CNH | KEY CLUB Division 30 South | Region 3 |CNH Volume: 6, Issue 7
The Official Western High School Key Club Newsletter | September 2017
Sept
Weekend In Polynesia (pg.5) Greetings Letter (pg.1 and 2)
OC Symphony
3
(pg.7)
12 Coastal Clean-Up Day (pg.6) September Collage (pg.3 and 4)
KaBoom! Playground Building (pg.8)
tember DCM: Back to Key Club
CON-
(pg.10)
Aloha Run 5K
(pg. 12) Calendar, Service Hours Leaderboard, etc (pg.16-18)
Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure (pg.9) OC Children’s Book Festival (pg.11)
President‘s Let ter Hello, sunshines! I could not be more proud of Western Key Club’s accomplishments in the month of September. We have been incredibly ambitious, with many new ideas finally being executed. The school supplies drive was very successful, with enough donations to aid foster students with a better education for years. Thank you to everyone who supported that cause! Also, the lemonade stand gained popularity with the student body until at the end, people were asking when the next cups of lemonade would be sold! Club Rush accumulated 250+ sign ups, and the first general meeting had over 200 attendees! During volunteer events, I have seen many new faces, which is always so exciting. We doubled our volunteer hours as a club from the last month! And of course, I can never forget the board’s efforts in keeping up with all these things. They have worked so hard to ensure that the Key Club experience is memorable for everyone. With all that said, check out bulleting editor Cedric’s remarks before jumping into the rest of the September newsletter!
Sincerely, Crystal Ly
A quick word from your editor Hello my fellow Key Clubbers! Before you dive into this exciting newsletter that I specially prepared for you guys, let me tell ya some quick updates. Everything from the beginning of school till Club rush has been extremely great. With unexpected numbers of people signing up for Key Club to the hardworking general members that volunteer every single time and represents Key Club as a whole, I want to express my feelings of gratitude towards you guys. You guys make me proud as a board member of this precious club and as a human being as well, because I know that there are people like you out there that care about our communities. I can tell you, that my first Key Club experience was the most memorable thing I have ever experienced. I made tons of friends, had a lot of fun, and I was also able to help give back to my community. I promise you that your Key Club experience will also be the same, if not, even better! Sorry for the long talking but now, enjoy reading and checking out my newsletter! Thank you very much!
Sincerely, Cedric Baral
SEPTEMBER...
Weekend In Polynesia…….
September 10th was the annual Weekend in Polynesia dance competition at Recreation Park. This day consisted of live dancing (obviously), food, traditional music, and beautiful views.
The Weekend in Polynesia was held by Pacific Talent Academic of Arts in Long Beach on Sunday, September 10. Once I signed in with everyone, we were given free personalized name tags and a neon green shirt. They also provided us free food and drinks which was so nice of them. I really enjoyed the spam musubi that provided haha.
One thing I want to really tell y’all about this event is the food. By far it the best food offered to us at any volunteer service. Straight away they offered us food before even giving us a task. I enjoyed, for the first time ever, Spam Wasubi and I just, I just fell in
Our task was crowd control which was not bad. Majority of people watched the Polynesian dance competition in the grassy area than in the concrete. It was a lot of standing in the sun but, the coordinator was nice and let us grab a drink if we needed to cool off. There were other simple, small tasks that were given, such as switching out trash cans when they were going to over flow and sweeping the stage with a broom from the leaves that fell out from competitors dancing.
Ok, ok enough food talk, I bet all of you are salivating over the fresh meaty taste of the roll but that’s not the point! We are here to discuss what we did at this event!
Everyone got to enjoy the dance performances and music. It was nice to learn more about different culture through live performances. There were people from a wide range of ages competing at the Weekend in Polynesia 2017. People that were 12 and people that were 30 danced their butts off in front of everyone on stage. There were men and women in the performances. I liked the variety they had so, no one got bored watching the same age and gender for 3 hours straight. Seeing people enjoy watching expressing ones culture and people showing their love for Polynesian culture by dancing up there made me delighted.
Something very peculiar about this were the dancers. They moved in such beautiful and contrasting ways. Their rolls mimicking that of the sea and their jolts like a hunter. The men and women improvised dances, their bodies telling stories with their movement. Every extension was graceful and every contraction furious. We all found ourselves mesmerized by the beauty of the competitors as they took the stage, especially our historian Linda Lee.
After our shift was done, they gave out free food coupon so, we can get anything we wanted from the food trucks in the area. In conclusion, I had such a great time at this event. You get live dance performances, free food, and awareness about different culture. I would definitely go to this event again if I had the chance. The event is not too far from where I live. The coordinator and everyone was so friendly and provided our needs.
- Joanna Chatouphonexay
love.
Our task was more than simple to be completely honest with you. We oversaw crowd control, which meant we just had to make sure people didn’t go where they weren’t supposed to. Why was this so easy? Well people are smart and they knew where they should’ve and shouldn’t’ve been making everything on us volunteers, or as they called us: aumagas, very smooth.
The sound of the radio would bring us back to reality. “We need a volunteer to sweep the leaves off the stage.” We were immediately on it. I clearly remember going on with a big broom and sweeping the leaves off the stage. They fell like roses I heard the audience cheer as I continued to broom. Are they cheering at me? Yes, yes they are. Our day ended with some more food. We grew together through this communion and remembered to thank our coordinators for the opportunity. If you’re someone who enjoys good food (free food) and traditional Polynesian dances this service event would be perfect for you.
-Manuel Camarillo
Coastal Clean-up Day…..
As the sun starts to wake up, we start to arise with it. The sun is shining. The wind is blowing slightly to every inch of the volunteers’ hair. Allegedly, it is seen that the weather condition is perfect to help clean up the coastal. Saturday, September 16 is the day of the event “Coastal Cleanup Day”. It was an event where the communities and organizations come together to help clean up the planet one step at a time. The task of many volunteers were to take out the dead weeds or plants, remove trash or waste, etc. It’s a big a movement to be part of. Since nature would give us the things we need, we should exchange back with what nature needs. We should be able to care for it. At the event, we were seriously grateful for what the people who were in charge of this event. They were lovely enough to set out a breakfast booth for us in order to be well-fed before setting off to our task. After a while, we were patiently waiting for our duty to begin. One coordinator grabbed our group and other groups to come do our first task of the day. We walked to our break station where we can drink water if we ever feel dehydrated or rest if we ever feel exhausted. Beforehand, they warned us about little critters living in the area and how we needed to be careful. We had to be cautious around snakes in case we stumble upon one. Once the precautions were announced, we migrated to our first duty of the day. Most of the time we had to pull out dead weeds or plants and place them in the trash bag. We would sometimes find abandoned snail shells and some of its appearance were pretty to my perspective. Once the bag was full, one of us would have to carry the trash bag near our break station area. We kept pulling weeds out until they told us we were done for today. The whole thing was a nice progress in cleaning up the planet. Although, we didn’t finish, I still felt accomplished. I asked some of our fellow first time key club general members how they felt about their first volunteer event and they all liked it and had fun. One of them felt like they were farming and how they enjoyed doing tasks involving with plants.
- Khrystal Contreras
...OC Symphony...
The sound of the orchestra glistened to the audience’s ears. Each person came and watched the entire performance. They enjoyed the raffle as well. The sun falls and the moon rises ending the night on a good note. Sunday, September 17 marks the date of the OC Symphony event where it took place at Servite High School. The OC symphony was truly an event where they hosted an orchestra concert.
Volunteers were tasked to advertise to the visitors to participate in the raffle. The prizes consisted of a quilt that were nicely done, a violin shaped cheese board with a bow shaped knife, tickets, body products, a wine bottle imported from Spain (Thanks to Me. Barry for donating the wine bottle for the raffle), etc. Majority of the visitors were interested and intrigued with all the prizes. Thus, they gave it a shot and bought tickets. Three tickets were about $10 while nine tickets were about $20. The volunteers did an amazing job in doing their best to get people to try out for the raffle. They walked inside the auditorium to back to the entrance getting people to know about the raffle. I would say that we got a various amount of entrees. When the concert had started, our coordinator told us our new task. When there’s a break time we would come back to our station and advertise even more in case any of the audience become interested after. For now, while the musicians performed we were welcomed to sit and watch the delightful performance. I personally enjoyed it. After the break time and going back to performing, we were to grab the prizes near the stage where they would announce the winner. Each volunteer got an item to grab and the winners happily got the prize. Even if some didn’t win one, it was still nice to try out their luck. The ones who didn’t obtain a prize were not bothered by it. Meanwhile as they start to finish their performances, we cleaned up the table and were done for today. Though, it was a calm day, I had fun doing the raffles and being with the other volunteers. An extra delightful surprise was meeting Mr. Barry at the event. - Khrystal Contreras
KaBOOM! Playground Building...
KaBOOM! Playground Build was held at Willow Park in Anaheim on Saturday, September 23rd. KaBOOM! is a national non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that all kids get a childhood filled with the balanced and active play need to thrive. They build playground for children that will last for generations and generations! They live by the words #playmatters. Volunteers arrived early morning at 7 to check in and were given a task based on their age. Everyone got a name tag with a sticker on it and the sticker either had a fruit or vegtable to make it easier for people to go into groups. Breakfast was first step in creating a wonderful playground in six hours. Everyone got a breakfast burrito from Ruby’s Diner and it was delicious. Before starting the hard work ahead of us, the coordinators of KaBOOM! and mayors of Anaheim gave a small speech of how well is organization has been doing with their work and continues to thrive. They also gave us a motivational speech and how it is possible to build a whole playground in six hours and they were sure right. I was assigned to the celeries and we were given the job to be mile markers. We had to dig a small 2 feet deep hole ten times, sand the mile markers, and paint the mile markers. I was so glad the entire day was not sunny and there was some wind. I’m a small girl and a 2 feet deep hole is already 2.5 times my height. I had to use two different types of shovel to dig the holes. After only 5 inches I was exhausted and the process probably took 5 minutes. A teammate helped me and he was able to finish the rest in the same amount of time I did my turn. I felt embarrassed haha. All the dirt we accumulated was given to any trees that had roots showing. We took a small rest after all the digging so, a guy could come and put cement in the holes for the markers. Now the fun part, I got to paint three markers with my friend and we definitely got creative. The designs were: clouds in the sky, pink and red chevron, and red and yellow splatter paint. It was finally time to cut the ribbon and look at the accomplish everyone achieved today. I am so glad I was a part of this playground build because I can bring my nephew and let him enjoy my hard work. - Joanna Chatouphonexay
Honestly, one of my favorite key club events! I never knew a playground can be built in les than 12 hours! Crazy, is not it? On Saturday, September 23rd, Western Key Club was invited to volunteer alongside the KABOOM team which was truly a blast of fun! When we first signed in, we got a sticker with a fruit and the fruit was based on age. Therefore, most of the key clubbers were together since we are around the same age! I consider this as one of my favorite events because we actually had to do something throughout the entire shift. First, they served us with breakfast to be energetic and work at full speed: VROOM VROOM!! Afterwards, we got divided into groups and my group’s main job was to paint the blacktop with fun games that children can enjoy and to beautify the blacktop surrounding the basketball courts! My group and I thought of multiple ways to incorporate games and to make the blacktop visually appealing. I am beyond proud of what we accomplished. First we made a circular hopscotch, then we made a maze that incorporated cute objects and colors which were extremely fun to paint! Around noon time, volunteers were provided with lunch which was very thoughtful of the event coordinator. Western Key Clubbers and I are beyond thankful for that! After conquering the first section, we went ahead and decorated the area surrounding the basketball courts which was amusing as well! After all, this event was definitely worth the sweat as we know that children will enjoy what we have put together! The best part was when we cut the ribbon which honestly felt wonderful! For a fun fact, the next Kaboom Playground Build will be next year at Pearson Park and I am beyond eager to volunteer at it! - Ali Al-Saleem
SEPTEMBER DCM...
Back-To-Key-Club
Another Division Counsel Meeting!! WOO WOO!! But wait, this is not any regular DCM! This was a collaboration with Division 04 west, THE MIGHTY DRAGONS! On Saturday, September 30th, key clubbers from Anaheim and Fountain Valley met at Mile Square Park to bond, donate to Hurricane Harvey, make a unique service project, and to have fun! Before the service project started, it was time for ICEBREAKERS! First we gathered around a circle and got to know each other through answering questions that were written on a beach ball which turned out to be super fun as we all got to show off our volleyball skills—don’t think you should see mine though… Anyways, this was a super creative and new idea that all Western Key Clubbers enjoyed! Next, it was time for my favorite icebreaker: Pancho! My group totally defeated the three other groups through our electrifying moves that made everyone quake! But in all seriousness, it was a great way to transition into the new service projects! The service project was a dog “mat” where we cut 1 inch long shirt strips and tied them into a mat until it was fully filled with shirt strips. This service project was unique in its own way since we have never done it before! Honestly, it was a great success because it was super easy to do, and we were all testing out something new and that’s what I always look forward to when it comes to DCM’s! In addition, Western Key Club got recognized as the 5th Shinning Club of the Month which was a privilege to get recognized among 13 other schools! At last, September DCM was a huge success and members seemed to enjoy it! - Ali Al-Saleem
It’s the usual peeps! But I remember this being amongst one of my first DCMs, or at least the first one I really remember. One year later and here I am again, at the same location. Kicking it off with some old business, yadi-yadi-yadi, someone won a school’s supplies raffle, Fall Rally fees, and of course division pictures. Again, with the formation of tiny to big to tiny circles and then Pancho. We all know the drill, but for some reason, it leaves a sense of nostalgia, because we’ve all changed, our positions have upgraded, many have graduated, and many are new, but the sentiments are unchanged. We all came for a reason, whether it was to make those dog mats, dog toys, recycle unwanted t-shirts, or to socialize, I came to relive the feeling of where I found myself in Key Club one year ago to where I am now. It’s my last September DCM before I officially move on, so let me have this moment along with my other seniors, if we’ll even remember this time around, next year.
- Cecilia Dang
Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure
The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure was held at Fashion Island in Newport on Sunday, September 24th, 2017. This was the biggest breast cancer awareness event in the country and there was over 15,000 runners and 2,000 volunteers. The place was packed with lovely people wearing pink to fight breast cancer. There were different kinds of races and seeing everyone running happily and remembering their loved ones who passed away due to breast cancer made me emotional and happy for them at the same time. We passed out bottled waters and pink bags for the runners to drink and use. Not to mention, I also saw my friend participating in the Race for the Cure which was actually pretty cool. Knowing that a lot of people care and wants to fight this disease will surely make you tear up. Overall, this event was one of the biggest events that I have ever been to and being able to volunteer at this huge event is such a rare opportunity and seeing people living the moment and having that game face on made me realize that there’s more to life than what you think there is. - Cedric Baral
It’s been quite a while since I’ve woken up this early for community service. It feels odd to be the only one awake at 5AM in the morning when only three hours ago I had closed my eyes and haven’t even hit my REM sleep yet. But here I am, freezing myself at a local McDonald’s as I hitch a ride from a fellow Key Clubber. It’s nice to have company on cold mornings where you can both agonize over how early it is and to admire beating the sunrise. But of course, by the time we had arrived at Fashion Island where the marathon was set, the sun was already well making its ascent over the runners, the cheer-ers, and of course, us. Tasks were fairly simple and menial; you cheer on the runners, give them free totes, occasionally slap them on the back with the “Gdouble O-D J-oh nevermind, by the time you’ve finished the cheer, half the runners are already on their way to their car. But hey, handing out free water and reusable grocery bags was able to kill enough time for the first race. Like I said, a simple, Sunday morning, except we also got to draw on the concrete our acknowledgements of these runners. Some were masterpieces, others were Picasso when everyone thought his art was hideous (or was that Van Gogh? Whatever, you got my point.)
- Cecilia Dang
OC Children’s Book Festival
Literature fuels knowledge which fuels progress which fuels success. Serving at the OC Children’s Book Festival was very special because of this, we pushed children to education and art. This event had multiple shifts and was really quite fun! My shift began at 8:30 am and ran until 10:00 am, but I stayed a bit longer to help Mrs. Claus but I’ll talk more about that later. Originally our task was to just help the merchants, performers, and authors set up their booths; you know, the usual. Our second task was really easy: pass out flyers to the visitors. Doing this was a very simple way to get service hours and meet new people, all of which were beautiful and kind and the kids were so nice too! Anyways, let me tell you all about my experience with Mrs. Claus. So I was handing out flyers with another volunteer when we noticed a lady struggling to find where to go. Naturally we run over to help her and discover she’s a performer and doesn’t know where her booth is. Seeing that her baggage was heavy I insisted to carry it over and lead her down. We talked as we walked and she asked me what I was majoring in, which caused me to laugh as I’m still in high school. From this she then confessed to me that she was actually Mrs. Claus and my inner child (would it even be considered “inner” I literally act like a baby all the time) went nuts. Because I was so kind to her she bestowed to me the title of honorary elf, which thrilled and amused me. By now we were at her booth and she gave me a few grapes for my troubles. Before I could leave she called to me once again asking me where she could park. This led us to a whole new adventure together in which we searched for leaders to assist. Alas, we found a parking and I may or may have not heard Mrs. Claus utter a low curse at someone. After this I went back to handing out flyers until my shift ended. It was quite an adventure to serve at this festival since it was so full of life and curiosity. Oh, and did I forget to mention there was a petting zoo? Because there was. - Manuel Camarillo
Aloha Run 5K
Aloha Run is a Hawaiian-themed event held at the Shoreline Aquatic Park in Long Beach to support the Honor Flight charities and the Free Hugs project. When I first came there, there were lots and lots of people covered in beautiful, dazzling pompoms and dressed up in a very Hawaiianthemed colorful outfits. The 5k/10k run was full of very enthusiastic and energetic people and cheering them on was the best thing ever because I saw smiles on their faces as they run towards the finish line. Not just that, the scenery was breathtaking and impressive too and I’m pretty sure that running while seeing the view will give you much and much more energy than running in a normal park. After finishing the clean-up of the event, my friends and I went together and window shopped at H&M. I tried out this fancy outfit that my friend picked for me and wow I thought that it was another person jk. We also ate at P.F. Changs and the food there was delicious. Overall, this event was lovely and amazing to volunteer to and also seeing Key Clubbers from different regions volunteering makes me happy.
- Cedric Baral
I didn’t realize that I would have so much fun yelling at people running away from me. And I wouldn’t have been able to reach this realization without volunteering at the Aloha Run 5K down at The Pike on Sunday October 1st. A Hawaiian-themed marathon on the coast, complete with lively vendors and livelier runners, floral shirts and grassy skirts! Key Club volunteers helped cheer on runners along the course of the race, as well as break down and clean up the area after the event ended. Though our club has volunteered at the Aloha Run multiple times in the past, this year was my first year attending. It was easy to get lost on the winding freeways to The Pike, but once I arrived, the noise of screaming runners & volunteers contrasting with the gentle beach music was unmistakable. I didn’t hesitate to join my club and begin cheering on the passerby, runner or not. I hope my embarrassing little act motivated the marathon runners enough! Something about me embarrassing myself with all these screams of “S-U-P-E-R!” and “G- DOUBLE O -D J-O-B!” made the runners run the other way much faster.
Our club had a lot of fun off the course as well! I was thrilled to see the booths area. The tents & vendors area off of the finish line had everything that mattered to me the most: lovely music, lovely people, and lovely free samples. It was lovely! And besides, I was way more willing to help break down tents after a couple rounds of free samples (one or fifteen or so). In seriousness, the event was amazing overall. I didn’t expect to be so outgoing and hyped up about cheering on strangers, but Key Club was able to break me out of my shell again. Not only were the setting and the people beautiful, the causes that the Aloha Run 5K is raising funds for, Honor Flight & Hugs Project, are beautiful as well! I’m glad I volunteered at this event, and I hope to volunteer at more marathon events in the future
- Jerry Castillo
SEPTEMBER SERVICE HOURS
LEADERBOARD
Thank you for all your hours of volunteering! Keep shining, suns of WHS Key Club! :D
Manuel Camarillo
Joanna Chatouphonexay
Khrystal Contreras
Jerry Castillo
Cecilia Dang
Meet us @ Thursday during Lunch COME OUT FELLOW WESTERN KEY CLUBBERS!
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MONTHLY CALENDAR: OCTOBER SUN. MON. TUE. WED. THU. FRI. SAT. 1
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- Children’s Book Festival
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Symphony -
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-SPIRIT
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NIGHT #1
DCM
Silverado Days
SoCal Corgi Beach Day
Motivation For The Whole Year :)
2017-2018 Western Key Club Board Members
Crystal Ly
Jerry Castillo
President
Vice-President
lycrystal@gmail.com
jerbeariuss@gmail.com
(714) 315-6317
(714) 854-4848
Annie Nguyen
Cecilia Dang
Secretary
Treasurer
annie.nguyen956@gmail.com
cecilaa.dang@gmail.com
(714) 251-3847
(714) 837-5187
Cedric Baral Bulletin Editor cedricsalvador17@gmail.com
(714) 709-0165
Abril Petlacalco Publicist
abril.petlacalco@hotmail.com
(951) 410-3288
Linda Le Historian lindale922@gmail.com
(714) 782-2393
Omar Al-Saleem Member Recognition omarziadalsaleem2000@gmail.com
(657) 293-4569
Khrystal Contreras Publicist khrystal06@yahoo.com. (657)226-7150
Manuel Camarillo Historian
Joanna Chatouphonexay
(714) 420-6149
(714) 331-8542
maniel.camarillo20@yahoo.com
Ali-Al Saleem Spirit Coordinator
Historian joannachatou@gmail.com
Jehan Kamoona Spirit Coordinator
Ali_alsaleem02@yahoo.com
Suny.exo0000@gmail.com
(714) 933-6518
(714) 808-7817