DECEMBER 2014
POTTER’S PAPERS Garland High School Division 2C Key Club
Volume 1 Issue 9
Caring—Our Way of Life.. Leadership, Character Building,.. Caring, and Inclusiveness..
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
“Before you call yourself a Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu or any other theology, learn to be human first.” -Shannon L. Alder
EDITOR’S NOTE
CONTENTS Upcoming Events
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A Letter from the LTG
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President’s Corner
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Welcoming the New Year
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Hi Key Clubbers! I hope that your holidays were great; can you believe that 2014 is over? So much happened in the past year, and it feels like a dream that it’s over, but I can’t wait to see what else is in store for our Key Club in 2015! The end of the semester was really a huge exhale of relief from everyone, and I’m no different; as stressful as the semester was, both in school, my various relationships and friendships, and Key Club, it’s no wonder that the break didn’t feel nearly as long enough. However, even though I’m bemoaning the fact that I have to return to school for another twenty-one weeks (*sobs*) after only two weeks of rest, I am so prepared to take on more service and events to improve myself as a person. I don’t have much to say this month, since not a lot has been going on Key Club-wise, likely due to the fact that everyone is super busy with personal things during the holiday season. However, I’d like to extend a huge thank you to a few people for being so helpful in my times of dire need: Hogan, for being a total gem and calming me down when I’m stressed as hell from the minimal responsibilities that I have, and for revising/rewriting articles from other officers in addition to his own that are definitely not 400 words; and Tien, for giving me stellar graphic design advice to help improve the overall quality of my newsletter. Thank you to all officers for articles, and for the continual support from everyone else! :)
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Yours in service, Linh Nguyen
Santa/Snowman
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Stories/Movies
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The Less Fortunate
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Treasurer’s Report
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Auld Lang Syne
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DCON Information
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Our Club Board
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T-O District Staff
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COVER PHOTO: Linh Nguyen QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS?: Co n tac t me by e ma il in g lin h n gu yen3412@gmail.com or message me at https:// www.facebook.com/linh.nguyen.3241 for a more timely response.
WEDNESDAY7JANUARY
CHIPOTLE FUNDRAISER TUESDAY13JANUARY
HYPNOTIC DONUT DASH SATURDAY24JANUARY
BOOKS FOR LITERACY ALLMONTHJANUARY
UPCOMING EVENTS
FIRST GENERAL MEETING
13-... 3-... 3 3_
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To learn more about suicide in teens and adults, go to www.save.org.
A MESSAGE
Hey Wolves, I just want to start off by saying Happy New Year! It has been my pleasure to serve you all during the 2014 year and close off such an amazing year with you all. If you all have not known I was previously a club president. I spent my 2014 year literally being obsessed with Key Club. I worked extremely hard as club president and managed to get my home club to the top 25 and also was elected Lieutenant Governor of my amazing Wolfpack division 2C2S and it was just an amazing year for our Key Club division and for me because I got to know you all better. For the month of January, I hope that you all participate more in our division and attend more of our events. We will have plenty of hour opportunities and with District Convention coming up I really want to have our division growing by the end of my term. We have so many things to accomplish and we are running out of time because APRIL IS COMING UP FAST. Make sure to get your 50 hours in and do more than that. This club is all about community service and leadership so that means that you should take initiative to do more than just the norm. Help others and make a difference throughout your community. What have I done throughout my term? I have had this question a lot actually, so I feel the necessity to elaborate my position. I am currently in charge of 15 schools and I am currently chartering schools (Starting Key Clubs at schools). I also visit each of my schools, train officers, turn in reports on each of the schools, turn in 400 word articles, formulate effective newsletters, attend district board meetings, present forums at district convention, sell advertisements to fund district convention, act as a bridge between the District of Texas Oklahoma Key Clubs, revise amendments, etc. I hope this gives you a broad idea of what I do for my position, but if you have any further questions for me feel free to contact me at LTG2C@Tokeyclub.com. What have I accomplished throughout my term. I have a large percentage of my club turn in dues, I've held two training conferences, I've gotten contact information for over 75% of my clubs, taken one club out of inactivity, held a luau, raised $50 for Children's Miracle Network, held a divisional project for suicide awareness. I have also been awarded Top Ten Lieutenant Governor in both of the quarters that have already passed. BUT
FROM THE LTG
THERE IS STILL SO MUCH TO DO AND I NEED YOUR HELP. The more activity you have with the division will not only help you create friendships throughout the division, but it will also help your club with reports. The more you interact with the division, they can be considered interclubs, or my divisional council meetings can also go on club reports which add up to the end of the year for clubs to win trophies for being in the top 25 clubs out of the about 300 clubs in the Texas Oklahoma District I have also already completed my hours as a member that way I can focus on providing you all with amazing events, visiting your clubs and helping your officers as much as possible to succeed in competitions at District Convention. I've created newsletter templates, event flyer templates, presidents presentations, agenda templates, and many more resources for future officers. I also hold an event committee run by committee chair Steve Nguyen from Garland High School. How big is Key Club? Key Club is the largest and oldest service organization, we are completely student led up to the international level. We provide many service opportunities, scholarship opportunities, and leadership opportunities. How International is Key Club? I believe we have over 30 Districts (Or mass areas such as Texas and Oklahoma) Key Club even branches out to Europe and China. If that gives you a good idea. Do I plan the events for your clubs? No I do not I plan events for all of the clubs in the area to participate not just specifically to your club. I do not do your hours either but I can give you hour opportunities and it'll pass through your club secretaries. I hope this information is informative to you all, if you need any help or have any questions whatsoever feel free to contact me. If you are interested in Key Club scholarship opportunities for this year or for Key Club leadership opportunities EVEN AT THE CLUB LEVEL, contact me and I can give you some insight or see if there are any opportunities available on the divisional level in the future or for your club level. Thank you (: Yours in Service,jhlkgjfhgklhkghjkhgghkklkhjghkkjghjkhjkgj North Garland High School Orchestra Presidentkhlkjkjljkllk T-O Key Club District 2C2S Lieutenant Governor
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PRESIDENT Hello everyone, I hope you all are enjoying your break but still keeping the spirit of service in your heart! We’ve had a great run this year and I’m really impressed with what we’ve been able to accomplish this year! Though the month of December was short, we were able to do many great things this month regardless! I particularly enjoyed Canstruction this year because we had a major improvement by collecting 840 cans! (F.Y.I. last year we collected 298 cans so that’s a major improvement!) I hope that we can continue to partake in service impactful service projects so we can keep touching the lives of many. There are some really important events coming in the next couple of months. For those of you interested in running for a board position on the club, divisional, district or international levels, it’s very im-
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tant that you make the decision now so you can prepare adequately. I really hope some of you take advantage of leadership opportunities not only so that you can grow as a person, but also because it’s really great to have bragging rights as well J. If you feel like this club has really impacted you, it’s really advantageous to give back by taking up a board position, that way you can take part in help to create great experiences for your members. Board positions on all levels are great, so don’t be shy and take this opportunity! Contact Tien or me if you would like any information! Pretty soon we’ll being making the down payment for DCON, so if you are interested please be prepared to make a down payment of around $40! DCON this year is April 9-12th at the amazing Sheraton hotel once again in Dallas! We’ll take the DART down there altogether afterschool and I assure you, it will be a blast! I’ve gone these past two years and I have more and more fun every year. The cost will most likely be around $120-140 and please do not let cost be an issue if you really want to go! For seniors especially, there is a scholarship that you can apply for and if you make the cut, you have the opportunity to interview at DCON for a scholarship of $500 or $1500. It’s a great opportunity so be sure to take advantage of that opportunity as well. Though we have had a long break, I hope you guys are even more prepared to make this a great year for Key Club! This year, we’ll be finishing up our district project, which is aiding Children’s Miracle Network’s Dallas Chapter. We’ll also finish completing raising money for the ELIMINATE Project and raising money during ELIMINATE Week once again! Our final major project is our divisional project, which is raising awareness for suicide prevention. If you haven any ideas for this project, please let me know because I would love to create a committee for it like we did last year. Lastly, please start to get more involved with your committee. I promise you won’t regret it! Committees are the perfect opportunity for you to apply your creative ideas and they are meant to be run by the members in your committee! We especially need help this year from the advertising and fundraising, as we begin to implement more fundraisers for DCON, service projects and the end of the year party. That’s all for now. Continue to work hard and I can’t wait to start another service-filled year with you all. Love you guys! Yours in service, - Theo
T’S CORNER Hello all! Another changing of the year. Another semester to work through. For me, though, it's the last. I think that the New Year's punch must have gotten to me. With a sudden wave of nostalgia I feel a rush of enthusiasm to make this year's Key Club the best yet. Not to worry, though, I have been trying my hardest. I'll just up the ante this coming year. As for resolutions, I intend to help Lexie create more service projects. This past year has been filled with more service projects than I ever remember Key Club doing. I will help to keep up that momentum. Get to know more of the club members! I want to get to know Key Club members by name and not just by face, especially in lower grades. Volunteer more this year than I ever have. In the midst of school work and IB exams, volunteering often gets pushed to the back of the mind. I will definitely keep volunteering this year. These are my new year resolutions in terms of Key Club. And lots of people say that they wouldn't change themselves just because of one day. Or because we flipped another page in our calendar, but honestly, I've always thought New Year's Resolutions acted as an encouragement for our actions for this coming year. Thank you to all of the club members for being a part of Key Club this year! I greatly appreciate all of the members, our other officers, and all of our sponsors. Thank you thank you thank you! Signing off, Ashley Tsao
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Welcoming the New Ye GOODBYE 2014, HELLO 2015!
New Year, New Opportunities For me, this past year has been really amazing. I am very proud and excited of my own achievements and also my fellow Key Clubbers. Please remember that helping out the community, not only benefits the community but you as well. This is the number one rule that everyone should follow. As a volunteer you assist in uniting people from diverse backgrounds to work toward a common goal. These goals cannot be met unless a group works together. Learning how to work as a team and cooperating is key for these goals to be accomplished with swiftness and effectiveness. This is a brand new year in which we all can set our minds together to be a better person in helping our community and doing more than what is expected. Our generation need strong and well equipped leaders to lead us into what tomorrow brings. We as key clubbers are encouraged to strongly lead our communities and become once future leaders and backbone of our generations. In fact, when we help out the community we become a better someone in life and see that we impact the world in so many different and amazing ways. So this new year let's make a difference and help out the community, and be more involved. Because that’s what key club teaches us, that helping others and the community is a huge lasting impact on the community. Lastly, volunteering is one of the best ways we know of to make a difference in your community. Whatever passions or goals however you get involved volunteering offers a way to have a real and lasting impact of the world. So Happy New Year Key Clubbers and lets make this year even better by helping out in any way we can. Together we can triumph through thick and thin, big or small, and our bond will lead us to brighter days. Today may not be the best, but there is still room to grow. Tomorrow brings greater challenges, and surprises that may catch us off guard. Everyone struggles through these tough times, but we can do something about it. 2015 is a brand new year to shine and shimmer through the days of the past. 2015 is the year that key club will become the greatest that it has ever been. 2015 may be the last year that some of us may still be in this organization, but this year will go out with a bang. -Jackie Sandoval
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ear My New Year’s Resolutions As president of this club, I really love being apart of implementing all of the wonderful projects we’ve planned, but I also feel personally responsible when I feel like we as a club aren’t doing enough. This past break, I’ve been able to reflect on what I think we did well this year as a club and what we could improve upon. 1.
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More awareness campaigns: I’ve always thought getting the whole school to rally behind something would be really cool, and Key Club is the perfect club to make that happen. In the past, we used to make March of Dimes a really publicized charity and we’ve retracted from that in the past couple of years. Having over 100 members, I think that we can help to spread awareness of premature babies and a wonderful cause. I also want to expand what we did last year for the Trevor Project by doing more to spread awareness. Though I haven’t personally witnessed lots of bullying in our school, I’m certain it still occurs and it would be very advantageous for us to partner with L.I.G.H.T Brigade to help us “Be a key Component and Stop Bullying. Socials: I’ve wanted a social for the longest time! We currently have money in our budget to do so, and I don’t want to spend that money on just DCON because only a select number of people attend DCON. I’ve looked into what other clubs have done for socials and I think having one inside the gym on a Friday afterschool would be a lot of fun. We can have a mini DCON doing quiz bowl and maybe a talent show. From what I’ve seen, socials can be as great as people want them to be, so my goal is not necessarily to spend the most amount of money, but have the most fun. Impact our community more: Did you know that we have other K families in the Garland District outside of The Kiwanis Club of Garland??? We have Builder’s Club and a K-kids club that we could do so much more with! There’s even a Circle K at UTD only 20 minutes away from us. I would love to get more involved with the other Kiwanis Clubs this year by doing something special for Kiwanis One Day. By improving K family relations, I think we can reach many more people specifically in our community more. We also have yet to go to the North Texas Food Bank, so I will try harder to make sure we can do that this year! Fundraisers: I would love for us to have funds for DCON subsidized, raise money for a social and for an end of the year banquet as well. In order to do that, we have to think of creative fundraisers. I have some in mind, but I would love for some help from our fundraising committee Gryffindor. I think if we really buckle done this year, we can achieve all of this, but it’s not without the help of you all as well. Please hold me accountable for all of the things I’ve discussed, and we’ll see how much progress we’ve made a couple of months from now. I can’t wait! -Theodora Winter
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Santa’s Key Helpers HO HO HO! I hope you have had a very Merry Christmas, Key Clubbers. To celebrate the Christmas spirit, our club had a hopefully annual Secret Santa. It was very fun to unwrap the gift that we received, not knowing what our Secret Santa could have gotten us. However, the spirit of Christmas isn’t just to receive gifts, it is about giving; being little Santas to everyone that we love and cherish throughout the year. Christmas, again, is a time of giving and joy, and that is what the spirit of key club is all about. The very nature of Christmas is reflected upon the values of key club. Christmas occurs only once a year, but to a key clubber the spirit of Christmas can occur everyday. To the average person, this may come across as very mundane. Who wants to give out gifts everyday and not receive any? Well that is where the average person is wrong. Very wrong. In fact, the act of giving to others is very joyous indeed. It gives us a sense of worth and pride. We are able to see smiles from everyone that we have reached out to touch. In a way, we as a community are more effective than Santa, who is only able to hand out gifts once a day, while we have the potential to hand out gifts everyday. Think about it. In a local club, there are dozens of students who are willing to commit their time and effort to help others.
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In a district, hundreds come together and participate. Key Club is international! Thousands of students just like you and me are essentially role playing as Santa to help improve the quality of another person’s life. Think of the things that we have accomplished together throughout this year. From having thousands of dollars donated to the ELIMINATE project to volunteering at nursing homes, this organization cares so much about the livelihood and well beings of others. I have seen amazing acts of commitment and caring throughout the time that I have spent as Key Club. Christmas is no exception either. Although Santa works only one day, we all can pitch in together and help him out to the point that he can retire. I am only joking, but there are thousands of us. Each day, more progress can be made as we can exponentially grow and mature into giant Santas. -Hogan Nguyen
Do you want to BUILD a Snowman? WAIT WHAT, SNOW IN THE SOUTH? Sadly, it wasn't real snow, but if you went to Christmas on the Square, then you could have played in some fake snow. The station was called “Do You Want To Build A Snowman?” and that may sound familiar to you. Frozen! I thought it was a really cute idea, and plus most of the kids enjoyed the station a lot. I was actually really tempted to play in it myself, but I had to focus on the job at hand. There were so many things to do at Christmas on the Square. At the beginning there was nothing to do because we were working the door for the station and we couldn’t really let anyone in until they told us to. Once the first round had built their snowmen, I got to see the many different snowman built from different people. There was this one that was really nicely built and it had a little beret which I thought was so cute. After I was done volunteering at the station, I got to walk around the square and they handed out light up bracelets where they would synchronize to the Christmas tree.
Oh, I forgot to tell you about the Christmas tree. Oh, my goodness, it was so beautiful and huge! They also had different bands and choir groups performing at the square, where the center of the celebration was. There was also a group of little kids singing and they were so adorable to watch and listen to. Also, sculptors were hired by the coordinators to make a sculpture out of ice in front of everyone at Christmas on the Square. There was also this awesome slide that was completely covered in snow and you used a sled to ride down it. I really wanted to ride it myself, but there was such a huge line and I had to go home pretty soon after I was done volunteering. Christmas on the square just had so many fun things you could have done. It was a really fun night, working at the station “Do You Want To Build A Snowman?” and seeing all the Christmas lights, and when they lit up the Christmas tree it made the whole night ten times better! If I could, I would do it all again, because volunteering that night was such a great choice and experience. -Shamira Kabir
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MRS. HANNIGAN
ZIP
One flowering Florida morning, Mrs. Hanningan woke up. She slowly sat up from her creaky bed, but something was different. She didn’t hear that annoying monitor anymore tell her that her rusty heart is still working even after Zack died those many years ago. Strangely she also didn’t see that nurse with that fake smile plastered on her face, nor did she see…anyone at all. “Oh well.” Mrs. Hanningan thought, she didn’t let it bother her, like how she learned not to make many things bother her anymore, and just walked through that thick wooden door. Through that long fluorescent hall that just smelled like disinfectant spray, and to that one elevator. She pressed the G button with those fragile long fingers and out the door to the real world. Like usual, Mrs. Hannigan ignored all surroundings so she didn’t see how that bright sun showed the glistening blood all over the entrance room, or how the receptionist wasn’t there. No, for all Mrs. Hannigan does see is what she is aiming herself to do. All she wants is to finish her errands she promised Zack to do that bright morning. She said she’ll just go to the market and buy groceries then come straight back. He said he’ll drive her, but she insisted…Mrs.Hannigan shouldn’t have insisted that time. But, that thought was shoved deep where no monitor or machine could make her dig it back out into her current mind. She just knew she had to go to the market, so to the market she went. She crossed the Second Street and knew she had to pass through that small neighborhood to get to the market. With her mind set on the groceries, Mrs. Hannigan never realized how all the cars on Second Street were empty and abandoned. This lady who lost to time didn’t see how the blue sky and green grass emphasized the bodies that littered the roads with blood. No, she just kept marching on to accomplish that promise she made with Mr. Hannigan. After almost a mile of walking through that small neighborhood, Mrs. Hannigan reached the market. She reached down in that sewed on pocket Zack made her add and felt the thin paper. Taking it out, she open the paper as pale as her skin and read aloud what it said. “Milk, 4 oranges, daisies, bread, and peas.” What she didn’t notice was the note on the bottom that read “Dear beloved, I know you won’t notice this, but we don’t have much time left together here and no matter how much you try…I can tell you’re also lost. I love you and can’t wait to be with you after this life. Love, Mr. Hannigan”. Mrs. Hannigan then grabbed everything on the list and went back towards her home, never realizing she dropped the money onto stands that had no more vendors. With a smile and ease she skipped like a little girl to a yellow house on the top of a small hill with grass as green as tomorrow. She opened that white painted door to drop the groceries on the table like usual. Then she went to her bed and whispered “I’m finally home Zack.”, but she never did she know that there were other several groceries of milk, four oranges, daises, bread, and peas. Nor, did she realize that on the porch was her beloved sitting there…with nothing but his body left there…smiling like always waiting for hid dearly beloved. As the wind blew the grass as green as tomorrow, the bright blue sky held the bright yellow sun that showed the truth. But, Mrs. Hannigan never did see the truth, for she was too occupied with her errands and her slumber. Mrs. Hannigan’s determination and accomplishing her goals is similar to how a Key Club member learns how to become determined to help people around them and volunteer in their community. Key Club members learn to love everything about seeing that smile that are given to them when the help the community and use that generosity they learned from all those Key Club events. This becomes as much love as Mrs. Hannigan’s love for her beloved. Key Club might seem nothing more than a club to a stranger, but to a Key Clubber…it’s their Mr. Hannigan to Mrs. Hannigan. -Sabrina Palma
I remember the night I laid eyes upon him; my mom brought him home from work. He was the kind of fellow one could easily assume would shamelessly stuff himself with as much food as he could, but how the kitchen lights made him shine I could only admire him for it. Besides, it gave me more to hold on to at night. On the breast pocket of his slightly stretched clothing was a nametag that read, “Zip”. I assumed it was his nickname, but oh, he was still beautiful. After that night, it was obvious I was absolutely smitten about him, and I made him my boyfriend. My attraction slowly transformed into absolute love for him after just a few weeks. Unfortunately, it did not seem to be mutual with him. I noticed it pretty quickly, but dismissed the thought the moment it would cross my mind because how could a boyfriend not feel even a small mutual stirring in his heart from all the love his girlfriend is offering him. However, as the weeks drew on, Zip’s every action just proved that my love was not enough and it would never be enough. He seemed so mysterious – rarely any noise ever came out of him. I figured Zip never opened up because it would get terribly complicated and messy, so I would never pry because I respected him. This led to constant silence. He never looked at me like I looked at him. I cannot even remember him ever looking me in the eye. And when I hugged him, oh when I even tried to manifest my love for him with affection, he would just be… there. It was like trying to be intimate with a bag of air. No expected response, but only hope. He neglected me throughout the relationship, but I just could not bring myself to let him go. My whole world began the moment I met him. At least that is how it was until I met a girl in a blue shirt. A girl saw me crying in between the school vending machines after another episode of the cold shoulder from Zip. I tried to hug him and he rejected me; basically slipping himself out of my embrace to get away from me. The girl was wearing a blue shirt with a big K and a golden key. She smiled a comforting smile and sat beside me. Her face only showed sympathy for me, the hidden crying girl. She was the first person to ever comfort me since I started dating Zip. I leaned into her shoulder and just cried. She sat there with me and let me cry, telling me words of reassurance. After some time, I began to blubber; I tried to explain my situation. She did not judge me at all, just listened and she hugged me. It was all I needed. I thought about it the next day and realized that there is more to life than Zip, more to life than myself. A stranger is willing to pause his or her own life to help another stranger; that is beautiful. I later found out that she was the president of the school’s Key Club. A whole revelation dawned upon me and I only wanted to return this random act of kindness in as many ways as possible. In the end, after joining the Key Club and realizing I deserve better, I broke up with Zip. Of course, his face was entirely blank when I did it. Then I gave him one last hug, but it must have really made him pop because something amazing happened; he opened up. The spaghetti contents inside of the Ziploc bag spilled all over the floor. -Raquel Palma
Key Club in Holiday Movies The holiday season is here, time for shopping, hanging out with friends, and just resting. With the winter break, a popular and common activity is watching movies, especially Holiday-themed movies. All of these films teach significant lessons that are further exemplified through Key Club. Polar Express: The movie signifies the importance of believing; moreover, to cherish the childhood memories. Also, exhibiting youthful behavior regardless of age holds great value. Frozen: Let it go, literally. It centers on the message of displaying your fullest potential without any restraints and cherishing the relationship with your family and friendship…with a snowman. Elf: Being abnormal is fine, as long as you find a way to fit in. And every one should have the holiday spirit, regardless of age, gender, occupations, etc. Home Alone: In sticky situations, do your best to think in a clever, yet safe manner. In the end, value your family, especially during the holiday season. December is filled with many fun activities. But most importantly, it centers on doing good deeds in this time of giving. Key Club focuses on developing student leadership and personal skills that will be useful in one's career and future. In regards to the mentioned movies, if Olaf had been in Key Club and was exposed to the different weather,
he would have known about the struggles of volunteering in these different temperatures. Olaf would have realized that he needed to stray from the warmth and expose himself to the cold for his survival. If Kevin was a Key Clubber, he would have been able to further improve his communication skills that would have a crucial role in the relationship with his family, so the whole 'Home Alone' thing would not even have happened in the first place. The characters within the Polar Express all exhibit qualities that Key Club strives to develop within the members: leadership, learning, friendship, and to believe. Whereas in Elf, Buddy would have known to organize things better, especially, in his case, the unexpected meetings with his CEO father. This would be disastrous if it occurred during our Key club volunteer events. Even on break, away from school and all school-related activities, one can find ways to relate things back to Key Club whether it be sleeping, hanging out with friends, and in this case, watching movies. With December coming to an end and 2015 approaching, we realize that Key Club is inevitable, Key Club is omnipresent, Key Club is literally everything. -Shirley Banh
Tyler
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Tyler had a particularly rough childhood in the streets of Chicago. Unfortunately, Tyler’s father didn’t care about his family and walked out during his childhood. He lived with his mother and older brother. His mother cared about him greatly, however his brother was far from the perfect role model, having been in trouble frequently by the law. Taking after his brother, Tyler would often get into trouble at his high school. Tyler saw no point in school, he didn’t want to be anything when he grew up and had no goals. He was only there because he had to be. His lack of guidance in life led to trouble; he would never do what was asked, constantly talked back to his teachers, and would always be creating chaos. Teachers would often call home complaining about his inattention and unruliness. One day, Tyler’s mother received a call from the school informing her that Tyler had gotten into a fight with one of his classmates. Absolutely furious, Tyler’s mother forced him to transfer schools. She did not want him ending up like his brother. Tyler wanted nothing to do with the idea, he hated it in fact. He didn’t want to lose his homies back at school, but his mother didn’t care. She claimed that his current lifestyle was no good and would definitely not end well. Tyler had no chance arguing back with his mother, so off he went to his new school. The first day of school, Tyler immediately wanted out. Thoughts of resentment filled his head as he sat and waited for the bell to finally leave. How could his mother do this to him? He didn’t know anyone there and had no way to make friends. He couldn’t wait to graduate in a few months. Suddenly, the announcements came on over the speakers before the bell rang. “Attention all students! There will be a Key Club meeting today after school!” Tyler didn’t want to go home, so he decided to stick around and attend this meeting. He heard of a volunteering opportunity tutoring elementary students. Since he had so much free time, Tyler decided maybe he should try it. And so he did. He couldn’t have been happier. He discovered his passion for helping others and specifically teaching. Every day after school, he would travel to an elementary school and help the kids. Since he discovered his passion, Tyler set goals for himself to go to college to become an elementary school teacher. Thanks to Key Club and his mother, Tyler finally turned his life around and turned it into something amazing. -Tam Nguyen
A Winter of Service Hello once again my fellow Key Clubbers! Reflecting over December, I feel so grateful for everything. To me it truly is the most wonderful time of the year. It was a great month filled with the warm holiday spirit in cold weather. During that time of year I always feel like it is the most important time to give back because we receive so much. Through volunteering and community service, we can give back to our local community for the holidays. One way Garland High School and the Key Club chapter did so was through the school’s annual “Canstruction.” It is an event in which members of all the clubs and organizations at Garland High bring cans of non perishable food to donate. Student Council hosts the event and each year and they donate all the cans to the North Texas Food Bank where it will be given to people in need and are hungry. This year, Key Club was able to collect upwards of eight hundred cans from members. They were able to donate six cans for one volunteer hour. In addition, students had the opportunity to come to school on a Fri day for a lock-in styled can construction event. At “Canstruction,” students assisted their club or organization build something out of their donated cans. These models made of cans will be displayed through out the school week for the student body to view. This year, Garland High’s Key Club chapter’s theme was Harry Potter. It only made sense that the members would construct a some type of Harry Potter-related building. They created a sniper, broom, and Key Club logo with the eight hundred cans. Over the winter break a friend asked me to volunteer at a local shelter with her. Because it was the holiday season, I agreed and it was one of the most heart-felt experienced I had in the 2014 year. I attended the Operation Care in Dallas, which is basically one large Christmas party for homeless men women and children. There was free food, jackets, shoes, Christmas toys, and live entertainment to name a few. I volunteered to wash the homeless people’s feet. It was something I have never seen or done before, so I didn’t know what to expect at all. As I was washing the homeless people’s feet, they were telling me about their experiences living under bridges and struggling to eat every single day. In contrary to popular belief, they were not all drug addicts or lazy. They were just like everyone else, but unfortunately are in a bad predicament in this point of their lives (laid off, evicted, medical bills etc.). Overall, it was a very emotional experience and the highlight of my winter break. -Jessie Doan
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Leadership through Service As a club about both leadership and service, the fundamental ideals of Key Club alone should be a reason for the increase in volunteering from everyone in this club as well as a greater amount. Max Depree’s idea of a leader as a servant can define what we, as future leaders, should do throughout our time in Key Club and throughout our entire lives. At the end of the day, what matters more than the fact that we helped our community is that because we are leaders, others will follow our example. The perfect example of this would be at one of the previous events that we attended as a club. At this specific event, Key Clubbers from various schools were providing service by cleaning up all the garbage that was around the area before they left. This was a perfect demonstration of leadership as little children from around joined the volunteers in cleaning because it looked fun. Now while it does not seem that there was any display of leadership here directly, the fact that Key Clubbers were being servants led to more people wanting to be servants. All it took was the start of one cleanup to inspire younger kids to become servants as well.
This goes even further in promoting the ideas of Key Club because as these young children start to become leaders in their community, more of the youth will be influenced by them and it will keep expanding into a large group of service leaders. At the Autumn Festival a while back, another display of leadership similar to this one was shown. While I was loading a truck with pumpkins along with two of my friends, a large man came to help us. Along with him was his son. As the son, a little boy who was about 4, saw his dad and the other volunteers loading the truck, he was inspired to help. The boy picked up all the pumpkins he could, which allowed the pumpkin garden to be cleaned up even faster. In this scenario, the leaders (his dad as well as the other volunteers) had inspired the young boy to serve his community through something as small as loading a 2 pound pumpkin into a large truck. This should inspire us to attend more events and help out more because we are influencing the people around us and doing our job as leaders. By continuing this we will make an impact in the community by further inspiring service. -Josh Mathew
plug into your committees One of my favorite things about Key Club is how inclusive it is. There aren't requirements to become a member other than a desire to serve your community, so we have a variety of different types of students united in one club. It's not an academic honor society, so anyone with a passion for service can lend a helping hand without worrying about maintaining grades or fitting in with a certain group of students. Because of this, Key Club can be very large. On one hand, this is a huge asset, literally. With more members, we have more hands to help at volunteer events. With more members, we have more funds to buy supplies and provide scholarships. With more members, we can collect more donations. With more members, we can raise more money for the Eliminate Project, to eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus. With more members, we can impact more lives. However, with more members, it becomes more difficult for each individual member to be deeply involved with Key Club. This is why committees are so important. They give individual general members a voice without having to have a position on the board. Committees are a great idea for further developing the many aspects of Key Club. No matter which one you belong to, you can use it as an opportunity to enrich your experience with Key Club, make friends who share your interests, and help our club serve even more people. For example, if there were a Service Projects committee in your club, members should take this opportunity to become leaders by envisioning a project that they’re passionate about, proposing the idea, forming a plan, and eventually experiencing the satisfaction that comes from knowing that your specific ideas and actions made a difference in people’s lives. That being said, being involved in your committee does not have to be a huge undertaking that adds undue stress to your already hectic life. If you do chose to lead a project/ campaign (fundraiser, advertising, etc.), the rest of your committee and the board will be there to support you every step of the way. Less ambitious members are just as vital because every small contribution allows the club to function better as a whole. So rather than just floating along, getting your required hours without investing yourself, buy into Key Club and get the most out of your committees. Your participation is key! -Lexie Ford
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A SEMESTER OF SERVICE Hey guys we did it! We finished a semester of service and now a new one and a new year have officially started. There’s still so much to look forward to in this new year however I want to take a moment and reflect over all that’s happened this past semester. Back in August we had our Labor Day pancake breakfast with Kiwanis and in September there was the Color Up 5K as well as Owl Conference and the Region 8 Picnic. September was also the month when we had our first Key Club meeting and were introduced to our wonderful committee heads. And there was so much happening in October and November I couldn't even keep track of what was happening. We had the Susan G. Komen Race which was the first event I attended as your historian and learned a very valuable lesson from. And on that very same day was Autumn Fest where I had so much fun playing games and watching the children there has so much fun. We also can’t forget the fundraising everyone did for the ELIMINATE project and even during Halloween for Trick-or-Treat for Unicef. There was also decorating for our Halloween photo booth fundraiser and for Homecoming as well. Let us not forget that cold, windy day when we went out picking up trash in Garland for Trash Bash or that other time we bared through the cold for Homeless for a Night and learned how lucky we are to have a home. There was also Key Club Week where I really enjoyed seeing everyone participate and compete against each other. And we can’t forget Turkey Trot where we also were freezing but we did our jobs and helped and even ended up on their website. There wasn't a lot for December but we had such great turn out for Canstruction and collected so many cans in end when we didn't have that many to begin with. And we were able to make such an amazing display. There was also Christmas in the Square and so many fundraising events. We did a Winter Wonderland photo booth and sold hot chocolate and candy canes to our fellow students and with everyone’s cooperation we were able to raise a lot of money. However these were not the only events this semester. There were also a lot of service projects, advertising, and scrapbook meetings. As historian I've really appreciated everything that everyone in my committee has done however participation in the in my committee and other committees has been low. In order for each committee to fulfill their purpose everyone needs to participate. You do not only help the community, you the help the club and being in a committee allows you to help and gives you an opportunity to voice out any suggestions or ideas that you to improve the club as well. But this only works if you participate and work. I hope to see more people helping out their committee heads in future. Thank you everyone for any amazing semester and I look forward to what’s to come the future. -Iris Wong
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AULD LANG Should old acquaintances be forgot, and never brought to mind? For days of long ago, my dear, for days of long ago, we'll take a cup of kindness yet, for days of long ago. And surely you’ll buy your pint cup! and surely I’ll buy mine! And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet, for days of long ago. This song has more often than not brought about an intense wave of nostalgia for the year that has just barely slipped by. A flurry of kissing, confetti everywhere, and the pop of a champagne bottle. All American traditions. All grossly cheesy ones yet upheld year to year: my definition of a tradition. However, as with many American traditi ons, thi s song
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was adopted from another country: Scotland to be exact. It is used to celebrate ends and new beginnings. How appropriate. There is something dreadfully interesting about a tune that has been carried down from the 1800's. It is cherished for both its melody and its lyrics. It has been passed down through generations and adopted by people all around the world. Translated from language to language, "For auld lang syne" means "for old time's sake" in English. It's magical, in a way, and completely and utterly made up by human beings. Magical realism if you please. In all actuality, I would imagine that Key Club is somewhat like this song, a tradition of some sort. I can't possibly remember a single year in my high school life that I didn't see navy blue on the backs of students and hear about Turkey Trot or the Eliminate Project. It's be-
come a tra
The same been spok by thousa working to mon goal.
So cheers year, cele but don't f tion of help
And celeb Lang Syne
G SYNE
adition.
e Key Club pledge has ken in numerous tongues ands of different people owards the same com.
s! Welcome in the new ebrate, smile, give kisses, forget the Key Club tradiping people.
brate Key Club, for Auld e. -Ashley Tsao
CANSTRUCTION The atmosphere filled with loud laughter and stern voices as students rapidly strategize their canned food structures. Together, our Key Club members persistently tackled the task at hand: building monuments from approximately 1000 cans in under 3 hours. Right when the time begins, we were already planning. To promote spirit within our school, we decided to incorporate our theme of Harry Potter into the Canstruction. With that being said, we decided to make key icons that represents the face of Harry Potter. Dishing out symbols such as the sorting hat, a golden snitch, the glasses, the scar, and the broom, we meticulously stacked and organized the cans into perfect shapes. Each member offered a helping hand whether it was distributing the cans, passing them to be stack, or taking pictures. As members, we had our own individual assignment but as a unit, we collaborated for the benefit of Key Club. Although the masterpiece was time-consuming and stressful, we created beautiful memories with each other through the common entity of service. Along with setting the cans, we also cut butcher paper for the aesthetics of the work of art. We outlined and carefully placed them on top of the cans, signifying the reality of the piece. Beads of sweat and furrowed
faces display the concentration of arranging this vast amount of cans. Parts became unstable and we had to quickly act to prevent further damages on the sculpture. Racing fervently back and forth to obtain more necessary materials to complete our project, we rushed as the clock ticked. Throughout the entire event, we accomplished all the requirements with our cans. Even before the event, cooperation between members to donate 1000 cans must be recognized. Member participation is key to a healthy organization and with Key Club, we are grateful to have such an immense group of members. Afterwards, our Key Club members enjoyed a well deserved break as we bond over snacks and drinks. Taking a step back to look at the grand piece we crafted, a sense of relieve and success overwhelmed us. Working hard makes the outcome that much more rewarding. The beauty of service is at work in the very heart of our organization as we share memories of our experiences in Canstruction. By the end of the night, Garland High School Key Club have once again completed a successful and invigorating event with the help of all our members working together. -Shanon Quach
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GET READY FOR A
T-O DCON THE SHERATON IN DALLAS, TX. APRIL 9-12, 2015 REGISTER TODAY!
anOTHer Year, anOTHer DcOn! As the year is coming to an end, another one is beginning, which also indicates that when April comes around, the next DCON will be just around the corner! For those who don’t already know, DCON is pretty awesome. As Mr. Stolar, our previous sponsor, has said multiple times, “A Key Clubber once said that she will cry more at her last year at DCON than she will at her high school graduation.” I know that a lot of you guys haven’t been to DCON, but don’t let that sway any of you from going to DCON. DCON is a super fun opportunity to learn more about Key Club, meet new and passionate Key Clubbers from other areas of Texas and Oklahoma, and find out what reasons are behind some people’s love for Key Club. I’ve only been to DCON once (as a sophomore) and I deeply regret not attending freshman year. This year, I’m going for sure because I know that DCON provides me with the ability to learn more about potential officer positions and a really neat chance to do more fun things; last year, there were things such as: Quiz Bowl and a Mario Kart playoff (I didn’t play myself but it was sooo hilarious watching all of my other peers brawl each other in an
attempt to win 1st place), and even a cool talent show! However, to make all of these DCON dreams come true, funds are a very important factor. Although I'm sure many Key Clubbers love DCON enough to pay the full price for it, every club in the Texas-Oklahoma area has to be aware that not every Key Clubber is in the financial situation to be able to afford DCON, and that's such a shame, because no one should miss out on such a fun and awesome experience! Therefore, it is the club board's obligation to help each member to collect their funds to go to DCON if they truly want to attend to learn more about the importance of service and Key Club. Nonetheless, it shouldn’t be forgotten that every fundraising event we have isn’t just to raise money—the real objective is to strengthen the bonds within our club and to have fun. Never forget how important relationships are in developing a great club and making sure that everyone can enjoy themselves while being an integral part in the community! -Tiffany Yang
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2014
RAQUEL PALMA TREASURER raquelpalma2015@gmail.com
ASHLEY TSAO VICE-PRESIDENT ash.tsao@gmail.com
THEO PRES theodorawin
IRIS WONG HISTORIAN
HOGAN NGUYEN HISTORIAN
risxwong@hotmail.com
hoganth1@yahoo.com
JACKIE S WEBM strawberry47
SHAMIRA KABIR FRESHMAN REP shamirakabir@gmail.com
SHIRLEY BANH FUNDRAISING CHAIR shirley.banh@yahoo.com
LEXIE FORD SERVICE PROJ. CHAIR lexie.ford.5010@gmail.com
2015
WINTER SIDENT nter@gmail.com
SANDOVAL MASTER 772@gmail.com
TIFFANY YANG SECRETARY OF MINUTES
JESSIE DOAN SECRETARY OF HOURS
tiffany.r.yang@gmail.com
jtdoan100@yahoo.com
JOSH MATHEW SERGEANT-AT-ARMS
LINH NGUYEN BULLETIN EDITOR
mrjoshmathew@gmail.com
linhnguyen3412@gmail.com
TAM NGUYEN TRANSPORT. CHAIR tam.nguyen676@gmail.com
SHANON QUACH ADVERTISING CHAIR shanon.quach21@gmail.com
SABRINA PALMA FRESHMAN REP palma.sabrina4@gmail.com
TEXAS-OKLAHOMA DISTRICT STAFF KAITLYN WILSON DISTRICT GOVERNOR GOVERNOR@TOKEYCLUB.COM
SAMUEL KINNIN DISTRICT SECRETARY SECRETARY@TOKEYCLUB.COM
COLIN GONZALES DISTRICT TREASURER TREASURER@TOKEYCLUB.COM
DENNIS HOGAN REGION 8 ADVISOR REGION8@TOKEYCLUB.COM
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ANDREW LOH CONVENTION LIAISON ANDREWLOH39S@GMAIL.COM
BOBBY THAKKAR TECH/VIDEO PRODUCER BOBBYTHAKKAR99@GMAIL.COM
EMILY ZHAO DISTRICT EDITOR EDITOR@TOKEYCLUB.COM
TIEN HUYNH DIVISION 2C/2N LTG TIENTHIHUYNH97@GMAIL.COM
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POTTER’S PAPERS edited by: Linh Nguyen photo credits: Jessie Doan, Hogan Nguyen, Iris Wong
VOLUME 1 // ISSUE 9