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HARTINGTON — The 2024-25 academic year will be Hartington-Newcastle's final year in the Lewis and Clark Conference.
The Hartington-Newcastle School Board voted Monday to leave the athletic and activities conference and form a new league with seven other schools.
It may be an era of bigger is better in college sports, but that's just not the case on the high school level, HNS Supt. A.J. Johnson said.
'The one thing we are most in agreement on is that we only want eight members,' Johnson said. 'We've found out that it’s very difficult to get on the same page with so many schools.'
The Laurel-Concord-Coleridge School Board has already voted to also leave the Lewis and Clark Conference and join HNS in the new league.
Plainview, Summerland, Elkhorn Valley, Atkinson- West Holt, Neligh-Oakdale and Lutheran High Northeast are all expected to join the new conference, as well. HNS, LCC and Plainview will compete in the Lewis and Clark Conference for one more year.
The schools will begin competing in the new conference in the 2025-26 school year.
No name has yet been chosen for the new league. That is one of many decisions that must now be made, Johnson said.
The School Board also voted Monday to hire Elijah Strom as its new industrial tech teacher.
Strom graduated from South Sioux City High School, but grew up in the Crofton area. He will graduate from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln this May and is currently student teaching at Bennington.
The School Board also approved a $15,020 bid from Mayer Signs for shot clocks to be installed in both gyms.
It’s expected that all four smaller classes — C1, C2, D1 and D2 — will join the two largest classes in using a shot clock beginning next basketball season, Principal Corey Uldrich told the School Board.
In the last Nebraska School Activities Association meeting, five of six districts approved it, Uldrich said.
‘’I think it’s a foregone conclusion that it will be approved at the April NSAA board meeting,’’ he said.
Also Monday, the School Board held its annual reorganizational meeting and voted to retain its current slate of officers. Jason Dendinger was re-elected as School Board President, Dana Rosener was re-elected as School Board Vice President and Candice Climer was re-elected as School Board Secretary.
Johnson also gave an update on the school addition project. The project is on schedule. The main part of the gym floor is in, he said. Installation of the floor tile will begin soon.
The School Board then went into executive session to discuss the superintendent’s contract.
The next School Board meeting is set for 5: 30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 12.
