July Newsletter

KEY FACTS The Official Newsletter of the Cypress Woods High School Key Club

Volume 2, Issue 2

July 5, 2013

Have Book. Will Donate.

Key Club prepares for another successful book drive (page 7).

this 03

Staying motivated during the summer

issue

in

A word from your club president How to encourage new membership 08

04

02

CON TRI BUTI ONS

ARTICLES

Derielle Keiser Dang Dinh Aranka Barbe Gaurav Lalsinghani Adriana Salazar Holly Paterson

PRESIDENT'S LETTER Bryan Veit

COVER PHOTO

Dang Dinh

FALL RALLY AD Grace Liu

CONTENTS 03 Letter from the President How to stay committed to volunteering during the summer 04 06 Summertime service ideas Reeling in the freshmen 08 your club, Division, 11 Contact and District officers

03 A letter from your

Club President Dear fellow Key Clubbers, Summer is here! After months and months of hard work, it finally is time. It is time to soak up the sun, swim to your heart’s content, and devour immeasurable amounts of watermelon.

It is not, however, time to neglect your commitment to service and to the community. Getting involved is difficult, though, when you do not have the structured lifestyle that you would during the school year. But you must keep in mind that the best way to maintain a commitment to service during the summer is to actually get out there and volunteer!

Now, if you have indeed neglected Key Club these past few weeks, don’t feel bad. I know what a distraction these young weeks of summer can be to the over­involved and over­ worked adolescent. But I also know that these weeks serve only as a buffer zone… and as a buffer zone that is abruptly coming to an end. It is time to reignite the passion for service that burned within you prior to this saccharine summer. The world is continuing on despite the demise of curricular activities! Members of the community and noble organizations need our help to ensure the success of their summertime events and projects.

We, as a club, need to move fast, for many opportunities have already indeed passed.

But fear not, because there are many more chances to serve in the near future. We will be volunteering with the kids at the K2 Academy. The past event at K2 this summer was undeniably successful and enjoyable. Pictures of the kids, members, and officers already are immortalized on Cy Woods Key Club’s new Instagram account! We also will be helping with an Inspiring Possibilities BBQ Cook­Off. Inspiring Possibilities is an amazingly noble non­profit organization that is committed to assisting the financial needs of specially challenged students. This is achieved through fund raising activities such as the BBQ Cook­Off. Thus it is a great honor to be asked to help bring such noble aide and change to the world. Finally, we are going to be helping various elementary and middle schools with their orientations to ensure a success start of the year for each of them.

So, needless to say, there are plenty of opportunities to turn this summer of slumber into a summer of service. Don’t think, just serve. Go sign up for every event you can! I can’t wait to see you next year, but until then, have an amazing summer.

In service,

Bryan J. Veit President of Cypress Woods Key Club

04

Volunteering Can Be Your Summer Fun Who says service is only for the school year?

Most teenagers see summer as a time purely for relaxation and doing as little as possible.

Your typical high school student doesn’t think about volunteering during the summer. However, Key Clubbers have a different kind ofmindset. Key Clubbers go the extra mile to make sure that their summers are not wasted but rather are used to benefit their community. It is each club’s responsibility and duty to its members to provide different kinds of service opportunities during the summer months. Not only does this allow for members to get ahead on their hours for the next year, but it also allows the

club to utilize different kind of opportunities that are not available duringthe school year.

It is essential to keep up member involvement during the summer in order to help the club start out strong in the fall semester. Members tend not to realize that Key Club is a yearlong activity and not just something to do during the school year. By hosting events during the summer, you are able to keep the members interested in using their time to help those around them. Events during the summer also allow you to be more creative with the events you are choosing. You are able to do midweek events that are not available Students plant flowers and pull weeds in the gardens in front of duringthe school year.

Robison Elementary.

Another way to utilize the extra Photo by: Derielle Keiser time that summer provides is to get I personally love the more involved in the local Kiwanis Club. opportunity to be able to attend the weekly Kiwanis luncheons hosted by my local Kiwanis Club. I enjoy having the chance to interact with the Kiwanis who play such a vital role in the foundations of our Key Club.

They work so hard in making sure our clubs are functioning that I’m so grateful to be able to see how they make their own club function.

Motivating members to stay active during the summer is not always an easy task but proves to be highly beneficial to not only the members themselves, but also to the club as a whole. Spending your summer helping others is one of the most valuable ways to use your time, and helping spread that idea to the members should be every club’s goal.

Providing a variety ofunique summer events will make members more likely Key Clubbers play with special needs children at the K2 Academy during to stay involved and to make a the summer. commitment to Key Club.

Photo by: Cassie Cotton

05

The Summer To-Do List

A successful year can only begin when a club is prepared.

A to-do list is the last thing any of us want to think about during the summer vacation.

After all, summer is a time where we can all relax and soak in the days filled with sunlight and fun. But as the end of summer approaches and the new school year beckons, there are quite a few things that must be done before we dive into the hectic life ofschoolwork and service.

One of the first things a club must do is have every officer fully trained in his or her respective

position. Although it is more beneficial if the training was to occur during the summer, there is still time to review the general overview ofthe different duties each officer is responsible for. For example, try to get together at a local restaurant and go over the list of responsibilities. That way you can hang out with all the other officers while learning about your responsibilities at the same time.

This could also be counted as a social under the Monthly Report for clubs who are trying to maximize the amount ofpoints they can earn per month.

Another thing a club must do is plan for their school orientation.

This is a time where the majority of the club’s recruitment will occur, be it among the freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior class.

Before orientation, create a trifold that will display a general overview of the club.

Some things that can be put on it are pictures of different Key Clubbers old and new get to know each other at the events and annual Ice Cream Social in September.

Photo by: Cassie Cotton socials.

During orientation, explain what the club is and what it stands for.

Go over some of the events in detail and describe the impact that it brought to the community or if it brought an impact on the global scale. Go over the different projects that your club and the District are doing. See if you can have a donation bucket for the ELIMINATE Project. During this time, talk to the parents of prospective members and ask them to donate some change. Finally, hand out any extra pins or booklets that you may have about the club from previous years and answer a few of the parents’ questions about the club. Hopefully, everything goes well and you manage to obtain a new member to the club.

Finally, one of the last things that you should do, preferably after your first meeting, is hold a more in-depth informational session for the parents to further explain the club in its aspects and goals. This session can be held during a social event for the members like and ice cream social. While the members are enjoying ice cream the president, vice-president and faculty advisor can meet with the parents and talk about the club. After the short meeting, invite the parents down to have a bowl of ice cream to demonstrate you valued the parents’ time alongside the members.

These are some of the things a club should do at the beginning of the school year in order to be fully prepared for the remainder of the year, but more importantly, to help flourish the relationship between members, parents, and the officer team.

06

Summer Serving in Cypress There are plenty of volunteer opportunities in the community this summer.

Summer: that time of year every high school student looks forward to the most. For Key Club members, however, it means having copious

in need.

Over the course of the year everyone accumulates old paraphernalia that isn’t used, but is still in usable condition. An efficient way to get rid ofthis “junk” is to host a yard sale and donate the proceeds to charities, reducing trash and giving back to the community

with the animals, the better you get to know them. Animal shelters also look for animal-friendly volunteers, but unfortunately often have an age limit for applicants. For those who are eligible, caring for rescue animals is a fulfilling way to spend the summer.

Although most teens spend their

amounts of time to volunteer and serve the community.

Because wildlife flourishes in summer’s plentiful sunlight, neighborhood parks need a lot of maintenance.

To make their neighborhoods look their best, students can call their Home Owner’s Association and offer to trim or mow these parks, or The results of a Cy Woods Key Club food drive to help the less fortunate in the Cypress area. even build a Photo by: Aranka Barbe bench or picnic table to make them more simultaneously. The items that were summer relaxing, not all members of people-friendly. not sold can also be donated to the community have this luxury.

For those who would rather stay organizations like Cypress Assistance Troops overseas are in constant need indoors, nursing homes are always Ministries or Goodwill. of personal care items and means of looking for extra hands. Seniors who Everyone loves animals, and a fun amusement.

Donating extra need assistance doing everyday tasks way to turn this love into (unopened) containers of shampoo, often don’t have many visitors and community service is by volunteering toothpaste, magazines, books, etc. to spend much of their time without in animal care at the Cypress Science organizations like Cypress Cares company. Spending time with them Resource Center. During the school supports our forces abroad. can teach teens compassion as well as year, volunteers visit elementary Cypress has lots of volunteering brighten the day of the community’s schools throughout the district to opportunities during the summer, elderly. Food banks also need teach kids about various animals and and for any Key Club member helpers. Organizing food drives and animal behavior by exhibiting live looking to catch up, keep up, or get distributing the items donated is a critters. These furry teachers need to ahead on their hours, they don’t have great way for Key Club members to be cared for year-round, and summer to look far to find service volunteer during the summer is an especially fun time to help opportunities that fit them. because it supports the lives of those because the more time you spend

07

Have Book. Will Donate.

3N pulls together to help families get their kids ready for school.

accordance to the motto of Kiwanis International: Serving the Children of the World.

This allows us to support the goals of our parent organization and thus our club itself.

Furthermore, the donation drive encourages literacy and thus will teach the importance of reading to the

"

The course of nature is in harmony during the summer months as the activities of Cypress Woods Key Club continue.

Along with recruiting new and eager members, we have occupied ourselves with various donations, events, and socials.

In order to encourage literacy and celebrate the wealth of reading, the Cypress Woods Key Club, along with several other 3N Key Clubs, will be collecting books, school supplies, and back-to-school necessities at summer Presidential Council Meetings and other various events to mitigate the worry of financially-struggling families.

I feel this project is significantly important for two major reasons. One being that it is unarguably aimed at celebrating and bolstering children. This is such a great cause in general, but it is also in

Any book that

helps a child to

reading, to make reading one of his form a habit of

deep and continuing

good for him.

needs, is

"

­Maya Angelou

children affected. Even more, this project will also teach them the importance of education in general. Such a valuable outcome facilitates the success and progress of the leaders of tomorrow. Our simple donations are stepping stones for children who aim for a better future, wisdom wells

for the students whose thirst for knowledge is infinite, and escapes for individuals dreaming of prosperous future.

As Dr. Seuss said, “The more that you read, the more things you know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

In the course of these summer months, many books will be donated and will begin their journey to transform the lives of many children, eager to learn and prosper.

And hopefully, these children will grow to transform the lives of even more people. A cycle as elegant as this could transform the world undoubtedly for the better. The practicality and applicability of such an event are simple, allowing clubs across T-O to partner up with neighboring organizations and small businesses to reach out to the entire community. The efforts of Key Clubbers are the first steps towards such a future, and I encourage you to fervently imitate these steps in this positive direction for the sake of children everywhere.

Re e l in g i n Th e Fi s h How to get membership high at the beginning of the year.

We all remember freshman year.

The excitement rushes through you as you embrace the possibilities the school holds. It overcomes the fear that’s set in the back of your mind. The fear that things might not go as planned, the fear of loneliness and ridicule. It’s human nature to try and avoid the worst.

Our desire for acceptance drives us.

Perhaps that’s what we should tell incoming freshman. We should provide those stories about our participation in the Cy Woods Key club.

It’s best to start early. We should have posters out with simple information on the first meeting.

Colorful posters with easy to understand information should be placed throughout the school. Then, at the first couple of student gatherings, like the first express day, we should have a table out with energetic Key Clubbers. These recruiters should welcome them with their own personal stories; stories of how this club has helped them create new friendships and even strengthen the previous ones. Key Club should be a breath of relief for those with worries. It should pacify those who have worries, those who want to fit in somewhere, or those who simply want to help out their communities.

Those recruiters should also talk

to their parents. They should highlight that by helping out, the members earn hours. We all know those hours look great on college applications so we should let them know that we can provide them with the means to achieve the number of hours they need.

The first meeting should be entertaining. Usually we talk and introduce ourselves, but maybe we should incorporate them a little more to give them a taste of what group efforts feel like. Icebreakers and food are a must. Anything to help them enjoy their first memory ofKey Club should be offered at that meeting.

Hopefully, that will encourage them to come again or even invite their friends for the next one.

I don’t think many of us want to admit it, but a good portion of us were indeed a little selfish when joining. The community wasn’t entirely our first reason for joining.

Some join for the food, others join for acceptance or the need for community service hours, but we all stay because we fall in love with the feeling of unity. We stay because we feel it when we all have to work together to achieve a noticeable change. How often does a person get that?

Key Club officers run a table at orientation, recruiting prospective members and providing them with information.

Photo by: Dang Dinh

09

More Than Just A Club

A seasoned Key Club member shares her experiences.

I’m really excited to start a new school year of Key Club this year at Cypress Woods and get incoming freshman to join this amazing club.

I personally have made so many new friends through Key Club, and I feel like I have become a person who is fulfilled by helping others. My first year of being in Key Club really proved to me the impact of this club and how passionate high schoolers can make a huge difference.

It’s amazing how Key Club can bring together people you wouldn’t expect and create friendships.

During my sophomore year in Key Club some Key Club members, including myself, volunteered to help out making the Key Club float for our school’s annual Homecoming Parade and I only knew one person. After working hard together, all of them became my friends.

My leadership skills have improved, and I am more open to volunteering because I see the joy it brings to people’s faces. This experience helping others has really been a fulfillment for me, and you get a whole different perspective on life after volunteering. I really felt accomplished when our club won 1st place in at DCON in the TexasOklahoma district for the 20112012 school year. We proved that

Key Club members work together to create a Mardi Gras themed float for the 2012 Homecoming Parade.

we had stepped up and done so much for our school and community and will continue to do even more amazing projects.

I hope to influence the incoming freshmen by showing how I have been transformed into a better person who wants to be involved. As I completed my sophomore year, I wanted to further my involvement in Key Club by running for the position of Historian. I want to show the freshmen that it’s easy to be involved and that these leadership positions will give you experience.

These positions will help you to get into NHS and college, but most importantly, shape you into a wellrounded person.

I also would like them to experience how volunteering can be fun through events such as the Elementary Fall Festivals, Cypress Assistance Ministries, the Kiwanis Triathlon, etc. and how even the littlest things can put a smile on someone’s face. The Key Club Lock-in is probably my favorite annual event, allowing service projects to be fun and involve your friends.

In the end, Key Club has allowed me to be a part ofan awardwinning club that benefits you and truly opens your eyes to the world.

I’m going to really encourage the freshmen to join this club by sharing my experience.

10

11

Contact Information Cy Woods Key Club Officers President Vice President Secretary Editor Historian Treasurer Representative Coordinator Webmaster K-Family Board

Bryan Veit Natasha Solanki Dang Dinh Nikki Carter Holly Paterson Kelli Brusen Gaurav Lalsinghani Nicholas Nguyen Derielle Keiser Ryan Lucker Kelsey Foulds Madelin Cowden Drishti Wadwha

bryveit1995@gmail.com natasha.solanki@hotmail.com dang.qdinh@gmail.com ncarter37@sbcglobal.net holly.paterson@yahoo.com kcb400@sbcglobal.net gaunir@yahoo.com nick.erik2010@yahoo.com derielle.keiser@yahoo.com rjlucker@yahoo.com kelseyfoulds@entouch.net madelin11@live.com drishtiw@yahoo.com

281-757-7061 281-904-7873 281-723-5695 713-855-1645 832-349-0614 832-573-0187 281-796-7349 281-849-4885 281-889-0885 832-334-1033 281-253-8280 281-210-6456 713-614-2052

Division 3N Lieutenant Governor Gabi Bradshaw

Cypress Falls

gabibradshaw3nltg@gmail.com

832-341-6930

Texas足Oklahoma District Staff Governor Secretary Treasurer Editor Convention Liason

Luke Broussard Usman Hyder Isaiah Vallequinones Tashrima Hossain Grace Liu

governor@tokeyclub.com secretary@tokeyclub.com treasurer@tokeyclub.com editor@tokeyclub.com conventionliason@tokeyclub.com

325-998-1384 817-715-5111 580-458-1432 713-505-2252

817-962-8945

KEY FACTS CY WOODS KEY CLUB // JULY 2013