Bluegrass Conference (Iowa)

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.

Bluegrass Conference School Locations
Bluegrass Conference
Established1939
AssociationIHSAA / IGHSAU
Members12
Sports fielded
  • 13
RegionSouthern Iowa
Websitehttps://www.bluegrassconference.org/

Members
Institution Location Mascot Colors Affiliation 2020-2021 9-11 Enrollment[1]
Ankeny Christian Academy Ankeny Eagles     Private 69
Diagonal Diagonal Maroons     Public 22
Lamoni Lamoni Demons     Public 78
Melcher-Dallas Melcher-Dallas Saints     Public 82
Moravia Moravia Mohawks     Public 88
Mormon Trail Garden Grove Saints     Public 45
Moulton-Udell Moulton Eagles     Public 38
Murray Murray Mustangs       Public 67
Orient-Macksburg Orient Bulldogs     Public 35
Seymour Seymour Warriors     Public 68
Twin Cedars Bussey Sabers     Public 69

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 Humeston 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 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, the conference hosts 4 of the 6 smallest public schools in the state, with Diagonal (26 BEDs), Orient-Macksburg (35 BEDs), Moulton-Udell (38 BEDs), 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]

References
  1. "Iowa High School Athletic Association BEDS Document" (PDF).
  2. https://www.iahsaa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/2020-2021-BEDs-Num-3.18.20.pdf
  3. https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/education/2018/11/28/iowa-christian-academy-west-des-moin-e-were-hoping-miracle-270-00-fundraising-could-close-keep-doors/2141685002/
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