JULY 2014
POTTER’S PAPERS Garland High School Division 2C Key Club
Volume 1 Issue 4
Caring—Our Way of Life.. Leadership, Character Building,.. Caring, and Inclusiveness..
QUOTE OF THE MONTH “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” -Mahatma Gandhi
EDITOR’S NOTE Hey Key Clubbers! School is approaching very quickly, and although I’ve enjoyed my much-needed vacation, I’m excited to see what the next year has in store for us! I’m quite impressed by the drive that many people have for doing service, even though the lazy summer days consume us all in Netflix and the other random things we never had time for during the school year. Personally, I’m one of the laziest people in existence and I appreciate anyone’s attempts to be proactive during the laziest season of the year. I’m really excited to present this month’s newsletter, because, despite being named “Potter’s Papers” for three months, this is the first issue in which I’ve actually incorporated the Harry Potter theme (see pages 14 & 15). So yeah, check that out and let me know what you think! Other than that, I’m really happy with how this newsletter is going, and I’ll never be able to show the extent of my gratitude for your never-ending support and encouragement. Thank you once again to every officer that sent in an article to me this month; it helps a lot with getting more points for our club, and I enjoy reading each and every one of them (shoutout to Hogan for writing three of them what??!!? Don’t get mad). Have a wonderful rest of your summer vacation; see you in less than three weeks! Yours in service, Linh Nguyen
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CONTENTS President’s Corner
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Smash the Next Year
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Stories with Tiffany
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Summer Socials
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The Beauty of Service
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Upcoming Events
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Red Walls
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Winning the House Cup
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Update from Sec. of Hours 15 T-O District Staff
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GHS Key Club Board
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COVER PHOTO: Hogan Nguyen QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS?: Contact me by emailing linhnguyen3412@gmail.com or message me at https://www.facebook.com/ linh.nguyen.3241 for a more timely response.
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PRESIDENT Hey Key Clubbers! I hope you’re enjoying the last couple weeks of summer and preparing yourself for an exciting servicefilled school year! Between watching Kdramas and doing dreadful summer homework, I’ve been thinking a lot about this first semester for Key Club. Our first meeting will be September 10th in the cafeteria at 2:45! The theme this year will be Get Sirius about service, so keep in mind which house you want to get sorted in! You can also look forward to our new point system headed by our fellow VP Ms. Ashley Tsao! You will be recognized for any Key Club accomplishments this year through points so please looks forward to it. You also will be competing between houses as well to see who has the best performance overall so please look forward to that as well. The board has been hard at work with planning 1st semester activities to keep all of you busy with serving your home, school and community. Some events to look forward to this summer are a shoes drive for the undocumented children awaiting help, key club week, collecting money on Halloween for UNICEF, the infamous Turkey Trot, Canstruction and our highly anticipated 60th anniversary as a chartered Club September 20th! Please look forward to all of these activities and be sure to make yourself available so you don’t miss out on a chance to make great memories! We have a fundraiser coming up and we would really appreciate if you all could sign up for our Key Club Car Wash on August 8th. You can sign up from 11am-1pm,1pm-3pm or both if you really want to be involved. A portion of it will go to our club and another portion will go to a cause we are supporting! Thanks in advance to those who sign up! I cannot express in enough words how EXCITED I am for Key Club this year! It would mean the world to me if you all could prepare your mind, body and spirit to serve your home, school and community this year as well. The unique thing about service is that its very rewarding for the giver and the receiver as well, so keep an open mind about service this upcoming year and keeps some goals in mind. Key Club International considers and active member as one that completes 50 hours of service in one year. Is that you? Maybe you want to excel beyond the stated 50 hours? Just as KCI has set some goals for you, I suggest you set some goals for yourself this year as well! I look forward to seeing all of your well-rested and glowing faces on September 10th in the cafeteria! Love you guys! Key Club Fighting! Yours in service, -Theo
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T’S CORNER Hello all! As I was perusing the Key Club page on Wikipedia I noticed that quite a lot of famous people used to be in Key Club. Bill Clinton, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Elvis Presley. You know the like. And I guess the moral of the story that I'm trying to make here, is that the one commonality between all of these people are that they were in Key Club and later became famous. So, if you wanna be a star, stay in Key Club. No. I am kidding please do not take this seriously. Although, something does have to be said about admiring famous people (minus their impeachment/affairs/paparazzi pictures) and the actions that they take. That being said, half of what makes famous people super, super cool are the points of activism that they endorse or the nice things that they do. Because who doesn't like nice people. I think that this aspect of any sort of volunteer work makes it enjoyable and maybe even justifiable to others. Minus the excellent salary and custom made clothes, for a moment, when you volunteer you become celebrity-esque. Suddenly everyone is calling your name (for you to perform physical volunteer labor or probably because something is being done incorrectly). CAMERAS ARE FLASHING AHHH IT'S THE PAPARAZZI (oh, no wait, it's only the Key Club historians). But really, for a moment you are needed and even wanted because you are doing something good and helping someone else. Miraculously, volunteering is a much more easily accessible than say, an Oscar or a front page spread in Vogue magazine, so while Key Club may be a backup plan to expressing a variety of talents, it is most definitely worth it. And I understand that hour deadlines and officer's asking you to perform a variety of tasks can become mundane and frustrating, but surely vying for the award for being the "Best Member of Our Community" means something. SO. Goal for the upcoming year: become a celebrity of a different sort. One day, when one of you guys become famous (please do I would like to say that I knew a famous person), you can hype up Key Club. And even then, hopefully, you will be out and about giving back in your own way. Signing off, Ashley Tsao
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How to SMASH this Next School Year School is just around the corner and by this time, hopefully you have reflected on the highs and lows of this last school year. Hopefully there were more highs than lows, but we should always strive to make each school year better than the previous ones! Some things to keep in mind for maximizing the awesomeness that is inevitable in 2014-2015:
Mistakes could be small, like not going to Turkey Trot and regretting it (which you REALLY should could Turkey Trot is always the best). Your mistake could be something more serious like not working hard enough in Pre Cal. What matters is that you muster up the will power to not make the same mistake twice.
Keep an open mind. This is essential! Often times, we accidently shut some doors without realizing it because we make write something off before we’ve experienced something. That football game that you didn’t go to because you didn’t understand the rules of American football might actually be fun if you go (I can speak from experience). That pep rally might actually get you excited to go to your school. That UNICEF club might be really fulfilling, It’s always interesting to find something new to do. You may even discover something cool about yourself that you never new before or meet some new people that turn into long-term friendships.
Aim high! Whether you’re a freshman and just starting out or a senior and you’re almost there (WOO!) the important thing is to always aim high. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with overshooting when it comes to goals because you may impress yourself in the process when you accomplish so much in the end. I especially think as a serviceman/servicewoman, you should have a goal of how much you want to accomplish in Key Club. KCI has already set a goal for you – 50 hours. That could be your goal, or you can go even farther. I know all the officers for Garland have made a goal of at least 75 hours of service. Achieving 75 hours of service will be extremely rewarding!
Don’t make the same mistakes. There’s really no point in procrastinating on that Bio lab just like you did on that Anatomy lab last year, it only causes added stress. There’s really no point in making mistakes twice unless something really cool happens in the process. (No you will not meet Prince Charming by procrastinating on you Bio lab but good luck.)
My last piece of advice would be to take advantage of your surroundings! If there’s something you think your home/school is missing, take the initiative and make something happen. There are so many opportunities around you! With a little bit of hard work and organization, you can make this the best school year to date. Good luck! -Theodora Winter
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Stories with Tiffany Doubling up as your secretary of minutes and as your storyteller, Tiffany Yang, tuning in! As you know, this summer is slowly coming to an end; however, I still hope that everyone’s summer is going well and I also hope that you guys have been volunteering (cause we have had a couple events throughout the break that you guys could’ve volunteered for). Remember to keep up with Key Club because unlike school, and much like a family, Key Club sticks to you during the entire year, not just during the school year! J (Also read the newsletters cause y’all know that Linh and all the board members put our love into these babies.) For those of you actually read these articles, I bring more stories (yay). This one is the happy tale of a once grotesque lady. Once upon a time there was a mean old lady who had a big carrot shaped head. One day she decided to go to a car wash that was coincidentally held in the exact same location and the exact same time as our car wash that’s coming up on August 8th which everyone should volunteer for because I heard that like it’s going to be raining men or something (unless you’re a guy cause then it’s raining women). She received a FREE and wonderful and squeaky clean car wash from the hottest and nicest people in the entire world (who happened to be in the GHS
Key Club wow). She was so happy about the FREEEE car wash that she donated $1800 to the club. This ginormous amount of money went straight toward the ELIMINATE project and saved 1,000 lives. (These lives included mothers and babies who could’ve been harmed or died from neonatal and maternal tetanus!!!!!!) Her generous gesture was so awesome that she suddenly became really hot and then she got married and had a lot of kids who grew up and joined Key Club. In addition to that, her donation influenced even more people to get involved. The accrued amount of the money and the work helped to eradicate the disease and save millions and millions of more lives while shaping others. The once misshapen lady went and got involved and helped to further the ELIMINATE project. Now she’s a happy mommy who helps to influence, help, and love others. -Tiffany Yang
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THE KEY TO SUCCESSFUL SUMMER SOCIALS On July 25, Garland High School and North Garland High School congregated at the Hawaiian Falls in Garland to have our first interclub social of the year. As it was the first interclub social that I've been to, I wasn't sure what to expect: a large group of Key Clubbers shuffling around awkwardly, being forced to socialize with equally awkward Key Clubbers from other schools? A rowdy bunch of high schoolers surrounded by ice cream and loud music? In any case, it turns out that the social was merely a time for us to have fun while hanging out with some friends. Some things that I noticed about the social helped to make it fairly successful: 1. The social was at a water park. As a general rule, summer + Texas heat do not coexist peacefully. Even though the social was later in the evening, the sweltering heat of that day was enough to make anybody want to stay indoors within the protection of AC and the privacy to sweat without anyone else seeing you. However, the one perk to boiling hot summers is the excuse to spend every second in water, so Hawaiian Falls was the perfect place for a summer social. 2. Admittance into the social was at a low cost. For only $5, a fraction of the normal cost for entrance into Hawaiian Falls, you could spend two hours going on slides, floating down the lazy river, and being viciously forced against artificial currents in the wave pool. Granted, many Key Club events that I've been to have been for around the same price, but - come on. Getting into a water park for the same price as a frappe at Starbucks? The answer is always yes. 3. There was absolutely zero pressure to meet new people. Yeah, yeah, the point of having socials is to make new friends and let out your inner social butterfly. But to be honest, when awkward teens are confined in a space with other awkward teens, it doesn't form an automatic friendship. If anything, it makes everyone uncomfortable and the overall mood of the social plummets into the ground. By making this social a free-roam, casually bumping into new people was much easier to develop their acquaintances with rather than being forced into introductions. All in all, this social was very fun, but more importantly, it helped me to get a better understanding of what people like in events such as interclub socials. Hopefully with these thoughts in mind, any future socials will be even more successful in developing our club into more of a family. -Linh Nguyen
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THe BeauTy oF SerViCe Key club has helped me in so many ways. First of all, it has helped me to be more involved in activities and try new things. I’ve been more aware of what surrounds me and it has helped me discover the beauty of helping others without asking anything in return. Going and volunteering at places makes me feel great about myself, because I’m helping a community, in which I can doing something to make things great out if it. Whenever I go and volunteer, you get to meet new people and sometimes find some old friends. Everyone there looks so happy to go out and find people or communities that need a helping hand in order for their event or anything else to make it successful. No matter how big or how small the help, you feel great helping someone in need. You go out and discover what’s out there, get to know the community better. You learn about the people that surround you and in which you also interact with. It’s a beautiful feeling when you go out there voluntary, to just help someone in need and see a smile on their face. This has also helped me figure out my schedule in which I’m able to make time for anything. Everything for me has been more time manageable and has helped me make room for the things I love doing. Throughout key club, I have been able to participate more and contribute more. I see things differently and always puts me in a good mood. I like contributing to this club and helping to make it
has brought motivation and sense of achievement. You get to help on your own record and feel this motivation and achievement from the thought of helping someone. You get to see this as also experiencing new things and being more diverse about anything. Meeting people, from different ethnicities and collaborating with them. It also offers an incredible opportunity. It helps you develop lasting personal and professional relationships but it is also a great way to learn about people from all walks of life. Through helping others it also brings together a diverse range of people from all backgrounds and walks of life. Sometimes we do get locked into the “rat-race” of life and I have found that helping others through this club, can help one escape the everyday routine and create a balance in our lives. Finding new interests and hobbies through volunteering is fun, relaxing and energizing. This has lead me to experience something I never even thought about and has helped me discover a hobby or interest I was unaware of. It as well has strengthened my personal/professional mission and vision by exploring opportunities and expanding your horizons. I really enjoy being part of an amazing club, and will continue to be part of it. –Jackie Sandoval
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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CAR WASH @ SONIC FRIDAY8AUGUST
FISH CAMP MEETING MONDAY11AUGUST
FISH CAMP @ GHS WEDNESDAY13AUGUST
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL MONDAY25AUGUST
red walls Day eighty-two These red walls are all I ever knew. The furthest my eye could see are these red walls. Alone. Warm. Dark. Confined. And red. But from all my memories, this is what I see as home. This is my safe haven. However, I both fear and hope there’s something more. My every movement is accompanied with muffled, distant noise. I don’t know what it is. I don’t know from where it roots. But I beat and drum on these red walls for some kind of response; are you in my mind or do you reside beyond these red walls? Is everything you see red walls and darkness, too? Never do I get the answer I want, but at least at times I am not alone – even if my company means my loss of sanity.
Day two hundred seventy-something The days have started to blur together. All I know, for sure is that the red walls have gotten smaller. Closer. I feel as if I have grown too large for the quarters I currently reside. I squirm more. I need to be stronger. I need to be free. These red walls, all that I have always known, they cannot contain me for any longer. I will never allow submission. I will never allow failure. I will get out. I suddenly feel pressure squeeze all around me, as if an enormous embrace constricts me. I feel a rush stir in my belly. I begin to move around, hoping to somehow wriggle my way out of this confinement. I twist and turn with quick writhing movements, but the embrace only tightens. It is as if a band is wrapped around the crown of my head. Slowly, I move a little more and the band travels down. I feel a sense of coolness wrap around me. I think this is air. Bright light blinds my eyes. Is this freedom? Is this what it is like outside of the red walls? I release a boisterous roar to signal all of my victorious conquest. Day does it even matter? A black figure loomed over me. I felt something puncture my arm. I let out a loud cry, hoping someone would save me from this torturous endeavor. Sweet and gentle shushing comforts me while a soft rocking calms my panic. A few seconds pass and the complications dissipate. I am my own entity. I am myself. I am no longer on the path toward tetanus. I am officially ridden of any possibility that this disease could overrun my life. I look up to see a relieved smile from my mother. Day freedom In this hirsute, tight, yet amazing period of my life, enlightenment floods my being. I know who I am. I am a baby. And thanks to UNICEF, I may be more than just a newborn after today. -Raquel Palma, Madeleine Palma, and Austin Quach
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The Magic of Service
MORE ON THE HARRY POTTER THEME FOR 2014-2015
Winning the House Cup We would like to formally welcome all students back to key club. congratulations to those who have recently been sorted into their respective house. "Your triumphs will earn you house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. at the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor." Enlisted here are the actions with which to gain or lose points. These points will operate on a per-student basis. Attending a member meeting: 1 pt. Attending a board meeting: 1 pt. Attending a volunteer event: 5 pts. Attaining required number of hours: 5 pts. Advertising for an fundraiser/service project on Facebook/Social Media (notify Ashley): 2 pts. Recruiting a new member (notify Ashley): 5 pts. House has member of the month: 10 pts. Finding/suggesting a service project or volunteer event: 5 pts. Writing an article for the newsletter (notify Ashley): 10 pts. Not attaining required number of hours: -10 pts. Member is released from Key Club: -20 pts. Bad conduct during an event: -5 pts. Not showing up for an event you signed up for: -5 pts. *Point system subject to change based on the activity of the club throughout the year. Good luck in your endeavors to win the House Cup! -Ashley Tsao
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Update from the Secretary of Hours Hey there fellow key clubbers, your Secretary of Hours here! I cannot believe two months of summer already passed. It is crazy to think that in less than three weeks we will be sitting in the worn out classrooms of Garland High School. Homework, sleepless nights, and tests will be part of our daily routine again. However, I am also excited to start my first year as an upperclassman and volunteer with all of you as your secretary of hours. The GHS Key Club board recently had a board meeting this past week. We discussed many topics including growing our membership, doing interclub activities, our new point system, and how to encourage you all to help out the community. There will be many changes to our Key Club but we only decided on implementing things we know will improve our chapter. A few things to look forward to these upcoming weeks are: the GHS Key Club Summer Car Wash and Fish Camp. The car wash will be held on Friday, August 8th, 2014 from eleven in the morning ‘till three in the afternoon. We will be washing in the cars on the parking lot next to the Sonic on George Bush (5020 North Garland Avenue, Garland, TX 75040) All members are encouraged to either volunteer to earn hours for various organizations or bring theirs, a family member’s, or friend’s car to support Key Club fundraising. The Car Wash will be totally FREE. We only be accepting donations (tips). So grab a Route 66 slushie from Sonic on Friday and let us wash your car! On the following Wednesday is Garland High’s annual Fish Camp. I hope to see many your familiar faces there whether it is for Key Club, Share Team, Class Officers, Student Council, or if you are a partner. This is our time to show future owls the GHS spirit. This is also a great chance to purchase tshirts, planners, mighty owl band merchandises and pre-order yearbooks. A few other exciting things to look forward this fall regarding Key Club are socials, competitions, and running for a Committee Chair position. This school year, the theme for our Key Club is Harry Potter. Each committee will host a house from the famous series and we will hold competitions between the houses for the most points and hours collected. Winning houses will earn a social involving some type of food! -Jessie Doan
TEXAS-OKLAHOMA
COLIN GONZALES
KAITLYN
DISTRICT TREASURER
DISTRICT G
TREASURER@TOKEYCLUB.COM
GOVERNOR@TO
DENNIS HOGAN REGION 8 ADVISOR REGION8@TOKEYCLUB.COM
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ASHLYN SALVATO
EMILY
CONVENTION LIAISON
DISTRICT
ASHLYNOSALVATO@GMAIL.COM
EDITOR@TOKE
DISTRICT STAFF
N WILSON
GOVERNOR
OKEYCLUB.COM
SAMUEL KINNIN DISTRICT SECRETARY SECRETARY@TOKEYCLUB.COM
TIEN HUYNH DIVISION 2C/2N LTG TIENTHIHUYNH97@GMAIL.COM
ZHAO
BOBBY THAKKAR
T EDITOR
TECH/VIDEO PRODUCER
EYCLUB.COM
BOBBYTHAKKAR99@GMAIL.COM
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RAQUEL PALMA TREASURER raquelpalma2015@gmail.com
ASHLEY TSAO VICE-PRESIDENT ash.tsao@gmail.com
THEO W PRESID theoforawinter
ANGELIJA ECHIVERRI HISTORIAN ljyypt@gmail.com
HOGAN NGUYEN HISTORIAN hoganth1@yahoo.com
JACKIE SA WEBMA strawberry4772
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WINTER DENT r@gmail.com
TIFFANY YANG SECRETARY OF MINUTES tiffany.r.yang@gmail.com
JESSIE DOAN SECRETARY OF HOURS jtdoan100@yahoo.com
ANDOVAL ASTER 2@gmail.com
JOSH MATHEW SERGEANT-AT-ARMS mrjoshmathew@gmail.com
LINH NGUYEN BULLETIN EDITOR linhnguyen3412@gmail.com
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JULY 2014