The jersey key The official publication of the New Jersey District of Key Club International
Welcome
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Volume 66
DCON Issue 3
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April 2013
The Jersey Key Volume 66 | Issue 3 | April 2013
District Convention How the Webmaster is Chosen 4 Becoming District Officer 5
district
The District Wide Eliminate Games Finds its Victor 6
international
club
Message from International 10
Parsippany Hills Works With Elementary School Students 8
Consider Applying for the Youth Opportunities Fund 10
Brick’s Hurricane Relief Fundraiser 8 Eastern’s Holiday Hoops for Eliminate 9 Pleasantville’s Recycling Program Implemented 9 Clifton’s First Pep Rally 9 Rocks for Love 10 The Year’s Most Popular Service Projects 10 Clifton’s First Pep Rally 10
Caucusing: What to Ask 5
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njkeyclub The Jersey Key is published three times yearly by the District Bulletin Editor elected at District Convention. To submit articles, or to request more printed copies, email the District Bulletin Editor at editor@njkeyclub.org. Cover by Rocky Trifari
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Division 15 Tribute Omer Tahir stacks toilet paper at the District-Wide Eliminate Games. See page 6. 3
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Welcome to...
District
Convention
Choosing a Webmaster Different From Other District Positions by Lucas Dos Santos District Webmaster
Unlike lieutenant governors and the executive board, the district webmaster is appointed at District Convention by the governor and the district administrator. District webmaster candidates must first fill out a registration form in the elections packet released in January-February each year. The form asks for basic information, qualifications, and two short essays. Webmaster candidates are then encouraged to attend Midwinter Training Conference in March, where they will have the opportunity (alongside lieutenant governor elects) to observe a board meeting and develop a deeper understanding of their role. Webmaster candidates are then interviewed at District Convention in April by the governor and district administrator. They are given a time and room number and asked several questions pertaining to the position. They are given notification of their appointment the next day. If a webmaster candidate is unable to attend District Convention, alternate arrangements can be made. The district webmaster, unlike the rest of the New Jersey District Board, is not elected. They are not required to campaign at District Convention nor answer any caucusing questions. The district webmaster position is unique in its purpose and the manner in which it is filled. the jersey key
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lassy District Convention is a classy affair with suits and “service-easy’s.” It’s an event that should not be missed! 4
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Distinguished Officers Announced at DCON by Sarah Thomas Saturday Morning Awards Committee Chair As a club officer, one of the highest awards attainable is the Distinguished Officer Award. Receiving this award means that you performed above and beyond what that office’s service contract entails. To be eligible for this award, an officer must attend District Convention, Fall Rally, a Regional Training Conference, a Presidents Council Meeting, and an Officer Training Conference in addition to fulfilling all duties required by the service agreement. It might sound like a lot of work, but in the end, it is all worth it. At District Convention, officers are recognized in the program bulletin and during the Saturday recognition session. During that time distinguished officers will also receive a certificate. So who decides who becomes distinguished? Many people! Not only do Lieutenant Governors have to evaluate officers’ accomplishments and attendance, the Saturday Morning Awards committee reviews information to see which officers qualify for the award. Recognition at a district level takes hard work and dedication, but it also strengthens the organization as a whole.
Caucusing: What
to
Ask
by Christina Xiao Elections Committee Chair One of the key pieces of District Convention is executive elections: the exciting yet important determination for next year’s district board. But with only two days to meet and get to know all the candidates, how can a delegate even hope that they are making the right decision? Caucusing is held on Friday night of District Convention. Candidates move from room to room, first giving speeches and then answering caucus questions brought on by their audience: you! This is your chance to ask any burning questions you may have: everything from the district treasurer’s plan to increase dues collection to comparing Key Club to a lumberjack. To ensure that you will have an informative, insightful caucus session, here are some tips and tricks to successful caucusing:
Try to keep to a limit of one “fun” caucus question. Though caucus questions like “Compare Key Club to a pterodactyl” are whimsical and fun, they don’t necessarily help you see how knowledgeable a candidate is of their position. For this reason, please try to limit the amount of these questions. However, this doesn’t mean you have to completely leave them out; these questions help delegates to see how quick-thinking and innovative a candidate is—critical for any district executive.
Ask the same question to all candidates. This helps to set a means of comparison; while each candidate is good for a different reason, having a “ruler” to measure them by can be invaluable to not just you, but everyone in the caucus room. You can choose one question for all candidates of one position (for example: “How will you increase club monthly report form collection throughout the district?” for secretaries), or one question for all candidates overall (for example: how
Specificity, specificity, specificity More specific questions lead to more specific answers; if you ask a vague question, you’re likely to get an answer that doesn’t require much thought. For example, if a candidate says that they would like to increase K-Family relations throughout the district, ask them how. “What kind of additional events would you hold throughout the district to increase K-Family relations?” is a lot more specific than “How will you increase K-Family relations?” Make sure that a candidate is truly acting upon their ideologies by asking them detailed questions! Their answers will show you how much time and effort the candidate has spent on seeing how he/she can improve the district: specific plans of attack are far superior to general, expected answers.
Ask questions that are pertinent to you. As district executive board members, these candidates are here to serve you: many of the decisions they make will affect you later on. Ensure that they are working in your best interests and that they can truly improve the district for your lieutenant governor and you. Think about what you look for in a district executive, and start from there. Are you a new treasurer, confused about the dues process? Ask a candidate how they will make the dues process more approachable and manageable for club treasurers!
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aucusing Caucusing can be a lot of fun, but make sure to ask the right questions! 5
You’re here to elect the most capable, dedicated board; make sure that they can improve the district and serve you during their term.
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district The District Wide Eliminate Games Finds its Victor by Chris Addonizio Lt. Gov. Div. 1A This service year, New Jersey District Key Clubbers were able to participate in a statewide Hunger Games style competition. In the Eliminate Games, competitors competed in a Minute-to-Win-it fashion in hopes of being crowed victor. Throughout the year, each lieutenant governor held a round of the games where the winner–the tribute–would attend the District Finals that took place on Saturday, March 16, at Piscataway High School. To keep with the Hunger Games theme, tributes could be sponsored in the
event. The more tickets that were bought from a division the higher the time reduction a tribute could use in a challenge. Divisions 15 and 16 sold the most tickets, and they had an advantage against their other competitors. After many rounds, the final challenge was Mad Dog, previously seen at the divisional round where competitors had to shake all of the tic-tacs out of two containers attached to a ruler. Competitors had to bite down on the rul-
ers and shake the mints out. Tributes Jessica Pamfilo from 1B and Michaela Patoilo from 20 were left. After the challenge, Pamfilo from Egg Harbor Township took the win and was crowned victor of the New Jersey District’s Eliminate Games. All of the proceeds from this event went to the Eliminate Project. Much of the Games also helped advocate for this cause: Eliminate merchandise was sold, and at intermission a video about the project was shown. Over $800 was raised for the Eliminate Project.
THE ELIMINATE PROJECT NJ District’s 2012-2013 Service Year Goals:
$100,602.23 Will we achieve it? Find out at District Convention. The Eliminate Project will also be the District Project for the 2013-2014 service year, so start fundraising now!
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international A message from International Trustee Colten Meisner Greetings, New Jersey Key Clubbers! DCON season has arrived! I write to you all from Atlanta, Georgia, where I have been having a fantastic time attending the Georgia District Convention this weekend. All the Key Clubbers here are so friendly, welcoming, and passionate about service. Being here in Georgia has gotten me really excited for my other conventions – especially yours! With so many NJ clubs in attendance, some of the best workshops to visit, and an awesome Roaring Twenties theme, New Jersey’s District Convention is sure to be a success. As you elect your District’s executive officers at DCON, get excited for all of the new opportunities to be involved with clubs all across New Jersey next year! While District Convention can be a place of fun and friendship, it is also a place to network ideas and learn more about servant leadership. Did your club get involved at Fall Rally? What about divisional events? If not, maybe DCON is the place to learn more about how exactly you can get involved next year!
Consider Applying for the Youth Opportunities Fund Next Year by Melika Behroox Lt. Gov. Div. 15 We all go through the process of applying for different summer programs, schools and scholarships, but have you ever thought of applying for a Key Club Scholarship for your next service project? That’s essentially what the Youth Opportunitities Fund (also known as YOF) is! YOF is an international fund that is supplied by $0.50 from every dues paid member of Key Club International. It is designed to supply clubs with funds to do large scale projects that they normally could not accomplish independently. Clubs can be awarded anywhere from $100-$2,000, depending on how successful their application is. When applying for YOF, make sure you have the appropriate paperwork, are detailed in you explanation of how you are using the funds, and are showing a need for the funds and the service project in your community. Every application is reviewed by the “admissions officers”, who are members of the Key Club International Board. If all goes well, a club will be awarded the funds, and will be set for their next service project! Make sure you take advantage of this opportunity in your club, it might just be the best kept secret in all of Key Club International.
If you like your District Convention, then I would certainly suggest that you look into attending International Convention 2013 in Washington, D.C. When we attended the February International Board Meeting in D.C. last month, we stayed at the convention site: the Washington Hilton! As if that prestige isn’t enough, it is one of the greatest cities in our nation – the capital city. Additionally, International Convention itself is sure to host excellent workshops, awesome speakers and entertainers, exciting dances, and last – but not least – the ability to meet so many incredible Key Clubbers from our 33 districts and 31 countries! Should you have any questions regarding International Convention 2013, feel free to contact me at colten. meisner@gmail.com. Even though the District Board is retired at DCON, the International Board is still in office until ICON 2013, meaning I’ll still have New Jersey until Washington, D.C. this summer! Happy serving, Jersey!
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club Parsippany Hills Works With Elementary Schoolers by Penny Xu Lt. Gov. Div. 19 About once a month, the elementary schools in our local communities have PTA meetings at night. Instead of having parents to leave their kids home alone or to hire an expensive babysitter for the night, the Parisppany Hills High School Key Club volunteers to babysit them at the school for free, so the parents can both save money and feel secure. Usually, the parents drop their kids off in the gym, where they get to play with gym class equipments, the other kids, and the Key Clubbers. For an enjoyable experience, reach out to local elementary schools and their K-Kids organizations to ask if they need assistance with similar events!
Shake, Rattle, and Roll Working with local elementary schools can be a fun and rewarding experience. For more information on working with local elementary schools contact Penny Xu at ltgdiv19@njkeyclub.org.
Brick Memorial Raises Over $13,000 for Those Affected by Hurricane Sandy by Haley Hyland Brick Memorial HS Superstorm Sandy left a path of devastation and destruction in its wake, especially at the Jersey Shore. Homes were flooded, trees were uprooted, and millions were left without power for days or even weeks. In the wake of this disaster, the Brick Memorial Key Club wanted to help some of the people who were affected in their community. Brick Memorial High School held the Stangs-GIVING Supper and all proceeds went to Sandy victims in the community. The Stangs-GIVING Supper was thought of by Brick Memorial Key Club advisor, Ann Marie Tarnowski and another Brick Memorial teacher, Nicole Pannucci, while they were watching the NBC Telethon for Hurricane Sandy Relief together. In the past, they have worked together on projects having known each other for a long time, but no project has been as big or as important as Stangs-GIVING. Stangs-GIVING was a community wide
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event and was held on Tuesday, November 20 in the Brick Memorial Gold Cafeteria. T-shirts were made for this project and over 260 shirts were sold. So many people volunteered, especially once they heard what the supper was for. The BMHS Key Club was one of the main clubs that helped out at this event. Food, beverages, paper goods and so much more were donated by people from the school and the community. As people brought in food for the supper that night Key Club volunteers would run the food from the check-in to the serving tables to get ready for the hundreds of people that would later line up for their food. Over four hundred seventy-five people paid the ten dollars admission fee and packed the cafeteria. The Key Club was one of the clubs that served food to people who attended. “I couldn’t believe how long the line was to get in at one point!” said Key Club mem-
ber Jessica Garrett. “People were lined up down the hallway and just patiently waiting to get in.” These people enjoyed a lovely meal, and after the Key Clubbers served, they also were able to have a great supper. The Key Club worked all night setting up, serving, and then cleaning up afterwards. There was more than enough food for everyone and afterwards there was still enough left over to fill multiple refrigerators. The next day the leftovers were brought to Epiphany Church in Brick for their Thanksgiving dinner and also to St. Paul’s in Bay Head. At the end of the night more the $10,000 had been raised for the hurricane victims. Throughout December even more people gave monetary donations to the Stangs-GIVING account and $13,000 was raised in total. Stangs-GIVING was a huge success and the Brick Memorial Key Clubber really helped out the community.
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club Eastern’s Holiday Hoops Raises Money for Eliminate by Shivani Talwar Eastern HS On December 4th, 2012, Eastern High School’s Key Club organized its second annual Holiday Hoops. Holiday Hoops is a three on three basketball tournament set up for all high school students around the area. The prizes for winning team included various gift cards and an assortment of candy. This event turned out a great success because of the active, dedicated members and officers of Eastern’s Key Club, who volunteered to help sell food and organize the event; in order to reward the general members, hours were given to them. Also, all participants and spectators enjoyed the event, which made them more willing to support the Eliminate Project. Unfortunately, Holiday Hoops was on a Tuesday night, which limited the number of spectators and participants because of their schedules. However, Eastern Key Club still raised almost $1,000 for the Eliminate Project just from this night.
Pleasantville HS Key Club Implements Recycling Program by Denise Kubaska Pleasantville HS Key Club Advisor For years, the Pleasantville middle school has had a recycling program and the Pleasantville High School Key Club has been trying to bring it to the high school. Recycling is something really important to members, but there have always been complications because the program is meant to be school-wide and involves an outside affiliation. This year, coordinating the program with the school’s environmental classes members buckled down to get the program started. One of the roadblocks in the way was providing recycling bins. Through rigorous fundraising efforts, the club was able to purchase blue buckets and paint the easily recognizable, white recycling symbol on them. Mihir Jani has been the president of the club for three years now and it was really a proud moment to see the recycling program come to fruition. The club and the program were even featured in the local newspaper. As a co-advisor reflects on the program, she comments, “It’s their world, they are growing up into this world. We’re fading out.” Off to a great start, members really hope that the program will be sustainable.
Clifton Key Club Holds its First Ever Pep Rally by Aekta Patel Clifton HS The Clifton High School Key Club just recently hosted a spectacular pep rally as a fundraiser for charities as well as to kickstart the spring sports season. The event reeled in hundreds of Clifton High students and incredibly boosted the school morale. The evening was filled with incredible performances and wild enthusiasm. The CHS Mustang mascot first entertained the crowd with its charming endeavors. CHS varsity cheerleaders demonstrated a skilled routine which was followed by a spectacular gun show by the CHS ROTC group. The school’s dance crew also left the spectators in awe with their eccentric grooves. Several members from the crowd received momentary spotlight in a dance off and there was also an intense tug-of-war completion between grade levels. Customary to pep rallies, a spirit stick competition also took place which the CHS seniors won. Towards the end, the entire audience got a chance to dance the night away in giant Harlem Shake. For the high school’s first ever pep rally, the event was a huge success! CHS Key Club raised over $1600 by only charging $3 dollars per ticket. The money provided for a large donation to one of their charities, Elijah’s Promise as well as others. By bringing something that the school didn’t have before to the school, the Clifton Key Club was able to raise a lot of money for great causes!
Piscataway Fun Fair Becomes Tradition by Padmaja Tanna Piscataway HS
Ready Students at Eastern High School compete in the Annual Holiday Hoops tournament. The tournament raised almost $1,000 for the Eliminate Project this year. 9
The Key Club International Fun Fair is starting to become an annual tradition at Piscataway High School. With a variety of activities, international music, arts and crafts, food from about a dozen countries, a couple of rounds of Minute to Win It rounds (reminiscent of the Eliminate Games), and numerous smiling Key Clubbers, it’s no surprise that the Fun Fair is a popular event. But the Fun Fair is more than about simply having a good time. The money raised goes to the Eliminate Project, which
can save lives with vaccinations that cost less than two dollars. And what’s more, the young attendees realize the importance of the power that they have to help others in doing things as simple as attending a Fun Fair. The pride that these children feel upon knowing that their money is helping to save lives around the world is a priceless feeling. With each year being more successful than the last, Key Clubbers are able to both increase their presence in the school and community while also raising money for a worthwhile cause and having fun. the jersey key
club Rocks for Love: Innovative Service Project by Rocky Trifari Lt. Gov. Div. 20 Key Clubs looking for new ways to get members involved should consider participating in Painting Rocks for Love, a simple and inexpensive service project that any number of members can get involved with. Members paint rocks for some occasion and then scatter them across a given area for people to notice in passing. It’s basically done in hopes of bringing a smile to a person’s faces when they spot one and to generate conversation and laughter between strangers. Start this project off by selecting a theme to follow throughout the duration of the project. In most cases, this type of thing is done before Valentine’s Day and follows a theme of love but essentially it could work
for any occasion. Ask members to bring in rocks, stones, and pebbles of all shapes and sizes. Bring paint, paintbrushes, cups, water, paper towels, and newspaper. Members then paint all of the rocks according to the theme. For instances, if the theme is love, paint the rocks red and pink, write “love” on them, and draw hearts all over them. After that, let them dry and then place all of them around commonly walked areas such as paths leading to a school’s entrance or beside the doors to school buildings (with permission, of course). The amount of people that will notice them is unpredictable but that’s part of the fun. It causes confusion, laughter, and conversation.
This Year’s Most Popular Service Projects by Joseph Toumanios District Treasurer Service is one of the key values on which Key Club was built. We strive to make a difference in our communities and there is no better way than by hands on service in our local area. Over this past year three types of service projects were remarkably more popular than any others. The elderly are a prized branch of our community. They have lived and made the lives of others better their entire lives. People have been spending this past year trying to return the favor. Clubs have been visiting and serving them, in order to let them know that we still appreciate everything they’ve done for us. But it isn’t just visiting them. Some clubs get more creative by throwing them pool parties to swim around and have a nice relaxing little kid-free swim. This is accompanied by throwing them a school sponsored concert for their entertainment. And what senior citizen wouldn’t enjoy an Old Person Prom; a chance to show that they can waltz just as well as they could when they were teens. As hurricane sandy ravaged our beaches worse than the cast of Jersey Shore, Key Club has been working to restore it to its former glory. They have been doing beach cleanups and donating both time, and resources to the beach restoration. But Key the jersey key
Club is not limited by distance. Even those, hours from the beach still send their help to the beach, but also accept those affected by the damage into their homes. Even in our greatest tragedies, Key Clubbers keep an open heart and a helping hand for those in need. Children have maintained our focus, ensuring that they have a bright future to grow up to. They are our future and so we have spent this past year molding them into the fine leaders of tomorrow. Key Clubbers have been tutoring those in younger grades and including them in service projects. Even the little things like chaperoning Halloween parties have been making an impact on their lives. They have already begun helping us too. They have joined the big kids in donations of gifts or food to those in need. It seems that we not only help them, but they help us, and ensure that the next generation is just as caring, and devoted to our values as we are. Key Club is a constantly growing, caring organization, that has limitless potential to aid those in need. Together we can change the future, but only one step at a time. Keep up the great work for the year to come, and remember that service benefits everybody in turn.
Kiwanis Ducky Race for Sparta Day by Eric Smuda and Grand Hagedorn Sparta Every year Sparta Kiwanis and Sparta High School Key Club come together to host the Sparta Duck Race at the town’s “Sparta Day.” Sparta Kiwanis has organized and executed the Duck Race for several years and the event always brings members of the community and members of rivaling schools together for one fun and friendly event. Each year Sparta Kiwanis and Sparta High School Key Club sell tickets for a small fee to people who would like to have a rubber duck be raced on their behalf down a river at the town’s annual Sparta Day. Kiwanians and Key Clubbers come together in the selling of these tickets to students, club members and members of the community every single year with the objective of raising money for Sparta Kiwanis scholarships that are given to deserving high school students and Key Clubbers who have made a huge difference in their communities and have overcome great adversity. After all of the tickets have been sold, both prior to and at the day of the event, hundreds of rubber duckies are released from the start of the river for a long journey towards the finish line at the end of the river. Both duck sponsors and spectators alike crowd the side of the river eagerly waiting to see which duck will cross the finish line first. The first, second and third place winning ducks are announced to all in attendance and each of the three winners receive a certain amount of prize money based on their duck’s accomplishments. The event always brings in a lot of cheer and is fun for all people involved. The event also raises a lot of money for the club’s objectives and is a great way to unify individuals.
Rubber Duckies!
Rubber ducky races are a great way to unify various local organizations. They can be extremely simple or complex and can incorporate as many or as few people. 10