Western HS Key Club November 2016-2017 Newsletter

CNH | KEY CLUB Division 30 South | Region 3 |CNH Volume: 5, Issue 9

The Official Western High School Key Club Newsletter | November 2016

pg. 6

SPIRIT NIGHTS 2 & 3 NOVEMBER pg. 2

A LETTER TO YOU

3

12 FALL RALLY SOUTH pg. 8

AUTUMN SOCIAL pg. 10

pg. 12

DCM | HOLIDAY OF THANKS

CONTENTS pg. 15

BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

SERVICE HOURS LEADERBOARD pg. 14

lovely letter from lovely people Howdy everyone!

College apps… UCs… they’re done. But the privates are still open for submission.

Good luck to everyone (and myself) on the remainder of college apps! To the underclassmen (and upperclass, yes), good job on powering through the semester! There’s only a few months left to school—and graduation for some—so let’s get with it! With this, I’ll shove onto some other words! Thank you for making it through this year with us. I genuinely hope that you have made some good friends this year and good memories. That you’ve laughed some, gained some, and won some. And despite all the tears and pain of 2016, you made it out okay—and a lot stronger.

You’re going to do great this year, I know so. Even if it’s just the changing of the last digit, there’s no joy in living if you don’t look forward to the days to come! Believe in the new, live with childish purity when you can.

Be excited by the little things! Try everything! Even when you fall down and scrape both knees, there will be people who will bandage your wounds, me too if you need me. You’re going to be okay, just believe that you will and can be. Thank you for serving so much for the world around you and loving with all you have (even if you don’t realize) in all the big and little things you do. Thank you for making Western Key Club, well, Western Key Club. I love you all!

A million good wishes and love, Your President Nhi Truong

NOVEMBER...

‘Twas a dull Friday night on November 11th. I walked into a loud auditorium buzzing (get it, CNH bees?) with energy and the excited murmurs of fellow Key Clubbers. I hung out with some of the friends I’ve met over the years in Key Club, and we all went silent in respect for the almighty spirit coordinators (go Jason and Isabel! And Linda!).

With passionate coordinators and over 100 Key Clubbers, I was so proud to hear the pride in everyone’s voices as we recited the cheers we had only just learned in the previous session.

After yet again revealing the spirited side of me to the general members who hadn’t ever seen me like that before, we moved on to Key Club merchandise and spirit gear. I bought an adorable sun hat and wore it while sitting with a friend, helping her map out her cape design. It was so cute to see everyone getting creative with their capes and personalizing them to be able to flaunt them at Fall Rally.

After the closing of the event and a nice conversation with our advisor, Mr. Carter, I left Anaheim High School with a newfound energy and a reminder of the overwhelming pride I hold in my division and especially my club.

I look forward to many more bonding opportunities with the members, and it’s times like this when I realize how lucky I am to be the Vice President.

It gives me a reason to get to know all these wonderful people. ~Crystal Ly I’ve never been the greatest cheerer. I get petrified to cheer when someone asks me how I feel. I go into a stage of panic and I just stand there nervously breathing while they look at me with those hopeful eyes and then slowly droop into that “Aw…it’s okay, you don’t have to.”

But at this spirit night, my fear of cheering washed away and was replaced by the urge to scream at the top of my lungs about how I feel. Everyone was so happy and decked out in yellow—the joyness rubbed off onto me and seeped into my skin.

I was a walking sun at this spirit night--shining bright, wherever I went.

I felt a connection with the people in the room somehow. It was like we all were one big family (well, we are) but this time I really felt the family vibe. The way everyone was cheering together and groaning when they couldn’t hear the person speaking put a smile on my face. The division also passed us some capes to customize and wear to Fall Rally and that was exciting because c’mon free stuff.

Overall, this spirit night was exciting and enjoyable. I danced, cheered, bonded with my friends, and my excitement for Fall Rally skyrocketed. ~Annie Nguyen

SPIRIT 2&3 NIGHTS!

The second spirit on Friday November 4th took place at Anaheim high school. I got there and it was a school that was big but my friend and I found our way through and found the gym. As I got there the quad was filled with yellow and happy faces. Everyone was smiling and laughing and taking pictures.

We did plenty of cheers and also activities against each other which was really fun. We started of by doing cheers, we practiced enough that it got stuck in my head throughout the week. It was really fun feeling the Key Club spirit it reminded me why I joined Key Club because it’s filled with positive, happy people that do a lot for a organization. That night we learned about more than 5 cheers and all of them came to use during Fall Rally. Thanks to the spirit coordinators that made sure we all knew our cheers.

After we spent plenty of time on cheers we then went on to divide ourselves into groups and we competed against each other. I forgot the name but we played the game that consisted of doing dance moves and we had to come up with a lot and no other group could repeat the moves we did. It was fun working with other clubs not just the ones from our club and try to figure out dance moves we would.

The end was my favorite my part when we got to decorate our capes. The division was nice enough to give us free capes for Fall Rally.

I had fun customizing my cape the way I want. Overall the night was a night filled with spirit and fun with great people that I enjoy. ~Elicia Hernandez

On Friday, November 11th, members who were attending Fall Rally attended the final Spirit Night to prepare.

As being of the spirit representatives, I participated in leading the cheers for the general members and teaching them. I enjoyed being an example and yelling as loud as I can. I just like having the freedom within me to yell and not get judged… or not judged too harshly I suppose. The whole time I would say that I was the one who was moving the most because I wanted to exaggerate the hype of the cheer as I wasn’t the loudest, but visually I was the blurriest (because I’m moving around). After teaching and practicing the cheers with the general members, we transitioned into a phase where everyone would just focus on making their Fall Rally equipment. I, being the clueless artist, didn’t know how I wanted to decorate my Fall Rally accessories so I just didn’t decorate. I was excited to see the spirit stick competition and who would win, but unfortunately, we were forced to shut down early because the chaperones were leaving.

I enjoyed leading people directly, it’s an enjoyable experience, it made me feel like an army marching his troops into battle. I also liked to know the spirit representatives from different high schools, that was interesting to me to meet such amazing people who I would’ve never known without Key Club.

~Jason Jose

Key Club’s Attack on Magic Mountain @...

FALL RALLY SOUTH!

The time was here. The event everyone was cheering and screaming about—Fall Rally South.

I could not contain my excitement as I got out of my car and walked into Savannah High School at 5:30 in the morning. I barely got any sleep the night before, but I still wouldn’t let my sleep deprivation deprive me from being excited and happy.

The bus ride to Fall Rally was one of my favorite moments of this day. I got to bond with my friend and the people in front of us. That was where I went from just deciding to be with my friend to having a group of 8 people.

I didn’t get to go on many rides, but I do not regret that for one bit. I feel like I experienced the raw aspect of Fall Rally, meeting new Key Clubbers bonding with friends, and buying lots n lots of division merchandise. I branched out, cheered my butt off, followed people on Instagram, laughed to hard, and smiled too much. This day was an unforgettable day and I am extremely blessed to have such an amazing group of friends who spent the day with me and put up with the people stopping me every five seconds to buy pins from me.

And most of all, I’m thankful to have such an amazing division whom I take pride in. I’m counting down the days till the next Fall Rally, but first, DCON is next! ~Annie Nguyen On November 12th, the day had finally come for Fall Rally South 2016! A lot of us had been waiting for this moment, especially me, but at the same time it was a bittersweet moment since this would be the last one for most of us. When we arrived to Savanna High School at 5 a.m., it was covered in members dressed in yellow from head to toe. It was exciting everyone prepping despite the cold weather and time of day.

When we finally arrived to Six Flags Magic Mountain, I was overwhelmed with emotion because I was amazed that despite three years since my first Fall Rally I still got the same feeling of amazement every time. There were divisions of many different colors around us ranging from different types of purple, blue, and more. Every division was filled with spirit even before we entered the park! As we finally got into the park and arrived at the Amphitheatre for our session, the spirit coordinators overall did a good job prepping everyone before the session. They went over cheers over and over and it was nice seeing the division excited to scream them out.

During the session, our division kept cheering on the whole time to show our love and support for Kelly, our lieutenant governor.

Our consistency and hard work paid off because we were able to get to the final round in order to win the spirit stick. Despite not winning, it was nice to know that everyone had tried their hardest throughout the session and knew the reason why we were at Fall Rally.

After the spirit session, the rest of the day consisted of buying food, going on rides, and having spirit battles. The spirit battles were what made Fall Rally the most memorable to me because I was able to meet so many new people and it reminded me one of the factors as to why I fell in love with Key Club. We even did a mannequin challenge with Division 06 South and our Kiwanis advisor, Mr. Carter!

Overall the experience was amazing and I’m glad to have spent my last Fall Rally cheering my lungs out. ~Abraham Vicente

Autumn leaves, pumpkin spiced lattes, and festive sweaters are among the variety of accoutrements to accompany the lasting flavors of fall. But autumn is also categorized with the conventional season of thanks. Of course, how could Key Club miss out on such a month! Throughout the course of November, Key Club’s objective has not only been providing the less fortunate with gifts and humble offerings, but also a time to take a step back from the quarter’s hectic hours to spend time with one another; the most memorable being Fall Rally where nearly 8,000 Key Clubbers across SoCal have stood in the frigid cold in anticipation for the black striped buses only layering themselves with mismatched tutus, brightly colored shirts resembling highlighters, and clinging onto spirit sticks for some good ol’ Key Club charm. As a first year attendee at Fall Rally, I could not even begin to fathom the number of people who were actually attending Fall Rally; but upon setting foot on Six Flags, my first impression went something along the lines of “Holy crud! I feel so crowded!”. All jokes aside though, it was absolutely fascinating, even for someone as introverted as myself, to be surrounded by thousands of other Key Clubbers, far more festive, creative, and passionate than I could ever hope to live up to.

And don’t even get me started on the spirit session. The line to enter was never ending, and people embellished with yellow, red, green, and all the colors on the freaking spectrum were pouring in and running rampant across the amusement park sparking up spirit battles. Crazy that people dedicate so much time and effort to make sure every cheer and note comes off flawlessly. As a junior, let me just acknowledge that I absolutely revolt at the fact of even waking up for zero period, but to wake up even earlier on a placid Saturday morning to spend time with friends is why Key Club is so much beyond what the ordinary community service events are. As an observer, I glimpsed a gander here and there of the spirit battles; as a Key Clubber, I joined in on the spirit sessions; and as the average, weary-eyed, sleep deprived adolescent, I had the pleasure of spending my Saturday with my ohana. ~Cecilia Dang

Festive…!

Western KC’s

AUTUMN SOCIAL On Monday, November 21st, Western Key Club and Oxford collaborated on a social because of the overlapping times and locations. Overall this social was simpler to plan as it was Western’s purpose for providing supplies for the PB & J service project and contributing to the potluck. However, the entire social consisted of fun icebreakers which the general members seemed to really enjoy. That kind of made me happy seeing everyone get excited over a game. People are extremely creative with type of variation of moves they can perform and not be repetitive, I was honestly quite surprised about how much the dancing game bite away at our time. After we played ice breakers, we spent about almost an hour for the potluck, which is because was planned by high schoolers, the foods were mainly mac and cheese, pizza, chicken, and some other macaroni pasta. After the potluck, we then switched into service project mode where half of the people were divided into two halves, each half working on either the pb & j service project or the dog toy making service project.

Although, we were too low on bread but absolute surplus of jam and peanut butter so were only able to make about 90 sandwiches, but afterwards I helped direct people over to making dog toys. Overall, I believe that many people enjoyed the social and I also believe that this time around, this was a better social than our previous one due to simplification. THANK YOU, OXFORD, FOR WORKING WITH US! Like some steak sauce, it was A1! ~Jason Jose

The autumn social was a lovely event that allowed Key Club members to bond and participate in service projects. We were fortunate enough to have a dual social with Oxford Academy Key Club.

The previous social, Keychella was stressful but this Autumn Social was significantly less intimidating for Jason and I. The Oxford Spirit Coordinators, Jeniffer and Matthew were great to work. Since we had a potluck, everyone contributed a little something for the event and we ended up with mass amounts of food. After the feast, all the Key Clubbers participated in a service project.

Oxford and Western mixed with each other and work on either making PB&J sandwiches or dog toys. It was lovely seeing all the students bonding and working together in order to complete their tasks.

The team work with both schools between the members and spirit coordinators. Teaming into a group of four helped relieve the stress and anxiety in running a social. Also the comforting aspects helped as well. The social itself was fairly simple but it was lovely and loads of fun.

Nothing melts the heart like watching so many people smiling while spreading peanut butter on bread or braiding strands of old t-shirts together. This social was stupendous in my eyes since it was fairly intimate and charming occasion.

The simple things in life can end up being the best parts. The social, while simple and dainty, it was also quite phenomenal. I believe this was an incredible social complete with food, charisma, and liveliness. Although we came short on supplies for the sandwiches we had enough time to clean up, converse with members, or help in any other way we could have.

Since this social took place during Thanksgiving Break, the idea of being thankful stuck in my head and I believe that the other members would appreciate what they have and emphasize the idea that service can help other people who need the support. ~Isabel Almanza

Being exposed to sunlight on a weekday? Only Key Club can make me do such a thing (get it, suns?).

I attended the Autumn Social on November 21st! We ended up having a joint social due to the fact that Oxford organized a social at the exact same location and time. It turned out for the best in my opinion, because not only were they wonderful to plan with, there were many more service projects for the Key Clubbers to interact with.

We started off with some icebreakers. Sitting with our treasurer Abraham cutting up shirts in preparation for the service projects, it was heartwarming to hear the Oxford and Western kids getting along really nicely thanks to the fun icebreakers led by the spirit coordinators.

After the icebreakers, everyone lined up semi-neatly to fill up their plates with the flavors of fall (the contributions of food from both clubs).

I had a great time walking from table to table getting to know everyone.

THERE WERE DOGS! Anyways, we went onto the service projects! Western organized a pb&j sandwich making service project, and Oxford planned a dog toy making service project. It was nice that we were split into groups that had Key Clubbers from both clubs, because it was a social of course!

I’m thankful. I’m thankful for a wonderful group of friends, and having the chance to make many more. Also thankful for it not raining. ~Crystal Ly

November DCM |

HOLIDAY OF THANKS The November DCM was held on Saturday, November 26 at Stanton Central Park. This year, we decided to do something new for the service project -- Sock Snowmen! These no-sew sock snowmen were to be made using yarn, scissors, and rice. To account for productivity and availability of material, each Key Clubber was suggested to bring his/her own pair of scissors. We also had the option to decorate the snowmen using fabric paint. These hand-warmer snowmen were to be sold during our next Division Bake Sale for donations, all profit going back to the Eliminate Project. Free hot chocolate was also provided to the Key Clubbers to help keep them warm on this chilly afternoon.

Although many Key Clubbers were looking forward to this DCM and the sock snowmen service project, a downfall of this event was the unfortunate weather. An extremely heavy rainfall with winter wind caused working conditions to become uncooperative and terribly cold. The DCM was unfortunately ended earlier than expected due to weather conditions and a lack of chaperones. ~Brenda lee I think December came way too soon on the day of our November DCM. To backtrack, the DCM couldn’t have gone any better. A brisk late-autumn day at the newly-renovated Stanton Central Park, assembling little sock snowmen and writing Christmas cards over a hot cup of cocoa after Kelly’s division updates and announcements (it was the first DCM after Fall Rally too, so there was a lot to be said). I haven’t been able to attend a Key Club event in a while too, so getting to see the division’s sunny faces again was really cool!

And the weather was, too. Beyond cool, in fact. Cold. Water-torrenting, wind-sweeping, skin-shivering cold. A relaxing day at the park crafting cute little gifts quickly turned into a desperate all-out defense against the elements. We couldn’t have been more unfortunate.

But that’s not to say things didn’t get done. Announcements were made, cards were written, socks were snowman’d, and Western Key Club had a great time! After such a long hiatus in my Key Club participation, events like these remind me why I joined Key Club in the first place. I’m always looking forward to more divisional events to come. ~Jerry Castillo

On November 26th, the November DCM took place at the new Stanton Central Park. Although the new park was close, I had never gotten the chance to visit it until that day. When we first arrived at the park it was sunny, but there were some clouds here and there. Initially everyone was mingling and waiting for more members to come in order to start the meeting. As more people started to arrive, Kelly decided it was a good time to start the Division Council Meeting where she would be updating the division with new updates.

During the meeting, we went over past events such as Fall Rally where I got to talk about my experience and upcoming events like Rose Float Parade decorating. After going over events, it was time to move onto the monthly recognition! We were able to hear who had worked hard or improved during the month of October as a club and individuals such as a members, officers, and secretaries. While the meeting continued, we started to notice that it had started raining out of nowhere! Despite this obstacle, we continued on with the plans for the day.

After the meeting portion was over, we moved on to make small snowmen made out of uncooked rice and socks. It was nice to see that despite the rain, Division 30 South continued to help serve in the service project DLT had worked hard to plan. Although the DCM had to be cut short it was still a fun time and many members from our club still enjoyed the experience overall. ~Jennifer Hernandez

OCTOBER SERVICE HOURS

LEADERBOARD

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

Annie Nguyen| 16 hours

Linda Le| 7.8 hours

Stephanie Vasquez| 6 hours

Jasmine Noriega | 5.8 hours

Keyla Sanchez, Kassie Phan Aaron Inguito, Khanh Hoang, Nayeli Hernandez

5 hours

BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT Featuring… one of our spirit coords, Isabel Almanza!



Why are you so lovely?

But for real though, what traits do you consider make you an amazing person?

“I guess I'm a good person because I always like making people happy. I would rather get to know people on a deeper level rather than having small talk.

I'm also patient and I try to be open so people can feel comfortable around me.” 

Give me one quote or line that sums up how you live life.

“ ‘You shouldn't be afraid to try. You will be hurt again and so will I but being hurt is apart of being alive.’ “ 

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Pie or cake?

“Cake is a beautiful creation. It also symbolizes federalism.“

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What is your spirit animal?

“My spirit animal is a bear because they're loyal, independent, and cuddly.” 

Your house is on fire! What’s the first thing you do?

“If my house was on fire, I would use my wand to stop the source of the flames and cast a spell to fix the damage.”



What color represents your mood in general?

“Pink represents my mood since I'm quite a raw human who's mood is apparent and I strive on passion.”

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Other than me, who’s the greatest person you know? What is it about them that makes him/her so cool to you?

“Other than Jerald, the greatest person I know is Ms. Rittel because she's incredible, helpful, witty, and kind.”



What motivates you to better yourself and move forward?

“People in general just motivate me to better myself and move on. Seeing people succeed or fall or face incredible circumstances just beguile me and inspire me to see more of what's out there in the world.” 

What does Key Club mean to you?

“Key Club means a place where you put yourself out there to help other people around you as well learning how you are as a person. It's like family to me with the people I meet and it makes me feel fulfilled.”



How do you feel?

“I FEEL GOOD! OH I FEEL SO GOOD *grunt* I FEEL FINE ALL OF THE TIME! ABOOGA! ABOOGA! ABOOGA BOOGA BOOGA!”

MONTHLY CALENDAR: JAN-FEB SUN. MON. TUE. WED. THU. FRI. SAT. 1

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- Thanksgiving Break!

7 - Child Creativity Lab

- WKC Autumn Social!

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14 - Jan. DCM | R3 Conclave - Noodle & Asian Inspired Food Festival

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- Star Wars Half Marathon

21 - The Super Run

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Cecilia Dang Historian

ceciliaa.dang@gmail.com (714) 837-5187