Western HS Key Club January 2016 Newsletter

Division 30 South | Region 3 |CNH

Volume: 4, Issue 9

The Official Western High School Key Club Newsletter | January 2016

The Key Club Times

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S 0 3 D s g n i t e Gre HELLO PIOS, I hope you’ve had a great start to second semester! I know that things in Key Club have been a bit slow in terms of events, so I apologize for that, but the board and I have been planning a range of different activities for you to participate in for this month! Our club social and elections have passed, but we still have a lot more events that you should anticipate, such as February DCM, Color Run, and much more. Aside from events, we have our boba fundraiser to help with DCON fees and appointed officer applications that are due on the 18th. So we’re not as busy as we were in, say, December, but we’re still going to finish the 2015-2016 term strong.

By the time you’re reading this, it’ll probably be midFebruary, which means that there are only two months left until the Key Club term ends. With conclave and elections done and officer training to look forward to, the next 2 months is going to be very nostalgic. Lately, I’ve been wondering to myself, “What have I been able to accomplish for the club as president?” Well, we’ve increased in almost 20 members, raised over $1,000 for service, and served almost 2,000 hours. If you don’t remember, our goal for this term is 2,300 service hours. We still need roughly 400 hours, which is a big feat to overcome in just 2 months. I know that we can do it though, and have fun while doing it. As cliché as it sounds, Western Key Club has always had a special place in my heart, especially for its extreme inclusiveness for creating a safe, welcoming environment for Key Clubbers both in and outside of our home club. But I know that the club will be in good hands next year with president-elect Nhi Truong! Keep on serving and let’s finish this term with a bang.

Service with a Smile, Van Bui, Western Key Club President 2015-2016

HEEEEYYYY PIOS, This school year seems to be flying by.

Hopefully things slow down a bit through these months with less events because I am definitely not ready for college. How about all of you Suns? I know you’re all getting through this last stretch of the school year with a great big grin on your face.

And that’s how all Suns are, looking forward to the future and being a part of it. I just wanted to remind you all that no matter how fast time seems to pass us by, as active members of Key Club we’re all shaping the future in one way or another.

Remember Pios, The Sun is always shining on one part of the world.

Yours Truly, Michael Coates, 2015-2016 Bulletin Editor

Table of Contents s e n g o i a t l l c o e l C M E 1 C . b D P u l / e C v 2 . la P c n n o o l h C a t i a c -4 v o 3 r .

S e P S g n 6 i t 5 ka ory P. S t e s i c I H 8 M C !

P.7 s D t c e P.9 l E r w a e d n N e l 0 1 a P. C 1 P.1

January Collage

1

Western High School Club Elections “It was that time of year again for every eager Key Club member who wants to take a bigger step in leading,…that is right KEY CLUB ELECTIONS! It was a very nerve wrecking experience for the seniors and those trying out for a board position; but I think I can speak for all of us that it was an amazing one! The first step in the election process was applications. Those applying all needed to submit an application that asked various questions and information about us.

Seeing my fellow board members spending a good amount of time on their application because they wanted to make it as personal and long as they can. From talking to some of them, they spent a good 5 hours on it because they had to rethink and rewrite a few answers. Although it wasn’t me filling out the application, it made me realize my Key Club journey and how much time and sweat I put into it.

After the applications were turned in, I was worrying about the next big step, the interview with us seniors. I was extremely nervous about how the interviews would go but also extremely excited to see the future leaders of the club I adored.

When each of the interviewers walked into the room I was so nervous for them; however, each one amazed me. I remember seeing some of them even before they were freshman and to see them now trying out for an executive position amazed me. The fact they want to take on such a position and expand their leadership made me proud. I felt the interviews went pretty well. Although, talking with the senior board we did get worried about the future. I think this fear stemmed from the fact we are leaving. Because we can honestly point out every mistake we want but ultimately, I think we were all afraid of leaving.

Leaving the care and nurturing of the club to the next generation was too much for some of us to handle. It makes it seem as if the end of the year is approaching faster than we think. The final step in the election process is the actual elections! It is where our members choose the board for the new term. The elections were a tough one but I am extremely proud of everyone who gave a speech. It can be a very nerve wrecking experience, especially if you are uncomfortable speaking in front of others, but the fact that those who wanted the position stepped out of their comfort zone to do this is amazing enough. Overall, tallying the final ballots for next year’s board filled me with joy. When Van Bui, our current President, announced the new elected board, everyone was happy and almost filled with tears. I look forward to what the new elected board can achieve and the new heights they will reach! GOODLUCK 2016-2017 EXECUTIVE BOARD!”

Lesley Aguirre

2

“For each nomine I liked something different about them. For Nhi I liked how wise she seemed and she seemed to have many great ideas for key club from her speech. For Crystal I like her confidence and how reliable she seemed to be. For Jennifer I liked her settle and comforting personality, Jennifer will become an important secretary with her personality because members will not be afraid to approach her. For Abraham I liked his responsibility and motivation. Abraham Is responsible in his own way without looking stressed out, he can deal with important things but seems to always be happy, and key club will need him for the members because he will be taking a lot of responsibility in his position but he will still have to be nice, cheerful and active for our sunny members. Overall each upcoming executive member will complete the other and I think they will work well together and will be able to solve their problems no matter what they are.”.

Lara Matty

Conclave “Last year, I was up on the same stage giving a speech on my candidacy for Division 30 South Lieutenant Governor, and here I was now, serving as a delegate watching others give similar speeches. To be completely honest, I thought I was going to fall asleep at some point throughout the event because of minor sleep deprivation and being slightly sick. But each of the candidates were incredibly unique in showing their passion and willingness in Key Club that I just had to listen up to each of their speeches.

The divisions with more than 3 candidates went first because they had a second round after what was called a nomination conference to go through. Division 30 South was one of those divisions. I was actually nervous for the candidates—and I wasn’t even one of the people delivering a speech! But I knew what it felt like to stand in front of so many people from all over Orange County, and to have to prove one’s qualifications while doing so. I listened attentively to every candidate’s speech and voted carefully—which I can’t disclose, obviously. I can say that it was a difficult decision though. Even prior to conclave, I was still thinking about who I believed in the most to serve as Lieutenant Governor. Time passed by a lot quicker than I had expected.

Speech after speech, caucus after caucus, I mentally voted for candidates from other divisions. Of course, there were amazing speeches and caucuses, and there were notso-amazing speeches and caucuses. Regardless, I saw that each candidate had the right self-driven mindset to serve the division—and the community—on a much larger scale. After the Lieutenant Governor-elects were announced, division by division, I had a sense of profound confidence in this Region team of Lieutenant Governors. However, it felt weird to know that I wouldn’t be able to see these amazing key leaders lead for the entire 2016-2017 term. Still, I know that all 7 of them will do an amazing job and reach their fullest potentials—and then some—throughout their terms. Kelly Tran was elected as Division 30 South Lieutenant Governor, and I fully believe in her capability to serve the division and lead it to greater heights. It’s weird not just because she’s my neighbor (not even joking), but the fact that I’ve known her since elementary school makes it that much harder to believe that that same person is going to be the next LTG. Ultimately, my 3rd and last conclave was filled with lots of nervousness for the candidates but also lots of hope for the division and for the region. I really do think that these LTG-elects will be able to overcome any obstacles in their term. With every leader, even outside of Key Club, he/she faces a unique set of obstacles and problems that are different from the next leader’s. But without a doubt, these 7 will be able to endure those and come out on top to see the rewards that come with such challenges”.

Van Bui

3

“All of Region 3’s Lieutenant Governors were present in order to see each person running for the upcoming term. It was quite an interesting experience to see everyone running giving a speech. I saw many muster up the courage to give a speech in front of so many Key Clubbers and express their dedication.

There was some points where I saw many breakdown from the nerves but when some continued to speak it really showed me how dedicated they were… Since there was more than two candidates for our division, Heaven and Kelly were the ones nominated for the second round of questions. The questions they had to answer were quite difficult and even I couldn’t really think of answers for them. However, they were prepared and answered the questions which allowed us to determine whether they were set for the job as LTG. Finally it was time for the results in who would become the next LTG for each division in Region 3. When they announced who had won for our division everyone started screaming. Kelly Tran had won! After hearing who had won we had our January DCM afterwards in which we briefly went our things that had happened and waited for Kelly to come outside so she could be introduced.

Everyone was proud of all three for running and having courage for being up there even if they didn’t win. I’m happy to know that division lies in good hands and hope to see how the next term plays out”.

Jennifer Hernandez

4

Servathon

Service!

“Service is something that should be celebrated, and Western High School is able to do that through our annual Servathon! On January 18, Western Key Club was able to participate in this activity, a myriad of service projects put together by many campus organizations. Since all the events were on (or near) campus, Key Club decided to make something instead of the typical volunteering experience. So, Key Clubbers met at Western to make dog toys and write cards to children in hospitals! Since we didn't have enough scissors for everybody, we split into two groups; one group started by making dog toys out of old t-shirts, and the other group started making cards for children in hospitals.

I started out by making cards. It was fun to draw all over them and write positive messages, I got to imagine what the children's reactions would be to these cards, and that made me feel more enthusiastic in writing them. While making them, I also got to collaborate with others and have some kind of socialization while I was sick. While I never ended up making a complete dog toy due to limited supplies (only a few pairs of scissors would cut through the shirts), the other group would cut up old t-shirts and braid the strands into colorful dog toys! They had lots of fun too, and were able to make a lot of toys for animals that would love them! We worked for a few hours, and were able to get a lot accomplished. All of the toys we made were donated to OC Animal Care, and our cards were sent to various hospitals across America.

After our events, we got to continue participating in the Servathon with the rest of the school. Thinking back on this experience makes me feel like everything we did and made has been so impactful. It didn't seem like we were doing much when we were just sitting together, making toys and cards in the media center at our school, but the effect those actions had on others is incredible to think about. It helps me remember that even small actions and decisions can have huge results.

Servathon is a district event that Western participates in, so I won't be participating next year. Serving with Key Club this year was amazing, though! It was great to make a difference as a club and school, and I hope the project continues to prosper in the future�.

Randall Belyea

5

“After about an hour, people got a little tired (and frustrated) with making the dog toys, so we transitioned into the card-making. A few examples were shown, but it was pretty simple. We did this service project previously for Key Club Week as a focus on one of our preferred charities. This project was more open-ended than the dog toy-making, because all you had to do was write a card to a hospitalized child to lift their spirits and tell them to stay strong. The only restriction we had was that we couldn’t write “Get well soon,” since some of these kids had terminal illnesses.

On a less saddening note, we continued with the cards, and just like before when we did this for Key Club Week, I was amazed at all of the cards that the members made. Some were sweet and simple, with the words “stay strong” or “you’re amazing,” but others had pretty complex drawings and/or long messages reaching out to the lucky recipient of the card. Some cards even had glitter (which totally did not result in the school librarian telling our faculty advisor about the mess left behind on the floor; sorry Ms. Rittel/Ms. Riche) on them to brighten up the mood a little bit more. There were roughly 15-20 members who showed up, and at the end of the day, I’m content with the results from this day. It was a very relaxing service project that we got to bond over and channel our more creative, constructive sides in order to brighten other people’s (or dogs’) days. I hope that we can do small-scale service projects like this to strengthen the bond we have within our home club, the same bond that is the epitome of why I am proud to serve this club so much”.

Van Bui

6

Ice Skating Social!

“On January 30th, D30S held its first ever social of the year. All I have to say is what a cooooooool experience it was.

I never knew that so many people knew how to ice skate, because well obviously most of the people I am normally around don’t mention it (there’s not often ice in California besides in flavored snow cones and even those can be hard to find). Ice skating isn’t exactly easy, and it does take a while to get used to. So there were a couple Key Clubbers, including myself, who needed to get the hang of it before fully sliding on top of the ice like the penguins none of us really are. There were a couple moments where I honestly thought death was upon me while I began to lose balance and flop around like a fish out of water. But that seemed to happen less and less by the end of the night, which came a lot faster than I wanted to.

When I first arrived, confused as to why I was even going because I am terrible on ice. I had one previous experience that wasn’t all too great, but nonetheless entered the building to greet John and get my skates. While lacing up I noticed that my ankles were a bit too loose in my skates.

Being as scared as I was there was no turning back now so I took off on the ice next to Joally Gomez, Van Bui, and Isabel Gomez. That’s when the struggling began. But hey after about 15 minutes out there it got a bit easier. I only almost fell, maybe a total of 10 times? Not as many complete falls as my first time so I definitely count this as an improvement.

The next time I get the chance I’m definitely going back for more practice so I have no slip ups at the rink”.

Michael Coates

7

8

A Look Back at the DCMs

9

Introducing the 2016 2016--2017 Executive Board President Elect: Nhi Truong Vice President Elect: Crystal Ly Secretary Elect: Jennifer Hernandez Treasurer Elect: Abraham Vicente

10

Monthly Calendar S.A.C.K

Project Cuddle Feb. 20th

Every 1st and 3rd Sunday!

Color Run

Feb. 27th

March 5th

DCMs:

The Coaster Run 2016

Buddy One Day 02/20

March 6th

TBA...

Western’s

Race on the Base!

DCON

President

V.P

Secretary

Van Bui

Nhi Truong

Kiara Legaspi

vankbuii18@gmail.com

nhtruo@gmail.com

kiaramel2525@gmail.com

(714) 824-2884

(714) 234-0275

(714) 931-7222

Treasurer

Spirit Coordinator

Bulletin Editor

Member Recognition

Randall Belyea

Lesley Aguirre

Michael Coates

Crystal Ly

rhbelyea@ca.rr.com

aguirre_lesley@yahoo.com (714) 576-3432

coates179@gmail.com (714) 225-2181

lycrystal@gmail.com

(714) 209-3865

Historians

(714) 315-6317

Publicists

Lara Matty/ Linda Le/ Jennifer Hernandez laramatty999@gmail.com (714) 306-9969

Brenda Rosas/ Abraham Vicente

lindale922@gmail.com (714) 886-2467

brendabrosas@gmail.com

jenniferhernandez1634@gmail.com -

(714) 342-0281 abrahamvicente3@gmail.com (714) 855-7625