MVHS, West Harrison will share extra-curricular activities

West Harrison & Missouri Valley to enter into extra-curricular sharing agreement

WH and MVHS Schools start sharing athletic programs, Spring, 2025

On February 13^th, the West Harrison School Board approved a collaborative agreement with Missouri Valley to share all 7-12 athletics for the 2025-2026 school year. Additionally, both boards agreed to share 9-12 track, soccer, and golf for the spring season of 2024-2025. Missouri Valley's School Board had previously approved this sharing arrangement on February 10^th during its regular meeting.

This cooperative effort follows earlier agreements to share baseball and softball for the 2025 season and football for the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 seasons. Both districts recognized the importance of making these decisions early to facilitate logistical planning, allow students to participate in off-season programs, and ensure a smooth transition for all student-athletes.

West Harrison has previously shared several sports with neighboring schools due to low participation numbers, often making these arrangements mid-season, as seen with girls’ basketball in 2024-2025. To proactively provide families with a more predictable outlook for future sports seasons, the West Harrison Board began exploring options in the fall. This process included engaging students, surveying parents, and holding a community meeting. The surveys indicated strong support for partnering with Missouri Valley.

When approached about the potential for athletic sharing, Missouri Valley expressed enthusiastic support for expanding access to athletic programs for West Harrison students. The sharing of girls' basketball has yielded positive results, and last summer's baseball collaboration was also successful. All parties involved hope that these previous agreements will serve as a successful model for all other sports. While sharing may result in changes in classification for some sports, increased participation is anticipated to enhance team success.

Joint Plan Highlights:

• West Harrison will provide in-season transportation for students and an assistant coach who will be integrated into the Missouri Valley coaching staff. This initiative aims to help students transition smoothly by ensuring they know someone on the coaching staff at practices.
• Teams will compete under the name "Missouri Valley Big Reds."
• Teams will have access to West Harrison facilities for practice scheduling if needed.
• All contests will primarily take place in Missouri Valley, with West Harrison facilities available for scheduling purposes, though this is not expected to be routine.

“Like all schools, we would prefer to have an independent team, however, we recognize that our first responsibility is to ensure our students are provided the opportunity to participate in the programs they enjoy,” stated West Harrison Board President Randy Wohlers.  “We are excited about this partnership with Missouri Valley and the opportunities that it provides for our students into the future.”

Missouri Valley Superintendent Christi Gochenour added, “The Missouri Valley School District is very excited for this opportunity for all of our athletes. We have had a great experience (with West Harrison) sharing last summer's baseball season and this winter's girls’ basketball, and believe we will continue to have great success going forward.”