Agenda 12/1

Here are some things we should discuss this Thursday:

• Moving the meeting to Wednesdays
• Getting an informational table ready
• Setting aside some afternoons to get the students ready for the 1/7 breakfast and the 1/12  community meeting
• Catching up with the status of the trip

See you Thursday!

School Board Meeting 11/7/11

At the September school board meeting, I asked for permission to begin exploring parent and student support for a hike into the Grand Canyon. Last night, two months later, I asked for permission to raise funds.

The board asked me to survey the community support. Specifically, they would like to see an information booth at the next BES breakfast (January 7) and a community information meeting the following Thursday (January 12).

What does this mean for us?

• We do not need to plan any fund raising activities until least February
• One of the focuses for our first student event (2-6PM, Dec 1) will be the informational booth at the January breakfast.

The logo contest closes on 11/14.  It  would great to choose a logo for posters advertising the January events.

Minutes of 11/3 Meeting

Attending - Zack Ladd, Edward Ladd, Maggie Fowler, Emma Weed, Libby Weed, Tonyia Peasley, Hannah Peasley, Chris Devine, Nicole Devine, Deanna Churchill, Cassidy Bulleman, Nada Lepper, Corinne Pert, Laura Johns, Beck Lebel

Report Out
Laura

• Shuttle - There are three shuttles which run on the rim of the canyon. We are still trying to work out shuttles from the airport to the rim, but right now, it appears to be an expense of about $50 per person.
• School Contacts - Still have not found a school, public or private that has ever done this before. Contacts have been made with schools in the area, medical organizations and groups that lead hikes into the canyon.
• Campsites - At this point, it appears we are limited to one back country site per day per trip. The largest site is for 11campers.
• Fee Waivers - Educational waivers can be obtained. Park entrance fees are waived
• Getting the word out - Meeting attendance is low due previous commitments for some parents. Announcements were in all school newspapers and parent letters home. Attendance was much better this month
• Jr. Ranger Program - Available on the rim. There are interpretive rangers in the canyon.
• Healthy Peninsula - May have some grant money

Tonyia

• Quilt Raffle - Has not had a chance to follow up on this
• Talk To Penny- Hats are $6.00 apiece
• Commitment letter - Laura asked parents to look at the blog, review the videos on the blog and then decide whether they were still interested in proceeding.

Becky

• Talk to Edward about brush - Edward will get brush for the wreath making
• Facebook Page - Complete. You can find it by searching B.E.S Coast to Canyon 
• Estimated food cost for campers $100/day

Stephanie

• Follow up on wreath making supplies - Edward has some wreath making supplies and will supply us with 100 rings
• Tonyia suggested a getting pre-orders and it was decided that double wreaths can only be pre-ordered

Planning

• Amount to be raised - We will raise funds for the 13 students who have signed up plus 5 chaperones. At $800 per person this is $14,400
• November 8th Bake Sale - Nov 8th
• Wreath Making Plans - We will need 100 rings and 8 rolls of wire. We need to determine who will be at the 12/3 work session
• Get people signed up for fund raising activities - No progress
• Discussion Educational Activities - Students will have educational activities prior to each meeting. Deanna and Maggie signed up for this committee

Future Plans

• Logo - Contest in progress - Logos due 11/14. At the 12/1 meeting, we will select 4 or 5 for a community vote.
• Mission Statement
• Sign Commitment Letters 

Next Steps
Laura

• Work with students to develop fact sheets, posters,
• Contact Maggie and Deanna regarding Educational Activities

Nada

• Getting a price for snacks and lunch on plane flights

Next meeting Dec 1, 2011

Agenda for 11/3 Meeting

This is the proposed agenda for the November 3rd meeting:

Report Out
Laura

• Shuttle
• School Contacts
• Campsites
• Fee Waivers
• Getting the word out
• Jr. Ranger Program
• Healthy Peninsula

Tonyia

• Quilt Raffle
• Talk To Penny
• Commitment letter

Becky

• Talk to Edward about brush
• Facebook Page

Stephanie

• Follow up on wreath making supplies

Planning

• Amount to be raised
• November 8th Bake Sale
• Wreath Making Plans
• Get people signed up for fund raising activities

 Discussion

• Educational Activities
• Future Plans
• Sign Commitment Letters

 Leave a comment or email me if you would like to add anything to the agenda.

Minutes of 10/28 Meeting

Attending: Becky Lebel, Tonyia Peasley, Laura Johns, Stephanie Bates, Corinne Pert


Stephanie and Becky shared their concerns about the rigor of the hike, including intense heat, dehydration and fitness of the children. Everyone agreed that it would be very helpful to find a school that has done this.


There was also a feeling that no one should be left out of the trip and that students should be given the opportunity to either hike into the canyon or camp on the rim. We agreed to get more information regarding the cost and logistics of camping on the rim for 6 nights.


It was suggested that the trip be moved to May.

Finally, there was discussion about how to handle the letter Stephanie presented at the meeting. It was decided that creating a list of her concerns would make it more accessible to readers.

Laura is looking for schools that have taken students into the Grand Canyon, doing some research on educational grants (which fees are waived?), looking into the logistics of getting a group campsite and putting together a proposal for the school board.


Due to weather, the hike scheduled for 10/30 is cancelled.


Tonyia is creating a commitment form.


Becky is working up a meal price for those people who camp on the rim.

At the next meeting, Nov. 3, we will discuss this plan in more detail.

Minutes of 10/20 Meeting

 Attending: 
Carolyn McClure, Becky Lebel, Tonyia Peasley, Nada Lepper, Joe Devine, Laura Johns, Nicole Devine, Bryan McClure, Sophie Peasley, Hannah Peasley

Agenda: 

Review List of Students

Finalize List of Adults

Discuss Travel Arrangements

Discuss Fundraising Possibilities

Fundraising:

Tonyia created a spreadsheet with activities. We added some dates (Election Day Bake Sale and Wreath making Activities). Carolyn offered to share her Farmer's Market booth with us.

To Do List:

Laura agreed to create a calendar

Tonyia checking with Gladys regarding quilt raffle

Becky and Tonyia checking into brush

Getting the Word Out:

We have a blog and Becky has created a Facebook page.

To Do List:

Laura will make sure meeting information is in the school newsletter.

Tonyia is checking into screen printing.

Slogan: BES – Coast To Canyon

Dates for hike – April 10-17, 2013

Itinerary – See Itinerary Page

Other things we discussed:

Laura has a sister-in-law that works at AU

Jr. Ranger Program

Healthy Peninsula Grants

A letter writing campaign to equipment companies

Price per person $600 - $800

Liz Hotchkiss has agreed to talk to us about equipment

Next Meeting November 3^rd, at 6PM (5/6 room at BES)

Minutes of 9/29 Meeting

Head Count

We have 16 students that have expressed interest. Assuming 1 adult per two students, we have a group of 24.

Travel Arrangements

Becky and Tonyia are going to begin looking into travel arrangements. Leaving from another location, such as Boston, may save some money but at this point does not seem to warrant the additional time and effort. There is some question about whether ticket prices fluctuate between the month of October and the month ofApril.

Fund Raising

Tonyia, Joe, Stephanie and Laura are gong to meet to create a list of fund raisers, and if possible, their dates. The consensus was that fund raising should take advantage of the larger summer population or offer needed service to the local community.Some of the ideas mentioned:

• Lobster Dinners
• Selling Items at the Farmers' Market
• Ice Fishing
• Breakfasts
• Fashion Show

Timing

It was generally agreed that April 2013, during spring break, is the best time for this trip. Temperature and weather seem okay. We should investigate this more.

Posters

Jen is heading up a group to make posters that will be displayed during fund raising. She wants to highlight student learning.

Work-out hikes

Everyone participating needs to be in shape. We talked about having students walk a flat 4 miles followed by hikes of increasing rigor. We should outfit students with boots and packs as soon as possible. This is the schedule so far:

• Great Pond on October 30, 2011
• Mt Kadahin Sept/Oct 2012

Other ideas:

• Bubble Rock
• Dead River

Next Meeting: October 20, 2011 @6PM

Meeting 9/29

Meeting Agenda for Thursday 9/29

• Get a head count of interested students
• Begin some research into ticket cost/best method of travel
• Plan for fund raising
• Collect questions

These are the items I would like to start working on. Please let me know if you have comments or additions to the agenda.

Thanks to all the parents and students who came to last night's meeting. After some conversation and questions, I think we all agreed that the next step is to get a headcount of the number of students who are interested in attending.

I will be sending home a sheet tomorrow, but if you don't get it, click here for a copy.

The next meeting will be at BES, Thursday, 9/29 @ 6:00PM.  Can't attend? I will put an agenda on the blog. You can make comments on the blog.

Here We Go!

The plan is to take interested students, from the current 5th - 7th grade class, on a hiking, camping trip into the Grand Canyon. The when, who and how are yet to be determined.

This is what we know so far:
There are some interested students and parents
We need to hike with minimal gear
The Bright Angel trail is the easiest, most traveled trail. There is water in 4 locations.
The trip in and trip out will include overnights so we hike about 4 miles each day.

The first parent meeting will be September 21st at 6:15PM.