Click on image for website
Program: Chuuk State Interscholastic League (CSIL)
Location: Chuuk, FSM
Type: Organization
URL: www.chuuk-sports.org
This website was designed for a proposed re-visioning, re-organizing, and re-naming of an existing sports league for the high schools in Chuuk State. We wanted to offer a new approach to moving the interscholastic collaborations beyond sports at the public and private high schools in Chuuk. The schools in Chuuk have been doing amazing interscholastic activities (debates, sports, SAT testing, Close Up trips planning, etc), but they have been done on an ad hoc basis with very little organization or long-term planning. Often things come up the last minute through DOE, generosity of certain schools, the Interscholastic Sports Commission, the Supreme Court, or from other local efforts. The idea behind the website is to make it easier for the principals to organize and communicate the league’s activities and services. On February 27, 2013, the following email was sent to the principals in Chuuk announcing the launch of the CSIL website and seeking support for re-organizing the ISC into a league whose goals extend beyond athletic competitions.
Letter to Principals
Dear Principals Wayne Olap (SCA), Martin Carl (XHS), Paul Hadik (CHS), Steioshy Manuel (Mizpah), Floren Akkin (NHS), Walter John (SDA), Eddie Beyond (BCS), and others,
Tirow womi. I’m starting with you because you’ve all supported my efforts to help Chuuk’s schools on my last trip to Chuuk on behalf of University of Hawaii at HIlo. Most of you also responded to my request to name the annual interscholastic track and field day in Chuuk as the Keitani Graham Memorial Interscholastic Track & Field Day. I hope you can also outreach to your fellow principals whose email address I simply don’t have.
I want to offer a new approach to organizing interscholastic events beyond sports at the public and private high schools in Chuuk. You’ve all been doing these amazing inter-campus activities (debates, sports, SAT testing, Close Up trips planning, etc) on an adhoc basis with very little organization or planning. They are also spearheaded by either DOE, generosity of certain schools, the Interscholastic Sports Commission, the Supreme Court, etc. I know it will be much easier for those of us that want to support all your efforts if you organize yourself as principals into a league that does more than athletic competitions.
What if we re-envision the old Interscholastic Sports Commission (ISC), re-organize it into the Chuuk State Interscholastic League (CSIL) led by a Board of Directors comprising of all the principals of the high schools that want to be part of the new league. You as the principals would be the governing board for the league to set the policies and a common schedule of events. You can appoint respective teachers or coaches to implement activities at your schools, but everyone marches to the beat of the same drum set by you principals as the Board of Directors. I propose that you become the Board of the CSIL and hold at least one major planning meeting in the summer prior to the start of the academic year to agree on the shared calendar of the league events for the year (e.g. shared SAT testing, athletic competition schedules, a shared College Fair for colleges to come meet with your students, state debate competitions, etc). In that meeting you would also set policies and procedures for all league events. Then your coaches, debate teachers, college counselors, etc. implement that schedule.
I have asked Marz Akapito (FSM Athletics), Curtis Graham (SHIP-HOOPS), and possibly others to to join me to make up the Support Team for the CSIL to provide technical assistance where you as the Board of Directors might need it. I figured this support team of volunteers can advise you in athletic policies / scheduling (Marz), local youth partnerships in referring (Curtis), and I will help in academic support services. I might ask Harry Narruhn or someone from the Supreme Court to help with the debate scheduling activities. Anyone else you feel will help support your common goals let me know and I can contact them to join this support team.
Anyways, here’s the website that I have put together for you with this vision of energizing collaborations and resource-sharing among the private and public high schools. Take a look at the proposed content and structure. It is only the start…it’s meant to elicit conversations so please let’s put our heads together virtually and discuss the possibilities.
I believe you have to organize yourselves because your unity and partnership transcends the DOE’s capacity to pull you all together into a strong body. As principals you hold the key to interscholastic collaborations so please look over the website and let’s continue the conversation.
Cheers,
Vid
As a former chairman of the ISC, I would like to voice my full support for this undertaking. I really appreciate all the efforts that Marz and Vid are doing to improve our sports in Chuuk. I wish you all the success. Thank you very much.