South Shelby Joins Lewis & Clark Conference
By Mark Requet
South Shelby will be leaving the Clarence Cannon Conference and joining the Lewis & Clark Conference for the 2027-28 school year. The Shelby County R-IV Board voted unanimously to accept the invitation from the Lewis & Clark Conference at the board meeting on Wednesday, March 11, 2026.
The driving force behind the decision by the board is the school enrollment. South Shelby, already the smallest school in the CCC, is expecting to see their enrollment numbers drop even more the next several years. South Shelby’s 4th though 12th grade enrollment for the current year is 153, which places them last in the CCC, behind Highland at 175. Next year the number drops to 142 with Highland increasing to 190.
The year South Shelby joins the Lewis & Clark Conference, the enrollment number is projected to drop to 129, making them and Schuyler County tied as the 4th largest schools in the conference behind Salisbury (146), Westran (141), and Scotland County (132).
The Lewis and Clark Conference released the following statement regarding the decision:
The Lewis & Clark Conference Proudly Welcomes the South Shelby Cardinals
The Lewis & Clark Conference is thrilled to announce that the South Shelby School District will officially join our ranks as a member district beginning in the 2027-2028 academic year.
Known for their competitive spirit and community-driven excellence, the South Shelby
Cardinals (and Ladybirds) bring a storied athletic tradition and high academic standards that perfectly complements our existing membership. South Shelby will join our current lineup of proud programs: Westran, Scotland County, North Shelby, Knox County, Schuyler County, Paris, and Salisbury.
“We are incredibly proud to welcome the Cardinals into the Lewis & Clark family,” said the Conference Board in a joint statement. “Our conference is defined by the strength of its small-town rivalries and a commitment to MSHSAA sportsmanship. Adding a district with the character and caliber of South Shelby ensures a bright and competitive future for all our student-athletes.”
Welcome to the Conference, South Shelby Cardinals!
South Shelby Superintendent Billy Daleske also released the following statement to the South Shelby community:
Dear Shelby County R-IV Community,
“Last evening, March 11th, 2026, at our regular Board of Education meeting the Shelby
County R-IV Board of Education voted unanimously to accept a formal invitation to join
the Lewis and Clark Conference beginning in the 2027-2028 school year. The decision did
not come lightly, but it was one that was necessary for the future.
Our goal at South Shelby is to continue to provide our students with the best opportuni-ties
to learn, grow, compete and be successful in all activities. Many hours of research and data
review went into this decision, specifically enrollment comparisons and future enrollment
trends. Conference academic/activity offerings, and travel impact were also considered.
The Lewis and Clark will provide our students with many of the same opportunities they
currently have, and the overall travel time is nearly identical to what we have now.
We appreciate our many years as a proud member of the Clarence Cannon Conference,
and wish all the members schools the very best moving forward.”
Dr. Billy Daleske, Superintendent, Shelby County R-IV School District
South Shelby was a charter member of the conference. The Quint City Conference was first organized at a meeting held in Monroe City in October of 1944. Schools participating and becoming the first members of the conference were Paris, Monroe City, Palmyra, Shelbina, and McCooey.
Before the end of the 1944-45 school year, Tilden, Centralia, and Louisiana were accepted into the conference.
In the late 1960s, at the suggestion of the Conference Student Council, the name was changed to the Clarence Cannon Conference in honor of Congressman Clarence Cannon. It wasn’t until March of 1975 that the eight member schools adopted a constitution and by-laws for the conference.
The eight charter members of the Clarence Cannon Conference were Centralia, Highland, Louisiana, Macon, Mark Twain, Monroe City, Palmyra, and South Shelby.
