Western HS Key Club June 2016-2017 Newsletter

CNH | KEY CLUB Division 30 South | Region 3 |CNH Volume: 5, Issue 4

The Official Western High School Key Club Newsletter | June 2016

a letter from the editor MY GREATEST, MOST WONDERFUL GREETINGS TO Y’ALL, SUNS!!

I’m going to start this letter with a shameless happy birthday to myself. Happy birthday, Jerry Castillo, you beautiful beast <3 Since we’re a club that’s active year-round, it goes without saying that a lot has happened over the summer. Now, as all those summer events comes to a close, the beginning of our 2016-2017 school year looms ever closer. This will be my last newsletter before the school year starts, and I’m excited for the coming school months. The club has progressed some during summer, that’s easy to say, but with club rush and incoming freshmen and more events and happenings that the new school year brings, I only expect even greater things to happen in the near future.

I’m typing up the night before beach boomba, and I’m quite excited for that!

It’s one of our last summer events, all of region 3 is going to be there, we’re going to pie our beautiful LTG Kelly Tran! I hope I see you there!

Thank you, Key Clubbers, for pulling us this far. I’m probably repeating myself when I say that Western Key Club is nothing without the support of the general members, the division leadership team, and the Kiwanis. With these amazing groups of people, including our amazing board, we’ve achieved great things during the summer, and we’ll soar to greater heights when school starts.

Rambling a bit off topic, keep in mind that when someone is getting out of their way to do something for you, whether it be helping you with a task or giving you a gift or just being a good friend, don’t forget to say thank you! I know a lot of good, selfless people, and I find myself apologizing for being an inconvenience more than actually appreciating what they’ve done for me. It’s good to keep in mind that a bunch of “sorry’s” doesn’t sound anywhere near as good as one “thank you”. c: With that filler material in, I present to you the latest addition to the WHS Key Club monthly newsletter! Do notice the horrendous yellow. Really, June is appropriately colored as a nice sky blue. Why I made the decision to theme the June recap newsletter as yellow, I’m not sure *coughNHITRUONGcough*.

Anyway, enjoy looking through the photos and reliving the memories, and look forward to making new ones!

Lots of love from your amazingly bodacious bulletin editor, Jerry Castillo

TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 Western HS Key Club Goal Progress 3 The President’s Thoughts 4 June Collage

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6 Westpark Elementary Carnival 7 Wetlands Habitat Restoration 8 World Refugee Day 9 Kiwanis Baseball Game

10 Wrigley River Race

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11 Anaheim Flag Day Parade 12 June DCM | Spectacular Sandwiches

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14 Spotlight on Service | Liver Life Walk 16 Officer Training Conference

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18 St. Irenaeus Fiesta 20 Kiwanis | Board Training & DCM 22 June Service Hours Leaderboard 23 Board Member Spotlight, ft. …

24 June Calendar 25 INSPIRATION!!

26 Contact us!

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THE PRESIDENT’S

Delving into the mind of a maniac…!

THOUGHTS Ciao!

I hope June has been kind to you all!

I’m not sure if I started my last letter like this but I’ll do it anyways. I do thank our dear bulletin editor Jerry Castillo for being so patient and a happy birthday to him (it was on July 15)!

June has been quite a comeback. Despite the fact that a lot of our members were away on vacation, we were still able to complete quite an amount of hours—600 hours! Furthermore, our plans for this term were established quite early into June, so be sure to look out for that in the coming months!

I’m a little bummed that one of our two full months of summer vacation is over now but I’m glad to say that I’m looking forward to the new faces in the coming school year. In all honesty I’m trying to cut down on exclamation points and caps lock as of late but it’s a little difficult to type like this (feels a little emotionless). What’s not difficult is staying motivated into this term and with all the new things we’ve been throwing about, I’ll give a little sneak peek into the future. We’re moving online, and not

just on Instagram or Facebook, but ONLINE online. Stamps, beads, meet-the-meet…it’s actually quite difficult

to do this as well without throwing out anything. Nonetheless, keep an eye out for our updates!

With loving regard to June as well, I’d like to establish that the color for June would be yellow and not blue (coUGH JERRY). Throwing another note out there as well but just thank you, for everyone who is still volunteering despite the notion of relaxation during summer. Thank you for making that difference in our community and the lives of others, never forget that. So once again, a ciao to the golden month of June (and my sweet sixteen) and onwards to July (although we are mid-July at the moment)!

With warm regards, Nhi Truong

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JUNE...

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WESTPARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CARNIVAL On Friday, June 3, my fellow Key Clubbers and I volunteered at an on-campus carnival hosted by WestPark Elementary School that consisted of games, stage performances, activity booths, food vendors, and raffles. The carnival was culturally themed, welcoming all students and families of distinct ethnic backgrounds with open arms.

Each elementary student who attended this lively carnival was given a “passport” to “travel around the world,” with each nation represented by its own decorated booth. It was really eye-opening to see such a diverse group of people come together at this carnival to have a great time.

Volunteers from Western High School were assigned tasks, such as managing pre-ordered entrance wristbands/raffle tickets and fees, assisting at booths, and helping with cleanup, including taking down tables and canopies. I was personally responsible of handing out the preordered entrance wristbands and raffle tickets by searching up every customer’s package labeled by the family name. This task was very fastpaced and required good listening and communicative skills, but it was quite enjoyable for me.

At the end of the day, everyone assisted in closing down the carnival, helping advisors transport equipment from booths to specific rooms and vehicles, and picking up trash. Overall, the Westpark Elementary Carnival was well set-up and provided the volunteers a fun and productive day.

Brenda Lee On June 3rd the WestPark Elementary Carnival took place.

This event was all the way in Irvine which is pretty far from the area in which I live. At first I was quite hesitant in signing up due to ride problems but upon arriving I was glad I did. This event was way different than I expected it to be and gave me wonderful memories.

Upon arriving it was pretty confusing due to the way the school was built and it took us a while to find the back of the school. We eventually found it and were amazed because we had never seen a school carnival like this. All the games they varied from a truck with video games or the traditional throwing a ball. We were easily able to find the sign in sheet for our shift. When she assigned us our jobs I volunteered to separate from our group since I wanted to get out of my comfort zone. Looking back on that decision I’m pretty glad I did it because I was able to meet such a nice and genuine person. Even though we never really exchanged names, the girl who worked alongside me had so many things in common with me.

Throughout the whole shift our job was to help out the families fill out the forms in order for them to buy a wristband that would allow their children to play the games. It was a pretty hectic tasks because there were times when many people would come at once trying to purchase a wristband. However, the overall experience of helping them out was fun.

Especially since the coordinators of the event were really nice people who cared about the volunteers. The whole time the lady and I would talk when we had time. Since she had recently graduated from college a few years ago she game me advice I would treasure. It was nice to have someone encourage me to strive for my goals.

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After the carnival finished, all the volunteers were tasked to help clean up. Overall this experience was an enjoyable one due to the amazing memories I made interacting with the people. Despite the long distance of this event it was definitely worth it.

Jennifer Hernandez

WETLANDS HABITAT

RESTORATION

Early in the morning, on Saturday June 4th many volunteers arose to help Seal Beachâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wetlands Habitat Restoration.

When arriving to the site all the volunteers were briefly informed on the history of the preservation and what the harmful effect the preservation area faces to due to pollution and fracking sites located nearby.

The first job that we were assigned to was picking up trash lying around the ground while walking around for an hour or so, we as a group collected an estimated amount of 75 pounds of trash. After collecting the trash our leader gave the group a tour of the preservation area and informed the group the disasters that the wildlife and plants face every year and how they've encountered 2 endangered spices living in their preservation.

After being educated on ecosystem the group leader then gave us assignments on how we can help out the wildlife community. Our jobs were collecting seeds from numerous plants so they can, later on, be planted and reproduced. Later we pulled weeds from large patches off the ground (since the majority of the plants were being overthrown and damaged by the weeds).

In this event, we learned how we as humans damage certain areas of the world and how we generally donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t care about the environment which is quite ridicules, but wonderful to know that there are some individuals who do their part and make a change not only to their community but to their environment as well.

Abraham Vicente

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World Refugee Day making a worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worth of a difference!

These kinds of events are the kinds that truly do help inspire and help.

Celebrating refugees and their journeys, from Iraqi refugees to Vietnamese, this day proved to be a truly important day for these people. Coming from a family of refugees myself, from a family that had fled from the Vietnam War, I felt the momentum of this event.

With regards to important and momentum, I found myself in the parking lot of the event right from the start. After helping out with bits of set-up, five other members and I were sent to help with escorting the VIPs to the venue. Orange parking as place-holders for suits and ties, we awaited for the likes of the Anaheim Fire Station Chief and the Mayor of Garden Grove.

A small detail was that out of the seven empty lots, only two of them were filled in the end. As it turns out, fire trucks donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fit in the two white lines and a lot of those suit and ties took to walking themselves to the venue from far-off parking spaces. Nonetheless there was a sense of thrill I would say in the chase.

After being excused from duty, we were sent to eat. One thing I like noting the most in events is the food, and in this case, the cultural aspect of the food. A few of our own volunteers were in charge of serving the food and it was quite something elseâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;which was delicious.

Dismissal in place, we were allowed to watch the cultural performances and listen to the storytellers weave stories of hope and loss. There was a quick run to pick up dinner for the event coordinator as well and by the end of the event, all the volunteers were quite exhausted.

I truly do not regret attending this event and moreover, I was glad to see the appreciation and love amongst the attendees in the stories that they carried.

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Nhi Truong

On June 7th, the Kiwanis Baseball Game took place at La Palma Park. When I signed up for this event I was pretty nervous and excited because it was an opportunity to interact with our sponsoring Kiwanis club. Upon arriving I was a little confused as to where we would be helping out at the park since it was my first time being at La Palma Park. However, we were able to find the baseball field. When we found it we immediately signed in and waited for instructions from the Kiwanis members.

KIWANIS Baseball Game

Since things were still getting unloaded from the car, we waited a while until we got our official tasks. At first we helped display the candy in order to catch the attention of the people coming in to purchase some snacks. Afterwards we were assigned separate tasks, my job required to pour cheese on the nachos. Even though it seems like a simple and boring task it was quite fun. Especially since all of the volunteers were together in that small room we were all able to bond with one another.

As more volunteers arrived for the second shift, I was moved to help wrap up the hot dogs in the kitchen. In all honesty this was my favorite job because one of the Kiwanis members helped us with it. She kept making jokes with us and made the overall experience of volunteering even more fun. There were times were it would get hectic and we would have to practically run to deliver the hot dogs. I just remember hearing “run Jennifer run” or “run Tiffany run.” Every time one of us would run you would see the Kiwanis member laughing. They were kind to us and even bought a meal for us so we wouldn’t starve.

Even though it may seem our job consisted of simple tasks the people there made it such a wonderful experience, especially the Kiwanis members. I wish I would’ve volunteered at this event in years past because it’s a great way to get to know the Kiwanis members more. I definitely recommend others to attend in the future.

Jennifer Hernandez On June 7, Kiwanis held a Baseball game at La Palma Park-Glover Stadium.

Actually, I wasn’t signed up to this particular event until the day before but I ended up staying for two shifts. This event was actually very exciting and a great experience. Many of the volunteers worked hand in hand with other Key Clubs’ to cater the food during the baseball game.

After checking in, there were already volunteers present at the event. First, we were told to assemble the food. I, in particular, was in charge of adding beans, chicken, and/ or beef to nachos and tortillas. Basically, the volunteers and I worked together as an assembly line to produce food in a timely manner. After the first shift, more volunteers attended for the second shift. I, unintentionally, stayed to help for the second shift but was transferred to a different station. Those in the first shift were to offer those in the second shift their jobs. I was placed to wrap hot dogs and give them to customers. Occasionally, we made hot chocolate or coffee when customers asked.

I was surprised at how “hands on” this event was. I never experience a volunteer event where I was able to physically provide food for customers. It was really fun to be around friends and work together to produce food. The Kiwanis, on the other hand, were very patient and often very friendly. The women who was basically, in charge of a certain amount of volunteers, was very kind and made us feel welcomed. As a reward for our help, Mr. Barry offered us food tickets so we can enjoy some tacos, nachos, hotdogs, or candy with a drink on the side.

Since this was my first time at this particular event, I was pleasantly surprised as to how much I truly enjoyed this event. This event gave me my first experience on a hands on job and honestly, it wasn’t half bad. I really enjoyed the fact that everybody was kind and patient.

Although there was a situation with the tickets, they were very understanding and didn’t get mad at us for ripping up the tickets, as much. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of this event. Everybody was excited about the baseball game and were just so kind when ordering food. I strongly recommend others to participate in this volunteer event next time. If you like to have fun, gain some experience, and earn community service hoursthen this event is for you!

Tiffany Nguyen

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The river races in you…

WRIGLEY RIVER RACE!!

I must’ve looked like a fool to anyone and everyone running past me.

On Saturday, June 11th, I guided and cheered on runners along the track at the Wrigley River Run in Long Beach. I’ve volunteered for numerous run and marathon events, but this one stood out in particular in that the track was placed along a river—as the name suggests—and that there were groups playing music all along the track. That wasn’t something I’ve seen before: school bands, guitarists, singers, a whole array of different musicians and ensembles were spread across the track. As a musician, seeing (or rather, hearing) all those bands was pretty great.

I came to volunteer to this event with Joanna Chatouphonexay, and we were both stationed at one of the track’s turns, with the task of cheering on the runners and guiding them in the right direction. I ended up screaming, dancing, and pointing for a couple hours. I’m sure Joanna and the runners were mildly entertained to witness my mania. The donuts the coordinator were so kind to provide that morning helped a lot with maintaining the crazy.

It’s very easy to say that I enjoyed the event. The runners were enthusiastic, the staff and coordination team were all very fun to work with, and overall, I had a great time.

Jerry Castillo

On June 18, I volunteered for the Liver Life Walk in Irvine. I didn’t plan on volunteering for this event but, a friend needed a replacement.

Of course, as the charming and generous person I am, I gladly took her spot because I LOVE LINDA LE[ AND HER BOOTY]. Like all marathon volunteer events, I had to wake up the time I usually go to bed on a normal, summer day (4am ;-;). However, I survived with a good amount of sleep—if four hours counts. At the sign-in booth, the coordinators provided all the volunteers with DONUTS! It was definitely the highlight of my day other than seeing Jerry’s dumb face and saying obscene foreign jokes to his dad (he found it amusing).

Jerry and I waited to be dropped off to our station by some nice guys in white vans (hehe). Jerry and I talked while waiting for the van and every time I talk to him, I learn how incredibly dumb and weird he is just like me. After we were dropped off, I decided to lay down on the sidewalk to kill time before the marathon started and get a bit rest. All of the sudden it started to rain but, I got too lazy to get up for a little.

Once I got up, my whole body left a print on the sidewalk HA. This event had many fun perks to it. For example, there were musicians playing in different spots for the runners and there was a Fun Zone. The Fun Zone had people creating gigantic bubbles which I was amused by very much looking at as I passed by.

My job was to cheer on the runners and lead them to the left. When the marathon finally started, I saw many different runners. They were some running with their children in a stroller or running with their ADORABLE dogs. I saw lots of people running with smiling faces and RANDALL BELYEA. I even got to see Jerry doing many questionable dances while blowing a duck whistle for runners.

Overall, the Liver Life Walk was a very fun event to volunteer for and I’m glad I got to volunteer with Jerry. Thank you for all the coordinators and runners that made this event amazing!

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Joanna Chatouphonexay

wave the red, white and blue for…

Anaheim’s

Flag Day

PARADE

On June 12, the city of Anaheim held a Flag Day parade to commemorate the adoption of the United States flag. This event was held at Pearson Park.

When I arrived to this event, everything appeared to be organized and there were very loose jobs for the volunteers. Western Key Club volunteers worked hand in hand with other schools’ Key Club volunteers to assist with minor jobs that the organizers asked us to do.

After checking in, the organizers weren’t officially sure of what our main tasks were. We were given very minor jobs from time to time. At first, the volunteers and I were assigned to help set up chairs for the live concert. It took some time because the organizers told us that it had to be a very specific alignment. After accomplishing that task, we were notified to decorate vehicles for the parade. They assigned us specific cars to decorate with. Each car was so beautiful that I didn’t want to ruin it with my touch. The car owners were very kind to trust us with decorating their beautiful and expensive cars.

Surprisingly, everybody at the event was very friendly despite being very busy. Since we had small jobs, the parade basically prepared by itself beforehand. After we finished decorating the cars, we stood to the side and watched as the parade began. It was nice to see other helpers pass out flags and buttons. One of our very own volunteers actually helped assemble the flags at a previous event.

Since this was my first time at this particular event, I was pleasantly surprised of how much I truly enjoyed this event. Although we were assigned very small jobs, our help evidently made an impact on the parade itself because our decorations made each car more festive. Everyone was kind and patient with the volunteers. Although I had the expectations of assisting in booths, I realize that there wasn’t any real booths to begin with. This was a Flag Day parade and our job was to help the parade run smoothly, technically. I’m just glad how successful the parade was and how the organizers didn’t have to panic because everything was going according to the plan. Honestly, although it was last minute, I fairly enjoyed the event. I strongly recommend more people volunteer for this event, it provides a memorable experience and it isn’t the type of event where you feel constant panic!

Tiffany Nguyen

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June DCM Spectacular Sandwiches!

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The June Division Council Meeting was my first time being event chair. I was a little worried about doing that, but now I have some experience with keeping track of people. Like previous DCMs, this is a meeting where the LTG, Kelly, gives the division updates and talks about previous and upcoming events followed up by a service event. The service event this time was making PB & J sandwiches for Long Beach Rescue Mission. As a club, we had a better turnout for general members because the meeting was at Twila Reid Park. Concerning the supplies needed for the service project, the bread to PB & J ratio seemed to indicate an abundance of bread. Due to supplies being exhausted earlier than expected, the DCM ended about 10 minutes earlier. I believe that this is the DCM where we played the most ice breaker games and activities. It was a chill service event despite having to endure the heat and the sun. With every DCM I attend I feel each time, I am happy and relieved to say that I am getting closer to members in our division because I was worried I wouldn’t be able to bond and establish a connection. In conclusion, the service event at this DCM is one of my favorites because it is simple and easy task that everyone can do, but with many hands working together, it can create significant impact on people’s lives.

Jason Jose

DCMs are my favorite Division events. I love reuniting with all of my friends from different schools and working on a service project with them together. On top of that, my favorite division service project is making sandwiches to donate, so of course I immediately signed up for this DCM. Before we began our service project, we first played some icebreakers. My favorite one was when we all were separated by schools and had to snatch colors from other schools to win. This icebreaker had me laughing until my insides hurt. With Abraham running like a maniac around the park, and Jerry being scared that someone was going to steal his color, it was a great way to start this DCM. Once the service event started, all of my worries faded away. I’m not sure why, but I find it really relaxing and comforting to just make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for an hour.

Although this event was the only volunteering event I was able to attend to for the month of June, I am glad that I was able to go to this one. It was comforting sitting on a park bench and making sandwiches with my second family. I couldn’t imagine a better way to spend my Friday.

Annie Nguyen

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Spotlight on service

Liver Life Walk

With health in June’s spotlight on service, Key Clubbers were encouraged to promote and educate health and safety by partaking in activities that correlated with the respective theme. Service events, fundraisers, educational seminars, cleanups, charities… we, as Key Club, were challenged to do anything that would improve and promote the wellness of our community. Because really, taking care of your health is quite healthy!

For Western High School Key Club, our members has the opportunity to participate in the Liver Life Walk in Irvine. The event’s goal was to spread awareness of liver health and disease and to raise money for liver cancer research; a goal that’s very appropriate to June’s S.O.S. on health!

In the next article, KC member and bulletin editor Jerry Castillo elaborates on his experience:

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On a sweet, sunshine-y Saturday, volunteers came to William R. Mason Regional Park in Irvine to help run the Liver Life Walk. The event intends to spread awareness of liver cancer/diseases and its influence, and to fundraise for the research effort towards a dependable cure for said diseases.

Despite the excessive heat warning that day, quite a number of people showed up to walk for the sake of the cause. It was heat warning—excuse me, heart-warming—to hear all these stories, and the park’s atmosphere was refreshing enough to hush the heat away for this one special event.

One thing—or rather, one person— that stood out to me was this lady that had attended the event. A taller redheaded woman, wearing only a visor, a sports bra, and a set of joggers. She was awfully chatty, but what made her so noticeable was a angry red scar that ran from the middle of her ribs to the bottom of her stomach, and a tattoo on her

belly that read “LIVER DONOR”. I wonder what status she held that made her so popular at a liver cancer awareness event…

A family told their story about their late daughter. They were regulars to the Liver Life Walk, and so was their daughter, up until she passed away due to the complications caused by liver cancer.

It’s hard to repeat their words, but their love and grief were undoubtedly shared.

On a different note, the event was an overall success! The park was beautiful, walkers and volunteers alike had a great time in spite of the heat, and the donuts were coated with sugary happiness.

I’m glad the event went as it did.

Jerry Castillo

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LTG’s welcome board officers, new and

Region 3

Officer Training Conference Officer Training Conference was an interesting experience. It consisted of a few workshops, a division meeting, and region bonding. It was one of those places where you had to make yourself vulnerable in order to communicate effectively with other people. I liked being with the entirety of Region 3 because it enabled us to see the greatness that is Key Club. I also saw that the topics and ideas I learned could also be used in other clubs and activities I am apart of. Besides that, I did learn a lot more about Key Club than I did before. The LTGs presented well in my workshops and made a comfortable environment for the officers. One workshop called “Bee-ing A Leader” opened my eyes to situations and topics I never thought of before. It was truly an eye opener for myself and I will put the ideas they gave me into effect.

I have been to division events before but I think that this was my first region event. It seems like it would have been a lot more hectic but the LTGs kept it pretty organized and maintained time effectively. I enjoyed being with my fellow Key Clubbers and got to meet numerous amounts Isabel Almanza Upon arriving at Costa Mesa High School, I signed in at the Division 30 South booth. After almost every officer from Region 3 arrived, each division began their Divisional Council Meeting, except for our division because we had our DCM earlier at Twila Reid Park. So instead, our division split into groups of about 8 and were placed in specific predicaments, and cooperated in order to deduce the best way to solve the problem.

As soon as the DCMs came to a close, everyone met at the Costa Mesa High School Gym, where the 7 LTGs began their opening meeting ceremony for the training conference on what can we expect to learn about how to act as a leader and about future regional service events coming up for Key Club. There would be two major sessions in the training conference divided into 7 different workshops for each session, topics varying from how to speak in public to tips on doing a specific jobs and tasks such as president, vice president.

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After the opening ceremony, we were dismissed and the realization that every single room is a leader, an officer, people who hold a position to serve the community, for a short while I was astonished and bewildered at the amount of people taking the initiative. During the workshops I took (Public Speaking 101 & How to BEE a leader), we were put into scenarios in order to practice skills such as problem solving and leading with confidence. These workshops were only about an hour, but they were really informational and I liked about how it wasn’t solely a lecture but hands on practice for the lessons they were talking about. Overall, this event was quite an experience as I met new people and learned more things about not only being a leader, but more about the other divisions. Unfortunately this is my first and last experience in this annual training conference, but if asked, I would easily go through this again.

Jason Jose

how do you pronounce?

St. Irenaeus

Fiesta

On Sunday, June 26, I volunteered at the St. Irenaeus Annual Fiesta. The advisors were very kind and helpful, clearly directing each volunteer to his/her designated booth and being open to settle any concerns, which prevented any complications from arising and allowed for everyone to get started on their tasks immediately.

I was assigned to help out at the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;hot wingsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

booth, which was managed by a welcoming family. They instructed me on how to take orders and serve the food, although I was very surprised to be trusted with actually preparing the food without any prior knowledge/ training. I befriended a girl named Jordan and also had the chance to engage with her family members/friends. The family that I worked with was very kind and generous to me, offering me a free meal and water. This service event has given me a hands-on experience of working in a real-life setting because my tasks required efficient communication skills, multitasking abilities, and basic kitchen knowledge.

The St. Irenaeus Fiesta provided a full day of entertainment, activities, and attractions, such as music performances, game booths, food vendors, raffles, and rides. A positive atmosphere was maintained throughout the entire fiesta with children dancing around to the music and others simply enjoying their time. With a nice flow of customers throughout my entire shift, I really enjoyed giving a hand to this community event which turned out successfully.

Brenda Lee

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The St. Irenaeus Festival was a lovely event that I personally enjoyed very much. I was stationed at the Funnel Cake booth with Lara and Kathleen from 12-3 in the afternoon on a Sunday. We were in charge of bringing plates to the nice lady who was making the funnel cakes as well as topping the cakes with powdered sugar and fruit. The adults running the booth were very considerate and thankful for our assistance. They warned us to not get burned and made sure we stayed hydrated which I thought was unbelievably kind of them to do so. They even fed us a funnel cake when there werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t as many customers.

After tasting how we prepared it, we realized that we should add more powdered sugar so it was a win-win situation; we got a tasty funnel cake and customers got better tasting cakes as well. It was cute seeing the little kids get excited when getting their cake and it was nice to be on the opposite position. I have always enjoyed getting food but to see the behind the scenes process of getting the food supply and food preparation, it was really fun.

However, we did see that since it was early, we did not get too many customers. It was a pretty good thing though because we did not feel overwhelmed and each funnel cake was made with love.

In general, it was fun and a great experience into food industry. There was never a boring moment and being stationed at that booth was a blast. I would definitely recommend volunteering at any festival such as this because all the other stations seemed interesting and the atmosphere was stupendous.

This June we have St. Irenaeus Fiesta fair at St. Irenaeus church from the 24th until the 26th. I had signed up for the last day of the fair, 26th , from 124pm on the Funnel cake booth.

When we first arrived we knew right away where to go because one of us already was there a day before and knew where the Funnel cake booth was. We walked to the booth and there we saw someone named Lina already working there. Lina told us what she wanted us to do. She asked one to help out making the funnel cakes, one take the orders and another to put the toppings on the cake.

Before the costumers arrived she also asked us to walk to the kitchen and get some funnel cake boxes. While preparing we were given tickets so were able to get water because it was a hot day. I got us a couple of water bottles for all of us and put them in the fridge where we stored the powdered sugar for the cakes and toppings. We didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get a lot of customers because it usually got busy at night and most people didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come because of the hot weather.

At four we ended our shift and walked around. We took a look at all the different booths. Most of them were game booths, only a couple were food.

The people there were very friendly and nice. They started conversation easily and were happy and always smiling. The people I met made me like the church and think it was great. If I could I wanted to stay longer at my booth but other volunteers arrived and we were too many doing one job.

Lara Matty

Isabel Almanza

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Regarding Kiwanis relations

Board Training & Division Council Meeting

On Wednesday, June 8th the Kiwanis of Greater Anaheim hosted a board training event to the officer of Division 30 South.

Located in the Library of Anaheim we were greeted by Mr. Dale the Kiwanis Region Advisor and were acknowledged as a club for having the greatest attendance there.

Beginning the training we went through a timeline of the year and discussed on all major events that will occur this year as excited we were on hyping ourselves up for Fall Rally and DCON we got tips on how we can fundraise and help members out in attending these events.

Later on, each club president was asked to come towards the front of the room and present any problems, issues or events that their home club might have to the rest of the board members and how we as a club may go on and help them. I enjoyed the idea of having each president come up and explaining their home club status since we may not seem that big at school and may not be aware how big or impressive we really are by going through and seeing how that Key Club is in 35 nations and the biggest service club in the world makes you realize you may seem small at first but your never truly are since you have hundreds of other Key Clubbers ready to help you out.

Lastly, we talked about volunteer opportunities and was encouraged to attend more Kiwanis meeting (which are always fun to attend). And with that, the Kiwanis asked if we wanted to make this an ongoing event were every month we would meet up and discuss about Key Club; as I truly would like to make this an occurring event since you realize that the Kiwanis really want us to grow and be happy that we as an individual are a part of such a great organization.

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Abraham Vicente

On Wednesday, June 8th, I attended the Kiwanis Board Training.

The first time I’d ever heard of this event was actually last term, when our past president mentioned that there used to be Kiwanis board trainings every month for our sponsoring Kiwanis Club to teach us Key Club officers how to be better leaders in the community. Unfortunately they didn’t continue these trainings for some time, due to the fact that there were less and less people attending.

I was really happy to find out that this term the Kiwanis have decided to try these trainings again! There was a pretty good turnout for the training, and I was especially proud that most of Western Key Club’s board was there.

We began the training with introductions, and then began covering a variety of topics and events. It was all very useful information, ranging from important dates to different ways we can be involved in supporting the Kiwanis Club of Greater Anaheim. There were a few service events provided that definitely helped me plan for the month of July. There were also a few fundraisers benefitting Kiwanis. Of course, we all made sure to try and support! It’s the least we could do for the Kiwanians who have done so much for us. And besides, since those fundraisers benefit the Kiwanis, they in turn benefit us as well. There was also a time when all of the club presidents shared their progress this past term and asked for advice from other board members. I found it helpful to hear different perspectives on various issues.

The training was adjourned, and I left feeling much more prepared for the rest of the term. I’m glad that these Kiwanis board trainings are back, it’s so much easier to ask for advice from the Kiwanians this way.

I’ve become a bit closer to some D30S officers as well. I hope there are more trainings to come!

Crystal Ly

On Thursday June 16th, 2016, I attended my second Kiwanis DCM. A Kiwanis DCM is a Division Council Meeting where the Kiwanis share updates about events and deadlines, and younger clubs are welcome. I had always heard about how wonderful the Kiwanis are, and how funny they are at DCMs. The first time I went to a Kiwanis DCM was in March with past LTGs John Hoang and Serena Mann. With that DCM being the last time they’d ever see their Kiwanis advisors, they sincerely thanked the Kiwanians for all of the support. Their relationship with all of these adults definitely left an impression on me, and I couldn’t wait until the next DCM to attend.

I was able to go to the June Kiwanis DCM with President Nhi Truong! I was so excited to come back to such nice people. When we arrived, I was surprised to find that there were some Kiwanians who remembered me from the last time! They gave us a warm welcome and even helped us Key Clubbers find the salad bar!

Nhi, me, and Sameer were a bit isolated, but luckily LTG Kelly Tran saved us from any further awkwardness and invited us to sit with the rest of the Key Clubbers.

The meeting was called to order with the usual pledges and patriotic songs. The evening went on with the usual updates, occasional jokes, and mini fundraisers. The Kiwanis have many traditions at their meetings and DCMs, and I find it really great that they keep those traditions throughout the terms. To me it shows how close they’ve become despite all leading very different lives.

Even with their banter, they never fail to acknowledge the Circle K and Key Club members. They are always emphasizing that they’re there to help, and having that kind of constant support means the world to people my age. It might just be a Kiwanis meeting, but I’m glad I get the opportunity to enjoy their company, however awkward the interaction might start out to be.

Crystal Ly

One of the goals that we had declared this term was that of building stronger Kiwanis Relations. In this month of June, the club has truly done well in doing so.

With the first Kiwanis Board Training in early June, we had an attendance of 10 board members. Utilizing this as a further introduction to Kiwanis, it did help with the later news of Kiwanis general meetings. I did enjoy the Kiwanis Board Training not only because it offered events for the club, which would in term also help with tying the general members stronger to Kiwanis through the attendance of Kiwanis supported events, but also the general atmosphere. With the Kiwanians’ purpose of assisting the clubs under Greater Anaheim in growth, it was a good way to update other clubs of the progress of our own club as well as others. Furthermore, the Kiwanians made any effort they could to offer solutions or ideas.

Kiwanis Board Trainings serve to focus more so on clubs, while Kiwanis DCMs, as it showed, gave news on region levels. I attended my first Kiwanis DCM with my vice president Crystal Ly this month and it proved to be a truly worthwhile experience. I observed the relations between Circle K and Kiwanis and watched how the organization carried itself with a fierce sense of pride. From the outbursts of song to the endless donations, I realized where the spirit of giving and Key Club sourced.

I recently attended my first Kiwanis general meeting as well with two other board members and there was a different fierceness to it as well through the constant flow of jokes (some of which were quite cutting yet did continue with that radiance of quick wit and charm). Listening these advisors and Kiwanians speak so fondly of the Key Clubbers really did further encourage the goal of Kiwanis relations and with the club I serve, I truly will do my best to learn more about these cores of Key Club (Mr. Carter never fails to put a smile on my face).

Nhi Truong

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JUNE SERVICE HOURS

LEADERBOARD

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

Jerry Castillo | 26.8 hours

Abraham Vicente | 26.7 hours

Joanna Chatouphonexay | 17.3 hours Jennifer Hernandez | 17.3 hours

Elicia Hernandez | 14.5 hours

Brenda Lee | 13.3 hours

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BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT featuring… our Key Club Secretary, Jennifer Hernandez!



Your house is on fire! What’s the first thing you grab before you run to safety?

“Oh man this is a tough question since I would want to save my pets (two birds and a fish) but then also my camera. However, I would grab my pets first because they're irreplaceable as opposed to my camera.”



What is your biggest passion?

“My biggest passion would have to be anything relating to photography and videography because it's fun to try out new editing software and express myself. It's also fun to look back on these photos and videos and see how much fun we all had during that time. It gives me a nostalgic feeling of all the stupid and fun things we did together.”



Cake or pie? Favorite flavor?

“Definitely apple pie because it's the best one I've tried in my opinion.”



Imagine your future self—maybe 15, 20 years?—… what do you see?

“Hmm I would probably be 32 to 37 years old which hopefully means I'll be working in the film industry. I know I'll still want to continue doing volunteer work at that age despite the fact I'm an adult by then. Since you know service never ends. Besides that though I don't really know what I see, my future is kind of fuzzy right now with my indecisiveness in determining a career.”



What’s your secret skill?

“I'm secretly Ultima from Bless Me, Ultima LOL just kidding. I actually don't know what my secret skill is. Does reading multiple books in one day count? If so, I guess that's my secret skill haha”



Why are you so fabulous?

“I don't know haha I really don't know.“



If you were forced to listen to a single song for who-knows-how-long, what would it be?

“If I was forced to listen to a single song I think it would have to be Dopamine by BORNS because that song and just the album overall is amazing. Also, it just makes me feel nostalgic in a good way. I highly suggest you guys search them up they're really good overall!”



What does Key Club mean to you?

“Key Club means basically the world to me in a sense because it's basically what I always do. It offered me a space where I was able to grow and be where I am today. If you would've met me freshman year I wasn't this outgoing even though I'm still pretty awkward at times.

It's taught me so many valuable lessons and allowed me to cherish each and every moment. It's also an escape from reality and allows you to enjoy high school.”



What motivates you to do things and improve yourself?

“Just being able to hear about other people's experiences and hardships really drives me to do better. It makes me realize I have multiple opportunities to do better things around me but I sometimes don't take advantage of them. It's that self realization that motivates me.”

 Just between you and me… what do you think of our Key Club president, Nhi Truong?

“She's great she was someone I really looked up to when I first met her and I was actually scared to talk to her. However, we ended up talking to one another in science class and actually became pretty close. Half the time I owe her money because I'm always broke when we go out together. I'm sorry Nhi! Aside from that I'm glad to be serving my final term alongside with her as executives because she was the one who initially got me into Key Club.”

 How are ya feelin’?

“I FEEL GOOD OH I FEEL SO GOOD UH I FEEL FINE ALL OF THE TIME ABOOGA ABOOGA ABOOGA ABOOGA ABOOGA!”

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MONTHLY CALENDAR: JULY SUN. MON. TUE. WED. THU. FRI. SAT. 10

11

12

13

14

15

16

- OC Fair : Heifer - Summer STEAM Sat. @ P. International Henry Elemen- Chipotle Fundtary raiser - R3 Beach Boomba

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18

19

20

- Keychella @ Evergreen Park

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25

21

- National Moon - Kiwanis GenDay eral Meeting

26

- National Lollipop Day

- National Junk Food Day

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28

- Coffee Milkshake Day

31

1

- Relay for Life of Cypress (tentative?)

- National Minority Donor Awareness Day

7

8

- OC Fair Fun Run

2

14

15

3

4

10

- Book Lovers Day

- 2016-2017 School Year starts!

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17

- Lemon Meringue Pie Day

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23

- Summer Celebration

-Cypress Festival

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30

5

- La Mirada: Wet ‘n’ Wild 5k

- Chocolate Chip Cookie Day

- WHS Move-in

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12

13

18

19

20 - Townsend Street Fair

- ice Cream Pie Day

Aug. 20th :

Sep. 17th :

Nov 12

August DCM | Super Scav-

Sep. DCM | Project Warmth

Fall Rally South

Sep. 17th

Hope Walk

6

- Kiwanis Generla Meeting (?)

- Kiwanis DCM

engerhunt

- Summer STEAM Sat. @ P. Revere Elemen.

- Cheesecake Day

- Kiwanis General Meeting

9

- National Friendship Day

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Sep 18th National HIV/ AIDS & Aging Awareness Day