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Bluegrass Conference (Iowa)

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Bluegrass Conference (Iowa) is located in Iowa
Bluegrass Conference (Iowa)
Bluegrass Conference (Iowa)
Bluegrass Conference (Iowa)
Bluegrass Conference (Iowa)
Bluegrass Conference (Iowa)
Bluegrass Conference (Iowa)
Bluegrass Conference (Iowa)
Bluegrass Conference (Iowa)
Bluegrass Conference (Iowa)
Bluegrass Conference (Iowa)
Bluegrass Conference (Iowa)
Bluegrass Conference School Locations
Bluegrass Conference
ConferenceIHSAA / IGHSAU
Founded1939
Sports fielded
  • 13
No. of teams11
RegionSouth Central Iowa
Official websitehttps://www.bluegrassconference.org/

The Bluegrass Conference is a high school sports league in Iowa. Located in South-central Iowa, the conference is home to some of the smallest schools in the state, including two of the smallest public schools in Iowa (Diagonal and Moulton-Udell).

Members

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Institution Location Mascot Colors Affiliation 2024-2025

BEDS[1]

Ankeny Christian Academy Ankeny Eagles     Private 109
Diagonal Diagonal Maroons     Public 18
Grand View Christian School Des Moines Thunder         Private 178
Lamoni Lamoni Demons     Public 62
Melcher-Dallas Melcher-Dallas Saints     Public 79
Moravia Moravia Mohawks     Public 98
Mormon Trail Garden Grove Saints     Public 48
Moulton-Udell Moulton Eagles     Public 39
Murray Murray Mustangs       Public 66
Orient-Macksburg Orient Bulldogs     Public 29
Seymour Seymour Warriors     Public 47
Twin Cedars Bussey Sabers     Public 81

History

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The conference originated before 1960. Some of the members in the early days included Osceola, Bedford, Mount Ayr, Lamoni, Seymour, Corydon, and Leon. Lenox and Mormon Trail of Humeston joined the conference in 1960, as Osceola departed. In 1962, four schools left the conference to join the newly formed Tall Corn Conference. This left the conference with Lamoni, Leon, Mormon Trail, Corydon, Seymour, and Moravia. As the years went by, some schools changed names and Southeast Warren and Melcher-Dallas joined the conference, so that by 1990 the conference looked like this:

After losing some of the bigger schools to other conferences, the Bluegrass reached out to many of the smaller schools in the area. These new schools were some of the smallest in the state. The Bluegrass Conference operated with 12 teams for a while, but with three schools having been shut down in recent years, the conference is now left with just nine schools. In 2002, Fox Valley Community School in Milton closed its doors, after the district voted to shut down the school and allow the pupils to open enroll where they wished. The next casualty came in 2008, when Russell became the first public school to be shut down by the state in over a decade. East Monona had been the most recent. Then, in 2010, Lineville-Clio was closed by the state. Currently, the conference hosts four of the six smallest public schools in the state, with Diagonal (26 BEDs), Orient-Macksburg (35), Moulton-Udell (38), and Mormon Trail (45).[2] Not all conference schools are in as bad of shape when it comes to enrollment numbers, but all schools are easily in the 1A classification (the smallest classification for schools in Iowa).

Starting in the 2013–14 academic year, the following schools joined the conference:

Despite the enrollment figures, all schools but Diagonal and Orient-Macksburg play football, fielding 8-man teams. Before Russell and Fox Valley shut down, they also played 8-man football. Most of the schools also field teams in baseball, softball, volleyball, basketball, and track and field.

Iowa Christian Academy officials announced on November 28, 2018, that the school would close. Students were encouraged to attend Grandview Christian School.[3]

On June 11, 2024, Orient-Macksburg School Board voted to dissolve the school district, citing low enrollment, staffing issues, and financial shortfalls.[4][5] This will effectively remove them from the conference.

References

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  1. ^ "IHSAA: Classifications".
  2. ^ "IOWA BEDS DOCUMENT: NUMERICAL : 2019-2020 Enrollments : Grades 9, 10, 11" (PDF). Iahsaa.org. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  3. ^ "Iowa Christian Academy: "We're hoping for that miracle" of $270,000". Desmoinesregister.com.
  4. ^ "Orient-Macksburg residents uncertain of future after school district decides to fold". 12 June 2024.
  5. ^ "Orient-Macksburg officials move forward with plan to close Iowa school district".
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