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New "Trailblazer Conference" will include Nebraska City, Plattsmouth and Beatrice
News Channel Nebraska
NEBRASKA CITY - Nebraska City and Plattsmouth will join four other school districts to form the new "Trailblazer Conference" beginning in 2020-21.
The Nebraska City, Plattsmouth, Beatrice, Ralston and Platteview Boards of Education voted to leave their current conferences at recent meetings. Wahoo is expected to vote at its next board meeting on June 17.
"Our six districts saw the rare chance to unite and deepen our relationships athletically, academically, artistically, and across our communities," Plattsmouth Superintendent Dr. Richard Hasty said.
The Blue Devils and Pioneers have been a part of the Eastern Midlands Conference since its inauguration in 1979. The two schools have been conference rivals even before the EMC. They were both members of the Twin Rivers Conference before it was disbanded and eventually led to the creation of the EMC.
The EMC, which is made up of Class B schools, originally included Nebraska City, Plattsmouth, Blair, Syracuse, Platteview, Elkhorn, Gretna, Norris and Waverly. Syracuse was pushed out in 1980.
The conference was last reorganized in 2017 when Platteview left to join the Nebraska Capitol Conference. Bennington would leave the NCC and join the EMC with Blair, Elkhorn, Gretna, Nebraska City, Norris, Plattsmouth and Waverly.
"From activities and fine arts to academics, middle school competitions, and professional development, we envision a new level of collaboration," said former Nebraska City Superintendent Dr. Jeff Edwards.
The EMC has 16 varsity level activities. There has been no word on if any competitive programs will be affected by the move.
Wahoo and Platteview were members of the Nebraska Capitol Conference.
"The students and families we serve have a great deal in common," explained Platteview Superintendent Brett Richards. "We believe the Trailblazer Conference will open new opportunities to collaborate, from students to our senior district leadership."
Beatrice and Ralston have been competing in the River Cities Conference.
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Trailblazer Conference FAQ's with Answers
What is the Trailblazer Conference?
The Trailblazer Conference is a newly-formed educational conference which includes Beatrice, Nebraska City, Plattsmouth, Ralston, Platteview and Wahoo as inaugural members.
When will schools move to the Trailblazer Conference?
All inaugural members will move to the Trailblazer Conference in the fall of 2020. Each school will remain in their current respective conference through the 2019-2020 school year.
Why are we moving to the Trailblazer Conference?
Each school community saw an opportunity to realign with an even
better fit than what we enjoyed before. Members districts see strong similarities in the communities we serve -- in the size of our schools, our demographics, and in our philosophies for what a conference can achieve.
What did you have against your previous conference?
In short, nothing. We enjoyed our time in the current conference. This type of opportunity comes once in a great while to establish something even stronger from the ground up. It is not about
leaving our past conference -- but
building something new.
What can we expect?
Simply put -- good things! The athletic competition will be robust. We're committed to conference-level events for activities and fine arts. Each district prioritizes strong academic performance which opens the door to lots of professional collaboration. Middle school competition opportunities are very exciting for members, which only strengthens the high school activities in the years to follow.
