OCE Moves Forward With Sports Co-op

After agreeing to a two-year sports co-op with Clearwater and Ewing, the Orchard board wants more — a six-year commitment.

During Monday’s board meeting, Athletic Director Jim Schutt gave an update on scheduling, practices and potentially adding cross country to the list of sports offered. Schutt met with Clearwater AD Shelly Mlnarik and Ewing AD Greg Appleby recently to begin weaving the teams together as the OC Cyclones and Ewing Tigers become a Class C2 team.

Schutt said Jay Bellar, director of the Nebraska Schools Activities Association, informed them that the organization “can approve the co-op and we don’t have to have a mascot and colors in stone.”

Without a mascot and colors, it’s uncertain what the new OCE teams will wear for uniforms. Schutt said the ADs brainstormed during their meeting about everything from buying new uniforms to rotating home and away with current uniforms. The idea of rotating green and white uniforms with orange and black uniforms met immediate opposition from the Orchard board.

Terra Williby said before spending money on new uniforms, she wants a longer agreement for the sports co-op.

Board members favored a six-year co-op agreement and purchasing new uniforms immediately for the OCE teams. They said if the consolidation passes, the co-op agreement will end because they will be one school. If it fails, the sports co-op will continue.

“If they believe (the consolidation) is going to happen, there shouldn’t be a problem having a longer agreement,” Williby said.

During the Feb. 25 joint meeting, the boards approved a sports co-op to begin this fall for all sports except high school football, which cannot be added until 2020 due to NSAA rules. If a bond passes to build a new school, they will consolidate in June 2020. Principal Cathy Cooper said Orchard, Clearwater and Ewing would share a budget but likely have their own K-12 schools until the new facility opens.


Sports schedules
Schutt said the ADs are looking to “upgrade” their volleyball and basketball schedules since OCE will be Class C2. In volleyball, they dropped a tournament in Ansley to play at Lutheran High Northeast against teams like Blair, South Sioux City and Omaha North. OCE will play Wisner-Pilger and participate in a tournament in Ord but won’t play Osmond or Spalding/Spalding Academy.

In basketball, OCE added Laurel-Concord/Coleridge but won’t play Elba or Allen. The Cyclone Holiday Tournament is also uncertain at this time with only three teams currently committed. Although North Central replaced Elkhorn Valley, the tournament is still down a team since both the Cyclones and Tigers had teams previously. Schutt said St. Mary’s and Stuart are both considering the tournament.

“We’re trying to keep as many conference teams as we can,” Schutt said. “It’s important we’re in a conference and don’t forget those conference opponents.”

Schutt said he was pleased with the scheduling arrangement. Games will be evenly split between the three gyms with practices rotated weekly. He said teams will take advantage of having three large gyms during the basketball season with boys, girls and junior high teams rotating between the three locations. Wrestling will continue to practice at Clearwater.

As for coaching assignments, Schutt said each AD has spoken to coaches about their interest in coaching next year and has shared that information with administrators, who were to meet Tuesday to begin shuffling duties for 2019-20.

“We want to expedite the coaching situation because of summer leagues and team camps,” Schutt said.


Consolidation
Cooper said while a date has not been set for the bond vote, administrators have been given more details on how a special election will work. She said the counties need a 50-day notice before the election and prefer a mail-in ballot rather than opening polls.

Only residents in the three districts — Orchard, Clearwater and Ewing — can vote. Those who own land in the district but reside elsewhere cannot vote. Ballots would be mailed to voters 10-15 days prior to the election and returned to county election commissioners in Antelope and Holt counties by 5 p.m. the day of the election.

The special election can be held during any month, but the date must be the first Tuesday following the second Monday of that month, per state statute.

The three schools are forming a consolidation subcommittee to continue planning for consolidation. Orchard will be represented by Nathan Schwager and Terri Hergert while Marty Kerkman and Steven Thiele will serve for Clearwater. Ewing will meet on Thursday and select their representatives at that time.


Plan B
With a decision on unification between Orchard, Clearwater and Verdigre expected at next week’s Nebraska Unified board meeting, the Orchard board members wrote a statement to give to the Unified board. Williby suggested Orchard pursue unification for another three years (until 2023), so the district has a Plan B if the bond fails.
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“If the bond passes, consolidation trumps any unification,” she said.


Elementary & Ag
Cooper read a letter of resignation from sixth-grade teacher Tami Kufahl, who will be moving to Iowa, with her husband, Pastor David Kuhfal, who has accepting a calling there. She said there are have been 18 applications for the elementary position and seven for the industrial technology position, which will likely be an ag position instead. There have been three interviews for the elementary position with another interview this week. Two people have interviewed for IT/ag position with another expected.