Offer to Pay Your Wasatch Academy 'Out and Beyond' Colorado Trip Cancellation Fee

Holy Crap, he’s at it again.

Wasatch Academy leaders know that their employee’s actions killed two kids while employed at Darlington School in Rome, Georgia, yet they have allowed Steve Hall to start a program at their school called "Out and Beyond" and schedule a trip involving water for August 9th. ***UPDATE: The link was removed from the school Website on July 23, 2008, but a PDF of the trip announcement is here and a PDF of their front page with the audacious link is here. I'd like to believe the trip has been cancelled, but that would indicate signs of a conscience I'm not sure exists.*** Even Darlington, albeit after much pressure, made Hall cease and desist. It couldn’t be clearer deja-vu.

Hall’s an egomaniac – I understand how he dares to repeat himself – after all, he never took the slightest of breaks in planning or conducting trips for kids since 2005 (can you imagine?), was at a Darlington soccer game laughing it up four days after the boys’ bodies were found (can you imagine?), and has the thoughtfulness to announce his first official "Out and Beyond" outing the same month that Clay and Sean would have graduated high school. There are devils amongst us, I know. But the school.

What's their reasoning? I have to hope that they have numerous other, and more rational, leaders on this trip, and Hall won't be in charge of anything. He's listed as the main contact, but maybe he's just the organizer - the paperwork pusher - and not going on the trip at all. Unfortunately, the over-the-top trip description screams Hall.

Like it says: Call 435/462-1420 or e-mail steve.hall@wacad.org to ask questions. I’d be willing to bet that, if asked, he would have trouble remembering February 2005 or Clay and Sean at all. I'd suggest that you contact Joe Loftin, the Headmaster, at josephlo@wacad.org or a Board Member. I did, but it now looks like I got nowhere. I'm just one stranger in Indiana, after all, but I would imagine a parent's questions might be better received.

We learned too late from the Darlington experience that the only answers are communication among the parents and their questions and demands of school leaders. Unfortunately, this is the rub. Parents sending their children to private schools are understandably more likely to assume the school their child attends would only employ the cream of the crop.

So, I pray. And hope that a few diligent Wasatch parents research the trip leaders and make their own educated decisions.

And for these diligent ones who find this post, I also offer this: If you have already signed up for this trip and decide not to send your child, email me and I’ll pay your cancellation and non-refundable fees. Send me your proof of cancellation and notification to the school of the reason for your cancellation, and I’ll send you the money you paid.

Apparently, the balance is due today and you can be refunded up to 21 days prior to August 9th.

Until then, I pray that all 10 kids’ parents contact me. After August 9th, I can only watch and pray from a distance, which is what I will do, as long as Steve Hall is allowed to be in the wilderness with other people's children.

Comments

[anonymous]

interesting...
I'm a student at wasatch and i went on a trip with him this spring and we actually came back quite safe and i never doubted him on this trip and i'm sure he's taken numerous trips with students and there has been no casualties....
interesting...glad i graduated

[Karen Rutherford]

I'm glad you graduated, too!

Numerous trips with no casualities? Yes, he has. But he's also had prior self-imposed close calls, and two boys would still be alive had it not been for his arrogance and poor judgment on this Darlington trip. The surviving children still have nightmares.

So, yes, I'm so glad you graduated!!

Thanks for writing.

Karen

[anonymous]

regardless of his "casuality-free" trips, he can no longer say he has a casualty free past. But a past including FATALITIES. His privilege of taking an outdoor excursion should be revoked.

[anonomous]

this is almost too crazy to believe. i went on many trips with, what everyone gave him the nic-name as, "Meester" but looking back on the trips, do see where some danger could have occured since he barely took charge of a camping trip where we were all out in the woods late at night while he layed in his cot. not saying his trips were not fun, but this is so crazy, his past has just been dug up.WOW. i don't even know what else to say. i feel for the families of the kids that have been lost. I no longer attend Wasatch.

[anonymous]

i wrote the above comment and felt dumb because i spelt anonymous wrong.

[Anon.]

i'm glad someone has the decency to put this information out. I can't believe he is still taking out kids! So much for the school letting us know. Thank you.

[Cristi Fifield (Sean Wilkinson's sister)]

I am Sean Wilkinson's sister. He was my only sibling. He was one of the two boys that did not make it home from the Feb. 2005 trip with Steve Hall with the Darlington School. I am so grateful that someone is taking so much time to show what kind of man he is and the negligence that occured on more than one occasion. He not only contributed to the deaths of two young children that trip but had a few close calls before that and I am pleading with any parent who ever considers letting their child go on a trip with him, PLEASE DON'T!!! That man is not responsible enough to make children wear more than shorts and t-shirts in february in 57 degree water, or to bring proper communication equipment when putting CANOES in the OCEAN, or to check and see if these islands that they were going to camp on were even above water (they weren't, they were underwater from the season before. DId he check?...NO!) It is a matter of responsibility and that man simply has none. I can't imagine the guilt that he will live with for the rest of his life, but I can promise that it is not easier than dealing with the pain of what happened to my brother every single day. Both boys would be in college now and it breaks my heart to know that one person's mistakes can take everything away just like that! It is like reopening the wound each time I hear about a new trip where new kids will be subjected to his irresponsibility. Thank you for listening and god bless you for your support! R.I.P. Sean and Clay, you will never be forgotten! Much thanks to Karen for her interest in this matter! Cristi Fifield

[Jim Little]

I am a businessman from Chattanooga TN. I have known Steve Hall for over twenty years. I am aware of the terrible event Steve and others went through while he was at Darlington. However, I must say I can not believe that I even found a website such as this one attacking him. I would not be the person I am today if "Meester" had not been in my life. I was raised by a single mom with no father around. Many times I could not afford to go on his trips and he would give me financial aid so that I would be able to attend. He was like a father to me I never had. He started me into and watched me excel in whitewater canoeing till I became one of the best extreme canoeists in the country. There were challenges on every trip. Just like when you get in your car this morning you can be killed in an instant. Parents and teachers need to realize there is an inherit risk in any sport. Parents should way out whether or not they choose to let their children experience the outdoors. For me it has been a god send. As a child I did attend the Colorado Outward Bound School Program, I think its a great program. But I've also experienced maybe over 100 trips with Steve. I think overall there was much more on hands supervision on Steves Trips than Outward Bound. In fact if I think about it as many thousands of trips and kids that have gone on his trips it really doesn't surprise me that eventually something like this would happen. I think if you look at the fatalities associated with other outdoor programs such as OB you might be surprised. I have not spoken with Steve in years, however I knew his Father and his Mother. They were salt of the earth type of people. And that is who Steve Hall is. I know that terrible day with the Darlington students probable haunts him all the time. I think overall, he had done that trip before and the kids liked the area. I think circumstances where different when they got to the camping spot he had previously used and it tainted plans. I think there were some decisions made that he would have done differently. He is human. Not a perfect individual and life is an unexpected phenomenon.
However, I want to say that Steve Hall is a very good responsible person. I am proof, and I know a bunch of other people who would not be the people they are today if it were not for him. It is difficult enough for parents to deal with their own kids. I have never in my life met anyone more qualified to take kids whitewater paddling, rock climbing, backpacking or camping. If I had a child and Steve told me he was taking a month long trip in China paddling a river. I would tell my child to have a great time. I realize there are passionate people on this thread. I was compelled to write this because many of you did not really seem to know Steve.
Sincerely,
Jim Little

[Karen Rutherford]

Dear Mr. Little,

This post is hardly an "attack". It is an attempt to provide a place where parents or "googlers" can educate themselves.

I assume your association with Mr. Hall was as a student of his?

You say that many of the posters do not know Hall? If you re-read, you might see the mistake in that thinking. How very compassionate of you to come to Mr. Hall’s defense here.

It sounds like you aren’t very familiar with the details of this trip or of any other “close calls” Hall has had. I have another post on this site that lists a lot of information. You may also want to read a few of the emails back in 2005 to get a glimpse into character. You may want to contact the Coast Guard office for details of the event. I’m confident that you wouldn’t have posted here with a little research.

The line of thinking that Hall should be commended for having been on numerous trips and only killing two kids still escapes me. Maybe this is because I know of so many instances of poor judgment and close calls over the years that made a tragedy seem inevitable. If only the schools he worked for had publicized HIM as the #1 risk.

I do agree with you that parents need to be aware of the risks. But, when an independent school REFUSES to provide any information about their employees, protects them, in fact, because legality is more important than a child’s life, when no information is made available to them about someone’s questionable past, how can a parent make an educated decision? That’s why the availability of information about Hall and the details of the Darlington trip are so critical.

I will leave you with two thoughts:

1. This man you so admire and would trust your child with was running up and down Darlington's soccer field laughing and joking and, in his own words quoted in the Rome News Tribune, "having fun" just days after the tragedy and even fewer days after the boys’ bodies were found. People attending the event were stunned by his behavior, as any normal person would be, but the school's attorneys put a quick end to all conversation to protect the school's reputation and legal interests.

2. Hall was actually an English teacher at Darlington and ran Orr-Treks on the side, but what does this "haunted" man do when his contract isn't renewed? He solicits and obtains employment in the official capacity of "Outdoor Recreation Coordinator" at Wasatch. Is this normal less than two years after the boys were killed? He has now been at Wasatch Academy for one year, a school that REQUIRES its students to participate in three outdoor excursions each year. Several children have already described their questionable experiences with him. He doesn't even have the decency or moral code to be on his best behavior.

I’m glad you had a successful time with Mr. Hall. You should consider yourself lucky. I will continue to pray that there is an end to his outdoor career with other people's children.

Karen Rutherford

[GrandCanyon]

Meester (Steve Hall) is the creme of the crop for private schools, and if you would rather have your kid learn from a prick harvard grad, then your kid is not getting the full experience of life. Ive taken several trips with meester and can honestly say that it is a life changing memorable trip that doesnt compare to any other outdoor trips you will take with high dollar trip programs. He has to deal with those deaths every day, Clay being one of my friends, and people who know Steve will tell you that he is one of the best people to go out into the wilderness with.

I'd highly recommend the Grand Canyon - havasu trip or the Oregon/Wyoming trip!

[Karen Rutherford]

If only your post made any sense, Grand Canyon. If it did, your recommendation and opinions about Hall might be taken seriously. How typical it is that the few people who approve of or defend Hall seem to be his equal in character and common sense.