THE LOCKSMITH New York District / Division 11 Volume 5 Issue 11
Stuyvesant High School Key Club March Issue
About Us What does Key Club mean to you? Featured writer: Michelle Yang I first joined Key Club in freshman year when I had way to much time on my hands. I stayed because the President at the time invited us to get bubble tea with her in Chinatown. I have said this story so many times, from my first induction to the first (and only) workshop that I have ever held. But this is something that really shows the inclusiveness of Key Club. It is a place where I am accepted for the person I am, even if people tease me about it. Key Club has been one of the biggest parts of my high school life. I have met some of the people who have changed the person who I am today, whether it be the way I write emails or how I speak in public. Some of these people have become my closest friends that I can confide in - people I would feel comfortable fangirling or crying with. I started to volunteer just for the heck of volunteering - for the happy feeling that you get after you do something good. It was something that I was able to become very passionate about while being surrounded by people who were just as passionate (if not more). I am proud of what Stuyvesant Key Club has accomplished this year, from the various prizes that we have earned to breaking through our fundraising goal. I can’t wait to see what our future cab has in store for us.
Give Us a Shout!
*NEW* Cabinet Jenna Foo, President jfoo@stuy.edu Penny Wang, Vice President pwang00@stuy.edu
Contacts Gilbert Papagayo, Faculty Advisor g.papagayo@gmail.com Stuyvesant High School 345 Chambers St. New York, NY 10282
Jason Xiong, Secretary jxiong10@stuy.edu Freya Zhu, Treasurer fzhu10@stuy.edu Sammi Lin, Editor slin01@stuy.edu Tiffany Zhong, Webmaster tiffany.zhong123@gmail.com
Table of Contents Letters from Tiffany and Sammi Announcements from Stuyvesant Key Club Announcements from Division 11 Announcements from New York District Key Club Announcements from Key Club International Timeline of Past Events Ongoing Events Timeline of Upcoming Events Photos and Articles
4 5 21 22 23 24 27 28 32
Letters from Tiffany and Sammi Tiffany Chen, Immediate Past Editor
Sammi Lin, Editor
Hey you guys! I’m so sad to write this because it means that this is my last official Locksmith as Editor. :( However, the person right next to me is now your Editor, and I know she will do amazing things. :) Key Club has been an amazing experience, and looking back at everything, I’m still shocked at how much I have accomplished as a volunteer and a dedicated Locksmither (I just made that up). I also loved watching everyone grow as people because of Key Club. My time here is unforgettable, and I really love you guys so much. <3 Here’s to the next service year!
Hi everyone! Well, this issue is kind of bittersweet. Of course, like always, i am incredibly impressed with all of the contributions everyone has made from articles, to photos, to helping put together the issue. But unfortunately, this is the last issue for Tiffany’s term as editor. I wish we could give her a huge digital applause for everything she’s created and all the work she’s done, but we cannot, so I will leave by saying “Thank you”! Thank you for showing us (me!) what dedication is and what it takes to be an editor, to be a member of Key Club. I can’t wait to work with everyone in the new service year!
Announcements from Stuyvesant Key Club Are you willing to take up a higher position in Key Club? Are you responsible and willing to dedicate yourself to making Key Club better? Regardless of what grade you are in or how much experience you have, as long as you are willing to dedicate yourself to directing a committee and working with the board to improve Key Club, you should apply to be a director! You can apply here, and the application is due Sunday! Here’s some descriptions of the available director positions! Fundraising Director: The ability to host and run fundraisers is what separates Key Club from other service clubs. As the head of the Fundraising Committee, these are essential tasks and qualities you must fulfill: ● Cooperate with the treasurer and continuously plan new fundraisers. ● Minimize expenses and maximize revenue to be a successful head. ● Communicate with companies in a professional manner, whether it be through email or other mediums. ● Communicate with and oversee the rest of the committee by delegating tasks to each committee member so that they are involved in planning and helping out at fundraisers. ● Most importantly, you must have the determination and dedication to learn how to manage funds and make sure fundraisers run smoothly.
Art Director: As a director of one of the more creative committees, you will help show Key Club pride and express what our Key Club is all about! The Art Committee is primarily responsible for creating a scrapbook and poster that will be entered in LTC! As director, you must: ● Periodically update the Key Club bulletin board with committee members. ● Assist Public Relations by creating posters for fundraisers and other activities. ● Design Key Club merchandise. Spread that spirit! Public Relations Committee Director: As Public Relations Committee Director, you would help spread the name of Key Club far and wide throughout the school through posters, email and social media. In doing this, you will work to increase the presence of Key Club within and beyond Stuyvesant. You are expected to: ● Work especially close with other committees (for example, you need Art to help with the posters and Web/Video to help promote events on the StuyKC website) ● Assign tasks to each of your committee members to make sure that all of them are actively advertising for Key Club. New Projects Director: Key Club revolves around service, and the New Projects Committee makes that possible. The job of the New Projects Committee director is to find events for Key Clubbers to volunteer at and organize them in order to ensure the most productive volunteering! You will be in charge of: ● Contacting coordinators and organizations for volunteering events. ● Working with other committee members for more successful volunteering. ● Following up on signups. ● Working closely with the secretary to bring the events to our Key Clubbers.
Locksmith Director: The Locksmith Director is essential for providing our Key Clubbers with a fantastic newsletter, the Locksmith! Being the Locksmith Director is an incredibly rewarding experience because you get to produce and share something that many will read and enjoy every month. No experience is required; all you need is a desire to learn and create! Because each newsletter requires a lot of time, thought, and effort, the Locksmith Director must be able to do the following: ● Encourage members to write articles and take pictures at events. ● Help with the layout of the newsletter. ● Think of new ideas to better the Locksmith. ● Attend events to write/photograph! ● Organize and delegate tasks to the Locksmith Committee. Web/Video Director: The Web/Video Committee Director works closely with the Webmaster to help update and maintain the club's website during the school year. By doing so, you are helping to promote Stuyvesant Key Club in the largest form of media today! It's a really fun position especially if you enjoy computer science or web development! Do not worry, all are welcome, so if you don't have any computer science experience, you can still run! As Director, you will be expected to: ● Come up with new ideas on how to make the website cooler for our members. ● Ask committee members to contribute by sending in videos from events. ● Create videos to help advertise Key Club.
Stuyvesant went to LTC two weeks ago and got loads of awards! Here’s a list of all of them. ● District Project Fundraising Award (Justin Chan) ● Perfect Paperwork (Jenna Foo) ● Early Bird Award (thank you to everyone who paid dues early!) ● Third Place - Non-Traditional Scrapbook Award (Art Committee) ● Outstanding Freshman Key Clubber (Freya Zhu) ● Distinguished Sophomore Key Clubber (Vincent Huang) ● Distinguished President (Michelle Yang) ● Distinguished Editor (Tiffany Chen) ● Distinguished Key Clubber (Alan Guo, Amit Narang, Freya Zhu, Jackson Ngo, Jason Xiong, Jenna Foo, Justin Chan, Kelly Chen, Michelle Yang, Penny Wang, Sonia Lee, Tiffany Chen, Vicky Zhu, Vincent Huang, Yuki Lau) Congrats to everyone who won awards, and here’s to more awards next service year!
LTC Recap: by Sonia Lee
LTC Recap: by Jason Xiong The three days I spent at LTC is probably one of the best times I had in my high school career so far. Though there may or may not be issues involving a broken suitcase and terrible sleeping decisions, everything else was amazing. After arriving at the Desmond Hotel, we were greeted by LTGs and other important Key Club officers. We went checked into our rooms and started to get dressed. One of the first stops I made was at the Key Club store and I got a really bright “highlighter” hoodie that totally didn’t make me question my financial decisions at all. The food at LTC was absolutely amazing and as a true foodie, I was more than satisfied. The best part of the first night was definitely playfair. Through playfair, I met so many new people and argued for the first time in my life that an empty glass is actually not empty and that the exit sign actually shows you where to enter. We also had the most epic rock-paper-scissor competition where Amit, our new district treasurer, being the winner. Day 1 ended on a great note until bedtime. When you are stuck with bed-hoggers, sleep is not a great experience and I had to make friends with the floor. That didn’t bother me though, LTC is not about sleeping, it’s about staying up and doing fun stuff, which unfortunately my roommates are too tired to do after watching a horror movie. Day 2 of LTC was a lot busier because it is the only full day with 3 workshops and caucus sessions. All three workshops I went to were either really fun or really informational. Day 2 was when some awards were given out and also the governor’s ball. Day 3 of LTC was full of a lot of joy and tears. Two of my close friends had won awards for their services and dedications and I’m nothing but proud of them. In addition, Amit had won district treasurer so claps for him as well. It was the last day though and let’s just say I cried… a lot. The ending of the service year mean the retirement of many Key Clubbers and many of them would be graduating in a few months. That made me very sad but overall, LTC was an extremely awesome experience and hopefully, I will get to come back next year, attend some other workshops, and maybe not have to sleep on the floor.
LTC Recap: by Freya Zhu This year has been a journey-one that was filled with both fun and hard times. I have met many different faces from all around Manhattan and after LTC, all throughout New York. This weekend was quite the experience, one that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m really grateful that I got to be a part of. Not only was I able to spend some quality time with all my friends, I was able to obtain some valuable information that would assist me during my time as treasurer. When attempting to hold big projects such as fundraisers, some additional assistance financially is often required. One way to obtain this would be to apply for a Youth Opportunity Fund Grant. I learned the process of how to apply for one and details on how to answer each questions to maximize the chances of obtaining funding for our projects. I also learned about the duties of a treasurer in one of the workshops. From how to register members to fundraising ideas, the treasurer workshop provided some valuable information that I will utilize in the future. During these three days, I also learned many valuable lessons from the speakers during the meeting sessions. Ranging from friendship to perseverance, these lessons helped me see volunteering in a different light. This trip also left me with many unforgettable memories like having a narwhal dance party and ordering pizza at midnight. All these experiences makes me more excited for the next year where I'm sure it'll be bigger and even more fun.
LTC Recap: by Vincent Huang LTC was an amazing experience to be part of this year. With all that was going on, not a moment of the conference was spent in vain, as Key Clubbers from all around New York attended workshops and meal sessions together. It was honestly one of the best weekends of my life and I managed to come out of the whole experience as a more able and well-informed leader. The skills I learned not only pertained to Key Club, but everyday life, whether it be teamwork and unity or event planning. Hearing the speeches of the candidates running for district office was also something that allowed me to learn and grow a lot. Their ideas on how to better New York District Key Club were very admirable, and inspired me to become a better member myself in the future. Overall, LTC was a very informative conference, which I hope I can attend next year as well.
Announcements from Division 11 We officially have our new Division Board! Here are the positions: Executive Assistant: Kimberly Nee Social Media Head: Joyce Lam Secretary: Daria Gaidamak Editor: Ivy Tong Webmaster: Hugh-Jay Yu Congrats to them, and here’s to an amazing service year with our new board! Join the Social Media Committee of Division 11! They collect photos from each club in the division, make videos, make posters, and advertise all things Key Club on social media. If you’re interested, apply here! The application is due on Tuesday. Join the Events Committee of Division 11! They organize volunteering events for the entire division to attend and hold fundraisers to raise money to Key Club causes. If you’re interested, apply here! The application is due on Tuesday. Attend Bronx Science and Stuyvesant’s movie fundraiser on April 28th from 11:00am to 2:30pm! It will be at Magic Johnson AMC for $12. You will get to see Infinity Wars with your amazing Key Club friends. Sign up here! Walk with us in the March of Babies! The walk will raise money and awareness for babies born prematurely or with birth defects. It will be on April 29 from 8:45am to 1:30pm starting at Columbus Avenue between 62nd and 65th Street. Sign up here and here if you’re interested!
Announcements from New York District Key Club At LTC, we elected an amazing new District Board! They will be overseeing the New York District. Congrats to everyone to won! Here are the positions: District Governor: Erica Swirsky District Secretary: Trisha Meilon District Treasurer: Amit Narang (our very own!) Congrats to everyone who got a position! Here is Ericaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s newest update.
Announcements from Key Club International Want to submit your amazing Key Club experiences to the local news? Learn how to do so here! Learn how to improve your club here! For International Happiness Day, Key Club International posted 10 ways to make your life happier. Check it out here! Join Key Club International for ICON this summer! Learn more about it here. It’s a rewarding experience that brings you closer to the division, the district, and Key Club as a whole! Wisconsin Key Clubbers used fairy tales to inspire a love of reading in young kids. Learn more about this here. Want extra funding for your service projects? Apply to receive Nickelodeon's HALO Movement’s grants! Applications are due April 30. Apply here! Three Key Clubbers offer an inside look at college life through dual enrollment. Find out how they’ve benefited and the advice they have for you here! When we do something kind for friends, family and even strangers, it’s only a matter of time before that kindness comes back to us. Here are 11 ways you can pay it forward—and give yourself some good karma.
Timeline of Past Events ●
March 4:
MS Climb to the Top Time: 5:00am to 11:00am Location: 30 Rockefeller Center Project Captain: Sammi Lin Description: We supported participants at bag check by organizing the bags and providing participants with a bag tag.
●
March 4:
St. Paddy’s 7K Time: 6:40am to 11:45am Location: Firefighters Field - Roosevelt Island Project Captain: Jackson Ngo Description: We helped out as cheerers, marshals, and water station managers, which supported Special Olympics New York!!
●
March 14:
Helping With Blood Drive Time: 3rd to 10th period Location: Stuyvesant High School Project Captain: N/A Description: We distributed pizza to those who gave blood.
●
March 15:
PS 124 PTC Translation Time: 4:30pm to 7:30pm Location: PS 124 Project Captain: Jason Xiong Description: We helped out at one of PS 124's parent teacher conferences. We acted as translators and helped out with any other necessary tasks.
Parent Teacher Conferences Time: 4:45pm to 8:00pm Location: Stuy! Project Captain: N/A Description: We helped out teachers at PTC!
●
March 16:
Parent-Teacher Conferences Time: 11:30am to 3:00pm Location: Stuy! Project Captain: N/A Description: We helped out teachers at PTC!
●
March 18:
Color Wars Time: 11:00am to 5:00pm Location: RIverside Park Project Captain: N/A Description: There was fun activities and delicious food at our Color Wars fundraiser!
●
March 22:
Stuyvesant Open House Time: 4:15pm to 8:30pm Location: Stuyvesant High School Project Captain: Jenna Foo Description: We gave tours, answered questions, and directed incoming freshmen and their families.
●
March 24:
March Hunger No More Time: 12:00pm to 2:00pm Location: 29th St & 11th Ave Project Captain: N/A Description: We distributed simple lunch packages to the homeless on the streets of NY.
â&#x2014;?
March 31:
Easter Eggstravaganza Time: 10:00am to 5:00pm Location: 117th St btwn 1st & Pleasant Ave in East Harlem Project Captain: Vincent Huang Description: We helped with set up and clean up, as well as participating during the event, which included an egg hunt, a painting contest, and more!
Ongoing Events State Test Tutoring (formerly called SHSAT Tutoring) Dates: Saturdays from February 19 to April 28 Time: 9am to 12pm Location: PS 298, 85 Watkins Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201 Project Captain: *needed* Description: We will be tutoring under-served Brooklyn students achieve higher scores on their upcoming tests. The students especially need help with math word problems. They need to build strategies to break down and solve math word problems. They also need support in literacy as well. You get to choose the days you volunteer but please choose at least two. :) Sign up here!
Hip2B Healthy Market Dates: Saturdays from March 3 to April 21 Time: Varies (check the signup form) Location: PS 298, 85 Watkins Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201 Project Captain: *needed* Description: We will be helping to run a fun Hip2B Healthy Market with kidsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;everything is 50 cents. We will help them make fresh orange juice, smoothies, parfaits, fresh juices with a juicer, popcorn and other treats. Sign up here!
Timeline of Upcoming Events â&#x2014;?
April 14:
Fight for Air Stair Climb Time: 6:30am to 1:00pm Location: One Penn Plaza Project Captain: *needed* Description: We will be helping the American Lung Association with their annual stair climb. There are different tasks for the volunteers and we will receive a free t-shirt. Sign up here!
NYC VisionWalk Time: 7:30am to 12:00pm Location: The Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park (Enter at 69th St entrance) Project Captain: *needed* Description: We will be helping with registration, giving out refreshments and t-shirts, and cleaning up. Sign up here!
â&#x2014;?
April 15:
Damon Runyon 5K Time: 7:00am to 1:00pm Location: Yankee Stadium Project Captain: *needed* Description: We will be helping with setting up and breaking down as well as cheering on the walkers and runners. There will be breakfast and lunch provided as well as a free t-shirt! Sign up here!
Marks JCH Mitzvah Day Time: 8:00am to 4:00pm Location: 7802 Bay Parkway, Brooklyn Project Captain: *needed* Description: We will be helping Marks JCH with their 12th annual Mitzvah Day! It'll be fun and a light breakfast will be served! Sign up here! â&#x2014;?
April 21:
Prospect Park 5K & 10K Time: 6:30am to 12:00pm Location: Prospect Park Project Captain: *needed* Description: We will be acting as course marshals, cheering on runners, and helping with the setup and breakdown of the fluid stations. We may also be helping with registration and bag check. Sign up here!
â&#x2014;?
April 22:
Tour de Staten Island Time: 10:00am to 2:30pm Location: Great Kills Park, Beach Center, 3270 Hylan Blvd, Staten Island 10305 Project Captain: *needed* Description: We will be helping Tour de Staten Island at their rest stops! We will be distributing water liquids to runners and cyclists. Transportation may be provided depending on the number of signups. Sign up here!
â&#x2014;?
April 28:
Walk for Kids Growth Time: 10:00am to 3:00pm Location: Flushing Meadows Park in front of the Fountain of the Planets Project Captain: *needed* Description: Walk For Kids Growth is hosted by the Human Growth Foundation to help promote awareness of child growth disorders. For this event, we'll assist with setup and breakdown, face painting, snack distribution, and more! Sign up here!
Movie Fundraiser Time: 11:00am to 2:30pm Location: Magic Johnson AMC Project Captain: N/A Description: Join Bronx Science and Stuyvesant in an Infinity Wars fundraiser! Admission is $12, and the movie is a great way to get closer to fellow Key Clubbers.
â&#x2014;?
April 29:
Tour de Staten Island Time: 8:45am to 1:30pm Location: Columbus Avenue between 65th Street & 62nd Street New York, NY 10023 Project Captain: N/A Description: Nearly half a million babies are born premature or with birth defects in the U.S. each year. March of Dimes is an organization aimed at providing aid for babies, as well as mothers and fathers around the world. We will actually be marching 3 miles to raise awareness and funds for this amazing cause. Sign up here and here!
â&#x2014;?
May 5:
Endurance Challenge Series Time: 6:00am to 3:00pm Location: Bear Mountain (there will be free shuttle bus to/from NYC to Bear Mountain!) Project Captain: *needed* Description: We will be helping with North Face Endurance Challenge in May! The volunteer positions includes helping by handing out water and food to runners as well as at the festival with running booths and handing out information to participants. Volunteers should be 16 or older! Everyone will get a North Face tech shirt and catered lunch. Please sign up asap in order to guarantee a spot for this event! Sign up here and here!
â&#x2014;?
May 6:
Endurance Challenge Series Time: 6:00am to 12:00pm (Sunday) Location: Bear Mountain (there will be free shuttle bus to/from NYC to Bear Mountain!) Project Captain: *needed* Description: We will be helping with North Face Endurance Challenge in May! The volunteer positions includes helping by handing out water and food to runners as well as at the festival with running booths and handing out information to participants. Volunteers should be 16 or older! Everyone will get a North Face tech shirt and catered lunch. Please sign up asap in order to guarantee a spot for this event! Sign up here and here!
Pho & Artic
otos & cles
Hip 2B Healthy Market By Jason Xiong After tutoring elementary school kids on the 3rd, I headed downstairs to help out at the Hip 2B Healthy market. I was all by myself for this event so it was really, really fun, not sarcastic at all. Well, I was with some girls from Brooklyn Tech who were really friendly and it made me felt less alone. I first made a few posters for the market, trying my best not to get ink all over my hands with these extremely thick markers that are for toddlers. Then we were basically dealing with crowd control. We took turns choosing music to be blasted out by the loudspeakers. Once people started to roll in, we greeted them and told them about the goods we have that they can purchase, for only fifty cents. We also participated in the making of smoothies, salads, and parfaits. It was really successful compared to the market we had last time back in January. Toward the end of the market, we started to clean up whatever we didn’t use. Whatever we made but didn’t sell, we just ate them ourselves. Honestly, they taste really good and I don’t mind eating kale and green smoothies. For a person that don’t tend to eat healthy, that’s saying something. Everything that we didn’t end up using, we packed them and put them back into the truck. Sadly, this event was cancelled for the next few weeks when it was supposed to be held every week til the end of April.
Photos taken by Jason Xiong
Photos taken by Jason Xiong
State Test Tutoring
By Jason Xiong During the Saturdays of March, we helped out a bunch of elementary school students to prepare for this upcoming state math test. The group consists of third, fourth, and fifth graders each with their own strengths and weaknesses. During these Saturdays, we teach them all sort of things from fractions to areas. My first Saturday Tutoring was a little lonely. I was the only one here except this one other guy. There were also students from Brooklyn Tech there. After meeting Ms. Casseus, the assistant principal, we head up to the room to be assigned to a student or a group of students. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really hard to tutor a group of students when they are on different levels. The word problems were nostalgic in a way and revisiting elementary school math made me felt really old. The standards for elementary school math is pretty much the same but the problems did get more advanced. My second time back was after rushing after St. Paddyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 7k is over. After arriving a little late, we started to tutor the kids right away. What makes me really surprised was the kids remembered me and they were excited to see me come back to tutor them. My third time coming back, there were even more kids, all really excited to learn. After tutoring, we all went shopping together for Color Wars, which took place the day after.
Photos taken by Jason Xiong
Photos taken by Jason Xiong
MS Climb to the Top By Jason Xiong This event is definitely more on the early side, starting at 5am. We were in charge of bag check, which consists of carrying bags back and forth from the check-in tables to the placement tables. After arriving, I went downstairs and were soon greeted by extremely loud music being blasted at me. Everywhere I see are people in orange shirts. I went to volunteer check-in and soon got an orange shirt of my own. I quickly learn the ropes of what to do after watching a few of my friends run away and checking things in at the table. Bag check is always really fun, mainly because you get to race your friends to see who finds a bag first. I also met a lot of new Key Clubbers from LaGuardia since they also participated in this event. Majority of the event was spent rushing from tables to tables while jamming to the music they are blasting on the speakers. The amount of bags began to decrease as the climb comes to an end, and the last bags were still waiting to be checked out by the end of the event, but our job was pretty much done. I was just getting ready to head home and hit my bed while my friends were all rushing to SING! Practice.
By Sammi Lin This was my second time going to this event, my first being in Freshman Year, but I was still caught off guard by the 5am start time for the event. Because I live in Queens, I had to wake up at 3am, which is without a doubt the earliest Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve ever had to wake up for Key Club! Nevertheless, no matter how inconvenient, Key Club is always worth it as volunteering and helping somebody out, whether directly in person, or indirectly by supporting a charity event, eclipses any small bother I have to bear. Anyway, as I mentioned, because this was my second time going to the event, I was fairly familiar with the layout of Rockefeller Center and quickly found my way to the volunteer check in without needing to consult the map that the volunteer coordinators supplied us with. Check-in went much better than the previous year, and I found out that Stuyvesant Key Club was stationed at bag check this year, which I found exciting since we hadn't worked this section before. I was the first one there, so I received instructions from one of the staff and started helping to put out plastic bags for the runners to put their backpacks in, so bag check can go more smoothly later in the day. In the middle of this task, Vincent and Jackson arrived, so we all helped out set up the bag check stations, including going over the numbering system we would be using and distributed jobs amongst all the volunteers in the section. By the time we finished this task, the race was beginning to start, and a massive deluge of runners started coming over for bag checks. It was very hectic at first, but eventually all the volunteers got the hang of it, and bag check went smoothly. Around the middle of the event, there was a lull of incoming runners, so the volunteers split up with most of the group helping to reorganize the bags (which we had started to just throw on the tables, so the numbers were quite messy), while taor three volunteers at a time went to the food table to grab some granola bars, drinks, fruit, etc. for a quick lunch break. More Stuy volunteers started showing up around this time, too, so all the volunteers who had been at bag check in the morning quickly filled them in.
Towards the end of the event, when all the runners came to checkout, the bag check area became really hectic again, as all the volunteers were searching through the tables looking for the specific numbered bags of each runner. It became almost like our own race: the people in front who received the numbers of each runner’s bags would yell it out to the back, and all the volunteers would sprint to the right row and table that would have that bag, hastily rummaging through the mountainous piles until one of us finally triumphantly yelled, “I found it!” and sprinted back to the front. It got even more confusing at times when new volunteers would just show up at this time, as everyone was running around and didn’t have much time to explain the entire process. In the end, when things calmed down, there were still a few unclaimed bags, but the coordinators said that we could leave anyway. Overall, the event was great fun (and had some really cool healthy fruit-drinks for us!), which is one of the reasons I came back for a second year. From the music blasting in the background of the entire event livening up the mood, to meeting new Key Clubbers from different schools, this is one of my favorite events that I’ll be sure to attend again next year!
Photos taken by Freya Zhu
Photos taken by Jason Xiong
Photos taken by Jason Xiong
Photos taken by Sammi Lin
Photos taken by Vincent Huang
St Paddy’s 7K By Jason Xiong March 10th was another cold saturday but no weather is cold enough to stop runners from gathering together for a 7k run to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day or just to run for fun. Upon arrival, people were already starting to set up all the check-in station, which later gets turned into the food stations. Like the past runs we did on Roosevelt Island, runners would come on and check in. This time, they all get a really nice and light hoodie that we have to hand out based on sizes. Us, as volunteers, gets to wear the bright yellow vests and also light green volunteer shirts. The hoodie distribution is always the busiest as people shouts out sizes and others run around with hoodies of different sizes. After the very chaotic check-ins, we moved the rest of the hoodies to the back and bring forward the sugar cookies. They are in the shape of shamrocks and almost too cute to eat. As we usually do, we rip open the packages of baking tissues and started to wrap them nicely around each cookie so it’s easier to give it to the runners later. Then we just waited til the runners finishes and comes back. At first, only a few runners made it back and only a few of them wanted cookies. Soon, the crowd increased and there were many lines of people waiting to get cookies. After lots of cookie distributions, the crowd shrinked and we were pretty much done. To award ourselves, we also snacked on the delicious but also a little too sugary cookies. Once snacking session was over, I rushed to my next event back in Brooklyn.
Photos taken by Jason Xiong
Photos taken by Jason Xiong
Photos taken by Jason Xiong
Photos taken by Freya Zhu
Stuyvesant Blood Drive By Jason Xiong Stuyvesant’s spring blood drive was held on March 14th. I signed up to help out with the blood drive during 3rd and 8th period. Our main job is to distribute the pizza but since it’s third period, pizzas hasn’t been ordered yet so we didn’t so that much. We greeted the students who came to donate their blood and were also in charge of escorting them after they donated blood to get some food. During 3rd period, there weren’t that many people mainly due to the fact that the Stuy Says Enough march was going on during third period. When I came back 8th period, there were a lot more people. In addition, the pizzas were here! Everything seem to go a lot faster compared to how it was like third period. There are lots of people online getting pizzas and of course, a few that were trying to sneak in seconds. Besides pizzas, we were also giving out water, juices, and little snacks like oreos and granola bars to the donors. Many of them are donating for like the fourth or third times. It is really impressive to see how much teenagers care about making a difference.
Photos taken by Penny Wang
Photos taken by Penny Wang
Photos taken by Jason Xiong
PS 124 PTC By Jason Xiong On the 15th of March was the Stuyvesant Parent Teacher Conference. However, that was not where I was headed toward. Instead, I was going to PS 124 to help with their parent teacher conferences that is happening on the same day. Our main job was to translate for the teachers that did not speak Chinese since most of the parents coming in only speaks Chinese and/or speaks little English. Though there are Chinese teachers in the schools, there were still a handful that aren’t so that’s why we were needed. I was assigned to two teachers who were both really friendly but speaks no word of Chinese. They were extremely happy when I showed up to help. I spent the rest of the evening helping parents ask questions to teachers, helping teachers complaining about the students to their parents, and of course, learn some really shocking facts. Back when I was in elementary school, we didn’t have to worry about now. Nowadays, kids are taking a different extracurricular every day of the week and others speak more languages than me. Of course, there are also troublemakers and students are not as scholarly as others. This is just very nostalgic to be in an elementary school setting and think about multiplying single digits numbers again. It’s also very shocking to see the changes in the curriculum for elementary school students.
Photos taken by Jason Xiong
Stuyvesant PTC Night By Tiffany Chen This was my last PTC, so I was pretty sad. However, I was also really excited because this was the first time I was a floor leader. I had to check everyone in and out on my floor. I also got a walkie-talkie, which made me feel special. On Thursday, I volunteered with my friend and a junior in my Calc class for my French teacher. I was happy to get him because I could talk to him about the French trip I would be taking with him that weekend. It was also relatively chill to have him; he didn’t have as many parents visiting him as some of the other teachers. I talked to the other volunteers with me the whole time, and even got to know my friend’s mom (we had a deep philosophical talk about free will). I also saw a guard dog, and I thought the guard dog was super cute. (I couldn’t say his name though because he was on duty.) My friend and I bought a bunch of smoothies and Japanese snacks and shared them, which was super nice. On Friday, I volunteered for Mr. Chew with a freshman. It was nice to meet him because he’s taking some of the classes I took three years ago. I also got really hungry, so I bought a bunch of hotdogs and chips. I got sad because the Wellness Council lowered the cost of their smoothies (which meant I wasted $3!), but I had fun nonetheless. Every time, I had to sign people in on my computer and sign them out by walking around the floor. I felt like I had responsibility this time around. I felt special and needed (especially with my walkie-talkie!). I’m still very sad that this was my last PTCs. I had a lot (like I do whenever I volunteer).
By Jason Xiong On the 15th of March was the Stuyvesant Parent Teacher Conference. However, that was not where I was headed toward. Instead, I was going to PS 124 to help with their parent teacher conferences that is happening on the same day. Our main job was to translate for the teachers that did not speak Chinese since most of the parents coming in only speaks Chinese and/or speaks little English. Though there are Chinese teachers in the schools, there were still a handful that aren’t so that’s why we were needed. I was assigned to two teachers who were both really friendly but speaks no word of Chinese. They were extremely happy when I showed up to help. I spent the rest of the evening helping parents ask questions to teachers, helping teachers complaining about the students to their parents, and of course, learn some really shocking facts. Back when I was in elementary school, we didn’t have to worry about now. Nowadays, kids are taking a different extracurricular every day of the week and others speak more languages than me. Of course, there are also troublemakers and students are not as scholarly as others. This is just very nostalgic to be in an elementary school setting and think about multiplying single digits numbers again. It’s also very shocking to see the changes in the curriculum for elementary school students. March 16th was Stuyvesant’s spring Parent Teacher Conference. The volunteers first went down to the first floor to sign in with the leaders. Good thing I was pretty early (not really) and was the second in line. I was helping my math teacher for Parent Teacher Conference. Lucky for us, our room was on the 2nd floor and I didn’t have to do a terrible amount of walking. Unlucky for us, the room she got assigned to was probably one of the hardest room to find. It requires parents to turn down many hallways to find it. Worried that finding the room was going to be a struggle, I took out a piece of paper and a sharpie to make a sign. Unfortunately, many parents still tells me about how it was to find the room. Since my teacher is the only one using a room in that hallway, it is pretty lonely to be all by yourself.
After a while, my friend Freya came to accompany me, or should I say bother me. It was nice to have someone to talk to. Seeing parents running around to and from different teachers makes me feel bad for my own mom who I left to battle all the stairs on her own. The most stressful part is dealing with parents that are upset about them being skipped when they didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t show up but good thing there werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t any parents like that this time. Parent Teacher Conference today for me was definitely on the smoother side. By Vincent Huang The first night of Parent Teacher Conferences started off with a panic, as we frantically ran back to the Stuyvesant building, after a meal at a restaurant. As soon as we entered the auditorium for the volunteer orientation, we were hit by a wave of students- all with their phones out, eagerly in await for the instructions from the creator of the website. As he paced around the stage, the system seemed easy enough to use, fitting in line with our technological age. However, it received quite the criticism from many volunteers, due to its lack of efficiency when it came to simply using pen and paper. We still decided to give the website a try though, and after recieving free pizza from the administration, we headed up to our designated rooms. Bake sales were being held on every corner, providing light refreshments for parents and students alike, in preparation for the long day ahead. When the parents started arriving, we immediately noticed a flaw present in the operation of the website. It didn't take into account parents who werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t using the website, which in turn messed up the order of everything. Because of this, we couldn't properly use it and ended up just using pen and paper. In spite of this, the day was actually a very fun experience. Although we were staying at school for way beyond school hours, I was able to socialize with many of my friends through simply volunteering. It was nice to see a new way of doing the old sign in and out system, that had proved to be inefficient at times. Although most students ended up abandoning the online system completely in turn for the alternative, it was a neat idea that I would personally like to see better implemented in the future.
By Sonia Lee Day 1: It would be a lie if I told you I wasn't hungry before Parent Teacher Conference because I always am, so I decided to ask my friend to bring me food but after he brought over the food, I realized that they provided food for us. I know right, that's great! :) but I already had food but that's not the point. Anyways when PTC was about to start we all disperse to our post. I was posted at the guidance office. You see I thought that was going to be one of the easiest post but it really wasn't. Did you know literally every parent at stuy goes to see the guidance counselors, well I was definitely not aware of that. Basically it was like four people, two outside, and two inside. It was very hectic and the sheets were filling up fast. Arista made some really complicated website that was not useful at all so we just stuck with paper. It was supposed to be a 3 minute limit but the guidance people took way longer. In result of that, the parents were really angry and triggered and the dean had to go talk to them and we were like the last ones to leave. Day 2: Guess what? I was posted at the guidance office again but that's fine because the guidance counselors are pretty chill. The friday one was so much more easier than the thursday one because there were way less people and we also had more volunteers so it was more chill on my part so I was able to roam around to the bake sales and buy food but somehow we were still the last ones to leave.
Photos taken by Sonia Lee
Photos taken by Penny Wang
Photos taken by Penny Wang
Photos taken by Vincent Huang
Color Wars By Freya Zhu This fundraiser is one that I had been very involved with. Therefore, I was very excited for this fundraiser. I didn't go to the last one so I wasn't sure what to expect but after working on this project for so long, I couldn't help but to hold certain expectations. I spent several hours at the store with my friends trying to buy some supplies for the fundraiser. I spent some time staring at the sodas, trying to figure out how much to buy. I settled on 18 bottles, meaning 36 liters. Along with all that soda, we also bought hot dog supplies, ramen, trays, and a bunch of other things. Buying was the easy part, the hard part was trying to figure out how to carry all that. I ended up carrying six bottles which is a hard task for someone like me. As my friends and I arrived at the location, we noticed instantly how cold it was. But we were still determined to make sure that this fundraiser will go off without a hitch. We delegated some of the tasks and before long, people started to show up. After we signed everyone in, the people first ran around the plot in hopes of warming themselves up. Then, they started the icebreakers. I watched from a distance shivering before helping set up the food. I was worried that we wouldn't have enough to feed all the hungry mouths later but I decided to not worry about that for the time being. When the icebreakers ended, they started the Easter egg hunt. I helped set up the sodas and cheered on the separate teams. We decided later on to redo the Easter egg hunt and for the time being to have a crab race. The rest of the day went by really quickly. With a lot of running, screaming, and shivering. In the end, we decided to end the fundraiser early after the lunch but even so, it was an unforgettable experience.
By Jason Xiong Color Wars 2.0 took place on March 18th and as the name suggest, it is our second Color Wars. The first one was held last year in October and sadly, I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t able to attend but I was able to experience it this time. After arriving at Riverside Park, we quickly set ourselves up to check people in. Everyone coming in first got a name tag and then gets checked in and would pay afterward. After check-ins, we went into fun icebreakers and a little warm up. While all the fun was going on, we helped to fill the easter eggs with little coins so they stay on the ground. Shoutout to Helena for donating all her coins. After filling them up, we hid them in the park for the Easter Egg Hunt later. We were also setting up the food and beverage stations. Many of our volunteers and also participants had brought in food for the event. We set them up all over the park. In the meantime, we were also making ice tea as well having setting up many, many liters of soda. After some more games and relay races, which were all really fun, we took a huge group picture. The group picture was followed by everyone rushing to get lunch. There were an assortment of food from hot dogs to noodles. On the other side of the park, volunteers were giving out drinks to the participants. It was definitely nice to have an outdoor fundraiser after having so many indoor ones.
By Vincent Huang As a continuation to the first Color Wars in October, this fundraiser was something that I was looking forward to for a long time. With so much planning having gone between different club officers, I knew this was definitely the start of something big. After picking up utensils at a nearby Rite Aid, we headed to Riverside Park early in the morning. The day was not as brisk and warm as one could have hoped; instead, it was extremely cold and windy, one of the downsides of the fundraiser. Nonetheless, there was still a big turnout, and the volunteers set to signing the attendees in, collecting money, and distributing wristbands. We first completed warm ups, running around the park and stretching our bodies. Once this was completed, there were a variety activities throughout the day for us to enjoy, ranging from mafia to group activities such as relay races and egg hunts. Although certain mishaps had occurred throughout the fundraiser, most managed to have a fun time, which at the end of the day, is all that matters.
Photo taken by Jason Xiong
Photos taken by Jason Xiong
Photos taken by Jason Xiong
Photos taken by Sonia Lee
Photos taken by Freya Zhu
Photos taken by Vincent Huang
Photos taken by Vincent Huang
Stuyvesant Open House By Tiffany Chen This was my last Open House, so I was really anxious. I got to the event after taking a French exam and went in line to grab some boxed food. I couldn’t eat a lot of it because it contained chocolate, but it was still nice to fill up my stomach. Afterwards, I got in line to lead a tour. However, once I got to the lunchroom to allow them to mingle with the clubs, I lost my families! (It’s okay; I was doing a bad job anyways.) I ended up staying with Key Club to advertise to the prospective students. Because we didn’t have a large bold banner, we had to make our own. I quickly ran downstairs to the CS dojo (where Mr. DW was lecturing about the CS department in a boring way) and stole a dry-erase marker. We then quickly drew a sign that said Key Club in bubble letters before having a bunch of asterisks that said “good for college,” “good for friends,” and “plus we have food.” I would say that the sign was pretty effective! (Plus, it was not erased after Open House, so we were able to advertise more about Key Club!) After making the sign, I went to join my friends in advertising the Social Studies department at Stuy. We went over some of the courses freshmen can take in history, which was good because I learned more about Big History, something my grade didn’t have. I was able to talk to Ms. Suri and Dr. Greenwald, and since I had them before, it wasn’t awkward at all; I was able to laugh and have fun. I thoroughly enjoyed handing out flyers to incoming freshmen with my friends and my former teachers. Even though I gave less tours than I expected, I still had loads of fun. I’m happy to leave Stuy with a good note for Open House.
By Sonia Lee Open House was generally a really chill event. It was great watching the incoming freshmen being excited coming to Stuy but they do not know what hit them yet. Jenna, Jason, Vincent, Penny, Freya and occasionally Michelle all stood by the Stuy KC table trying to get the freshmen to fill out the interest form. Then in a little bit I dipped to go give one tour and those 8th graders are so cute. They asked so many questions and it was so crowded it was like a human traffic jam. Anyways after I went back into the Cafeteria, we were all really tired so we just sat there until it's almost time to pack up and leave. By Jason Xiong What does one do the day before LTC instead of packing for it? The answer is to obviously help represent Stuyvesant Key Club and let the incoming freshmen know a little more about us. After 10th period, we all rushed to the cafeteria where the clubs will be. We got some food and small signs for our table. We also managed to later get a whiteboard that we wrote join Stuyvesant Key Club on. The best part is recognizing incoming freshmen from my middle school. Some of them I know personally and the others I spotted since they were wearing the school hoodie. The day before, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve made an interest sign-up form for the incoming freshmen. During the open house, we also got a few signups from other Stuyvesant students that were here for their clubs to sign up for Key Club. I learned about the existence of some clubs that I never heard of before. Incoming freshmen got really scared by some upperclassmen of other clubs who were running up to know trying to advertise their clubs to them. Seeing the incoming freshmen made me realize how fast the school year went by but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m really excited to welcome them into Stuyvesant and hopefully, into the Key Club family.
Photos taken by Sonia Lee
Photos taken by Jason Xiong
Photos taken by Vincent Huang
Easter Eggstravaganza By Freya Zhu Walking down the streets, I saw a bunch of red circles and made a comment about them to my friends. Then, I found out that this was the site of the event. A few volunteers were already there but they were from other clubs and schools. A little later, our project captain arrived and signed us all in. Our task for the next hour or so was to fill each of the 1,600 plastic eggs with four pieces of chocolate candies. Occasionally we would drop several of the candies so some eggs would have less candies. Some of the plastic eggs were really stubborn and required some squeezing and forcing for it to close. Afterwards we went into the starting garden and awaited further instructions. We helped carry tables and chairs and set them up along the road. My friends and I then followed the coordinator to a separate garden where the face painting would take place and it is where we stayed for the next several hours.With the limited supplies that we were provided with, I say we did a decent job. We had no paint brushes and had to make do with sponges. This meant that we couldn't have small details and I often resorted to using my fingers. Some turned out better than others as we started to run out of certain colors such black. After cleaning up, we were given some pizza and we hung out there for a while. Giving each other piggyback rides and just playing around. By Jason Xiong The month ended with another NYSoM event, which I really do enjoy because they are so well planned and have so many activities. This time, it is an Easter event involving relay races, egg hunting, and lots of face painting. After arriving in Harlem, we went to the Target Community Gardens and there were already so many volunteers there. This is a huge interclub event with volunteers from Bronx Science, HSMSE, and other schools as well. We started by filling up
with four candies each and we tried our best not to drop any, though we did drop quite a bunch. We were also moving plants from one garden to the other for people to take home. People can sign up to take home a plant which they can grow themselves into a much larger plant or even a tree. We also helped to make bunny ears for the little kids using pipe cleaners and bunny ears cut-outs. Back in the garden, we were also setting up for our relay races. First race was egg race where you must hold a spoon where an egg on it and try not to drop it. The second race requires the person to jump in a sack to the other side and back. In the third garden, there were face two face-painting stations set up and also a cookie decorating station. The lines in this garden were really, really long and thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot of crowd control needed. After working in all the gardens to help with the event, we got pizzas as a reward. However, pizzas were definitely not enough to feed a group of hungry teenagers so we all went to get dinner in K-town after the event was over. By Sonia Lee The event ended up starting a bit earlier than it was originally suppose to but that's okay since it was the first day of spring break. I'm not gonna lie but it was kind of scary going to Harlem alone then trying to find my way there. Anyways, it was really cold because I was under dressed and we were basically just standing around in the beginning waiting for the coordinator to give us directions. This event was a mix of Red Cross kids, and Bronx Science kids along with us. We started out with the potato sack jumping race and we had to make sure the kids don't fall into the bags because they were kind of way to big for the kids there and to make sure that they do not fall down. At some point, I ended up joining the race too. After that ended, we all headed over to the face painting station and let's just say I am not the best artist or remotely close to being able to draw on faces. The materials given were not the best and the parents weren't exactly the nicest and kindest people but overall I had fun.
Photos taken by Alan Guo
Photos taken by Alan Guo
Photos taken by Alan Guo
Photos taken by Alan Guo
Photos taken by Jason Xiong
Photos taken by Jason Xiong
Photos taken by Weini Zhou
Photos taken by Weini Zhou
Photos taken by Freya Zhu
Photos taken by Freya Zhu
Photos taken by Freya Zhu
Photos taken by Freya Zhu
Photos taken by Vincent Huang
Photos taken by Sonia Lee
Photos taken by Sonia Lee
Photos taken by Winnie Huang
Photos taken by Winnie Huang
Thank you for reading this issue of the Locksmith! Please send any feedback to locksmith@stuykc.org and continue to submit articles and photos.