The Southern Wisconsin and Illinois Small Schools Conference, more commonly referred to as the SWISS Conference, is a former high school athletic conference. It was in existence from 1982 to 2006, and consisted primarily of private schools in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois.
History
[edit]1982–1996
[edit]The SWISS Conference was formed in 1982 by five small private high schools in Wisconsin and Illinois: Heritage Christian School in New Berlin, Keith Country Day School in Rockford, Parkway Christian Academy in Oak Creek, University Lake School in Hartland and Waukegan Christian School.[1] Faith Christian School in Williams Bay became the sixth member of the SWISS Conference in 1983,[2] and the arrival of Brookfield Academy brought the membership total to seven schools the next year.[3] In 1989, two years after attaining membership in the Wisconsin Independent Schools Athletic Association, Heritage Christian School left the SWISS Conference for membership in the Midwest Classic Conference.[4] Christian Life School in Kenosha replaced them that same year.[5] In 1990, the SWISS Conference added three new members: Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Berean Baptist Christian School in Rockford and Wisconsin School for the Deaf in Delavan.[6]
1996–2006
[edit]The SWISS Conference would remain at ten members until 1996, when Brookfield Academy was invited to join the Midwest Classic Conference.[7] Two years later, Abundant Life Christian left the SWISS Conference to compete as an independent during the merger between WISAA and the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.[8] In 2005, Christian Life exited for membership in the Midwest Classic Conference[9] and Parkway Christian Academy joined the Indian Trails Conference,[10] bringing membership down to six schools. The SWISS Conference was disbanded in 2006,[11] and its member schools were dispersed to other conference. Wisconsin School for the Deaf rejoined the Indian Trails Conference in 2006.[12] The other two Wisconsin-based members of the SWISS Conference (Faith Christian School and University Lake School)[13][14] and two of the three Illinois-based schools (Berean Baptist and Keith Country Day)[15][16] became members of the Indian Trails Conference in 2007 after competing as independents. The final school, Westlake Christian Academy in Grayslake, also competed as an independent.[17]
Conference membership history
[edit]Final members
[edit]| School | Location | Affiliation | Enrollment | Mascot | Colors | Joined | Left | Conference Joined | Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berean Baptist Christian | Rockford, IL | Private (Baptist) | 30[18] | Kingsmen | 1990[6] | 2006[11] | Independent | Illinois Association of Christian Schools | |
| Faith Christian | Williams Bay, WI | Private (Nondenominational Christian) | 62[19] | Eagles | 1983[2] | 2006[11] | Independent | Lake City | |
| Keith Country Day | Rockford, IL | Private (Nonsectarian) | 46.5[20] | Cougars | 1982[1] | 2006[11] | Independent | Northeastern Athletic (IHSA) | |
| University Lake School | Hartland, WI | Private (Nonsectarian) | 73[19] | Lakers | 1982[1] | 2006[11] | Independent | Lake City | |
| Westlake Christian | Grayslake, IL | Private (Nondenominational Christian) | 49[21] | Eagles | 1982[1] | 2006[11] | Independent | Northeastern Athletic (IHSA) | |
| Wisconsin School for the Deaf | Delavan, WI | Public (State, Special Needs) | 26[19] | Firebirds | 1990[6] | 2006[12] | Indian Trails | ||
Previous members
[edit]| School | Location | Affiliation | Enrollment | Mascot | Colors | Joined | Left | Conference Joined | Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abundant Life Christian | Madison, WI | Private (Nondenominational Christian) | 115[19] | Challengers | 1990[6] | 1998[8] | Independent | Trailways | |
| Brookfield Academy | Brookfield, WI | Private (Nonsectarian) | 334[19] | Blue Knights | 1984[3] | 1996[7] | Midwest Classic | ||
| Christian Life | Kenosha, WI | Private (Nondenominational Christian) | 202[19] | Eagles | 1989[5] | 2005[9] | Midwest Classic | ||
| Heritage Christian | New Berlin, WI | Private (Protestant) | 196[19] | Patriots | 1982[1] | 1989[4] | Midwest Classic | ||
| Parkway Christian | Oak Creek, WI | Private (Baptist) | N/A | Flames | 1982[1] | 2005[10] | Indian Trails | Closed in 2009 | |
Membership timeline
[edit]
List of state champions
[edit]Fall sports
[edit]| School | Year | Organization |
|---|---|---|
| Brookfield Academy | 1987[22] | WISAA |
Winter sports
[edit]None
Spring sports
[edit]None
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f "ULS to join new league". Oconomowoc Enterprise. 28 January 1982. pp. 4, Section 2. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
- ^ a b "Photo insert (no title)". Lake Geneva Regional News. 5 April 1984. p. 12. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
- ^ a b "Brookfield Academy 75, Parkway Christian 55". Waukesha County Freeman. 8 December 1984. pp. 3B. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
- ^ a b LeCount, Randy (1 September 1989). "Rebels have all the ingredients". Racine Journal Times. p. 65. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
- ^ a b "Christian Life School joins SWISS Conference". Kenosha News. 30 November 1989. p. 22. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
- ^ a b c d Unknown. 1991 Wisconsin School for the Deaf. Vol. 112. unknown: unknown.
- ^ a b "Crusaders handle Brookfiele". Sheboygan Press. 10 February 1996. p. 14. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
- ^ a b Reeves, Jeremy (5 March 1999). "Abundant Life realizes dream". The Capital Times. p. 20. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
- ^ a b "NOTEBOOK/Realignment in MCC". Racine Journal Times. 16 December 2004. pp. 4C. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
- ^ a b "BOYS (from Page 1C), Union Grove Christian 49, Oak Creek Parkway Christian 39". Racine Journal Times. 30 November 2005. p. 34. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f "New ULS volleyball team takes the court". Living Oconomowoc Focus. 29 August 2006. p. 18. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
- ^ a b "PREPS (from Page 1C), Union Grove Christian 57, Wisconsin School for the Deaf 42". Racine Journal Times. 8 December 2006. p. 26. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
- ^ "Faith Christian Boys Basketball History". MaxPreps. 18 March 2025. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
- ^ "University Lake School Boys Basketball History". MaxPreps. 18 March 2025. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
- ^ "Berean Christian Boys Basketball History". MaxPreps. 18 March 2025. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
- ^ "Keith Country Day Boys Basketball History". MaxPreps. 18 March 2025. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
- ^ "Westlake Christian Academy Boys Basketball History". MaxPreps. 18 March 2025. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
- ^ "Berean Baptist Christian School". U.S. News & World Report. 18 March 2025. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g Wilson, Travis (27 November 2023). "All school enrollment figures for 2023-24 sports year with one- and five-year enrollment comparisons". Wisconsin Sports Network. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
- ^ "School Enrollments (Alphabetical) – 2023-24 & 2024-25 Revised". Illinois High School Association. 9 March 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
- ^ "Westlake Christian Academy". U.S. News & World Report. 18 March 2025. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
- ^ AP (11 October 1987). "Brookfield Academy WISAA tennis champs". Kenosha Sunday News. p. 26. Retrieved 15 January 2025.

