OT: PIAA Championships preview

[IUPbigINDIANS]

From the kids I know and many of the parents, they like the move despite some of the travel distances for some. It’s largely a few, particularly on the Saltsburg side, that can’t give up the Trojans. The fights on the school board are embarrassing. I don’t doubt for a second if the board flipped to being Saltsburg heavy they’d try to bring back the Trojans.

What they have now and are growing toward is going to be better for everyone. The resources available to the kids are already far better and will continue to improve (academically and athletically). Saltsburg was falling apart. The facilities were awful. I get why a small community like that wouldn’t want to lose its school and traditions, but that’s a merger that should have happened at least 10 years ago if not sooner. There are probably others in the area that should consider the same, but it would probably be more difficult because Blairsville/Saltsburg is the same district.

What if the schools could create triads?

[IUPNation]

Indiana County should have 3 school districts tops. Indiana and Homer City should be merged. Then merge everyone north of them into one and everything south into one.

[EyeoftheHawk]

Indiana County should have 3 school districts tops. Indiana and Homer City should be merged. Then merge everyone north of them into one and everything south into one.

How much of your life have you actually spent in Indiana County? Not enough to know what you’re talking about, that’s for sure.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

From the kids I know and many of the parents, they like the move despite some of the travel distances for some. It’s largely a few, particularly on the Saltsburg side, that can’t give up the Trojans. The fights on the school board are embarrassing. I don’t doubt for a second if the board flipped to being Saltsburg heavy they’d try to bring back the Trojans.

What they have now and are growing toward is going to be better for everyone. The resources available to the kids are already far better and will continue to improve (academically and athletically). Saltsburg was falling apart. The facilities were awful. I get why a small community like that wouldn’t want to lose its school and traditions, but that’s a merger that should have happened at least 10 years ago if not sooner. There are probably others in the area that should consider the same, but it would probably be more difficult because Blairsville/Saltsburg is the same district.

I've often wondered if IHS some day soon considers leaving the WPIAL. I don't think it will, but it may be better off playing Dubois, Brookville, Punxsy, etc.

Indiana would never join the Heritage ... too big plus the perceived elitism over on 5th Street.

But, they would instantly be more competitive and also have natural geographic rivals.

I don't think IHS even has a rival today.

[EyeoftheHawk]

I've often wondered if IHS some day soon considers leaving the WPIAL. I don't think it will, but it may be better off playing Dubois, Brookville, Punxsy, etc.

Indiana would never join the Heritage ... too big plus the perceived elitism over on 5th Street.

But, they would instantly be more competitive and also have natural geographic rivals.

I don't think IHS even has a rival today.

Part of the reason for no rivalries is the way the WPIAL constantly rearranges the sections. It’s by design, for whatever reason.

The Heritage is below Indiana in most sports. The talent pool is just too deep and vast. Not all sports, but most. District 9 might be interesting, but travel distance would be a hindrance. Indiana is just in an odd spot being the size that it is and not being nearby similarly sized schools. I’m not sure how it could be easily fixed.

[IUPNation]

How much of your life have you actually spent in Indiana County? Not enough to know what you’re talking about, that’s for sure.

4 years was enough. There are more deer than kids.

How can you justify the expense of 6 high schools in a rural county with a declining population? How many kids could there possibly be in each class at Purchase Line? United? Marion Center? You only need three. Max.

[EyeoftheHawk]

4 years was enough. There are more deer than kids.

How can you justify the expense of 6 high schools in a rural county with a declining population? How many kids could there possibly be in each class at Purchase Line? United? Marion Center? You only need three. Max.

I think you answered the question. Four years, and even those weren’t full years. But hey, everyone’s entitled to their own uneducated opinion. There’s more to it than just the size of the graduating class, but this isn’t the forum to get into it.

[IUPNation]

I think you answered the question. Four years, and even those weren’t full years. But hey, everyone’s entitled to their own uneducated opinion. There’s more to it than just the size of the graduating class, but this isn’t the forum to get into it.

Then don't complain when none of these schools can compete in anything.

Indiana High School - 899
Marion Center - 586
United -463
Homer Center - 425
Penns manor -413
Purchase Line - 402
River Valley - 264

Consolidation would make these schools more viable in athletics.

Indiana/Homer Center - 1324
Marion Center/Penns Manor/Purchase Line - 1401
United/River Valley - 727

Three High Schools...tax money consolidated for better facilities in less school buildings...sports teams able to compete at a bigger level and maybe win something...

If you won' explain your position than don't call me uneducated. You don't need to be an *******.

I just see a lot of waste having all of these dinky high schools in a county that doesn't have the tax base to keep them all up.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Then don't complain when none of these schools can compete in anything.

Indiana High School - 899
Marion Center - 586
United -463
Homer Center - 425
Penns manor -413
Purchase Line - 402
River Valley - 264

Consolidation would make these schools more viable in athletics.

Indiana/Homer Center - 1324
Marion Center/Penns Manor/Purchase Line - 1401
United/River Valley - 727

Three High Schools...tax money consolidated for better facilities in less school buildings...sports teams able to compete at a bigger level and maybe win something...

If you won' explain your position than don't call me uneducated. You don't need to be an *******.

I just see a lot of waste having all of these dinky high schools in a county that doesn't have the tax base to keep them all up.

It gets tricky. Lot of politics.

Take Kiski Area, for instance. Kiski is a big school (used to be, anyway). Kiski is boardered by Apollo-Ridge and Leechburg on two of its sides. The three could easily merge ... but, Kiski is in Westmoreland County and the other two are in Armstrong.

[IUPNation]

It gets tricky. Lot of politics.

Take Kiski Area, for instance. Kiski is a big school (used to be, anyway). Kiski is boardered by Apollo-Ridge and Leechburg on two of its sides. The three could easily merge ... but, Kiski is in Westmoreland County and the other two are in Armstrong.

I get it. Towns want to hold on to what they have had for years and ignore reality.

My high school is long gone. IUP is the only school I care about.

I went to Bishop Kenrick HS in Norristown. It was open under that name from Sept 1955- June 1993.

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia overbuilt their high school network in the 50's and 60's. It was built to house the baby boomers.

They had too many high school too close together so as enrollments plummeted starting in the 80's...they started having half empty buildings.

Kenrick was merged with Archbishop Kennedy which was only 5 miles apart if that...in Sept 1993 to form Kennedy-Kenrick housed in the Kenrick building.

Then in the late 2000's the Archdiocese announced it was going to merge Kennedy-Kenrick with Pius X in Pottstown (21 miles apart) to form Pope John Paul 2 HS to be be built in Royersford.

It's just a reality that as schools get too small...they are not economically viable.

There are very few tiny public (non charter) high schools in SEPA. I mean Jenkintown High is about the only one that has somehow survived and not get eaten up by the vastly larger Abington HS. Morrisville and Bristol are the others and all three play in the inconsequential Bicentennial League with a bunch of small private schools. However, Jenkintown is a fairly affluent area so they can afford to pay to keep it going. You've seen The Goldbergs right? LOL

[The P in IUP]

There are very few tiny public (non charter) high schools in SEPA. I mean Jenkintown High is about the only one that has somehow survived and not get eaten up by the vastly larger Abington HS. Morrisville and Bristol are the others and all three play in the inconsequential Bicentennial League with a bunch of small private schools. However, Jenkintown is a fairly affluent area so they can afford to pay to keep it going. You've seen The Goldbergs right? LOL

[/QUOTE]

I grew up basically just outside of Jenkintown, my parents even have the Jenkintown zipcode. My favorite story about how small Jenkintown is they never used to close the schools for snow days because every kid was close enough they could walk. It took the teachers union (most of the teachers lived outside the district) to raise a fuss for years cause they couldn't make the drive into town with the ice and snow.

[Ship69]

Then don't complain when none of these schools can compete in anything.

Indiana High School - 899
Marion Center - 586
United -463
Homer Center - 425
Penns manor -413
Purchase Line - 402
River Valley - 264

Consolidation would make these schools more viable in athletics.

Indiana/Homer Center - 1324
Marion Center/Penns Manor/Purchase Line - 1401
United/River Valley - 727

Three High Schools...tax money consolidated for better facilities in less school buildings...sports teams able to compete at a bigger level and maybe win something...

If you won' explain your position than don't call me uneducated. You don't need to be an *******.

I just see a lot of waste having all of these dinky high schools in a county that doesn't have the tax base to keep them all up.

Since combining the schools would bump some of them up in classification, I'm not sure why you think that would make them more competitive in athletics. That would make sense if there were no enrollment classes in the sports, but that's not the way it is. Steel-High, just outside of Harrisburg, just won its second Class A state football championship in three years with a male enrollment of 105.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Since combining the schools would bump some of them up in classification, I'm not sure why you think that would make them more competitive in athletics. That would make sense if there were no enrollment classes in the sports, but that's not the way it is. Steel-High, just outside of Harrisburg, just won its second Class A state football championship in three years with a male enrollment of 105.

Maybe they can be forced to play in 4A with Aliquippa next year. Lol.

It's still amazing what the Quips are doing. That is a small 1A school by enrollment and they just lost in the PIAA 4A final.

[Ship69]

Maybe they can be forced to play in 4A with Aliquippa next year. Lol.

It's still amazing what the Quips are doing. That is a small 1A school by enrollment and they just lost in the PIAA 4A final.

Yeah, and they lost to a Bishop McDevitt team that probably should be playing 6A. I'll be interested in seeing if McDevitt is told to "bump up" in the same manner as Aliquippa.

[IUPNation]

Since combining the schools would bump some of them up in classification, I'm not sure why you think that would make them more competitive in athletics. That would make sense if there were no enrollment classes in the sports, but that's not the way it is. Steel-High, just outside of Harrisburg, just won its second Class A state football championship in three years with a male enrollment of 105.

It would keep athletics viable. At sone point a dinky high school may not be able to field teams. Kids lose out.