I hope you all had a fun and safe winter break with your family and friends. I can’t believe we only have a few months left of the 2022-2023 term! I am so incredibly proud of our club’s progress in fundraising and service hours so let’s keep up the great work! With the couple of months we have left together, I encourage you all to get out of your comfort zone and make the most out of this term, whether it is your last or first Key Club term! There is still lots to look forward to in Key Club—Conclave, LQKC board applications, socials, and much more. Without further ado, I hope you all enjoy reading this newsletter that our wonderful Tech Editor Kimberly Nguyen made for you! Stay warm and happy reading, otters!!
- Teresa NguyenHAPPyNewYearsotters!
TOSTARTOFF2023,hereisanotherchristMaspresentforyouguys,theNEw decemberANDJANRUARYNEWSLETTER.Hopeeveryoneenjoyedtheirwinterbreak withgoodrestandpossiblywithsomeofourvolunteerevents,Wehavemany moretocomesopleasebeonthelookout.Enjoythismonth'snewsletterkey clubbers!
-KimberlyNguyen
The Beyond Blindness Gift Wrapping was an event I had attended with a few friends of mine. Although some of the gifts were more tedious and complex to wrap than others, it was really fun to see my peers try their best at wrapping with a lack of experience. This did not stop us from having fun with wrapping gifts however. My friends and I had a great time learning and improvising wrapping the gifts and I believe that they turned out well for the most part. The staff in the community also treated us kindly and even let us have a few snacks once we had finished wrapping all of our gifts. Knowing that the families who received this gifts will also share the same smiles I had was worth the time and effort I put into wrapping their gifts. I am grateful to have been apart of such a memorable event!
On Saturday, December 17th, I went ice skating for the first time at the December DCM located at KHS ice! When I first arrived, my friends and I waited to enter the event where we were able to get our ice skates and put them on. From then, my friends and I attended the actual DCM portion where we learned more about Division 4 North's achievements throughout the month of November leading into December. We were reminded of out valiant efforts at Fall Rally along with our achievement of being able to buy six district board members there as well! Afterwards, we were all able to start ice skating. Ice skating for the first time was definitely very difficult and involved a lot of slips and falls. However, despite many bruises, it was all so much fun being able to spend time with my friends, try something new, and also be in an environment completely different than what we are normally used to in OC with freezing cold temperatures! Overall, I think this will forever be a memorable experience for me and I can't wait to come back to an event like this next year as a junior!
-Katherine
Pham, Grade 10 - Zachary Huynh, Grade 10I found the Jingle Bell Run event really fun because of the festivities such as the snow area and face painting for children. There were various clubs there as well such as Kiwins and Red Cross. Due to the large numbers of volunteers, we were allowed to walk around and see what vendors were there. There were a lot of stands that offered free merchandise and food. My friends and I were also able to participate in activities for the children as well such as face painting. I enjoyed this event because we had the freedom to go out and see if any stands needed help or entertain ourselves. It was fun seeing all the runners deck out in costumes and pajamas that were eye catching. I liked how the venue was decorated with Christmas decor that made the atmosphere really inviting and festive. The staff were nice to work with and grateful for our help. I hope to volunteer again next year!
-Mindy Nguyen, Grade 11
On December 3rd, I attended the Monarch Butterfly Trail event. This was my third Monarch Butterfly Trail event that I’ve attended with Key Club and I had a pleasant time volunteering. Before we got started, the kind event coordinators split us into groups and gave us clear instructions on what to do. My group was assigned to shovel mulch around the various plants. During this process, I got to talk to different members which made the time go by a lot faster. Then, I was able to help the event coordinators refill empty watering cans and helped water the plants. Overall, I had a good time at this event because I got the opportunity to start my Saturday morning outside in nature and it felt good to know that my work will benefit the community and environment. Although the work can be quite dirty and labor intensive, I still recommend this event to members in the future because the work you put in is very rewarding afterwards!
-Teresa Nguyen, Grade 12
On Friday January 27th, I volunteered at Murdy Tet Festival to help out with the festival at its peak hours. Though my friends and I were lost when we first arrived, we soon managed to get settled in and organized carnival games for little kids. I personally felt really elated while volunteering at this festival due to the amazing Tet spirits, which were illuminated by colorful lanterns, vibrant ao-dais worn by kids, and the lively Lion Dance performance. After we finished working, every volunteer was rewarded with freshly made pandan waffles made by the wonderful Murdy PTA’s team—and they were delicious! In addition, this experience was really nostalgic for me since I hadn’t been back to my old elementary school in so long; plus, seeing my old teachers definitely made it ohso worth it! Overall, I’m glad that I did not miss out on such a fun and exciting event!
-TAMMY TRAN, GRADE 10
Last weekend, I went to the ice skating social and had so much fun! It was my first-time ice skating, so it was a memorable experience. I had a fun time interacting with members from the other clubs that were also there! One of the most memorable moments I had was my cousin tried to teach me how to ice skate. I was off to a rocky start, but things were looking up! Until they weren’t… Toward the end of the event, I kept falling and making a fool of myself in front of everyone. However, I had people encouraging me and saying I was doing a great job which lifted my spirits! I had a really good time at this social and I plan to go to the next ice skating social in hopes of getting better!
-NATALIE NGUYEN, GRADE 9
teresa nguyen president thekeyisteresa@gmail.com
caroline nguyen secretary thekeyiscaroline@gmail.com
tasha to project chair thekeyistasha@gmail.com
kimberly nguyen tech editor thekeyiskimberly@gmail.com
evalyn galeana historian thekeyisevalyn@gmail.com
mindy nguyen junior class representative thekeyismindy@gmail.com
my doan freshman class representative thekeyismy@gmail.com
mylie diep vice president
thekeyismylie@gmail.com
catherine cao treasurer thekeyiscatherinecao@gmail.com
amanda trinh project chair thekeyisamanda@gmail.com
grace tchen historian thekeyisgrace@gmail.com
julie tran senior class representative thekeyisjulietran@gmail.com
jefferson doan sophomore class representative thekeyisjefferson@gmail.com
Advisors: lalexander@ggusd.us ekawahara@ggusd.us
