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With their guiding principle being "what is best for our students," the founders of the Heart of Illinois Conference head into the league's upcoming inaugural school year excited about the future.
The 13-member conference brings together five former Sangamon Valley Conference schools and eight former Midstate Conference members.
Coming on board from the Sangamon Valley are LeRoy, Tri-Valley, Blue Ridge, Fisher and Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley.
The ex-Midstate members are El Paso-Gridley, Fieldcrest, Flanagan, Deer Creek-Mackinaw, Lexington, Ridgeview, Heyworth and Tremont.
Several events nudged the Heart of Illinois Conference (HOIC) into existence including the Midstate's loss of Chenoa and Gridley after the 2003-04 school year. Chenoa was absorbed by the Prairie Central school district and Gridley consolidated with El Paso.
That same year, 2003-04, saw the departure of St. Joseph-Ogden, Tolono Unity and other schools from the four-year-old, 21-team Sangamon Illini Alliance, which reverted to a 12-team Sangamon Valley alignment the past two years.
"We were concerned about the stability of the conference with the number of schools we had," said Flanagan principal Jerry Farris, who became the HOIC's first president.
"We looked at protecting ourselves to make sure we had a conference."
And they didn't want just any conference. They wanted a competitive one with schools close on the map and in size and one that reached beyond the realm of sports.
The HOIC will also offer a fine arts festival, a scholastic bowl competition and, for teachers, professional development workshops.
"Geography was a big part of (the league's formation)...