Amanda Geib never thought she would play with her Craig teammatesagain.
The Fairfax junior's family moved just north last summer to becloser to its pallet factory within the Fairfax school district'sborders. The new house sits just across the street.
Geib changed her blue-and-yellow Craig jerseys out for Fairfax'sgreen-and-white duds.
The move proved difficult for her, but a recent decision by theneighboring school districts creates a new opportunity -- a whollyunique opportunity -- for Geib as well as all students at Fairfaxand Craig.
Starting this fall, the schools will form a cooperativesponsorship for all sports -- meaning both schools' sportsparticipants will compete for one team.
'I do have some friends that I miss back there that I wish couldcome here,' Geib said. 'That's going to be able to happen now.
'It's kind of strange, really.'
Fairfax and Craig are the first Missouri schools to form a co-opagreement for all sports.
Dwindling enrollment in the lower grades led to a stark realityfor Craig principal Terry Petersen and Fairfax principal DustinBarnes. Without intervention, both schools faced the possibility ofnot being able to field athletic teams in certain sports.
And the marriage appears well-suited.
Fairfax's participation problems come on the boys side, whileCraig needs extra members for its girls teams. Some casualconversation between administrators eventually led to a Novembervote passing the all-encompassing measure -- the first of its kindin Missouri.
'We felt like there were situations where they would need us asmuch as we would need them,' Barnes said.
'It doesn't usually work that way,' Petersen said.
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Rumors of cooperative agreements have persisted in areas of ruralNorthwest Missouri -- Union Star-King City, Stewartsville-Osborn andJefferson-Stanberry.
Fairfax and Craig are the first to make the leap. Conversationsstarted after 2005-2006 at the junior high level but that move wasnixed after the new Missouri State High School ActivitiesAssociation bylaw only included agreements at the senior high level.
An amendment to that bylaw last spring allowed Fairfax and Craigto start the junior high cooperative agreement this school year.
The first team to do so, football, went undefeated.
'It put a good taste in everybody's mouth,' Petersen said. 'Butit was a positive experience at the junior high level, and I thinkthe community saw that, saw that it could work.'
But team success wasn't the main impetus.
This school year marks the apex for student enrollment for thenext four years. All projected numbers for the near future show acontinued decline in students for both communities.
'We were not attempting to sell the community on the idea wewould be more competitive,' Barnes said. 'It was look, 'We'll dowith out.' It's not a matter of being competitive.
'We won't have. We won't have the teams.'
Petersen and Barnes outlined plans for a cooperative agreement inSeptember and took the ideas to their respective school boards. Theprincipals asked members for their concerns and questions.
On Oct. 11, the school boards jointly convened following avolleyball game at Craig to further discuss the matter. A publicforum in Fairfax soon followed to allow the communities to expressconcerns.
Barnes and Petersen said the opposition was minimal.
Fairfax's school board approved for all sports, exceptvolleyball, to form cooperative agreements by unanimous vote at itsNovember meeting. A few days later, Craig's school board alsounanimously approved all sports and passed volleyball with a 6-1vote.
Fairfax held a special meeting and approved volleyball by thesame 6-1 vote.
'In the future, people always talk about consolidating and co-oping and all that, but I didn't think it would happen until after Igraduated,' Geib said.
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Despite the merger, both schools will keep a portion of theirindividual identity.
Barnes said many ideas were originally thrown out for how tohandle the name of individual teams. One concept called for anentirely new mascot to represent the two teams.
But the thought of new jerseys for all sports, redecorating ofgymnasiums and more, quickly put that to rest.
'You're talking about a massive expense that, quite frankly,neither school was ready to do,' Barnes said.
Instead, the proposal came up with a simple plan.
In football, Fairfax would not be able to field a team nextseason. In girls basketball, Craig might not have the numbers.Knowing the need on each side, the boys teams will play as the CraigHornets, while the girls teams will be the Fairfax Bulldogs.
The name change seems to matter little to the students.
Barnes and Petersen repeatedly championed the idea of allowingall students the chance to participate. The increased numbers alsopresent the opportunity to field junior varsity and possibly evenfreshman teams in some sports.
And even though competitive advantages weren't a part of theplan, the students also see a better chance to compete forchampionships. Craig put up its first banner in 30 years for anysport last spring after winning the Highway 275 girls trackconference meet.
'It doesn't really bug me what colors I'll wear,' Craig juniorDienna Biermann said. 'I think we're going to win. I think it'sexciting because we have a definite chance to win a lot of gamesnext year. I think we'll gel really well and the season will goreally well.
'I think we can get a banner on the wall.'
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The cooperative agreement only runs for the next two years.
At that time, the situation will be re-evaluated and couldpotentially return to the two-school system. Petersen doesn't seethat as the likely outcome.
The numbers don't lie.
'Until we have a power plant that comes in and is going to employ600 workers ...,' Petersen said, 'but brings an extra 400 studentsor an influx of students, this is as far as I can see the bestsituation for the kids.'
The opportunity to prepare for this monumental shift now sitsonly months away. The administrators already know the hardshipsahead.
They have a tentative schedule set up for next year with bothschools hosting games. In some cases, they tried to schedule homedates in Fairfax for opponents with a shorter drive there thanCraig.
But practices also present a problem. Buses will ship studentsfrom one school to the other in many instances.
Coaches won't be determined until the spring after interestedparties apply for the head coaching positions. The school boardswill have to meet jointly to determine those roles.
And the list goes on.
'We've got a good idea,' Barnes said, 'but until we get into it... we're going to make a lot of mistakes in the first year. There'snot doubt about.
'There's going to be mistakes; there are going to be things thatjust aren't going to work.'
And other parts of Northwest Missouri will be watching, possiblyeven other parts of the state.
'There's been a couple of other administrators and athleticdirectors that said they are certainly looking here with interestand seeing how things go,' Petersen said. 'If it's a positive thing -- and I really think it will be -- there are some that are lookingor exploring but haven't taken the step.
'I'm sure Mr. Barnes at Fairfax as well as myself are going toget a number of calls next year.'
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Craig and Fairfax meet tonight in potentially the final regularseason basketball game between the two rival schools.
It's just one more day for Biermann and Geib to endure.
'It's just going to be another game, just go out and play likeyou know how to and move on,' Geib said.
The two grew to be best friends during their childhood in Craig.Geib's move has separated them slightly.
They still talk at least once a week, but it's not the same rightnow.
Soon, an agreement between two rural high schools with dwindlingenrollments will push them back together. It's a story of hope forall schools in this region that could potentially be withoutathletics.
A truly uniting force.
'It was hard at first to know my best friend was leaving,'Biermann said, 'but then I guess I got used to it, her not beinghere. To know that we're playing together again next year makes mehappy.'
