Owl Orations August 2020 Volume 2 Issue 1 by Akshaya Chandra

G A R L A N D K E Y

H I G H

S C H O O L

C L U B

orations

OWL

Texas-Oklahoma volume 2 issue 1 region 9 division 2s

Table of Contents 3

Message from the President

Monthly Recap 8

Letter from the Editor

Key Club Info Message from the President

Upcoming 6 Events

Major Emphasis Programs 18

Articles

District/Club Officer Info

a message from the president To fellow Key Clubbers, Hello! My name is Christine Nguyen, and I am the 2020-2021 Key Club President at Garland High school! This school year will be challenging as a result of the global pandemic, but I am sure the year will go wonderfully. Due to said pandemic, we have yet to hold any meetings with the members, but we have been able to discuss future activities of the club, as a board, utilizing virtual platforms. A lot has changed from last year to now; our board (and those related in general) from the 2020 election has developed relatively drastically(Former) President Tiffany Doan, Editor Lillian Thai, Tisha Gautam, and Anna Ngo were all promoted to Lieutenant Governor, Vice President Vivian Thai is now District Secretary, Alina Dam is the Tech Producer, Katelyn Tran is District Editor, (now intrinsically within the school) Historian Yi Wong is Vice President, Akshaya Chandrashekhar is editor, and I was promoted from Treasurer to President. Everything seems to constantly be changing, and it is difficult to imagine what the future holds. The club has given me, and many others, multiple opportunities to understand and contribute to our community. It is an amazing organization that develops projects that are both fun and exciting to be a part of. Thank you to those who were with Key Club for the 2020 school year, and I look forward to meeting new members and interacting with the K-Family! Sincere regards,

Christine Nguyen

letter from the editor To fellow Key Clubbers, Hello! Welcome to the 2020-2021 school year. While this year will definitely be odd and uncertain, I'm very excited to see what we'll accomplish. As your editor this year, I will be in charge of communication between the officers and members, and this newsletter will provide the bulk of information, so I encourage you to check it out. For those of you who don't know me my name is Akshaya Chandrashekhar. and this year I am a sophomore at Garland High School. As your editor this year I will be making this newsletter and will post it every month. This year has its own unique set of challenges, but I'm sure we will find a way to make it great! In order to show our club's great work, make sure you take pictures at every Key Club or volunteer-related event. I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone and bring us closer in one big family. Sincere regards,

Akshaya Chandra

M MO ON N TT H H LL Y Y R R EE C CA AP P congratulations! We are thrilled that Tiffany Doan, Lilian Thai, Tisha Gautham, and Anna Ngo were all promoted to Lieutenant Governor! Also, Vivian Thai has become District Secretary and Alina Dam is now Tech Producer, and Katelyn Tran is District Editor! We wish them luck on their new adventures!

board meetings The officers had two very successfl board meetings, and we're super excited to hget strated this year!

UPCOMING E SUN

MON

TUE

WED

THURS

FRI

SAT

riddle of the month What can you hold in your left hand but not in your right? your right elbow

VENTS: SEPT

FIRST GENERAL MEETING!

Join us at 3:00 after school to kick off our Key-Club year! The meeting will occur in conjunction with UNICEF and we will update y'all on our plans for this year.

BOARD MEETING

All officers must attend the two board meetings every month.

KIWANIS MEETING

ET O N

All meetings will occur online. Calendars only include events planned at the start of the month and are subject to change. Events can be added or canceled .

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

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.

Core Values - Leadership » Leadership is grounded in humility and service to others. A true leader listens, recognizes, and empowers. - Character building » Character is built by everyday acts of kindness, integrity and teamwork to grow stronger relationships and communities. - Caring » Compassion for others is a cornerstone of the Key Club experience, inspiring action and service to one’s community. - Inclusiveness » We welcome people of all backgrounds and ethnicities to join in serving and making a positive difference in our world

MEMBERSHIP RECRUITMENT

By Christine Nguyen, President Everyone can relate when I say that quarantine has limited the functionality of organizations like Key Club. When in person, we are able to clearly communicate ideas, vocalize our opinions on said ideas, and assess each other’s social and facial cues regarding their thoughts on them. However, due to the virus, we are unable to do those things. Online, people are less likely to turn on their microphones or cameras, so we can’t have the advantage of people openly being expressive to know if everyone is on the same page or not. It’s also challenging in the aspect that we are unsure about efficient communication through online platforms, due to everyone checking their phones at different times and different schedules. Now that the new school year has arrived, there are new students that now attend our high school, and old students have left. The club has lost their senior members and now there is a population of freshman than- due to the pandemic- are unaware of our club. My division has discussed a couple of solutions regarding the recruitment of these freshmen. One of which is to send out emails to freshman teachers so that they may refer a couple of their students to us. We have given them three weeks to get settled into their classes and for the teachers to attain a rough understanding of their new students. Hopefully through this method, we will be able to gather a new population of members for the 2020-2021 school year. Another method that we discussed was having “buddy days”, but this could only be applied once meetings are in person.

A “buddy day” is where a member can only attend the Key Club meeting if they bring a friend or plus one, and there would be a board member standing at the entrance to keep track of who brought who. Overall, the corona outbreak is a setback for the club. We are now unable to host volunteering events like clean-ups at White Rock Lake and Pancakes with Santa, and our member population won’t be like it was the previous year. It is important that people are staying safe and well distanced, but it's a shame the freshmen will not get to experience Key Club like how those previous to them did.

WEBSITE UPDATE By Jake Wendling, Webmaster

Hello Key Clubbers! The first cycle has begun! I hope you are all having a great start to this school. This year will be difficult due to health and safety concerns, but we will make it through together.The website content is being updated for this year! As soon as we start having meetings again, the meeting archive with powerpoints and minutes (transcripts) will be updated. Make sure you keep up to date with the archive if you miss any meetings. Hours have also been uploaded and are up to date, though we haven’t had many opportunities yet. Hours will still need to be submitted in the google form along with the usual prompts that follow. The link to the google form is located on the hours page just above the spreadsheet. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the hour submission form for this school year. Make sure you submit any events you volunteer at and pictures of yourself volunteering. If you don't submit a picture with the form you won't get credit for your hours. Some members forgot to do this last year and missed out on some hours that they earned. The attendance sheet is now uploaded as well, so make sure you check to make sure you haven’t missed too many meetings.

If you miss any more than two meetings or you will be put on probation. Speaking of meeting attendance, all of this year’s meetings will be on the calendar once we finalize the schedule and decide how we will be holding meetings. We will likely be holding meetings online using either zoom or google meet. We are currently working to make this year as successful as previous years, despite the current circumstances. Finding ways to contribute to the community while keeping our members safe is our priority right now, so feel free to message us if you have any ideas. Our contact information is on the website on the Contact Us page.Thank you for listening to my update for this month. Don’t forget to check the website (garlandhskeyclub.com) and don't forget to take more pictures when you volunteer!

SERVICE IN QUARANTINE By Akshaya Chandrashekhar, Editor My summer was interesting and very uneventful to say the least. One of the few memorable parts of a summer during a pandemic was taking part in a neighborhood initiative to make facemasks. One of my neighbors is a nurse who was fighting on the frontlines every day, and a few teenagers in our community including me decided to create facemasks since there was a severe shortage in the hospital she was working at. This eager albeit small operation ended up being incredibly helpful for the doctors and nurses working at that hospital. Now I’ll admit I’m not exactly the most skilled seamstress, so it did take about three very wonky facemasks for me to actually create one that deserved to be sent. Luckily, the two other people in our group did not struggle as much as I did. We wanted to get the masks to them as soon as possible, so we made the facemasks in about a week. So about a dozen Facetime calls and one very active group chat later we had created about 80 masks. Our very small group of three very bored teenagers ended up making something that we’re really proud of. Anyways, our tiny (and appropriately socially-distanced group) delivered the masks to her husband while the nurse was at work. About an hour or so later, we all received a message from the nurse and it was so kind and gracious that it would have made the Grinch’s heart swell.

I’ve always enjoyed helping others and volunteering, as many others in Key club do, so when I was confined to my house it was difficult to not be able to help in the way hat I was used to. This little project was but it helped me feel like I wasn’t so powerless in a lot of ways. The feeling that came with actually being able to help someone was enough to cure my ‘stuck in my house for three months’ blues.

A NEW ROLE IN KEY CLUB By Dylan Dam, Secretary Last year, I was appointed as my school’s Key Club

With the coronavirus pandemic limiting

co-secretary. During the summer, I would attend

basically all social gatherings, our Key Club has

board meetings and take minutes for my school’s Key

taken several precautions to adapt to the

Club. Although it was just to practice taking minutes,

upcoming school year. We have set up

it has prepared me for taking minutes during this

welcoming emails to send to all freshmen who

month’s board meetings. This position is supposedly

showed interest at our school’s spirit night, but

one of the most important roles an officer can have.

some freshmen probably never look at their

Secretaries are in charge of getting points for your key

emails, so this year will be really hard to recruit

club, and if you aren’t a good secretary, it will reflect

freshmen. In addition to this email, we have also

on your Key Club. These points will be used to find

set up online meeting rooms where our key club

the best Key club in a district. For example, if my Key

members can attend meetings and socials.

Club had the most points, we would be the top club

Although coronavirus has taken a big toll on us,

in the Texas-Oklahoma district. I went to my first

me and my fellow officers will be scouting for

Secretary training with District Secretary Vivian

volunteering opportunities where we can social

Thai, and learned how to do my monthly report and

distance. For example, we will be looking for

how to take minutes correctly. So far, I have filled out

donation drives and any volunteering events

my monthly report, and I am ready to submit it.

where we will all take safety precautions

However, COVID-19 has impacted my society and

including wearing masks, bringing hand

Key Club greatly. So far, we haven’t had anything in

sanitizer, and distancing ourselves as much as

person. Everyone has been taking classes online,

possible. There will also be a required consent

everyone is social distancing, and everyone is staying

form, and the hour requirement will be lowered

safe. Key club has many risks especially during this

due to the coronavirus. My job as a secretary has

pandemic. It’s very difficult to volunteer while social

just begun, and I hope that I can help my

distancing, so the coronavirus is even disrupting

school’s club in addition to my society. I can’t

recruitment for our Key club.

wait to see what lurks ahead and what our Key Club will become!

CLUB MEETINGS HOME VS. SCHOOL Club meetings are always an essential part of clubs, as they allow members of the club to be informed about what is going on and what future events and projects may happen. The same could be said for officer meetings, as they allow the officers in the club to collaborate and talk about future events and plans in making the club better. Personally, I’ve only had a few meetings in person at school, as the pandemic caused everyone to stay at home. And I’ve gotten the most experience, and I am the most used to meetings via online as an officer. Earlier this year, when we were still in school, elections for officers were wrapped up and I became an officer. Officer meetings at first had a different tone, as it was more serious and was more directed to the opinions and opportunities for our club. It was pretty engaging, and I saw and learned a little more about how the officers fulfill their duties and how they converse with other officers, clubs, and people for volunteer opportunities. I started to understand and learn more about how officers functioned, and how meetings were executed. Once the pandemic caused schools to be online; meetings and updates for clubs could only be enacted online in accordance. Some major differences in officer meetings online compared to in-person meetings, would be in regards to the fact that instead of seeing people face to face, you would be staring at a screen. Although some would have their cameras on and be able to see other people, in my opinion I think there’s still a little less interactivity and engagement than an in-person.

With online meetings, hard to hear audio or poor connection to the internet could cause some issues in relation to hearing important information at times. The same could be said for audio interference from either the speaker or at one’s own environment. And yet, despite the limits of online meetings, I feel as though our club has made the best of it and is adjusting to get everyone accustomed to online meetings. This being achieved through making sure officers are engaged and are actively checking and informed over officer decisions and meetings. As well as ensuring the new officers are informed and well prepared for what they would need to do over the year and during meetings.

MAJOR More than 10 million kids enter a children’s hospital like Children's Health across North America every year. To provide the best care for kids, children’s hospitals rely on donations and community support, as Medicaid and insurance programs do not fully cover the cost of care. By joining March for Babies Step Up! you are helping moms and babies across the country, during a time when it’s needed most. Thanks to you we are adding new programs and resources to help families during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.

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.

EMPHASIS

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? Health and Sanitation: 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.

The greatest joys in life are found not only in what we do or feel , but also in our quiet hopes and labor for others - Bryant McGill

@garlandkeyclub

garlandhskeyclub@gmail.com

text @garlandkey to 81010

garlandhskeyclub.com

18 '20-'21 district officers

DISTRICT GOVERNOR KAREENA

PATEL

governor@tokeyclub.com

DISTRICT EDITOR KAITLIN

TRAN

editor@tokeyclub.com

DISTRICT TREASURER RAJ

PATEL

treasurer@tokeyclub.com

TECH PRODUCER ALINA

DAM

techproducer@tokeyclub.com

DISTRICT SECRETARY VIVIAN

THAI

secretary@tokeyclub.com

CONVENTION LIAISON KAITLYN

ROEHR

cl@tokeyclub.com

'20-'21 club officers

PRESIDENT CHRISTINE

NGUYEN

nguyechr010@students.garlandisd.net

VICE PRESIDENT YI

WONG

wongyi000@students.garlandisd.net

SECRETARY DYLAN

DAM

damdyl000@students.garlandisd.net

WEBMASTER JAKE

WENDLING

wendljak000@students.garlandisd.net

EDITOR AKSHAYA

CHANDRA

akshayachandra10@gmail.com

CLUB ADVISOR MORGAN

SHAEFFER

mshaeffer@garlandisd.net

SECRETARY TONY

leton000@students.garlandisd.net

Caring: Our Way of Life