Randall High School Key Club February 2022 Newsletter by Randall Key Club

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Randall Key Region 1 | Division 7/33

Volume 6 | Issue 7 | February 2022

Table of Contents Editor’s Note

Photos

Article: Valentine’s Activities

Riddle of the Month

Article: Fundraising

Upcoming Events

February 2022 Calendar

Article: Officer Elections

Article: Kiwanis Brochures For Sure!

HOTO: Ali Acosta

Article: Gene Howe Valentine’s

Officers

Regional Advisor/Lieutenant Governor

District Officers

Partnerships

Editor’s Note Howdy Key Club, Get yer boots on because springtime is coming. We have made this winter wonderful and whimsical, and it is time to make the spring splendid.

Your Editor, Brooke Newson

Valentine’s Activities By: Brooke Newson February is a month of love- a month of giving. It is the month of Valentine’s Day. Britannica defines Valentine’s Day as the “holiday when [people] express their affection with greetings and gifts.” Thus, the Randall High School Key Club chose to express their affection with the gift of service. We all met together in Miss Shipley’s room after school on the evening of Friday, February 11 to make Valentine’s Day cards for a local nursing home. We cut and colored them while we chatted. We listened to the upbeat soundtrack of High School Musical and bonded together as friends and classmates. The Valentine’s cards were colored and bedazzled to the voices of Troy, Sharpay, and Gabriella. We tried to make them as vibrant and upbeat as the music. We drew little doodles and wrote puns. The Randall High School Key Club President, Kaeleigh Miller drew cheese and a cheese grater and wrote “You may think this is cheesy, but I think you are grate.” Brooke Newson, the Randall High School Key Club editor, drew a little pig surrounded by little hearts and wrote “Hogs and Kisses.”Jenna Miller, Kaeleigh’s sister drew beautiful butterflies. We strived to create as many Valentine’s as possible in the hour and a half that we had in Miss Shipley’s room. We made each one as personalized as possible so that each and every member of the nursing home would know that they are loved. We wrote “Happy Valentine’s Day” on the outside of each one and added stickers and drawings to go along with the inside. When we had finished our crafting extravaganza, our president, Kaeleigh Miller took the Valentine’s Day cards with her in order to organize them and put them with flowers. She put the flowers in a beautiful butterfly vase and brought them, along with the cards, to the nursing home. The Randall High School Key Club used our Valentine’s time to help out others- to lift up those members of our community who sometimes get overlooked. The elderly helped raise us up and bring us joy and love. They deserve to be celebrated and shown affection in return. Even through a simple card, great kindness can be shown. Corny puns, doodles, silly stickers, and folded papers all come together to say one thing: “We love you. We care about you.” That’s what Key Club is all about. We want to show our community that we love them and that we care about them, and we are so grateful we were able to do so this Valentine’s Day.

Riddle of the Month What runs but never walks, breaks but never mends?

A: Water/ A Stream

Fundraising By: Brooke Newson LEDcon is coming up, and it is going to be amazing. It will be as sweet as service. The only caveat is that it costs a substantial amount of money. That is why Key Clubs throughout the Texas-Oklahoma district are finding ways to fundraise. The Randall High School Key Club has four different possibilities for fundraising as of right now: Kiwanis brochures, the local business called Chop Chop, and the burger business Blue Sky, and hosting a yard sale. First and foremost, the Randall High School Key Club would like to try and raise funds with the help of their partner/parent club, the Amarillo High-Plains Kiwanis Club. On March 6 and March 26, we will be helping them hand out forms to purchase their flag service, the money collected from which helps go towards the Randall High School Key Club fund. For more information, please refer to the article “Kiwanis Brochures for Sure” which can be found on page 10. Our second option is to raise funds through Chop Chop, a fast food restaurant that serves delicious Asian food. The Randall High School Key Club is hoping to ask them if they can ask for donations or give a small percentage of their proceeds towards our club. This would work out especially well, as Chop Chop brings their food truck to our campus on Mondays and Thursdays. They have become part of our school society, and our potential fundraising donations would come from customers who are invested in Randall High School, its clubs, and its community. Additionally the Randall High School Key Club is hoping to discuss potential fundraising donations with Blue Sky. Just as with Chop Chop, we would like to ask if they would be willing to set up donations for us or give us a small percentage of their earnings. Blue Sky is also a business that is frequented by many Randall students, parents, and teachers. Their help would be much appreciated. Blue Sky could help us “reach the sky.” Finally, we may try to raise some personal funds through having a shared garage sale. We can give back to our community by selling them our used treasures and we can raise a little money for LEDcon. Our Randall High School Key Club President, Kaeleigh Miller will be looking into these opportunities. She will be contacting the local restaurant and has already contacted the Amarillo High-Plains Kiwanis Club. We are very grateful for her hard work and commitment.

Upcoming Events ● Monday, February 28, March 7, March 14, March 21, and March 28- Gene Howe Folders (4:00-4:45 PM at Gene Howe Elementary) ● Saturday, March 5 and March 26Kiwanis Flag Brochure Handout (12:30 PM at the Mr Gatti’s parking lot) ● Monday, March 7- Fill with Hope (4:30-5:30 PM) ● Tuesday, March 8- Fill with Hope (4:30-5:30 PM) ● Saturday March 5, March 12, March 19, and March 26Washington Family Service Center (8:30-10:30 AM)

March 2022 Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesda y

Thursda y

Frida y

Saturday

5 Washington Ave. Family Service Center 8:30am to 10:30am

7 Fill With Hope 4:30-5:30

8 Fill With Hope 4:30-5:30

12 Washington Ave. Family Service Center 8:30am to 10:30am

19 Washington Ave. Family Service Center 8:30am to 10:30am

26 Washington Ave. Family Service Center 8:30am to 10:30am

Officer Elections By: Brooke Newson

Springtime is just around the corner and so are the official Randall High School Key Club officer elections. Many of the current officers are seniors and will be graduating in May, so the Randall Key Club needs as many freshmen, sophomores, and juniors to run as possible. The possible positions are President, Vice President, Membership Secretary, Recording Secretary, Editor, and Historian. In order to ensure that the Randall High School Key Club continues to “grow into service,” we need strong, dedicated officers to carry us into the 2021-2022 school year, especially seeing as the Randall High School student body is being split in half when the new West Plains High School opens in the fall. A Randall High School Key Club is not to be taken lightly. It is a position of leadership, scholarship, and service. It requires a sacrifice of time and self. If Key Club officers put in effort and make their job meaningful, they will reap more rewards then they could ever imagine. Having a Key Club position is fun, fulfilling, and challenging. Doing so can help you become a better person and can help our club become better as well. As I have some experience, let me share some of the greatest lessons I have learned as an editor and a Key Club officer. First and foremost, do not let fear get the best of you. I’d been thinking about serving as an officer since my sophomore year, but I never took action until now, and I sincerely regret it. I would tell myself that I didn’t have time and that I wasn’t the right person, but in all honesty, I was just holding back. When I finally took responsibility and realized that I had a duty to do more as someone who loved Key Club, I discovered that if I didn’t do it, no one else would. I also discovered that I loved doing it. I love being an editor, and I love truly being involved in the planning and the service of the Randall High School Key Club. To all of you who are wondering if you should be involved, if you are ready to be involved, and if you want to be involved as an officer, the answer is yes. I promise you will find it fulfilling and rewarding. Officer candidate speeches were given on February 28th, 2022, and officers will be announced within the coming month.

Kiwanis Brochures for Sure By: Brooke Newson The name Kiwanis comes from the indigenous expression “Nunc Kee-wanis,” which means “we trade.” Kiwanis International does trade. They trade and share their generosity, their service experiences, and their standards with Key Club International. Each Key Club is sponsored by a Kiwanis Club in their area with whom they can share the service experience. The Randall High School Key Club is sponsored by the Amarillo High-Plains Kiwanis Club. They help fund us and allow us to come to many of their events. In the month of March, the Randall Key Club is finally privileged to collaborate with them once more for the first time since last fall. Many of our Kiwanis opportunities have been interrupted by the ongoing Covid-19 Pandemic, and we are sincerely grateful for any opportunity we have to help them. We hope to continue to do so in a cautious and caring manner. On Saturday, March 3, 2022 and Saturday, March 26, 2022, the Randall High School Key Club will have the opportunity to assist in handing out brochures for the Amarillo High-Plains Kiwanis Club’s flag service. On many U.S. holidays, the Kiwanis Club puts flags out in people’s yards who request and pay for them through these brochures. Many of the funds earned from the flag service go towards the needs of the Randall High School Key Club. This event is not only a chance to help Kiwanis and our community but also a chance to help our school and our club. We will need as many volunteers as we can possibly get. The brochure handouts will begin at 12:30 PM and everyone will gather at the Mr. Gatti’s parking lot beforehand. Then, in groups formed by Kiwanis members and Key Club members alike, we will go around town giving brochures to those who may be interested in having a flag in their yards. We’ll enjoy the sun, the people, and the service. The Kiwanis Brochure event is a quintessential example of how “teamwork makes the dream work.” The more people that we have working together, the faster we are able to finish handouts in each area and the more brochures we are able to hand out overall. This Kiwanis event is an opportunity to truly engage in our community and in our country. We want to see all of our Randall High School Key Clubbers out there, shouting “Kiwanis Brochures For Sure!”

HOTO: Ali Acosta By: Ali Acosta Key Club has been a very important part of my senior year. My name is Ali, and I regret to say that I have only been a part of Key Club for my senior year; however, this hasn’t taken away from my experience with Key Club at all. In fact, it has made me realize I should’ve joined sooner. At the beginning of the year, I was pressured into joining by a friend of mine. I’d heard of Key Club from previous years, but I always saw it as a cringey, lesser student council, but that was because I knew essentially nothing about the actual club. My friend had told me she wanted me to join so she could have someone to volunteer with. Even though I didn't want to join, I went to the meeting and dreaded it. The following week I attended my first service project, and I fell in love with it. Since then, I’ve tried my best to try and attend as many service projects as possible. I also became one of our senior class representatives; though, there was admittedly little to no competition. I have attended many of the service projects offered this year. Two of my favorites are the Big Cheese event and the Our Colors Run Together event. Our Colors was the first event that I attended with Key Club. This is the event that made me fall in love with the club. The Our Colors Run Together event consisted of people running or walking a 5k trail through downtown in order to support and bring awareness to cancer.The people were great, the event was fun. Everything was enjoyable. Even though I technically sat at a corner and waved a bell for 3 hours, the experience was unique. The people I was with helped cheer on the runners. Most of the runners even mentioned how we were the most enthusiastic street corner. At the end of the event, the walk back to the main center was great. It was overall just really enjoyable. The Big Cheese event was an even better experience. This event was a macaroni and cheese contest for restaurants to participate in and be judged by the public.We as a club took on many different jobs. These included handing out plates, working the daycare area, and many other things. Towards the end of the event, we were able to taste the macaroni ourselves. We sat down as a big Key Club family and enjoyed our time left in the event. After the event was over, we helped clean up the venue. Both trash and furniture were used. I loved this event because I felt like we had a Key Club family and I felt like I was enjoyed by others at the event. These were just two events that I have attended throughout the year. I have also attended an elementary school to help out with folders weekly, a non-profit that provides snacks for local students of lower income monthly, and am attempting to attend a similar volunteer place that provides to lower income families weekly. Key Club has been one of the best parts of my high school career, and I wish it could last longer.

A Gene Howe Valentine’s Day

When February 14th came around, the Randall High School Key Club knew who they wanted to celebrate Valentine’s Day with: the children in their community. As part of the governor’s project this year, we have been doing crafts with the students at Gene Howe Elementary after school as often as we can. For February, we already had the perfect craft in mind: Valentine’s cards. The Randall High School Key Club went over to Gene Howe Elementary after school on Monday, February 14th. They brought markers, paper, scissors, stickers, and crafting pom poms. Together, they instructed the children on how to make pop-out Valentine’s cards with little hearts in the middle. They told the children to decorate them however they liked and write a nice message inside for a family member, a friend, or a crush. The children’s messages were sweet and simple, yet intensely powerful. Their messages of “You’re the best” and “I love you mom” were reminders of the beautiful simplicity of kindness- that it is easy to serve others if we just try. So many times we think service has to be some major, overt action- that we have to donate hundreds of dollars or participate in a huge project. In reality, the greatest service is the kind words we share with one another, the small complements and smiles that can help lift up a struggling soul. Our Key Club taught the elementary students something, but they taught us something greater. They used their creativity for good and inspired us to do more good in our everyday lives. Not only were the kids insightful, but they were also very clever. They made us laugh. One particular student wrote these words in the Valentine’s card: “myself.” She reminded us that self-love is important too. As we come to love and accept ourselves, we are better able to love and accept others. That is what she made us think about. Even when the kids were being funny, they taught us a lesson! Talk about the phrase “a child shall lead them.” Overall, we were extremely grateful to share our love and time with the youth in our community. We were also extremely grateful for the love and lessons we earned in return. Valentine’s Day can be about flowers and date nights and chocolates, but at its core, it’s really about fellowship and service. It’s the perfect day to be a part of Key Club.

Randall Key Club Officers President: Kaeleigh Miller, (910)-358-4661 Vice President: Selamawit Yemane, (806)-443-2854 Membership Secretary: Selamawit Yemane, (806)-443-2854 Recording Secretary: Emma Williams,(806)-681-8443 Editor: Brooke Newson, (801)-560-3249 Historian: Nikki Boron, (806)-673-1651

District Officers District Governor: Lilian Thai, governor@tokeyclub.com District Secretary: Ginna Galindo Gomez, secretary@tokeyclub.com District Treasurer: Makayla Hsieh, treasurer@tokeyclub.com District Editor: Anushka Ranjan, editor@tokeyclub.com Convention Liaison: Val Hennessee, cl@tokeyclub.com Technology Producer: Noah Obuya, techproducer@tokeyclub.com International Trustee: Salma Eldeeb, salma.eldeeb@keyclub.org 14

Regional Advisor and Lieutenant Governor Regional Advisor-Olin Norrid, region1@tokeyclub.com Lieutenant Governor- Vacant, n/a for Region 1, Division 7/33

Partnerships