Owl Orations December 2019 Volume 1 Issue 9

december

OWL ORATIONS Texas-Oklahoma

Region 9, Division 2S Volume 1, Issue No. 9

THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF GARLAND HIGH SCHOOL

3 4 5 6 8 10 11 12 13 14 20 22 Letter to the Editor

Note from the President

Monthly Review

Upcoming Events

Updates and Reminders

Key Club Info

LEDCON Theme

How to Write an Article

About our

Articles & HOTO

Promotions

Instagram

TABLE OF

CONTENTS 2

Contact Info

letter from the editor...

Hello, Key Clubbers!

We made it to 2020! I hope everyone is enjoying the last few days of our winter break.

I

have

been

so

grateful

for

the

last

couple

weeks

of

vacationing

and

complete relaxation, but the Key Club grind doesn't stop. Your dedicated officers are always continuously hard at work, making sure your Key Club experience is full of meaningful experiences and fun memories. If you are reading this newsletter, thank you for coming. Y'all are the best :) Now that the second semester is about to begin, it's time to plan for the future.

For the underclassmen who are considering running for an officer position, I highly recommend running. Next year, there will be many empty positions as the seniors will graduate and other officers are planning to run for higher positions. To run, you need to make sure you are in good standing with the Key Club --- you've turned in your parents consent form and you have enough hours to qualify (I don't know exactly how many that is). Also, make sure this is something you are going to be dedicated to. Officers are expected to attending the majority of general and board meetings as well as fulfill their duties on time. If you have any questions about the duties of a specific position that you're interested in, don't hesitate to ask a current officer!

Good luck!

In February, we are going to volunteer at the Hot Chocolate Run, which I am very excited about. The organizers of the run are a lot more strict than the ones for Turkey Trot, so if you do sign up, make sure you plan to attend. If you cannot, find a replacement as soon as possible! Otherwise, we lose credibility and our spot in the chocolate tent, but I know y'all are trustworthy enough to handle this responsibility.

You guys are GHS Key Club members after all!

Thank you for reading my monthly rant. See y'all on Wednesday for our general meeting!

Yours in Service,

3

note from the president...

Hello, Key Clubbers!

Hi to anyone who is currently reading this! 2020 has arrived, and there’s already so much that I want to update you guys on. Before I begin any formalities, I just want to give my monthly casual talk first. 2019 has ended, but Key Club has evolved so much. Our participation rate has increased, and I enjoyed every second being with you guys. I hope winter break has treated you well and that you’re ready to come back

and

continue

exceeding

my

expectations

of

being

wonderful

community

members.

Now, I’ll give some updates on what happened in December and what to expect in the future. First off, I’m glad to announce that we have elected a new Lieutenant Governor (LTG) for our division. Alina Dam, a fellow Garland Key Club member, has recently been announced as the new Division 2S/C LTG! She will be in charge of various schools including Garland, so GOOD LUCK ALINA! She has already shown dedication and passion in her previous work as an LTG, so I’m sure she will continue demonstrating great leadership and communication skills. Furthermore, we were able to participate in the annual Kiwanis-sponsored Pancakes with Santa. Our local Kiwanians gave us their thanks, and I’m glad we’re able to strengthen our relationship with them. As for the future, we’re already in the month of January, and members are expected to have 25 service hours by this time to be on track to have 50 hours by the end of the school year. I know it may be difficult to find free time to volunteer, but every effort is appreciated. Remember. The end of the school year is marked by AP tests, exams, and other activities, so it’ll be even harder to obtain hours by that time.

I know the year has just started, but I have a feeling that it’ll be a good one. hope you guys are able to achieve all the goals and resolutions that you have set for yourself and continue living your best life. Start working toward your goals today and don’t procrastinate. Thank you for a good 2019, and here’s to a new year!

Yours in Service,

4

MONTHLY REVIEW MONTHLY REVIEW MONTHLY REVIEW CANstruction Throughout

the

month

of

November,

we

collected food cans for a schoolwide event. We created a beautiful Christmas sculpture out of the donated cans, which were later given to our local food pantry.

12/06/2019

Pancakes with Santa The Garland Fire Station hosted their annual breakfast

in

which

families

can

enjoy

food

and take their pictures with Santa. What a wonderful way to spend the holidays!

12/14/2019

Winter social To reward our members for their hard work, we decided to host a winter social with lots of food

and

fun!

Many

of

you

responded

positively to our holiday-themed icebreakers, and we are so thankful for your participation.

12/18/2019 5

UPCOMING january 2020 SUN

6

MON

TUE

WED

7

THU

SAT

FRI

1

2

8

9

3

10

4

5

6

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

GHS KEY CLUB MEETINGS Attend two meetings a month in the library after school from 3-3:30 pm where we will update you on upcoming events and plans

NORTHEAST DALLAS KIWANIS MEETINGS Meet up at Life Message from 7 - 8 PM as we try and bridge the gap between Kiwanis and Key Club

GARLAND KIWANIS MEETINGS Meet up at Fish ‘N Tails Oyster Bar from 12 - 1 PM for

an

opportunity

to

discuss

and

plan

relevant

events in our community

CAPS FOR NAPS Go to Mrs. Johnson’s room (409) to learn how to crochet some caps for babies in the NICU every Wednesday after school from 2:50 - 3:50 pm.

*Calendars only have events planned at the beginning of each month and are, therefore, subject to change. Events can be added or cancelled and details can be changed.

EVENTS 7

UPDATES & n g i s o t e Click her ot up for H ! n u R e t a l Choco

MISSED A GE

General Meeting on Wednesday, January 8th!

Remember, the meetings are MANDATORY!

8

Make-up meetin Room 407 on th general meeting promptly at 7:00

UPDATED HOURS FORM CLICK HERE

Follow our Ke y Club Instagram:

@garlandhskeyclub

NERAL MEETING?

ngs will be held in he Friday after gs and will begin 0 am. Don't miss it!

access o t e r e h k Clic form! s r u o h e th

r that you e e b m e m e R tur bmit a pic e u s T S U M oing servic yourself d lunteered. if you vo

REMINDERS 9

We are Global Key Club is a growing organization with global reach. With

1000s of clubs in more than 38 countries, the impact of Key Club members can be felt all over the world.

We Learn Through Action High school student members of Key Club perform acts of service in their communities, such as cleaning up parks, collecting clothing and organizing food drives. They also learn leadership skills by running meetings, planning projects and holding elected leadership positions at the club, district and international levels.

Our Mission Statement Key Club is an international, student-led organization that provides its members with opportunities to provide service, build character and develop leadership.

Core Values Members of Key Club learn to become leaders in their school

and community, build their character through acts of kindness, develop compassion for others, and welcome people of all different ethnicities and backgrounds to serve the community.

10

*All information was found on the official Key Club website www.keyclub.org

Lights, Camera...service!

The Texas-Oklahoma District Board is proud to announce that the theme for LEDCON 2020 will be...

HOLLYWOOD! N O C LED 2020 , 6 2 3 2 pril

A

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Want to earn an easy service hour?

WRITE AN ARTICLE! Write a 400 word article about anything related to Key Club SUGGESTED PROMPTS: What can your club improve on as we enter 2020? How do you plan on incorporating the holiday spirit into service? Reflecting on your 2019 year, what were the highs and lows of your Key Club experience? How have you or how do you plan to strengthen the relationships between the branches of the K-Family (Kiwanis, Circle K, Builders Club, etc.)?

Example:

include a jpg image relating to the article

Submit a Google Docs file under the assignment "November 2019 Article Submissions" in Google Classroom, and fill out an hours form.

12

Our Key Club now is on FOLLOW US TO STAY CONNECTED AND... get reminders about upcoming activities view pictures from volunteer events DM us with questions or concerns

Other accounts to follow: @tokeyclub @keyclubint

Follow us

@garlandhskeyclub 13

wesbite update

www.garlandhskeyclub.com

Hello Key Clubbers! The second semester is about to start! I hope you are all having a relaxing break for school starts again. Don’t forget that we are going to have a general meeting the first day back on the 8th.

The website content is now complete!

The meeting archive with powerpoints and minutes

(transcripts)

has

been

uploaded

and will be updated after every meeting.

The minutes are standard for all meetings and we have to send them to our district Key Club, so we made them available for the members to see. Make sure you keep up to

date

with

the

archive

if

you

miss

on

the

this

check

We’ve

hours

you

so

make

have,

the

you

year’s

meetings

changed

are

the

on

the

bylaws

calendar.

again

and

website will have it available and accurate

published them on the website. They are on

at all times. The attendance sheet is now

the new handouts page along with all of the

uploaded as well, so make sure you don't miss any more than two meetings or you will be put on probation.

easier

way

volunteer

to

view

hours

are

forms you might need for key club. Also, be sure to familiarize yourself with the new hour submission form for this school year. Make sure you submit any events you volunteer at and pictures to the form or you won't get

Many members have requested for an their

hours.

recorded

Currently,

on

a

large

spreadsheet that shows all grade levels and all events for the entire year that included every member’s name and ID number. This makes it difficult to look through and find all of the events that you have earned hours for and may lead to some confusion and a lack of privacy. In the near future, hours will be

credit been

for

them!

doing

this

Some and

members

have

missed

and have a more specialized view of every event

you

have

attended.

Hours

will

still

need to be submitted in the google form along with the usual prompts that follow.

Lastly, member attendance will be posted

haven’t out

on

some hours that they have earned.

Thank you for listening to my update for this

month.

website forget

Don’t

forget

to

(garlandhskeyclub.com) to

take

more

pictures

volunteer!

posted on the website where you can login

14

sure

Speaking of meeting attendance, all of

and are up to date. If you ever need to many

too,

any

meetings. Hours have also been uploaded how

website

attend all of the meetings!

JAKE WENDLING Webmaster

check and when

the don't you

the last semester Well my first year of high school was anything but exciting. I was just starting to get into the routine of things, wake up, go to school, come home, eat, and sleep. What I was looking forward to the most was to finally come home and take a nap. I never stayed after school until I had to stay for tutorials

or

anything

of

the

sort.

My

first

thought at 2:30 was “FINALLY SCHOOL IS OVER!” I wasn’t involved with after school activities, because frankly I never cared for them.

I

only

did

what

I

considered

necessary, which was school work. That was until I joined Key Club, my first club.

club, not to mention I didn’t have friends in this club either. My main reason for coming to the meeting was because of my sister.

Two years prior when I was a seventh grader addition

to

president always

was

president

that

before

told

me

my that.

of

Key

eldest In

about

the

Club,

in

sister

was

past

they

their

made

me

school

on

look

forward

Tuesday

for

to

a

staying

meeting.

after To

my

was kind of forced into joining; especially

meeting I wasn’t exactly interested in the

sister

would’ve never talked to beforehand. This

surprise I actually cherished a club, that I

The first time I went to a Key Club

my

diversity of the club, I talked to people that I

because

the

requirement

of

the

time

needed in the club. Without the people I met

or

the

friends

I

made

that

year,

I

would’ve never thought that Key Club was be my favorite club at Garland High School!

Key

Club

opportunities,

has now

given I

me

look

so

many

forward

into

fulfilling my role as this year’s treasurer!

fondest

memories of the Key Club, so this got me interested. After paying my dues to join, I still wasn’t particularly interested in the club.

This was partly due to me not going to many events that year. What really changed my

ALBERT YANG Treasurer

idea of Key Club was once “Freshman Rep” elections began. Hopeful to get this position I prepared a speech, and to my surprise I actually won! This gave me an opportunity to work with the years officers. Not only did I get to work with upperclassmen, but I also got to meet a lot of other people in the club too. This really opened my eyes to the

15

holiday season It’s currently the holiday season and while that

means

spending

a

lot

of

time

with

family and eating, it’s also the best season of

giving

spend

back.

the

celebrate,

While

holidays not

I

with

everyone

have

a

family

to

and

a

home

to

is

privileged

with

the things many of us take for granted. This is why my favorite thing to go during this season

is

privileged started

to

help

than

doing

others

who

others.

One

because

of

are

thing Key

less

that

Club

I is

donate cans to those who are in need. Our school

hosts

organizations

a

can

drive

participate

in

it

and to

all

collect

cans. After cans are collected we all stay after school and build stuff out of the cans.

It’s a great way to help others while also having fun with a little splash of competition to see which organization collects the most cans and builds the best structure. Giving out cans of food isn’t the only thing I do in the holiday season however. My family and I like

to

donate

privileged Walmart

as

or

toys

well.

Target

to We and

kids

who

usually get

a

are

just

less

go

to

bunch

of

Mexico

also

visits

us

during

the

season. It’s basically a reunion every year or so because we all get to catch up since we don’t really see each other any other time of the year.

Overall the holiday season is a good time to reflect on our blessings and the best time to give back to others because not everyone has a family to celebrate with. Many others aren’t feast

able or

to

have

Christmas

a

nice

dinner.

Thanksgiving

Helping

Many times we forget how blessed we are and not realize the little things in life that are truly important. I like to take the winter break to fully appreciate and enjoy being with my family. I usually don’t get to do many family activities with my relatives because of school but during break we all love playing games and watching Christmas movies to get into the Christmas spirit every year. Not to mention, a lot of my family from

16

others

during this time is the most heartwarming experience as well because it means the most to others during the holiday season.

Helping others will always be an important transition in my family and especially during this time of year.

gender neutral games and drop them off at donation centers.

holiday

NALLELY MACIEL Historian

holiday spirit December! I doubt it comes as a

slightly

less

intense.

Each

officer

was

surprise, but December is my favorite month

responsible for bringing 5 items to the party,

during

and

the

various

winter

season.

with

we

would

put

these

items

in

bags

for

Christmas,

different teams to guess with only their sense of touch. This was also pretty fun and there

gift exchanges and parties both during and

was

outside of the school day! To incorporate

competition!

same

Club,

joyous

we

hold

including

filled

Hanukkah, and Kwanza, all of which means

the

holidays,

It’s

spirit

a

into

social

Garland

and

make

even

a

tie,

resulting

in

2

rounds

of

Key our

icebreakers holiday-themed.

For the future, however, I want to include more

holiday

spirit

into

the

club.

For

instance, I think having a Secret Santa or During most major holidays, we often try and include a social around the same time. It’s a nice way for us to give back to our members through foods and drinks, but it’s also a fitting time to relax and hang out with one another. For the winter, we plan to have a social for the holidays in December and another one for Valentine’s. The main part

that

I

enjoy

during

the

social

is

the

White event.

Elephant Since

would

Garland

be Key

an

interesting

Club

has

50+

members, it might be hard for everyone to know each other, so these two games would foster an environment that requires getting to know one another. I also hope to give the members opinions

an on

opportunity what

they

to

would

voice like

their

to

see

games/icebreakers that we play. Each time

happen in the club. Maybe we’ll have some

we have a social, the officers prepare and

time

discuss ahead of time what food and games

members to tell us their ideas for socials or

to

similar events.

bring

Recently,

during I

had

our

seen

board a

video

meetings. of

during

general

meetings

to

allow

people

playing an oven mitt gift game on TikTok.

I really did enjoy the winter season with

Since it seemed entertaining, I wanted to

my Key Club family this year. I’m thankful for

have it at our social. In my mind, I thought

all the Key Clubbers, both old and new, that

that having a little competition can be fun

I’ve met. It’s such a joy when I see people

and bring us closer together. When it was

outside of meetings and am able to wave

time to actually play, I finally saw how much

and

Katelyn wrapped the tiny gift card inside.

Key Clubbers were almost attacking the gift with their oven mitts, but I would say it was a

success.

People

were

shouting

say

hi

to

y’all

because

we’re

close

enough to do that now, so thank you again for joining this family :)

and

invested in the game. We also included a different game at the social that was

TIFFANY DOAN President

17

HUMANS OF TEX

Hello! My name is Tisha Gautam and I’m

bond

with

friends

I

frequently

the secretary of the Garland High School Key

volunteered with. The extra time we spent

Club chapter. In my free time, I love spending

together

time

something

with

my

little

brother,

watching

The

outside

of

school

productive

was

Office, and reading. I am a junior who is part

foundation

for

of

Additionally,

volunteering

several

HOSA,

school

and

Key

organizations,

organizations,

Club.

Key

Out

Club

of

will

all

like

NHS,

of

these

always

hold

a

special place in my heart.

I

was

insecure,

doing strong

friendships.

this

frequently

introduced me to all of the amazing events our community offers. For example, I didn’t festivities

school.

growing

a

know about the Christmas on the Square

I joined Key Club as a freshman in high didn’t

have

until

I

volunteered

there.

However, things weren’t so rosy my second any

year in Key Club. I was now a sophomore,

leadership skills, and didn’t have confidence

and

in my voice. I joined Key Club in the hopes

increased. I was tired, and my interest in

that

waking

getting

more

involved

in

school

would

my up

workload early

on

had the

predictably weekends

to

help combat some of these weaknesses. In my

volunteer waned. After a few months of

first year in Key Club, I dove headfirst into

this attitude, I realized what I had lost by

service. It was the first time that I experienced

not prioritizing Key Club. I decided that I

what it felt like to volunteer regularly. Almost

would try my best to recreate that magical

every

Saturday,

serving

18

the

my

I

was

community

up

bright

with

my

and

early

feeling of contentment that I felt during my

Key

Club

freshman year in Key Club. I forced myself

friends. It was during this first year in Key Club

to make time to volunteer. As I got back

that I discovered the immense benefits that

into the groove of things, I even considered

volunteer work brings. I developed a special

pursuing a leadership position in my club.

XAS-OKLAHOMA

After much thought and encouragement from my friends, I decided to run for secretary. I won!

After

securing

an

officer

position,

my

Key Club experience was transformed. I got to see how the chapter was run and all the effort

it

members.

took I

to

was

facilitate also

service

exposed

to

for

Key

the

Club

leadership beyond the club level, and even ran for LTG!

After three years of Key Club, I can see how much of a difference it has made in me. I have developed leadership skills and now feel comfortable leading my peers. As Secretary, I am in the position to nurture my club. This organization has brought so much good into my life, and I want to spread that to my peers.

TISHA GAUTAM Secretary

19

MAJOR Kiwanis International and UNICEF have joined forces to eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus—a deadly disease that steals the lives of nearly 31,000 innocent babies and a significant number of women each year.

Visit their websites to learn more When you join March for Babies you stand with thousands of people across the country who share your commitment to building a brighter future for us all.

March with us to lead the fight for the health of all moms and babies.

about how you can help the cause

More than 10 million kids enter a children’s hospital like Children's Health across North America every year. Since 1983, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals has helped fill those funding gaps by raising more than $5 billion.

20

MAJOR EMPHASIS PROJECT PROMOTIONS

Thirst Project is a nonprofit organization that works with the support of young people to END the global water crisis by building freshwater wells in developing communities that need safe, clean drinking water.

Why Water? Waterborne diseases kill more children every single year than HIV, Malaria, and all world violence combined. Small children typically do not have strong enough immune systems to fight diseases like cholera, dysentery, or schistosomiasis.

SERVICE PROJECT PROMOTION

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DISTRICT 2 0 2 0

OFFICERS

DISTRICT GOVERNOR

SECRETARY

TREASURER

Ashna Patel

Kareena Patel

Katherine Chao

governor@tokeyclub.com

secretary@tokeyclub.com

treasurer@tokeyclub.com

EDITOR

LTG DIVISION 2S

CONVENTION LIAISON

Vivian Thai

Katherine Bui

Dillion Grisham

editor@tokeyclub.com

ltg2S@tokeyclub.com

cl@tokeyclub.com

TECH PRODUCER

22

2 0 1 9

REGION 8 & 9 ADVISOR

DISTRICT ADMINISTRATOR

Lacey Thomas

Dennis Hogan

Kenyon Black

techassistant@tokeyclub.com

region9@tokeyclub.com

administrator@tokeyclub.com

ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR

ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR

Ryan Edmoundson

Kelly Poland

AAFinance@tokeyclub.com

AAEvents@tokeyclub.com

GHS CLUB

2 0 1 9

OFFICERS

2 0 2 0

PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

SECRETARY

Tiffany Doan

Alina Dam

Tisha Gautam

tiffanydoan12@gmail.com

alinalandam@gmail.com

tishagautam@gmail.com

TREASURER

EDITOR

HISTORIAN

Albert Yang

Katelyn Tran

Nallely Maciel

yangralbert@gmail.com

katelyntran818@gmail.com

Nallelymaciel75@gmail.com

WEBMASTER

CLUB ADVISOR

Jake Wendling

Morgan Shaeffer

wendljac000@students.garlandisd.net

mshaeffer@garlandisd.net

23

contact us instagram

gmail

follow us

email us at

@garlandhskeyclub

garlandhskeyclub@gmail.com

issuu

website

read our newsletter

find resources

at issuu.com/garlandhskeyclub

on garlandhskeyclub.com

classroom

remind

code: 6p2bcm

Text @garlandkey to 81010

24

contact us

CARING our way of life.