THE LOCKSMITH New York District / Division 11 Volume 4 Issue 2
Stuyvesant High School May/June Issue
Editor’s Note: Thank you so much for a wonderful school year and congratulations to the seniors for graduating. You will all be sorely missed. I wish you the best of luck in college! For the rest of us, we are one year closer to being in their shoes. Yay! I hope you enjoy this newsletter and don’t forget to contact me at locksmith@stuykc. org with any articles or pictures of events you have. Have a wonderful summer and don’t forget to volunteer!
‘16-’17 Stuyvesant Key Club Board: President: Jiaqi Gao jiaqigao12@gmail.com Vice President: Michelle Yang librasapphire2000@gmail.com Editor: Yvonne Pan ypan1@stuy.edu Webmaster: Alvin Zhu alvinzhu33@yahoo.com Secretary: Yuki Lau stuyyuki@gmail.com Treasurer: Sarah Rim sarahrim1221@gmail.com Contributors to this Issue: Anthony Annunziato: Author Jordan Louie: Author Yvonne Pan: Author Caleb Sooknanan: Author Min Ting Wu: Author Wenxi (Sissi) Zheng: Author Peter Alegre: Author/Photographer Julia Qin: Author/Photographer Bingyi Zeng: Author/Photographer Alvin Zhu: Author/Photographer Hao Yu Chen: Photographer Jiaqi Gao: Photographer Yuki Lau: Photographer Austin Leung: Photographer Wavian Li: Photographer Jerin Nln: Photographer Contact Us: www.stuykc.org www.facebook. com/groups/stuyvesantkeyclub/ Stuyvesant High School 345 Chambers Street New York, NY 10282
TABLE OF CONTENTS Timeline of Past Events May and June Events Upcoming Events Nami Walks NYC Japan Day Vegetarian Food Festival Passport to Taiwan Bensonhurst Cleanup Barnes and Noble Gift Wrapping Divisional Training Conference Water Wars Induction Meet the Committee Directors! Letter to Seniors Senior Reflections Tribute to Seniors
4 5 9 10 11 14 15 16 17 19 24 25 28 33 34 37
TIMELINE OF PAST EVENTS May 7:
NAMIWalks NYC Color Run Queens May 8: Japan Day Vegetarian Food Festival May 15: Chinatown Weekend Walk May 21: Taste of Tribeca MOCA Family Treasures Day Rubik's Cube Competition Passport to Taiwan May 22: Passport to Taiwan Bensonhurst Cleanup May 28-29: Barnes & Noble Gift Wrapping May 31-June 3: Yuda Bands Fundraiser June 4: Find Your Park Day of Service Barnes & Noble Gift Wrapping June 5: We Run for Hope 5K Housing Works Street Fair Barnes & Noble Gift Wrapping June 6-June 8: Yuda Bands Fundraiser June 11: Stuy Alumni Day Barnes & Noble Gift Wrapping June 12: Drums Along the Hudson Barnes & Noble Gift Wrapping June 18: Divisional Training Conference June 19: Origami USA Convention Egg Rolls, Egg Cream & Empanadas Festival June 25: Puppetry Arts Festival TRC Basketball Tournament June 26: NYC Pride March Stuyvesant and LaGuardia Finding Dory Movie Fundraiser June 27: Induction June 29: Chinatown BID Gala June 30: Bayside Buffet Fundraiser
MAY AND JUNE EVENTS Color Run Queens (Saturday, May 7th) Time: 7:30AM to 1:30PM Location: CITI FIELD - 123-01 Roosevelt Avenue, New York, New York, 11368 Description: The Color Run Queens will be raising money for Back on My Feet, a charity that raises money to help those experiencing homelessness. Volunteer tasks include handing out water , revving up the crowd, and throwing powdered color(corn starch) at runners.
NAMIWalks NYC (Saturday, May 7th) Time: 8:00AM to 12:00PM Location: South Street Seaport Museum Promenade - 12 Fulton Street Description: In this annual event, we will once again be helping NAMI in the largest mental health walk in New York City. We'll be greeting participants, giving out water, distributing food, and managing the crowd.
Vegetarian Food Festival (Sunday, May 8th) Shift Times: 11:00AM to 3:00PM; 2:45PM to 7:45PM Location: Metropolitan Pavilion - 125 W 18th St, New York, NY 10011 Description: We'll be helping the US Veg Corp out with their annual vegetarian food fest. Volunteers will be giving out promotional material, managing guest control, managing food tickets, etc.
Japan Day (Sunday, May 8th) Shift Times: 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM; 11:30AM to 4:00PM Location: Central Park Bandshell Description: Japan Day will have food and activity tents as well as a stage program displaying a wide range of Japanese culture so be sure to come! We will help out with crowd control at the Yukata and Calligraphy tents.
Chinatown Weekend Walk (Sunday, May 15th) Shift Times: 8:00AM to 1:00PM; 12:00PM to 6:00PM Location: Mott St and Bayard St, Chinatown Description: We'll be helping Chinatown BID with their Asian-American Heritage weekend walk. Just like in the past, volunteers will be setting up, manning tents, handing out flyers, manning games, etc. Please make sure you're available that day before signing up.
Passport to Taiwan (Saturday, May 21st and Sunday, May 22nd) Time: Sat- 12:00PM to 6:00PM; Sun- 9:00AM to 6:00PM Location: Sat- 3055 31st St Astoria, NY 11102; Sun- Union Square Description: We'll be helping out at the 15th Annual Passport to Taiwan festival celebrating Taiwanese heritage. There will be lots of food, crafts, and performances. Volunteers will be preparing food, setting up, selling food, breaking down, and manning the tents.
Taste of Tribeca (Saturday, May 21st) Time: 9:30AM to 5:00PM Location: Intersection of Duane Street and Greenwich Street (near Stuy) Description: We'll be helping out at the annual Taste of Tribeca event, which is culinary festival hosted by P.S.150 as a fundraiser event for their arts & music program. Volunteers will be helping food vendors and the distributing food to the VIP tables.
MOCA Family Treasures Day (Saturday, May 21st) Time: 11:00AM to 4:30PM Location: MOCA - 215 Centre St, New York, NY Description: We'll be helping at MOCA's Family Treasures event, where there will many workshops on preserving family heirlooms, recording family and neighborhood history, and digitizing culturally significant documents and items. Volunteers will help set up, assist with interactive workshops, help out with the craft stations, and do crowd control.
MAY AND JUNE EVENTS Rubik's Cube Competition (Saturday, May 21st) Shift Times: 7:30AM to 10:00AM; 10:00AM to 2:00PM; 2:00PM to 6:00PM Location: 21-21 Crescent Street, Astoria, NY 11105 Description: We'll be helping out at the Big Apple Spring 2016 Rubik's Cube contest. Volunteers will be helping out with setup, distribution of materials, cleaning up, etc. Breakfast and lunch will be provided!!
Bensonhurst Cleanup (Sunday, May 22nd) Time: 9:30AM to 2:00PM Meet-up Location: 29 Bay 25th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11214 Description: We'll be helping out at a Young Democrats Club's neighborhood cleanup event. Volunteers will help sweep the streets and inform residents and businesses about sanitation rules. There will be free pizza for volunteers!!!
Barnes & Noble Gift Wrapping (May 28th, May 29th, June 4th, June 5th, June 11th, June 12th) Time: 10:00AM to 2:00PM Location: Right outside the entrance of the Barnes & Noble near Stuy (97 Warren St, New York, NY 10007) Description: We'll be gift wrapping anything customers walking out of Barnes and Noble want to have gift wrapped. We will also be collecting tips from the customers!! Come to Barnes and Noble on the weekends to study for your finals or Regents and come volunteer while you're at it :)
Yuda Bands Fundraiser (May 31st -- June 8th) Time: Before 1st period -- After 10th period Location: 1. Before 1st~ 3rd period; 9th~After 10th period: 2nd floor by the scanners 2. Periods 4~8: Cafeteria Description: We are going to be selling Yuda Bands, each wrist band costing $7, to fundraise money towards children education in Guatemala. Each volunteer for a specific time slot will be responsible for retrieving the bands from our Key Club locker at the beginning of the period, as well as putting it back before the period is over. Volunteers who worked more than 10 slots will receive a free Stuyvesant Environmental Club water bottle! So, quickly sign up!
Find Your Park Day of Service (Saturday, June 4th) Time: 9:30AM to 2:30PM Location: General Grant National Memorial, W. 122nd St & Riverside Dr. Description: We'll be helping to restore the General Grant National Memorial and the adjacent Riverside Park with LaGuardia Key Club. Please wear long pants and closed-toe shoes and bring a reusable water bottle. The event will take place rain or shine so please dress for the weather! Morning coffee, lunch, and a Find Your Park shirt will be provided.
We Run for Hope 5k (Sunday, June 5th) Time: 7:00AM to 11:00AM Location: Astoria Park, Queens, NY Description: Show your support for National Cancer Survivors Day! Volunteers will be helping out and facilitating the race with these various tasks: race day setup, registration, bib distribution, cheering participants, and event cleanup. Since this event is so early, we are offering extra hours for people who go!
Housing Works Street Fair (Sunday, June 5th) Time: 1:00PM to 5:00PM Location: 126 Crosby Street, New York, NY 10012 Description: We'll be helping Housing Works out at their Open Air Street Fair. They will be selling CDs, donated books, and records for $1 each at the daylong shopping bazaar. Volunteers will be restocking books and helping customers.
MAY AND JUNE EVENTS Stuy Alumni Day (Saturday, June 11th) Time: 11:00AM to 4:00PM Location: Stuy!! Description: We'll be helping the Alumni Association out during Alumni Day. Volunteers will be doing a ton of different things, like setting up, running and participating in sporting events, leading school tours, running booths, and ushering people from place to place.
Drums Along the Hudson (Sunday, June 12th) Shift Times: 10:45AM to 2:45PM; 2:30PM to 7:00PM Location: Inwood Hill Park - 218th St. Entrance @ Indian Road Description: We'll be helping out at this annual event, hosted by Lotus Music & Dance. Volunteers will be assisting with the logistics there, setting up, doing crowd control, and greeting attendees.
Divisional Training Conference (Saturday, June 18th) Time: 9:00AM to 3:00PM Location: Stuy!!! Description: DTC is one of the largest events of the service year! We will be participating in this event with Divisions 8, 8a, 10, and our own Division 11. What’s included: Over 15 workshops or panels presented by Key Club International, handouts and presentation materials, opportunities to meet Key Clubbers from other divisions, and free lunch is provided! Price for admission is $10. This year, DTC is taking place at our very own Stuy, so come thru guys!!!
Egg Rolls, Egg Cream & Empanadas Festival (Sunday, June 19) Time: 10:00AM to 5:00PM Location: The Museum at Eldridge Street - 12 Eldridge Street, between Canal St and Division St Description: We will be helping out The Museum at Eldridge Street at this festival. Volunteers will be helping with festival setup, helping with art projects for children, selling egg rolls, egg creams and empanadas, welcoming visitors and putting away the supplies at the end.
Origami USA Convention (Sunday, June 19th) Shift Times: 7:30AM to 2:00PM; 1:00PM to 7:00PM Location: St. John's University in Queens, New York Description: We will be helping out Origami USA Convention 2016. During the Convention, we will help with Registration, Ticketing, Model Menu, Silent Auction, and their sales areas. We will also help with take-down and cleanup. Food will be provided for volunteers who stay for the duration of their shifts.
TRC Basketball Tournament (Saturday, June 25) Time: 9:00AM to 5:00PM Location: Sara D. Roosevelt Park (Grand St. & Chrystie St) Description: We'll be helping TRC with their annual Basketball Tournament. Volunteers will be helping out with various jobs based on their knowledge of basketball; however no experience is necessary! All volunteers will receive a free t-shirt and lunch. Please note your dietary restrictions on the form. In addition, all volunteers that attend the orientation held on June 15th will get extra hours!
Puppetry Arts Festival (Saturday, June 25) Shift Times: 8:00AM to 12:00PM; 12:00PM to 4:00PM Location: 4th St at 5th Ave near Old Stone House/Washington Park Description: We'll be working with Puppetry Arts at their arts festival. For this event, volunteers will be helping out with crafts, games, the bouncy house, and more! They will also be providing food for us!
MAY AND JUNE EVENTS
Stuyvesant and LaGuardia Finding Dory Movie Fundraiser (Sunday, June 26th) Time: 10:15AM Location: AMC Empire 25 (234 W. 42nd St) Description: Summer's here so join us in watching Finding Dory on the big screen! Enjoy seeing the long-awaited Finding Nemo sequel with your fellow Key Clubbers on June 26th. All proceeds will go into the district project, Icing Smiles. Price is $12!
NYC Pride March (Sunday, June 26th) Time: 10:30AM to 4:30PM Location: 36th St and 5th Ave Description: We'll be joining Stuy Amnesty Club at the annual Pride March to make your voice heard! When you volunteer for PRIDE, you’ll join 300,000 other activists from around the country who believe in human rights for all people, regardless of sexual orientation. Help us continue to grow the movement for human rights for everyone!
Induction!!!! (Monday, June 27th) Time: 12:00PM to 3:00PM (please don't be that one person who comes late who interrupts a heartfelt speech being given by one of the cabinet members or me!) Location: Silk Road Cafe (30 Mott St, New York, NY 10013) Description: It's our end-of-the-year celebration where Stuyvesant Key Club reserve a venue to celebrate our past service year, eat delicious food, bid adieu our old cabinet, say hello to our new cabinet, and give out awards/certificates for hours!!! We will also be giving out membership pins for those who never got them AND give out Stuyvesant Water Bottles to those volunteered for 10 or more shifts for the Yuda Band fundraiser. It’ll be tons of fun!
Chinatown BID Gala (Wednesday, June 29th) Shift Times: 2:00PM to 5:30PM for setup; 5:30PM to 10:00PM for running the event Location: Joy Luck Palace Description: Chinatown Partnership needs help in the upcoming dinner gala that will be happening at the Joy Luck Palace in Chinatown! We will be helping them hang up decorations, set up tables, and other small tasks. Those who attend this event must be able to stay for the whole time of their shifts (!!!), so please clear your schedules beforehand! There will be free dinner provided for those who stay for running the event! Please note you must dress at LEAST business casual! This is a nice formal party, so do not show up looking like a bum!
Bayside Buffet Fundraiser (Thursday, June 30) Time: 12:00PM to 2:00PM Location: Century Super Buffet (220-18 Hillside Ave, Queens Village, NY 11427 Description: We'll be attending the Bayside High School Key Club's Buffet Fundraiser held at Century Super Buffet! Go to meet other Key Clubbers from other districts or just to relax after a long school year.
UPCOMING EVENTS B&N Gift Wrapping (July 2nd, July 3rd, July 9th, July 10th, July 16, July 17) Time: 10:00AM to 2:00PM Location: Entrance of Barnes & Noble near Stuy (97 Warren St, New York, NY 10007) Description: The Barnes & Noble near our school has asked us to help them with gift wrapping. Volunteers will be helping the bookstore's customers wrap their gifts and books! This event is always really fun and we will pay for your lunch :)
Come Out & Play Festival (Saturday, July 9th) Time: 9:00AM to 6:00PM Location: Governor's Island Description: We'll be going to the beautiful Governor's Island once again for Come Out & Play's Field Day. This event showcases spectacular new field games & sports for adults to play. Volunteers will help with setup, running of the games, and cleanup.
Rubin Museum Block Party (Sunday, July 17) Shift Times: 12:00PM to 2:30PM, 2:00PM to 5:00PM, 12:00PM to 5:00PM Location: Rubin Museum - 150 West 17th Street, New York, NY Description: We'll be helping out at the Rubin Museum Block Party. Volunteers will be helping out at booths and will have the opportunity to watch multiple performances.
Summer Streets (August 6th, August 13th, August 20th) Time: 6:30AM to 1:00PM; 6:30AM to 10:30AM; 10:00AM to 1:30PM Location: Astor Place AND/OR Soho Locations Description: On the first three Saturdays in August, from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park, 7 miles of streets will be closed to cars for six hours to allow walkers, runners, cyclists and people of all ages to take back the streets and enjoy many free activities along the route. Volunteers need to be 16 years of age or older and be able to work outside in variable weather. All volunteers will receive a commemorative shirt and goodie bag packed with great gifts and snacks from sponsors. Spots for this event fill early btw!!
Blacklight Slide (Saturday, August 13th) Time: 5:30PM to 10:30PM or 7:30PM to 10:30PM Location: Aviator Sports & Events Center, Brooklyn Description: We'll be helping out at the Blacklight Slide held at the Aviator Center. Volunteers will be checking in participants into an event filled with glowing sliders, watching participants slide down the neon slides, and shooting glow water at the sliders.Volunteers must be 16 years of age or older! There are limited spots remaining as of now so please sign up asap if you are going.
Color Run (Saturday, September 3rd) Time: 7:30AM to 1:30PM Location: Aviator Sports and Events Center, Brooklyn Description: Color Run is a 5k, un-timed race in which thousands of people, or “Color Runners�, are doused from head to toe in different colors at each station. We'll be helping out at color stations, the finish line, festival area, water stations, etc. Although this event is still some time away, volunteer spots fill out extremely early every year, so please sign up ahead of time if you are planning to go.
NAMI Walks NYC
Pictures by Hao Yu Chen and Bingyi Zeng
Japan Day by Yvonne Pan The tenth annual Japan Day in Central Park was hosted on May 10th this year. I had heard so many nice things about the event but was unable to sign up for it last year. Imagine my surprise when I was given a chance to volunteer there this year. When I first arrived at Central Park, I was amazed to see the sheer amount of people there. Admittedly, I was lost, but I soon found my way to the rest of our school’s volunteers. I was assigned to volunteer at the Charity Tent, convincing people to donate to the Kumamoto Earthquake Photo taken by Jerin Nln Relief Fund. The relief fund raised money to aid the countless people that were affected by the earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture just over two months ago, on April 14th. My job was to ask people to donate money to the fund and if they donated $20 or more, they would receive a free Japan Day tshirt. In the four hours that I volunteered at this event, I worked closely with the Consulate of Japan in distributing the t-shirts along with drinks. It was really nice to work with such a motivated group of people who obviously wanted to help the victims of the Kumamoto earthquake. This was truly a wonderful experience and I look forward to volunteering at this event next year.
Photos taken by Austin Leung
Japan Day
Photos taken by Jerin Nln and Austin Leung
Japan Day
Photos taken by Austin Leung
Vegetarian Food Festival
Photos by Bingyi Zeng
Passport to Taiwan by Min Ting Wu (NEST+M Key Club) Passport to Taiwan is an annual event that promotes Taiwanese culture in Washington Square Park every single year. Stuy Key Club worked with Stuy Red Cross this year to sell beef rice and noodles. During the event, we cooperated with with other clubs in that some people handled the money, others dealt with pouring the drinks into the cups, etc. It was a really fun and friendly event! Towards the end of the event, some of the booths gave us free food such as bubble tea, bread, chicken, and more. I strongly recommend others to go to this event next year!
Photos by Yuki Lau
Photos by Yuki Lau
Bensonhurst Cleanup by Yvonne Pan On May 22nd, I attended United Progressive Young Democrats Club’s Bensonhurst Clean Up. I had originally signed up for the event because it was just a twenty-minute walk from my house but I soon discovered that it was a great decision to take part in the cleanup. When I first walked into assembly member William Colton’s office, I was surprised to learn that one of my friends, Kenny Zheng, had taken part in organizing the event. I’ve known Kenny for two years and we are neighbors, yet I had no idea how active he was in our community. After registration, our team of volunteers were assigned two blocks to sweep and essentially make the neighborhood a cleaner place. Although it was a lot of work, I’m glad I got to bond with the members of our club and meet Key Clubbers from other schools like Staten Island Tech, Brooklyn Tech, and Murrow. It was really nice to feel like we were actually helping the community and because the event was so close to my house, it really hit home. After we finished tidying up various blocks in Bensonhurst, we walked back to Colton’s office where we were invited to pizza and soda. Although the food was delicious, the reward of cleaning up my neighborhood was priceless.
Barnes and Noble Gift Wrapping by Peter Alegre (Bronx Science Key Club) On June 4th, I attended the Barnes & Nobles gift wrapping event. Although, I was unfamiliar with the other volunteers at first, I quickly warmed up to them and had a fun time. It was held at the Barnes & Nobles near Stuyvesant, and we sat a table wrapping gifts for people. The table was set up outside the store and 4 different rolls of wrapping paper were available. A poster was created and hung on a wall to indicate we were wrapping gifts for free. Early on, we also began to fold cranes. These cranes were folded from the paper and a few kids took some of them. At first, I didn't know how to wrap the gifts but learned quickly. Over the course of 4 hours, the volunteers and I had wrapped around 100 gifts. Various different types of gifts were wrapped. Gifts ranging from books and toys were wrapped. Some gifts were harder than others, but we all managed to do it together. The event was relatively short but I had a great time. I met new volunteers from Stuyvesant and helped brighten peoples days. The free lunch was also great too. I look forward to attending this event the next chance I get!
Photos by Peter Alegre
Barnes and Noble Gift Wrapping
Photos by Peter Alegre
Divisional Training Conference
Photos taken by Julia Qin
Divisional Training Conference by Anthony Annunziato (Midwood Key Club) On June 18th, I attended my second Divisional Training Conference which was held at the amazing Stuyvesant High School. It was great to see people from all five divisions; there were people from Brooklyn, to Manhattan, to Queens, to even Staten Island there. This conference was great for new members to learn about Key Club and for members like me as the Head of Committees for Midwood High School Key Club, to learn more about the position as a committee head. The entire conference was organized but there were slip ups with technical difficulties. Even with those technical difficulties, we were still able to get to know each other through ice-breakers at the workshops. Everybody was dressed appropriately with the business-casual dress code and we interacted through the workshops. K-Fair, which was a great way to learn more about other people, turned to an all-out spirit war. After the conference, everybody that I talked to said that they will definitely come back to the Divisional Training Conference next year.
Photo taken by Jiaqi Gao
Divisional Training Conference
Photos taken by Julia Qin
Divisional Training Conference by Bingyi Zeng On June 18th, Key Clubbers from all parts of New York went to DTC. I arrived right on time for Divisional Training Conference. DTC had many interesting workshops and it was really difficult for me to choose. I ended up walking around with friends and chose the one that sounded most interesting. I went to many different workshops but my favorite part was the K-Fair where all of Key Clubbers crowded into the cafeteria. We got to play fun games and bond with people from different school. My favorite game was the extreme rock, paper, scissors. It was funny to see everyone going to random strangers and play rock, paper, scissors with them. I was really confused at first but I quickly joined the game.
* Shout out to Bingyi for winning the rock, paper, scissors tournament. We are so proud of her!
Photos taken by Jiaqi Gao
Divisional Training Conference
Photos taken by Julia Qin
Water Wars by Alvin Zhu
The sun is out and the clouds are rolling as Bronx Science’s Water Wars goes underway. A large group of bystanders sits under the shade of a large oak, eagerly waiting for the picnic to begin. In the meantime, teams of four surround a stack of water balloons, creating a Hunger Games-esque atmosphere, for a free-for-all session of capture the flag. Once the start of the war was signaled, they giddily chase each other while skillfully throwing colorful water balloons. Amid the chaos of the battlefield and the screech of shrill battle cries, one team assured their victory in glory. As they make a victory lap back to the bystanders, a picnic towel full of aluminum pans greets their return. The shiny lids are propped off, revealing a whole array of homemade, fresh food. There are pastas, sandwiches, cookies, brownies, and even fried Oreos. All the while, sweet tunes and rhythms from the hit show Hamilton play in the background. With all the food, all the friends, and all the excitement (and might I add raising more than $600 for the Icing Smiles fundraiser), this event was a total success. Thank you, Bronx Science Key Club, for inviting every one of us to this awesome event/tradition!
Induction by Julia Qin Mott Street is often styled the "Main Street of Chinatown" and as a frequent visitor of the Asian enclave, wandering down the winding sidewalks was a familiar experience. This day, however, my usual leisurely stroll transformed into a brisk walk of apprehension. I described Induction as "the most important event of the year for Stuy Key Club" and entering Silk Road, my heart raced as I considered everything that could have gone wrong. As I walked into the backroom of the cafe, though, I breathed a sigh of relief. The streamers were still intact, everyone enjoyed a bubble tea, and the Shanghainese food I'd chosen had been well received. Our faculty advisor, Mr. Papagayo, was even able to make an Photo taken by Julia Qin appearance despite the Professional Development day for teachers. I delivered the certificates that I'd spent an eternity printing to the leaders and went to retrieve my lunch. Rice, pepper steak, and fried dumpling covered my plate and the owner handed me my complimentary bubble tea. As I dug in, my friends updated me on what I'd missed. The old cabinet members had each made emotional speeches about their time in Key Club. Caleb had delivered an especially amazing address centralized around his four Fs: friendship, fortitude, fearing fear, and final words. Soon after we finished eating, Papagayo and Kalvin Chi, the Lieutenant Governer for our division, addressed us, each reflecting on the progress the old cabinet members had made and all their many accomplishments. Papagayo discussed in his quiet, articulate style, his pride in both the cabinet members and our key club generally, encouraging us to approach him if we ever needed support. Kalvin expounded on the effects the Key Club community had on him and praised the old cabinet for their improvements to the club. Sissi then began the pinning ceremony for the new cabinet. Laughing, she introduced Jiaqi and explained their first interaction as partners for Forensics. She complimented Jiaqi for her skill in dealing with Econome's "totally random assignments" and explained that she had first encouraged Jiaqi to run for President. Nicole commended Jiaqi and Michelle for their dedication to their office, revealing that they'd achieved nearly perfect scores on the difficult Key Club test. After the speeches concluded, the old cabinet presented awards and awarded certificates.
Induction
Photos taken by Wavian Li and Julia Qin
Induction
Photos taken by Julia Qin
MEET OUR NEW COMMITTEE DIRECTORS New Projects Directors: Wavian Li and Bingyi Zeng Hi guys! My name is Wavian, but I am also called wavy, wawa, and other bad nicknames. This year, I am one of your New Projects Directors and I aim to bring you more enjoyable events as well as uphold the legacy of the last service year. Although I joined Key Club in my sophomore year, it quickly transformed into the core of my high school career. This shows that it's never too late to make a mark on your community! Beyond Key Club, I'm also a member of the handball team, even though I have no hand-eye coordination. All in all, I hope Key Club provides you asmany opportunities as it did for me, to create new friendships, and to discover yourself as you improve your community. Please feel free to say hi and I promise you I'm not as scary as I look.
Hey Key Clubbers! My name is Bingyi Zeng (or Bing) and I am one of your New Projects Directors for the new service year. I joined Key Club freshman year and I'm so glad that I did. I met my best friends through Key Club and they are amazing! This year our committee will try our best to find fun events so you can enjoy volunteering. We want you to have fun while serving the community. Feel free to talk to me if you find any cool events or anything else. Other than Key Club, I also do many other things. I am part of track team and I am a racewalker (racewalking is different from speed walking). I also love anime and kdramas! I am very friendly so don't be afraid to say hi to me when you see me!
MEET OUR NEW COMMITTEE DIRECTORS Art Directors: Jennifer Min Kim and Jennifer Lu Hi KC! I'm Min or Jennifer or Jennifer Min Kim. As one of the Art Committee Directors, I make colorful stuff to spread the KC love! More specifically, I help with posters and the scrapbook. I first heard of Key Club when my Big Sib mentioned it at Camp Stuy and the club has become such a huge chunk of my life since. Freshman year, I racked up a whopping 7 hours but I managed to bump that number by a lot this year after getting more involved. Off KC, you can find me watching Netflix and eating dairyfree ice cream or getting lost on my way to places. I hope to see you guys at events!!
I’m Jennifer Lu, and I’m one of the Committee Directors for Key Club’s Art Committee. In my free time, I like to doodle and sing a variety of songs, though I need more practice to improve both skills. As an incoming senior, I hope to make my last year in high school the most memorable and to not be broke by the time I get to college.
MEET OUR NEW COMMITTEE DIRECTORS Fundraising Directors: Julia Qin and Wei Wen (Panda) Zhou
Book lover, sewing enthusiast, and sleep-deprived student, I, Julia Qin, can often be found with a book tucked into my arm and my head tucked into a table. But when I’m not despairing over my lack of sleep, I like to spend her time laughing, sketching, and rushing to finish homework. (Well, maybe not the last one.) I am very excited to be co-Fundraising Director for this service year.
Hey, Stuyvesant Key Clubbers! My name is Wei Wen Zhou, and I will be your fundraising committee director. My absolute favorite animal is pandas, so most people call me Panda, you can do the same, too. As fundraising director, I will plan many fundraisers to raise money for charities and people in need. Join the fundraising committee; to put your idea in action. The power behind FUNdraising is endless. Therefore, we, as a family, can make a bigger impact on our club, school, and community.
MEET OUR NEW COMMITTEE DIRECTORS Locksmith Director: Tiffany Chen Hey Key Clubbers! I'm Tiffany, and I'll be your Locksmith Director for the 2016-2017 service year! Volunteering with Key Club has always been a blast, and Key Club holds some of my fondest memories. As your Locksmith Director, I'll be helping out Yvonne, our current Editor, with editing articles and designing the Locksmith. We promise to bring you the best Locksmith possible! Remember that you can always contribute by sending photos and articles of events to locksmith@stuykc.org! Some of my hobbies (besides volunteering!) are writing, eating, playing Pokémon, and hanging out with friends. I'm really excited for this next year, and I'll make sure the Locksmith is as beautiful and awesome as ever. Feel free to say hi to me in the halls or message me on Facebook!
Web/Video Director: Jason Lam Hi Key Club! I’m Jason Lam and I am your new Web/Video Director! I joined Key Club in my freshman year and I’ve met so many new people who are now some of my closest friends. I enjoy volunteering and going to new exciting places! Most of my job consists of assisting our current Webmaster with improvements that can be made to the Key Club website, along with general maintenance such as updating points and posting upcoming events. If you want to know more about Key Club or just simply check up on points or new events, the website is the place to go. Outside of Key Club, I love to hang out with friends and play videogames, such as League of Legends, Super Smash Bros., and more. Feel free to talk to me anytime about games, Key Club, or anything else!
MEET OUR NEW COMMITTEE DIRECTORS
Public Relations Director: Henry Zheng Hey Key Club! My name is Henry Zheng and I am your new Director of Public Relations for the 2016-2017 service year. I first joined Key Club in freshman year and I am so glad I did. I made so many new friends that have become a few of my closest ones. Together with the cab and the other directors, we promise to create a fun environment with lots of enjoyable events to go to in order to ensure the best possible service year we can! Whether it is through local fundraisers or fundraisers for children on the other side of the world, we hope to have fun through it all! Through my experience as Director of Public Relations for the Sophomore Caucus for the 20152016 school year, I hope to bring that knowledge now to Key Club for the next service year! I promise to update y’all about any new and interesting events we have as soon as I get word of it. I’m also super friendly and always on Facebook, so feel free to message me! I love meeting new people to hang out with and do fun events with!
Dear seniors (or are you all freshmen now?), Congratulations on graduating Stuy! The past four years must have been tough but I'm glad you pulled through. On the behalf of Key Club, I’d like to thank you for all the hard work you have done and all the time you dedicated to our amazing club. You never let APs, tests, sports teams, debate tournaments, and the rest of your numerous extracurriculars get in the way of volunteering. It is truly amazing how you all managed to wake up early to volunteer, rain or shine and I genuinely admire your perseverance. Thank you so much for your relentless enthusiasm for helping better our community and beyond. You have all been amazing volunteers and have made Key Club an enjoyable experience for me. Thank you so much and we wish you the best of luck in college. Love, Yvonne Pan and the Cabinet
SENIOR REFLECTION: JORDAN LOUIE I can't believe that my time as a Key Clubber is over. Or at least officially. I will forever be a Key Clubber at heart. In my freshman year I wanted to be a part of a club that worked to help people and had the choice between Red Cross or Key Club. My sister, who at the time was president of her school's key club, encouraged me to join Stuy's. I guess I could have joined both but I wanted to really dedicate myself to one club. I ended up joining Key Club because of the way it felt like a family and I could see how passionate it's members were. This choice has made such a great impact for me. Through key club i have become so much more confident and outgoing. It has been such a great experience and I really am part of the Kiwanis family now. I've met so many amazing people who also love volunteering and helping others. I know so many people from other schools in the city and even the state which is such an incredible feeling. All the walks and tutoring and so many other events allowed me to help a lot of people and make really good friends. My only regret is that I didn't do even more key club events and meet even more people. Next year I will definitely be joining Circle K, the college branch of Kiwanis and am going to try to do every event that I can.
SENIOR REFLECTION: CALEB SOOKNANAN Dear Fellow Key Clubbers, My name is Caleb Sooknanan, and I have had the honor of serving as your 2015-2016 Club Webmaster. It would be extremely unfitting of me to rant about my own accomplishments, but allow me to bring to mind some of the things WE did as a club to make this service year awesome. We have raised over $1000 in numerous fundraisers and festivals. We have had more active members attending club, divisional, and district events, as well running for higher office. Our club has been recognized as the New York District’s first Club of the Month, an example for others to follow. Over the course of four years, our club has grown tremendously, and as I think about it, it ought to continue being molded by the work of incredible individuals like yourselves. Ever since the FAB! Festival event on September 28th of my sophomore year, I have forever been grateful for the friendships we have forged and the memories we have created, all with the hearty satisfaction that WE FEEL GOOD while serving our world. It’s a shame that I didn’t get involved in Key Club prior to my sophomore year, but since that choice to attend that one event during the fall term, I have very few regrets about joining Key Club. As I make the transition between high school and college, I can truly say that as a Key Clubber, I have grown in character and in spirit. I have learned to humble myself in the face of daunting circumstances, communicate with others in real conversations, and actually work to encourage others and lead others towards completing a task. I could go on and on about my favorite events or my experiences as being Webmaster, but I believe that for the sake of this letter, I want to expound some advice to continuing members and new members who may be reading this after I graduate. Besides, there are too many memorable events to recount and too many great experiences to talk about. That’s the beauty of learning more about the club and discovering it piece by piece for yourself! Key Clubbers, remember to keep believing in yourself. I know it sounds antiquated considering how Stuyvesant students often have difficult choices every day, but at the end of every service event—or actually anything you do—be content with who you are and what potential you bring. You are all brilliant and talented individuals, but sometimes, we fail to recognize that we can change ourselves just as much as we can change others. Always stay open to new ideas, even if they’re not in accord with what you originally intended or what you desired most out of the situation. As Webmaster, I’ve been forced to make choices that didn’t always match up with my line of thought, so instead of wondering why things can be so incompatible, I’ve learned to move on and understand what can be done differently. As Key Clubbers, you are servants and leaders, but you are also ambassadors and experimenters in your unique ways. Never stop living in the moment, and always take the time to explore new places, meet new people, and have something new to cherish every time you participate in an event. It has truly been a blessing to know all of you these past few weeks, and I hope for nothing but the best with Stuyvesant Key Club and its future endeavors. God bless you, and have a wonderful high school career! Yours in Service, Caleb Sooknanan
SENIOR REFLECTION: WENXI (SISSI) ZHENG “Here’s the the password to the club email, congrats!” the previous president messaged me the night I was elected president. I remember grinning at the message, excitedly replying “Thanks!” Little did I know, this would be the last time my predecessor would ever contact the club again. About a week later, I realized that me and the rest of the cabinet would need to figure run the club without much instruction from the previous cabinet. Besides a bullet point list of things I must do as president, I was on my own. After freaking out for a good ten minutes, I realized that I had to get it together. As the President, it was my duty to oversee the entire club’s operations, appoint committee heads, delegate tasks to Cabinet members and Committee heads, as well as setting an example for my club members by actively volunteering. Despite virtually non-existing committees and a history of doing things last minute, I set much higher standards for my Committees and Cabinet members. I created a new, more impartial Committee Head application while encouraging younger Key Clubbers to sign up for leadership positions. These younger members invigorated the committee system with energy. Currently, all of our committees are active, and meet at least once a month. After implementing a shared task sheet to track projects within the club and in the committees, each person was held accountable to their tasks, and there was a surge in productivity. This year, we successfully applied for a $500 grant from the Stuyvesant Student Union to use as base capital for fundraising projects and to fund projects for New York District Key Club’s club awards contests. I have also accomplished my goals of holding at least one meeting a month, having at least one volunteer event available per weekend, and encouraging more underclassmen to get involved with key club on a divisional and district level. These and other changes led to increased Key Club spirit, and changed Key Club’s reputation from being “the Red Cross that has dues.” One of the proudest moments of my term as Key Club President was when I overheard two underclassmen talking about how Key Club seemed to value volunteering more than just “getting x number of volunteer hours.” I think this change in perception of Key Club in Stuyvesant was why the number of dues-paying members this service year increased. Moments like these reminded me of how meaningful the time-consuming behind-the-scenes work I did on a daily basis really was. I spent hours and hours every day arranging volunteering events, delegating tasks to Cabinet members and committee heads, planning fundraisers, representing the club in meetings with other key clubs, and preparing for club meetings. But with the help of my wonderful cabinet, supportive committee heads, and caring members, I was able to create rippling change within the club worthy of being called a revolution. I also learned that no matter how young I was, I too could make a change in my community.
CONGRATULATIONS SENIORS!
Banik, Shimrani Cao, Zi Ying Cen, Hong Jie Chen, James Chen, Vicki Cheng, Kingkiu Chin, Andrew Chin, James Chou, Leon Feroz, Miah Genero, Gracia He, Cindy Hingorani, Amrit Jiang, Jim Kay, Bryan Ke, Jialin Ko, Sally Kristt, Melanie Lam, Tiffany Lei, Edison Leung, Kachun Leung, Sally Li, Helen
Lin, Chuan Lin, Jason Lin, Justin Liu, Jeffrey Liu, Min Jia Louie, Jordan M. Ma, Sijia Mai, Ming Mehjabin, Sabira Ng, Galen Ng, Nicole Ormandy, Lea Quinto, Lisa Sooknanan, Caleb Tan, Douglas Tang, Boying Tom, Jessica Wu, Javis Zhang, Dillon Zhang, Meijia Zhang, Tina Zheng, Wenxi (Sissi) Zhou, David
Thank you for reading my newsletter. I’d like to give a shout out to Tiffany Chen, our new Locksmith Director, for her crucial efforts for this newsletter, and I can’t wait to work with her on our July/August Issue. Have a great summer guys and don’t forget to volunteer!