STUYVESANT KEY CLUB CARING, OUR WAY OF LIFE. 345 CHAMBERS STREET NEW YORK, NY 10282 | VOLUME IX | SPECIAL INDUCTION ISSUE
Official Newsletter of Stuyvesant H.S. Key Club/New York Division 11
The Locksmith members do tasks such as route marshalling or giving out refresh-
Unfortunately, they decided that would also be the right time to rain, but we're gonna be walking rain or shine, so bring an um-
The anticipation for AIDS Walk could be seen through this quote from an email sent out by the Key Club slate the day before AIDS Walk was held at Central Park on Sunday morning, May 18. Community service events for Key Club are often fundraising walks where
Clubbers were lucky and walked with hundreds of others to gain support and raise money for the AIDS cause. On Sunday morning, around thirty Stuyvesant kids (including me!) woke up early and made their way into Central Park to serve our community. From the entrance, there was an almost never-ending walk to get to the Stuy KC table for us to sign in. In between were dozens of other tables for the other organizations that were taking part in the walk from Verizon to Target to Bronx High School of Science. (Continued on page 2.)
Inside this issue: Farewells From the Graduating Cab!
AIDS Walk!
1-2
Baby Buggy
3
Tour de Brooklyn
4
Teddy Bear Sales
5
One Harlem Community Service Day
6
Pre-Induction
7
Letters from the Cabinet
8-12
Crossword A Look Back at Key Club 07-08
13
Important Key Club Information
14
Final Farewell
14
VISIT WWW.STUYKC.ORG FOR MORE DETAILS ON UPCOMING EVENTS!
AIDS Walk The mere fact that we were taking part in such a huge event brought about feelings of excitement and support from all of us. As we began the walk, shouts were loud and spirited and people besides us even joined in at times. However, the shouts became soft and rare after the focus turned to
refreshments (Grape-flavored Propel!) and snacks (Butterfinger Granola Bars!) that were served at different points of the walk. But it was-
guys who were wearing what looked like caution tape strung together like hula skirts (dancing, I might add) at the finish line, but also because, believe it or not, we had walked ten kilometers and were pumped for another. As shout-outs for Key Club were given from random guys with microphones, we ignored our aching ankles and focused on the importance of what we were doing. It did-
much fun as we had that sunny morning. - Leena Mancheril
it was each of us pushing each other to the end point. When one slowed down, another offered encouragement to keep the pace. When a few got ahead, they held back and waited for the rest of the group. In the end, we all made it to the finish line together, laughing and jumping.
Baby Buggy .
Baby Buggy! The conditions for this Key Club event were very much in our favor. It was one of those D days on a very fresh Monday. The weather, although a little chilly and windy, was still nice and encouraged great spirits amongst the already cheerful Key Clubbers. We, the fifteen lucky chosen ones, marched out of train to 34th Street Penn Station. We walked a few blocks along some very amazing looking buildings (tourist, much?). Afterwards, we found ourselves at an unfamiliar yet interesting place. It was the nice and cozy little workshop of Baby Buggy. We were led to a small worktable. There were irons and towels laid out in addition to a basket full of clothes. Our mission was to patch these baby clothes so that they could be shipped off to families in need. The clothes were adorable and ranged from various name brands, companies, and families that were generous enough to donate to Baby Buggy. The people there were very sweet and kind and we helped them sort clothing into various age groups.
We worked for a couple of hours while bonding and listening to Z100 on the radio. It turns out Victor Ma has a love for music! Like every other Key Club event, the experience was very relaxing because we knew how this was benefiting the community. At the conclusion of the nice event, we got to watch a film about Baby Buggy produced by HBO while eating snacks they provided! After that, we were on our way home and what was there to find when I got there? Minimal homework! - Ruchi Jain
Tour de Brooklyn Tour de Brooklyn! When I heard about Tour de Brooklyn, I thought it was going to be another NYRR-ish event where we would do route marshalling along the path. Of course, I knew that bikers that were passing through racing. A nice ride in the spring sun. Anyway, I go to NYRR events just because I like Central Park and you get a free T-Shirt. This event couldshalling, trees and bushes, and a free Tme!) When we got there however, we had to wait a while until we saw the Beta Club of Brooklyn Tech and we were sure that we should wait along with them until someone called us over. When we were finally called over, the lady wanted us to carry stuff from the truck to the center of the park. I thought,
bagels! All kinds of them. Peanut butter and jam! Nature Valley bars! WOW! We were actually making food for when the bikers came to rest. This was gonna be fun. So while Sharif and Jennifer (the project captain) were doing the fun stuff of putting fillings in the bagels, I had to mark bags according to what was inside each bagel. Then, we switched and I got the fun part of putting the jam and PB on the bagels. Each bag contained a bagel and a fruit bar. It was pretty funny when we ran out of fruit bars. We ran with the manager of Tour de Brooklyn, the the nearest grocery store and doubled their profits for a month. Yes, we bought all the Nature Valley bars on the shelf. It came out to be about $200+. Yeah, that was kinda funny. So many unexpected things pect more to come, right?
ganized. Stuff from a trunk, no warning of them or identification
Of course, Jensen is never right. I expected no more surprises that way, we actually got TOO MANY fruit bars. So we did what we did at
Checklist: Route marshalling: not yet. Trees and bushes: many. Free T-shirt: Oh yeah! Yup, we got our shirts. I was happy. But I had expected a long period of route marshalling to come. Instead, the stuff
guessed it.
It
only less than 10 people came to - Jensen Cheong
March of Dimes: Teddy Bear Sales Fundraising
money raised goes towards research in preventing polio and
As people walk by the table, they
other diseases, saving premature
stop by to read the signs and in-
babies in the process. Not only
quire about the bears. The bears
were the bears sold, but little shoes
smile at them, silently begging
and footprints were sold for a dol-
them to buy them, but to no avail.
lar. On these, a donator could write
The people leave. They nearly sag
a message (or his or her name) on
with disappointment. More people
it to spread the word and perhaps
come. They smile with renewed
encourage others to buy or donate.
vigor. Some of the bears are picked
All of them were sold by the end of
up by the people to be inspected.
the sale!
They strain their ears to hear the In addition, most, if not all of you must have heard about the devasand get dropped painfully back
tating Sichuan earthquake. To help,
onto the table. Their eyes water
people dropped money in the
with the pain. The warning bell
bright blue and green box in front
rings. Perhaps another day, they
of the Key Club bulletin board.
think bitterly, their eyes filling with
Someone even dropped in a crisp,
tears.
colorful $50 bill! The pictures on the board that were put up were
What are adorable little $7 teddy
very emotional and we managed to
bears (and storks) doing on a table
raise over $800!
in front of the Key Club table in the first place, one might ask oneself.
Great job to all the volunteers and
To raise money for the March of
contributors!
Dimes, to save premature babies, one might answer oneself. The
- Katherine Chen
One Harlem Community Service Day One Community On the morning of May 10, I woke up early to head to the One Harlem
Instead, we joined City Year in their unusual pre-event session they They thought it would help us get
the Central Park Harlem we usually went to for route marshalling events or the Harlem I saw while riding my bike on Saturday mornings. This was real Harlem. At the station entrance, a hung-over man was struggling to jump the turnstile while the station manager was asleep on the job. Up the steps, a ten-year-old girl tried to sell me a bouquet of flowers while old men sat on the curbs and laughed at tasteless jokes. Yes, this was Harlem. After walking through the neighborhood, slightly nervous, I reached the school where just one Key Clubber, the project captain, was waiting. When I entered the schoolyard, I was greeted by a group of volunteers from the organization we had partnered with City Year. They were cheering in unison, doing flips, and looked more like cheerleaders in red jackets than volunteers. City Year works mainly in Harlem to bring together the youth of the community in a year of service. The passion and enthusiasm they displayed that morning made me feel safer and excited to work in Harlem. My usual cold self let out a slight smile as I walked by and signed in.
work. I thought it was lame. But now that I look back at the jumping jacks and the awkward punching
expected from a place like Harlem. Everyone was excited, even the principal of the school that was hosting the event. We went around in a circle and introduced our-
We went into the community center and went downstairs to the gym where the paint cans were scattered along the floor. The figures were already drawn; we just had to give the mural color and life. After three hours of stroking brown, black, and yellow paint on the walls, we took a step back and looked around. The blank orange walls we encountered when we entered were alive with basketball players, baseball players, tennis rackets, and ribbons weaving in between. It had to be the most rewarding and fun event this whole year, and it was a shame only three Key Clubbers went to experience it. No matter where our events take
we went around and saw how far people traveled just to help out, I was disappointed that we only had three members there.
natown, Manhattan or Brooklyn, near our school or near your home, ple who need help and are dedi-
We then walked over to the community center where we were going to paint a mural. As we walked through Harlem, there was a sort of community feel to it. There were friends gathered on grocery store fronts talking and laughing. There were kids going to and from Saturday school. The people on the sidewalks were smiling. One of our members had brought his PSP along. When I asked, quite loudly, whether a PSP or DS was better, a boy who happened to be walking
members of one community. Maybe it was too far for some Key Clubbers or maybe it was the reluctance to go to a place like Harlem,
where totally inaccessible like Long Island). The chance to volunteer somewhere is a chance to explore a new part of this great city. You might find something new and unexpected. - Gavin Huang
lem was pretty cool.
Pre-Induction Party The day started off breezy and light weathered. The anticipation was getting fet. Of course, due to my uncontrollable lack of direction, I eventually got lost around the streets of Manhattan. While wandering along 84th St, I coincidentally bumped into fellow Key Clubbers, Helen Song and Karina Moy! Fortunately, they knew the way, so I was saved. Upon arriving, none of the cab members besides Kenny were present. The waiting room was quite stuffy, since quite a number of people already came. While others were chatting in their comfy seats, I was standing by the piano with a couple of Key Clubbers who were passing time by playing cards. We entertained ourselves for quite a bit, playing games such as Chinese Poker and B.S. After a whole series of events, we were finally let in to eat. The one rule was not to waste any food, which proved to be difficult later on. The other cab members arrived later after much exhaustion from the train ride, and we were all feasting on wonderfully delicious sushi (and rice, of course).
At some point, there was an excess of food that not many people wanted. To determine the person who would eat the delicacies, we held a game of Chinese Poker, much similar to the one in the morning. The only difference was the loser would be forced to eat a piece of food. We soon got bored of that and started running low on food. Mikki went back to get more sushi and the game continued. Jensen suddenly blurted, it was. I had the luck of watching guys eat grotesque combinations of food. Besides Gavin, who usually chose truth, the dares ranged from soy sauced watermelon to spicy tuna makisushi.
many people assumed. With a mix of English, Japanese, and Chinese songs, the night proved to be the most enjoyable ever. Some older songs chosen by Gavin, like the Rolling Stones and the Beatles, were entertaining to a wider indeed interesting, especially the one with so many repetitions of a certain word that caught many by surprise. Jensen, Gavin, Sharif and I were the last ones to leave, after staying an extra
at least we know the four of us can
next year with hopefully a bigger stomach. - Olivia Cheng
Afterwards we traveled to the karaoke place by foot. The first song of the night
Whatever happened in the other table, think, had the most fun, especially since the president and editor were an our table. Although, in the beginning, the president looked a bit upset about many things. But he soon lightened up! He was even kind enough to bring desert for us. No one seemed to be full until after an hour or so, besides Sharif. After
case may be, people continued going back and forth from the table to get more food.
by none other than Miktat! The disco ball in our room brought about a nostalgic, lazy atmosphere, accompanied by right was a bit distracting in the beginning, especially with the awareness of a construction person at work right next to us. While there everyone else was at the right side by the window, Gavin was later doing his drafting homework. He eventually found his calling in drumming to the song beats and singing. CHN: Pre-induction is really fun! Even if way to relax yourself!
FOR MORE VIDEOS ON PRE-INDUCTION, CHECK OUT STUYKC.ORG OR FRIEND OLIVIA CHENG ON FACEBOOK!
Farewells From the Cab [`07-`08] .
I would like to start off by saying that I am extremely proud of the club for its accomplishments and achievements this past Key Club year. I am even more proud of my fellow cab members and the new cab members (you guys are going to be great; I believe in you guys). I remember Key Club being a big part of my life during my freshman year and as a senior, I still feel the same way. I hope that what I have done this past year has left everybody with a good impression of what Key Club is. I hope that after enduring a year with me, everybody in the club will continue to be as active in and as enthusiastic about the club as I was. There is really no limit to the time and dedication you can devote to serving your home, school, and community. This is something that I want everybody to remember. This club is not just about getting credit for college or making yourself look good in a resume; it is more about the friends you make and the good times that you have in the club. However, I do apologize if anyone has felt neglected or deprived of this experience during their time in this club. As president, I was never there to be someone better or
greater than anyone else in the club. I was simply there to help you guys along and share the amazing experience that is Key Club with anybody who stepped into our cozy Cafeteria. Please take this message as a reminder that the cab members you see up there leading the meetings every Friday are not there because they want to look cool or want people to look up to and praise them. They are there because they have experienced Key Club like I have and like the many blessed past members who will always remember the Beaver Call or BOOMBA HEY!
are not as passionate or as devoted to the club as we are, but simply that you chose to continue expressing your passion and devotion as a member. It is really you, the members, who make this club amazing and fun. It is the continued efforts and charisma that everybody brings to the club that allows people to come into the club and feel right at home. So please continue being the wonderful and amazing members that you guys are and, yes the cab members are fun and cool people too (not just robots who run the club). As I wrap this
want to thank everybody in the club again for their support and time dedicated to the club and your cab members. Also, thank you for reading this ;). I will always remember the many members that I have gotten to know throughout the years and I will COME BACK to visit, so you guys can test me on your names if you think I have forgotten! So, farewell for now, dear because your new cab is amazing and will definitely do a great job. Richard Huang
Farewells From STUYVESANT the Cab [`07-`08] KEY CLUB CARING, OUR WAY OF LIFE..
As I head off to college in the fall, I will leave Stuy with fond memories and a large portion of them will be accredited to the four years I spent in Key Club. I can still remember very clearly how it all began. At a club-pub fair for prospective freshmen, an over-enthused Key Clubber was literally chasing Ashley and me down the hall to get us to put our contact information on the mailing list and I got a little scared and decided that Key Club was not for me. When Richard told me that he was going to join freshman year, I laughed in face and told him that Key Club was for losers. I joined anyway, but I did not intend to like it; I just planned to get my credit and I was out. As I went to more and more events, I grew to really like Key Club not just because it was actually fun, but also because each and every event was a rewarding experience. One of my first events was Meals-on-Heels. I spent a beautiful Saturday morning carrying and delivering hot food to several dozen senior citizens. Having to carry heavy bags of food up and down the Manhattan blocks, into
buildings, onto elevators, and through hallways to the hands of a hungry old man or woman was no easy task, but it was always worth the work to see someone smile and then thank us for being so thoughtful and kind. At the end of the day, they were happy, and I was happy that I made them happy.
been so much fun and an incredibly rewarding experience. I hope you guys feel the same way that I do even if you have the same initial reaction that I did to Key Club. Because you will find out that I was completely wrong.
The core values of Key Club are caring, character building, inclusiveness, and leadership. After attending many events, meetings, and divisionals, I felt I was only lacking in the latter core value and made it my goal to achieve that by becoming public relations committee head and your immediate past vice -president. Being a leader is not easy, but it pays off when I see you guys working your butts off
Sue Yee Chen
LOVE,
painting fences, wrapping gifts, collecting donations, or just attending meetings and having fun at the same time. So with an excessive amount of community service hours, I am ready to graduate and move on. But in the back of my mind, I will never forget Key Club.
to get your hug from Sue Yee during Induction!
Farewells From STUYVESANT the Cab [`07-`08] KEY CLUB CARING, OUR WAY OF LIFE..
My first encounter with Key Club left me completely freaked out. I was an incoming freshman to Stuy at the Club/Pub fair and some crazy guy, who I later found out was Howa (the treasurer of the club at the time), was chasing me down the hallway, waving fliers and copies of The Locksmith in my face. said. Riiight. I thought he was pulling some sales act to get me to join a decrepit club with a bunch of psycho, weird members like himself. Well, I was wrong. Key Club was vastly different from the suspicious, odd club I had envisioned. Instead, it was jam packed with a bunch of awesome people, a ton of fun events, and a plethora of meaningful and memorable experiences. Through Key Club, I met a lot of different people, some of them a lot of them were amazing. I was overwhelmed by the dedication to and the enthusiasm for the club and was even inspired to become more involved. Because of Key Club, I did a lot of things I never
expected myself to do, including the Beaver Dance in front of many, pelvic thrust many, many times. Within these four years in Key Club, I have run screaming from bees and spiders, have nearly been run over by a crazy walker, have made rock-hard, extremely burnt cookies, and have always, always had a good time, full of a whole lot of laughter. Key Club was also enlightening. Meeting cancer survivors, watching people from all walks of life unite under a cause, reading letters in illegible handwriting from children in Zimbabwe thanking us for our donations and letters being a part of it all was aweinspiring. It turned community service into something real, something that really was important to the community and to those who need help. Although this may sound corny and this may sound obvious, we really are making a difference. slight those differences are because they count. They add up and become huge differences, important differences.
I leave Key Club with a horde of unforgettable and irreplaceable memories and a group of extraordinary and irreplaceable friends. I have so much to thank Key Club for and hope all of you will continue to make Key Club the unique, wacky, and fun club I joined four years ago. Ashley Cheng
Farewells From STUYVESANT the Cab [`07-`08] KEY CLUB CARING, OUR WAY OF LIFE..
When I first joined Key Club, I was hoping to regroup with my Bronx Science friends and because I was truly passionate about community service work. However, being all caught up in this incoming sophomore business, I never really attended many Key Club meetings, especially since I didn't know many people from Stuy's Key Club. Hence, my points dwindled and yet my ambitious self still decided to run for treasurer that same year after I joined. While I was naive in running against a much more qualified junior, I do not regret having ran and made a fool out of myself in front of an audience of Key Clubbers with my empty binder and "love for math", as some may recall me claiming during my speech. This loss was a wake-up call for me. It reminded me that I need to work for what I want.
and closest people I know in Stuyvesant. Then, after having paid my service and earned the respect and friendship of a small lot of Key Clubbers, I decided to run for treasurer again; this time around with much more wisdom and experience than last year.
Thus, during junior year, I attended a lot more events than I did during sophomore year. While my points still barely covered 3000, I, nonetheless, put a lot more effort into Key Club and participated in as many activities as possible as a junior. Soon enough, I gained the friendship of some of the coolest
I sincerely hope I have made Key Club and all of the Key Club Treasurers in the history of Stuyvesant proud. I hope I have made the Cabinet proud. And, lastly and most importantly, I hope I have made you, fellow Key Clubber, proud. I did my best and I hope you will appreciate my work as it comes
I guess one grows with the passing of time, and I was luckily able to finally achieve the position as Key Club Treasurer. This time around, while I still barely reached my 3000 points, I was able to complete all of my Treasurer duties and serve Stuyvesant Key Club as Treasurer as best as I could. I also developed a bond with the Cabinet that I had never expected. Running for treasurer was one of the best decisions I have ever made because of the people I have met and gotten to know.
to an end. I guess the moral of the story, or at least the tad bit of advice I can pass down from my experience in Key Club, is not to go run for the position as treasurer despite your low participation rate. The bottom line is to be active in Key Club and you too may discover some of the most awesome people you will ever meet right here. Don't be afraid, just do it, and I promise you, you won't regret it. I surely didn't. Olivia Hu
Farewells From STUYVESANT the Cab [`07-`08] KEY CLUB CARING, OUR WAY OF LIFE..
To my fellow key clubbers,
year, but now it is time to part ways and say goodbye. It has definitely been hard and the workload almost unbearable at times, but in guys, the Key Clubbers, having fun at events. You guys are awesome and you are what makes this club awesome. It has truly been a privilege and an honor to have been an officer of all you dedicated members. Please continue your commitment to helping others and having fun. Make us proud and stay dedicated! I would like to give a special thanks to my former cab members who have helped me so much and have given me so much support. To the new cab: You guys will do an awesome job. I know it. Farewell, Anthony Choi
CHN: Gotta love this camera hog. =D
A Look Back at Key Club 07 08 Courtesy of Jensen Cheong
Key Club 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 to combat all forces which tend to undermine these institutions.
Important Key Club Information Key Club Board (2007-8)
The New Key Club Board (2008-9)
Jane Yang & Shadia Kim (Advocacy) Cissy Lin & Connie Liu (Art) Anne Tsay & Irene Kho (Fundraising) Joanna Chen & Pei Xiong Liu (Locksmith) Rachel Dekhterman & Judith Chow (New Projects) Jing W. Xiao & Snigdha Das (Public Relations) Gavin Huang and Victor Ma (Web)
Antara Afrin & Rebecca Chowdhury (Advocacy) Snigdha Das and Brenda Nguyen (Art) Amy Lin & Shayra Kamal (Fundraising) Bette Ha & Bryan Nguyen (Locksmith) Amanda Cheng & Helen Luo (New Projects) Christine Ha & Peiyu Lin (Public Relations) Jensen Cheong & Chris Yeung (Web) Helen Song and Donna Koo (USACF)
The Cabinet Gavin Huang President Victoria Tsang Vice President Kenny Yu Secretary Adeline Yeo Treasurer Victor Ma Editor