THE JERSEY KEY The official publication of The New Jersey District of Key Club International
Volume 72
May 2018
Issue I
table of contents
THE JERSEY KEY Volume 72 | Issue 1 | May 2018
district 18-19 Service Year Calendar 3 A Note from your District Editor 3 A Note from your District Governor 4 A Note from your District Adminstrator 4 DCON Host Club: Brick Memorial 5
Solve the mystery at Fall Rally! 9 So you want tofundraise 9 District Project 18-19: Continuing our fight against hunger statewide 10
international Join us in Chicago for International Convention! 11
Students and senior citizens unite in Livingston’s Intergenerational Prom 12 Brick Memorial and Point Beach organize book drive for children 13 Southern Regional hosts dance marathon to fight cancer 13 Music, acting, and food: Parsippany Hills’ dinner theater 14 Edison Kiwanis holds Pizza Palooza 14
Mountain Lakes hosts Hello from your international night 14 International Trustee 11 Vorhees marches club against premature LCMR hosts haunted birth 14 house 12 Bloomfield’s glow-inthe-dark volleyball Looking back at tournament 15 District Convention 6-7 Bloom in service at Regional Training Conferences! 8 2
Chatham fights hunger with Outreach Program 12
Walking (and dancing) for a well 15 Clearview hosts annual talent show 15 the jersey key
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18-19 Service Year Calendar June 9th
Spring RTC (Warren County Technical School)
June 10th
Spring RTC (Lower Cape May Regional High School)
July 2nd - 8th
International Convention (Chicago IL)
September 15th, 16th, 22nd
Fall RTCs (locations TBA)
October 7th
Fall Rally (Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson NJ)
November 30th - December 2nd
Key Leader (Baptist Camp, Lebanon NJ)
March 29th - 31st
District Convention (Ocean Place Resort & Spa, Long Branch NJ)
A note from your District Editor In this issue, we put a heavy emphasis on building our district. In order for our district to thrive and improve, it is vital that we have strong attendance at district-wide events. Thus, there are numerous articles in this issue about these wonderful events.
Hello members of the New Jersey District! I’m Eric Wang, your District Editor, and it is my pleasure to introduce to you the first issue of the seventy second volume of The Jersey Key!
Of course, our district would be nothing without each of the individual clubs that it’s made up of. I’ve included many club spotlights in here featuring the great service that you do. To have your club featured in the next issue, simply email me at editor.wang@njkeyclub.org and I’ll be happy to work with you!
As the official publication of our district, The Jersey Key contains many helpful and interesting articles written by our very own District Board members, officers, and general members.
Although it took much time to plan, edit, and publish this issue, I throughly enjoyed the process. I hope that you experience some of that same enjoyment while reading this issue!
District Editor Eric Wang
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district A note from your District Governor
District Governor Frank D’Agostino
I am absolutely honored to be speaking to you all today as your District Governor. If you were unable to meet me at our amazing District Convention, I am Frank D’Agostino. Currently, I am a Junior at the Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science, more commonly referred to as MATES. I began my Key Club experience not really understanding what it would entail. It was just another club I joined, and that was that. But Key Club was difference. I began by helping out at an event, and then another, and then another. Eventually, I ended up at a Regional Training Conference, where I met other Key Clubbers and met the District Board.
I attended Fall Rally, and sat through the pouring rain as I watched fellow Key Clubbers do the same. And then I attended Key Leader, where I decided I wanted to run for Lieutenant Governor. So I did, and ended up winning the election and serving as Division 7’s LTG for the 2017-2018 service year. I’ve been hooked ever since. I am beyond excited for what’s to come. Not only did you elect an amazing District Board to serve you, but we were elected by an amazing District. Although the New Jersey District is tiny, we are mighty as well. For this upcoming service year, I hope that you will all join me in growing our District more than ever before, contributing and helping hungry people in need throughout the state, and strengthening each and every club in each division. With our District Project Hun
ger in New Jersey, we will work towards eliminating hunger in our state so 1 in 7 people do not have to be food insecure. With our advocacy focus, we will work to raise awareness of sexual harassment and to prevent it in all facets of life. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but I know we can do it if we all work together. One district, one division, one club, and one member is all it takes. I look forward to working with each and every one of you, and I thank you for taking the time to read through our first edition of the Jersey Key. I am certainly excited! As always, feel free to reach out to me at any time with any comments, questions, or concerns you may have, as I will always be here! You can contact me at governor.dagostino@njkeyclub.org. With that, I will be seeing you all at Regional Training Conferences and Fall Rally next!
A note from your District Administrator beginnings. Advisors are crucial to this process. Talk to your advisor about logistics and how they can help. If you are an advisor, don’t be afraid to jump in and give ideas and guidance to your students to help set the club up for success. District Administrator Ms. Kaitlin McCann When we get to May or June, many students and faculty begin to think about the end—the end of the year, maybe your end to high school or in your Key Club office. However, what if we were to think of May or June as a beginning, when flowers newly bloom and caterpillars become butterflies. This is also the time for senior to think about what they will do to serve their home, school and community before you begin college, your job or both. This is a time for officers to think about next year—what projects will you do, how will you increase club membership numbers, or how will you get 5-10 new members to attend a district event? This is the time when you can brainstorm and prepare for a new, great year before you even start it. This is a time for
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This service year had many ups and downs. We did more service and fundraising than in years past and surpassed our district goals for Hunger in New Jersey. Our membership attendance was down at district events in and clubs. What can we learn from this? What can we replicate that other strong clubs are doing- the Jersey Key or DCMs are a great way to hear more about what other groups are doing. Your LTG can be a great resource in brainstorming ideas to help you move forward. Visit www.njkeyclub. org to get ideas for projects, learn about upcoming dates, and obtain contact information for the district board. As you begin a fresh start this May/June, let us help you become even better going forward. New clubs, new members, new projects and new ideas are what will help us change the world one child and one community at a time.
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DCON Host Club: Brick Memorial By Sarah Jacob
Lt. Gov. Div. 8
Brick Memorial High School Key Club was the host club of this year’s New Jersey District Convention and they certainly did not disappoint! Throughout DCON, there were many decorations made by Brick Memorial, inspired by the Hungry Games theme. President JC Barbour of Brick Memorial, along with advisor Miss Annmarie Tarnowski, led Brick Memorial to success. Brick Memorial started planning for DCON early. JC said, “we started as soon as possible! Once the gover-
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nor let us know that we would be the host club, we immediately started planning in the first few weeks of January.” During the months leading up to DCON, they diligently created decorations. Finally, the day came for Brick Memorial to set up. They arrived at the hotel at 9:00 am and unloaded all the decorations, including the Spirit Stick, JC’s personal favorite. To JC, the work was absolutely worth it. “The club was able to form a new committee and discover some more really great members,” he explained. This was JC’s last DCON. He called it “bittersweet. It was amazing to see everyone again, win
some awards, and serve as host club, but so sad that it was my last one. I’ll miss it.” JC is thankful for his experience with Key Club. He said, “Key Club is what got me through high school. The friends I was able to make, the experiences I had, and all the fun throughout the four years made joining Key Club one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.” Brick Memorial truly did a splendiferous job as host club. Their dedication and hard work really shone through in the decorations. Thank you to all the members, JC, and Miss Tarnowski for helping to create lasting memories at DCON 2018!
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Looking back at District Convention By Summer Ahmed , Joseph Kajon , Lt. Gov. Div. 17
DAY 1 - This year our Annual New Jersey Key Club District Convention was held at the Ocean Place Resort & Spa in Long Branch, NJ. From Friday, March 23rd to Sunday, March 25th, hundreds of Key Clubbers from all over New Jersey gathered to celebrate another great year of service. To kick off the great hungry games, Host Club Brick Memorial High School came early to the Ocean Place Resort and Spa to decorate the hotel in preparation for an unforgettable night. Once our tributes were settled in, they were all invited to an amazing feast that would keep them full for the rest of that day! The Keynote Session began promptly after dinner where we were introduced to the lovely District Board members, Kiwanians, and many esteemed guests that had visited us that night. We were incredibly fortunate enough to have a wonderful Keynote speaker—Dr. Mykee Fowlin. He moved the audience
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Lt. Gov. Div 18
and Cindy Lam
Lt. Gov. At Large
to laughter and tears throughout his entire presentation, where he adopted four different personas to show us the importance of understanding others. He truly inspired us to take care of our home, schools, and communities. As tradition in Key Club, before the Keynote Session was adjourned, the divisions competed against each other to win the spirit stick, a prize given to the most enthusiastic division. Many tributes cheered passionately for their divisions to win the coveted prize. Following the Keynote Session, candidates campaigned for positions on the District Board and International Board in the caucuses. These hardworking candidates fought valiantly to connect to voters by chanting, cheering, giving impressive speeches, and even handing out candy! After two hours of caucusing, we ended a long and eventful day with the Friday night dance where tributes danced the night away to their favorite songs. What a great way to unwind!
Dr. Mykee Fallon
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DAY 2 - On Saturday morning, we had a splendiferous breakfast and attended the Meet the Candidates session. Each candidate for executive and international office gave a speech about their platform and goals for the service year. After the session, we were able to attend a variety of workshops to broaden their Key Club knowledge and understand their true potential as they undertook new positions. We were free to partake in contests, such as a talent show and essay contest. We also had to opportunity to participate at the blood drive or even roam Pier Village and the beach! In the afternoon, the House of Delegates voted for the 2018-2019 District Executive Board. After the workshops and contests ended, we went to the ballroom for the Appreciation Session and Recognition Session, where clubs and members across the district received a plethora of awards for their outstanding achievements. The the jersey key
winners of the talent show, essay, and speech contests had the chance to perform and speak in front of the entire audience! To end off the great day, we went to the Saturday Night Dance with our wonderful board members, who were auctioned off as dance partners! DAY 3 - An emotional farewell session marked the end of the 2017-2018 service year. The District Executive Officers, Lieutenant Governors, and Webmaster were retired and new officers were installed! Frank D’Agostino of MATES was installed as District Governor, Chiara Fune of Brick Memorial as District Secretary, Kaitlin Cirillo of Parsippany Hills as District Treasurer, and Eric Wang of Millburn as District Editor. Leo Shao of Egg Harbor Township was installed as District Webmaster. Also, please welcome our Lieutenant Governors: Alexis Faison of Division 1, Jarod Wille of Division 2, Julianna
Blair of Division 3,Lauren Quadir of Division 4, Arun Mandesha of Division 5, Emma Ke of Division 6, Abbie Chan of Division 7, Sarah Jacob of Division 8, Katie Lynch of Division 9, Surabhi Karambelkar of Division 10, Maiya Debare of Division 11, Ian Fischer Division 12, Gillian Bayne of Division 13, Hemani Patel of Division 14, April Wang of Division 15, Edward Hou of Division 16, Summer Ahmed of Division 17, Joseph Kajon of Division 18 Katrina Pham of Division 19, Kyla Hunter of Division 20, Eliana Koenigsburg of Division 21, and Olivia O’Brien of Division 22. Ellie Hulit and Cindy Lam are our Lieutenant Governors at Large. After intense chants, people losing their voice, and backflips, Division 17 won the final battle for the Spirit Stick and had the opportunity to bring it back home. Thank you all for a lovely 17-18 service year!
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Bloom in service at Regional Training Conferences! theme is Blooming in Service, so expect to see a lot of flowers, vegetables, and other nature-related decorations!
By Hemani Patel
Lt. Gov. Div. 14
Greetings Key Clubbers of the New Jersey District! My name is Hemani Patel and I’m one of the co-chairs for Regional Training Conferences (RTCs). I would like to let you know about the significance of these wonderful conferences! They are open to all Key Clubbers, including club dvisors, executive board officers, and general members. At RTCs, the District Board trains all Key Clubbers for their roles for the rest of the service year. We use our experiences and knowledge to train all Key Clubbers for their duties for their clubs. This year our
Workshops -
There are various workshops you can attend to learn about Fundraising, Service Projects, Time Management, Organization Behind Events, improvement of technological aspects of your club, Key Events, Advocacy, Major Emphasis, Recommended Charities, the District Project, Public Speaking, and K-Family Relations. Each of these workshops are very helpful for growth of your home club. There are also specific workshops for club officers that are divided into President, Vice President, Secretary,
Spring RTCs: Where and When All RTCs run from 9:00 am- 1:00 pm
Northern RTC Warren County Technical School Saturday, June 9th
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Southern RTC Lower Cape May Regional HS Sunday, June 10th
Treasurer, Editor, and Webmaster. The general member workshop focuses on the jobs of a Key Clubber throughout the year such as attending events like Fall Rally and District Convention. The role of the general member is to participate in as many Key Club events as possible to learn about service as well as leadership.
Attendance - New club officers are
strongly encouraged to come––each officer is required attend at least one RTC during his/her term in order to be distinguished at the end of the year at District Convention. Each club is recommended to send at least one Key Club member/ officer to its nearest Regional Training Conference, but the more the merrier!
Why Should I Go to RTC’s?
Regional Training Conferences are genuinely really fun since you get to meet executive boards of other Key Clubs. You can learn from them and they can learn from you! This is a great event to socialize with other individuals in the same boat as you and meet new people. We include icebreakers that are really enjoyable and breakfast that is free! The food is amazing and it this event truly is the time to show your Key Club spirit with your fellow Key Clubbers!
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Solve the mystery at Fall Rally! By Kaitlin Cirillo, Disrict Treasurer
Emma Ke, and Leo Shao
Lt. Gov. Div 6
Fall Rally is coming up fast! Come to this amazing event hosted by the New Jersey District Board of Key Club International to meet members of the K-Family from all over the state, hear an inspirational Keynote Speaker, Stephen Gandley, and have fun in the park! The attendance goal for Fall Rally is 3,000 Key Clubbers, so recruit all your friends to come. This year, Fall Rally’s theme is Who Dun It, a mystery that will allow Key Club members to interact with those around them as well as find clues to solve the investigation. Not only will the theme intrigue Key Clubbers, but members will also be able to show their spirit for their division by fighting for
District Webmaster the Spirit Stick. Members will be able to see everyone from around New Jersey and have a load of fun at Six Flags. Key Club members can expect to participate in an hour long assembly to hear about Key Club and soak in everything from our largest district event all year. Then, the attendees will be able to go off on their own for the rest of the day and enjoy the park. This will not only give Key Club members a glimpse of district activities and updates and share ideas about service, but it will also allow them to have a day of fun with their existing and new friends.
Fall Rally is scheduled for Sunday, October 7, at Six Flags Great Adventure. Tickets are $40 for early registration, $45 for on-site registration, and $7 for season pass holders. Early registration is September 28, 2018 and on-site registration is available on October 7, 2018 from 7:30 am - 9:15 am. Start planning transportation and fundraising now, whether it’s by hosting fun events like volleyball tournaments or by partnering with a restaurant to earn a percentage of the profit. Don’t forget nonperishable food items for our food drive, which will help contribute to ending Hunger in NJ! See you at Six Flags to solve the mystery!
So you want to fundraise By Emma Ke, Lt. Gov. Div 6
Kiwanis Gives Online - Kiwanis
International is now offering a platform that uses email and social media to raise money for your service and fundraising projects. Kiwanis Gives Online will allow all of our Kiwanis sponsored club members to ask friends and family for online donations, no matter where they live. Kiwanis Gives Online is similar to donation sites such as Go Fund Me.
Chipotle Fundraiser
- Chipotle fundraisers are very common. You can apply to host a fundraiser with
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them at your local Chipotle, Receive a flyer for your fundraiser, tell your friends and supporters, and keep up to 50% of the proceeds from people who show the flyer (that’s a lot!). Before the fundraiser starts, ask Chipotle to approve the date and time.
Krispy Kreme Fundraiser
Krispy Kreme offers their doughnuts to non-profit groups at a reduced price, which are then resold for full retail price, or slightly higher. Pre-selling doughnuts to family, friends and neighbors or selling doughnuts at high-traffic areas such as shopping centers or community festivals can generate significant funds.
Rose Sale Fundraiser - The Rose
Sale Fundraiser sells roses for $20 per dozen roses. $12 goes towards the Kiwanis District Foundation, and YOUR Key Club gets $8! The order includes the roses, a card on how to take care of the roses, a box, a gold band around the box, and green paper on the box. Orders must be sent by September 4th so be sure to contact your LTG ahead of time. This is a great way to fundraise during summer!
Reach Out to Local Businesses -
any local businesses would be happy to help out with a fundraiser. Businesses host their fundraisers in different ways, so make sure to reach out to them!
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District Project 18-19: Continuing our fight against hunger statewide By Summer Ahmed and Kyla Hunter Lt. Gov. Div 17
Lt. Gov. Div 6
Each year the New Jersey District Board votes on a new District Project to be the service focus of the next year. This cause becomes the overarching goal that all fundraising and collection efforts are geared towards.
hours. At the May Board meeting, new goals have been set in the hopes on continuing the upward trajectory of the past few years. The goals for this service year are $65,000 in fundraising, 58,000 pounds of food and 25,000 service hours.
This year, the New Jersey District has chosen to continue with Hunger in New Jersey as the district project. This choice was inspired by the seriousness and prevalence of this cause, as well as the success our district has had with this cause in previous service years.
One of the main focuses of the DPS committee is organizing a district event to gather support and contributions from Key Clubbers across New Jersey in a fun-filled, action-packed event. This year, the DPS Committee plans to continue the beloved volleyball tournament tradition. More than just an exciting opportunity to show your division pride, this event is critical a critical boost to helping the district meet the ambitious goals. Make sure to look out for food drives at other district events such as the upcoming Fall Rally.
Hunger is an prevalent epidemic across the world; however, it is often overlooked as a widespread issue that pervades our own state of New Jersey. The fact remains that 13% of people in New Jersey are food insecure, translating to roughly 1 million residents. The statistics are even more troubling regarding children: 1 in 6 children in New Jersey struggle with hunger.
Volleyball tournaments, or other events such as movie nights, dance-a-thons or color runs, are also encouraged as divisional events to raise awareness about Hunger in New Jersey on a smaller level. The individual schools and general members play a critical role in ensuring that Key Club is able to maximize the positive impact on the community.
The District Project Steering Committee was organized to help combat this issue. Last year, New Jersey Key Clubs exceeded all goals set by the DPS Committee, raising $62,800, collecting 56,000 pounds and contributing 23,000 volunteer
As the co-chairs of the District Project Steering Committee, we look forward to pursuing our goals and ultimately working with all the other dedicated members of Key Club to make a positive change combating Hunger in New Jersey.
Our Goals:
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62,800 dollars
56,000 pounds
23,000 hours
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international
Join us in Chicago for International Convention! By Kaitlin Cirillo, Disrict Treasurer
Get ready for International Convention (ICON) 2018! This year, the amazing event will take place in Chicago, Illinois from July 2-8, 2018. While the total cost of the trip is $995, the price includes the registration fee, rooming for all nights, bus transportation, and admission to all attractions, as well as breakfast every morning and ICON T-shirts and pins. This unforgettable week will be an amazing chance to meet over 1,000 Key Clubbers from around the world and explore a beautiful city. The tour will include visiting the Cedar Point Amusement Park, Shedd
Aquarium, and Navy Pier. We will also see the Blue Man Group perform and go on the Architecture Boat Tour of Chicago. Other exciting moments to look forward to include eating Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza and seeing 4th of July Fireworks. While the road trip and tour will be absolutely amazing, the actual convention is the main reason we are attending. The convention itself takes place from July 4-8, 2018. Those in attendance get to attend workshops, trade pins with people from districts around the world, engage in insightful sessions, listen to inspiring keynote speakers, and actively participate in the elections for the next year’s International Board, which include
hearing candidate speeches, asking them questions, and being a delegate from your school at the Nomination Conference and at House of Delegates. We have three Key Clubbers from New Jersey running for International positions this year, and our district could not be more proud. Come support Madeleine Eichorn and Zachary Patterson as they run to be International Trustees and Hannah Nivar in her campaign to be International Vice President. Attending ICON is a life-changing experience that New Jersey Key Clubbers benefit from throughout their terms. It is a great opportunity to see how people from all around the world are related through Key Club. Come join the fun in Chicago!
Hello from your International Trustee
My name is Saul Ontiveros and I am your International Trustee for the next couple of months! I am incredibly excited to be working with your newly elected District governor and with your fellow district board members. Over the past year, I worked with the previous 2017-2018 district board of New England and Bermuda, Texas-Oklahoma and New Jersey Districts. Working with the ncredible leaders in your district was the jersey key
deeply fulfilling and truly an amazing experience. As you begin your terms, I encourage you to reach out to your immediate past district board members as they are fairly experienced and can provide you with valuable advice! A little about me, I am from Tempe, Arizona—home to the ASU Sun Devils! When I’m not baking cookies on Arizona sidewalks, I am playing music with our school’s mariachi or playing the violin in the Musica Nova Orchestra. During the spring, I play varsity tennis and during high school I’ve also participated in Model U.N and as a member
of the Arizona Democratic Party. I love to go thrifting on weekends and I love listening to my vinyl collection! Some records in my collection include the entire Beatles discography, David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust and a bunch of Prince records. As you can tell, I love music! During my past four years in Key Club, I have served in a variety of leadership positions, both at the club, district, and now international levels. If you ever have any questions regarding issues you may have at the club level or if you are interested in learning more about things going on at the international lev11
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LCMR hosts haunted house By Alexis Faison Lt. Gov. Div. 1
Each year, the Lower Cape May Regional Key Club organizes a community event called Haunted High School. We spend six hours after school preparing the hallways to create a spooky tone as your make your way throughout the school. We also collaborate with other clubs when decorating to make the stress level go down. Then after finishing the final touches, our club set up stations throughout our school for children to receive candy. In addition to decorating, we set up a bouncy house in the gym for children to relax and have a fun time instead of walking around repeatedly. In the end, the reason why we volunteer to do this every year is because seeing the community come out for this one night is amazing. Almost 1,000 people come each year to the one-night event. Not only are the parents happy because their child believes that everything is real, but the children are happy because they are having the time of their lives. Seeing their faces light up as they see familiar characters when we dress up is all our Key Club needs to know that we are doing the right thing for our homes, schools, and communities. It’s not about receiving community service hours, but it is about making memories that we will never forget and giving back.
Chatham fights hunger with Outreach Program By April Wang
Lt. Gov. Div. 15 The 2nd Annual Chatham Outreach Program was held on Saturday, April 28th at Chatham High School. The event, organized by Chatham High School Key Club’s president Paul Danenberg, was a smashing success, as participants of various ages were able to come together to package 49,680 meals that were sent out food banks across New Jersey. I had the pleasure of participating in this amazing event by helping with packaging
of macaroni and cheese meals. It was a truly rewarding experience: I was able to meet and serve with many Key Club and Kiwanis members from other schools. To package so many meals and see the many boxes of meals being picked up by the humongous trucks of various food banks in NJ served not only to instill me with the feelings of pride and accomplishment, but also as a reminder of how many people in NJ are hungry. I am so privileged to have been a part of this tremendous event, and I look forward to participating again next year!
Students and senior citizens unite in Livingston’s Intergenerational Prom By Katrina Pham Lt. Gov. Div. 19
The Livingston High School Key Club of Division 19 hosted an Intergenerational Prom on April 11th. The Intergenerational Prom is an event that the LHS Key Club hosts every year for the senior citizens in Livingston. The prom is filled with senior citizens and Key Clubbers getting to know each other 12
better through dancing, eating, and other fun-filled activities! This year, Livingston’s very own president David Lin was crowned prom king along with a resident senior citizen who was crowned prom queen! They shared a dance together before everyone came out onto the dance floor to have fun and party. The event is sponsored by the Livingston community to provide a fun-filled
night for the elderly in town to have fun and go back to the old high-school days of Prom! Key Clubbers helped set up for the event and helped to make sure the event ran smoothly by serving food, taking pictures, and helping our senior citizens in any way they needed. All of us in Livingston can’t wait until next year to see our new friends again at the 2019 Intergenerational Prom! the jersey key
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club Brick Memorial and Point Beach organize book drive for children By Sarah Jacob
Lt. Gov. Div. 8
The Key Clubs of Brick Memorial High School and Point Pleasant Beach High School worked together to collect a total of 2,000 children’s’ books. These books were donated to Veterans Memorial Elementary School, who is planning to gift these books to incoming kindergarten students. Over the course of February to the end of April, teachers, faculty, students, and Key Clubbers donated books to the book drive, led by chairperson Brick Memorial Vice President Alyssa Bousquet. According to Alyssa, “The most challenging aspect [of the book drive] was getting as many
students involved with collecting books as possible. But I made signs to spread the word and we frequently talked about the book drive at our general meetings and sent out reminds to the club about bringing books in.” Miss Tarnowski, Brick Memorial Key Club Advisor, Mr. Barisi, Principal of Veterans Memorial Elementary School, Ms. Linda Potenza, Brick Memorial Kiwanis Advisor, and Senora Alexandra Polanco, Kiwanis and Club Advisor of Point Beach Key Club, all helped contribute to the book drive. Without them, the result would not have been as impactful to our home, school, and community! “I believe the book drive was a success because in the end we collected an abundance of books suitable for the incoming students of
Veterans Memorial Elementary School. It was also a success because it showed the great teamwork our key club had with Point Beach Key Club in order to reach our goal,” said Alyssa. Not only that, but Alyssa commented that, “Next time our club does a book drive I would like to put the word out to every Key Club in our division to gain support from each member and grow a better bond between all of our clubs.” Overall, the book drive was an amazing success! Incoming kindergarteners will be prepared to read thanks to everyone to contributed, from getting the word out to donating old books. This was a great service event between Key Clubs, and we recommend hosting a book drive to other Key Clubs!
Southern Regional hosts dance marathon to fight cancer By Abbie ChanLt. Gov. Div. 7
Southern Regional’s High School Student Council and Key Club recently held its annual 18 hour dance marathon. The event started at 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 17 and ended on Sunday at 10 a.m. The event was a benefit for Ocean of Love, a local charity that helps support local children with cancer and their families. This year’s theme was “Glow Big or Go home.” Both clubs converted the 9-10 gym into a glowing, neon room filled with glow in the dark banners, balloon towers, and black lights that made almost anything shine. The two clubs were fortunate to receive so much support from the surrounding community. They were lucky enough to be able to serve multiple meals to the dancers and volunteers throughout the night, almost entirely donated by local restaurants and eateries. The night also featured a prize table filled with sports memorabilia, gift sets from local stores, and gift cards for entertainment venues, restaurants, and much more. the jersey key
To pass the 18 hours, the dancers took part in tournaments such a corn hole, ping pong, and even Nintendo games. Towards the beginning of the night, the dancers were also treated to performances from Ovations Dance Team, Skylar The Magician, the band “Pictures of Nowhere,” Starlight Performing Arts, a guest appearance from R2D2, and multiple DJs that kept them on their feet through line dances and games. Additionally, students were able to sign up as a team for an escape room, participate in karaoke contest, a lip sync battle, a knockout competition, and a dance off, all for a chance at the prize table. To prepare for the event, Student Council and Key Club met weekly to discuss plans and solicit for donations
beginning in December. In the weeks leading up to the marathon, they served free coffee with the events logo on the cup every Friday morning to promote the event. They also worked on making decorations such as balloon towers. Some volunteers even came at 10 a.m. Saturday to prepare for the event, staying at the school for as much as 24 hours! Around 150 dancers attended this year’s marathon, raising $6,110, the most successful marathon thus far. `Key Club and Student Council would like it to be known that they are very thankful for their supportiveschool, staff, advisors, Ms. Margaret Malley, Mr. Steve Derion, the Kiwanis Club of LBI, and all the businesses and families that donated to the event. 13
club Music, acting, and food: Parsippany Hills’ dinner theater By Chintan Bhavsar and Wasay Noor Editors of PHHS Key Club
Parsippany Hills High’s annual Dinner Theater is one of the most anticipated events of the school year. Not only are the senior citizens, actors, and actresses from the musical production excited, but the Key Club is immeasurably eager to help out at this extraordinary occasion in which the school and community truly connect. On Wednesday, March 14th, “The Drowsy Chaperone” was specially performed by the PHHS Drama Club for the senior citizens the evening before opening night. Prior to attending the extravagant show, Key Club served the senior citizens, cast and crew a delightful dinner , ensuring the audience and the performers were completely fulfilled before the performance! Numerous Key Club
bers volunteered to serve the tasty food and beverages. The pleasant dinner included baked ziti with meatballs, salad, dinner rolls, water, iced tea, coffee, and cookies (for dessert). Although the volunteers at the site of the event were definitely crucial, the hour long event would not have been achievable without the generous donations from multiple other Key Clubbers. Donations such as paper goods, pasta sauce, and cookies absolutely played a great role in the professionalism that we were able to provide to our guests. The dinner theater was undoubtedly a marvelous way for the PHHS Key Club to be able to connect with the senior citizens of the community and end the day with many smiles, lots of joy, and a ton of service!
Mountain Lakes hosts international night By Kyla Hunter Lt. Gov. Div. 20
On April 19, Mountain Lakes High School hosted the second annual International Night. All proceeds from the fundraiser went towards Water.org to help empower people with access to safe water and sanitation. The event was a multicultural night of festivities that brought the community together to celebrate diversity. Local cultural restaurants donated an extensive spread of ethnic foods arranged in a buffet for students to enjoy. The gym was decked out in decorations with flags from foreign countries and globe balloons, and the school jazz bands performed culturally-inspired selections. Overall, the event raised over $800 for Water. org and delivered an unforgettable night for members of the community.
Vorhees marches against premature birth By Gillian Bayne Lt. Gov. Div. 13
Edison Kiwanis holds Pizza Palooza By Hemani Patel Lt. Gov. Div. 14
The Kiwanis Sponsoring Club of Edison held their annual Pizza Palooza at Highland Park High School and it was very successful! Kiwanians called up four different pizzerias asking for donations for the event and had people come in and buy a ticket of 10 dollars. After people came in, they were served their food and were asked to choose one of the four pizzerias which they thought had the best pizza. On the ticket, there were four spots in each corner called A, B, C, and D. The 14
purpose of these letters were for people to circle whichever pizzeria they thought they liked the best. At the end, the pizzeria with the most votes were decided and it was a great night. Kiwanis invited the John P. Stevens Key Club and Edison High School Key Club to participate as the Kiwanis club in charge of this event sponsored both clubs. All clubs from Division 14 were invited to participate. Large amount of vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate ice cream with various amounts of toppings were served after along with fruits and drinks. We raised a lot of money and the event was a huge success!
This past Sunday, April 29th The Voorhees Key Club joined the March of Dimes in their annual March for Babies where participants walked a 1k at the Spruce Run Reservoir In Clinton, NJ. March of Dimes is a United States nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of mothers and babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. At this event, we ran the different stations and games as well as greeted the participants. This service project was one of the most inspiring and memorable events for our club. It was amazing to hear stories as well be apart of such an amazing movement. This is definitely an event that the VHS Key Club will never forget!
the jersey key
club Bloomfield’s glow-inthe-dark volleyball tournament By Jamianne Kelly
Editor of BHS Key Club Glow in the Dark Volleyball this year raised $800 for Tomorrow’s Children’s Fund, including tickets and concessions. Pizzas at concessions were donated by Angelo’s, Parkside Pizzeria, and Zi Zia. The BHS Key Club extends our thanks to them for their generous help. A special thanks to our scorekeepers and line judge volunteers. Fourteen teams competed this year in a battle for first place and the pizza prize! By the end of the night, the competition was between We Hate Kids, the teacher team, and Spike Tyson, a team of Students. Spike Tyson prevailed, however, coming out on top and becoming this year’s champions. Congrats to all who participated and be ready
Walking (and dancing) for a well By Carlee Dunn
Editor of MAST Key Club This spring, Key Clubbers at the Marine Academy of Science and Technology (MAST) have put on a series of events to benefit one of the organizations closest to MAST’s heart this year: the Thirst Project. To raise the money to build a well for those in need, a committee organized both a Thirst Gala and a Walk for Water, both taking place at the MAST campus. The Thirst Gala, which included components such as a dance floor, photo booth pictures, and lots of good food, was a huge success. MAST students stayed after school to party for a great cause. The Walk for Water incorporated many of these same dedicated students as well as other members of the school and community to walk a ways in
the shoes of those in need. Attendees carried gallon jugs of water and walked a path around Sandy Hook, experiencing a fraction of what it’s like to have to walk for water every day. The event also involved an obstacle course and additional information about the Thirst Project’s cause. Through these two events and other small projects earlier in the year, the MAST Key Club has raised approximately $7,000 to benefit the Thirst Project—over halfway to the goal of building a well! The MAST Key Club officers and Thirst Project committee couldn’t be prouder of all the work Key Clubbers, advisors, and fellow MAST students have done to make progress towards the goal. Here’s looking forward to a few more successful projects and a well sometime in the near future!
Clearview hosts annual talent show By Kelsey McNamara
President of Clearview Key Club On May 3rd, the Key Club of Clearview Regional High School hosted their annual Key Club Talent Show. Each year, students from all four grade levels try out two months before the show, and those accepted attend rehearsals leading up to the show, while the Key Club members make decorations and plan for the special night. This year, the jersey key
the Talent Show consisted of nine acts, some of which were group performances, as well as one special performer at the end: Clearview’s Key Club advisor. The top three acts, chosen by a panel of judges, were then given the opportunity to donate a monetary donation to a cause of their choice. We hope to continue our sucess with this event next year! 15