A group of about 50 parents and teachers met at the Schroon Lake Central School Tuesday night to brainstorm about what to do to ensure the school’s competitive sports teams have a future.

The consensus of the meeting:  no one is in favor of a merger with another school, but are keen to explore “creative ways”  to keep the sports teams going, according Craig Maisonville,  a parent who spoke to Schroon Laker.

“It was more about what are the possibilities that are out there,” Craig said.

The meeting was organized by Athletic Director Lee Silvernail.

What the group wants to avoid is the possibility of the Wildcats not fielding several teams in the 2014- 2015 school year.

Last year what appeared to be a rushed through proposal to merge sports teams with Bolton Landing, met with a resounding thud, as more than 150 parents vented their outrage.

Under that scenario, students on some teams would have spent 90 or more minutes on a bus,  and on game days an additional two or more hours away from Schroon.

“No one is really in favor of a merger, because it really takes away from the town spirit," Craig said.

But the reality is that most New York school populations  -- north of US 90  -- are shrinking. This year’s graduating class is 29 kids. In the not too distant future that number will dwindle to 17.

The topic of introducing individual sports like tennis, was raised at tonight’s meeting.

Currently there are three levels (Modified:  Grades  7/8 , Junior Varsity: Grades  9/10,Varsity: Grades: 11/12) Schroon can play in, but don’t have enough students to field teams in all categories.

The parent group hope to present the school board with several options soon.