Dear Parent/Guardian,


Your son/daughter is running for a position to be in RHS Leadership, Student Council, for the 2021-2022 school year.  There are several things I want to make you aware of so that there are no surprises for you or your child next year.  

Leadership is a course offered on campus.  The students enrolled in Leadership are responsible for a variety of activities on campus including dances, rallies, lunchtime activities, and Homecoming.  They also represent their fellow classmates in financial and policymaking situations.  Students involved in Leadership, therefore, must be effective time managers.  It is extremely time consuming and hard work but I know your child will find that it is very rewarding and will prepare them for their future endeavors unlike most classes they will experience.  There are also some financial costs involved when participating in this class.

The following are things that I’d like you to be prepared for and agree to should your child become involved in Leadership:
¬ Students will go through an interview process for each position present in Leadership. The student is expected to be early for their interview. This will occur via zoom due to Covid 19.
¬ Students will receive notification of acceptance into the course via email.  Please make sure the email address is written clearly!
¬ Students will have multiple responsibilities based on the activities/events that occur throughout the school year. Much time is dedicated outside of the classroom.
¬ All students enrolled in the class attend a Leadership Conference to inspire and prepare them for the following year.  This conference is when our leadership family comes together and creates an incredible bond.  The dates for the 2021 Core Camp will be announced at a later date. It is not yet determined if it will be in person or virtual due to Covid-19.  In order to get the least expensive rate the school has pre-paid for all students enrolled in the class.  The cost for attendance is around $TBD.  The previous class did a wonderful job with fundraising this past year, so costs will be lowered.  We ask that students pay for this expense so that everyone can be involved.  IF IN PERSON - The fee includes breakfast, lunch, training, housing, and transportation.  (Regarding transportation; we ask for parent volunteers to be drivers of our students so that a bus expense does not occur.  For parent drivers, $100 dollars will be taken off the child’s expense for Core Camp). This conference is integral to the program and to help your student prepare for their new responsibilities.  If a family qualifies, financial aid is available or a contract can be set up to pay monthly payments in order to help with expenses.  Please email Gigi Green, ASB Bookkeeper, ggreen@sjcoe.net to get this contract set up. We have also participated in the Snapraise.com fundraiser this past year to help remove partial cost to Core Camp. The discount will be determined based on the number of students attending the conference.
¬ In recent years, some of our veteran leaders have made the decision to not attend the conference because there are similarities each year. Please note – the dynamic of the class changes yearly with new leaders and new positions held. It is essential to attend the conference to build a strong working relationship with peers and the AD. Equally, we are human and learn new things daily and this can be done with the right attitude and leadership skills of all students who attend.
¬ Each student can purchase a leadership sweatshirt ($35) and t-shirt ($25) to wear at the conference to show Ripon High pride.  The sweatshirt and t-shirt are designed by the newly elected ASB President. Checks should be made out to Ripon High School and sent to the school once your child has been notified of their acceptance into the class.  
¬ Training Day: I will hold a session with students in leadership planned for a day before school starts to train them on their job, work on paperwork, and build a professional relationship.  The date will be determined at a later time, but students will be notified when this event will occur.  It is expected that they attend this training day to be fully ready for the start of the year.
¬ Other expenses may occur through the various activities and conferences provided by Student Council at Ripon High School.

If you have any questions or concerns I encourage you to contact me at (209) 541-6907 (my personal cell number; I do receive text messages) or email: jmortensen@riponusd.net.

Sincerely,

Jill Mortensen
Activities Director
Ripon High School