The Beaver Tree 2019-2020 | July Edition | Issue 3

july 2019 brooklyn tech the beaver tree

NO T E

FROM THE EDITOR ellen seto

Summer vacation is finally here!! Honestly, it couldn't

so check out the Table of Contents.

come fast enough. I'm so glad

Keep an eye out for my

testing is over!! (I'm so over

future newsletters, too, since

regents. Anyone else tired of

you'll always have

them, too?)

opportunities to get points in

What's not over, though, is

simple ways!! Sending in

service!! Key Club is still active

pictures and photos to me also

throughout the summer, and

earns you points, so be sure to

all your points from here on

do that. It's really helpful to

out will go towards next year,

me!!

so get a head start! It's gonna be really fun with all our new

Thank you for reading the newsletter and keeping up!

events coming up, so look

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forward to that. Summer

Yours in service,

equals fun!! Definitely come to

Ellen Seto

our fundraiser with Stuyvesant

2019-2020 BTHS Key Club

Key Club!! More info on that,

Bulletin Editor

2

2

it's it's

july july

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TABLE OF

CONTENTS 1

4

5

6

7

9

13

39

41

45

note from the editor did you read it?

table of contents you're here!

reminders

read all the way to the end!

key club

who we are

executive board at brooklyn tech

executives' remarks

from our president and treasurer

events

look at photos and articles submitted by members! (lookin' good, guys!)

adventures at governor's island stuy x bths interclub event

updates

26

47

48

49

61

31

lieutenant governor's update from jaden thomas

key club international news all the latest updates

district board 2019-2020

ICON

check out the beautiful spread!

special thanks

to ms. visbal, stuyvesant key club, and you!

puzzle

solve for points!

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club vip's

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key club pledge

ms. mckinnon, ms. multari, and mr. morgan read it!! changes have been made to the pledge!!

our fundraiser, new member applications, and our website

divisional news

keep up with our division! and a word from our lieutenant governor

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reminders read ayan's presidential update emails for all the information and updates you need about key club! want a quick tl;dr for club updates? watch our member representatives' member updates!! we've already released 3 video updates so far. watch out for our tech x stuy interclub fundraising event "adventures at governor's island." proceeds will be donated to the children's miracle network! perfect time to hangout with your stuy friends!! be on the lookout for key club events in the summer!! all points and hours you receive from this point on will count towards your hours and club credits for next year.

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We are a community that focuses on service and volunteer work so we can help others and the place we live in. Here, we give students opportunities to build character, leadership and have a place to feel included.

We're here to make a difference. thetechkey Brooklyn Tech Key Club BTHS KC

Check out our social media for updates on our club and upcoming events!

(Watch our member updates!! Our member representatives worked super hard on them!!)

key club 66

the the

executive executive d r a d o r b a bo

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AYAN RAHMAN

SIMRUN KOTHARI

YOUSSEF EL MOSALAMI

MARIYA MELEGANICH

president pres.thetechkey@gmail.com @ayan.rahman

vice president vp.thetechkey@gmail.com @youssefelmosalami (not pictured)

ABIGAIL ISAKOV

treasurer treas.thetechkey@gmail.com @abyiskv

RICKY KE

executive assistant executiveassistant.thetechkey@gmail.com @rickyke03

co-secretary sec.thetechkey@gmail.com @simrunkothari

co-secretary sec.thetechkey@gmail.com (not pictured)

ELLEN SETO

bulletin editor editor.thetechkey@gmail.com @ellnsto

AURORA HOM

web master web.thetechkey@gmail.com @aurorahom (not pictured)

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president's

remark

Our club has been brim with passion lately and

HELLO to my

OUTSTANDING members!

And HAPPY JULY! HOW DO YOU FEEL?!?! Since I’ve last written to you lovelies so many amazing things have happened in our club. Our service

year

has

been

moving forward with FERVOR and it’s all thanks to you guys.

Since last time, we hosted a successful

9

Mental

Health

want to thank our new exe and cabinet board for

their jobs and making this

as amazing as it is. From

amazing member represen

updates, to the pheno fundraisers, to the organ of

our

secretaries,

and

stunning

work

our

Service

Director

and

E

committee has been doin

club is in such a fantastic right now because of our

so I just want to thank ever

Awareness month in which

Lastly, I want you guys to p

we hosted a few events

check

(more on the way!) as well as

emails from me because

led

Yoga

contain the first wave o

Fundraiser! You can read

news and updates! I’ve

about my thoughts and the

talking about a lot like the

experience on page 17, but in

member application and

short it was amazing.

upcoming interclub with S

our

first

ever

your

weekly

u

(which you should absolutely attend!!) So be sure to read those

mming I just

ecutive doing

s club

m the

ntative

check your weekly update emails for the new wave of updates and info!

menal

ization

And I think that’s it? Oh wait I

d

the

totally forgot — attend events!

Single

Make new friends and unite as

Events

one as the world changers that

g. Our

we all are by participating in all

c state

we have to offer this summer.

board,

The road ahead looks pretty

ryone.

darn fantastic, so stay with us,

please

update

e they

f new been

e new and

you won’t regret it. SEE YOU AT A FUTURE EVENT!

I LOVE ALL OF YOU! Yours in Service,

Care

and

Your President Ayan Rahman

with

10

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treasurer's remark

Hey everyone!

We have a few fundraising

fun! Make sure to look at

events in the works!! For

emails and the Facebook

starters,

and Instagram pages.

we

have

the

interclub event with Stuy, our

See you guys soon!

Adventure

Yours in Service,

(Super

Island

excited

for

event! that!!)

Come down to Governors Island, and meet us officers and other Key Clubbers! I can' t wait to meet all of you while fundraising for great causes

Abigail Isakov Treasurer 20192020

like the Children's Miracle Network

Hospitals

and

Project Semicolon! I don’t want to spoil the events in August, but be sure to save up because they will be super

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OUR EVENTS june & july

wyckoff house museum vibe & flow yoga fundraiser breast self-exam workshop helpers food pantry volunteeering it's my park at south oxford park NAMI community mental health fair pride disability fair

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ayan rahman

Wyckoff House

Museum

by Sunehra Subah

Our guide, Zach, sprawled out a at the fastening of the bark over knowledge on building Ikea tables, map on an old desk in the gift shop the wooden poles, and then were we learned to swat at mosquitoes and began to point at the places in promptly handed wooden pieces at record speed. Despite the herbBrooklyn that used to belong to and a drill to work on a project of based mosquito repellent we’d the Dutch West India Company. On our own—a picnic bench for future been giving and despite my blood being anemic, the mosquitoes still this map, Rockys was no longer a visitors. common place for Tech kids to loiter around after 10th period, but an area of land marked by independent farmers. Zachary not only reminded us of the struggles of the independent farmer, but also of the struggles of the Native Americans who were raped of their land. After a quick history

we trudged through the wet soil and tall grass towards the Wyckoff wigwam, built by school children to honor the Lenape.

With Zach’s help, we learned to dined on our limbs. But aside from work around the knots in the the thousands of mosquito bites wood, to drill pushing our shoulder that littered my ankles, the downwards, and to stop pushing experience at Wyckoff was grand.

once the drill started to whine. I adored picking snap peas and While the scattered nuts and bolts berries and pulling radishes and wet soil and tall grass towards the were originally confusing, by the carrots and turnips, remembering Wyckoff wigwam, built by a group end we wielded our power drills both the Lenape native and of school children to honor the like the farmers before us wielded independent farmer who had once Lenape. We marveled hoes. In addition to our new pulled crops from the same soil. lesson, we trudged through the

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VIBE & FLOW YOGA FUNDRAISER

15

16

of one of our amazing advisors, Ms.

AYAN RAHMAN

Visbal. So many members came out to

MR. PRESIDENT

support

this

amazing

cause

by

A big theme of fundraising this year

participating in cobra and tiger poses,

surrounds mental health awareness and

headstands and child's poses, peaceful

supporting those who face incessant

warrior and mountain poses, and more!

struggles

and

We came in as a rowdy crowd, unable to

depression, especially with the District

stay quiet with the sight of friends and

Project for the year being Project

Key Clubbers from not just Brooklyn

Semicolon. Brooklyn Tech Key Club took

Tech, but also many other clubs around

this

themed

the city. However, we came out, we

fundraiser in which members could

were rejuvenated and more in touch

practice mindfulness through yoga and

with ourselves and our presence in the

meditation, under the expert supervision

world.

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idea

such

and

as

anxiety

created

a

It

felt

mental

like

a

physical

cleanse

and

and

more

throughout the year. We absolutely loved seeing so many passionate faces wholeheartedly embrace the idea of mindfulness and just how

than anything, taught us the

integral it is in today's society. This most definitely motivated us to

importance of mental health

become bigger and better, so look forward to what we have to offer in

and the ways we must take

the future!

care of ourselves.

Ms. Visbal was excellent in leading this constantly avoided conversation with providing verbal insight as well as worksheets and infographics for everyone to read and learn from. This fundraiser, in the end, was more than just raising funds for a cause. We learned to become more in tune with ourselves and being present in our world. We learned to nurture and acknowledge

the

importance

of

mental health. Most importantly, we raised awareness on a taboo topic and

financially

supported

those

affected by mental health issues.

This event connected so many key clubbers from around the city and will surely be returning with fervorÂ

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Relax.

Kaitlyn Chau stand

was the best way to usher in

grounded on the floor,

learn about mental health

the summer, she was right.

while

great.

you feel each part of your body get lighter, and the stress floats away.

I have always known that

That is how yoga can be an

Maintaining

yoga was used as a tool for

essential tool to your mental

health is such an essential

relaxation

many

health. It was refreshing to

part of life, and it is barely

others, I didn’t really buy into

see how I myself, and my

talked about in our world. I'm

that. How could standing still

peers around me, felt this

glad our Key Club stepped up

with your hands to your sides

magic.

and advocated for something

be relaxing? Well, as youÂ

I would hands down say this

so important.

friends

and

experiencing

something so different was

19

but

like

eyes

closed,

20

When Ms. Visbal said yoga

Coming together with all my

still,

,

was the most perfect way to supporting

organization much

to

that

an

does

support

so

those

suffering

from

things

anxiety

and

depression.

good

like

mental

ANTHONY LIM

DISTRICT TREASURER On June 27, Brooklyn Tech Key

though I fell down on some of the

Club hosted their Yoga Fundraiser

harder poses. I even tried a pose

at Gibney Studios.

When I first

where I would be on my head, and I

stepped in, I was very apprehensive

was able to at least get half way

of the place, as the staircase was

there.

very steep and cramped. Once I went into the studio though, it was

The yoga session was a

really large, and I saw a couple of familiar faces.

The yoga session

really

good

way

to

end

was led by one of Brooklyn Tech’s teachers, who was a certified yoga instructor. pushed

off

the

day

and

relieve

The yoga definitely everyone’s

physical

the

stress

I

got

from

abilities, but it was still really fun for everyone.

I felt relaxed after the

sophomore year.

yoga session was completed, even

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21

18 raymond ng

raymond ng

22

that many people suffer

I

originally signed up for the Breast Cancer

Workshop event to just help with the setting up.

However, once I got there, it

was

actually

really

interesting and informative.

I learned a lot about breast

from. We set up food for the

attendees,

the guests

and have some time to ourselves! It was definitely

and

knowledge will

really

a good way to help out the

BTTF

(Breast Treatment Task Force)

be

alongside

useful

my

friends

for the future,

and

obtain

especially

important

since

facts.

breast

cancer is a real health issue

1 out of every 5 women will have breast cancer and not even know it.

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the door.

session afterwards to relax

gained a ton of that

at

There was even a yoga

know

before

out

goodie bags, and greeted

cancer that I didn’t

put

DORIS HONG '22

However,

aside

from

the

serious talk, it was kind of captivating

on

how

the

women/ladies there were so easygoing

and

comfortable

talking about such a serious topic. It made listening and understanding so much easier and

more

interesting,

in

comparison to sitting in a health class with just a video about breast cancer for the whole

period.

There

were

even

demonstrations

and

“audience participation.” YAY!!

(All we did was feel around the chest of a silicone mannequin as practice. It was a good time). I learned quite a lot from

Volunteering at the Breast Workshop Event was truly a worthwhile experience.

Volunteering

at

the

Breast

just that one event, but even though I talk about all the good things about it, I still

since all you are doing is

have to say one thing…it was

Workshop Event was truly a

checking for any discoloring,

still weird and awkward.

worthwhile

discharge, or any

experience.

As

someone who has little to no

abnormalities that might not

knowledge on breast cancer, it

have been there before.

was a nice change to actually

Alongside that was to check for

learn one or two things about

any unusual bumps that you

the issues and problems that it

might come across when you are

can

feeling around your chest area.

cause

and

additionally

W. DONG '22

BREAST

several methods to preventing

Regularly performing the self-

and checking for breast cancer.

examination is beneficial as any

One method was to perform a

abnormalities that may be found can

self-examination.

be treated for earlier and the

procedure is a rather simple

The

symptoms might not be as severe.

SELFEXAM WORKSHOP 24

ST. FRANCIS XAVIER FOODÂ PANTRY

Volunteers helped make small packages of food for peole visiting the food pantry and gave out cans of food.

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suzana morshed

26

suzana morshed

27

The food pantry event

and that I was doing

that I attended today

something good for

was a nice experience.

the community. This is

I got to work with a lot

what it means to make

of

a difference. Overall, I

other

volunteers,

and I had a lot of fun

suzana morshed

thought that this event

working together.

was pretty fun and I

By going to this

got to interact with a

event, I realized

lot of different people

that

while helping others.

there

are

many people that are

in

a

dire

Faustina Huang '21

situation and that I was one of the luckier

ones.

was

It

heart-

warming to hand out

food

for

those in need. It felt great knowing that I was helping these people

suzana morshed

I realized that there are many people that are in a dire situation.

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irene liu

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K R A P Y IT'S M ARK P D R O F X O AT SOUTH A fine summer day, complete with a cloudless sky and cool winds: perfect conditions for spending the day volunteering at South Oxford Park. July 13th was the day for summer cleaning at the park, with Key Club obviously lending support in the form of an event.

irene liu From 10 AM to 1 PM, some volunteers and I tended to the park. We did tasks that ranged from weeding the lawn to clearing out fallen leaves. Despite the tedious tasks and high temperatures, I still enjoyed many aspects of the event.

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For starters, the park staff were very welcoming. They gave clear instructions to each volunteer, such as which parts of the lawn are to be weeded and which trees needed mulch. I even received a few tips from one of

the staff while I was working. Along the way, there were plenty of refreshments for the volunteers. For all of the tasks, more than enough tools were provided for the job. Additionally, many adults came by to do nothing else other than to help with the park, giving off the sense of community in the small, secluded park. However, even with all of these benefits, there was still a complaint I had at the end of the day.

The event itself was a pleasant experience, but one question was still lingering in my mind at the end: why were there only 3 Key Club volunteers total there? While the other 2 volunteers were very nice and hard working, the event allowed for 10 people to sign up; due to this amount of space given, I felt that there was a lack of people present in the event.

Even though Key Club has an extensive amount of members, most of them apparently cannot extend a hand to help during summer. Volunteering is an essential aspect of many of Key Club's events, so I think that there should be more interest in being a volunteer! At the end of the day though, the event was overall fun and rewarding with little to no issue other than my opinion that more people should be a part of Key Club.

Volunteering is an essential aspect of many of Key Club's events.

David Yeung '21

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INCREASING MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS

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COMMUNITY

MENTAL HEALTH FAIR During

the

NAMI

I saw just how genuine the founders

Community Mental Health

of NAMI were, spending hours upon

Fair, support, fun, and joy

hours on a blazing summer day, to

were abundant. Being a

help those in a dire situation.

volunteer, you could get

In the end, this event proved to be

food from the barbecue, and

go

to

the

many

beautiful workshops that the event had to offer.

Other than the barbecue, the fair showed how if you needed guidance in your life, to become mentally stable, you could talk to NAMI. NAMI, or National Alliance on Mental Illness, is an organization that aims to help individuals and families that are affected by mental illness. Besides, many flyers were given out, typically for one of each

age

instance, program

bracket.

For

there’s

a

that

supports

parents of children under the age of 18.

extremely

insightful

because

it

showed how if you’re struggling with a mental condition, there are other

Our mission is to help families and individuals affected by mental illness build better lives through education, support, and advocacy. people with the same problem.

Knowing

that

there’s

an

organization that’s aimed to help children, teenagers, and adults of this caliber. It was indeed an honor to be able to volunteer

in

this

wonderful

event, and I hope to go to more events of this quality.

Jason Gao '22 32

PRIDE DISABILITY FAIR

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I really didn’t know what to expect from this parade. I had the idea that we were once again supporting an amazing cause that doesn’t get much recognition, but the idea was unclear. I have never been to a pride parade for different reasons and I didn’t know whether it was gonna be similar to other parades. Once we all got there, we watched the parade happen. It was really exciting and got all of us riled up.

There were people walking on stilts, people with banners, and so much more. Everyone looked happy and were shouting and dancing, and it made us feel really good.

The people that looked the happiest were the disabled.

It made us all so happy that the disabled had a whole day in the pride community. It was a really good experience and it was really nice to watch and participate in.

RICHARD ZHAO '22

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36

37

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JULY 27 GOVER NOR'S

39

ISLAND

ADVENTURES

AT

Stuyvesant x Brooklyn Tech Interclub

Looking to hang out with friends and other fellow Key Clubbers this summer season? Trying to hit up your crush but don't have plans?

Just LOVE having a good time?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, come to Brooklyn Tech x Stuyvesant Key Club's Adventures at Governors Island Fundraiser!

We invite you to: 3 hours of BBQ with GREAT FOOD AND DRINKS and drum-roll...

Governors Island's very own attractions: the Climbing Challenge and Amazen' Maze, featuring rock climbing and maze wandering!

BBQ

ATTRACTIONS

11:00 AM - 2:00 PM $8

2:30 AM - 4:30 PM $14

$20 for both! proceeds go to children's miracle network 40

SETADPU

41

raymond ng

We made $209 from our

you all for attending our

Vibe & Flow Yoga

fundraiser and making

Fundraiser, which will be

it so successful!! Be on

donated to the Children's

the lookout for future

Miracle Network, a Key

fundraisers and help us

Club International

support these causes

preferred charity. Thank

and charities!

click here for the application!!

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WEBSITE 43

24

IN THE

MAKING

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our district goals fundraising: $200,000 service hours: 120,000 Hours contact jaden at division9@nydkc.org if you can't contact jaden, try division executive assistants ryan chen and abby borshchenko!

DIVISIONAL

NEWS 45

LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR'S

UPDATE Hey everyone! First off, I want

about it in my weekly updates,

to commend all of you for

so be sure to come to that!

staying active and bringing so

That’s all for now, and don’t

much to Division 9! I had the

forget: Key Club never stops,

great opportunity of attending

not even in the summer!

our international Key Club

JADEN THOMAS

convention, better known as ICON, from July 1st to the 7th. It was absolutely amazing to see the different ways that other districts operated, as well as the diversity present in Key Club. ICON also allowed the district board to bond, and it was overall an amazing experience. We also have a divisional coming up, and you can find out more

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here is the district governor's june bulletin! here is the district governor's july bulletin! click here to watch july's new york minute update. read angelo's newsletter for the new york district of key club international! the key club pledge was changed! read it on page 64 to see the difference.

CARING OUR WAY

OF LIFE 47

KEY

CLUB INTE RNA TIO NAL

DISTRICT BOARD 2019-2020 DISTRICT GOVERNOR

Camille Brock Candor Junior Senior HS

TREASURER Anthony Lim Bronx Science

INTERNAL

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Qianting Chen Brooklyn Tech

EDITOR Angelo Lontok HSMSE

EXTERNAL

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Jaron Belmore NorwoodNorfolk HS

SECRETARY Linna Cheung HSMSE

WEB MASTER

Ramisa Azad LaGuardia HS working together to ensure NYDKC's success

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49

IC ON I

JULY 2019

nternational Convention, or

ICON, is a annual gathering of Key Club members from

the world, held at a different location each year. It's the biggest event of the Key Club year, and you

can

meet

over

1,500

members from 38 countries! It's truly an international convention!

For 2019, ICON was held in Baltimore, Maryland. This year's ICON already passed, but you can still sign up for ICON 2020, which will be held in San Francisco!Â

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50

ICON

51

2019

H

EY BROOKLYN TECH KEY CLUBBERS!

I hope y’all are making the most out of your summer! Well.. for me, I went to the 76th Key Club Annual International Convention (ICON) in Baltimore, Maryland, and I got back just a week ago. It’s definitely one of those unique and unforgettable Key Club experiences I can have.

The trip consisted of two parts. We toured Washington, D.C. for the first two days of our trip, and then we drove to Baltimore for the convention. On our first night, we had dinner on the cruise. The district board members were bonding with each other while dancing and eating. Moreover, the sunset on the Potomac River was stunning and fascinating. We visited a few museums, national monuments, and national memorials. Noteworthy, the U.S. Holocaust Museum is my favorite destination in D.C. It was really emotional and educational for me.

As soon as we arrived at our hotel in Baltimore, I feel the vibe of excitement for the convention in the air. The attendees came from all over the country. However, the unfamiliarity didn’t stop us. We started talking to each other in the hotel hallways, crowded elevator rides, and even before we put down our luggage. Perhaps the Meet and Greet is the most exciting part, which is where we trade pins with each other. Some would even

trade pins throughout the whole convention. Yes, if you were there, it’s impossible that you don’t know Peter Alegre. He is our IP Distinguish District Secretary who is known for having his towel with pins on the floor at any location and any time to trade pins.

The purpose of the ICON is to elect the new international board and vote on the amendments in the House of Delegates.

This year we passed the resolution to change our Key Club pledge for the first time since Key Club was established. If you didn’t know already, we got rid of the word “God” to “world” to make Key Club a more inclusive international organization. It was a historic moment in the House of Delegates when the voting result displayed on the screen.

As much as I didn’t want to write an essay about ICON, it’s turning into one now. (So I need to end this soon.) Overall, I had a perfect experience to make new friends and talk to the candidates for the international office. It’s only after ICON, I came to have more understanding of the international board and the Key Clubbers from other districts. If you have not considered coming to ICON next year, I strongly recommend because next year’s going to be at SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA!!

Humbly yours,

Qian Ting Chen NYDKC District Executive Assistant 2019-2020

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Experiencing ICON with my two bestest friends, Kiln and Angelo, is an experience that I will never forget.

Linna Cheung

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Congrats!

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to IP District Governor

Erica Swirsky Distinguished District Governor

to IP District Secretary

Peter Alegre Distinguished

District Secretary erica & peter

to IP D1 Lieutenant Gov.

Dominic Bossey

Robert F. Lucas

Outstanding Lieutenant Governor dominic

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special thanks to Ms. Visbal, Stuy KC, and you.

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MAZE PUZZLE SOLVE FOR POINTS

get 10+ points for solving this maze! send a picture of your solution to me at editor.thetechkey@gmail.com. if you counted all the beavers, send me how many you found! if you found all of them, you'll get a bonus 5+ points. submitting articles about your experience at events (10+ points) and pictures (5+ points each) also get you points!

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Ms. McKinnon

C LL C UB B U V II P P V S '' S

our three and only advisors!

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Ms. Multari

Mr. Morgan

THE KEY CLUB PLEDGE

I pledge, on my honor, to uphold the Objects of Key Club International; to build my home, school and community; to serve my nation and world; and combat all forces which tend to undermine these institutions.

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caring; our way of life the beaver tree