KEY CLUB May 2017 / Issue 2/ Vol 6
BRONX SCIENCE NEW YORK DISTRICT DIVISION 11
May Edition
The Kiwi
SERVANT LEADERS OF TOMORROW NEW HEIGHTS. NEW FEATS.
Message from the Editor Hi Bronx Science Key Club! Wow! After countless hours of service, tests, and assessments, it's finally the end of the school year! As we tackle our final examinations in school, we have an even bigger task outside of school; making our community the best it can be. How? The answer's quite simple; Volunteering. With the end of the school year comes about the start of summer, which means no school and more time for Key Club! Key Club allows us to "stay in school" even when schools out. Of course, minus the lack of sleep & stress, we're able to stay connected with our friends and our community as a whole. In this issue of The Kiwi, you will be able to witness how Bronx Science Key Club leaves a cultural and friendly mark on our community. As a club, learn how we're able to educate others and ourselves of many cultures and traditions that belong to people of backgrounds at events such as the Greek Jewish Festival. Learn how we're able to leave a mark on people who suffer from viruses such as AIDS by simply walking with our community! Finally, learn how we're able to welcome people from different cultures and unify ourselves through expression at events such as the 11th Annual Dance Parade. As not just Key Clubbers, but High School Students, we have a lot going on in our lives. Whether it be researching, dancing, painting, studying, or more, we're awfully busy with many different things. However, what we all have in common is the same drive for service. Let this summer be an opportunity for you to fulfill this drive and stay connected with your local Key Club. Fahad Nabi
THE KIWI TABLE OF CONTENTS 02 Message from the Editor 03 The KIWI Table of Contents
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04 Social Media Platforms 05 Presenting the 2017-2018 Key Club Board 06 Happy Birthday Key Club! 92nd Anniversary 07 Club Updates/Reminders 08 Upcoming Events
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09 Presidents Project: Poverty 13 Service Spotlights 35 Members of the Month
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THE KIWI is published at 75 W 205th St, Bronx, NY 10468 to promote the objectives of Key Club International, a high school organization incorporated not for profit under the laws of the State of Indiana. THE KIWI is published monthly digitally. For questions or concerns, please contact the Editor Fahad Nabi at nabif@bxscience.edu.
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FIND US ON
SOCIAL MEDIA
www.facebook.com/BxSciKeyClub
www.twitter.com/BxSciKeyClub
www.bxsciencekeyclub.weebly.com www.instagram.com/BxSciKeyClub
www.bxscikeyclub.tumblr.com
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20 PRE 17- SEN 18 K TI EY NG CLU YOU BB R OA RD!
KEY CLUB BOARD
BRONX SCIENCE
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Michele Chen
Fahad Nabi
President chenmi5@bxscience.edu Junior
Webmaster & Bulletin Editor nabif@bxscience.edu Sophomore
Megan Ngo
Dante Schulz
Peter Alegre
Treasurer ngom@bxscience.edu Sophomore
Vice President schulzd@bxscience.edu Junior
Secretary alegrep@bxscience.edu Sophomore
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June 26th: Bronx Science Water Wars Submit to the NYDKC Newsletter! Sign up for a Committee! Follow us on Social Media! Submit June Articles and Photos Check out our Fundraising & Service Hour Goals on the Website! Attend Divisionals with Us: June Divisional: June 27th at NEST+m HS
MAY
REMINDERS
06/03/17: Figment NYC: Love Yourself Project 06/03/17-06/04/17: World Ocean Festival 06/04/17: Drums Along the Hudson 06/10/17: TriState MG Walk 06/11/17: Bookstore Cafe Outdoor Street Fair 06/12-13/17: Celebration of Heroes, Heart, and Hope Gala 06/18/17: Egg Rolls, Egg Creams, and Empanadas Festival
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UPCOMING EVENTS
ty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty" - Mother Teresa
"We
think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and,,,
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April/May Presidents Project
"We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of
 being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own
homes to remedy this kind of poverty" - Mother Teresa
and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest pover "We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked
Global Poverty
Nearly 1/2 of the world’s population live on less than $2.50 a day. $2.50. That's less than the price of one metro card ride.
1 billion children worldwide are living in poverty. According to UNICEF, 22,000 children die each day due to poverty.
Pove
805 million people worldwide do not have enough food to eat.
DoSomething.org
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In 2011, 165 million children under the age 5 were not able to grow to their potential height due to chronic malnutrition.
ERTY
Diarrhea caused by inadequate drinking water, sanitation, and hand hygiene kills an estimated 842,000 people every year.
More than 750 million people lack adequate access to clean drinking water.
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May 6th 2017 Henry Hudson Park, Bronx NY Cause: Cleaning up NYC Parks & Environment
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o s d u H
Stewards of Henry Hudson Park The Stewards of Henry Hudson Park was established in April 2015 for the sole purpose of expanding the park and restoring its beauty in the community. As volunteers, we had to put dirt into wheelbarrows using shovels, and then push it to the garden, where it would be dumped to fill up loose patches of soil in the ground. It was a pretty big pile of soil, so it took a while to get all of the soil onto wheelbarrows. Pushing the wheelbarrows to the garden wasn’t too easy either, and it was pretty heavy, since you needed to balance the wheelbarrow as you moved it. I remember my friend was pushing the wheelbarrow to the garden and it tipped over, so all of the soil fell out!
We decided to stick to putting dirt onto the wheelbarrow. What I found interesting was how there were some people around the neighborhood that came by and started helping us out. It helped a lot with the task, even though it took us two hours to do. After we finally put all the soil onto the wheelbarrows, we then were assigned to pull out any weeds we found that was near trees. We went around the park and pulled out any weeds we found, and put them into trash bags. It was a very memorable event, realizing how much work we had done that day.
Maintaining our Parks & Wildlife allows us to craft a better future for not just Planet Earth but for us as a human race.
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KIDS WALK FOR On May 6th, Bronx Science walked Kids Walk for Kids with Cancer. The walk was a short 2 miles that raised money to fight pediatric cancers. Our club had raised a total of $33 to donate, which went towards pediatric cancer research at Memorial Sloan Kettering. I arrived on the day of the walk to see volunteers near the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park. The walk had organized festivities and food to take place before the event. Our group was composed of volunteers from our own club and division 8 schools, as well as a member from another club in our school, Cancer Society. The walk was through Central park and circled back to the starting point. May 6th, 2017 New York, NY (Manhattan) Cause: Research for Pediatric Cancers
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KIDS WITH CANCER We had returned to the bandshell and got a group picture taken nearby at a booth. We also danced to the music played at the bandshell to various songs. The walk was short, but fun and I got to meet new people and talk with people I already knew. I hope to have an even better experience next year!
Peter Alegre "Research for pediatric cancers is underfunded. Virtually all funding for pediatric cancer comes from private donations and the United States government. MSK is a world leader in the diagnosis, treatment, and care of childhood cancers. Thanks to the efforts of our participants, donors, and supporters, Kids Walk has raised over $5 million for pediatric cancer research at MSK." Â Â
Kids Walk
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Exciting, Adventurous, Thrilling - Three Cores of a Spectacular Movie
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I attended and helped to lead the Interdivisional Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 fundraiser. At this event we raised $300 to go to our interdivisional dance coming up towards the summer. The event itself was very fun, I enjoyed the movie and I got to meet the other
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Executive Assistants of the other divisions and along with Bayside High School Key Club’s Advisor Mr. Jacoby we made the fundraiser happen. I had signed people in and essentially ensured that everyone had paid for the fundraiser and that everyone had gotten to watch the movie we intended to watch which did happen so it was a huge success. I want to thank everyone in Bronx Science Key Club for attending and I would love to invite everyone to attend any interdivisional events or divisional events I have for you guys in the future. Ryan Yam
Divisions 8-11 went to AMC Empire on May 13th and watched the sequel of Guardians of the Galaxy. We watched the movie, which was really amazing. The CG was realistic and the plot was funny yet touching. We raised a total of $300, which will go towards our interdivision dance in the near future. Flora Lei
May 13th, 2017 AMC theater Empire 25 Cause: Interdivisional Dance (Divisions 8-11)
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North Face Endurance Challenge The North Face Endurance Challenge is an event hosted by The North Face annually and as its name states, challenges athletes to use their endurance and physical skills to run in different distances at Bear Mountain. The race is separated into two events, individual and relay. Out of the individual events, there are also different distances, like the 50 miles run and 50K. This year, the event day was very rainy and due to the rain, many volunteers that signed up didn’t go. During the event, I was assigned first to be helping with the breakfast tent. Which included two fun adults that occasionally made jokes. However, as the run started there wasn’t anyone that needed help. So we spent our time playing this game which involved throwing sandbags into holes that can lead to winning prizes. Generally, it was fun, but it was POURING, and the event was outdoors. As the runners started approaching the finish line, most volunteers were given the task to hand out medals. Which, at first, seemed innocent enough, but as time proceeds, legs became sore, and clothes became wet. By the end of the day, everyone was soaking wet. The event was super funfilled though; I mean, what better way to become closer to friends than under the rain for 10 hours?
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Annie Wang
Cause: Raising funds for non-profit partners of the Endurance Challenge – Karno Kids Foundation, Leave No Trace, Challenged Athletes Foundation & More
North Face Endurance Challenge is a race held on Bear Mountain and sponsored by the well known clothing brand, North Face. I remember clearly that on this day, it was slightly rainy. Since this took place on a mountain, it was really muddy and we were out for approximately 10 hours. Yes, by the time I got home, I was freezing. However, that doesn’t mean this event was fun to volunteer, although the conditions were horrible, it was a great experience, having to volunteer outside the city and upstate.
I was first tasked to help out with the bags section, where I stored racers belongings until they finished the race. Then, I was told to help give out food to the racers before they begin running. After that, like all typical races, I roamed around the place and enjoyed my time before the racers come back. After our small break, we were finally tasked to give out medals and free water bottles to the racers who finished the race. I got to see the conditions the racers were in when they crossed the finish line and boy, I guess it truly lives up to its name, being the endurance challenge. The rain made it worse for the racers as their feets were covered in mud and some were even bleeding. But aside of that, they were enjoying their time, which was fascinating to me, because if I was in their position, I would’ve gave up. It just goes to show how much fun this event was for the racers, where they simply disregarded the harsh conditions that were present.
The event ended around 5 and we waited around 30 minutes for the bus. During the bus ride, we were all really tired and we enjoyed our ride home with some naps. Returning to Manhattan, we were told that we can receive a 50% off of any North Face branded clothes as we helped out the event. As they do say, hard work pays off even if you think there isn't a reward at the very end.
May 13th, 2017 Bear Mountain, NY
Aaron Wu
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May 14th, 2017 Central Park, New York Cause: Raising Funds to plant more Cherry Blossom Trees & Expanding Japanese Culture
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WHAT DID YOU DO? Assigned to the tea tent, other volunteers and I were tasked to manage teas for the immense crowds of people who came to this event.
WHY DOES JAPAN DAY INTEREST YOU?
WHAT'S UNIQUE ABOUT JAPAN DAY?
In previous years, I’ve always wanted to attend one of the Japanese festival demonstrated in animes, and this event was exactly what I was looking for.
It is a great showcase of the variety of bits that makes up Japanese culture, and it brings forth a diverse group of people to appreciate it.
JAPAN DAY 2017 Japan Day is an event held at Central Park every year and it promotes Japanese culture. Japan Day also helps build connections between the local Japanese community and other New Yorkers. This year, it was an event that I was really excited for because I’m half Japanese myself. The morning of the event dawned clear, and the sky was an early summer azure, with white clouds dotting the field of blue. I was led to the tea tent along with a few others to help the people there. For the rest of the day, key clubbers helped carry, unbox, and give out tea to visitors. The tea was from Ito-En, a popular tea brand in Japan.
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DESCRIBE YOUR EXPERIENCE After our shift, the relaxation was tranquil. We enjoyed our bentos, or Japan lunchboxes, and we had a fun time at the festival itself.
Q&A Session with Aaron Wu
WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THIS EVENT?
ANY ADVICE?
I definitely recommend everyone to attend this event, as it is a great way to learn about another culture. An event dedicated to present a different culture has always caught my attention.
Next year, I recommend checking out the yoyo balloon fishing, shogi and gogi (traditional board games of Japan), kendama, and yukatas.
I talked to the staff at the tea tent while helping them unbox the tea. They all worked at Ito-En, and most of them had come from Japan. One of them told me about a school performance he did in grade school called “Sōran Bushi,” which is a Japanese sea shanty. I knew how to dance it because I learned it a few years ago during a sports day event at my Japanese school. We even danced to it a little during a break we took. This event was special because it taught me the real importance of learning a language and its culture. Even though learning a language and truly becoming a member of its community takes much more than just time and effort, this event helped me learn that in the end, it’s all worth it. From language comes a whole new world, and from a new world comes connections to whole new people that each have a different story.
AKANEH WANG
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L A U N N A H T 11 E C N A D C Y N E D A R PA
CAUSE: TO PROMOTE A DANCE AS ART UNIFYING FORM & TO EDUCATE OTHERS
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In support of better Chinatown and their 1st American culture parade we volunteered at NYC dance parade to help recruit performers and dance groups to come and perform in this new parade. We were paired up and given a clipboard with a paper to take down contact names and numbers of performers who were interested and would hand them a flyer or card to get in touch with the better Chinatown association and with more information on the parade.
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After we filled up clipboards with interested groups they gave us the job of walking in the parade to represent the better Chinatown association. I was holding a long flag while others were holding a vertical pole with a banner from the association.
"The NYC Dance Parade & Festival was such a unique experience because it beautifully brought together a diverse set of cultures and traditions from around New York City"
It was a long and fast walk but we made good conversation with it and when we finally made it to the end it was a real relief. Overall, I would say it was a great event and a good place to get to know each other while walking for miles. Nirushka Waduge
WORLD DANCE PASSPORT PERFORMANCE LOTUS MUSIC & DANCE World Dance Passport Performance displays talents of different people from different cultures. Hosted by LOTUS, this event showcases a diverse group of people, from Philippines to Mexico to Okinawa, showing off their traditional dances and songs. It displayed a lot of values of inclusiveness as it welcomes everyone, no matter their race, disability, or beliefs. Throughout the event, we were assigned to mark everyone that came on a spreadsheet. Although it wasn’t a lot of work, I was able to communicate and strengthen my relationships with the fellow volunteers. People of different kinds of ethnicities came to appreciate the variety of cultures and I think being the one checking them in allowed me to see this. A really memorable part of this event to me was when we took a break from checking in and we watched the show. Before it started, the girl performing began to tell her story before and when she first stepped into America. After she first listened to a english program from a radio, she was ecstatic to learn english and strived to eventually travel to the United States. After all her hard work, she ended up where she is now, performing in front of a huge audience in America, expressing her culture and her story. It’s just plain beautiful. Everything in this event sums up to one word: beautiful. As they once said, never compromise your culture, because you are your own culture. Aaron Wu
May 20th, 2017
New York City
Cause: Provide access to music and dance traditions . of all world cultures
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May Divi
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Hunter College HS May 24th, 2017
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May 21st, 2017 New York City Cause: To educate New Yorkers of Greek Culture, Traditions, and Food!
GREEKÂ JEWISH FESTIVAL "THE ONLY FESTIVAL OF ITS KIND IN THE WORLD!"
At the Greek Jewish Festival, there were great performances along with a lively crowd dancing, singing and clapping along to the music. Volunteers first helped put up posters and set up tables and chairs. When the event began, most of them were behind the tables supplying food, desserts, and drinks for sale. It was a busy morning and afternoon, but it was fun interacting with the people and seeing how excited they are to try traditional Greek food. A lot more people came than expected to attend the festival. The synagogue was open for open tours and a lot of people rushed to visit the historical building. Lin Zhang We helped sell famous food created by the Greeks and the Jews, making it a generally nice and engaging event. People formed circles to dance, from children to adults, it seemed as they were connected through the music representing their culture. Aaron Wu
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AIDS WALK 2017 "AT 0 MILES, OUR ENERGY LEVEL WAS THROUGH THE ROOF. BY THE 3 MILE MARK, OUR FEET WERE SORE...YET OUR SPIRITS REMAINED HIGH."
At last, when the Finish Line arc was within sight, chants and shouts were heard for miles. Our excitement for completing the entire 6.2 mile walk to show our support for the fight against AIDS (with a few stops) could not be contained. I could easily decide that this year’s AIDS Walk was by far my best one. During the walk, we got to catch up with people in other schools and divisions as well as meet members we haven’t seen before. Almost all the Key Clubs in the city were in attendance which made the environment full of energy. The walk was not as difficult to complete as I had originally anticipated because of the support I had around me. We were all cheering each other on, made jokes, told stories, and laughed so much that realizing my feet were sore hadn’t even cross my mind. Throughout the walk, snacks and water was handed out to participants to keep our energy levels up, and volunteers were distributed all along the route to encourage us to keep moving on. After about 3 hours, I completed the walk with a group of people who I am now closer to than I was before. I realize now that the best bonds are formed during long walks, especially since we were all struggling together. I am especially proud of our Division for raising $135.00 to go towards AIDS research and AIDS related programs. We’re all broke high school students, and to know that people in our division are willing to give up some of their allowance for someone in need is heartwarming. Michele Chen
May 21st, 2017 New York City Cause: To raise funds to combat HIV and AIDS
The AIDS walk was held at Central Park and it helped raise awareness and money for people who have HIV/AIDS.
To me, the walk meant a lot because it helped me be more social with other key clubbers Although I was a bit tired walking the 6.2 miles, the experience was enjoyable because I was with my new friends and each mile just flew back quickly with them. A funny experience from the event was when Geric had too many bottles of muscle milk from the walk so him and I both started chugging them all. In the beginning, I was a bit hesitant to join Key Club because I barely knew anyone there, but the event afterwards showed me how easily I can make new friends during events and made me want to be more active in the club. I will always remember this event because I was introduced to many new people who I’m now besties with! Sujon Sen
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THE COLOR RUN
May 27th, 2017 Citi Field, NY
"THE HAPPIEST 5K ON THE PLANET!" On May 27th, I went to the Color Run Race Day Cleanup from 11 am - 3 pm at Citi Field. For most of my time there, I was to clean the banners of Color Run and their sponsors with a spray bottle of soap water and rolls of towels at the edge of Citi Field where the grass was. There were many banners to clean, but being with my fellow Key Clubbers made the work fun because we got to talk to each other while working. We actually finished the work 2 hours earlier than intended, so we got to go home early, but not before we made sandwiches with the ingredients that the Color Run organization offered. I made mine with some mayonnaise, swiss cheese, turkey, and some pickles, it turned out pretty well if I do say so myself. The event taught me how to use a spray bottle and towels to clean a banner. It also taught me that the Lay’s company had a new type of chip called “Poppables” and that it tasted awesome. They also let me have this inflatable plastic ball to take home. At first I thought it was pretty cool, but when I brought it home, I was wondering what I could do with it. It was a pretty bad decision on my part. During the event, I was able to meet Key Clubbers from Bayside High School, which I thought was cool because they were in a totally separate division. What made this event truly special for me was how often I got sprayed with soap water by my associate, who couldn’t control himself and just had to abuse the spray bottle. My shorts became very wet that day. Kevin Chan
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Cause: To celebrate
healthiness happiness, and individuality
Although my clothes were filled with pink dye, I was glad that I helped out at this event as it was definitely a colorful part of my life
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Pinkey Lam, who goes out of her way for other members, is very helpful. She truly cares about others.
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PINKEY LAM
MEMBER OF THE MONTH "Sincere, Passionate, Nice"
Pinkey stands out as a key clubber because she has gone above and beyond to live the values of Key Club! She's always really friendly to others, and simply being around her makes me feel happier. Pinkey is ready to talk to new people at all times, and I admire her a lot for being so open and accepting of others. Pinkey also knows how to have fun and brighten up another's day. Having her in Key Club really makes me motivated to reach out and talk to more people. Thank you, Pinkey! Akaneh Wang
"SHE HAS GONE ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL OF SERVICE" 36
Although quiet, Annie shows us that volunteering can serve as a daily tool for networking and socializing FAHAD NABI 37
ANNIE WANG
MEMBER OF THE MONTH "Witty, Generous, Caring"
Annie has shown us that you do not have to always go up to someone and say "Hi" to socialize with them. For example, one can socialize by simply sharing the same task or goal. For Annie, volunteering with others and working with them to get something done has always been something I admire. Whether it be filling up cups of water at races or breaking down a tent, Annie has clearly shown us how a Key Clubber can make friends and serve their community at the same time. She serves as both a role model and a leader in today's world.
"WITH ANNIE, ACTIONS ALWAYS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS"
Fahad Nabi
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