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By ALISHA CALL
USD 470

Parents who have had children participate in the Walnut Valley League for the past 10 years at the middle school can expect to see some changes in August. ACMS will join the Pioneer League to compete in activities and athletics.

The change comes after the demise of the Walnut Valley League, in which the middle school participated in for many years. USD 470 Superintendant Dr. Ron Ballard said the Walnut Valley League has lost numerous school memberships and no longer offers sufficient athletic and activity experiences for middle school students.

"The WVL had two members that requested to go and were accepted to the Pioneer League. This would leave only four teams in the current WVL. This is not a good situation for scheduling games, so we as a league decided to look into the Pioneer League," athletic director Tara Taylor said. "We were all accepted and the division assignments were made."

One major change is that in the Pioneer League there are only three seasons of athletic activities rather than the four offered in the Walnut Valley League. Boys and girls basketball and wrestling will all begin their seasons in November and will run through late February. This means that those students playing basketball will have a longer season and, because of a lack of practice facilities, will alternate by having early practice one week and late practice the next.

Parents should also note that the Pioneer League schedules only A and B games in volleyball and basketball. This is different from the "everyone plays" policy of past years. Starting times for athletic games will either be at 4, 4:30, or at 5 p.m., depending on the host school.

Admission is charged at all Pioneer League games, both at home and away. Adults can expect to pay $3 to attend games, while students will be charged $2. There will be no change to what's offered in terms of athletics. The middle school will continue to compete in football, volleyball, cross country, tennis, basketball, wrestling, cheerleading, golf and track and field.

In addition, there will be numerous new activities that will be sponsored by the Pioneer League such as a league spelling bee, band and vocal music festivals and math relays. Scholars bowl competitions will continue much as they were in the Walnut Valley League.

"Ark City will enter into the league for the 2008-2009 school year," Taylor said. "Our students will continue to play teams such as Andover, Winfield and Haysville and will do so in a manner much like they will once they reach high school."