Western High School Key Club 2019-2020 | April Newsletter

CNH | KEY CLUB Division 30 South | Region 3 |CNH Volume: 8, Issue: 1

The Official Western High School Key Club Newsletter | April 2019

THE WKC

I. Introduction 04 Greetings Letter

05 Editor’s Note II. Past Events 06 SoCal Corgi Beach Day 10 73rd District Convention

14 Spring Egg Hunt 17 La Mirada Easter Egg Hunt 20 First General Meeting 24 April DCM: Sunshine Olympics

28 Division 30 South Banquet 30 Bolsa Chica Habitat Restoration III. Miscellaneous 31 Board Installment Reflection

33 Member of the Month: April 34 Service Hour Leadership 35 Board Member Spotlight 36 May Events

38 Board Information

Letterfrom fromthe thePresident President Letter To all the seniors, retired bees, old and new bees, I want to congratulate everyone for getting past this year. There were many struggles throughout and I am proud to say that I got to experience both the bad and the good with the old board. As we say our goodbyes, we welcome the new.

All the contributions, Western has done made me truly blessed to be in this club.

This April was a month where we adjusted to the new term. No words can describe how happy I am to serve as your club President. But, let me express my emotions through a poem.

Just a moment ago, the 2018-2019 term started

Each and every one of you had shown pride But sadly we soon parted In spirit, service, funds, and more The goals we met was a galore Now, we are restarting all over again

It will be fresh and new But for now, let’s keep growing and leave our mark too

- Warm regards, Khrystal Contreras, President 2019-2020

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EDITOR’S NOTE Hello there!

First off, thank you for reading this!

My name is Danica Lopez and I am grateful to serve as your new WKC bulletin editor! Even though it has only been a month since the 2019-2020 term started, this is my first newsletter. April is the month when the new term starts. This month might’ve been stressful with all the prep for testing, but we made it! I would also like to say that I am proud to those who volunteered throughout the month and attended the events. Without you guys, our start of the term wouldn’t have been successful. Moving on, I hope you guys enjoy reading through the newsletter. I worked really hard, but I also had fun doing all this. Here, I now present you my first newsletter!

- Your newly installed bulletin editor, Danica Lopez

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SoCal Corgi B

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Beach Day This event was held on the 6th of April! This was my first-time volunteering at the SoCal Corgi Beach Day, and I was not disappointed! There were so much corgis, and there were a few dogs that weren’t corgis that attended as well.

This event was really relaxing for me because it was on the beach! What more fun than being on the beach and volunteering with CORGIS!? I pet so much corgis this day.

The task that my group and I got for this event was to pick up trash on the beach!

There were a ton of people who showed up for this event (not as volunteers), so there would be lots of litterers. Other than that, this event was chill! There was lots of free time to chill, so it was nice to watch the ocean waves while hanging out!

At this event, there will always be tons of booths that sell corgi merchandise, such as stuffed animals as corgis, stickers, water bottles, backpacks, and so much more! So, if you are a big fan of corgis like me, then you should bring some money if you plan on volunteering at this event! There are also some fun activities planned for the corgis, such as a fashion show or a race, which I find extremely adorable!

Overall, I would give this event a 90000/10 because you volunteer while being surrounded by SO MUCH CORGIS! If you are a dog lover, then this event is for you.

— Alexandra Sitthydeth | Member Recognition The SoCal Corgi Beach Day was a day where dog lovers, animal lovers, beach goers, and even people who happen to stroll by, would join in and walk around the dog beach to look at the many corgi dogs as well as the events set up. There were corgi races, contests, and petting areas which allowed the dogs to have fun with others and to interact with people that you may never met.

On this day it was more of a relaxed event, volunteers didn’t have to do much but make sure the beach is clean and help any booth that may need the extra hands on deck.

Though there were an abundant amount of tents and booths that would make anyone drool. Food trucks served food from around the world to many customers while vendors sold dog food to dog owners. There were many organizations there and merchandise able to purchase.

Overall I really enjoyed this event as a whole because I really got to bond with these dogs and learn funny stories about them. Also walking along the beach and looking around was a great way to experience things. Best of all doing it with you’re fellow club members made the event a lot better. Dog owner or not I guarantee you’ll have an absolute blast at the SoCal Corgi Beach Day and recommend you no when the opportunity presents itself.

(P.S The food that they offered is good, and I recommend getting a Dogzilla Hotdog!)

— Nicholas Dinh | Project Chair

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SoCal Corgi Be On April 6th, 2019, Huntington beach hosted an event called Corgi Beach day. This is an event where dog lovers, and dog owners are able to play around the beach with their adorable dog pets. There were fashion shows, souvenirs, agencies, social media star dogs, and so much more!

I, myself am a dog person, and being able to do a community service on this event is such an incredible experience. Not only I was helping my community, but I was also having fun. Helping Mother Nature and playing with dogs are two of my favorite things to do and being able to achieve both of them at the same time is really adorable.

Specifically, volunteers from this event are only responsible for cleaning the surroundings. We are expected to collect a trash like a bag of ships, water bottle, plastics, etc. Furthermore, we are expected to help some booths like souvenir shops or other booths if they need help on.

Us, volunteers, did not really have anything to do most of the time because those people who comes and goes in and out of the event knows what is right and wrong. Because of this, they barely drop some trash on the area. One time, after walking around for almost two to three hours looking for trash, we decided to use our lunch break for a walk to the pier. It was an estimated two to three hours walk to go to the pier and back. By the time we got back to the event, we decided to eat for a little bit and start doing what we were supposed to do on that event.

As a result, this event is not really a bad occasion. In fact, it is fun, most especially if you really want to hang out with corgis, and any other type of dogs!

— Farrah Ermeje | Historian

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each Day (cont.)

SoCal Corgi Beach Day took place on April 6, a gorgeous day with the bright blue sky, warm sun, and especially the many beautiful, fluffy corgi butts everywhere.

This event was a great one to attend. Our duties were very chill and the day overall was fun and relaxing. We were assigned to help pick up trash off of the beach, since there were many attendees, and to keep the beach safe and clean. While doing this task, we were able to have a fun time just chit chatting, walking around and enjoying ourselves.

The atmosphere of this event was extremely enjoyable. Everywhere you look, there were dogs-- especially corgis-- dressed up in costumes. Some in cool sunglasses, others with fairy wings. There were stalls selling toys, food, and clothes for dogs of all types and sizes.

Mini photo booths were also present at the event for the corgis. Also, for us humans, we were treated to the availability of cute pet merchandise. This included things like corgi stickers, pins, shirts, etc.

SoCal Corgi Beach Day is a great volunteer event if you want to relax and have fun but at the same time also help out the community. — Tiffany Castillo | Historian

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73rd District Convention: April 14th, 2019 marked the new beginning for 2019-2020 term and I am proud to serve you as your Spirit Coordinator. Before that, there were emotional moments where the whole entire room of thousands of people have teared and those moments where everyone was having spirit battle against each other..

One Friday, we arrived at Ontario Convention Center and checked in our hotel. On the way there, we were extremely excited what is there for us to experience at DCON 2019. We got to meet a lot of new friends who share the same passion for Key Club as us Pioneers.

Then, we went to the first General Session of DCON. After that, we went to our hotels get ready for next day. In our dorm, we had our boys’ night out where we played different kinds of games and FaceTime the girls to show them our dorm. It was a way we can bond with each other and get to know more about our roommates.

The next morning was filled with excitement and the energy from all the Key Clubbers from CNH regions. We attended almost 10 workshops and learned about different life lessons and got to know other members from different regions other Region 3.

We concluded our nights with Government Ball, it was a great dance where i can dance with people that I have never seen before.

During the General Session, our division got the spirit stick. We concluded our nights with Government Ball, it was a great dance where I can dance with people that I have never seen before. I got to see how people dance on the dance floor and the DJ put on blasting music. I was dancing my heart out and everyone was having a great time.

And Sunday came, it was the saddest day of my Key Club journey. After this day, my term has officially started and I felt unprepared. Plus the old board leaving, I felt empty yet emotional. I almost teared up during the final General Session.

After the last General Session ended, it was the time for me go to back to my home school to serve you guys as Spirit Coordinator. After DCON, I got to meet different people from NorCal, Nevada, ,Hawaii and more that have a huge passion for Key Club like me.

DCON has changed my life in a very different way, not like any other key Club events. It is a great way to connect with other members in Key Club. I highly encourage you guys to go to the next DCON in Renal, Nevada because you won’t be disappointed.

— Huy Nguyen | Spirit Coordinator

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Service in Wonderland

Words can not fully captivate how amazing the 73rd District Convention Center was.

Hosted in the city of Ontario, California from April 12-14, it was truly the experience of a lifetime.

On April 12, after school we quickly left and made our way to Ontario, checking in at our hotel first. Then, we had our first general session of DCON that night and as we walked into the convention room, the music hit and it hit hard. Music feels different when it’s at full blast, as if you could literally feel the bass. As we were making our way to or table, numerous clubs were singing, dancing, cheering, and whatever else you could possibly imagine with thousands of people in one room. The first general session was filled with amazing speakers and talent. After the session was over, we walked over to in n out to buy to-go so we can eat in our hotel rooms (huge shout out to Victor Baltazar for paying). My room and I called it a night shortly after we ate and bonded.

The next day was Saturday, April 13. We walked to the convention center in our formal attire and had breakfast. We then had informational workshops based on position and/or interests for a few hours until our second general session. The most interesting part of the treasurer workshop was the auction for PTP, many donated over $40 for candy and leis! Our division won the spirit stick during the second general session!! After we concluded the session, we went back to our hotel rooms to get ready for the Governor’s ball at night. Beware, this is not a fancy ball as you would imagine. Think of it as homecoming. With that being said, it was arguably the most popular event of the entire event, many people were dancing their hearts out that night, including Western Key Club.

Our last day was Sunday, April 14. We woke up and walked to the convention center to get breakfast as usual then had our last general session right afterwards to conclude DCON. What a bittersweet weekend it was- I got to meet a ton of new people and bond with many, but we had to leave that day. I remember seeing so many joy-filled key clubbers crying because it was their very last DCON ever. I know that will be me next year.

At first, I almost didn’t go because of the price point but now, I do happy that I did. It was the highlight of the year and I will definitely be back for next year, and so should you!

— Kathy Tu | Treasurer

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DCON (cont.)

To finish off the term DCON is a great way to meet new people for the next term and to say goodbye to the past. Going to district convention as a freshman was truly an amazing experience that taught a lot about what it means to be a leader as a Key Club member. I got to meet so many people from all over California, Nevada and, even Hawaii! The vibe DCON gave was unlike any other. The positive atmosphere at the convention put me in such a good mood even if it was the morning… mornings are the worst, especially for me!

Although DCON was only 2 ½ days it was the best 2 ½ days of my life! I have three more years left in my key club in high school experience so going to DCON for the first time as a freshman really give me an advantage for the next three years. At I got to explore outside of my division in my home club. I got to learn more about my district as a whole and what he has to offer. At DCON I made me realize that I was part of something bigger than just a club, this organization is something that gives high schoolers an opportunity to help out their community. It really inspired me and push me to do better this term and to keep on being active in key club do out my high school experience. Overall the con was an amazing experience and I would absolutely go again in my future years!

— Arena Hernandez | Spirit Coordinator

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April 12th 2019. This day marks my first DCON. DCON 2019 was held in Ontario, California at the Ontario Convention Center and went on for a total of three days. April 12, 13, and 14, these three days will live on my heart forever.

I remember going to Ontario after school it felt like a 6 hour drive. I was scared and nervous.

Thoughts filled my mind, however by the time Huy Nguyen, Douglas Lam, and I had arrived to our hotel after getting lost. I felt calm and ecstatic.

Friday, April 12th. I recall entering the hotel we stayed at. Huy, Doug, and I grabbed our hotel key cards and headed up to our room. When entering our room we met our other roommate Aj Natividad.

At DCON I grew as a person and built bonds with a lot of people especially my roommates. I built bonds with them and that is one of the reason I highly recommend DCON you build on bonds with people you know. Continuing with the first day we got ready in the best spirit attire we had. I recall wearing all yellow and carrying a small spirit stick. I definitely overdid it, however I did not mind at all and neither did anyone else. The four of us headed down to lobby and waited for the rest of our club and the rest of the Oxford’s key club. Once we all met up at the lobby our brand new Division 30 South LTG Ali Al-Saleem form Western led us to the convention center. I recall first opening those doors. A smile crossed my face and realized I was home.

The Ontario Convention Center was filled with members from all different kind of divisions from all different kind of regions. I can recall the first day so clearly I spent a total of 40 dollars in an instant just buying all kinds of merch. DCON introduced my passion for merchandise and as well as Key Club. I can explain every little detail about the rest of Friday like going to In-n-Out at 11:00 P.M. and meeting people from Division 16 West. After a long first day we had another one awaiting.

Saturday, April 13th. I recall not being able to sleep I was so excited to go back. So I got up at 3 took a shower and waited for everyone to wake up and then after that we headed out to the lobby again. From the lobby we made our way back to the convention center.

This day was the busiest and the most fun. The workshops were great, you just have to find the one that fits you and always remember you are beautiful, you are enough, and you do matter. After all the busy work we went back to the hotel and got ready for dinner and the governors ball. It was amazing thinking back about it. I miss it.

Sunday, April 14th. Last day of DCON. this day was the worst one. I hate saying goodbyes and saying goodbye to DCON was hard for me, although I barely started to get involved to Key Club this year I truly do love this club and it was hard to say goodbye to my family. We held one last meeting where I shed tears.

There's so much to talk about but you can’t explain it through words. It’s something you have to experience in person it does cost money, however it is worth. I have never missed something so much in my life. Thinking back on it I cry. It is something truly special that I wish you can all experience. I built stronger bonds with friends and met new friends as well.

DCON can not be explained only experienced.

— Anthony Ontiveros | Publicist

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The Spring Egg Hunt was a really wholesome event that you volunteer with other key clubbers. I really liked it since there were many kids that remind you of pure innocence and joy. There was also an Easter bunny mascot that made the event even more livelier.

The day starts of with a briefing of the certain jobs you can do in the event. Though the main event is the egg hunt in which kids are divided up in certain age groups and go to different grass fields where eggs witch candies are scattered everywhere. There are also many more jobs to take in the event.

There was face painting in which the volunteers get to paint on the faces If the children with the children’s homie of course.

There was also a game area in which kids can participate in activities such as potato sack racing. The small to infant baby areas included an obstacle race.

They also provide hot dogs and refreshments in the event in which anyone can take and enjoy their food. It was really fun to come and witness this amazing event since everyone enjoyed their time. I got to document these experiences in my camera and I couldn’t be any happier.

Every school from the division volunteered and everything worked out in an efficient and easy manner. It was truly amazing to see that every kid and parent that were there really enjoyed their time and their faces showed no areas of disappointment. Volunteering for this event never had any doubts. Everyone showed positivity and the adults that also volunteered were very helpful to us. I am proud to represent my school and myself as an individual by helping something that is so precious to the community. — Allen Sia | Historian

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On April 27th, 2018 the spring egg hunt was an event to celebrate the day before Easter. It had multiple events set up all coordinated by the park faculty as an annual event.

The missing part that this event needs are the volunteers.

Volunteers from all different organizations, schools, groups, and overall the community come out to make the spring egg hunt event come alive. At this event volunteers have an array of occupations they can chose from. All of the parts needed hands on deck and required volunteers to spend time on what they were doing. It was all really student ran and was a great thing to see how communities gathered up to make the city’s youth smile.

Personally I had a wonderful time at this event. First I’ll talk about the people I met because overall meeting the other painters were a blast. Yup, there was a face painting station and I volunteered for it. Now no one he knew me would call me an artist and certainly not a graceful drawer. However when i first started the people there supported me, all the parents and kids were so nice, and really I was able to freely paint using my imagination.

Face painting was so fun because no matter how good or maybe not so good I did they always left with a smile on their face but also maybe a tiger too. Each time I had a new client it made me want to do more and more to the point this wasn’t about hours but having fun.

In the end, I acquired a new skill and got to check something off for my bucket list as I did this event. Being a fan of Easter or not being a fan doesn’t really change anything.

However, going in with a smile and making others happy is what really is going to make you like this event. For anyone who’s thinking about going next year out of the many options I highly recommend trying out this one. To this day I won’t forget the boy who asked me to make him Marshmallow the rapper.

— Nicholas Dinh | Project Chair

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Flowers, allergies, bunnies, and colorful things, what can be better? Obviously a volunteer event that incorporates all of these aspects! Except for maybe the allergies (shh). Luckily, Western key clubbers were able to chose from two egg hunts, and this local Spring Egg Hunt happened to be one of them.

rest went to monitor the egg hunt areas. I had the choice to pick face-painting despite knowing the chaos of kids eager to want a bunny on their face.

Face painting was no easy task and it consumed a lot of time for each individual. Luckily, that made time go by super quickly. It was a great experience to see each kids’ expresOn a bright cloudy day, Saturday, April sion light up as they see the final result and 20th, it was the perfect atmosphere for row- thank us when leaving. That left a warm feeldy little kids to run around hunting for eggs ing that I enjoy receiving especially from chiland warming themselves up. The Spring Egg dren since they’re so young and truthful. I Hunt is an event held by the Cypress Recrea- even had one silly dude request for me to tion and Community Services every year. It paint a Pepsi can! hosted several kind of activities ranging from It was a day you wouldn’t forget if you crafts, face-painting, taking pictures with the yourself make it memorable. We ended the Easter Bunny, mazes and so much more. It event by cleaning up our station Thank you was a big celebration for families to come to the lovely coordinators and all the volungather and enjoy. teers for contributing back to the community The morning started off with breaking up and making the event a great one. into different shifts, some of Western’s Key — Ivy Vi | Secretary Clubbers chose to do face painting while the

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On Saturday, April 20th, I went to the La Mirada Easter Egg Hunt at La Mirada regional park. It was a public, family event that invited all families to join in on the Easter festivities in the park. Volunteers at this event were given the task of assisting in the face painting booth.

When I first got to the parking lot, I already felt welcome when I got there. Kiwanis had set up a stand to welcome guests coming to the Easter egg hunt and were wearing duck hats and brought a duck mascot with them as well.

I looked around and saw many kids running around the park, having fun. Already, I felt the comfort of the friendly environment. Scattered around a certain area of the large park was a stage surrounded by booths that offered different crafts and activities for the children, the face painting booth being ours.

As we made our way through the crowds of excited children, we made it to the face painting booth and were greeted by the adults working in the booth. The woman in charge immediately hugged us as soon as she found out we were volunteers. She told us that there were many kids keeping the booth occupied and really needed the extra assistance from us. I felt extremely welcomed and happier to be there to help after being greeted with a big hug from a woman who I had just met. I was immediately excited to start working. — Maile Kobayashi | Publicist

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La Mirada

EASTER EGG HUNT (cont.)

La Mirada Easter Egg Hunt is one of many mesmerizing events volunteers could attend throughout their high school years in Key Club. This event happened at La Mirada Park, and it is an enjoyable occasion for every children of any age. Students who volunteer for this event are able to face paint those children who have fun during this time. It is truly an enjoyable event from me and my co-volunteers. I am able to face paint those little kids who wants to have a flower,

egg, star, basketball, football, car, dinosaur, giraffe, bunny, duck, and so much more!

Unfortunately, there were only three volunteers for this event that came from key club this year. However, even though there were only a few volunteers, it was still fun for us since we had more minors to work with.

what made me happy except from getting hug by a cute child was being able to take pictures with the duck mascot. On the event, we saw a duck that dabs, dances, and walk around for little children to take pictures with.

Now, this may not happen to each and everyone of us, but my point is, you don’t know As a historian, I was not what’s going to happen able to work with those cute there. You don’t know who little kids as much as my other you are going to meet. What do we really know? Maybe it two co-volunteers did. My will also be one of the best job is to take pictures, so while Khrystal and Maile- moments of your life. the two other volunteersAs a result, attending was painting this chilthis event is spectacular. dren’s faces, I was only With all the booths, children, able to take pictures on duck, events, and of course, what or how they were with the egg hunt, you are doing it. really able to have fun. Even Although I did not though it might be a busy have as much communi- day for volunteers, it will still cations with them as oth- be a fun and amazing experience. Most especially if it is ers, I am still happy because I had this moment your first time face painting. where I was able to hug this little guy after taking a picture of him and his mother. It really was the cutest this in the world, and it became the one out of countless reasons why it was unforgettable, and why I want to do this event all again. Lastly,

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— Farrah Ermeje | Historian

)

The weather wasn’t too cold nor was it too hot. It was a perfect day for an Easter egg hunt where kids, parents, and families can have fun and hang around the festival.

Saturday, April 20 marks the day of the event and a day before Easter. When we arrived to the destination, there were many people lined up for different booths. There was a booth to take a picture with the Easter bunny, an arts and craft booth, a stage for kids to perform, food booths, and more. There were even a line to take a picture of the duck! Ducks were especially the main decoration for this event.

To start off, volunteers were in charge specifically the face painting booth. When we got to our booth, we were put to work right away. Face painting is not really difficult as people would say. We actually used stamps. The way it works is that we put paint on the stamp and put it on the kids’ cheeks or hand and if they want glitter, we could provide it as well. During the time of face-painting the kids, we would initiate conversations with them. From all of the conversations I had, they were all excited for Easter and loved the Easter egg hunt activity the most. Some don’t even know what they will be doing at Easter too. Usually, they were shy and spoke in a soft quiet voice, but some were able to initiate the conversation instead.

While two volunteers did face-paint, the other volunteer cleans the stamps. For this duty, we would switch spots if one of us gets tired of doing the same duty. We barely had any breaks and was active. The only break we had was when they were starting the Easter egg hunt where the kids can grab as many eggs as they can. One of the kids actually went and hugged one of the board members / volunteer, Farrah Ermeje. It was the cutest highlight of the event.

Overall, it was a really fun event and I loved interacting with the kids. I would rather volunteer where I am active in my job rather than doing anything. I thank the event coordinator, Victoria Pflanzer, in providing us the volunteer opportunity.

— Khrystal Contreras | President

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F irst General Meeting For the new term!

WOW! It still feels a bit surreal to me that I am apart of Western Key Club’s board. I was extremely excited for this meeting, because it was the first one of the 2019-2020 term! I absolutely wanted this meeting to be memorable and enjoyable for everyone, and it seemed like everyone had fun!

For this meeting, Khrystal and I prepared bubbles to give to the general members! I made the sticker labels on the bubbles teehee. I really hope that those bubbles were stress relieving, because they were for me! I can’t wait for other things I could help give out in future meetings!

I was very surprised by how much people came out to support the first general meeting for the 2019-2020 term! It was very, very exciting for me to see everyone’s lovely faces! I really enjoyed the ice breaker game(s) that the spirit coordinators (Miss Arena and Miss Huy) prepared for the meeting! I believe that they played the soulmates game!

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In conclusion, I had an extremely fun time, and I remember that I was in a good mood for the rest of the day because of this! I am also glad that the general members enjoyed it as well! I also would like to add that I am proud of all the board members for allowing this meeting to be a success. Oh, and here is a short poem I prepared Key Club is love, Key Club is life! Thank you. *bows*

— Alexandra Sitthydeth | Member Recognitio

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April 18, 2019. The first general meeting for the 19’-20’ term. This marks the end for the 18’-19’ term and the start for the 19’-20’ term.

Time flies by really fast and it was already here before I knew it.

see many general members attending. I was also happy to see the new board carry their duties right away. Khrystal, the president, lead the meeting; Vicky, the vice president, worked with the slides; Ivy, the secretary, took notes. I would list more, but this is getting Last term was my first time being a board member for this club as one of the three his- too long. I was glad to see the old board members attending the meeting also. When torians. I remember being excited starting the meeting was reaching it’s end, we our first general meeting of the new term. I remember being excited to see all the gen- passed out bubbles to the club members to blow our stress away. I think it was a nice eral members attending to see the new board members leading the meeting. A year idea to pass out bubbles because I saw many members enjoy blowing them. Our first already flew by and here I was again. New general meeting was a success. It was a term, new board position, and new board members but the feeling of excitement did- great start for this new term. I can’t wait to see what this new term brings! n’t change. However, I also felt something different. This is going to be my last term and — Danica Lopez | Bulletin Editor last year for Key Club. As that realization came to me, a feeling of something bittersweet flowed in me. This also motivated me to make this term the best one.

When the meeting started, I was happy to

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First General Meeting (cont.)

Hi guys! My name is Huy Nguyen, I am one of your Spirit Coordinator and I am beyond excited for this term. As you guys might know, we have started a new term on April 18th with the stress reliever, bubbles.

We were in love with all the bubbles flowing around the classroom and they looked super CUTE. Our first meeting was a huge success for Western club. A lot of members showed up to this meeting and they got those cute bottles of bubbles. They got to hang out and blow bubbles for a few minutes before the meeting starts.

First of all, we need to start with our key club pledge. During the meeting, we had members talk about the past events and how do you feel while doing those events.

After all the new events are presented, we had our ice breaker time. Ice breaker is to bond with each other through different activities. The people in charge are the spirit coordinator, which are Arena and me. We played Soulmate, which a person can choose their soulmate through answering different kinds of questions regards to their fashion sense, food and much more. It was a good time for every member in the club.

To conclude, the first meeting was a BLAST and I hope to see you guys every Thursday because I don’t want you to miss out on any fun that we have in Key Club meeting. — Huy Nguyen | Spirit Coordinator

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The 2019-2020 term has officially started! On April 18th Khrystal Contreras called the first general meeting to order at 11:58 AM. A total of 86 members showed up to the meeting.

While she ran the meeting, I assisted by changing the slides and I also spoke about some.

The meeting first began with the Key Club Pledge, which was led by D30S LTG, Ali AlSaleem. Afterwards we discussed about our past events, which was DCON at the Ontario Convention Center. The members who spoke about it said that it was an emotional and great experience. We discussed the new events that would be occurring and then we gave out bubbles to the members, so that they could blow their stress away! This was very fun, because the members enjoyed blowing the bubbles after school.

Along with the bubbles, we also had our first ice breaker, which was led by the spirit coordinators, Huy Nguyen and Arena Hernandez. The ice breaker that they led was called soulmates. During soulmates, one person was chosen to find theirs. The chosen person was asked a series of questions. If the members agreed with the answer they remained standing, and if they disagreed they sat down. This lasted until there was only one person left stand. That person would be the soulmate. This got members really energized and excited as they stood up and sat down. We did two rounds of this, so two people found their soulmates! <3 After the ice breaker session ended, Khrystal adjourned the meeting at 12:16 PM. This was a very memorable meeting with all the activities we did together. I hope that as the term goes on we will all grow closer and serve together. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Vicky Vu | Vice President

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April DCM : Sun April DCM was an amazing event for all of the schools who attended it. We showed our key club spirit while showing our school spirit as well. I liked how it was a school based competition with four groups and had to wear our school colors. It was filled with fun and stress relieving games that had me wanting DCM’s twice in a month.

The games we played also gave out points which basically was the score taller that held data on who won. Western high school won and I couldn’t be any happier as we received the DCM spirit stick twice in a row! Regardless, everyone still had fun and it was all filled with positive vibes throughout the whole event.

Being the 2019-2020 historian for Western High School, I was happy to capture priceless experiences that everyone witnessed in this DCM. All of the new board and new key club presidents If the division were also there showing their effort of making the new term amazing as possible.

There were also newly elected DLT members which are basically the division board in the DCM. I was excited to see that there were 3 people who got in the board from Western.

They showed nothing but pride as a pioneer and as a devoted Key Club member. There were also refreshments such as boba and merchandise that you can buy in this event.

I couldn’t be any happier for my school and for everyone else that attended the event. Everyone was just so happy to take their time off in their Saturdays to hang around the most caring people In the world.

Games that we played included an activity called “Dragon tail.” We basically got in our groups and formed a line that connected every member in the group. The end of the line carries a cloth and it is that persons job to not get it taken away or the group looses.

The front of the line gets to take the cloth from other groups and the last group standing gets to win the most points. There were also games in which we tie a balloon in our foot and try to get other groups balloons popped and once again, the last group that doesn’t get their balloon popped wins. These are just few of the activities that we played in one of the most exciting Saturdays you’ll have.

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— Allen Sia | Historian

nshine Olympics The month where the term ends and starts! What a sad, but joyous celebration and to make matters better we have the very first DCM of the term!! Opening the meeting on the last Saturday of April allowed for many participants to show up. I was hearing people hyping the event up and I can’t lie but say I haven’t been doing it myself either (shh).

Coming a little early, I saw the new presidents working delicately, preparing for all the fun activities coming up. This gave me extra time to chat with members and paint on Western Key Clubber’s faces to show that pioneer spirit!

Finally the DCM rolls around and going to the pledge, sharing experiences from different events such as DCON and setting new goals gave me lots of nostalgia despite only being a junior. Anthony Ontiveros from Western was a brave soul to volunteer and share some of his experiences as well several other wonderful members from other schools. At the end of the meeting, division leadership team board was announced and we proudly present three members that will be representing Western are: Anh Cao, Aj Natividad and Edison Wong!

Here comes the part everyone is excited for, the activities! Western was paired up with Servite High School throughout the day to engage in friendly competition. From balloon popping, this crazy hula hoop hopping game, poncho and more, everyone was getting pretty thirsty and Western Key Club happened to be selling boba! Our very first fundraiser that Kathy Tu, Western’s treasurer, sold out!! There was also cute Oxford merchandise that members couldn’t resist snatching one as well.

To end the DCM, our group rose their way from being the first group to sit down in poncho to being ranked first in the competition. We were completely thrilled and appreciative of all the participants. What was the best thing for me to head about this was new members that told me they enjoyed the event more than they expecting personally and that really brought up my spirits!

— Ivy Vi | Secretary

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April DCM, on April 27th, was the first of the term. In this event, the new Division Leadership Team was announced, three of whom was from Western (congrats to Anh, AJ, and Edison!! :-D)! And for the majority of the event, schools from Division 30 South got in to teams and competed against each other. Western teamed up with Servite, and together we played team games against schools like Katella, Cypress, Oxford Academy, and more.

As the first DCM of the term, it was very exciting for all the new leaders. Our newly installed LTG, Ali Al-Saleem, who is a fellow Western student, lead the DCM. I, as well as others from our school, were very proud of him and amazed at how natural and confidently he led the event. As for me, it was my first time being historian for a DCM! It was a great experience even though I did not participate in most of the games that took place. It was actually extremely enjoyable watching my friends playing the games and taking pictures of them.

At the end of the DCM, after all the screaming and cheering for our team, it was announced that we won!! April DCM is one of the best DCMs that I have went to. The event was packed with many fun activities that pumped up our school spirit, and made us closer to our own schoolmates and our whole division. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Tiffany Castillo | Historian

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On Saturday, April 27, I went to my second DCM of the year. After attending the past DCM in March (the Color War), I was very excited since I had had fun last time. This DCM was the Sunshine Olympics.

When I first heard of the Sunshine Olympics, I was immediately excited because I anticipated the thought of competing with other schools in our district through spirit games.

When I arrived at Modjeska Park, I immediately saw the different schools because each one was in a group wearing their school colors. Once I found Western, I got my blue face paint for extra spirit.

As we started off the DCM, all the schools gathered around to have our meeting before we let the games begin. We got to find out our new DLT, which was really exciting since I knew people from Western who applied and some of those applicants got it. After discussing past and future events as well as recognizing and awarding fellow Key Clubbers, we started getting the schools grouped into 4 teams. Western, as it turned out, was its own team (team A) with the exception of one Servite. After that, we started competing in the Sunshine Olympics, competing for the group with the most spirit. I was really determined to fully participate and make our school proud.

The games themselves were really fun and were the very definition of spirit. From school fashion shows to Dragon Tail, each game in itself put each group to the test of who could work together and show the most spirit as a team.

One of the components of the games that I had really appreciated was that each game got everyone involved in some way. Had it been optional, not everyone would have taken the chance to participate. It was good that everyone had a role in their team, that no one was less or more than anyone else. Even if you weren’t selected to play in certain games that require a specific amount of players from each team, you were there to support those who were playing through cheers and showing the most spirit.

This DCM definitely made me go outside of my comfort zone competing against other schools’ Key Clubs because I normally don’t go out of my way to talk to people I don’t know. Not only that, but since our group was 99% Western Key Club, I got to work together with my own school and get to know everyone in my club better and build our teambuilding skills. In the end, our group had won 1st place in the Sunshine Olympics, winning the Spirit Stick, which made me proud of my Key Club and felt that we represented Western in the best way possible.

To sum everything up, this event had a very positive impact on everyone who attended the Sunshine Olympics. It was a perfect way to get together with other Key Clubs in our district and compete doing what we know best: showing spirit.

— Maile Kobayashi | Publicist

April DCM (cont.)

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On Saturday, April 20th, Western Key Clubbers attended the Division 30 South Banquet.

This event was from 6PM to 9PM. The 2018-2019 term has ended on a high note and Key Clubbers across our division celebrated the achievements of the term, as well as said their goodbyes.

During the D30S Banquet we ate pasta with a pesto or tomato sauce. We also had garlic bread and drank water. While we were eating a video recapping the term played which made many of us emotional. The term has come to an end, but it felt like it just started. Afterwards recognition was given out to the members. Aj Natividad was recognized as the member of the year. We are proud of him and I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wait to see what 2019-2020 term has to offer for all of us.

After recognition, DLT members spoke out about how they felt serving the division. It was very nice hearing everyone speak, because Key Club had a special meaning to everyone in different ways. It was an good way to reflect over what we have done in the past term.

During the banquet, there was also notes that we were able to write to other members.

Towards the end of banquet Ali Al-Saleem played a surprise video for Anjika Morari, showing show much her division loved and appreciated her. We will miss her a lot and we hope that she has an amazing time in college. Ali also presented to her an award for being the Distinguished LTG of Division 30 South.

Banquet was a great way to wrap up the term. It was an unforgettable experience and I hope that in the 2019-2020 term, more members come to join us on our adventure. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Vicky Vu | Vice President

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Saturday, April 20. The time is 6:12 PM and I am pulling up to the Brookhurst Community Center. I get out, say goodbye to my brother and head over to where all my friends are.

We wait as some of our friends are late to arrive. Once we are all present we head inside.

Inside we are checked off. When inside we take our seat and we begin to wait. It is a fun time as we wait and I notice people I see all the time but never talk to. I see Yena Suh the new LTG for Division 30 North and the previous LTG for Division 30 North Jenny. They are people I always wanted to talk to I just never had the courage, but after this day I learned to step up and become the better me.

We begin the banquet and it is great. We have some questions made by the new LTG Ali Al-Saleem and the previous LTG Anjika. We do questions until we get food. And for me this is where it really gets going.

I eat and finish my food and we listen to the Anjika as she announces awards such as member of the year and even awards for the DLT members. From here on out I recall every thing. The Speeches. These Speeches are something they are not normal speeches. These speeches carry emotion and love. They carried happiness and sadness. Happiness for the Division they had and the friends they have made, but sadness as they knew this was it. This was the end of the chapter for most of them.

The speeches were all emotional and they all made me tear up. Especially hearing our previous LTG, Anjika, it was heartbreaking, I hate that I only meet her a little while ago. I wished I could have talked to here more, and that is the lesson I learned from this. No matter what just try and get yourself out there. Banquet is a fun event as you celebrate all the hard work you have put in Key Club. At banquet you could learn from your past mistakes and improve on them. When going to events like this in Key Club you realize how close we all are it doesn't matter if you go to Western or Magnolia.. At banquet we are all celebrating as family not friends. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Anthony Ontiveros | Publicist

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Bolsa Chica

Habitat Restoration

The start of the event didn’t turn out the way I thought it would. I was wearing shorts with no hoodie or jacket with me. It started sprinkling and then it started pouring. I thought this was the start of a bad event.

Monday, April 29 marks the day of the event where the class was able to go through the learning experience as well as volunteer to shift through the mud for any dead organisms and broken shells. It was gross to think about touching mud and having shoes get dirty from the wet mud as well. However, I only made the best out of it and didn’t make it ruin my day.

I tried to stay positive or optimistic for this event. After we shifted through the mud and took out any trash or waste, we brought it to the lab where we look through it. Some of them were actually alive and had to be put back. We also trailed a long way to the other side where I never gone to before.

I volunteered at this event a lot of times and I was able to see the plants that I planted and watered before. They are currently growing strong and I am proud that they have been through a lot. Instead of replanting again, our tour guide informed us about what volunteers will do at the other events in Sundays. He explained about why they were replanting and why it was beneficial to do so.

It was a fun educational event that it actually motivates me to go to Bolsa Chica again. Although, the weather was off in the beginning, it made up for it by having the sun shine at the evening.

— Khrystal Contreras | President

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Board Installment Reflection My first year in key club really motivated me to do the same for the next incoming freshmen and new key clubbers joining next year; just an overall great year for everyone.

Being a just a member for the last term is encouraging me to do what the last board did to make my first year as amazing as it was.

One of my goals for this term is to involve more of my class into key club. Having more freshmen join Key club will increase the amount of participation in future years and in this term. Having more club and board bondings through the year. I’m very excited to go to fall rally since i got a lot of friends into Key club! Having gone to fall rally the last term it really prepared me to this terms fall rally! My friends and I have now decided to dedicate a day towards making fall rally Instagram clips and more! I’m also looking foreword to making new friends in the key club events within my club, division and other divisions! As well as reunite with old friends from past key club events. Being a spirit coordinator for this term i strive to find new ideas and icebreakers to try out. Having leadership experience I have a pretty good advantage towards my job :) — Arena Hernandez | Spirit Coordinator

The 19’-20’ term is already here, and with that, comes with new board members and a new journey. I am proud and grateful to be appointed as the new bulletin editor for this term. My Key Club journey first started since freshman year, and my passion for this club grows more and more as each year goes by. But every journey has to come to an end one day. Sadly, this is going to be my last term since I will be a senior in the next few months. However, this only motivates me to do my very best and go above and beyond.

Some of my goals as bulletin editor is to get many of our general members to read the newsletter which I will be making for every month. Everyone on board makes monthly articles and I feel as though barely anyone reads them. The newsletter contains a lot of information on events that happened and anything Key Club in general.

Anyone who doesn’t read them are missing out on something great. Another goal of mine is to make sure the members who read the newsletter get to learn what Key Club is all about. Not only that, I also want to make sure I am able to consistently make monthly newsletters.

I am really excited to work with the new board. They have been fun to work with so far and I know we can bring up our club to reach new heights. I also am excited to bond with them. We work better when we are closer with one another. Bringing this club to success is a team work after all.

— Dania Lopez | Bulletin Editor

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Board Installment Reflection (cont.)

Wow itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s almost been a month since I was installed as treasurer for the 2019-2020 term. I am beyond grateful and excited for what I can provide to help this club grow even more this term. I am ecstatic to be coordinating fundraisers to help our division reach its goals for MNT (Eliminate), PTP, and any others they may add along the new term. We will also fundraise for our own club to lower Fall Rally and DCON fees! Our very first fundraiser at April DCM was a huge success as we made $150 for MNT. My personal goals for the new term are to raise $350-$400 for MNT, $800 for PTP, and $200-300 for our own fees such as DCON. Currently, we are on pace to meet our goal for MNT as well as getting a head start on PTP. Fundraising aside, I am eager to contribute to board and the club in any way whatsoever. To all the members and board members out there, if you ever have any questions or need information about anything, please reach out to me, I will help in any way I can! As far as the club itself, I still enjoy volunteering to this day as well as bonding with the members at future socials and DCMs. Being a part of the board is so rewarding. No longer do I only worry over my volunteer hours, I now have the privilege to take care of this club that lies close to my heart. I am able to directly make an impact at school with my position and that is all I could ever ask for.

Key Club has changed my life tremendously. I never sulk or whine about when waking up early or late to go to an event because Key Club has taught me that life is no longer about you, it is about giving back to the community who has given you everything, from a home to a city you can be proud of. I hope to see all of you shining suns thrive this term for our beloved Key Club.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Kathy Tu | Treasurer

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Member of the Month:

Douglas Lam

An active member of Key Club, and is very passionate! He attends as much events as he possibly can, and through these events he exhibits a lot of spirit for Key Club

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MONTH SERVICE HOURS

leaderboard

Thank you for all your hours of volunteering! Keep shining, suns of WHS Key Club! :D

1st

NAME Castillo | __ hours Tiffany & Ivy Vi | 9 hours

2nd

Nicholas Dinh & Lexi Sitthydeth | 8 hours

3rd

Khrystal Contreras| 7.5 hours

4th

Rossana Leal & Anthony Ontiveros| 7 hours

5th

Farrah Ermeje & Maile Kobayashi | 6.5 hours

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BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT Featuring one of our spirit coordinators…. ⟡ Arena Hernandez!

⟡

⟡⟡

1. How is your journey so far as a spirit coordinator?

So far being a spirit coordinator hasn’t brought me many tasks since the term just started. I have gotten closer to the whole Key Club board though.

2. What is your goal for this term?

My goal is to plan as many socials and icebreakers as possible with my Huy! As well as volunteering as much as possible.

3. What do you love about Key Club?

I love the friendly atmosphere it provides.

4. What is one of your favorite moments in Key Club?

Fall Rally is definitely my favorite Key Club moment i experienced so far. I got to meet so many Key clubbers from all over and it was also a great way to start my freshman year in Key Club.

5. How many pairs of crocs do you own?

Only one pair but i will get more!!!!!

6. What’s your favorite TikTok song to do?

I don’t have one because there is a different trend EVERY DAY! 7. Tell us a joke! are you from Tennessee? because you’re the only TEN I see ; ) 8. Lastly, how do you feel?

Really excited for this term!

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Sun

Mon

Tue

We 1

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5 OC 5k Marathon / Bolsa Chica

6

7

8

12

13

14

15

19 OC Greek Festival / Serving the People

20

21 Kiwanis AllStar Baseball Game

22

26

27

28

29

Elimina

ed

Thu

Fri

Sat

2

3

4 OC 5k Marathon / H.O.P.E. Food Distribution

9

10

11 Stanton Spring Car Show & Kids Fair

16

17 Western Key Club Banquet

18 May DCM / Anaheim Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Art Festival

23

24

25 Strawberry Stomp 2019

30

31

t e We e k !

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Board Info !

President

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Vice President

Khrystal Contreras

Vicky Vu

khrystalcontreras@gmail.com

nvu.vicky@gmail.com

(657) 226-7150

(714) 585-0443

Secretary

Treasurer

Ivy Vi

Kathy Tu

ivyvi999@yahoo.com

kathytutu22@gmail.com

(714) 725-5136

(714) 926-9392

Bulletin Editor

Project Chair

Member Rec

Nicholas Dinh

Danica Lopez

Alexandra Sitthydeth

nicholas.dinh@yahoo.com

danicalopez011@gmail.com

lsitthideth@gmail.com

(714) 353-3655

(714) 797-8840

(714) 718-8472

H I S T O R I A N S

Tiffany Castillo

Allen Sia

Farrah Ermeje

castillotiffany0903@gmail.com

allensia95@gmail.com

farrahermeje25@gmail.com

(714) 886-0659

(702) 470-4469

(714) 805-3253

P U B L I C I S T S Maile Kobayashi

Anthony Ontiveros

maipanda212@gmail.com

anthony.onti2475@gmail.com

(714) 351-1256

(951) 565-6897

S P I R I T C O O R D I N A T O R S Huy Nguyen

Arena Hernandez

hhnguyen0811@gmail.com

arenahernandez101@icloud.com

(714) 725-1403

(657) 456-4865

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