The South Harrison school board will establish an exploratory committee to gauge interest in establishing a boysâ baseball program.
Superintendent Dennis Eastin told the school board at Thursday nightâs regular meeting that he expects boysâ baseball to be a hot topic at the Grand River Conference meeting in August.
The GRC recently expanded to 16 schools, and some of the league members are looking into establishing a baseball program.
âWe want to make sure that our student body would want it,â Eastin said.
Conference newcomer Trenton, among other schools, is actively exploring fielding a baseball team. Several smaller schools have considered baseball as a replacement for boysâ softball, which has been dwindling in participation.
Discussion about baseball is particularly relevant for South Harrison when one of its recent graduates, Jordan Shipers, was drafted into the major league Seattle Mariners baseball organization. Since South Harrison did not have a baseball program, Shipers had to play with teams in the Kansas City area to get his experience.
Mike Wilhelm, South Harrison athletic director, said the cost of uniforms and a possible need to add a girlsâ sport to balance the boysâ team under Title IX requirements may be issues .
Spring baseball would compete with track and boysâ golf for players but would not have an impact on football, which is played in the fall.
Board member Nick Fitzgerald offered to serve on the exploratory committee for baseball. Eastin said he would like to have faculty and community representatives as well as a student to serve on the committee.
In other business, Eastin presented an update on the construction of the new middle school. The contractor, Lawhon Construction of St. Joseph, has begun site preparation work at the north end of the high school building. A Troy, Kan., contractor has been hired to do utility work at the building site.
The board approved a contract with Casey & Associates to scan and microfilm 10 years of school records including student records, audits and board minutes. The microfilm will save storage space at the high school.
The board, in related business, declared hundreds of old textbooks and study material as excess property. Those items will be put for sale in a surplus auction; material not sold will be taken to Maryville for shredding.
The board approved bids for bakery, dairy, petroleum and solid waste contracts for the upcoming school year.
In the executive session, the board accepted the resignations of Eric Sweat as junior high boysâ track coach and Darrell Betz as junior high boysâ basketball coach. The board hired Chris Thomas as junior high boysâ basketball and track coach and J.C. Frame as assistant junior high football coach.