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SYRACUSE - Girls soccer will become an official sport at Wawasee High School in the 1997-98 school year.
The school board Tuesday approved athletic director Mary Hurley's recommendation that girls soccer be added to the school's schedule.
Hurley told the board that girls soccer has been an official IHSAA sport four years. The sport is played in the fall, and there is a state tournament, she said.
Hurley said factors that went into making the decision included schedule, facilities, interest and cost.
Soccer was voted as a Northern Lakes Conference sport just this week, she said, and Wawasee was the only NLC school that didn't have soccer on its schedule. NorthWood was expected to vote to add soccer this month, she said.
Wawasee has the facilities to host games and for practices, she said, and the costs can be absorbed by the corporation's athletic program.
Thirty girls from next year's 10th- through 12th-grade classes signed up to play soccer, Hurley said. There was no pressure for the girls to sign; in fact, she said they had to make the effort to go sign up in the office.
The program will be varsity only in its first year.
In another sports-related matter, the board voted to combine the Milford and Wawasee middle school football programs following a proposal by high school coach Gene Mitz.
Based on participation from the last two years, Mitz said the combined seventh-grade team would have 60 to 70 players, while the eighth-grade team would have about 55.
The program would offer an "A" team and a "B" team so the number of students participating would remain about the same, he said.
Mitz said combining the programs will make the middle school teams more evenly matched with their opponents.
In other business:
• Only two bids were received on the North Webster roof replacement project, and both were "well over budget," said business manager Don Huber. Huber said the architect and manufacturer examined a roof section Tuesday and believe costs can be reduced while maintaining the quality of the project.
The board voted to reject both bids and re-advertise the project with the new specifications.
• The Milford School seventh- and eighth-grade band received a First Division rating at the recent contest at Goshen Middle School. This is the first time the band has attained the top rating, said principal Cindy Kaiser.
• IKON Office Solutions donated $2,700 to the corporation for scholarships.
• The board accepted the retirements of Joe Gray, who served 30 years as custodian, and Ray Darr, who served 42 years as a bus driver.
• Social studies texts being considered by the corporation for all grade levels will be on display in the central office beginning today. The texts will be available for public review until the May 13 school board meeting.
