Fall Tex-O-Key

THE TEX-O-KEY KEY CLUB // SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER 2013

VOLUME 2

ISSUE 3

TAKE A LOOK INSIDE GOVERNOR’S PROJECT Kick ‘n Bully ‘n to the Curb, one division at a time pg. 7

TOT 4 UNICEF Change-ing lives, one cent at a time pg. 14 FTC RECAP Becoming effective officers pg. 10

TOKEYCLUB.COM

EDITOR’S NOTE Hello Texas-Oklahoma!

This fall has certainly been a busy one, with Fall Rally, FTCs, and a myriad of volunteering events dedicated to innumerable causes. Without your hard work and dedication, our district wouldn’t be quite as successful in its endeavors.

As the winter rapidly approaches, so too does the season for service. The holidays are a time for gratitude and thanks; take advantage of the winter to have an even greater impact on your community.

Read on to learn more about the Governor’s Project, fall event reflections, as well as ways to improve your clubs. And as always, thank you for your contributions!

Your additions are what make the Tex-O-Key, the Tex-O-Key. –Yours in service, Tashrima Hossain

RIDDLE OF THE MONTH

What can you catch but not throw?

Email the correct answer for five monthly report points! last month’s riddle answer: a rug

CONTENTS 03

Contributions

20

Dues

04

Messages from International

24

Communication & Social Media

05

Top 5 Service Projects Top 25 Clubs

28

Ice Breakers

06

Governor’s Report

31

Service

07

Governor’s Project

35

Letters to the Editor

10

Fall Training Conferences

12

Fall Rally Recap

14

Trick-or-Treating for UNICEF

19

Key Club Week

02

Something to Consider The Top 5 Service Projects and Top 25 Clubs included on page 5 are awarded based on monthly reporting. The District Secretary chooses the top 5 service projects from those submitted each month, and the top 25 clubs are derived from an accumulation of points based on service hours, meeting attendance, article/ newsletter submission, etc.

CONTRIBUTIONS Cover Photo Alex Dantzler

Governor’s Report Luke Broussard

Messages from International Raeford Penny Zack Waldorf

Fall Rally Recap Eliminate/DCON Flyers Grace Liu

Articles Shaha Aziz Nadia Bayoumi Meg Brigman Tori Dang Dang Dinh Kelsey Endari Lilly Fang Sarthak Gupta Hannah Hasson Tien Huynh Blake Jones Lindsey Kirk Gaurav Lalsinghani Dillon Le Cheryl Li

Jennifer Li Juerna List Jake Martinez Sheriah McGill Laura Motard Baolong Nguyen Tam Nguyen Raj Ranganathan Matthew Riley Gregory Ross Matthew Samford Natasha Solanki Imelda Tristan Kristy Yin Jennifer Zheng

Each Tex-O-Key needs photos that tell a story.

E-mail any good-resolution, diverse, and compassionate Key Club photos to editor@tokeyclub.com, and they just might end up on the cover of this magazine.

03

Texas-Oklahoma International Trustee

Zachary Waldorf

International President

Raeford Penny

04

Hello Texas-Oklahoma Key Clubbers!

As we approach the holiday season, I hope that your enthusiasm for service to your home schools and communities has only begun!

Halloween is just one quick scream away, meaning that Trick or Treating for UNICEF is here! I encourage you to hold a pumpkin smash, a trunk or treat, or a Run for Eliminate just to name a few. As we progress from Halloween to Key Club Week (11/4-8), grab your closest Key Club friends and go participate in a service project, recruitment drive, Kiwanis family event, or simply give a random stranger a compliment!

November is a busy month in Key Club, beyond just Key Club week, November 1st is the deadline for early bird dues! Contact your Lieutenant Governor for any questions you may have regarding the Membership Update Center (MUC). Furthermore, from November 14-17 the Key Club International Board will be holding its November Board Meeting in Indianapolis, IN. I encourage you to take a look at the board’s agenda and voice your opinions and concerns to your International Trustee Zack Waldorf.

I wish you all a wonderful fall break, and hope that you will be able to join us in Anaheim, California for the 70th Annual Key Club International Convention. A block from Disneyland and in the perfect weather it is the ultimate ending to a wonderful year of service!

Greetings Texas-Oklahoma District!

As we get ready for October and the Holidays we all love so much, there are many Key Club events to look out for, including Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF and Key Club Week. There are many ways for your club to get involved this time around, so make the best of autumn!

As many of you begin collecting funds for Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF, what’s the use if you don’t know where to send them?

Make sure to send all funds to: The Eliminate Project: Campaign Office Kiwanis International Foundation 3636 Woodview Trace Indianapolis, IN 46268 USA ATTN: Trick-or-Trea Make sure to include the club name or the club number on the memo line of the check. Please remember that all of your efforts this month will not go unnoticed. Clubs that raise more than $250 by December 31 will receive a special banner patch.

Learn more about other awards at the Eliminate Website. Also on the website, be sure to check out the fundraising ideas page. Remember: you don’t have to trick-ortreat to collect change. There are many other ways for your club to participate. From a pumpkin smash to a Zombie 5k, there are so many ideas! Check this out!

Key Club Week gives you the opportunity to show your community what Key Club is all about, what exactly our organization is doing to change the world. Key Club Week is from November 4-8; here is a breakdown of what each day stands for: November 4: Show Your K in Every Way - Spread the word by wearing Key Club gear or try and get an article in your local newspaper! November 5: Kudos to the Key Players - Recognize those who have shown the greatest dedication to Key Club including not only the members, but the teachers and advisors as well. November 6: Connect the K’s - Team up with your local Kiwanis Club and do a service project! November 7: Bring a Friend to Key Club - Bring your friend to your Key Club meeting or convince them to join and teach them about what we do.

November 8: Your Way - This is a day for your club to shine. Plan a service project or a recruitment party!

Texas Oklahoma: Thank you for continued support for Key Club. As we welcome Ecuador into the Key Club family and hopefully many more nations to come, lets make this service year great! Let’s strive to Eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus once and for all!

Service Projects

5

Top

1 Davis Supplies for Soldiers Drive Members collected items such as toothpaste, toilet paper, and floss for overseas soldiers.

2 Goose Creek Memorial Box Tops Donation Every year, GCM Key Club members donate box tops to Alamo Elementary, a Kiwanis Partner in Education, in an effort to help raise money for the school. Although every participating member collects them on their own, several enjoy getting together to help each other find box tops. Key Club members also encourage others to find and donate the box tops they have as well. --Amber Metoyer

3 Manor New Technology Lady Bird Lake Arriving at 9am, they were given the option of either using the kayaks or walking around the lake. With two people per kayak, they were given stick-like mechanisms used to capture the trash in the lake. Those on the kayaks extended the sticks to grab the trash until the end of their shift, when they rowed back to the check-on area and disposed of all of the trash that had been collected. --Pricillia Vivar

4 R.L. Paschal Sears for Shopping Key Club members assisted underprivileged kids in shopping for back-to-school, with the help of their Kiwanis Club, who donated a $200 gift certificate for each child. --Moni Gunderson

5 Wetumka Softball Concessions The Wetumka High School Key Club provided a needed service to their Lady Chieftain fast pitch softball team during the fall– that is, a concession stand complete with cold drinks for the dog days of summer. --Hannah Scnelle

Top 25 Clubs

(in alphabetical order) Allen Brownwood Bullard Cinco Ranch Cypress Creek Cypress Fair Cypress Falls Cypress Ranch Cypress Woods Early Goose Creek Memorial Jenks Lampasas MacArthur Mansfield Summit Nacogdoches North Crowley R.L. Paschal Randall Sulphur Summer Creek Venus Weatherford West Brook Wetumka The above list solely covers the second quarter; there is still a long way until the final Top 25 is announced during DCON. The Top 25 clubs can, and likely will, change by April. Just remember to continue having a positive community impact, and do the little things that can increase your club’s point earnings. Every club has a fair chance of becoming the top club in the Texas-Oklahoma District.

05

a MESSAGE from

LUKE BROUSSARD your district governor

Hello TO Key Clubbers!

Let me start off by saying thank you to everyone that attended Fall Rally. Your attendance made the event a huge success.

October and November are crucial months within Key Club International.

October marks the beginning of Trick-orTreat for UNICEF season. Likewise, October is breast cancer awareness month. Lend a helping hand to those in need within your community by hosting a fundraiser and donating the proceeds to an individual who could some extra monetary support.

November is March of Dimes month. You and your club can participate in service projects such as a change war, or host a 5K to raise funds for healthier babies.

The drive and determination of your club determines how successful we are as a District. So far, we are doing extremely well, so keep up the great work.

Thank you for your service to the Mighty Texas-Oklahoma District!

Sincerely,

Governor Luke Broussard

06

an introduction

of SORTS

We all know that kid.

Or we’ve been that kid or we’ve seen that kid in the hallways or we’ve been the person that might’ve said something cruel to that kid only to feel residual guilt for such actions at a later date.

You know what I’m talking about.

Every single day, thousands of children, of all colors, shapes, sizes, are bullied incessantly by their peers. They’re bullied cruelly, unapologetically, ceaselessly. They’re bullied to the extent that many of them formulate false excuses in order to skip the thing they dread the most: school.

They’re bullied and nobody feels the need to stand up for them and speak words of strength and encouragement.

This fall, as the lumbering form of school sets its sight upon all of us, aka its prey, once again, there’s a responsibility that we all have. There’s a responsibility that should pervade the air at every meeting, a responsibility that may have gone unspoken in t he past as we introduced ourselves as members of an organization working for the benefit of society, for the future of children

in the world today.

That responsibility is finally beginning the fight against bullying.

The 2013-2014 AntiBullying Project by District Governor Luke Broussard is an initiative directed at providing human resources for individuals that feel ostracized and mistreated by the communities that have nurtured many of us. While bland introductions can and likely will be made, there are most definitely better ways of introducing this project so wrought with the value of human dignity.

When Kickin’ Bully’n to the Curb is introduced, it shouldn’t be just

“another volunteer project,” meaningful, but somehow lacking a true feeling of connection.

Kickin’ Bully ‘n to the Curb should touch something within all of us when it’s introduced, in that it always finds some way to become relatable. Officers could carry out these weighty messages with personal anecdotes or even vignettes about other individuals they may have encountered, simple suggestions to get more than just the Key Club community involved, a wording of the goal of the mission that finds a way to nestle within the hearts of all of their members.

Community service within itself is inherently good, but the goal of this year’s Governor’s Project should be to do more than simply fundraise or spread the message. This year’s project is something that has the power to emotionally touch all of us, and at the end of the day, that makes all the difference in the world.

--Jennifer LI, Division 3S LTG

07

SUPERHERO Growing up, watching Batman going through his hardships and coming out a hero has always gotten me to strive to be a superhero. Like Luke Broussard, I’ve always been picked on as a kid. People always say sticks and stones may break your bones but words could never hurt me. Then why did it hurt so much?

Whenever I saw a kid getting picked on I didn’t know how to help them because I knew I was that kid too.

How can I help someone else when I can’t even help myself?

Even though I wanted to be a hero, I always wondered if anyone would come and save me. My family was going through a tough time with my parents divorcing. I was going through puberty, yet my growth spurt never really hit. I’ve been 5” since middle school.

I had a big red pimple on my nose and roaming the hallways I would always hear “Hey Fat Rudolph” and it was especially worse during the holidays sadly. I guess you can say I was an outsider, a freak. I didn’t know how to cope with all of it and people messaged me, “Oh just go kill yourself.” Even though I don’t get picked on anymore, that doesn’t mean it never hurt or I’m completely over it. I’m not here to tell you a sob story, but tell you that anyone can get through it. We all go through it, whether it’s name calling or bad rumors.

We all go through bullying at one point or another.

I guess after going through all of this I came to believe that maybe heroes really aren’t real. Eventually I learned to ignore all of the things going on around me.

High School was a fresh start and I met new people. I met people that go by “Key Clubbers.” I’ve never met people that cared so much. The caring wasn’t only that fake “Hello” or caring because they pity you. The caring was the most genuine I’ve ever seen. Key Club brought out the best in me and it made me a better person. In the end I realized, the definition of hero isn’t a person with super cool battling skills or powers, it was each and every one of us. It was the heart and hard work we had that made us heroes. I guess my dream really did come true, I realized that I was a hero too. Some people just need guidance, so let’s Kick Bully N to the Curb and be heroes.

--Tien Huynh, North Garland

08

Governor’s Project Information Our plan to introduce the governor’s project to members is quite simple this year. The first, and arguably the most important step, that we have to take is to tell the club what the governor’s project is. In our first meeting, we’ll briefly mention the governor’s project and what it stands for this year. At the second meeting, we’ll introduce a committee solely for the governor’s project. The club will then encourage members (up to seven) to join that committee in order to work on the Governor’s project closely. Once the committee has been decided, I will explain in depth what exact tasks that committee is charged with.

The aforementioned step is very important because the members won’t effectively contribute to the governor’s project unless they know exactly what it stands for. By explaining the nuances and even some vague possibilities of project ideas, the members will get a better sense of what exactly they will be expected to do. Because the governor’s project this year deals with bullying, there will be much discussion of antibullying measures both at our high school and nearby middle schools in order to combat bullying.

This basically constitutes how we will introduce the governor’s project to members at the beginning of the school year. Beyond telling members what the governor’s project is and offering them a chance to apply and work on a committee dedicated to dealing with the governor’s project, there isn’t much more that can be done to inform members about the governor’s project.

Later in the beginning of the year, we might also provide the resources and information about the governor’s project that is currently on the TexasOklahoma key club website to the members. Another possibility would be to actually give the uniform resource location (url) to the members so they can go to the key club website themselves and check out information about the governor’s project. The internet is a great resource. To take things one step further, members might actually look up the ideas to fight bullying that have already been done in schools across the country and have been uploaded to the internet for ideas. This would certainly give them a better grasp as to what they can do.

This all deals with the information aspect of the governor’s project situation. The actual projects will be carried out by the committee and then promoted at regular club meetings.

--Gregory Ross, M.B. Lamar

I noticed that at the West Brook campus, there has never been a club, project, movement, or even a support group to try and end bullying. There are antibully policies but these are all enforced by the adult figures at the school. This is eective to an extent but not as eective as it could be. The best way to end bullying is from the root, also known as the students. They are the ones who go through bullying, witness bullying, and actually do the bullying. With this in mind, I decided at the end of my sophomore year that I would be the change. I would be the one to start the end of bullying. My committee and I started planning all throughout the summer on what we should be called, what our motto should be, and what we would actually be doing. We came up with the acronym of BRAVE standing for Be Respectful and Verbalize Equality. The reason behind the acronym is very simple. The acronym itself means the act of anti-bullying.

Bullying is not just the physical and mental harm of someone. It is also the actual or perceived imbalance of power. That is what gives bullies the means to

cause harm to another person.

The bully believes that they are higher than the other person and if they act as if they are, the one being bullied will believe it as the truth. Our motto also emphasizes this idea. "Bruins are BRAVE not bullies." With these 2 things characterizing the project, they give bullied students the sense of empowerment. They feel that they have someone on their side. That's our mission. Our mission is to empower the bullied while our goal is to eliminate and idealistically eradicate bullying on our campus. I started the BRAVE project not only with the

intention to enter it in as a Governor's Project but also because I have a strong opinion on bullying. No one should have to be hurt because of what they look like or what they wear or what they have done. Everyone makes mistakes. The BRAVE project is here to support the people who have felt like they have been harmed by another person, the ones who are repeatedly looked down upon because of who they are. I know that some people don't have the courage to stand up so we as a whole will stand up for them.

We will support them. We will be their backbone. We will be BRAVE.–Shaha Aziz, West Brook

09

FTC

FTC

FTC A Little Key Club Never Killed Nobody

As Ethel Andrus once said, “The human contribu/on is the essen3al ingredient. It is only in the giving of oneself to others that we truly live.”

With the beginning of the school year in mo3on, the Cypress Woods Key Club aspires to teach the value of service, puBng others before yourself, and the importance of community to a new set of members. With membership recruitment on its way and service projects throughout the community, Key Club con3nues to transform the way students think, interpret, and treat others. This year, our Key Club hopes its ideals of self-­‐respect for oneself, the community, and one’s faith directly impact each individual’s daily outlook and perspective on life.

With the upcoming annual Fall Training Conference, Key Clubbers will be able to showcase their true 1920’s charm and glamor through leadership, responsibility, and service. Region 12 Clubs from Divisions 3N, 3S, 3E, and 9W will delve into a new level of volunteerism and develop a passionate understanding for projects. Forums on fundraising, officer responsibilities, and membership provide new insight and give members the ability to set goals for the new school year. Each workshop offers new ideas, fresh faces, and the opportunity to collaborate in the name of service.

Last year, the ELIMINATE Project forum, led by Carolina Hernandez Beltran, seemed to inspire every individual in the room. Carolina, the IP-Lieutenant Governor for the 3N Division, shared her personal connection to the project and encouraged others to find their own ties with the project. With innovative fundraising ideas and a plethora of involving projects, members were able to set standards for their own clubs and see how their funds would directly change the lives of generations. This year, with a new focus on anti-bullying and leadership, Fall Training Conference will offer new ideas and plans to help clubs move in the right direction.

As the fall semester sets in, Key Clubbers are ready to begin another passionate year of service.

From raising funds for the Children’s Miracle Network and the ELIMINATE Project to working on projects under the Youth Opportunities Fund, Key Clubbers have found their place in the community, locally and internationally. Throughout the academic school year, Key Club hopes to involve more students, expand the outlook of its members, infuse family values, and instill the human contribution.

–Gaurav Lalsinghani, Cypress Woods

10

FTC

FTC

FTC Fall Training Conference

On September 14th, 2013 the officers of Region 11 attended the Fall Training Conference. Held at Sam Marcos High School Fall Training was made fun by becoming Super Hero training. We started the day with a fun game of pterodactyl, which if you haven’t heard of this game let’s just say it involves making pterodactyl sounds.

Moving on to more serious matters we discussed the history of Key Club in which I thought the most interesting fact I learned was that Elvis Presley was a Key Club member.

We also talked about the structure of Key Club and how interdependent we are on each other and how that makes us a successful organization.

A major part of the Fall Training Conference was focused service opportunities that all divisions of Region 11 could participate in. The one that my club has been focusing on right now is the Governor’s Project. We have teamed up with the PALS group at our school to spread the word about blue shirt day coming up on October 7th. The PALS at my school did a similar project last April for bully awareness and that is what gave me the idea to talk to their teacher advisor about participating in our week of awareness.

We then had lunch, generously sponsored by Nourriture Catering, during which our Division 24 South Lieutenant Governor Edeline Ong sold us friendship bracelets called threads for hope, for which half the proceeds would go back to the men, women, and children of Philippines who made the beautiful bracelets and the other half would go to the Eliminate Project.

We started back up again after lunch with another ice breaker, the game of telephone, during which we got some extremely warped versions of our original sentences. We then talked about communication and especially communications with our Kiwanis family. It is so important to so our appreciation for the Kiwanis families that support our clubs because without them there would be no Key Club. Next were the forums based on officer position where we each got to learn a little bit more about our positions in the club, as well as our duties and responsibilities in the club and how to perform them in the most proficient manor. Falling the forums were meetings with our Lieutenant Governors about events coming up in our area and we have set for making this year a great on for Key Club. –Nadia Bayoumi, James Bowie

11

Fall Rally 2013 This year’s Fall Rally at Six Flags was even better than expected.

Early High School brought its best, hardworking, dedicated members and officers to celebrate in kicking off a school year full of service. We met bright and early in the morning to make the three hour journey to Arlington. A bus full of sleepy students transformed into balls of energy as we entered the gates of Six Flags. Everyone was excited for a full day of Key Club education and thrilling fun. We kicked off the day with a few rides before meeting in “France” with all of the other clubs. It is always awesome to see everyone that could make it from the Texas and Oklahoma district come together in one big room, but for some reason, this year was even cooler. There was an insane amount of exciting energy in that building.

Our club had so much fun with the hat-making activity at the beginning of the rally. Team

12

Hook dominated overall and Early High School was proud to be a part of it! The most anticipated announcement, of course, was the theme of DCON 2014. Our Key Clubbers are even more excited to prepare for attending the convention now. Each district officer’s presentations were informative and helpful. The icebreakers were entertaining and enjoyable. We may even use a few of them in our own club this year! Early High School had a special presentation to give this y e a r. We a l s o h a d t h e opportunity to wish our very own Luke Broussard a happy birthday, sing to him, and give him a special gift on stage d u r i n g t h e r a l l y. I t w a s extremely difficult to pull of keeping it a surprise (he even showed up at Wal-Mart when a group of officers were purchasing his present), but we managed to make it happen!

We also placed fourth in the

Trick-Or-Treat for UNICEF competition that began during Fall Rally. A group of members set out immediately to inform the people of Six Flags on how they could make a difference in a life by simply donating their spare pocket change. When the meeting portion of the day came to a close, our officers and members dispersed to go enjoy the park, and the activities and rides it has to offer. Despite the poor weather and in turn, the early departure from Six Flags, we were able to have lots of fun hanging out together and getting to know our fellow Key Clubbers even better. Overall, Fall Rally 2013 was a complete success!

--Lindsey Kirk, Early

13

better than candy The end of October has come and now a new month of fall has fallen upon us.

But just before this pumpkin-colored month said good bye, it gave us one last treat; Trickor-Treat. Halloween is always a great way to end the month of October, with lots of candy and fun. Cinco Ranch High School Key Club celebrated this day with our event, Trick-orTreat for UNICEF. All of our members were excited, once again, to go out door to door on Halloween night, just like the old days as a child. Because we are too old to ask the neighbors for candy we spent our night of spooky adventures volunteering to raise funds and support the Eliminate project.

The night started out with a lively social with food and drinks. It was a great turn out, around forty of our members showed up! Everyone could not wait to venture out in the dark night of this haunted holiday. The ten officers when then separated to be leaders of a group of five to ten members. Then within each group the ones who could drive took those who could not in to their appointed neighborhood. We all got started trick-or-treating for UNICEF as soon as we possible.

When my group arrived at our designated neighborhood, we then split up in to two groups, each containing five people. That way we would be able to cover more ground in these short hours, without all crowding at the doorway. Our routines for each house were to say trick or treat, but for UNICEF, of course, then lead into an explanation of what the donations are for. All

14

the money received goes toward supporting The Eliminate Project, in order to provide resources and advocacy to support elimination of maternal and neonatal tetanus.

There were many kind donations, many people to our surprise already knew about trick-or-treat for UNICEF and were prepared to donate to support a cause. There were also some who did not know about this tradition, but were readily reaching in their wallets for some loose change. It is also a given that not everyone will be willing to donate, some just did not have any change on them. At many houses we were also given candy to compensate for money and our efforts. It was lots of fun being able to get out on a school night and have fun for a great cause. In the end our efforts paid off and all of our members had fun and did a great job as fellow Key Clubbers.

--Kristy Yin, Cinco Ranch

Pumpkin Smash In order to raise money this year for the ELIMINATE project through UNICEF, our Key Club decided to host a pumpkin smash which we called a Fall Festival.

By the end of our fundraiser, at least forty of our members came out to celebrate Halloween and support our great fundraising opportunity. That night we also raised about $100, which was close to what we get in our UNICEF boxes annually. That night also gave us the chance to involve other clubs and organizations from our school to participate in raising awareness for the ELIMINATE project. For example, we had the French Club sell snacks and the Culture Exchange Club did face painting.

One of our events that attracted many people was our bake sale. We had about twelve students bake for this. All the items were festively laid out and we sold all the cookies, brownies, cakes and cupcakes before the night ended. The total amount of money we received through this sale was around $60.

Another popular event we had was a pumpkin decorating booth. One of the high school Spanish teachers brought her children and nieces to decorate the miniature pumpkins. We all watched as they excitedly sprinkled glitter and paint on the pumpkins.

One of our high school girls helped the smaller girls draw on them to make a creative design. It was something the small girls and boys had not gotten to do before, and they were very excited when they completed their pumpkins. After they finished they walked around and showed off their festive pumpkins to anyone who was willing to see.

Our other main draw was the actual pumpkin smash. For eight tickets the participants got the opportunity to smash pumpkins with baseball bats.

Many people liked the idea of getting out their frustration on a pumpkin. The first person that took this opportunity was our sponsor, Mrs. Ferrell. She smashed the pumpkin in no time and was much more relaxed after she destroyed it.

This fundraiser was a great way to get students and the community involved with our organization, and to make money for this great cause. We had a great time interacting with the Key Clubbers, students, and community members that came, and the members had a more fun way to get involved with our club. We would like to do this again next year and hopefully it will be a smash.

--Matthew Samford, Nacogdoches

ESL Pumpkin Decorating The holiday with witches, goblins, ghosts, and fairies that come out for a scare or two is so exciting. Candy, movies, and costumes are everywhere. At Nacogdoches High School, Key Club planned a pumpkin decorating event with the ESL kids. ESL stands for English as a second language. The kids have come from Burma, Thailand, Mexico, and a few more areas. The creativity and imagination quickly filled the room when we gave them markers, glitter, and any other crafty material.

Located in the freshman building, there were about twelve ESL kids and thirteen key clubbers. We had pumpkins and decorated them with silly and scary faces. It was amazing to see how each individual pumpkin turned out. While decorating the pumpkins, we also watched a Halloween movie called Hocus Pocus. This movie is about three witches that come back on Halloween night and they put a curse on this boy who tried to save his sister into a black cat. Legends say that he has been stuck like that for years and nobody can change him back because they don’t know that he is a black cat, but he roams around the witch’s house. It was a very interesting movie and the ESL kids seemed to have a great time learning about Halloween.

In addition, while watching the movie, we had many fun treats. Key Club gave each ESL kid a goody bag with candy. We had popcorn, cookies, and drinks as well to satisfy our tummies. I had asked one ESL kid what they were going to be for Halloween and she responded, “Witch”. From watching the movie, I could tell she loved it and was excited about going trick-ortreating with friends. I told her to be cautious of all the candy she gets when going to ask since this is her first Halloween in the United States. It’s extremely exciting to dress up and get candy in return.

Halloween is the time of spooky creativity to come out. The ESL kids did a great job decorating their pumpkins with all kinds of faces. The movie was also a huge hit because they not only learned about Halloween, they got to enjoy the characters in the movie! Honestly, the food and goodies made it better, because everyone loves food. The experience of sharing Halloween related activities with the ESL kids was a blast and I can’t wait for the next holiday!

--Tori Dang, Nacogdoches

15

Howl-O-Ween October is the time of fun costumes, tasty candy, and fall! On October 26th, Taylor Key Club encountered all of those aspects at CAPS Howl-O-Ween Walk. The dogs were in full costume, from Mario and Luigi, to an adorable sushi roll. At the booths were a range of items, such as deliciously sweet treats, or cozy beds and blankets.

At the start, we helped to set up. Enduring the unusually cold weather, we assisted the setup of booths, and fill up bowls of water for the dogs. We decorated the line markers festively, and created a single beautiful looking pole through hard work. Afterward, we took a tour of the lake in order to document possible potholes or anything that could affect the walk. And it paid off! A duck family was slowly making its way to the lake. We had to herd them off, and ensure they reached the lake safely before the dog walkers came.

By the time we finished the precautionary lap and

16

returned, the central green was filled with dogs and their owners.

When the dog walk began, we barely got in place before hordes of dog walkers descended upon us. They crossed the street in giant packs, crowding onto the tiny sidewalk. The cuteness of the dogs was overwhelming! They began circling the lake taking care not to disturb the ducks that were so carefully herded into the lake.

Stationed along the path were Key Clubbers, equipped with bright orange pompoms to cheer on the dogs and walkers. Suddenly a chant began: “D-O-G! GO DOGS GO! D-O-G!” and spread throughout all of us. The cheering continued on until we were hoarse. When it was down to the last group, we all gathered at the finishing line, and began cheering them on. The dogs all began running, pulling their owners along with them until they had reached the finish line, and everyone, even the Sherriff, who was directing traffic, began laughing. I also never realized cheerleading could be so fun.

Smiling, high kicks, and flailing limbs made the walkers laugh and have more fun walking. Our cheerleading encouraged all the dogs to walk 2 laps around the lake, reaching a full mile! It was amazing to see the amount of people and their dogs surrounding the lake.

The costume contest was by far the cutest and most amazing thing I’ve seen. There was a multitude of dogs lined up, each in their equally awesome costume.

Minnie and Mickey were present, along with Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi, and even a mini shark made an appearance! Volunteering at the CAPS walk certainly made my day.

--Cheryl Li, James Taylor

BOO-Grams Arrive in Davis!

The leaves are changing and the clouds are moving in.

A full moon haunts the sky as little children and teens look forward to a spooky night of Trick or Treating and costume parties. But, on Halloween day, students of Davis schools were greeted by spookier than spooky‌BOO-GRAMS! The Davis Key Club started making Boo-grams as a positive way to spread Halloween happiness and raise funds for their Angel Tree program in December. We heard of the idea from the Duncan Key Club and thought it would be a lot of fun.

We started designing the greeting, post-card type order forms in the middle of October, just before Fall Break.

When the Davis Key Club returned from break, refreshed and rested, we got to work. We printed our designs and wrote a letter to elementary teachers and parents explaining the Boo-grams, their delivery date (Halloween) and the cost. Then a few of our club members, went through the elementary classrooms to personally show the Boo-grams to the children and deliver the order forms. Elementary students were ver y excited, and the teachers were too. After presenting to the elementary, we hung poster ads on all the doors in the campus, including middle school

and high school. We were looking forward to a great turnout.

Then the real work began. About seven of our members met the first evening to start making the Tootsie Roll Pops into spooky, yet friendly ghosts.

We covered each sucker with tissue wrapping paper and tied it with a Halloweenie colored green ribbon. We drew faces on them with a marker. They were delightful. Of course, we had to keep one of our members, Bryson, from eating too many of them!

Toward the end of the week, we began getting a load of little greetings (order forms)!

There were literally hundreds.

For our small school this result was amazing. Nearly half of our total student body ordered Boo-grams.

We had orders from the elementary, middle and high school.

The elementary were the most diďŹƒcult to sort as we had to put

them in order by classroom and grade, and the middle school did not always list the grade so we had to do some detective work! On the day before Halloween, three of our members spent much of their day during their elective classes making MORE ghosts, sorting the greeting cards and putting together the orders for classes.

Overall, the Boograms were a super success! The little ghosts will be sure to return next year!

--Sheriah McGill, Davis

17

KEY CLUB WEEK AND ALL ITS GLORIES

With all the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives, most, if not all, Key Clubbers look forward to the long awaited Key Club Week. Key Club week gives everyone the opportunity to display to the community exactly what Key Club is all about: service. Each day of the week emphasizes a certain aspect of our club, ranging from our homes to the schools and community.

This year Key Clubs around the world will begin the fun-filled week with showing our “K” in every way.

Meaning that on this day clubbers will be completely covered in Key club attire and publicizing what Key Club is all about. Tuesday will be recognized as a day of thanks, in which members of the club will assure all of our fellow supporters, such as teachers, advisors and

MONDAY Show Your K in Every Way Show people what Key Club is all about!

Spread the word by wearing Key Club gear and publicizing Key Club Week in local stores, your school Web site, community newspapers—even on the radio. Officially announce Key Club Week in your community with a proclamation and refer to the Key Club public relations manual to get great tips on how to publicize Key Club in your community.

others, are recognized for all of their faith and support in this noteworthy club. As we head into the middle of the week, Wednesday has been selected as “Connect the K’s.” During this special day every single club such as; Kiwanis, Builders Club, Circle K, and Kiwanis Kids, will come together as one to serve as volunteers for a meaningful service project and to celebrate all of our wonderful success so far. The following of the festivities has been announced as “Bring a friend to Key Club.” This day’s basis is to create a recruitment opportunity for the individual and clubs as a whole. Clubbers can bring a friend, or two, or more to the meeting, because we all know the more members equals more service! To bring an end to this extraordinary week, Friday is the day for each independent club to show their support and love for Key Club. Clubbers can combine the previous days into one or just make a completely knew idea and have fun while doing it!

Key Club has always been a priority to me and just having this week to celebrate all our accomplishments as a whole really allows us clubbers to reflect and be proud of everything we’ve done. Key Club isn’t just another after school club; it’s a way of life. It’s a life that helps others and doesn’t expect everything in return, a life where everything we do makes a different. That’s why this Key Club Week I intend on diving right in and displaying my pride and way of life to everyone I come in contact with.

–Imelda Tristan, West Brook

TUESDAY Kudos to the “Key” Players

Personally thank all the Key Club supporters you know—teachers, advisors and other Key players. Write thank-you notes, host an appreciation dinner or do something uniquely your own style to recognize the contributions of these special people.

THURSDAY Bring a Friend to Key Club More members = more service. Increasing the amount of service Key Club performs increases the impact Key Club has on the world. Bring a friend, or two, or more to your next Key Club meeting. Download recruitment resources.

WEDNESDAY Connect the K’s Key Club is the largest high school service organization in the world and is a member of the Kiwanis family.

Celebrate the K-Family by getting the whole gang involved. Connect with local Kiwanis, Circle K International, Builders, Kiwanis Kids or Aktion clubs and team up for a joint service project.

FRIDAY Your Way This is your club’s chance to do its own thing and make its mark. Pick a project, plan a recruitment party or combine activities from the other Key Club Week days.

Whatever idea you choose, take it and run with it.

19

DUES

Dues, dues, dues. The daunting task over every treasurer. They try their best, but getting that many people to pay membership dues is difficult! So what can your club do to get members to pay up?

Emphasize the

DUES

DUES

DUES

DUES

D U E S

While dues were due before/on NOVEMBER 30, the late deadline is DECEMBER 1.

After FEBRUARY 1, clubs who have not submitted dues will be suspended.

Importance of paying dues and tell them what it goes towards! If they know what they are paying for, they are more likely to do it. Understanding why Key Club needs money and what we do with it allows them to see that we really need their help. This way they don’t see the dues as something that is unimportant or doesn’t support a cause.

Give them motivation to pay soon! What our club did was tell all of our members that if they didn’t pay by a certain date they would be unable to sign up for events. We also are giving already paid members priority in sign ups. So if a member doesn’t pay dues they receive restricted access to events, which limits how many points they can get, which in turn puts them behind in the number of points they need to earn to finish in good standing with Key Club international.

The November deadline is coming up quick, but we still have time. One important aspect of getting everyone to pay dues is reminding them! A lot of people don’t mind paying dues and would do it right away if they remembered to bring money. So sending out reminders, talking about it at meetings, and putting into newsletters and publications helps remind members to pay up. The more times a member hears “pay your dues” the more likely they are to do just that.

Another thing to encourage payment is talking about Key Club international and organizations that our school is a small part of. Many new members don’t realize how broad Key Club is and how many things it encompasses! By telling them that we are a part of something so much larger, they are able to appreciate what they are contributing towards.

Lastly, combine the payment of dues with the turning in of membership applications and T-Shirt sales. By combining several tasks members need to complete/ have the option of doing it helps them remember to do it. Three things to do are less likely to be forgotten than one.

However you do it, one method or all, make sure that you get those dues paid!

--Meg Brigman, M.B. Lamar

20

la di di da di… We Got the Money

Dues are a, well, problematic concept to most members. Why, they ask, should they pay to volunteer: to be a part of service? This is easy enough to explain. Club members are the most crucial part of the Key Club pyramid.

They pay dues (as does every member of Key Club, regardless of their position) that support Key Club International in their endeavors to revolutionize the world, through service, as we know it.

So therein lays a crucial dilemma: how do you get members to willingly pay to be a part of your organization? People are more willing to pay if they know the reason behind why they are paying. Most dues come with the club shirt. Tell them about the shirt and let them be a part of the process of making the shirt. Explain the functions of the $12.50 that are a part of international

ncentive. Maybe, clubs could have a raffle if members turn in their dues before a certain date?

Third, competition drives perfection. Let grades compete to have the most number of people turn in their dues by the deadline and offer them a privilege like choosing what music plays at meetings or where the next club social will be.

So, yes, we do get the money. Let’s make sure that dues are put to the best possible use so that members have a drive to dues. It’s important to recognize that dues allow us to join the club and pay up. Make deadlines clear with lots of send out the Interna3onal leeway. Explain Key Club Magazine, keep websites hierarchies and how the running, and fund the campaigns we run to Eliminate Membership Update center works. Let them in on the inner Project and other charitable workings of how such a large direc3ves. Also, ensure that and overwhelming organization you can be accountable for works. This is the way to incite every dollar you spend. Let them know exactly where the people into turning their dues in on time: make them more than dues have gone. club members. Make them Key So how do you get Club International members. members to turn in these all important dues by November? --Raj Ranganathan, Cy-Fair First, it’s important to recognize that most people are natural procrastinators . So, make the deadline for turning in dues well before November.

Second, its human nature to turn in things on time if there’s an 21

financial

management Officers often undermine the basic organization skills on handling money. Most people are familiar with the phrase, “it takes money to earn money”. Therefore, if we lavishly spend on not-so-important items, the bank balance shoots down! There are many ways to save money so there is plenty left to securely make advancements in your club. Tips: 1 If you want to buy something for your club, earn enough money to where you would be able to buy that item twice and still have money left over before you purchase it. Doing this, you will be able to confidently spend your money, and make a purchase that is comfortable for you and for your club.

2 Don’t buy supplies and items of that nature from a place like Hobby Lobby, first try cheaper stores (i.e. Wal-Mart), you can save much more money than you would expect.

Everything adds up!

3 Reuse anything that you can! Logically, reusing cuts expenses in half. I’m not asking to reuse stuff like facial napkins or anything (Eeww). For example, two years ago, my key club bought hay bales to put on our float that we made for the First Annual Best Maid St. Paddy’ s Pickle Parade (in which, by the way, we earned a trophy for the best Irish theme).

After using these bales, did we throw them away? No! We stored them in our storage portable. But did we use them again? Yes! We hosted our very own Summit High School Easter Egg Hunt later that year, and we used them as decoration by the eggs. Yes, it is a big hassle moving those gigantic bales for different events but it all pays off because we save a lot of money.

22

4 Take it easy when it comes to money. If you think a certain purchase would be beneficial to the club then call for a board meeting.

Consult with the treasurer, sponsor, and president of your club about the benefits or disadvantages of this purchase. And after a long discussion, come to a decision that is accepted by all. Rash decisions may work sometimes, but most of the time, it comes back around and knocks you over!

5 Only buy what is necessary! For example, you shouldn’t buy five bags of chips for one officer bonding day. Be resourceful! If you can make do without this certain item, then try!

These types of techniques and procedures are what keep a club “wealthy” and financially secure. Following these tips will lead you to make your key club events simply amazing, and that too, on a cheap expense. Ready? Set! Save!

--Sarthak Gupta, Summit

DUES Dues, this is the word that everyone dreads yet has to accept. No one likes to give money away because you can hear the sound of your wallet crying. No one likes to count money, but without dues you are not an official Key Club member.

The Early Bird deadline has passed and make sure that it is not POSTMARKED by the day but that it is received by Key Club international on these days. The on time deadline is December 1st so make sure not to forget to get it turned in.

Have an officer meeting; that way, everyone can count dues and I recommend having a receipt book. It’s a great way of keeping track of your money, and if there is any issue, the member can prove that they have paid.

An online spread sheet is also a good way of keeping record. If writing isn’t

your thing, this is a good way to go about it. Put down their names, and put down if they have paid, and eventually, you can use this spread sheet to also keep track of their hours. It’s an organized and successful way of doing things. I’ve done it, it really does work.

Make your deadline clear to your members. It would be safe to ask them to turn it in a week before it has to be received. That way, you know it has enough time to get to Key Club International. Otherwise, it’d be really hectic. You can check how to pay the dues on the T-O Website (no pun intended).

There is a video that takes you through the process step by step, and in the end, you’ll get your pins and membership card.

Emphasize your due dates, and if anything, recruit! The more, the merrier.

On Key Club Week, try to emphasize other people coming to your club as a beneficial thing. Tell the world about the club and keep on recruiting. Make recruiting fun and maybe add in incentives! Play a game, have food at the meetings, but don’t forget to tell them about what Key Club is and the amount of work they have to put in.

Key Club really isn’t for everyone, but it can’t hurt to try.

Remember. Don’t forget to get your dues turned in on time. That way, you can be an official member of Key Club International.

--Tien Huynh, North Garland

23

#JoinUp Tweet Tweet. No, I am not talking about the famed Looney Tunes character Tweety Bird. In fact I am referencing the greatest thing since sliced bread… Twitter. How else is one supposed to let everyone else know where they are at, who they are with, what they are doing, and why they are doing it every minute of every day. Stalking another individual has never been so easy! However, I am not here to give you ideas about “following”, (see even Twitter’s term for being updated about your friends' personal life sounds stalkerish), that cute girl/guy in your math class or annoying your friends with your constant tweeting. No I am here to discuss the possible asset that social media websites like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram can be to an up and coming club looking for members. Twitter and Facebook are two of the power houses in social networking, with 517 and 152 million users respectively, and the odds are that almost everyone in your school uses at least one of these sites, so with that in mind social networking can be used to increase your numbers by: ü Advertising to your friends and/or followers about the greatness of Key Club ü Explaining to those with interest in what exactly Key Club does (This may also be shown through an Instagram account) ü Talking about the benefits of Key Club including but not limited to how you got into that amazing college/program because of Key Club

Another large bonus of creating accounts on social networks is that it also provides means to communicate to the majority of your club within seconds. Here one may tweet or post the volunteering events, locations, and times which saves a lot of stress and solves numerous future dilemmas.

Facebook, Twitter, or whatever new social networking site that comes next may not solve your membership woes, but it is a fantastic place to start. It takes possibly twenty minutes maximum to create an account for BOTH Twitter and Facebook, so why not join the twenty-first century and try and take Key Club to a whole new level.

Also, like I mentioned earlier, tons and tons of people use these social networking sites, but a text messaging service like Remind101 works great! You can create separate numbers for separate groups of people, like officers, board, and members so everyone can be updated on the activities appropriate to them. Everyone seems to have a phone that can at least text message these days, so that’d be perfect for any club!

–Blake Jones, Cypress Falls

24

Key Club in the Age of Social Media

Social networking sites can be a huge distraction from the academic world, but they can be a huge tool for club cohesion and communication. Sites like Facebook and Twitter exist solely for the purpose of connecting with others, which makes them perfect for Key Club.

Our club uses Facebook as a supplement to email notifications, and this year we have plans to revive our now-dormant Twitter account. Social networking sites are the perfect way to keep in contact with members, because almost every teenager is plugged in one way or another. And there are plenty of mediums to choose from: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, even Google Plus if you’re into that kind of thing.

Facebook obviously lends itself quite well to Key Club’s needs. You can have an officer group, a club group, and your club group can be part of the larger division. It’s so easy to communicate with people via Facebook because you only have to post one message and it gets out to everyone. Usually, we’ll make a Facebook post and send out an email in quick succession, that way everybody can get the message one way or another. Sometimes, because of our technology overload, teenagers tend to gloss over one message, which is why the system of sending out

Social media is arguably the best tool to have in order to maintain a club, especially one directed to youths like Key Club. With sites like Facebook where you can invite others into a group, you can easily use it as an advertisement for your club by getting the current members to invite their friends to join.

Facebook also shows what groups you’re involved in on your timeline, which can incite curiosity and possibly interest on the people who go on your page.

Dedicated members can post about the club itself along with how joining it will undeniably be one of the best choices ever made. If enough friends are in a group, sometimes Facebook will recommend it to other mutual friends. Social media can give your club the publicity it needs to gain new members.

It can also keep your club together. As previously mentioned Facebook allows you to create a group page, and this is a great way for all members to get to know the club better. They can see all the current members, get info about the club on the about page, see the upcoming events, photos and files that they may need. Any questions they need to ask or statements they need to make can be posted on the wall. Every post is public too, so anyone else

the same message multiple times comes in handy. You might ignore something once, but when it pops up three times through different networks, that’s a sign that maybe you should pay attention to it.

We also use Evite to send out invitations to our events. It’s a really easy way to get a headcount, and it’s incredibly user-friendly for both the officers and the members. Evite also sends out automatic reminders so that we officers don’t even have to worry about reminding 15 people the day before an event happens.

Google Drive is an incredibly useful resource for our officer group. We use the drive on our Gmail account to keep a calendar of all upcoming meetings and events, a spreadsheet of all our members and which events they’ve come to, how many hours they have, and if they’ve paid their dues or not. We can also use the slideshow feature to make our meeting slideshows. All around, it’s a really handy tool for keeping everything organized, since it can be easy to let things get away from you when there’s so much going on in high school.

Social media is an incredibly useful tool for communication in the Key Club world, and if you’re not taking advantage of it, then you definitely should be!

--Laura Motard, M.B. Lamar

who has similar questions or concerns can see the reply. Announcements from the officers can be seen by everyone in the group. All in all everything tends to be much more organized, accessible and convenient on social media sites.

Social media is used by many and rather frequently too, making it useful for club officers to send information out to a large mass in a short amount of time. Because most of the teen population rarely, if ever, checks their emails, social media is a perfect alternative to communicate with the members. Officers can address specific members so much faster through instant chat or messaging that accompany most of these social media sites, compared to emails or sometimes even texts (which can take hours to days before any response).

Additionally Facebook, as with many other social media sites, notifies you whenever there is an update in the group so it’s easy to keep track on what’s going on in the club rather than having to manually keep checking the page for anything new. Sites like Facebook are a more attractive option to get news out quickly and efficiently.

--Jennifer Zheng, Cypress Creek

25

COMMUNICATION Pushing Past the The Importance of Talking If Key Club was able to function with only one person, it wouldn’t count as a Key Club.

That being said, Key Club is actually a network that connects members, officers, school faculty, and pretty much everyone else together though servant leadership.

We rely on each other for ideas that could improve our community. We rely on each other to fuel our creativity and support one another whenever we can. A Key Club run just by one person would be dry, boring, and extremely inefficient. As a result, communication is crucial in the development and functionality in a club.

We need communication in order to pass ideas around. If we all just bottled up our ideas in fear of being judged, there would be a “brain drain” within the Key Club. No matter how bright or talented we are, it’s impossible to come up with the best ideas every time.

There will always be times where someone else has a really great idea for one particular area, while yet another has a fantastic idea for another area. Without proper communication, we wouldn’t be able to show our skills and ideas in a specialized area.

We also need communication in order to run smoothly. We aren’t superheroes, and as a result, we often need others to do things that we aren’t able to do.

But we can’t do so if we don’t communicate properly.

Without good communication, it’s easy to have misunderstandings about what needs to be done, how it needs to be done, and when it needs to be done by.

Misunderstandings are an enormous hindrance to the functionality of the club. It wastes time and creates frustration within the club. To avoid it, we need to make sure that we’re always clear with others and make sure everyone’s on the same page.

So how do we improve communication? With communication, the key is clarity. The only way everyone can be on the same page is to be as clear as possible. Make sure that information actually gets around to everyone, so that nobody is left in the dark about what’s going on. Encourage everyone to talk!

Every opinion and idea is valuable, and one way to really improve communication within a club is to have active participation throughout. And often, it’s a domino effect. When one person brings an idea to the table, another can easily bounce off of it and give their own ideas and opinions, and soon, everyone is comfortable and open with each other, which results in a dearth of ideas that could help our community.

--Lilly Fang, Cinco Ranch

26

Language Barrier

Language barriers are key obstacles that plague clubs everywhere. Thinking about it, though, how could that be? We all speak the English language. We all understand one another. How is it possible to have a language barrier?

Looking at it from different perspectives, the core of the problem comes from muddled information. If the president or advisor is giving instruction or information but the rest of the officers don’t understand it, then the club comes to a screeching halt. The lack of understanding can contribute to the failure of certain projects and events. For a club, failure of certain major projects could result in the end of the officer team’s cohesion and ultimately the end of the club, so the importance of maintaining communication is vast. One way that clubs can facilitate communication among officers is through holding many officer meetings. By having many meetings within either days or weeks of each other, the entire team can go over projects and ideas for the month and officers can ask questions if they are confused with certain ideas. In return, they will be better informed and provide the members with accurate information.

The Lieutenant Governor (LTG) for any division is the liaison between the District Level and the Club level.

Knowledgeable in many areas pertaining to Key Club, he or she is the first person club officers should go through if they need help looking for service projects or simply getting information from District. Depending on the type of club, be it a recently chartered club or a veteran club, the LTG responsibilities may be different.

Recently chartered clubs will require help in making sure that they are completely their responsibilities correctly and will constantly ask questions. Veteran clubs, on the other hand, are firmly situated in their responsibilities and therefore don’t usually require as much help from the LTG. Yet, even then, the LTG still remains a viable resource for the club and thus clubs should maintain and facilitate information. One powerful way to facilitate information is to engage your LTG at his or her Presidential Council Meeting (PCM). These PCMs are information hubs for clubs and the LTG works hard to gather all the information that his or her division’s clubs need. By engaging the LTG, you get to know this person better, and it helps makes asking questions less awkward. Have monthly emails with your LTG on the status of the club. This gives the LTG an idea of how the clubs are progressing as well as gives background information needed to provide practical advice for what the club should do.

Finally, we have the District Staff, which is made of up the core members of the District that hold valuable information from International. They are usually the ones who work to ensure that the district is running smoothly and also are the ones who frequently talk to the LTGs on how to improve the district.

Maintaining communication may be a bit more difficult since we rarely need to communicate with them, but one of the few things you can do is talk to them through Facebook or Email. Members of the District Staff are very amicable and approachable, so they will be more than happy to talk to you. Get their input on some of the things your club and division are doing, and generally work together. Talk to them if you have questions, because if your Lieutenant Governor doesn’t have the answer to it, the District Staff does.

Seeing how important that these positions are, it is best to continue improving communication with them, for you don’t want a language barrier to exist when you need them the most.

-- Dang Dinh, Cypress Woods

GET INVOLVED.

Change a child’s life today.

Helping Local Kids

the ROPES

Challenge As we gathered around the pavilion on a hot scorching day, we were almost ready to begin our officer retreat. The campus of Moore Elementary was lit brightly with the sun that gleamed over us, and each officer had a look of excitement in their eyes to begin the challenge— the Ropes Challenge.

Once all of the officers had arrived, the person in charge of the course described the events that were going to take place throughout the day. We began with a simple yet tremendously fun game to get to know each other’s names.

One person would stand in the middle with a foam bat, while the rest of the group circled around that person. A person in the circle then called someone’s name, and that person calls another before the person with the bat can hit them in the stomach. Although slightly violent, everyone laughed as the game went along.

After amusing ourselves with multiple rounds of that game, the instructor gave us a new group game to play. In this game, we each held another person’s hand and ended up getting tangled together. The objective of the game was to use teamwork and communication in order to untangle everyone WITHOUT letting go of the hands you are holding. As people’s legs, arms, elbows, and heads dived in and out of loops of arms, we slowly managed to untangle ourselves. It seemed to take forever, but our cooperation and communication skills allowed us to finish the task.

I realized that although these group activities may seem a little silly, they prove that our group of officers will work together fantastically this coming year for Key Club.

The last challenge that we participated in was the Giant Swing. Terrified of heights, and

28

more importantly, falling from heights, this swing creped me out! Unfortunately, I was up first. I was slowly pulled upwards by the others, and as I reached the top, my heart was beating so fast that I didn’t want to unhook the latch. Reassuring yelps from below from my friends gave me the confidence to let go, and when I did, I fell in love with the wind that brushed against my cheeks with every swing. As I was finally brought down from the cable, I was happy that our Key Club officer team chose this event as an officer retreat because it allowed us to get to know each other better. My experience from this summer retreat will never be forgotten, and I am looking forward to a great year for the Cypress Woods Key Club.

–Natasha Solanki, Cypress Woods

buddy clubs

With the various leadership and service clubs that may compete for students’ attention, it may seem like other clubs are “the enemy” of Key Club. With so many extra-curricular options available and a finite amount of time that students have to commit to clubs, it may feel like other clubs take away from Key Club’s members by recruiting and staying active. However, this does not have to be the case. With a buddy club system, clubs with various interests can combine their forces to work in both clubs’ favors.

The first thing to consider in choosing a buddy club is that choosing a corresponding club should be like choosing a complementary color: it shouldn’t be too close on the spectrum.

Finding a club that targets different interests than Key Club can make interclub activity more exciting. Perhaps an arts club or a culture club would be good choices.

Secondly, rewarding clubs for interaction is a great motivator to get things moving. Attending one another’s events at least every once in a while can be very beneficial to both clubs, sparking interest for new members and retaining old ones. If your club needs to find a way to motivate members to attend such events, rewarding social points for participating with another club can get morale up, and the other club should return the favor by encouraging their members to join Key Club. Perhaps your club could organize a special volunteer event with the buddy club that acts as a sort of trial to the other club of what Key Club is like. Or your club could simply hold socials together. Either way, it is a surefire way to mix things up with your club.

Before jumping into an alliance with another club, make sure that the leaders of the club are gung ho for working together, as well as willing to take the time to meet about organizing interclub events. This type of set-up may not work for every club, so make sure that your club is able to afford the time and organization effort to form a relationship with another club.

However, if all signs point to yes, this strategy should prove to be very effective and exciting for your school’s Key Club!

Once you have made your buddy club official, don’t be afraid to flaunt it around the school- there is strength in numbers, and if students hear about the popularity of the clubs, and the cool opportunities that they may have by them working together, they may just joinone or both!

--Hannah Hasson, M.B. Lamar

Breaking the Ice

Seargant of Arms

When you walk into the first Key Club meeting of the year, the first word that comes to mind is “bunches.” Groups of friends clump together around tables, and one or two loners float haphazardly in the mix; few people interact with clubbers they don’t know. The same phenomenon occurs during Presidential Council Meetings, PCM for short, that are held to inform Key Club members within a certain district or region.

Icebreakers are a simple solution to this problem; they help promote teamwork and encourage club members to interact. Personally, without an icebreaker, I would not know the vast majority of the people in my Key Club, but with them, I meet new people every meeting!

Fun icebreakers usually involve the entire group of people, which always helps inspire club unity. A challenging yet entertaining icebreaker that gets the members up close and personal is the Human Knot. A group of a set number, such as eight, gathers in a circle, and each member grabs someone's hand at random, forming a knot. The group must then try to unravel the tangle without letting go of each other's hands before the other groups do. It is a great teamwork builder and the spirit of competition between the groups energizes the club.

Another popular icebreaker is Ultimate RockPaper-Scissors. It consists of regular rock-paper-scissors, but with a twist, the loser forms a chain behind the winner, and winners duel and combine chains until there is one long chain with the winner at the head. It involves everybody and since the rules of rock-paper-scissors are universally known, the transitions are smooth and there is no confusion on how to play.

Ships and Sailors is an icebreaker guaranteed to have the whole club on their feet- or on the deck. It requires one person, the captain, to command the members to perform certain pre-set motions. For example, if the captain orders the club to perform the “four men rowing” position, the members must quickly arrange themselves into lines of four people each, sit down, and mime rowing. Anyone not doing the motion is eliminated, so the clubbers have no qualms about grabbing random strangers and performing the motions!

Ships and Sailors is a fun icebreaker because it involves the whole club, and the members have a blast acting out the silly motions. It is a simple and easy icebreaker to learn and play.

Overall, these icebreakers are a great way to give people who don't know each other a chance to enjoy each other's company. From individual challenges to group competitions, these icebreakers are a great way to persuade club members to interact and lead to club unity. Most importantly, they’re fun, and give the members a reason to get excited about being a part of Key Club.

--Baolong Nguyen, West Brook

At the beginning of every school year, there are always new members that populate mainly of the incoming class. These members are always timid and tend to stick to their own group of friends instead of venturing out to meet new people that are apart of Key Club. A solution that seems to not make the freshmen seem left out is to have an ice breaker, usually at the first meeting.

An icebreaker that can start off a meeting can be something like 20 questions. Some questions that can be asked are something like, “If you could have an endless supply of any type of food, what would you choose it to be?” or something simple like “What are your favorite hobbies?” Not only will this get new members to feel more involved into the club, but they’re also learning new things about a person that they might not have known.

Another icebreaker game that will involve getting to know other key club members is the Superlative Game. The Superlative Game is a simple icebreaker that asks players to line up in ascending order for various different categories. There can be different categories that the officers can ask the members to put each other by birthdays, height, or even shoe size. The first group to get their people in order sits down and is checked to see if they got the order correct and they would win if they were right. To make the game challenging, the members can be asked to achieve the goal without any talking or sounds. This will help the members learn to communicate with each other and not be too timid to speak.

“Giants, Wizards, and Elves” is another example of an icebreaker game. It’s just like rock, paper, or scissors. This game involves the whole club to participate because it’s just more entertaining that way.

The club is split up into two teams where they come up as a team to what strategy they should choose to beat the other team. Giants stand on their tippy toes, raise their arms like a giant, and make a menacing growling noise: “Rarrr!” Wizards crouch slightly and wave their fingers as though they are casting a magical spell, and make a magical noise: “Shaazaam!” Elves crouch down very low, cup their hands around their ears, and make a high pitched elf noise: “Eeeee!” Giants beat elves, elves beat wizards, and wizards beat giants.

At the first meeting, these icebreakers can make members feel welcomed and more involved into being apart of the club. It is a great way for the club to prosper, and it’ll also help the club leave a good first impression for the new members to come back.

--Tam Nguyen, Cypress Ridge

29

your support helps babies

you’ve been KEYED Possibly the least rewarding job in the world is that of the high school teacher. Every year, the teachers at our school try their best to give the students an education that they will use for the rest of their lives. However, far from being recognized for their hard work and dedication, many teachers are treated with scorn and disrespect. It’s high time that we as high schoolers thank our teachers for helping to shape the future of our generation. Now, with our new idea, “You’ve Been Keyed,” we will be able to give our teachers the recognition they deserve.

“You’ve Been Keyed” aims to congratulate one teacher each month for a job well done. Key Club members surprise the teacher by decorating his or her door with a poster proclaiming that they are Key Club’s chosen teacher of the month and encouraging messages. The nomination process to select a teacher to be Keyed involves the entire Key Club. Members have the opportunity to nominate their favorite teacher from the wide range of excellent teachers that are on our campus. After the nomination has been completed, the officers gather the results of the top five candidates. Once the candidates have been chosen, the list of the selected teachers is released to the clubbers during the first Key Club meeting of the month. At this meeting, the president reads the name of each teacher nominated, and the clubbers all vote to decide as a club which teacher should be granted the “You’ve been keyed” award for that corresponding month. Once the final votes have been tallied at the end of the meeting, the officers announce the lucky teacher. After the grand reveal, sticky notes are handed out to the members so each one can write inspirational and gratifying words or phrases for the teacher of the month.

Key clubbers are then given the opportunity to aid in the decorating of the honored teacher’s door after the meeting has come to an end.

The teachers who the clubbers select are teachers who have touched our hearts and changed our lives; telling our fantastic teachers that they have made a difference validates their efforts. By involving all of our members in the process, our school as a whole becomes more appreciative of our faculty. Our teachers work hard so that we as students can receive the best education possible, and the “You’ve Been Keyed” project is a great way to give back in some small way.

–Dillon Le, West Brook

31

celebrating the “international” in KEY CLUB INTERNATIONAL The Cypress Ranch Key Club’s theme for the 2013-14 school year is “Celebrating the ‘International’ in Key Club International”. Our club of over 710 members is truly diverse, and our club decided to focus on all things “international” this year.

Member Samantha Routh started things off with designing the perfect club t-shirt around this theme.

On the front of our club t-shirt are the words “Key Club” in several different languages. Members will be wearing Sam’s great design in a bright, safety orange, while club officers will don the same design in a pale blue.

We have already received so many compliments on our new shirt while out volunteering in the community.

Event organizers and parents have all praised the new design and bright color.

Our club regularly recognizes at both meetings and in our club newsletter those members who have gone above and beyond while

volunteering. Many times, they’ve been recognized because of a special mention in a thank you note to the club from an event organizer. In the past, we have awarded “You Rock” or “Rock Star” awards. These were painted stones with a “U” on one side and a Star on the other side. This year, in keeping with our international theme, we will be presenting “Out of this World” volunteer awards to these outstanding member volunteers. The club has purchased stress balls in the shapes of globes. We’ll be able to safely toss these awards to the recipients at our meetings in the Auditorium without inflicting bodily harm!

Just after choosing our “international” theme, club treasurer Amy Gracey visited the Cayman Island. While walking through the main lobby of her hotel, she noticed a Kiwanis meeting sign and met a Kiwanis Club member. They spoke at length about Key Club, and he told

her that they have several Key Clubs in the Cayman Islands. Cypress Ranch Faculty Advisor Jennifer Hydes regularly visits the Cayman Islands and is contacting the principal of one of their high schools to see if we can set up a “pen pal” relationship with their Key Club.

Our club website (www.ranchkey.com) now proudly displays the flags of many nations in honor of our theme. The masthead of our club newsletter now includes a world map. We will be looking to include something “international” on all club publications this year.

Our club officers are a diverse group and a wonderful crosssection of our club membership. Our officers come to Cypress Ranch from India, China, Vietnam, Mexico and many other countries. We look forward to a fun year celebrating the ‘International’ in Key Club International.

--Juerna List, Cypress Ranch

world wide day of play Once again Bullard High School’s Key club decided to take on the exciting, challenging annual event, called World Wide Day of Play (WWDoP). This is where Nickelodeon stops broadcasting for a few hour to encourage kids to get up and play out side.

This was the 3rd year the Bullard High School Key Club has hosted this in our local kids park. The turn out was great, all the kids also seemed to enjoy themselves and it was a great chance for everyone to speak to the younger side of our community.

Hosting World Wide Day of Play for the third year we knew that we couldn’t go empty handed. Therefore, we brought parachute, and stuff to play baseball, kick ball, soccer, and not to mention some hula-hoops! But we didn’t stop there, we let our imagination do the rest! We started play games like, Freeze Tag, Cops and Robbers, Mafia, Bunny Bunny and Wah. “I think playing these games were great ways to break the ice with the little kids and get them involved,” said Key Clubber Michael Granberry.

With playing all these games we had to make sure that we had food for everyone that came and showed up that way they had energy to run around and play. Luckily, our locals Kiwanas group decided to help us out with that and they supplied a mass amount of hot dogs! Not only did our Locals Kiwanis group show up to help us out, but our middle schools Builder Club also showed up to lend a helping hand! There is no way that we could have done all that we did with out the help of some local KFamily members.

Our Key Club is happy to do this because it can change so much. It can bring families closer together, and it encourages kids to get out and play instead of sitting inside and watching television. It also gives kids a safe environment to interact with each other and gives us older kids and opportunity to talk with the youth of our community. Being a high schooler, you are automatically a role model for those who need good role models in their lives, for those who aren’t born into good families. So it is our job as Key Clubbers to spend time with and be a good influence on the kids of our community. That’s just what Bullard High School’s Key Club intends to do. –Matthew Riley, Bullard

32

pile them up There are no excuses for not being able to help others. Whether the deeds range from small to large, it is always possible. The inclination to throw away newspapers and aluminum bottles is inevitable. It has become second nature to most.

However, West Brook Key Club has decided to take an extra few seconds to store the newspapers that they receive and bring them at the end of the month to meetings. The newspapers are used at the local Animal Shelter for animal cages. Aside from newspapers, aluminum can openers and empty ink cartridges are collected as well. The importance of reusing and recycling helps create a cleaner and safer environment while reducing costs for nonprofit organizations. In other words, it is a win-win situation. Newspapers can tabs, and ink cartridges are used for the benefit of the community and the environment.

Key Clubbers this year began saving up can tabs over a course of a month to help out with the new project. There have been clubbers who decided to keep a plastic bag in their kitchen and drop the can tab into the bag every time they drink out of a can while others preferred saving up

newspapers and asking their neighbors to do the same. At the end of the month, the neighbors give them the newspapers and show their appreciation for the future generations doing good for the community.

The can tabs are sent to the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC), an organization that houses sick children and their families. They have a comforting and catchy phrase: “Home-away-fromhome.” The Ronald McDonald House provides a sense of security and helps lift sadness and grief from the hearts of those that are ill by helping them in any way they can. The families are welcomed to stay there free of charge, but, if they can afford it, are asked to pay a sum of $25 a day. These pop tabs that West Brook Key Club piles up are sent to the house. The McDonald House then sends these tabs to a local recycling center where they are weighed. The final weight determines their value which varies from place to place. Afterwards, a check is sent to the House in return for being environmentally friendly. The RMHC receives about $30,000 per year through the pop tab program! This truly goes to show that every single pop tab can make a difference.

There are so many opportunities to help those around us!

The ink cartridges are used for a similar cause. However, instead of donating the empty ink cartridges to a charity, we use them for some of the club’s costs. We do this mostly to conserve resources and prevent unnecessary waste. It makes everyone feel like they are helping our environment stay clean for us and for future generations.

The charitable organizations that provide service outside of Key Club make me want to work harder and provide more and more assistance for those in need. The range of opportunity to make the world a better place is endless. Thanks to such great establishments, the world is filled with organizations to fall back on in times of need.

–Kelsey Endari, West Brook

kiwanis installation dinner The Kiwanis Installation dinner was a truly magnificent experience. The atmosphere, the food, the people - everything was fantastic.

Arriving at the event, our club spread out amongst the Kiwanians; we were soon seated at tables around the room. Learning more about recent events that Kiwanis participated in, we also shared our experiences and upcoming gatherings, such as Fall Rally.

Then called to head to the buffet, we filled our plates with southern delicacies and headed back to our chairs. We then listened as Kiwanis recited their pledge, which was a little different from our Key Club pledge, but had the same idea.

Praying for the recovery of our government and the problems associated with other countries, a feeling of hope filled the room that can’t be associated with anything other than selflessness.

The president then assumed

his station behind the podium and announced accomplishments like the raising of money for several different organizations. It was impressive to hear about the impact that was made on those in need. Next was the awarding of attendance. As members were called to the front, their amount of years of service in Kiwanis was announced.

Some numbers reached over twenty, and it was inspirational to hear how dedicated these adults are to serving their community. It reminded us that there are so many opportunities to continue helping others after our time in Key Club.

Throughout the evening I was lucky enough to listen to some of the most hard-working and kind individuals.

While we ate, the adults gave advice about topics such as college choice and how to maintain service as a part of your lifestyle. It was interesting to hear

perspectives from those that I know, such as our Kiwanis and Paschal advisers, and those that I don’t know.

They gave speeches and enlightened me and my fellow Key Clubbers on not only the purpose of Kiwanis International, but what it means to be a person - a Human - and how to live life to the fullest whilst maintaining a positive outlook. As they shared their own stories of service projects and other separate life events, we learned a few things about each person who sat around the table.

With the installation of new members, we were reminded of our own Key Club installation, and did not forget the resemblance between our two organizations, and how connected we are through a shared motive and passion. I look forward to the next time I'm able to spend my dinner with such inspirational people. –Jake Martinez, R.L. Paschal

33

KEY CLUBBERS ASK:

Dear Tashrima, Answers to your every question about anything Key Club

Q: I've noticed that some of our officers are having a hard time bonding with one another so I was curious if you had any tips for creating bonds with each other. What has been your favorite Governor's Project Key Club has done? Why is Key Club important to you? --Leander

A: Thanks for your useful questions, Leander! To begin, a great way to motivate your officers to bond is by holding socials and ice breakers. Going to restaurants, arcades, or the movies together can help you all become better friends; as for ice breakers, some helpful ideas are on page 28. The best option is volunteering together. Participating in service can help you all grow closer.

During my time in Key Club thus far, I’ve participated in three Governor’s Projects. I hold Governor Luke’s Kick’N Bully’N to the Curb Project close to my heart because bullying is a rampant concern in today’s schools. I think it’s especially important for teenagers like ourselves to face the issue head on and make our peers feel welcome and free to embrace themselves.

Finally, Key Club is important to me because it empowers high school students to make a tangible impact on their community. Whether volunteering at a local event or fundraising for an international cause through The Eliminate Project, it shows us that we can change the world.

Moreover, the widespread nature of the Kiwanis Family also contributes to Key Club’s significance as we all work to embrace caring as our way of life.

Q: I know that District Convention is a long way from now, but my club always tries to think ahead and we wanted to know around how much money should we fundraise to knock a decent amount off around ten member entries into DCON? We want to be able to plan fundraisers in consideration of the events to come.

--North Garland

A: It’s a great idea that you all are fundraising for DCON so far in advance! By doing so, you can ensure that a maximal number of members can attend the convention this spring—possibly even more than ten members.

While the specific price to attend may change between clubs based on variances (such as transportation, food, and hotel fees, etc.), it will most likely cost about $250 per person, around $2,500 total. It would be advantageous to make your fundraising goal about $3,000, as the extra money can cover any additional costs.

Your club can pursue seasonal fundraising projects, like a benefit dinner for Christmas or flower sales during Valentine’s. In addition, regardless of the season, you can always hold car washes and ask your local Kiwanis to sponsor your trip. Good luck with fundraising!

35

THE TEX-O-KEY KEY CLUB // SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER 2013