It's Official: Shakopee Will Join South Suburban Conference

Athletes, artists and debaters from the Shakopee School District will soon be head to head with rivals to the east.

On Monday, the Shakopee School board voted to leave the Missota Conference and join the South Suburban Conference, which includes metro area heavyweights like Eastview High, Apple Valley High, Burnsville, Eagan, and Lakeville's two high schools, all of which can boast of multiple state championship titles.

Shakopee follows on the heels of neighbor Prior Lake and Farmington, two larger districts which have also left the Missota Conference for the SSC. The measure came to the Shakopee School Board's attention in December 2012, when geographic convenience and Shakopee's burgeoning enrollment prompted the district to apply to the SSC. 

In March, the SSC unanimously approved Shakopee's application in a 8-0 vote. 

Shakopee's departure could signal impending dissolution for the Missota Conference, said Shakopee Activities Director John Janke. At the start of this school year, the conference included Richfield's Academy of Holy Angels, Chaska High, Chanhassen High, New Prague High, Northfield High, Farmington High and Red Wing High School in addition to Shakopee. Farmington announced its intentions to leave in August. Since then, Chaska and Chanhassen have defected to the new Metro West Conference, the Big Nine Conference has made a bid and Holy Angels has applied to the Tri-Metro Conference.

Acceptance into the SSC could bring a slew of new activities to Shakopee, Janke told the board, among them lacrosse, skiing, and gymnastics. Janke said the district will await the results of a recent student interest survey before bringing a reocmmendation to the board. 

Shakopee will continue to compete in the Missota Conference for the next year. The switch will be complete as of fall of 2014.