“Back to School, Back to Service.”
Editor’s Note What’s up bees? I hope everyone is having a good time back at school, yes? This past week has been very stressful for me, so I apologize in advance if this newsletter is not as great as I’d like for it to be. For all of you new-BEES joining us, my name is Queena Hoang and this term, I serve as your Whitney High School Key Club Bulletin Editor. This is such an exciting time for Key Clubbers as club rush is coming up soon along with our annual back to school supply drive (which you should definitely donate to) yay!! I look forward to meeting many of you new members who are BUZZING with excitement for all the service we will accomplish! Already has this club made the biggest impact on my life and I hope it will for many of ya’ll too! See you at school on Tuesday!!
Hello, SUNny Key Clubbers! As summer vacation sadly comes to an end, I hope that many of you have had a summer filled with exciting and unforgettable memories, met new friends, and volunteered as well! As the school season has begun, I hope that all of you are ready for the school season (and for seniors- college apps!). Just know that regardless of what happens, a number doesn't define who you are as a person and that your mental health is as important as your physical health! And remember, your Key Club ohana is always here to support you throughout the year; we're all just a message away. This past summer definitely has been an exciting couple of months for our Key Club: being able to break the number of attendees at each DCM, being able to surpass over 1100+ hours in ONE month, and hosting our first ever ice skating social. I am so proud of this club and all that it has achieved through these past few months; we have truly made an impact within our community and I cannot wait to see what else we will achieve throughout this summer. Each of you have the ability to make an impact and no impact is too small! Seeing how excited each of our members have toward helping make a difference keeps me motivated daily to help find even more service events, plan more fundraisers, and do what is best for the club- so thank YOU! As September rolls around, this means that Club Rush will be happening quite soon (Sept. 19-23 to be exact)! I hope to see all of your SUNny faces at our booth this year; we definitely have a lot of surprises planned at our booth! When you come to our booth, there'll be 3 forms you'll need to turn in into Donna as well as the $13 annual fee! If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to message me or any other cabinet member; we would all love to help you! After turning in the forms as well as the money, you will officially become a Key Club member (or a renewed member)! This upcoming year definitely will be filled with even more service events, more socials, and more fundraisers and I hope you are all excited for it because service never ends! Finally, I wanted to let all of you know that our annual School Supplies drive has returned and will be happening from September 6th-16th! All of your donations will be given to students who are unable to pay for school supplies. Thank you so much for reading and I hope that you are all excited for a SUNtastic upcoming year!
Shining with Service, Isabelle Lee Key Club President ‘16-’17
ALL KEY CLUBS
MISSION STATEMENT: Key Club is an international student-led organization which provides its members with opportunities to provide service, build character, and develop leadership.
MOTTO: Caring-Our Way of Life
CORE VALUES: Leadership, character building, caring, and inclusiveness
PLEDGE: I pledge, on my honor, to uphold the Objects of Key Club International; to build my home, school and community; to serve my nation and God; and combat all forces which tend to undermine these institutions.
Last week I volunteered at the Wet N Wild Fun Run in Cypress. It was a division event so I got to meet other people from my own division. I like events from the division because of how we get a chance to meet each other and get to know one another besides the once a month at DCM’s. At the Wet N Wild Fun Run, there were several tasks, handing out water, directing the runners to the course, and handling the registration and much more. On the Saturday morning, I was in charge or motivating the runners and walkers. I enjoyed cheering them on and it made me want to participate in another fun run. At the last half mile of the run, the participants would have to walk through this pool in order to cross the finish line. It was a fun experience and I really encourage people to attend division events to meet new people in their own division like I did. //Ankita Morari
WET N WILD FUN RUN
This month I attended the Wet N Wild 5k marathon and I discovered how fun it was to direct cars in the parking lot! Kristina, Leanna, and I were all volunteering in the parking lot during this event and we were able to work with other volunteers in our division. I was actually surprised at how many participants there were, who wanted to run a marathon, but I hate running so I’m a little biased. After the parking lot was filled and there were no more cars to direct, we then went to the finish line of the race and helped passed out fruit and refreshments to the runners done with the marathon! Other volunteers of Whitney Key Club passed out medals to those who completed the race and after that, we all helped clean up. For those of you who don’t know, the Wet N Wild 5k is a race that consists of a run through the grassy park in La Mirada finished by a dip in the pool at the water park! All proceeds of this race go to Strong Tower Ministries, which is an organization dedicated to providing necessities to the underprivileged in the Orange County area. Not only did people run for fun, but they ran for a cause! It was great seeing so many families running together and everyone having fun. Because I’m not a runner, I am genuinely intrigued every time that someone says they “had fun running.” Despite this, I definitely encourage volunteering and even participating in this event! //Caitlyn Saw
Back to School Life Hacks We’re all counting down the days until summer comes to an end and the new school year starts. While some of us dread the first day of school, and some can’t wait for it, I’ve compiled a list of life hacks to make things a bit easier for you. Hopefully these tips will help you to survive the new school year! TIP 1: It’s scientifically proven that the best way to study is in 30-50 minute intervals with 10 minute breaks in between. That way, you’re not putting too much stress or pressure on your brain. TIP 2: Instead of using google.com when researching for school essays, use scholar.google.com because it has more relevant and reliable information/sources. TIP 3: If you feel tired even after a long, nice nap, that means you’re dehydrated, so make sure you drink alot more water! TIP 4: Create a playlist as long as the time you have to get ready in the morning, so when you hear the last song playing, you’ll know you don’t have much time left, and you’ll hustle. TIP 5: Use keepmeout.com if you need to focus on your homework, because it blocks out certain sites (social media) for periods of time. TIP 6: When you have to memorize a speech, print it out but change the text color every four lines. It helps when memorizing and you’ll remember your place better if you ever forget. TIP 7: When you’re finished with an essay, copy and paste it into google translate, and press play. Hearing your own essay will help you fins mistakes better. TIP 8: If you accidentally close a tab, ctrl+shift+t reopens it. TIP 9: Wordhippo.com is a website that helps you find the word you’re looking for when you can only think of a phrase to describe it. TIP 10: Chew gum while studying for a test or memorizing a speech/essay. Then, when the time to take the test or the time to present comes, chew the same flavored gum. It helps to remember information better.
How to Better Yourself at School I know we are all dreading in the thought of school, missing those summer days but it’s another way to start off a new year and better yourself. We all have trouble studying, sleeping way too late, and focusing. Hopefully these few small tips can help you! I know a lot of people don’t like eating breakfast too much but eating something as small as a granola bar can help you throughout the day. Going through the day “hangry” (hungry and angry) will most definitely not help you at all! When studying, I suggest reading material ahead of time, skimming through to get a general idea and from the reading try making questions to ask your teacher to help better yourself in that subject. Another tip my friend told me is teach someone the subject. Having to talk it out in your own words makes it easier for you to remember and that you know you have the subject in the back of your head! As for sleeping late try managing your time in what homework you have that day. If you know you have something huge due the next day start on that right when you get home but take breaks in between like 10-20 minutes, don't tire or stress your brain too much! By lagging on work you’ll regret it and end up staying up til 1 A.M when you know you could have finished way earlier! Hope that these tips help you throughout the school year, do amazing this year scholars! //Kyla Basiana
EMOTIONS You can't let your emotions dictate your actions. Emotions often arise spontaneously..emotions are so easily triggered..but..I find that emotions tend to fade. So when the joy seems to be gone, when it feels like there is no point in doing anything, when it feels like you're useless, when it feels like your time and energy is not appreciated by anybody, when you lose vision, we need to stand strong. If you let your emotions dictate your actions during these times, the world becomes mundane. There will be no change. Why? Because everybody is lazy and selfish deep inside their human core. Why do I need to volunteer when I don't feel like it? Why do I need to serve my community if nobody seems to care about me? Why should I even care when nobody notices? These are the questions we will constantly ask if we rely on our emotions. But the thing is...it's not about us. It's not about our emotions. It's not about how many "hours" we get. It's not about seeking to find happiness out of knowing that I helped someone through my service. We need to care for others in any circumstance. We need to prioritize compassion over ambition, love over hate, hope over disappointment, and above all, learn that this world is far too wide and grand to focus on ourselves. Learn to desire to heal others' wounds and pain, and view others with care. This world is hurting...in so many aspects..It's time we let go of emotions.. .//Eunice Shim
Volunteering at School Registration Summer’s ending, and it’s that time of the year when we’re still in denial that school is starting once again. But one event that I really enjoyed being at, looking back at these last couple weeks of summer, was volunteering at school registration. I got to sit in the desk where every student turns in his or her health forms, and I proceeded to greet every senior that came through the door with a smile, collect forms, and make sure that every part that needed to be filled out, was filled out. It was a really unique opportunity to welcome the seniors back to their last year of Whitney, because that would mean it was their last registration day they would spend with their friends, so I felt especially happy that I got to be a part of this day for them. Throughout my shift, I got to know some of the office staff, most of whom I’ve never had the chance to talk to, when I was working alongside them to collect the forms. Through events like these, I’m reminded of why I love to volunteer: being able to smile and make someone’s day better is an experience unlike any other, and receiving one back is even better, because you know you succeeded. //Meghan Lee
I usually don’t think it’s too fun to wake up at 4:30 in the morning in order to be somewhere in Costa Mesa at 5 am, but the OC Fair Run is going to have to be an exception. For one thing, it’s not school related, and volunteering at this event meant a free OC Fair Pass, so it was a tradeoff I was willing to take. At early in the morning until the start of the race, volunteers were assigned to help set up for the race. The race itself had already been marked with caution tape, and it was the volunteers’ tasks to help finish setting up and preparing. Other volunteers were assigned to hang up medals that the racers could pick up once finished with the race, and other volunteers were assigned to registration. Once the race began, I was assigned to make sure that people were headed in the right direction and cheer on the runners. The fact that the people who ran across and even said thank you for simply standing there and clapping for them was what made simply standing in one location enjoyable. The people who ran across in the near beginning were very serious about what times they got, and it surprised me how far ahead they were of everyone else, but the people who were to come afterwards seemed to be more lax about the run, and were more focused on having fun. They would shake the prizes that they won in the air in joy, even saying that they were happy to have won such prizes. The duration of the race went by rather quickly, and once everyone had already passed by and moved onto other sections of the fun run, it had already been time to take all the caution tape down. For our service, a fellow Whitney Key Clubber and I were rewarded with the prizes that the runners could have won from the game booths. Once the tape had been taken down, and the water had been recycled into the earth, the rest of the work was mainly helping in cleaning up the area and making sure that everything had been packed up. The overall experience was definitely one worth waking up so early for; the people I worked with and the people I met during that event made me want to not only attend next year, but attend events similar to the Fun Run. My experiences with this event are only positive, and it’s an event that I encourage all to attend (despite the time you have to wake up to do so). //Jason Park
OC FAIR RUN
SCHOOL
As the back to school season returns, the most exciting thing (for many) is going to registration and finding out what classes you have with your friends and reuniting with classmates. Yet, not that many know the amount of work school registration is on the staff members- the paperwork that needs to be checked, creating schedules based of students' requests, and much more. Being able to volunteer "behind-the-scenes" of school registration has always been one of my favorite events as it allows me to give back to the school as well as get to know the staff members better! On the mornings and afternoons of August 18th. 19th. 22nd. and 23rd, volunteers were assigned to a variety of locations to help assist the staff members: helping Alison with P.E. clothes, helping the librarian give out books based on one's schedule, helping out Ileana, Ilka, and Cindy collect forms, and much more. Throughout the various days I volunteered, I was able to help out in Station 1 and helped the secretaries collect important documents/forms from each of the students/parents attending Whitney. Being able to help out at registration definitely is one of the busiest yet exciting experiences as there always is a line to collect forms and volunteers need to manage the flow in and out of the MPR, especially the line for ID cards but being able to be reunited with friends is definitely one of the best feelings! Looking back at all the past registrations I've volunteered in, I always remember how thankful I am to go to a school where the staff members do so much for us behind the scenes. Volunteer events such as these continue to remind me to be thankful for the little things as they truly do make an impact in my life. All the thousands of forms collected from each grade all need to be alphabetized, filed, and checked off each school year and being able to help in the process to ease their workload definitely allows me to say "thank you" to each of the staff members that have made/will make my Whitney experience memorable. So whenever you run across a staff member, thank them for what they have done for our school as small gestures can definitely impact their day! And if you haven't volunteered at a school registration/office volunteer/library volunteer yet, I highly suggest that you do because the experience is definitely a lot of hard work but you can truly see the impact you make on the staffs' lives! //Isabelle Lee
REGISTRATION
Are you stressed for the upcoming school year? I know I definitely am! But no worries because there are so many options to help you loosen up! First of all, volunteering is a great way to get your mind of off upcoming exams, presentations, performances and more. Take the time to give back to your community by volunteering with Key Club. If you have time on the weekends or weekdays even, just sign up for volunteering events. It will help you lighten your mood and reset yourself. If you ever feel tensed up or you are just feeling down all the time because of the amount of pressure you have, you can talk to anybody around you, including your friends and family. Key Club cabinet is always here to lend a hand and help make your day brighter. If you come across any problems, always feel free to talk to anybody from the Key Club family! Sometimes, stress comes from overstudying or worrying too much. To avoid that, make sure to take short breaks in between studying or practicing for presentations. It is always okay to stop for a few minutes to calm yourself by listening to music or grabbing an apple to eat. Finally, just remember to find time for yourself. Whether it is alone time by reading, volunteering at your favorite event, or playing a sport, it is nice to let yourself relax for a short while to help de-stress yourself. I hope you find these tips and strategies helpful and are able to use them during the school year! //Justine Wu
Builder’s Club is a middle school community service club created by KIWANIS International. It’s the younger version of Key Club, as Circle K is the older version. Unlike many high schools, Whitney High School is a high school that has a jr. high section. Potentially, you could be spending 6 years at Whitney High School. With this advantage, Whitney High School is directly in contact with our Builder’s Club. This year, I really hope in increase the members that participate and volunteer in events, as well as an increase in events for them to participate in. I strive to, not hold back the Builder’s Club Cabinet, but instead push them forward and be capable of helping them fulfill a successful year, encouraging young students to get more involved in their community and make a positive difference during their years at Whitney. //Dani Lee
BUILDERS CLUB
AUGUST DCM
August DCM was a joint DCM with Division 30 South and Division 30 North. Unlike July’s DCM, Beach Boomba, this DCM was definitely more intimate and personal since there were only two divisions. Of course, I love joint DCM’s like Beach Boomba because it gives Key Clubbers the chance to meet and greet people we normally don’t get to see or people we would’ve never had the chance to meet otherwise. However, this August DCM only consisted of two divisions so many of us Suns were able to better get to know and bond with D30N. We began at registration, which is normal for most DCM’s and then we mingled for a little bit while we waited for some last minutes Key Clubbers to show up. The two divisions got to meet each other’s LTG’s, which was a really cool experience, and then we proceeded onto our individual DCM’s. I thought that this DCM went particularly well. Everyone seemed to be focused and everyone was listening to Kelly and everyone just seemed to be having a good time. There were less awkward silences if you know what I mean. This DCM was really cool because at the end, some of DLT got to do the “How do you feel?” dance instead of it being just Kelly, and one of our Kiwanis chaperones danced with us as well. After the DCM, we began to do our joint division event, which was a scavenger hunt. Each group had a requirement to have at least two people from the other division, so that helped us make sure we got the opportunity to meet some of the D40N Rhinos. The scavenger hunt was intense, but also light hearted. It was fun seeing the goofy side of some people as well as getting competitive since it was also a competiion between the teams. Another thing I love about DCM’s is that you get introduced and exposed to a lot of new things. I would have never known there was an app called Goose Chase that you could use for scavenger hunts, which might be useful later. It’s also really exciting to see spirit gear being sold because that means Fall Rally South is coming up! One of my favorite parts about Key Club is all of the cute gear you can get for a donation. And trust me, all of that gear comes in handy during Fall Rally South. In the end, this DCM was short and sweet and it was straight to the point. There was not a lot of time being wasted just sitting around (props to Kelly) and we were active for most of the DCM. //Kristina Theam
One of the past division events this month was a restoration event at Bolsa Chica Wetlands. As both a lover of nature and a passionate advocate for both restoration and conservation, I knew I had to attend this event! The volunteers arrived bright and early at 9 AM where the people in charge of the restoration greeted us. We learned that it takes a lot of manpower and time to restore damaged habitat and that having so many Key Clubbers there would definitely be a big help. It was really inspiring to see so many Key Clubbers want to get involved and help out, and since Key Clubbers were not the only volunteer group there, it was even more heart-warming to see such a big group of people come together for a good cause. Once most of the volunteers arrived, we began to pick up empty kitty liter containers that would be later used as watering cans. I thought this was super innovative because watering cans aren’t super expensive, but to think of using empty containers instead that work just as well was just genius! Once we reached the area we would be working in, we gathered around the learn about what we would be doing. Volunteers were tasked to pull out a really nasty invasive weed called Russian thistle, and once we learned what it looked like, we realized it was EVERYWHERE. Each and every direction you looked, you would see a small patch at the very least. The volunteer managers told us that it was super important to bag the thistle, also known as tumbleweed, because their seeds fly everywhere, and it’s super important that we don’t let the seeds fly to other areas. Once most of the weeding was done, some volunteers continued to weed but the majority went off to begin watering the sea grasses that the restoration team recently planted this year. I stayed back to help weed because I personally like weeding and I had the help of my friend Alan Lim! There were huge piles of this thistle just sitting around waiting to be bagged, so Alan and I got on that right away. By the end of the volunteer event, we had finished bagging nearly all of the piles, save a few. Additionally, all of the other volunteers finished their job watering the plants they needed to water! We actually finished about 15 minutes earlier than expected, which really shows how effective communication and leadership, and well as LOTS of manpower, can make volunteering so much more fun and easy! Because this event occurs two times a month, I would definitely want to see Key Club get more involved with this organization and continue with service //Kristina Theam
http://whitneyhskeyclub.wix.com/whskc#!home/ c5n4
DIVISION T-SHIRTS
Contact Isabelle lee for more info! $13 each!!!
other merchandise for sale!
What is your favorite aspect of Key Club, and why? My favorite aspect of Key Club is getting to know my community. Since Cerritos is a bubble, in my opinion at least, getting the oppurtunity to go to events all around Southern California is such a wonderful oppurtunity. At the WHW Prep Sale event I remember talking to a lady who was volunteering on her free time, which I thought was interesting because she could be doing anything else. The WHS Key Club volunteers were talking about the stress of school and she told us to relax because she's been in our position before. She told us not to stress so much and enjoy high school while we can. We get to meet other people and just talk about life since life outside of Cerritos is different than life everywhere else. I love how we can just explore different ethnicities, religions, and lifestyles in general outside of Cerritos.
Huge congratulations to 10th grader Leanna Theam for having the most BUZZING response!
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