the link below.
"As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace..." 1 Peter 4:10
Now Open! 2025/26 Laurel Ridge Foundation Scholarships
The priority date is March 31st for the first round of awarding—applications will still be accepted after this date passes.
The application takes less than 10 minutes and automatically applies students to the scholarships they are eligible for.
Greetings from Virginia Tech!
Applications for Virginia Tech's 9th annual Black College Institute (BCI) are now live! We invite high-achieving and intellectually curious rising high school juniors and seniors to apply and participate in this summer academic leadership program!
This year's BCI will be offered fully in person at Virginia Tech's main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. This residential program will offer one session for rising juniors and two sessions for rising seniors.
Current sophomores are encouraged to apply for the rising juniors session taking place June 29- July 02, 2025.
Current juniors are encouraged to apply for one of the rising seniors sessions taking place June 15- June 18, 2025, OR June 22- June 25, 2025. You can only participate in one of the two sessions.
All programs are FREE of cost to students!
Application closes: March 21, 2025
Notification of acceptance: April 25, 2025
Confirm attendance: May 09, 2025
Unofficial Transcripts due: May 09, 2025
Benefits of attending BCI*:
Virginia Tech application fee waiver
BCI T-shirt
Peer mentorship, networking, and friendships
College admissions advising
Overview of financing college attendance/higher education
Exposure to the African American student experience at Virginia Tech
Live Q & A with the seven Virginia Tech Colleges
Completion of an interactive and education group project focused on the African-American experience.
*All benefits will be extended to those who successfully complete the program.
Virginia Tech Partners Participating:
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, College of Architecture, Arts, and Design, Pamplin College of Business, College of Engineering, College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, College of Natural Resources and Environment, College of Science, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, and other campus departments and local organizations.
For more information about the Black College Institute, visit vt.edu/admissions/black-college-institute or email bci@vt.edu.
Menah Pratt, JD, PhD
Vice President for Strategic Affairs and Vice Provost for Inclusion and Diversity
Professor, School of Education
Kayla Nichols
Interim Associate Vice Provost for Enrollment Management and
Director of Undergraduate Admissions
From the Kitchen
Every Rada purchase made using the link below helps our group! THANK YOU!
There will be heat ups allowed and the regular options of chicken nuggets, corn dog and PBJ will be available to order.
Please send a refillable water bottle in with your child. There are two filtered water fountains on-site for their convenience.
Please have daily lunch orders in by 9 AM for same-day ordering. Feel free to email bherndon@dominionridgek12.com if you will miss this deadline. Place your order here.
PLEASE DO NOT SEND HEAT-UP LUNCHES IN GLASS CONTAINERS
New with tag sample Tommy Hilfiger clothes for sale in the Finance office
Contact Mrs. Knapp at hknapp@dominionridgek12.com
2 Cotton Tshirts - YXL - Royal blue, black - $8 ea
5 Gym Shirts - AS, AL, (5) YM - $10 ea
1 A-line skirt - Y(12) - Khaki - $ 25 ea
Pleated skirts - Y(12) - Navy, Khaki - $25 ea
Girls Khaki pants - Y(12) - $20
Girls light blue long-sleeve blouse - Y(14) - $18
Girls white short sleeve polo - YM(8) - $10
Little Girls navy short sleeve polo dress - 6 - $25
Boys Khaki pants - Y straight(10) - $15
Boys Navy pants - Y reg(14) - $25
Bowing t-shirts - YS(red), AS(gray) - 10 ea
3 short sleeve polo shirts/no logo - 2 Royal blue YS(5-6), white YL(10/12), Black YL(14/16)-$15 ea
Black long-sleeve polo shirt/no logo - YL(14/16) - $15
