Students at Blue Ridge Middle School often come from much smaller schools before entering the sixth grade.

Nine mostly small surrounding elementary schools are “feeder schools” into Blue Ridge. Principal Roberta Griffith said it’s not unusual to have students leave the fifth grade with 50 classmates, and enter sixth grade with close to 600 classmates.

The school tries to keep smaller groups of students together, allowing them to have classes together, take gym together and keep somewhat of a distance from other groups of students.

“We try to keep students in the same area of the school so they can stay together,” Griffith said. “From their perspective it seems smaller.”

Unlike several other middle schools with students from sixth through eighth grades, Blue Ridge only has sixth- and seventh-grade students – but there are 1,100 of them.

About 85 percent of the students passed all of the required SOL tests they took during the 2005-06 school year. The district’s goal is for 90 percent of students to pass each test.

Griffith said teachers work to use technology in their daily lessons, often working side-by-side with a technology resource teacher. The arts also are popular, Griffith said, with 350 students in band class.

Students have several clubs available at the school, including yoga, chess, golf, basketball and guitar clubs. Students also can join a competitive walking class in which they walk before school to see which class can log the most miles.

The school has no ESL program, although students needing such assistance are bused to Simpson Middle School for classes.

Each spring, Blue Ridge students and teachers participate in a spring festival to celebrate academics and the arts. The choir performs, the drama club participates and classrooms are open for parents to see first-hand.

Griffith said the school also has an active PTO.

“The board came on with the goal of making this a more fun place,” she said.

The school is continuing to add activities for students, Griffith said.

She said future plans include maintaining high academic standards and turning a large pond on the school’s campus into an outdoor classroom area.