Herron Parent Athletic Council (PAC)
Herron Parent Athletic Council (PAC)
What is PAC?
The Herron Parent Athletic Council (PAC) is a group of Herron parents whose mission is to support the overall student-athlete experience. This mission involves the pursuit of two objectives: to assist with two-way communication between the school and parents regarding sports activities and to foster the mission of the Herron Athletic Department specifically: "The Herron Athletic programs strive to provide the best opportunities beyond the school day for students to excel in knowledge, skills, teamwork, self-discipline, and moral character.” We support a culture of team spirit that mirrors the school's already-strong sense of community. This mission is accomplished by the volunteer efforts of our Herron parents working together with our school administrators and students.
What are PAC's initiatives?
- To ensure that all sports experiences at Herron are positive and even, regardless of the level of participation.
- To serve as a liaison between the Herron Athletic Department and parent community, sharing feedback to help strengthen our athletic program.
- To provide guidelines and support for all Parents.
- To encourage school spirit across all teams.
- Lead events – Senior nights, team meals, end-of-season banquet and more.
How can I get involved?
At the beginning of each season, PAC helps to identify parents from each team to serve as Team Parents. The purpose of the role is to be a liaison between the coach and other parents on the team, while also coordinating team bonding events and activities.
The guidelines below are intended to act as a road map for the PAC to lead team parents and set expectations for all Herron families involved in team sports. This list is intended to serve as a baseline guide and is certainly not all-inclusive. Please feel free to ask other parents for their assistance. Additionally, please make sure that you are in communication with coaches.
Communication
Communication involves you serving as a liaison between coaches and parents as needed. Responsibilities include:
- Making sure all team parents are signed up for the team's Athletics Alerts (EventLink)
- Assisting any parents who need help/have questions
Coordinate Team Food and Drinks
Create a food and drink schedule for home and away games as soon as possible. Home games are often just water/Gatorade with a small snack, whereas Away games may require sandwiches, etc. Some additional notes:
- Please coordinate with coach.
- Create Home and Away schedule and ask for parent contributions.
- Can use Sign Up Genius to manage the scheduling (very helpful free online tool) Travel time/distance of away game may factor into food needs
Team Dinner/Events
Team dinners are a wonderful tradition at Herron in which team members gather as a team bonding experience. We ask that you please plan at least one team dinner/event. Events include potluck dinners, pizza or pasta parties, and team breakfasts before a game. Please ask for volunteers to sponsor, with all families contributing so that it is not a burden on the host family. Preference is to hold team dinners/meals on campus to make it easy and safe for players to gather (as opposed to having to drive to other towns to players’ homes). To reserve an on-campus space for an event, please contact AD, Matt George (mgeorge@herronhighschool.org)
*Please note that these are not school-sponsored events and the school takes no responsibility for transportation to and from school if the event is off-campus.
Support Other Herron Sports Teams
A big part of the Herron athletic experience is having fans at games. We ask that you have the captains coordinate a day or two when the team can go and cheer on another team. They would love to have the support and it fosters school spirit.
Coach Gifts
- It is your discretion to collect for a coach’s gift.
- We ask that it not exceed $20 per player or whatever amount parents are comfortable giving. However, we do recognize that each team is different and may have different coaching situations. The gift should never be a burden to families.
Senior Day
It is a wonderful tradition at Herron to recognize all seniors at their last home game or final game.
- Please coordinate this with the coach.
- Decorations, recognition, posters and a cake/cupcakes would be a great idea.
End-of-Season Banquets
Coordinate the end-of-season banquet. During this banquet, Varsity letters, team accolades, trophies and league honors will be shared at this event.