Ahoy, maties! Earn a Plank Owner’s Certificate
Although I serve as president of HSe4Metrics, I am not yet a HSe4Metrics plank owner.
Becoming a Plank Owner is something you and I can do together—participating as volunteers before any fundraising campaign becomes necessary.
Earn a Plank Holder’s certificate. Simply reach out to anyone you know who might be able to contact a federal agency.
Rather than relying on a fundraising campaign to hire a presentation team, the simpler and more direct solution is for a federal agency—without prompting from a hired presentation team—to step forward and ask Congress to arrange sponsorship of the free-access HSe4Metrics platform innovation. In theory, Congress, with overwhelming bipartisan support, could complete the K–12 student performance legislation, pass the act, and assign a selected federal agency in a matter of days.
Meanwhile, unless and until a federal agency and Congress gets involved, everyone reviewing this explainer site is urged to reach out to anyone who may be able to bring a federal agency forward to address this K–12 student performance challenge and appeal to Congress.
Click the + to see more and the — to see less.
Gold on your wall! Here's the Plank Owner's Certificate
Welcome, future plank owners!
Traditionally, a plank holder is someone who was present at the official champagne bottle-breaking commissioning ceremony of a Navy ship—a milestone that often occurs weeks or even months after the ship’s initial launch. In fact, only a small percentage of U.S. Navy members ever have the good fortune of becoming plank holders.
I’m not one of them.
The closest I ever came was watching from a shipyard parking lot as Jackie Kennedy christened the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy in 1967.
Although I served aboard a Navy ship for several years shortly after high school, I missed its commissioning—by about 20 years. On the day the ship was launched, I was in a Navy hospital with my mother. It was the day I was born.
Over time, the term plank owner has taken on a broader, more metaphorical meaning. It’s now often used to describe someone who is part of the foundational stage of launching something new—something that may even be transformational.
A perfect example is the HSe4Metrics innovation for K–12 student performance.
Your role? Starting today, or at anytime you want to apply yourself, you can help the HSe4Metrics platform in any number of ways (a list of ideas is included below).
Or, if a $5 fundraising campaign is ultimately launched, you could donate $5.
Thank you,
Vernon A. (VA) Baker, Jr.
Be awarded a Plank Owner's Certificate
If a limited fundraising campaign is launched, we hope you’ll consider making a donation. But if donating isn’t the right fit for you, we warmly invite you to explore other meaningful ways to get involved. Take a look at the volunteer opportunities listed below—”Ideas for volunteers”—your time and talent could make a real difference.
Whether you donate, volunteer, or both, you’ll become a plank owner. Your certificate will arrive by email as a simple link. Some volunteers have forwarded the link to a big-box store for printing on certificate-grade paper. It cost just a few dollars—but the results have been remarkable. A volunteer in Oregon discovered she could have the store frame it and ordered it, trusting the store’s frame selection. The result was a standout certificate—one that kind of reminds me of the certificates I received in the 1960s when my ship crossed the Equator and the International Date Line.
If you have any questions about volunteering, just click the “Be part of shaping the future” button below and fill it out. (As always, your contact information will remain confidential.)
Contact us! Three ways
- Phone: Call (540) 644-1776 and press #1 to connect with Vernon Baker.
- Email: vabaker@hseverywhere.com
- Contact Form: Click this link to send us your thoughts or inquiries.
Volunteer! Here are some Ideas
- Always great:
- Spread the word! This can be powerful!
Encourage anyone who cares about K-12 to visit www.HSe4Metrics.com.
- Likewise important:
- Help HSe4Metrics with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or other functions to boost the fundraising site’s visibility and organic traffic
- Share posts, videos, or content wherever you can
- Use email to connect with others
- Manage a chatbot
- Help HSe4Metrics volunteers handle inquiries
- Help keep records
- Be a media rep
- Be the blog manager
- Talk to your favorite politician
- Talk to school boards
- Talk to teachers
- Do outreach to PR or connect with influencers and organizations in the education space