The Helix School District has valued our long-standing athletic partnership with the Athena-Weston School District and the opportunities that our cooperative agreement has provided for our student-athletes. Both Districts are disappointed by the recent decision of the OSAA Ad Hoc Football Committee to reclassify our athletic program to the 3A level in order to maintain our cooperative agreement with Weston-McEwen High School. The enrollment calculation used by the OSAA puts Griswold/WM football slightly over the established 2A cutoff. Both Districts worked hard to advocate for our student-athletes and submitted a request for an exception to the OSAA Executive Board. Unfortunately, the request was denied.
While both Districts value the partnership, moving to a higher classification is not the best fit for the Athena-Weston School District and as a result, the cooperative agreement between our two schools will be dissolved. This is not a decision that was made lightly, as the collaboration has been beneficial to both schools. It is disheartening to lose connections with teammates that have been a part of the shared program.
We remain hopeful that in the future, we may be able to revisit this partnership under more favorable circumstances. In the meantime, Griswold High School is looking into alternative opportunities for our athletes.
If you have further questions, please contact Tammie Parker at tammie.parker@helixsd.org