August 2016
KEY FACTS
The official newsletter of the Cypress Woods High School D3N Key Club
Make your Own August at a Feature Article: President’s Letter Thumb Gloves Life is Better with a Glance A monthly Today! Upcoming Dog letter from August events Prevent texting Key Clubber the president and driving and reminders. learns alot from a Anushua Page 7 Page 5 four legged friend Mantrala Page 8 Page 3
Volume 5, Issue 4 August 5, 2016
IN THIS ISSUE... 1. Table of Contents
CONTACT INFORMATION Cy Woods Key Club Officers
2. Contact Information 3. President’s Letter
PRESIDENT
4. Editor’s Message 5. August at a Glance
VICE PRESI-
7. Make Your Own Thumb Gloves
Harini Maheswaren kmharini@gmail. com 713-417-2170
8. Life is Better with a Dog
SECRETARY
CONTRIBUTIONS
Make your own Thumb Gloves Photos and instructions courstesy of Dosomething.org
Jocelyn Yao rainbowky19971 210@gmail.com 832-591-8578
BUILDER’S CLUB REPRESENTATIVE James Keiser jamesdkeiser@ gmail.com 832-622-7413
EDITOR
Jasmine Sandoval jazco15@gmail. com 281-932-0467
JUNIOR SECRETARY
Ashley Kawakub akawakubo98@ hotmail.com 281-733-0959
10. Growing a Key Club
Photos Anushua Mantrala Sidd Sundar Zsofia Balogh Christina Regan Cathy Rivard
Bunsri Patel bunsri.pat@gmail. com 832-403-1662
Sidd Sundar siddsundar9@ gmail.com 281-682-3184
TREASURER
6. Preventing Accidents by Preventing Thumbs
Articles Christina Regan Cathy Rivard Sidd Sundar
HISTORIAN
REPRESENTATIVE COORDINATOR
Anushua Mantrala anumantrala@ sbcglobal.net 832-641-8347
Max Zhou coolmaxzh@ yahoo.com
WEBMASTER Kishan Solanki kishan.sol99@ gmail.com 281-904-8652
Division 3N Lieutenant Governor Hyder Alikhan Hyder Alikhan is Division 3N’s new Lieutenant Governor. He has succeeded the past LTG, Ian Sims. During a PCM in June, members from Division 3N voted on a Division Mascot, which is now a Lion, and also Division colors, which are red and yellow. Hyder can be reached at 3n.hyderalikhan@gmail.com or at 832-748-0914.
Texas-Oklahoma District Staff Governor Secretary Treasurer Editor Convention Liason
Dianna Cardenas Kennie Merbach Leia George Sophia Tran Chris Do
Governor@tokeyclub.com Secretary@tokeyclub.com Treasurer@tokeyclub.com Editor@tokeyclub.com cl@tokeyclub.com
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A letter from your
A letter from your
Club President Club Editor D
ear Cypress Woods Key Club,
Wow! It’s crazy to think how summer is almost over! But I must say that this summer has been quite a successful one. Over the summer we were able to do so many volunteering events and so many hours of service were done. Way to go guys! Some Key Clubber were able to participate in a service project called Thumb Wars. The Key Clubbers made thumb pockets that are supposed to be worn when you are driving. Wearing the thumb pockets prevent you from texting and driving which leads the way to safer driving! We were able to decorate the pocket with paint, felt, and markers so we can add our own unique touch to it. Each Key Clubber made one for themselves and one for a friend. We then posted a picture on social media to spread awareness of how harmful distracted driving is. We volunteered at the Poodle Rescue Booth when the Dog Show of Houston was going on. With our help, Poodle Rescue was able to raise over $3,000! This money will go towards rescuing dogs and keep the dogs healthy and happy in the shelter as they wait to be adopted. It’s moments Photo provided by Anushua Mantrala. like these where we can really be amazed at what Key Club can do for the community. We also participated in Miracle Treat Day of July 28th. Miracle Treat Day is a day where Dairy Queen donated $1 or more from purchased blizzards to the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. The Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals give care and aid for children suffering from fatal injuries and diseases. I’m glad we as a club could give funds to such a great cause! With the new year coming in, a great opportunity to recruit new members has come! We will be set up at all the Wildcat Expresses to excited people about Key Club and why it is an amazing club to join. Also, Key Clubbers have the chance to volunteer at the Wildcat Expresses to hand out flyers and answer any questions that students or parents may have. This job is very important to our staff members, especially on super busy nights like Freshman Wildcat Express! Well, August has arrived and summer is coming to a close! I know some of us probably have different feelings going into the new year. Some of us are removing the “fishy” title and moving to the next step in high school, some of us are entering the hardest year of high school, and some of us are entering the very last year of high school. Whatever this year brings, I know all of you were be successful and I have faith that you guys will be the shining lights among y’all’s peers. Always know you have Key Club to be there for you. Good luck Wildcats! Yours in in Service,
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ear Cypress Woods Key Club, D Summer is coming to an end this month. I hope
everyone has enjoyed their summer with visiting grandparents and traveling to new locations. The school year is about to begin which means there will be new members joining our Key Club. We have to make sure that we inpact them as much as this club has impacted us. It is then that we are sure that our legacy will be carried even after our officer team has long left Cypress Woods. Prepare for a year of service and excitement! Yours in Service, Photo by Jasmine Sandoval
L A U N AN
PHOTO
GUIDELINES IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED FOR PHOTO OF THE MONTH, PICTURES MUST: - BE GOOD QUALITY (NOT BLURRY IN ANY WAY) - HAVE A CAPTION AS WELL AS WHO IS PICTURED -RELATE TO KEY CLUB
CONTEST
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August Event Schedule
at a Glance
SUNDAY, AUG. 8TH-NOV. 4TH - FILMING FOOTBALL PRACTICES: HELP FILM FOOTBALL PLAYERS FOR COACH RATLIFF TO HELP THE TEAM REVIEW THEIR WEAKNESSES AND STRENGTHS FRIDAY, AUG. 12TH - FRESHMEN WILDCAT EXPRESS SUNDAY, AUG. 28TH-SEPT. 5TH - TOWNLAKE TRIATHLON TUESDAY, AUG. 9TH-AUG. 11TH & AUG. 12TH RUNNING THE WILDCAT EXPRESS BOOTHS
AUGUST REMINDERS Reps- If you would like to be a Rep next year, please see the Facebook page for a form and more details about the position. Reps and Officers- Remember, articles are due on the 24th at 10PM to the gmail (cywoodskeyclub@gmail. com). Members- Please try to get new events to officers if you can. Events are always welcomed and appreciated!
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Preventing Accidents by Preventing Thumbs
A service project to prevent dangerous roads Written by Cathy Rivard
“Lol, I’m texting and driving,” he texted me while speeding down the road. Then, all of a sudden, out of nowhere ‘BAM’, my boyfriend hit the car in front of him. Thankfully, no one got hurt, as they were only on Autopia, the Disneyland version of the Tomorrowland Speedway, and the cars they were driving were on a guided track and designed to be hit. However, if they were on a real road with real cars in the real world, an extremely tragic accident could have occurred. Unfortunately, there are hundreds upon thousands of accidents each year on the nation’s roads and highway systems. Some, like in the story above, are minor with minimal or no injuries, but others have much bigger losses including the death of human beings and animals. Statistics show that approximately 11 teens die every day from texting related accidents, and twenty-one percent of teen drivers in fatal automobile accidents were distracted by their cell phones. In order to combat this, in our most recent Key Club meeting we made felt thumb covers to making it next to impossible to text and drive as a part of the
Thumb Wars project. These thumb covers were easy and fun to assemble, and they could be made for any finger. They are made from fun-colored construction paper, vibrant felts, burning-hot glue, and pretty fabric paints. To start, one must fold the construction paper of one’s choice around the finger of one’s choosing. Next, one finds a friend to aid one to hot glue the paper around one’s finger to get the perfect fit. Then, one cuts out some felt to cover the construction paper shaped to one’s finger. After that, one glues the felt to cover the felt. After gluing on the felt, one may be finished or one can take it a step further and customize it to one’s likings by painting a beautiful design on the thumb cover. After the paint dries
one may use or give away one’s thumb cover! These thumb covers were extremely fun to make for a good cause. Lives can be saved and accidents prevented by using these covers. If one ever finds oneself texting and driving, ask yourself if it’s really worth it and make yourself a thumb cover. This was definitely a fun, summer service project that could be made any time of the year.
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MAKE YOUR OWN THUMB GLOVES TODAY! Want to prevent your thumbs or a friend’s from texting while driving? Follow these easy steps to a perfect solution!
Step 1: Cut off a small section of construction paper.
Life is Better with a Dog “If you truly want a friend in life, get a dog...” Written by Christina Regan
Step 2: Cut the top edges of the pice of paper off forming a trapizoid. Then trace an outline of your thrum on the bottom of the paper and color in your thumb outline. Step 3: Glue the pointy tip of paper (the part that doesn’t cover your thumb) and fold it over so that it sticks to the side of the paper
Step 4: Glue it real good!
Con’d Page 9
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Every year, the NRG Center hosts the Houston World Series of Dog Shows in hopes of fundraising money for rescue purposes, showcasing talent, and to share the mutual love that is shown through the mutual affection displayed for everyone’s ultimate companion, their dog. At this event, people come together to share their passion and devotion dedicated toward progressing dire circumstances that these poor innocent animals are exposed to. Rescue booths promote their fundraising through raffles, prizes, and accepting donations. As a Key Clubber, I try my best to immerse myself into my community, and through this summer service project, I learned much more than what was to be expected. I learned the value of selfless principles and how extraordinary it is how thousands of people can come together to support a single cause. I learned through merely spinning the prize wheel for children that the deep rooted connection between man and dog is far beyond what most comprehend. If you truly want a friend in this life, get a dog, for they display the altruistic principles that should be lived by every day. For most, the dog show is an event just to show off talent and hard work, but the volunteers that dedicate their time to this event know the reality of the purpose. The purpose is to protect, rescue, and aid dogs that otherwise would not be cared for. There are rescue booths devoted to numerous breeds that may not be given attention in comparison to others, and provide opportunities to adopt rescued dogs. There are handicapped dogs, dogs with impaired vision, lost limbs, and medical conditions, but in the midst of this event, all dogs are treated equally. At the Poodle Rescue Booth, I enjoyed spending my time with the volunteers who were so dedicated to their event, they gave up their work and recreational time in hopes of improving the life of a poodle. Through this summer service project, I was thrilled to walk away with a newfound perspective on selfless principles and ideals. In Key Club, we promote the mantra ‘service over self’, and the volunteers at the event I participated in truly portrayed the morals I wish to instill in myself and others. Key Clubbers, devote yourself to your community around you and change the world with one random act of kindness at a time.
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Growing a Key Club
MAKE YOUR OWN THUMB GLOVES TODAY! te!!
cora e D : 5 tep
S
Officers begin to plan to recruit new and many members for a successful Key Club year Written by Sidd Sundar
NOTE: YOU CAN DECORATE IN ANY WAY AND EVEN ADD FELT TO YOUR THUMB GOLVES FOR TEXTURE!!
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Gaining active members for our club is by far the most important thing Key Club needs to do in order to be successful as a whole. Only active members can do the tasks that we do in Key Club such as attending meetings, writing articles, finishing their minimum requirement of 25 hours, and most importantly showing the passion of service for our community. Gaining active members is the stepping stone for everything that follows. There are many ways we can gain active members once the school year begins. One way in which we can gain active members once the school year begins is to make an announcement on the morning announcements about our club. This will spread the word very quickly throughout the school, helping the students (particularly the freshman) to know that there is a club called Key Club. Once this happens, the students will talk to upper classmen or even people in their grade
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about Key Club and will come to a conclusion that this club is very valuable and should be the first club that they would join. When the students are convinced that Key Club is important, we as key-clubbers can come to a conclusion that these students will be active members in our club, having the intrinsic motivation to help someone in need. Another way in which we can gain active members once the school year begins is to put flyers around the school emphasizing Key Club, with lots of colorful pictures and important information presented in a fun way. This will take more time in comparison to giving an announcement on the morning announcements, but sometimes students won’t be able to listen to the announcements because others may be talking in their class, so this is our second best option we have.
Everyone loves color, so if the students see these flyers and find importance in them and say things like “This club seems important” and “This club seems like a fun club,” we as key-clubbers have done our job. We have for one most importantly told the students that Key Club carries value and for two we have shown that Key Club is a fun club. These things will convince the students to join Key Club and stay in it throughout their high school years, showing how active they will be. Gaining active members for Key Club will help everything fall into place. It will show how great our club is, which will help tremendously with placing high at DCON. This will also help with showing our love and passion for our service to the community, the thing that we stand for.
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KEY FACTS
CYPRESS WOODS HIGH SCHOOL AUGUST 2016