2014 August/September Tex-O-Key by Texas Oklahoma

The Tex-O-Key

TEXAS OKLAHOMA DISTRICT KEY CLUB

VOLUME 3 EDITION 2 tokeyclub.com

2014 August & September

CON

TENTS☆;

Back to School

Personal Accounts

❝TAKE A LOOK INSIDE.❞

Membership

Governor’s Report

Ice Breakers

From International

Letters to the Editor

EDITOR’S UPDATES & NEWS TOKeyClub.com Editor’s Blog T-O District Key Club Editors Text @TOEd to 512-982-9275

An overall theme for each Tex-O-Key will be posted every 2 months on the TO website. Anyone may email me riddles & fun facts relating to the theme for +5 points if it is published in the Tex-O-Key!

Anyone may email me Key Club-related photos for +1 point per photo if it is published in the Tex-OKey! Be sure to follow the criteria in the 2014-2015 Newsletters & Articles Guidelines.

❝

Why is a math Malik, book alCypress Ranch ways unhappy? What’s Answer on the king page 17! of all Thomas & school Griffith, West Brook and supplies? Varghese, Answer on Allen page 27!

❝FIND THE FUN IN SERVICE.❞

FUN FACTS 2.4% of children worldwide have Didaskaleinophobia, the fear of going to school.

Vo, Mustang

❞

RIDDLES

FUNSTUFF☆;

❞

Thomas & Griffith, West Brook

Annually, $26.7 Billion are spent on back-toschool supplies for kids.

E D I T O R ’ S NOTE Good Day T-O Key Clubbers! School is back in session and with the hustle and bustle of a new school year is a new Key Club year! Newsletters are a great resource to get out essential information, delineate upcoming events, and spread the word about the Major Emphasis Programs to your club members. Try to start off the new Key Club year with a BANG! This Tex-O-Key contains countless ideas, tips, and personal accounts on how to start of the new school year on the right foot and how to increase and maintain club membership. You can also find many entertaining and engaging ideas for Ice breakers! Always feel free to express any questions, concerns, or comments to me at editor@tokeyclub.com. Good luck with this new school year and don’t stress out too much! Yours in Service,

Emily Zhao

GOVERNOR’S R E P O R T Happy August and September Texas-Oklahoma Key Clubbers! I hope you all had an incredible summer! This past month the Lt. Governors and the District Staff came together at the Summer Board meeting to decide on the 2015 District Convention Theme, committee assignments, and goals for the 2015 Key Club year. We are excited to serve you all throughout this next year of service. This next year is going to be incredible! Please remember to go and like the Facebook page at Texas-Oklahoma Key Club District. Also, on Instagram and Twitter @TODISTRICTKEYCLUB for instant updates as to what is happening in the District. The Children's Miracle Network and Key Club are teaming up this year to complete this years Governor's Project. We would like for all clubs to commit their time in helping serve this organization. We want you to donate your time by making bracelets, cards, door hangers, coloring books, etc. Once a club has completed their project; the officers should go to the District Website and look for the Governor's Project Completion form for the 2014-2015 year. As of August 16th, I have visited 4 out of 12 regions. I'm so excited to go to all of these incredible regions to meet all of you! Please email me at governor@tokeyclub.com if you would like to know when I will be in your area. Be sure to go to the District Website tokeyclub.com in order to get more updates from all of the staff members. Yours in Service,

from YOUR INTERNATIONAL

TRUSTEE Greetings Texas-Oklahoma District, My name is Barry Seng, and I am honored to serve as your International Trustee. I am thrilled that I have the opportunity to work with all of you to improve the organization as a whole. Together, we will spread Key Club values around the world.

As trustee, it is my duty to connect the district and international levels. I will provide updates from international to your district board and will represent all of you at international board meetings. The constant communication will allow me to better serve your district. I will work closely with Governor Katie and all of you to ensure a successful year of service. One of my goals for the year is to make Key Club International more accessi04

ble to Key Club members. Through increased communication between international and district levels and transparency on the international board, more members will be involved in the organization. My main goal is to emphasize service, the foundation of our organization. I will help your district with its service initiatives and service projects. We will strengthen Key Club through service. If you have any questions or concerns throughout the year, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. I am here to serve all of you. I look forward to a great year of service with the Texas-Oklahoma District! Yours in Service, Barry M. Seng

FROM Your

INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT Hello, Key Clubbers!

My name is Maria Palazzolo, and I am so thankful to be your 2014-2015 Key Club International President! I was elected at the International Convention in Anaheim, California, in July. It is a privilege to serve you and the rest of our 267,000 members. First of all, I’ll tell you a little bit about myself. I am going to be a senior at Sacred Heart-Griffin High School in Springfield, Illinois. Usually when I tell people that I’m from Springfield, Illinois, I always get either a comment about the Simpsons or the fact that all Illinois has is corn (which is kind of true, I’ll admit). Key Club definitely takes up a lot of my time, but when I’m not answering emails or on a phone call with another member, I’m most likely watching a good movie, hanging out with friends, or sleeping (which I always seem to be lacking, nowadays!). As Key Clubbers, we have a unique perspective of the world. We, as teenagers, get to make lasting impacts within our communities and throughout the world. I find it absolutely amazing that our organization is made of so many selfless individuals with one mission: to positively change the world. It wouldn’t be a true Key Club International message if I didn’t talk about International Convention 2015! Key Club will be holding its convention in conjunction with Kiwanis, Circle K, and Aktion Club in Indianapolis, Indiana, in honor of the 100th anniversary of Kiwanis. As it stands, attendees will likely experience things like a concert with Circle K, a party with all of the branches of our family on a street that we are renting out, and combined sessions that will bring us closer than we have ever been. Believe it or not, this is actually one of the coolest cities we’ve ever had a convention in. There are tons of attractions in the city, with several large stadiums, seemingly infinite free museums (including the world’s largest children’s museum), and some of the country’s coolest bike paths, this city will not disappoint. When you do want to leave the city, you can’t drive in any direction without stumbling on some cool attractions. Chicago is just 2.5 hours away and Nashville, St. Louis, and Cincinnati are just a little further away. If you’re more of a thrill seeker, you can look into the fact that the #1 theme park in America is a few hours away and a top 10 waterpark in the US is about 2 hours away. As if all of this isn’t enough, this year’s ICON is similar to all the others in that you will be able to elect your next International Board, vote on amendments, participate in workshops, and exchange ideas with Key Clubbers from all over the world. I hope you’ll be one of the estimated 12,000 Kiwanis Family members who will come together for this milestone event. As your International President, one of my main goals is to make Key Club International more accessible in order to provide more ideas and opportunities to make your club the best it can be. This can be done through webinars on topics such as the $0.50 dues increase going into effect this year, grants available to fund club projects, such as the Youth Opportunities Fund, twitter chats with International Board members, and increased interaction through social media We will also be promoting the Eliminate Project, which is the Kiwanis family’s campaign to raise $110 million by the end of 2015 to eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus from the face of the planet. If you have any questions about Key Club International, International Convention (ICON), or would just like to talk to me, feel free to email me at ipmariapalazzolo@gmail.com! Have a great year, and thank you for all that you do in your homes, schools, and communities! Yours in Service, Maria Palazzolo

08 Kelsey Endari, 09 Yeonsoo Koo, 10 Theodora Winter Photo Credit: West Brook

11 Kelsey Endari, 13 Leen Ayaseen

ack to School A BEGINNING

Building the Year’s Success

There are certain things that must be accomplished. Often times these things are tedious. However, taking that extra step to accomplish the tasks can make for a successful year with a strong finish and no regrets. That decision to accomplish those first steps can determine the club’s vigor and strength. That extra push can make all the difference. What are these vague and inherent “things” that I refer to which must be accomplished? First, we have recruitment. In order to have a successful club, people need to get involved. However, when recruiting people it is important to have a variety and open mind. This allows for diverse and innovative ideas for projects and ensures good cooperation skills. Leadership, dedication, fun, and creative are all traits that Key Clubbers hold. Often times, these traits are developed through involvement in Key Club and a strong devotion to a purpose. Recruiting is a fun way to meet new people and create relationships that will last a lifetime. Having a solid foundation with active and ambitious people willing to commit to a common goal provides for an exquisite start for the year. Secondly, it is equally important to collect dues and account for the people in the club. After all the 08

work of recruitment, it would be a shame if they were not accounted for and given credit for all their hard work that is to come. Getting contact information and emergency contact numbers ensures the safety of the club members in the case of an unexpected emergency. Having passionate and organized leaders allow for less clutter and more productivity. Getting the basics down and submitting the necessary information to the district is of vital importance to keep the club alive and running smoothly. While money is never a priority, there should be enough capital to be able to fund certain necessities and ensure a go-to back up if something were to happen. Often times, fundraising in the summer or saving from year to year can greatly increase the club’s budget. These funds can be used for an end-of-theyear-banquet to honor superior club members who have gone above and beyond their capacity to do the best for their community as well as celebrate the club’s success and all that they have worked to accomplish. Having a strong foundation to begin building the year’s club can heighten the impact of the club and its domain of outreach to assist others. By Kelsey Endari, West Brook

Getting Ready for a New School Year By Yeonsoo Koo, Cinco Ranch

The seemingly tedious three months of summer break have already come to an end. Although it’s unbelievable, it is time for us to finish up our summer readings and get ready for another long year of school. For Key Club, the intense summer volunteering should be maintained and even furthered. Here is some advice on how to start a new school year well, and how to manage school and volunteering at the same time. The beginning of the year, especially for incoming freshmen, is an important time to make friends, whether or not they will last all four years. Out of the many ways to make friends, the best of the best is to make friends you can volunteer with. Join Key Club during round-up, and start coming to volunteer events and club meetings as soon as possible. If you miss out, you might regret it later! It is obvious that after sleeping until 9AM and later every day of the summer, waking up at 6:30AM to go to school is a true challenge. Practice waking up early by volunteering at events that start early in the morning such as 5K runs or marathons. It will definitely help build your stamina, thus waking up at 6:30AM will become so much easier.

Waking up early is not the only hardship we face when school starts again. Studying hard seven hours a day at school before coming home to continue doing homework is tough enough as it is. It will hit you very hard, especially if you don’t do assignments until the last night before they are due. One way to avoid this is to start things early. To make it easier for you to keep up with it all, plan to spend at least half a day volunteering every weekend. If you plan everything with less time to do them, you will become more efficient in finishing up everything. If you actually finish everything with half a day left, great, you can use that time to actually volunteer. However, you might run out of time while doing homework, or there might not be any events that weekend. In this case, that half a day’s worth of time can become a life saver, or some relaxing time for yourself. As you continue to advance grade levels, the workload becomes larger and more difficult as well. It takes careful management to be able to keep up with everything and volunteer at the same time. Hopefully, this year will be a better one than the previous ones: for you, for your club, and for all the troubled people in this world.

HOW TO SMASH THIS NEXT SCHOOL YEAR By Theodora Winter, Garland

School is just around the corner and by this time you should have reflected on the highs and lows of this last school year. Hopefully, there were more highs than lows, but we should always strive to make each school year better than the previous ones! Some things to keep in mind for maximizing the inevitable awesomeness in the 2014-2015 school year: Keep an open mind. This is essential! Often times, we accidently shut some doors without realizing it because we may write something off before we have even experienced it. That one football game you didn’t go to because you didn’t understand the rules of American football, might have actually been fun (I can speak from experience). That pep rally might have actually gotten you excited to go to school. It’s always interesting to find something new to do. You may even discover something cool about yourself that you never knew before or meet new people that turn into long-term friendships.

Don’t make the same mistakes. There’s really no point in procrastinating on that bio lab, just like you did on that anatomy lab last year; it only causes added stress. There’s really no point in making mistakes twice unless something really cool happens in the process (no, you will not meet Prince Charming by procrastinating on you bio lab, but good luck). Mistakes could be small, like not volunteering at Turkey Trot and regretting it. Your mistake could be something more serious like not working hard enough in a particular course. What matters is that you muster up the will power to not make the same mistake twice.

Aim high! Whether you’re a freshman and just starting out or a senior and you’re almost there (WOO!) the important thing is to always aim high. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with overshooting when it comes to goals because you may impress yourself in the process when you accomplish so much in the end. I especially think as a serviceman/servicewoman, you should have a goal of how much you want to accomplish in Key Club. KCI has already set a goal for you – 50 hours. That could be your goal, or you can go even farther.

My last piece of advice would be to take advantage of your surroundings! If there’s something you think your home/school is missing, take the initiative and make something happen. There are so many opportunities around you! With a little bit of hard work and organization, you can make this the best school year to date. Good luck! 10

Join In On the Fun By Kelsey Endari, West Brook

As a freshman approaching West Brook High School, the students might feel daunted by the large school with the many unfamiliar faces in the hallways. However, after a few weeks of high school, a familiar school will settle in and you will have more time to explore your niche. Wait, wouldn’t it be better to start off school knowing a few faces and a few rooms in the big building of West Brook High? What about possibly having already found a niche? The day before school begins for all four grades, incoming freshman students come to Fish Camp. It is a fun day where they learn about the school and make friends in their grade that can take off some of the stress or endure it together. Fish Camp is filled with fun activities that involve meeting new people, sharing ideas, and starting relationships. Fish Camp would be a fantastic day to set up a Key Club Booth and talk more about what we do, as well as clarifying that we do not make keys. Quite possible, Key Club will be the perfect niche for many freshman students looking for a fun and rewarding extracurricular activity. Siblings in high school can inform their younger brothers and/or sisters about Key Club

and encourage them to join. Often times, sharing the experiences that you have been exposed to can gain more members looking for good memories to make. Personally, word of mouth is one of the top “commercials” that can attract potential members. Students spread news about Key Club and encourage their friends to join, whom in turn, encourage their friends to join. This chain leads to a large turnout of people at the first meeting. Posting flyers and posters around the school can be of much help as well. Eye catching flyers and posters can bring attention to Key Club and inform the public about where and when we meet and what we do. If a freshman was not able to attend Fish Camp, then they are not “out of the loop,” if you will. They still have a chance to catch up and join in on all the fun! While it is encouraged that freshman join, sophomores, juniors, and seniors are all welcomed too. If they aren’t already informed about what we do or they didn’t have the time to join due to conflicting schedules or personal commitments, then they still have a chance! There are many ways to get people involved, and as they say, the more the merrier! 11

KEY CLUB 101 A FRIENDLY REMINDER OF HOW WE ROLL 33 DISTRICTS 265,000 MEMBERS

5,300 CLUBS 31 NATIONS

CLUB

The essential infrastructure of KCI is the members. They embody the values and ambitions of this organization. This means you!

DIVISION Clubs in a common area comprise a division. There are also divisional events, such as FTC’s and DEC’s.

DISTRICT Divisions comprise a District. You are in the Texas-Oklahoma District!

WHO

LEADS? 12

ITERNATIONAL

Photo Credit: James Taylor

What is Key Club? Key Club is the oldest and largest service program for high school students. It is a studentled organization that teaches leadership through service to others. Key Clubbers build themselves as they build their schools and communities. Key Club has over 260,000 members in approximately 5,000 clubs. In addition, Key Club is represented in 31 countries. Key Club International is the high school organization sponsored by Kiwanis International. Key Club assists Kiwanis in carrying out its mission to serve the children of the world. High school student members of Key Club perform acts of service in their communities, such as cleaning up parks, collecting clothing, and organizing food drives. They also gain leadership skills by running meetings, planning projects, and holding elected leadership positions at the club, district and international levels. Key Club International brings together all Key Club's members' efforts and energies into an area that makes an international impact through

the Major Emphasis, "Children: Their Future, Our Focus.” The Major Emphasis unites Key Clubs under the banner of service that deals with the most important part of our community. Each year, Key Club International teams up with its three service partner organizations, March of Dimes, Children’s Miracle Network and UNICEF, for the fundraising element of the Major Emphasis. As you plan your club’s service programming for the year, keep these organizations in mind. Each Key Club is encouraged to participate with partners as we join together to make a difference in the lives of children. The core values of Key Club International, leadership, character building, caring and inclusiveness, will always be maintained through the 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.” By Leen Ayaseen, Cypress Falls

AN ANECDOTE

Personal Acc

16 Skyelar Armstrong, 17 Winnie Lu, 18 Tj Deguia Photo Credit: James Taylor

19 Kendall Kyle, 20 Robyn Yeh, 21 Patricia DaSilva

counts

More Than Donuts It all started out on a Wednesday morning. It was the second week of high school, freshman year, and my friend Nithure and I were still feeling slightly vulnerable to the new, much larger, atmosphere. Her older sister recommended that the two of us go check out a Key Club meeting, and she fully won us over when she said “they have donuts.” I personally had no idea what Key Club was all about, so I willingly followed Nithure to the land of donuts, not knowing that this “Key Club” was destined to win over my heart. Key Club started out as a hobby of mine, but it quickly became a major part of my life. As a freshman, no one expected much out of me and Nithure but when the end of semester rolled around, we had logged in the most hours right next to our club president. I had gotten a total of 23 hours of service. Almost an entire day, dedicated all to service and honestly, I couldn’t believe it. 23 hours of service seemed like such a drag on paper. But all while I was picking up trash by my old elementary school, displaying my amateur face-painting skills at our club booth on Founder’s Day, and handing out candy to adorably eager children at Boo Bash, none of it had felt like work at all. In fact, my 23 hours was extremely enjoyable. I felt encouraged and capable, and so, even as the beginning of the year stamina began to run low, I stuck with Key Club and continued attending as many events and service projects as possible. By the end of the school year, I had 66 hours of service. When the time came for officer elections, I was convinced by Nithure to run for club secretary and after being voted in, the next step was to attend District Convention, where my way of viewing Key Club completely changed for the better. Because I’m from a smaller club, I was totally blown away when I saw the huge amount of people at convention. On top of that, there were lots of titles that I was personally unfamiliar with such as “Lieutenant Governor” and “District Officer”. After almost a year in my club, I hadn’t realized how much about Key Club I had left to learn. At DCON, I was able to learn about Key Club on a much larger scale. I learned about the District Officers and the many parts of the

K-family. In my secretary forum, I was able to actually see the complexity of club reporting and receive a basic understanding of my own duties. Before DCON, I looked at Key Club from a very narrow point of view, but afterwards, I was able to see how vast and powerful every aspect of it truly is. After enduring a pretty rough start as club secretary, I had the ability to transform my club as a whole. Anyone who has ever been their Key Club secretary knows how overwhelming the initial training can be. Before my term as secretary began, my club had never even sent in a report that included all of the necessary pages. The year before me, we didn’t have an active secretary either. With that being said, I really didn’t have anyone to give me the hands-on guidance that I desperately needed. District Convention had helped me get an idea of all of my duties but to be quite frank, I was still beyond lost. With all of the stress and feelings of failure, I saw my love for Key Club slowly begin to dwindle down and it just felt awful. As time went on, I somehow managed to get my first report completed and sent in on time. After receiving the positive feedback that I did, I felt a wave of reassurance wash over me. My small, often unrecognized club, had the ability to shine in the T-O District with the reports reflecting all of its hard work. Since my first introduction to Key Club during the second week of my freshman year, I have grown as an individual, as member, and as an officer. Through service, I have learned that positive experiences can come from seemingly grueling tasks. At DCON, I was able to witness what a massive family Key Club actually is and become more familiar with the Key Club District. As an officer, I experienced the rewarding benefits of persevering for my club. Key Club started out as just something to do on the weekends, an all access pass to free donuts, but it has transformed into something meaningful and strong. After all, the ability to help others and grow in all of aspects of one’s life, is worth a whole lot more than donuts. By Skyelar Armstrong, Burleson

KEY CLUB'S DOMINO EFFECT By Winnie Lu, Cypress Falls Just from the one school year I've been a member of Key Club, I am constantly reminded and made aware of the huge impact of Key Club International. From being a part of this club, anything Kiwanis or Key Club-related immediately jumps out and catches my eye. Even when I was on vacation in Glenwood Springs, Colorado this past June, I was pleasantly surprised to see a Glenwood Springs Kiwanis banner advertising an event. That's when the reality really hit me that Key Club International is an organization that has the incredible capability of improving communities nearly everywhere you go, and even in places you may never receive the chance to visit. But that's the real beauty of Key Club; oftentimes, you don't need to physically visit third world countries in order to help their living conditions. Service projects that we create and support in Key Club, such as the ELIMINATE Project, give people the opportunity to help someone somewhere that is half a world away. It's the small things you do here that make a tremendous impact on others thousands of miles away. The domino effect of Key Club is a positive one. One that allows a group of people with a common interest in service to continue passing it on to more and more people. Key Club and Kiwanis are like one big happy family. Everyone has hearts full of love and service to give to those less fortunate. And when more people become a part of this family, the overall impact only increases. It's amazing to me that wherever you may be when you discover Key Club related signs or events, you already have a hundred things in common with these fellow members you've never met. Somewhere in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, there's another member who is just as passionate about Key Club and its incredible capabilities as you are. Key Club is not just about the volunteering and the service, but it also unites all of us who believe in transforming our world for the better, one volunteer at a time. I'm honored to be a part of Key Club International, an organization that is slowly, but surely, improving our future as we know it and bringing positivity to not only those around us, but also to those half a world away.

Answer to Joke: It has so many problems!

MY Diamond By Tj Deguia, West Brook

Coming into high school, I was just a clueless freshman who wanted to fit in. From trying to make an abundance of friends to joining all of these clubs, I spread my social circle so wide that it couldn't even be considered a circle anymore. My social oval was my way of swimming through the oceans of high school in order to find something that this little fishy could cherish. As the months went by, all of the clubs I had "joined" soon dissipated into a portion of what it once was. I could guess this is due to the sponsors and members being so engulfed into the school year that sooner or later they had no time for the numerous extracurricular activities. As a result, they only stayed with one or two clubs. However, I realized that there was one club that stood firm while the other clubs descended; Key Club. This is where my Key Club journey started. I was intrigued by its consistency and also its outreach to the community. Fast-forward four years later (yeah, I know, that's a lot of meats and beans that I'm skipping out on), and Key Club has been a major factor in my development as a leader, friend, and most of all, servant. It 18

has taught me many valuable life lessons, from learning how to scare little kids with chainsaws at the annual Halloween carnival to just being so grateful for the wonderful things in life. Key Club has also helped me develop leadership skills and just being a good friend because sometimes that's just what some people need. As President, I learned to care and bring our Key Clubbers together. I worked with the most wonderful officers ever, and they made my job 1,000 times easier with their love and passion for their duties. I rarely argued with them, and if we did, our relationship grew stronger through understanding. It's easy to blame others, but when we realize how wrong we've done as well, we grow closer as a team. However, it's when you do service for the good of service that it actually pays off. I've learned so much lifelong skills from this club that it's unreal. From Ms. Abel to Anthony to Shaha to Imelda to the 6'1" freshman, I've made so much wonderful friends and memories. My only regret is waiting until my oval was empty to finally realize the diamond that I had all along; Key Club.

SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST A

Community Service Organization Many of you have heard it before, the same basic spiel about how Key Club is awesome because we serve together, because we make amazing friends and help others while we grow in our friendship, but Key Club is even more than that. Key Club helps people develop skills they never thought they could have before. In my 3 years as a Key Clubber, I have learned so much and grown in amazing ways, but none more than this past year. This past year in Key Club has helped me come out of my shell like never before and start becoming the person I want to be. When I joined Key Club at the beginning of my freshman year, I was that quiet awkward nerdy girl who just kind of followed people around, hoping she would find a place to hide in the corner and not be noticed. But Key Club changed me; it gave me the opportunity to be involved in my school and community, serving others while making friends. Through my next year as an officer I learned how to better communicate with others. I learned how to write both professional emails and friendly facebook messages. With all the practice I got talking to people, coordinating events and helping at meetings, I became more comfortable talking in front of people and even to people. Now I can honestly say I feel confident enough to go up to a stranger and introduce myself, something I would have never been able to do before Key Club. And yet Key Club has taught me even more. Key Club has taught me never to give up on

something you know is worthwhile. For the past year and a half my club and I have been trying to charter a Builders Club. For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, Builder’s Club is another club sponsored by the Kiwanis organization (it’s basically a Key Club for middle school students). As the officer in charge of coordinating this I spent lots of time talking to Kiwanis advisors, other Key Clubs, as well as school principals and teachers. With my amazing officer board I spent hours planning for how this kind of club would work and what they could do. But unfortunately we ran into a lot of issues. From unresponsive principals to half of the staff moving on to different schools, we almost reached the point of giving up. But Key Club has taught me that if you believe in something you should never give up. We continued to work on Builders Club, holding on to that last hope that it could happen and finally, our work is paying off. With a new principal and several interested teachers a brand new Builders Club is well on its way to being chartered! Yes, Key Club is amazing and we do incredible community service, but I believe what makes Key Club truly awesome is the wonderful skills our members tend to develop. So when recruiting next year just keep in mind, Key Club is not just a club, it’s an unbelievable organization that allows you to make friends, develop leadership skills and make lasting friendships all at the same time. With all of that, how can you not want to join? By Kendall Kyle, Jersey Village 19

Bidding F GOODBYE “I was weeping because Richard Parker had left me so unceremoniously. What a terrible thing it is to botch a farewell. I am a person who believes in form, in the harmony of order. Where we can, we must give things a meaningful shape” (Martel 285). Yann Martel, author of the international bestseller Life of Pi, creates a novel that embodies the concept of saying a “ceremonious” farewell. I personally believe that this concept is universal: that when we meet people that grow up with us, their influence in us is so great that it changes us, and when we say goodbye, it is saying goodbye to a better part of us which we are so grateful for them for changing. In the French language, the verb, apprivoiser, means to tame. The idealistic term suggests to understand and to change. I think that the word symbolizes how we grow—we allow ourselves to be tamed, to mature, and to grow because of certain people that we find inspirational. It’s claimed that our chapter in high school is the time in our adolescence when we learn a lot about ourselves. As Key Clubbers, we prioritize leadership through service. As we strive to be great leaders, our individual maturation forces us to be receptive. We receive more XX 20

pieces of ourselves from our friends and mentors. To the seniors that left us this past year: Thank you for being the change that you want to see in the world. Key Club has created a community of people that maintains the humanitarian qualities so valued in service. Because of the integrity of the people as they are continuously drawn to making acts of kindness, Key Club continues to graduate people into the next chapters of their lives while promising their influence for the younger generations so striving to find themselves. And to the new school year, my senior year, I want to be the influence that allows our under classmen to grow. I believe that is one of the significant aspects that leave with us through our years in Key Club: the desire to leave something behind to be remembered by, to positively impact every little place that is receiving of our service. Like a domino effect, the ones before us leave something great as we pass down the same influence to the younger generation whom search for the same treatment. So as you say goodbye, say it ceremoniously. By Robyn Yeh, Jersey Village

Farewell HIGH SCHOOL CAN BE SO MUCH MORE By Patricia DaSilva, Cypress Ranch Four years. Several classes. One building. High school can be just as shallow as the preceding descriptions, and many choose to make it just that. Being a part of my school’s Key Club, however, I had the opportunity to interact with people driven by something deeper than the latest gossip or the coolest fad. Key Club was a platform for likeminded individuals to extend the impact of their high school careers past their social calendars and even past their school walls. Participating in this serviceoriented club has opened my eyes to how those with a similar goal and desire to help others can create positive changes in their community. On the few weekends when my busy ballet schedule would allow me to volunteer, I was always excited to be able to participate in the day-long events. For me, the most memorable took place at the Houston Food Bank my sophomore year. Although we had to wake up long before the end of our sleep cycle, all drowsiness evaporated as we students piled into the yellow school bus. Upon arrival, we were greeted with smiles and gratitude as the volunteer coordinators explained how we could be of assistance. The day’s objective was simple enough. Put beans into bags. It was calm work, and volunteering alongside a few of my good friends

made it fun work. We scooped, bagged, taped and stored beans for about four hours, and I don’t believe my smile ever left my face. It was only when we were being relieved from our bean bagging duties and our glamorous hair nets, did I realize the underlying source of my happiness. What made it all so remarkable? After all they were just beans, but that was the problem. Seeing what was in front of me simply for what it was blinded me from what they could become. A maybe soup. A potential dinner. A future meal. The problem with many individuals is that we fail to see further than the literal. If we take the obvious and recognize what lies behind it, we will realize things can be so much more than they appear. High school can be more than several classes and one building. High school is an opportunity for us to become more ourselves, for us to find what we love and for us to acquire what adversity will ask from us later. It was because of this one building and this one club that I attained an understanding of what it means to give back and the importance of doing so with joy. It is with these ideals that I leave high school and Key Club. It is with these ideals that I hope to continue helping the world become better than it was the day before.

24 Kelsey Endari, 25 Brendon Nguyen, 25 Tatianna Contreras Photo Credit: Harmony School of Advancement

26 Tiffany Hang, 27 Brendon Nguyen,

Membership A REQUISITE

MEMBERS & MEMBERSHIP Club Membership By Kelsey Endari, West Brook The foundation to any Key Club is a good group of officers and lots of members who are passionate about service. One way we can promote our club more is by educating our members about the club. Everyone should know the different levels of Key Club: club, officers/ sponsors, district board, district officers, international board, etc. This will help everyone realize how big and awesome Key Club is! Everyone should also know the Key Club motto, “CaringOur Way of Life”. We also need to explain our passion and devotion to service. We can educate our members by having Key Club trivia before the meetings start. Once all of our current members are educated, they will be motivated to tell all their friends how awesome Key Club is! This past year at running start, I noticed that our booth wasn’t eye catching. There wasn’t anything that stuck out visually and said “Wow this is an awesome club”. Running start is a big time for us to recruit new members, so everyone should be smiling and promoting our club. Once we have new members we need to keep them active and committed. With each project that comes across our agenda, we need to make sure that the members know what the project is, who it is benefiting, and how much fun it is to go to that project. Later in the year, when our attendance decreases, we can have each of the officers bring snacks to keep people motivated to come to meetings. If we have more visually appealing signs at running start, better educated members, and happy, motivating officers, our club membership will increase dramatically from previous years. In fact, with these different ideas, we can all learn and expand from the experiences that result. However, we also have to be willing to make a few mistakes along the way. Many clubs can say that they have a lot of members. All it takes is for someone to pay dues or attend a few meetings. However, the important part of a club is expanding the number of active members. If there are only 50 members but each one of them is active, then that means much more than having 100 non-active members. It’s not about the quantity but about the quality that each member is willing to put in.

New Members By Brendon Nguyen, Mansfield There’s something fundamentally enthralling about retreating from school and all the stress, anxiety, and insomnia it invokes. Being on a two month timer to do whatever I please and relax before plunging back into a sea of homework, studying, and tests for ten months encourages me to make the most out of the limited time I have. Once that timer is up, the dreaded school has returned. Although going back to school is a highly dreaded event that has already reached us, there’s something I will certainly look forward to: Key Club. What I look forward to the most about a new year of Key Club are new members. Every year yields a new group of high schoolers, meaning new, impressionable faces that can expand the club. During registration week, our member recruitment table is often bombarded with inquisitive parents. A lot of these people who stop by were coerced by the classic "looks good on college apps" attention grabber, which leads to hasty payments and high attendance at the first few meetings; however, a lot of these people merely pay dues to be considered a member, then occasionally participate, but mostly disappear. Although this is good for our funds, money isn't the objective of Key Club. The true objective of Key Club is about serving the community through service projects and making the world a better place to live in. Key Club goes so much farther beyond community service and some people aren’t really aware of that. But then there are some members who are aware and go above and beyond, not just by coming to tons of our service events, but also getting more involved via applying for class director or committee chair, attending board meetings, and even running for an office! These enthusiastic Key Clubbers who strive to work hard and commit themselves motivate me to do great things and keep working hard as an officer, so that I can help set an example for members to follow. I think reaching out to new members early on is really important as officers because many of us were inspired to love Key Club due to past officers or friends recommending us to do so. Had it not been for one of the past officers suggesting to go to FTC, I would’ve never known that Key Club was so much more than just community service. Going to FTC encouraged me to run for class director, attend board meetings, and eventually become an officer, which gave way to even more exciting experiences like DCON. New members are a vital part of any organization and as an officer this year, I hope to meet and connect with lots of them this year!

Increasing Membership By Tatianna Contreras, Cypress Fair With the advancement of technology, many people look towards the internet in order to keep in contact with their friends and family. People interact in social media web sites mainly to see who said what on their status, or who’s in a relationship with whom. Even though those may be a few of the main purposes of the internet, different student dominate clubs, such as Key Club, can use social media to increase membership. First of all, social media is used by more than half the teenage population, so if Key Club uses sites such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, Key Club will be able to get in touch with a superfluous amount of kids that attend their school. Key Club can use these web sites to advertise itself to increase membership. Making reminder videos on Vine, posting pictures on Instagram, and mentioning details about events in a status will for sure spread the word and catch the attention of members and potential members. Communicating with teens will be very easy if Key Club simply uses these web sites to their advantage. Key Club can send reminders to both the officers and members of different activities that are going on in Key Club. Participants in Key Club will no longer forget when any events or socials are occurring. The officers will also know when articles are due and what to write about. Over social media web sites, Key Clubbers will also be able to plan out events or socials. The Internet is obviously useful in many ways. One way it is overlooked, however, is that it can also be used to help make Key Club a more productive and cohesive unit at events. Social media is not only used for posting what you are doing every five minutes, but can also be used to help inform people about how to help others and keep everyone connected as one cohesive, productive unit. If Key Club uses social media to inform the members constantly, then attendance to events will increase dramatically.

Getting Pumped

MEETINGS

By Tiffany Hang, Mansfield Summit

If you are struggling to make a name for Key Club, continue reading and you might just be able to make your home Key Club a celebrity. Yes, people join Key Club to put on their resume, but you can always make them interested than just a resume. It is fairly common for a club to start out with many recruits, but by the end of the year, end up with only fifteen members attending the meeting (including the officers). So what are ways we can PUMP our meetings?

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FOOD! FOOD! FOOD! FOOD! FOOD! FOOD! Bringing food to meetings is proven to bring in more members. It doesn’t have to be fancy foods, it can be just potato chips, cookies, and donuts. Anything that is yummy and edible will bring in members. Alternate between the officers and willing club members who provides the food every meeting.

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ICE BREAKERS: Many people are really shy, and are not comfortable doing some ice breakers. Choose ice breakers that people will enjoy, such as Kahoot! A questionnaire game everyone can enjoy and award the winner with a prize (gift card, candy, t-shirt, etc.).

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MAKE MEETINGS FUN: Although meetings should be serious, it shouldn’t be boring. Allow all the officers to speak to the members and not just the President. Ask members questions to keep the meeting alive and also open the floor for questions. Always have an agenda so that the meeting can run efficiently and members have something to refer to.

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CANDY: All ages of kids and teens love candy. A great way to pump up a meeting is having candy. You can have each officer bring in a bag of candy. Before the meeting starts, throw some candy out to the members to get them pumped. At the end of the meeting, throw a little more to encourage them to come back (It doesn’t really have to be candy, it could be little trinkets, pencils, etc.).

FREE FOOD By Brendon Nguyen, Mansfield

MEETINGS

The start of something new is always a great time to make resolutions and the start of a school year is no exception. Starting off the new school year with a spectacular Key Club meeting is crucial to making good impressions to new and returning members alike. Although it’s not always easy to wow people, there are some things that’ll never fail to please: kindness, inclusiveness, and free food. While being respectful to others is and always will be a universal social expectation, being kind to others is considered going “above and beyond” now a days since most people keep to themselves. Being kind to not just Key Clubbers, but ALL people, whether you know them or not, is a sure-fire way to lift their moods, boost their self-esteem, and create happier environments. Even doing little things, such as holding the door and saying hello to people as they walk in is a great way to make connections! Most people undermine how appreciative others can be of a simple hi-five, handshake, or smile, but a little goes a long way. In Key Club, it is very important to make a good connection with members and treat them well because they are the life force of the club! Easy ways to do this is having some officers hold the door, while others are sitting amongst the members and getting to know them! A lot of times the officers tend to seclude themselves from the members, but sitting with your members and talking to them makes Key Club feel more intertwined and cohesive. Another vital characteristic for recruiting and retaining members is inclusiveness! One of Key Club’s four pillars is inclusiveness, because the amazing opportunity to serve the community should not be limited to an elite few. Key Club should be easy to join, not restrictive, and accessible! Hosting the meetings at the school is a must and paperwork should be kept to a minimum. Dues and shirts should be sufficient but not superfluous, because high

costs repel many people looking for an easy and practical way to get more involved. It is good to have a code of conduct and service hour requirements, but don’t get carried away with rules or else the club will seem more like a dictatorship. Organizations that are relaxed but not completely blow-off have great success because they are very approachable and easy to join! Review your club’s policies if your membership is low and think of ways that could broaden the audience for your Key Club. If the first two methods didn’t work for your Key Club, I can guarantee you this last one will: free food. Free food is composed of two very important concepts: free and food. In a world where everything costs money or has strings attached, free is quite good. Free is fundamentally enthralling in that it (usually) doesn’t require anything from you. Secondly, we eat food to live, but I think it can be said that a lot of people live to eat food. Any free food, from lollipops to samples at Panda Express, is always well received and makes people quite content. Given the universal praise for free food, why wouldn’t you want to have free food at a meeting or two? Free food is a sight for sore eyes and attracts people by the masses and, hey, maybe some of these people just happen to stick around and become fascinated by the wonderfulness that is Key Club. Last year at my club’s first meeting, we officers bought a couple hundred cookies to give out and it was definitely the cherry on top to an already spectacular meeting. Think about giving out some lollipops (they’re cheap!) at the first meeting, or even random meetings, and the attendees will be in for a surprise!

Answer to Joke: The ruler!

AN ENJOYMENT

Ice Breakers

30 Megan Mattson, 31 Sharon Zhou Photo Credit: Cinco Ranch

32 Crystal Tran, 32 Alyssa Pacleb

Ice breakers... Everyone knows them. They usually pop up around the beginning of the school year in one or two of your new classes as a way for your teachers to, you guessed it, break the ice. Personally, as the most awkward person alive, I never really liked ice breakers before. There always seems to be that mix of really, really excited people who are just so into it and try to get everyone else as pumped as they are, the people that want absolutely nothing to do with whatever they are being forced to do, and the indifferent people who go along with it but never truly care either way (you know which one you are). I, personally, belonged to the last group. Never really caring, but still going along with it with a passable amount of enthusiasm. But that all changed when I went to DCON. I mean, I'm still painfully awkward (naturally), but almost all of the seminars that I went to in April started out with an icebreaker to introduce us to the people around us. All of the ice breakers that we did were very general, things that we all had done a million times, like pterodactyl and telephone. But doing those same, general icebreakers with my fellow Key Clubbers showed me something that I never really considered before, and sort of showed me how ice breakers actually work. I had always thought that icebreakers were a thing that people all had to do with enthusiasm and excitement, all bright and happy and ready to meet all of the people around them. And that is probably what they were originally meant for, but the way that they actually work is quite different. Icebreakers take the awkwardness in people and shove it together with the awkwardness of other people, creating one big tangle of awkwardness that connects all people involved in this giant web of, well, awkwardness. It works too, I still talk to some of the people that I met at DCON through a seminar that started out with an icebreaker. So, in the spirit of me finally discovering how ice breakers work because of Key Club, I will give you 3 delightfully awkward ice breakers that can be used in most situations to, well, break the ice (as awkwardly as possible).

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Pterodactyl: Gather everyone in a circle. The purpose of this game is to prevent yourself from smiling at all costs. Choose a person to start, and then have them turn to the person on their right. Have them cover their teeth with their lips and say as loudly as they can " Pterodactyl!" Whoever smiles or laughs is out and must leave the circle. Continue like this around the circle. In order to change the direction of the game, instead of saying Pterodactyl, the person must squawk loudly like a pterodactyl (while keeping a straight face of course). The last person standing wins! This game is best used in a group of 10 people or more, in a large, open space.

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Fact or Fiction: For this ice breaker, each person must say 3 things about themselves, 2 truths and 1 lie. It is then up to the rest of the group to decide which one is the lie. The key to this is to have all of the people in the rest of the group collaborate to decide on their answer. Everyone goes, so that everyone in the group meets everyone else. This ice breaker can be used in most situations, but would be most effective in groups of 15 people or under to decrease the chance of boredom.

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Telephone: Everyone had at least one elementary school teacher play this game multiple times throughout the year, resulting in many hilarious moments. To do this, line everyone in your group up. The person at the front thinks of a phrase and whispers it into the ear of their neighbor only one time. Their neighbor then whispers what they thought they heard to the next person, and so on. Once it reaches the end of the line, have the last person announce what they were told. The results are usually hilarious and shocking. This is probably one of the most versatile of icebreakers and can be used for groups of any size and age. Alright, there you have it. Icebreakers, while making some of us cringe most of the time, can also be an amazing way to meet new friends and to create strong bonds within a group of people. So, at the start of next Key Club season, make sure to introduce some ice breakers to your members and bask in the awkwardness that ensues.

Breaking the Ice with Icebreakers By Sharon Zhou, Cypress Woods

HUMAN KNOT

PERFECT MATCH

TOILET PAPER MUMMY

Try to picture these five groups: the shy freshmen, not really sure what’s going on; the sophomores, acting like they know so much; the juniors, talking to their friends because they know the drill; the seniors, bored out of their minds waiting for the meeting to start and end; and the officers socializing among themselves. Sound familiar? Maybe you saw this happen at a recent Key Club meeting? We’re all part of the same volunteering organization, but we separate into tiny “subgroups” and stay to our own group of friends without interacting with the other members of the club, completely defeating the purpose of the group. Some clubs might start their meeting with icebreakers, but let’s face it; most freshmen and new members are unlikely to participate. Pair this with the ones acting too cool for silly games and you get a halfawake group of teenagers and a boring meeting. Here are some icebreakers that are fun and sure to make everyone join in and feel welcome. Separate people into groups of 5 to 8. Hand each group a roll of toilet paper and assign one person the role of “mummy,” then start timing the groups. The point of this game is to have a group wrap the mummy with toilet paper until there is no more paper. Be sure to leave the nose and eyes uncovered! The group that does this the fastest without tearing their paper wins. This can be modified during the holidays by using wrapping paper instead of toilet paper! I played this icebreaker recently at a gathering with my friends. At first, it seemed a little cheesy; however, once the clock started, the competitive side in everyone started to edge out, and we were all scrambling to run around and around the person to wrap them up. It’s not as easy as it seems; the bigger the group, the more people that are trying to work together, and the easier the paper tears! A volunteer goes to the front of the room and stands with their back to the players. he or she tells the audience what that they want in their “perfect match” such as, “She has blonde hair” or, “He is a basketball player.” As each fact is called out, the people that don’t meet the criteria sit down, and everyone else remain standing. When only one person is left, Person A meets his or her “Perfect Match.” We played this at the 2013 Fall Training Conference. The FTC was a perfect example of a bunch of strangers that potentially could keep to their own group/school. However, we were all gathered into the auditorium for an icebreaker. I was completely confused when we first started to play. What did they say it was called? Something Match? And we’re supposed to find each other’s’ “soul mates”? However, once we got the rules clear and started playing, it was evident that this icebreaker was incredibly fun. We all giggled and groaned as people sprouted off things they wanted to see in their perfect match. When only one person was left standing, we cheered as the “happy couple” gave each other a hug. Everyone cheered especially loud when one person used this game to ask his crush to Homecoming (And she said yes!). Gather a group of people (5 or more) and have them stand in a circle. Everyone reaches out and grabs someone else’s hand, but the person can’t be standing right next to him or her. Once there is a jumble of arms and hands in the middle, you have to untangle yourselves without letting go of each other’s hands. This game is challenging but fun. There’s something about being all tied up that really makes people open up and laugh at themselves and each other. It physically requires everyone to participate, but sometimes, just standing back and watching others struggle to untwist themselves is really fun, too! If you have a lot of new members, this icebreaker would be good to separate people into smaller groups and actually get to meet them instead of trying to commit all of your members’ names to memory at once. Once you have been working with each other, you’re definitely more likely to talk to each other and get to know each other!

Obviously, there are a lot of icebreakers out there. Some of them are definitely very easy to plan. Others are a lot more fun. Because there are so many icebreakers, Key Clubbers should make sure that the icebreaker they choose fits their circumstances. For example, Human Pretzel might be a better icebreaker for complete strangers. The game forces everyone to become active and work together to solve a problem that they essentially created by themselves. However, it takes a long time for everyone to free themselves though, so it might be better for meetings that aren’t time constrained. On the other hand, Toilet Paper Mummy is better for meetings that are limited by how long they can be because the game itself is so short and fast paced. When everyone is racing against the clock, a roll of toilet paper can be unraveled pretty quickly! The next time you plan a meeting, make sure to add a few icebreakers. They will definitely create a fun atmosphere and make everyone eager for the meetings.

Let It Go I have a thing with meeting new people: I don’t like to meet new people. I mean, new people are cool because nobody’s really born with their own group of friends. But drop me in a group of people that I don’t know (i.e the first day of school), and I freeze up like Queen Elsa’s super, unexplained ice powers. There are ways, however, that big groups of people can start forging bonds and getting to know each other. They just need that one thing that allows them, even temporarily, to reach out to one another, something fun and a little humiliating to jumpstart interactions. In other words, to break the ice. One of my favorite games to play is Ships and Sailors. It involves lots of exercise and physical contact, two things that strangers do not like but that the game forces onto them anyway. Assign one person to be the "captain”. The role of the captain is to call out the actions and eliminate the players who don't do the actions quickly enough or who break from character. Once the captain calls an action, each player has 3-4 seconds to start performing the action. If they don't find a group fast enough or perform the right action, they are out of the game. Some of the commands include: 

Captain's Coming: Everyone stands at "attention" (in a salute), and no one can move from this position until the caller says, "At ease!" If they laugh or break from the attention, they are dismissed

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Man Overboard: One person drops to one knee while the other stands behind them, with a hand on the former’s shoulder. Both scan the ocean for the overboard man.

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Three Men Rowing: Three players get in a line and pretend to row a boat. You can change the number to as many players as you want.

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Beached Whale: Lays on the ground while acting like a beached whale and making weird sounds.

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Ships: Run to the left.

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Sailors: Run to the right.

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Hit the Deck: Fall to the floor on your stomach.

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Lover’s Leap: One person literally leaps into another person’s arms and holds that position for several seconds.

Ships and Sailors is definitely a crowd favorite, which in my opinion is completely validated. Of course, there are people who are going to be iffy about getting into the game, but it is only fun if you just cast away your awkwardness and let it go. By Crystal Tran, Cinco Ranch

Awkward Sauce I am an extremely awkward mess of awkward sauce on an awkward pizza. Conversations with new people were never my forte, and it is something that I am constantly working on to make myself a better person. In my first Key Club meeting of my freshmen year, we were told to play a game with everyone around us. This game allowed me to somewhat learn the names of the upperclassmen, but it didn’t help me get to know them in a personal way. Playing a game where Key Clubbers got to run around and wrap each other’s arms around other members was fun to say the least, but I feel that there was other things the officers could have done. My orchestra teacher arranged an icebreaker/social with the current high school students to make the transition easier for us. At the icebreaker, the upperclassmen had to find a similarity with an underclassmen listed on a piece of paper such as “likes the band ____” or “find someone who likes _____ color”. Even though they were basic questions which didn’t exactly build lasting friendships, we were required to talk with that person for one minute. In that one minute, we were able to get to know each other’s names and basic information, such as the instru32 ments we played and what group levels we were in.

From these one minute conversations, we were able to learn enough about our new friend to wave at each other in the hallways. I wondered how the orchestra icebreaker was so successful and the more I thought about it, the more confused I was. One minute conversations weren’t intimate and meeting new people wasn’t something that I liked to do, so why was this icebreaker so effective on me? After a long time, I realized that it was the friendliness of the upperclassmen that made this icebreaker impact my views on this extracurricular class. I realized that I had never initiated the wave of my hand to an upperclassman in the hallway and it was he/she that waved at me. This grew to me waving back and soon, after they graduated, we continued to keep in contact. Icebreakers are needed on the first meeting of the year, but just having them take place doesn’t make new Key Clubbers excited to volunteer and make friends within the club! It requires the kindness and openness of our club’s officers to reach out to newcomers in a fresh and down-to-earth way. By Alyssa Pacleb, Cypress Creek

More Ice Breakers All My Friends: Gather everyone in a big circle, and have one person stand in the middle. The person in the middle will introduce themselves and answer any questions. Then, they will say “All my friends…” and a trait (i.e. All my friends have blue shirts. All my friends play an instrument). Those that fit the criteria will run into the circle and find another spot. If they are the last person, they must be the person in the middle. Cheryl Li, James Taylor Complete the Joke: Everyone has a flashcard with either the question or answer to a joke, and they have to search for the person with their counterpart. This activity makes everyone interact and communicate with one another in order to complete their joke. For example, one person will have the question, “What is it called when you lend money to a bison?” and another person will have the answer, “A buffaloan”. At the end, everyone shares their jokes and get a good laugh out of them! Kristina Mathai, Cypress Creek Connecting Stories: One person starts off the story by saying something they experienced or like, “One day, I rode my bike down to Starbucks and got a strawberry and crème frappechino.” Then, the next person has to connect to the story with one of their own, such as, “I love riding my bike! Every summer I go out to the state park and ride on the trails with my family.” The game continues and you see how long you can connect the stories. It’s a great way to learn about everyone and to build up teamwork. Marissa Bingham, Central Conversation Bingo: Everyone is given a bingo card with fun facts written in each square, such as “traveled internationally,” “has 3 siblings,” “is left handed,” “has bungee jumped,” etc. Members go around and try to find people that fit the description. Keep playing until you have a bingo! This encourages members to develop social and listening skills, as well as to meet new members and learn about each other. Kate Thomas, Cypress Fair Elbow Tag: There should be an even number of people, with an additional person as the supervisor. Everyone splits into groups of two except for the supervisor. The two people link arms, and one pair is chosen by the supervisor to split up. One member of the chosen pair is the chaser while the other member is the victim. The victim must run away from the chaser and is able to link arms with an y other pair of players. When the victim clings to another pair, the person on the opposite end is now the victim and must break off. If the chaser catches the victim, the roles of the two people are switched, and the game continues until the supervisor ends it. This game is for people of all ages who are willing to run around and have fun with others. Patrick Kwon, Plano West Getting to Know Someone: Hand each member an index card or a post it note. Have them write four things that are important to them (i.e. Key Club, soccer, TV, lifting). Then, have all members walk around and compare their cards to each other. Once they find someone without anything similar written on the other’s card, have them begin a 2 minute conversation and see if they can find something in common. It’s a great way for people to look past their differences and find similarities! Cheryl Li, James Taylor Jump the Line: A piece of tape or a chalk line is drawn down the center of the room. Members of the group line up straddling the line (one foot to the left and one foot to the right of the line). Then, the leaders ask a series of "would you rather" questions and members jump to the left for the first choice and right for the second choice. Questions could be fun, silly, or serious (i.e. Would you rather go with your cell phone or your computer? Would you rather be bald or hairy all over? Eliminate hunger or war? Be invisible or be able to read minds? Win the million dollar lottery or live to be 100?). Kate Thomas, Cypress Fair Musical Chairs: Have one less chairs than the number of people playing (i.e. 9 chairs if 10 people) arranged in a circle (make sure there’s room for running because it can get competitive!). One person stands in the middle and makes a statement that applies to himself or herself. If the statement applies to a player sitting on a chair, he or she must stand up and find another chair to sit in. If he or she is left without a chair, then they take the spot in the middle. This icebreaker is a good way to get to know other club members and have a blast while doing so. Marissa Bingham, Central Post It Note Quiz: Everyone in the group receives a post it note attached to their forehead that has a word on it. All words are from the same category such as animal, element from the periodic table, movies, etc. Members go around and ask other members a yes-or-no question to help solve the word. For example, for an animal, am I a zoo animal? Can I fly? They continue to ask others until they have solved it. This icebreaker encourages mingling and talking with others. Kate Thomas, Cypress Fair Sardines: Hide and go seek, but backwards! One person hides and everyone else must find him or her. When a person finds the hidden player, he or she silently joins them in their hiding spot. Be sure to establish boundaries for the game so that no one is searching in the wrong area. Sardines is best suited for socials with a medium number of people. Kristina Mathai, Cypress Creek Timing Game: The players form a circle, with each person facing outside the circle. The players are not allowed to speak to each other and are given the “magic number,” or the number of players participating in total. The goal of this game is to have the players count down from “the magic number” all the way to the number 1 without two people calling the same number at the same time. If two or more players call the same number at the same time, the game must start over. For instance, if there are 15 players, the players must count down from 15 to 1, each person only calling one number. This game will increase overall teamwork. This game is normally played with at least 10 people, and the difficulty of the game increases with the number of players. Patrick Kwon, Plano West Question Ball: Find a large beach ball that is easy to throw around. Write questions or commands on the ball (i.e. What is your first memory? Act out your favorite movie.) and throw it around to members (who are sitting in a circle). The catcher must answer the question/ perform the command that their right thumb is placed over. Cheryl Li, James Taylor 27

LETTERS TO THE

Editor

KEY CLUB QUESTIONS Q

What are some good techniques to get your club known in your community through publicity? Especially when your club is relatively new and maybe does not have as many credentials as other organizations, how do you convince local media that your Key Club is worth covering? Deepa Muthusamy, James Taylor

Use social media websites! They are an excellent way to appeal to the public since so many people are using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. In addition, ask if any of your members have connections to radio stations, local newspapers, and other medias. If a friend, parent, or other relative works there, he or she could potentially help your club get featured. You can also ask local stores, cafes, and restaurants to hang flyers or posters in their building. I know many smaller places usually have a bulletin board or an area of some sort where you can put ads. In addition, you can also widely publicize to your school. If your school has a school newspaper, website, or TV news, ask the students and/or faculty of the media to write an article or little blurb about a Key Club or a Key Club event or get interviewed by them.

EMAIL ME QUESTIONS AT EDITOR@TOKEYCLUB.COM 34

I know that many people attended ICON in California recently. What exactly happens at ICON? How does it relate to DCON? Shannon Steele, Cypress Woods

International Convention (ICON) is a time for all Key Clubbers around the globe to gather and celebrate a year of outstanding service and to elect the new International Board. ICON occurs in the summer and is comprised of interactive workshops, leadershipbuilding, new friendships, and lasting memories. ICON is like DCON but on the International level. That means you not only meet Key Clubbers from your district, but from around the world! The 2015 ICON will take place in Indianapolis, Indiana, from June 25th to June 28th.

How would you like jokes/riddles and fun facts to be emailed to you? Should I put them in the article or should I send them in a whole different email? Also is there a format to follow? Alie Shipman, Burleson

There is no official way to send jokes/riddles and fun facts. Honestly, any way works perfectly fine. However, it is most preferred that you simple send the jokes/ riddles and fun facts in the text of the email (with no attached document). And yes, please send the jokes/ riddles and fun facts in a separate email with the subject line of Division School Tex-O-Key Months Joke/Fact. i.e. 99 Ashton Aug/Sept Joke/Fact.

He l p T oda y

THE

Tex-O-Key 2014 August & September