VIENNA — The Maries R-1 School Board held a special meeting with teachers and coaches on Oct. 11 to discuss potentially changing conferences for athletics and activities.

Maries R-1 currently competes in the Gasconade Valley Conference (GVC), which also includes Belle, Bourbon, Cuba, Steelville and Viburnum. The move would put the district into the newly formed Show-Me Central Conference, which started following Eugene, Linn, New Bloomfield, Russellville and South Callaway leaving the Show-Me Conference to join the Central State 8 beginning next year.

Seven schools have already committed to the Show-Me Central Conference: current Show-Me Conference schools Chamois, St. Elizabeth and Tuscumbia and Cooper County Activities Association schools Bunceton, Calvary Lutheran, Jamestown and Prairie Home. The Maries R-1 board will need to decide at its Oct. 24 meeting if it wants to change conferences.

Superintendent Teresa Messersmith said she saw pros and cons to both choices. She said she wanted the coaches and teachers at the meeting to discuss how a conference switch would work for them so the board could make an informed decision.

Athletic Director Kevin Schwartze said he looked at the Show-Me Central Conference from both an athletics angle and an activities and academics angle. From the activities and academics perspective, he favored a conference change. The new conference had more activities available at the elementary and middle school levels. Some of the schools committed to the new conference have a reputation as competitors in activities such as knowledge bowls, math contests and geography bees.

Schwartze said he had noticed many students who go through the district without becoming involved in any sports, activities or clubs. By offering more variety in activities in the younger grades, the district could get students involved early on and strengthen those programs throughout the grade levels. It might take a few years of building programs at the middle school level to establish a high school group.

From the athletics perspective, Schwartze again said he liked the idea of changing conferences. Vienna would be one of the larger schools by enrollment, but participation in athletics would be about the same as the rest of the districts. In all aspects, he thought the Show-Me Central Conference would make Vienna’s activities and athletics more well-rounded.

Softball and boys basketball coach Chandler Harker said he favored the conference change. He said the GVC only had two other teams playing in the fall. One school does not have a team and two others play in the spring. All but one team committed to the Show-Me Central Conference has softball and all the teams play in Class 1.

Harker said Vienna would probably be one of the better boys’ basketball schools if the district switched conferences.

Track and cross country coach David Martin Jr. said Vienna is one of the smallest schools in GVC track, but the school usually has many all-conference athletes. He considers the small size as an advantage because it motivates participants to get ready for district competition. He said moving conferences would be disappointing because of the decades of tradition competing against schools in the GVC, but a switch could bring more competitive opponents.

Martin’s other concern for changing conferences was travel time. He said the roads would be better, but Bunceton, Jamestown and Prairie Home would all be long bus rides with only one comparable distance in the GVC. He also questioned where the conference would hold some events because many small schools do not have the facilities to host full track meets.

Messersmith said none of the schools committed to the Show-Me Central Conference have a track. Events would likely occur at third-party schools with the facilities needed to host.

Schwartze said some of the schools committed to the new conference cooperate on scheduling and hosting, so only boys’ teams would have to travel to Prairie Home and only girls’ teams would have to travel to Bunceton.

Martin said he liked that the Show-Me Central Conference schools have more activities for middle schoolers.

Messersmith said when she worked at a school in the Show-Me Conference, knowledge bowl competitions were big events for students.

Board President Kacie James said she had seen firsthand how excited students got about participating in knowledge bowls and she would like to see that incorporated into the culture at Vienna.

“Sports is in the culture,” she said. “We have that. I think we need to move toward the academic side.”

James said she would like to see an increased focus on more academic activities regardless of whether the district decided to change conferences.

Art teacher Jessica Gibbs said she liked the idea of changing conferences. When she takes pieces to the GVC Art Competition, she enters fewer pieces than the other schools because many of those districts have dedicated high school art teachers. Gibbs teaches elementary through high school students. The schools joining the Show-Me Central Conference are smaller, so the conference art competition would likely be more competitive for Vienna.

Band teacher Ray Spiller said the idea of switching conferences gave him concerns because of the conference band. He said the Show-Me Central Conference would not be as competitive as the GVC. If the conference band is not as skilled as before, students may lose interest in band participation. The schedule of the conference band would also not align as well with athletics as the GVC band.

Spiller also questioned if the other schools would have the equipment needed for the conference band. He said he coordinates with other band teachers in the GVC to make sure someone will haul the equipment needed for a conference band performance.

Messersmith said she could find out answers to questions the teachers and coaches might have before the board votes at the Oct. 24 meeting.