Volunteering Snapshot

Planning and executing the WESO Tournament is a community effort. The WESO Board of Directors spends hundreds of hours planning and organizing but depends on all participating schools to be involved in the process. In order to plan and execute a successful event, we require that each school provide us with at least one Key Volunteer who will have a significant role in the execution of the tournament. In most cases, the Key Volunteer role involves more than just a tournament day commitment. Key Volunteers should be expected to spend 20 to 30 hours in planning and running a key aspect of the tournament. If a school’s Key Volunteer is unable to fulfill their commitment, the school must supply a replacement for that Key Volunteer. 

The Key Volunteer can assume one of the following roles:

• Lead Event Supervisor - Develops, organizes, and executes a competitive event at the tournament. A Lead Supervisor for an event should have an appropriate background in the event area, no conflict of interests (i.e., a child participating in that event, a coach for that evet, etc.) and must be approved by the WESO Board
• Support Event Supervisor - Supports a Lead Event Supervisor in the execution of a competitive event at the tournament. A Support Supervisor is not necessarily involved in the organizing of the event and/or test writing but is expected to familiarize themselves with the event, assist with the set-up for the event and assist in the running of the event at the tournament. Support Event Supervisors must be approved by the WESO Board and not present any conflicts of interest.
• Key Volunteers - Key Volunteers will serve on one of several Tournament Committees as described below. 

• Open Events – Open Events are hands-on science experiments in various fields of Math and Science that all kids (not just WESO participants) can participate in throughout the day. Key Volunteers in this committee will be required to stand, walk, and may be required to move heavy objects. They will have frequent interactions with students and parents. An Open Event key volunteer will be part of a committee of 3-4 members.
  • Planning: Several WESO resources (ideas, established protocols, materials) are available. The Key Volunteer will work with other members of the Open Events team to invite guest organizations to host stations, to plan the various stations, optimize the demos/hands-on experiments, list supplies and create protocols/instructions for each station, work with the board liaison to purchase supplies, plan the layout of the stations, assign recruited high school students to various stations.
  • Setup the night before the tournament: Duties include setting up the tables/chairs as per the planned layout (with the help of volunteers), setting up the various stations as needed, training high school students to run the stations.
  • Execution on WESO Day: Check-in high school students (with the help of volunteers), oversight of all stations, replenishing supplies, managing crowd, help as needed at various stations, supervise clean-up with the help of volunteers.
• Award Ceremony - Key Volunteers in this committee will be required to stand, walk and may be required to move heavy objects.
  • Help set-up the award ceremony stage and area the night before.
  • Help with the school banner parade
  • Assist WESO board members and honored guests distribute metals to school teams
  • Help with breakdown of the award ceremony area after the event.
• Academic Check-In - Key Volunteers on this committee may be required to stand, walk, or climb stairs frequently. They will have frequent interactions with students and volunteers.
• Prior to the tournament, review documents describing the academic hallways and check-in area. This includes understanding the layout of the event site, knowing where stairways, classrooms, and other landmarks are, and understanding different situations that arise during a normal tournament day.
• Setup the night before the tournament. Duties include putting up schedule and event signs on classrooms, putting “Caution” tape in areas where students are not to go, familiarizing yourself with the building, and setting up chairs and tables.
• Ensuring traffic at check-in table is moving smoothly
• Managing larger crowds at certain check-in times
• Answering questions, helping late students, solving problems
• Training or guiding parent volunteers in your area
• Making sure volunteers are doing what they need to do
• Breakroom
  • Plan and pre-order food for Supervisor, Board and Key Volunteer breakroom.
  • Set up the breakroom the night before.
  • Staff break room and receive food deliveries throughout the day. 
  • Clean up the breakroom at the end of the tournament.
• Concessions
  • Plan the concession for the tournament (TBD - either run by WESO or external vendors (Food Trucks))
  • Pre Purchase and/or order food to be sold at concessions.
  • Train volunteers for ticket sales and food distribution.
  • Oversee food sales at the tournament.
• Facility Support - Key Volunteers on this committee may be required to stand, walk, or climb stairs frequently. Lifting of tables and other heavy objects may be required. 
  • Help with tournament set-up the night before
  • Help WESO comply with building use rules as set forth by the host school administration
  • Ensure that materials are distributed to appropriate rooms
  • Help set up classrooms, hallways, and public spaces
  • Help direct other volunteers to appropriate locations
  • Help ensure that only designated tournament day entrances and exits are being used and that unauthorized people are not entering the building
  • Help clean up/tear down all WESO materials, signs, trash, etc. at the end of the tournament
  • Ensure the building is left in expected condition
  • Help set up outdoor spaces and display signage.
  • Monitor traffic and ensure that traffic cones remain in place.
  • Work with security guards on tournament day.
  • Ensure that only the designated entrance and exit to the building are being used.
  • Ensure that the outdoor areas are left in expected condition.
• Basket Raffle - Key Volunteers on this committee may be required to stand and walk.
  • Communicate details regarding the basket raffle to Head Coaches.
  • Organize raffle sign-up, order tickets, answer questions from schools.
  • Check in basket donations the night before the tournament, organize and arrange baskets, set-up ticket holders
  • Train volunteers ticket sellers and oversee raffle.
  • Conduct the raffle near the end of the day.
  • Make arrangements for pick-ups of unclaimed baskets. 

Many schools have Event Supervisors that return year after year and fulfill the Key Volunteer requirements for that school. Other schools have experienced Key Volunteers (Basket Raffle, Academic Check-in, etc.) that return to that role every year. Most schools will need to identify a parent, teacher or community volunteer who will serve as their Key Volunteer for that year. The Key Volunteer must be an adult and can not be a high school student. Key Volunteers will be required to undergo a background check processed by WESO. 

WESO directly invites Event Supervisors to return in that position if that event is expected to be on the event slate for that year. We also directly reach out to certain Key Volunteers if they have experience in a role. WESO will notify Head Coaches in the fall if we have secured an Event Supervisor or Key Volunteer from their school and this requirement has been satisfied. All other schools will be asked to submit a name of their Key Volunteer and their choice of available committee positions at the time of registration. We recommend that you identify your Key Volunteer as early as possible. The earlier you provide a name, the more likely they are to be seated in the position of their choice. If your school is identified as falling into one of the higher tiers, you will be informed of your additional Key Volunteer requirement and asked to provide the contact information for that additional individual(s).