POULSBO — While changes swirl around the North Kitsap School District, the Athletic and Activities Committee wants to make sure that everything stays as balanced as possible. But it all depends on where 170 seniors in the Kingston High School attendance boundary will go to school in 2007-08.

Since October, the AAC — a 25-member group made up of coaches, athletes and parents — has been meeting to study the transition and make recommendations to the NKSD board concerning the future of North Kitsap sports after the opening of Kingston High School. Though there are many variables that play into the situation, the top priority of the group has been finding equality for both the Viking and Buccaneer programs.

“Every offer currently at North Kitsap High School will be offered at Kingston High School, either onsite or as a co-op (program),” said NKHS athletic director Trish Olson. “They will mirror each other as closely as they possible can.”

A co-op athletic program would include participants from both schools and is commonly done with individual-performance sports such as swimming, Olson said.

Offering this type of program is a district decision but North Kitsap swimming and gymnastics are currently being studied by the AAC as programs that could run in a co-op fashion.

The AAC has also been looking into the depth each program at KHS will have — in terms of varsity, junior varsity and C-team. However, many of those questions won’t be answered until the district decides where the seniors of 2007-08 will attend.

“If there are seniors (at KHS), we will most likely be able to offer varsity sports across the board,” NKSD executive director of student support services and AAC member Gregg Epperson said at a Feb. 28 parent meeting for the 2007-08 graduating class. “Without the seniors, there are some challenges because we will probably not have varsity sports in all areas.”

Regardless, KHS will be a part of the newly formed 3A/2A Olympic League, which will also host Port Angeles, Port Townsend, Sequim, North Mason, Klawhoya, Olympic and Bremerton. But without a varsity team, a school cannot compete in postseason play.

“Every team that steps across the lines has a sense that they want to compete for a state title,” said NKHS football coach Steve Frease.

“I gave my support to stay in the Narrows League with the idea that we would carry our sophomores through,” Frease noted. “That would enable us to compete for especially that last year.”

North Kitsap High School will remain in the 4A Narrows League division for the duration of the next two years, which could possibly leave a split squad to compete with the likes of South Kitsap in 2007-08.

“Looking at this class and where they live, we would have a larger portion go to Kingston High School and have a North Kitsap High School team who has lost quite a few players still playing 4A,” said student-athlete parent Norma Hamblet. “In some ways, (the current sophomore class) is kind of getting slapped again.”

NKHS’ current sophomores will have been bombarded with changes as they enter their senior year. They will be the first senior class to be a part of the district’s new SLC format; they are the first class which will have to pass the WASL in order to graduate; they are the first class that will be required to complete a culminating project; and 170 of the total 395 students in the class may be the first graduating class of Kingston High School.

“I believe the seniors (of 2007-08) need the opportunity to hear all sides of the story and be given the opportunity to give feedback on their destiny,” Olson said.

But the cutoff for feedback is approaching as NKSD Supt. Gene Medina said the administration should make its recommendation to the school board of where the senior class of 2007-08 should reside by the end of April.

The AAC is planning to meet again March 14 and make further recommendations at a study session with the school board March 23.