Bluegrass Conference (Iowa)
Encyclopedia
The Bluegrass Conference is a high school
sports league
in Iowa
. Located in southern Iowa, the conference is home to some of the smallest schools in the state, including the smallest public school in Iowa.
joined the conference in 1960, as Osceola departed. In 1962, 4 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 adding 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 kids 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, Diagonal is the smallest public school in the state, with just 35 in its high school. 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).
Despite the enrollment figures, all schools but Diagonal 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
.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
sports league
Sports league
League is a term commonly used to describe a group of sports teams or individual athletes that compete against each other in a specific sport. At its simplest, it may be a local group of amateur athletes who form teams among themselves and compete on weekends; at its most complex, it can be an...
in Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
. Located in southern Iowa, the conference is home to some of the smallest schools in the state, including the smallest public school in Iowa.
Current Members as of 2010
- Twin Cedars (at Bussey)Community Schools
- Diagonal Community Schools (Smallest School District in Iowa)
- Lamoni Community Schools
- Melcher-Dallas Community Schools
- Moravia Community Schools
- Mormon Trail Community Schools
- Moulton-Udell Community Schools
- Murray Community School
- Seymour Community Schools
History
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 HumestonHumeston, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 494 in the city, with a population density of . There were 294 housing units, of which 234 were occupied. -2000 census:...
joined the conference in 1960, as Osceola departed. In 1962, 4 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:
- Lamoni Community Schools
- Melcher-Dallas Schools
- Moravia Community Schools
- Mormon Trail Community Schools
- Wayne Community Schools
- S.E. Warren Community Schools
- Central Decatur (of Leon) Community Schools
- Seymour Community Schools
After adding losing some of the bigger schools to other conferences
Athletic conference
An athletic conference is a collection of sports teams, playing competitively against each other at the professional, collegiate, or high school level. In many cases conferences are subdivided into smaller and smaller divisions, with the best teams competing at successively higher levels...
, 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
Milton, Iowa
Milton is a city in Van Buren County, Iowa, United States. The population was 550 at the 2000 census. The town was founded by settlers from Milton, Delaware in 1844.-Geography:Milton is located at ....
closed its doors after the district voted to shut down the school and allow the kids 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, Diagonal is the smallest public school in the state, with just 35 in its high school. 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).
9th-11th Enrollment figures
The State of Iowa uses the number of students in 9th grade through 11th grade to determine athletic class. Additionally, these numbers help to decide state funding and give the state an idea of the high school numbers for the next year. The following are the official 2010 numbers:- 25—Diagonal Community Schools
- 54—Seymour Community Schools
- 56—Moulton-Udell Community Schools
- 59—Mormon Trail Community Schools
- 74—Murray Community Schools
- 80—Moravia Community Schools
- 80—Lamoni Community Schools
- 85—Melcher-Dallas Community Schools
- 125—Twin Cedars (at Bussey) Community Schools
Despite the enrollment figures, all schools but Diagonal play football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, fielding 8-man teams
Eight-man football
Eight-man football is a type of American football, generally played by small high schools. Rules and formations vary greatly among states and even among different organizations, but the one constant is eight players from each team on the field at one time, as opposed to eleven-man football, which...
. Before Russell and Fox Valley shut down, they also played 8-man football. Most of the schools also field teams in baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, and track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
.