of The Sierra Club, Hawaii Chapter
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A Letter To The New School Advisor
Mon, 07 Mar 2005
It can be very confusing when you first start out as the advisor to a club, and I would like to help make the process easier for you. The first thing you must do is to decide what you want the club to do for the rest of the year. Then you must get ready for the next school year.
First, check out the Hikers web page to learn something about our organization. The web site is: http://highschoolhikers.org . Click on “HSH Officers and Staff.” The officers are elected for two year terms. Our last election was at the end of the last school year, so these officers will be in office for another school year. Go back to the home page.
Second, click on “High Schools.” Not all these schools are active today. Our active clubs include Campbell, Farrington, Kapolei, Leilehua, Moanalua, and Waipahu. There was supposed to be a club at Castle High School, but the advisors have not come to a meeting or contacted us. Konawaena, on the “Big Island” has a club, which pretty much operates independently. Click on the active O`ahu schools and see what the clubs have scheduled.
It is a requirement that all clubs publish their hikes for the year at the start of the new school year. As members of the Sierra Club, the advisors and hike leaders are covered by the Sierra Club liability insurance. The Sierra Club policy states that all our outings must be published. We do this via the internet. To be covered by this liability insurance you must be a member of the Sierra Club.
You are also covered by the DOE liability insurance, so you must ensure that you follow all DOE field trip policies. Teachers also are covered by the National Education Association (NEA) liability insurance.
Your hike leaders are certified Sierra Club Hike Leaders, and have been involved with High School Hikers for a long time. They are knowledgeable of the club policies and you should contact them for help.
In planning for the next school year, you must first elect your club officers for the next school year. Get a copy of your club constitution and by laws and see how your club is supposed to operate. If you don’t have a copy, the Student Activities Coordinator should have a copy. If you can’t find a copy and must write a new one, I can help you with this. Then some time before the start of the next school year, you should make up a schedule for the year. In making up a schedule, you should work around dates such as, SAT tests, Proms, Banquets, balls, etc.
I have given you a lot of information. There is a lot more you need to learn. Feel free to contact me or Bob Keane anytime you have questions. Jim Yuen is the person who puts our web pages together. To get anything on to the web, all you have to do is to contact him and let him know what you want to do.
Aloha,
Fred E. Nakaguma