Skyline Key Club Newsletter (1-6/2015)

Skyline The Official Newsletter | Volume 1 | Issue 2 | January - June 2016

Skyline High School | Division 2 Region 9 Cal-Nev-Ha

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Table of Contents 1. Questions and Answers (with Vy Huynh)............................................................................................3-4 2. Prisoner’s Literature Project (written by Quyen-Vi Nguyen)……..………………………………...5 3. Making Mother’s Day Cards (written by Tien Le)..................................................................................6 4. My Two Cents on my Reign (written by Nikki Phu)…………………………………………………7

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Questions and Answers!

TOPIC:​ SKYLINE ALL-COMERS TRACK EVENT ​ WITH​ : Vy Huynh | Skyline KC fundraiser coordinator (2014-2015), Vice President of Administration (2015-2016)

When was the event?

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The Skyline All-Comers event was held on January 17, 2015. It was a track event, that started at 9 am and ended at 3 in the afternoon.

What made you want to go to the event?

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I attended the event because I wanted to help out. I also wanted to go because it was a Skyline event, so it was a good opportunity to support the school and track team, get the experience of a track race, and be able to cheer on my peers.

Who was there?

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There were many volunteers there, perhaps more than 30. There were kids from both BuildOn and Key Club but majority of volunteers were KeyClubbers.

What activities were available at the service?

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The activities that were available at the service included setting up the shot put and the discus, as well as moving the hurdles to the places where they were needed. There were also people managing the long jump, and the triple jump, and that included a person to measure the distance of the jump, holding the stick that is used, and raking the sand pit afterwards. There was also the high jump, and just in general it was a busy atmosphere.

What did you do?

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At the event, I helped with the long jump. I raked the sand pit after the participants jumped.

How did it make you feel when you attended the event?

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I felt good since it was a lot of work and took a lot of effort. It was nice to help out the athletes at my school, because if they had to do track and at the same time manage the other events, it would be too much, so it felt good being there knowing I was a big help.

What was different about this event than the other events you've been to?

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It differed in that it took more work than I thought it would be, and that there was many things to do, and no one was just standing around.

What did you dislike and like about this service event?

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One thing I did not like as much, was that there wasn’t shifts that people took it was hard to coordinate breaks. One thing I liked was people able to see the amazing efforts that the athletes put in.

What was the best part of the event?

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Best part of the event was being able to cheer on the runners.

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What was one takeaway?

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One thing to take away is that the more people working the easier the job is, because you guys share the work.

Would you recommend this service event to others? Why? -

I would recommend this service because its a fun service that feels like you’re actually doing something, and it’s also nice to contribute to your school and teams as well as help out and support your fellow classmate.

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Prisoner’s Literature Project By: Quyen-Vi Nguyen | Skyline Key Club Bulletin Editor On May 3, 2015, two of Skyline Key Club’s members, including myself, went to the Grassroots House in Berkeley to participate in the Prisoner’s Literature Project from 2-5 pm. At the service event, there were the people who organized this project and other curious volunteers that wanted to help who were not a part of key club. Since it was our first time being there, we had a brief explanation of what we had to accomplish. First, we were suppose to a letter from the pile of mail. Then, after reading it, go to the book room to pick out two to three book that suited the prisoner and regulations of their penitentiary. After picking out the books, we filled out two papers: a receipt and the mailing address of the recipient. We also had the option of writing a letter on the back of the receipt. We all worked together to fulfill the prisoners’ requests.

It was a humbling and exhilarating experience. I loved every aspect of this service event. Reading letters from people who are less fortunate than me was saddening and pushed me to do my best to get to books they wanted or books similar to their request. The mail is kindly received by a local bookstore and shipped to the Grassroots House, so this is why Prisoners who send in their letters often have specific books in mind when they request what they want. However, in most instances, this will not happen. The Prisoner’s Literature Project is solely volunteer based. All the books in the Grassroots House and all the work done to get books to the prisoners are because of volunteers. This makes it harder to fulfill requests from the inmates. Most of the cases I had, if they were not for the frequently asked for dictionaries and thesauruses, were art, cooking, cultural, or fiction books. In all of the letters that I have read, there were specific book titles that the book room did not have. When this was the case, I choose books that seemed the most similar to what the person wanted. Afterwards, I would write their address and a letter to them saying how I hope they enjoyed what I had picked out for them. Once in a while, I would read a thank you letter that would really be heartwarming and encouraging because it would be an account on how successful they had become with what they wanted to accomplish because of the books we sent them. It was a truly magnificent service and I would love to be a part of it again.

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Making Mother's Day Cards

By Tien Le | Treasurer To commemorate mother’s day, we decided to make Mother’s day cards for senior citizens on May 9th. First we met in Lakeshore library at 11:00 am. Then, we began to come up with ideas for the cards. I thought the hardest part of coming up with ideas for the cards was addressing a stranger. However, eventually, we thought to fill them with positive quotes about mothers. To make the cards, we had an abundance of construction and origami paper, markers, pens, scissors, glue, erasers, and pencils. Some people in the group did mosaic cards, others implemented origami flowers, and we even looked at books in the library for other ideas. While making the cards, we exchanged jokes and laughed which brightened up the mood. When we finished making the cards at 3:00, we began to make our way to deliver the cards. Upon arriving at Piedmont Gardens, a senior home in Oakland, we were directed towards mothers under intensive care. After introducing ourselves and explaining what we did earlier in the event, we divided the cards between us and passed out the cards to every mother in the room. When I gave everyone their cards It was encouraging to see the seniors’s faces light up when they were handed a card and it really made making and delivering the cards worth it in these moments. The service then ended at 4:00 when we collectively walked back to the library and waited to get picked up.

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My Two Cents on my Reign

By Nikki Phu | Key Club President As I go into a new school year, I become more anxious of what my officers and I both have in store. I see the amount of enthusiasm we all have to make an improving change into Skyline's Key Club. I really want to educate my Key Club members this year about not only servicing the community but that their efforts do make a change and do matter. I look forward to bringing on the D2 spirit and encouraging members to be motivated and excited in serving our community.

Hopefully this term will be filled with many events and many more members. I really hope to build a bond together with all the members, not only my officers but also my hardworking members that come to every meeting. I hope to change them in a way for the best of themselves. They wouldn't just be learning from the Key Club motto but also as individuals, I want to help them grow into the best forms of themselves and do a lot of reflection on what kind of member of society they would want to be.

I highly anticipate for this new term to be filled with service, bonding, laughter, and self improvement.

There's a lot of potential in not only Skyline's Key Club but Division 2 as a whole. My biggest wish is that everyone will learn what Key Club is about and take it as a lesson to use later in life.

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