So this is happening

[northeastNebraska]

I wonder how this will effect the Humphrey-Lindsay Holy Family cooperative in football. Humphrey just gets left out to dry?

It impacts them from being D1 to now having D2 numbers. LHF only had 9 boys in their 9-11 count for the new cycle. 42 vs 33. Not sure how many of the 9 played football.

I believe Humphrey High will continue to gain more kids in the 6-9 grades over the next few years because they will want to keep playing sports with Humphrey High kids.

 

[hailvictors2]

It impacts them from being D1 to now having D2 numbers. LHF only had 9 boys in their 9-11 count for the new cycle. 42 vs 33. Not sure how many of the 9 played football.

I believe Humphrey High will continue to gain more kids in the 6-9 grades over the next few years because they will want to keep playing sports with Humphrey High kids.

So yes, Humphrey gets left out to dry for the time being. That's pretty awful leadership from LHF. Cooperatives could be changed all the way up to November 30th I think. They wait until 3 weeks after that to make this decision? Or, more likely, announce it. If we are being real, this was a decision that was made long ago. Appalling.

 

[IrishSlayer97]

It impacts them from being D1 to now having D2 numbers. LHF only had 9 boys in their 9-11 count for the new cycle. 42 vs 33. Not sure how many of the 9 played football.

I believe Humphrey High will continue to gain more kids in the 6-9 grades over the next few years because they will want to keep playing sports with Humphrey High kids.

Not gonna a change a thing. No Lindsay high school kids are going to St Francis. All will attend either Humphrey High or Newman Grove. Humphrey High will still have the same numbers. Some families already transferred.

 

[bullhusk]

It appears that the majority of Humphrey people have just now caught wind of the news… Facebook is on fire right now. 🤣

 

[bullhusk]

So yes, Humphrey gets left out to dry for the time being. That's pretty awful leadership from LHF. Cooperatives could be changed all the way up to November 30th I think. They wait until 3 weeks after that to make this decision? Or, more likely, announce it. If we are being real, this was a decision that was made long ago. Appalling.

The “leadership” from LHF had no say. The school is being forced closed.

The interesting dynamic will be how will Lindsay manufacturing respond? They’re the ones that kept that school open this long. Will they help fund the new Lindsay Academy?

 

[Yossarian23]

Update from a letter to parishioners at St. Francis and Holy Family on 12-27-23.

Biggest takeaway.

At the conclusion of the 2023-2024 school year, both Humphrey St. Francis Junior and Senior High School and Lindsay Holy Family Junior and Senior High School will close. Those entities will cease to exist. A new junior and senior Catholic high school will then open in the fall, 2024, on the Humphrey campus, with a newname and a new mascot. Thank you for agreeing to submit to me suggestions for the school’s name and mascot, so that I can make a choice based on your local input.

12-27 Letter

My question...does this new school just replace Humphrey St. Francis in D2-3 and on the Football schedules to be released in February?

 

[runningback43]

My question...does this new school just replace Humphrey St. Francis in D2-3 and on the Football schedules to be released in February?

Will the NSAA combine the enrollments of HSF and LHF and will that number knock them out of D2? If not then I’d guess the new school would just take HSF’s spot in that district.

 

[bullhusk]

Will the NSAA combine the enrollments of HSF and LHF and will that number knock them out of D2? If not then I’d guess the new school would just take HSF’s spot in that district.

Again, NO! Holy Family is no longer a school! There is no enrollment to combine with. They’ll close permanently at the end of this school year.

 

[runningback43]

Again, NO! Holy Family is no longer a school! There is no enrollment to combine with. They’ll close permanently at the end of this school year.

I understand that they won’t exist anymore, but the new school will have to have an enrollment number when school starts up next fall. I believe in the past the NSAA has combined the enrollments of schools that are merging. In essence this is what is happening. LHF and HSF are consolidating.

 

[bullhusk]

I understand that they won’t exist anymore, but the new school will have to have an enrollment number when school starts up next fall. I believe in the past the NSAA has combined the enrollments of schools that are merging. In essence this is what is happening. LHF and HSF are consolidating.

I guess that’s true…. However, all of the people I’ve talked to have said that no kid from LHF will be attending the new school.

 

[Llama57]

Not gonna a change a thing. No Lindsay high school kids are going to St Francis. All will attend either Humphrey High or Newman Grove. Humphrey High will still have the same numbers. Some families already transferred.

Wow... Didn't realize the good Catholic educations varied that much. Doesn't seem like a very Christian thing to have that bad of blood towards HSF...

 

[runningback43]

Wow... Didn't realize the good Catholic educations varied that much. Doesn't seem like a very Christian thing to have that bad of blood towards HSF...

Seems like the majority of public school consolidations are accepted better than this one is being accepted. Catholic education must be better in one town than it is in the other town.

 

[EndzoneView]

HSF football number is already locked in for the next 2 years. They could gain a 100 boys (an exaggeration I know) before next school year and it wouldn’t matter. It could in theory effect vball, basketball and track

 

[ftball95]

It appears that the majority of Humphrey people have just now caught wind of the news… Facebook is on fire right now. 🤣

I haven't seen much on facebook, where are you seeing this at?

 

[bullhusk]

I haven't seen much on facebook, where are you seeing this at?

Quite a few alumni are posting pictures, quotes, meeting plans, general frustrations…. Etc….

 

[Yossarian23]

HSF football number is already locked in for the next 2 years. They could gain a 100 boys (an exaggeration I know) before next school year and it wouldn’t matter. It could in theory effect vball, basketball and track

But according to the letter, there will be no Humphrey St. Francis. Both high schools will cease to exist and a new one created in their place.

That to me is what makes this interesting.

I'm not sure what language is used with a normal consolidation, but I imagine those are more "merging" or "joining" to create something new.

Maybe I'm wrong and "Howells" and "Dodge" ceased to exist to create Howells-Dodge, but this wording just seems different.

 

[northeastNebraska]

But according to the letter, there will be no Humphrey St. Francis. Both high schools will cease to exist and a new one created in their place.

That to me is what makes this interesting.

I'm not sure what language is used with a normal consolidation, but I imagine those are more "merging" or "joining" to create something new.

Maybe I'm wrong and "Howells" and "Dodge" ceased to exist to create Howells-Dodge, but this wording just seems different.

Correct on the Howells and Dodge example. Both "closed" and formed Howells-Dodge. Just the same as this is with HSF and LHF.

Granted, the new name for this new school, as of right now, probably won't have Humphrey or St. Francis tied to it. And no Flyer mention either, which is the biggest hang up in why HSF parents, alumni and supporters are not happy today. If the new school was to be named Holy Family-St. Francis Academy or something like that with Flyers as the mascot, their would not be such an outcry.

 

[northeastNebraska]

I haven't seen much on facebook, where are you seeing this at?

The Humphrey St. Francis school page on Facebook has quite a few comments on the post about the letter.

 

[Yossarian23]

Correct on the Howells and Dodge example. Both "closed" and formed Howells-Dodge. Just the same as this is with HSF and LHF.

Granted, the new name for this new school, as of right now, probably won't have Humphrey or St. Francis tied to it. And no Flyer mention either, which is the biggest hang up in why HSF parents, alumni and supporters are not happy today. If the new school was to be named Holy Family-St. Francis Academy or something like that with Flyers as the mascot, their would not be such an outcry.

I get that maybe I'm into the weeds with semantics, but I don't think its exactly the same.

I tried to do some digging to better understand consolidations, and it looks like some (maybe most) work like this one (districts dissolve, create a new one). Examples I can find of these on the "Cumulative List of District Dissolutions" include Johnson County Central (Tecumseh and Nemaha Valley dissolved), Summerland (Clearwater, Ewing and Orchard dissolved), Boyd County (Spencer-Naper and Butte dissolved into West Boyd which then dissolved along with Lynch), Creek Valley, Central Valley, DC West, etc.

However, Howells and Dodge are not listed as dissolved districts.

This PDF is not all inclusive, as it only includes dissolved districts from 1991-2023. But it does include the time period that Howells-Dodge was created. So Howells and Dodge appear to be more of a merge reorganization, in that they didn't dissolve but rather their two wholes combined into something new.

Another couple that buck the above trend are Laurel-Concord-Coleridge and Hartington-Newcastle. According to the document Coleridge was dissolved into LCC, but Laurel-Concord was not...which to me implies that LCC is a renamed LC that absorbed Coleridge. Newcastle dissolved into H-N, but Hartington did not.

Given the time frame, it would be interesting to see how older ones (Conestoga, Scribner-Snyder, etc) did or did not include dissolution.

Anyway...I don't know what digression into dissolutions means for D2-3 football, but I found it interesting.

School Reorganization – Nebraska Department of Education

www.education.ne.gov

 

[TC53]

Nebraska has both consolidations and unifications which are different on whether each school still has a board.

Separate from that some new schools feel like a new combination and others feel like an absorption by one district into a stronger district.

We are unfamiliar with Catholic school consolidations like this because they haven't happened in a long time. There was a stretch in the late 50s/early 60s when there were many and Aquinas, Norfolk Catholic, GICC, Archbishop Bergan, and others were created as a combination of several parishes. Even Pius' creation from Lincoln Cathedral had some element of this, I think.

None of that will matter here. The NSAA can tweak classifications and districts if needed through board action. By February, the NSAA will make the best estimate of where this 'new' school belongs and make it work and then make schedules. Is it possible a team gets shifted in classification and district because of this? Yes. It has happened before. When St. Agnes closed and Alliance got new students, AHS was moved to Class A and Beatrice to B very late in the process. Do I think it is likely in this case? No. This looks like it is going to be taking a school and a staff and a building and changing the name. In fact, the best historical parallel to this is probably when Atkinson High became West Holt High.

 

[ClkTwr2011]

So yes, Humphrey gets left out to dry for the time being. That's pretty awful leadership from LHF. Cooperatives could be changed all the way up to November 30th I think. They wait until 3 weeks after that to make this decision? Or, more likely, announce it. If we are being real, this was a decision that was made long ago. Appalling.

LHF has no leadership to be considered awful. There is no LHF. I understand that you are looking for someone to blame. That someone is not LHF (if you know what I mean).

There are no issues between LHF and Humphrey High. That was a fantastic co-op. I would call it a blueprint worth following for any other schools looking at any type of co-op.

 

[ClkTwr2011]

Seems like the majority of public school consolidations are accepted better than this one is being accepted. Catholic education must be better in one town than it is in the other town.

I have asked around to see where this resistance is coming from.

I have "heard" that several years back LHF had reached out to St Francis for a co-op of some type, and were not received well. LHF then turned to Humphrey Public and ended up going that direction. Again, this is hearsay and is not to be taken as factual because I did not get this from a source that I believed to be personally involved in any of these talks. However, if this were the case I can see how this would be met with significant resistance.

Bottom line, nobody wants to be in the position that LHF is being put in. I understand that St Francis is also "being closed" but not really. School will resume in the fall at St Francis.

 

[hailvictors2]

LHF has no leadership to be considered awful. There is no LHF. I understand that you are looking for someone to blame. That someone is not LHF (if you know what I mean).

There are no issues between LHF and Humphrey High. That was a fantastic co-op. I would call it a blueprint worth following for any other schools looking at any type of co-op.

Are you suggesting that LHF was completely unaware that they might be shut down prior to the November 30th Cooperative deadline?

 

[ClkTwr2011]

Are you suggesting that LHF was completely unaware that they might be shut down prior to the November 30th Cooperative deadline?

I am quite certain that they were aware, and anyone not living under a rock in the Humphrey Public school district was also well aware.

To me this is just one of those things where there was no correct way to handle it. Humphrey High moves and tells the NSAA that they are not going to have a co-op with LHF and then something changes and LHF is left with nowhere to co-op. Humphrey High chose to go with the assumption that the co-op will remain in place and now they have this mess.

As has been stated above, the NSAA can re-classify Humphrey Public via a Board Meeting most likely held in February.

This is just one of those tough situations in which neither party had a correct direction other than to communicate with one another. I am being told that LHF and Humphrey Public were absolutely communicating all the way through this. To my knowledge, neither party was blindsided or did any blindsiding.

 

[Big Red Thoughts]

Isn’t Lindsay looking at building a new school outside of town that may also include a community center/gym? Maybe the sight of a new Christian school? Maybe there is more going on here?

 

[bullhusk]

Isn’t Lindsay looking at building a new school outside of town that may also include a community center/gym? Maybe the sight of a new Christian school? Maybe there is more going on here?

Read the last 2-3 pages…. Yes. You are correct.

 

[HuskerO]

Update from a letter to parishioners at St. Francis and Holy Family on 12-27-23.

Biggest takeaway.

At the conclusion of the 2023-2024 school year, both Humphrey St. Francis Junior and Senior High School and Lindsay Holy Family Junior and Senior High School will close. Those entities will cease to exist. A new junior and senior Catholic high school will then open in the fall, 2024, on the Humphrey campus, with a newname and a new mascot. Thank you for agreeing to submit to me suggestions for the school’s name and mascot, so that I can make a choice based on your local input.

12-27 Letter

Why move forward with closing HSF if LHF won't be joining the new school?

 

[Llama57]

Why move forward with closing HSF if LHF won't be joining the new school?

Because the diocese contributes to both schools. A cost cutting measure.

 

[DonlugoQ]

Why move forward with closing HSF if LHF won't be joining the new school?

I would also assume that the LHF teachers will go to “HSF”.

 

[HuskerO]

Because the diocese contributes to both schools. A cost cutting measure.

But from reading this thread, families of LHF aren't going to participate with the merger. They're going to start their own private school away from the diocese.

If that's the case, then why even change HSF?

Or am I misreading what's actually happening?

 

[Llama57]

But from reading this thread, families of LHF aren't going to participate with the merger. They're going to start their own private school away from the diocese.

If that's the case, then why even change HSF?

Or am I misreading what's actually happening?

But there were still teachers, administrators, building maintenance, insurance, etc. at both schools that the dioceses I assume contributed to. By merging, I'd assume they'll save $, but maybe I'm wrong. I have no knowledge of the situation, just spitballing.

 

[runningback43]

But there were still teachers, administrators, building maintenance, insurance, etc. at both schools that the dioceses I assume contributed to. By merging, I'd assume they'll save $, but maybe I'm wrong. I have no knowledge of the situation, just spitballing.

I’m not sure the amount of money the Archdiocese even contributes to schools. In my opinion it’s a sad deal that the Archdiocese is forcing HSF to change their school name and mascot.

 

[Llama57]

I’m not sure the amount of money the Archdiocese even contributes to schools. In my opinion it’s a sad deal that the Archdiocese is forcing HSF to change their school name and mascot.

Dept of Ed shows 98 students K-12 at LHF. Unless tuition is ungodly high, or staff is only making 20,000 a year on average with no benefits, I'd say they contribute.
If HSF wanted to go on their own with no contribution from the archdiocese, they could do as they please I'd assume.

 

[runningback43]

Dept of Ed shows 98 students K-12 at LHF. Unless tuition is ungodly high, or staff is only making 20,000 a year on average with no benefits, I'd say they contribute.
If HSF wanted to go on their own with no contribution from the archdiocese, they could do as they please I'd assume.

You’re probably right, but I’m going to guess that most of their money is donated by locals.

 

[HuskerO]

But there were still teachers, administrators, building maintenance, insurance, etc. at both schools that the dioceses I assume contributed to. By merging, I'd assume they'll save $, but maybe I'm wrong. I have no knowledge of the situation, just spitballing.

Right, you still merge and you still keep the HSF name. Only LHF would lose their name because none (or few very) of those LHF families will even join the merger from what I'm understanding in this thread.

But even without the LHF families joining in with this merger, it sounds like the diocese is still going to change the new schools name. If true, that doesn't make sense to me.

 

[IrishSlayer97]

Right, you still merge and you still keep the HSF name. Only LHF would lose their name because none (or few very) of those LHF families will even join the merger from what I'm understanding in this thread.

But even without the LHF families joining in with this merger, it sounds like the diocese is still going to change the new schools name. If true, that doesn't make sense to me.

St. Francis athletics Twitter account has been very vocal about it. Feel sorry for that community that is losing an identity and not gaining any students.

 

[GoBigBlob]

St. Francis athletics Twitter account has been very vocal about it. Feel sorry for that community that is losing an identity and not gaining any students.

Then stop taking the money.
100% DO NOT feel sorry for them.
Fund yourself then they can’t tell you what to do. Seems simple to me!!

They want the money from the Catholic Church and power too. Can’t have both.

 

[northeastNebraska]

Dept of Ed shows 98 students K-12 at LHF. Unless tuition is ungodly high, or staff is only making 20,000 a year on average with no benefits, I'd say they contribute.
If HSF wanted to go on their own with no contribution from the archdiocese, they could do as they please I'd assume.

They would save money for sure. It just sucks the HSF brand is going to go away when they aren’t gaining many students. Just leave the Flyer mascot name at least. Highway 91 Catholic High School Flyers.

 

[HappyTrail3200]

Did Guardian Angels change their mascot when they got consolidated from just West Point Catholic or whatever it was?

 

[HuskerO]

Then stop taking the money.
100% DO NOT feel sorry for them.
Fund yourself then they can’t tell you what to do. Seems simple to me!!

They want the money from the Catholic Church and power too. Can’t have both.

Is asking the diocese to not change their name such a terrible thing?

Also, the diocese benefits as well by having a parochial school and keeping them happy (obviously within reason). This isn't a one-way beneficial street.