Alameda High Key Club Newsletter Feb 2013

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The Official Alameda High Key Club Newsletter VOLUME 1 ISSUE 5 FEBRUARY 2013

Alameda High | Division 2 | Region 9 Cal-Nev-Ha

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Inside This Issue

Historian Says What? ………..…..….….…. page 3

A Word From Our Members ….………...………. 4

January Movie Night DCM …...……....……….. 7

OMCA MLK Jr. Day ……..……………..……….... 8

Food Fair ………………...………….……....…....… 10

Kiwanis Chili Cook Off ……………..…...…..……. 11

February DCM & Conclave ……….…...……...... 13

KC’s Major Emphasis ……………………..……..... 15

Credits ………..…………..…….…………...…….... 16

CREWNECKS!

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Historian Says What?

What’s up, Kiwis? I Hope every-

one is enjoying their four day weekend.

I apologize for publishing the Feb-

ruary issue so late— I’m not sure if you

guys know this, but I have actually en-

tered our newsletter into the district

newsletter contest. There are two levels

of recognition: outstanding (level 1) and

distinguished (level 2). I couldn’t apply

for distinguished because I started the news-

letter too late in my term, but I DID apply for outstanding. :) We’ll see how that

goes at DCON. So. Excited. So basically, I spent the first week in February doing

the application for that.

As always, enjoy this month’s newsletter! It was super frustrating because I

was almost done putting it together and then somehow I couldn’t open the file

and I lost most of everything. It’s all good though because it’s here now, right? (:

I would like to emphasize the importance of taking pictures and writing arti-

cles about events. I send these to Kelly Chan, our division editor, and she is the

one who puts together the Division 2 Newsletter. It’s always great to see some-

thing from our club. Alameda Key Club represent Also, the club newsletter is a

nice tool to let our Kiwanis club know what’s going on with our club.

Enjoy the newsletter and keep up the great work, fellow Kiwis. I’ll see you

guys at the meetings! Remember to bring in your spare change to our meetings to

raise money for PTP. Let’s try to win this

division contest, shall we?

Jennifer and I with Kelly Chan. :)

In service,

Danica Liang (Historian)

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A Word From Our Officers Members!

Key Club is not just community service

By Jennifer He

I joined Key Club during my freshman year simply as an extracurric-ular activity to supplement my college applications. I went to my first meet-ing during my freshman year not knowing what to expect. I thought it would be just volunteering. However, my experience in Key Club has ended up becoming quite memorable. The friends I met, the events I volunteered at, the spirit at DCON 2010 all con-tributed to my love for Key Club. Even though I did not pursue an of-ficer position and my dedication fad-ed with the stress of AP classes, I con-tinued to go to the meetings. I still cared. My love for Key Club increased after viewing the spirit and dedication of the candidates for the position of Lieutenant Governor for Division 2 at Conclave. All three candidates were very dedicated and spent way more time than I had ever did for Key Club even though they were all a year younger than me. They are among the people who made me realize Key

Club’s importance to me. Key Club wasn’t just an extracurricular activity on my resumes. It was also the friends I met and the adults and children I helped. I won’t forget my Key Club expe-riences though. I have met many peo-ple who have demonstrated qualities I wished I had when I first met them. I don’t actually remember exactly the day I first met a junior from Castro Valley High School, but when I talked to her at the November DCM at Dub-lin Iceland, I noticed that she was su-per outgoing and nice. I thought to myself when I got home, “I am basical-ly the complete opposite.”

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After this encounter, I tried to be more confident at school, no matter how hard it was. Another girl I met through Key Club, a senior from San Leandro High School, is confident, outgoing, and nice. Seeing her at DCMs the past year has been really amazing. There are more people I have met who have made me feel included at DCMs, but in a nutshell, the people in Key Club at oth-er schools have inspired me to try to be more outgoing at school. I will have times where I am shy and reclusive, but those times are becoming rarer. I have also admired our division Lieutenant Governor, Charles Chu. He serves and represents our division in addition to his daily academic commitments.

I will always remember the people who served Key Club more than I ever did. I went to volunteer events, but I was never more than a member. I am a graduating senior, but that doesn’t mean my commitment to the Key Club family is going to end soon. I plan to join Circle K in college. For those not familiar with Circle K, it is basically the college version of Key Club. I anticipate meeting new friends and contributing to my community as a college student.

- Jennifer He

Graduating senior, 4th year in Key Club

A Word From Our Officers Members!

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A Word From Our Officers Members!

The key experience

By Avery Kuang

Looking back, I’d have to say that joining Key Club was one of my best deci-sions this year. Initially skeptical of clubs, I was eventually persuaded into checking it out by some friends. I didn’t think much of it at first, just seemed like a good oppor-tunity to get some hours, hang out with

friends, and maybe even ogle at cute girls.

However after working in events and befriending some strangers also in Key Club, I truly learned to appreciate Key Club much more. For me, Key Club has really encapsulated the essence of community and opportunity. I keep hearing the slogan “We Don’t Make Keys, We Open Doors” thrown around, and the longer I stay in Key Club, the more I find myself appreciating this simple truth. I myself feel like I have been given many more opportunities to pursue, and also the motivation to do so.

Several people I’ve met have had their high school lives shaped and molded towards a different course through joining this simple community, and I’m glad to have been able to enjoy the experience that is Key Club with them.

- Avery Kuang

Junior, 1st year in Key Club

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January Movie Night DCM

By Danny Wong

So, January DCM. Well, I’ll start off by saying that LILO & STITCH IS A MUCH BETTER MOVIE THAN DESPICABLE ME.

Now, let’s continue. This DCM was the first one where I had to be the representing officer, which meant that I had to give an overview of what we had done the last month, give our member attendance count, all of that fancy shnazz. It gave me a new opportunity to experience what I would have to do dur-ing the DCM’s as next year’s president. I mean, it wasn’t a big deal or anything, but it was something I needed to experience and I’m glad that I got to.

Oh! We also got this coin drive box for PTP (Pediatric Trauma Program), a program that earns money and develops projects to reduce the number of chil-dren who are killed or injured by trauma. Every meeting, we’ll have the box out. Feel free to donate your spare change .

I hope to see more of you coming to the DCMs— they’re really fun and you get to learn more about our division. We’re a family, Ohana, as Lilo and Stitch say, a family where nobody gets left behind or forgotten.

Jan. 19

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OMCA Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Jan. 20

1. What did you do at the event?

JY: I created dream bottles for the Mar-tin Luther King Jr. weekend.

KD: We helped the visitors of OMCA make their dream bottles in honor of

Martin Luther King Jr. The dream bot-

tles were little glass bottles that had a

little rolled up scroll inside, where you

wrote down your dreams. Apparently,

there was a poetry reading event, but we

did not get to hear it.

2. What was your favorite/most

fun thing you did and why?

JY: I enjoyed helping younger kids make their bottles.

KD: The most fun thing we did was making the dream bottles along with

the visitors. In fact, that was the only

thing we did —make dream bottles.

There were special paint markers to

write and draw on the bottles and I

thought that was really neat.

3. What was the atmosphere

like?

JY: Relaxed and fun because the people there had fun with the activity.

KD: The atmosphere was really relaxed. There were not that many people who

attended the event. There were a few

times where the dream bottle making

table was full and all of the chairs were

taken; I even had to give up my own

chair, but it was cool. The kids at the

event were really creative when decorat-

ing their bottles. Jealous.

An interview with Juliana Yee and Karen Duong

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4. Describe something interest-

ing/funny that happened.

KD: After sitting around for awhile, we took a break and explored the museum.

We came across an exhibition called

“we/customize.” There was a sound

mixing board that someone had made

and you could basically make music

with it. Juliana and I played around

with that for awhile. Then, we decorat-

ed a stool which was really fun. There

was a lot of duct tape that we could use

to decorate the stool. We ended up just

taping the whole stool with duct tape

and tagged it with our names. That was

really fun.

5. Reflect. How did the event

make you feel? What did you

dislike or like about it? Did you

have fun?

JY: I enjoyed the event and working with other volunteers as well as the par-

ticipants.

KD: The event was really fun even though we barely did anything but

make dream bottles. My favorite part

was decorating the stool even though

the whole point we were there was to

volunteer. Making dream bottles also

refreshed my memory of Martin Luther

King Jr.

OMCA Martin Luther King Jr. Day

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Food Fair January 25

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Kiwanis Chili Cook Off

At the event, a lot of people come to attend the Chili Cook Off. Aside from the cook off part, you could also buy things such as drinks or go to auc-tions. People went around to try the chili of each team, and then decide which type of chili they liked best. The Chili Cook Off was a competition between teams and their chili. Visitors would try them all and then vote on the best one. There were also raffle tickets that people could buy in order to get a chance to win three prizes. After the Chili Cook Off was over, people went into the din-ing room and got served dinner. A lot of things happened, such as performances by people dancing and singing. After all of this, there was the raffle drawing. People started claiming their auction prizes and leaving. This event was a way for Alameda Kiwanis to fundraise. To help out at this Chili Cook Off, I had to supervise the auction area and the prizes. The other jobs were selling tickets for drinks and raffles, and selling soda. I enjoyed being there to help out the Kiwanis Club and to see how the Chili Cook Off worked. I loved trying out the Chili that the teams made. It was really good too! It was a very fun experience going around to sell raffle tickets for a good cause and just in general, seeing the efforts put into these events.

By Jason Yu Jan. 26

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Kiwanis Chili Cook Off

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D2 LTG candidates: (left to right) Cindy Weng,

Kelly Chan and Jessica Huynh

D2 February DCM

& Conclave Feb. 2

“On February 2, 2013, a conclave/DCM was held to elect the lieutenant gov-ernors for the 2013-2014 term. The three candidates for D2 were Cindy Weng, Jessica Huynh and Kelly Chan. During conclave, each candidate showed extreme enthusiasm and charisma on a thoughtful and well prepared speech. The speech was followed up by a question session from the audience. By the time they ended their speeches, the audience knew it was a really touch decision because all three candidates were all extremely qualified and capable of taking on the position. As one of the selected delegates, I had the responsibility of voting for the next Division 2 LTG and I definitely had a difficult time deciding. In the end, Cindy won. It was an awesome day and it was a great experience — I am confident in our new LTG.” - Jay Zhang

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“At Conclave, I had the wonderful opportunity of being a delegate. My task was to help elect our D2 LTG for the next term. Throughout the event, I listened to the candidates speak and answer questions. This may sound boring, but it really wasn't! The candidates kept us entertained with their enthusiasm and spirit, rap-ping, singing, stories and jokes. It was not easy to vote; all of the candidates were qualified for the job. Hearing Kelly, Cindy and Jessica’s speeches made me feel proud. In our division, we have such cool and dedicated people who do amazing things — all three of them inspired me. There is no doubt in my mind that all three will end up doing many wonderful things for Key Club, whether or not they become LTG. Ultimately, it was Cindy Weng from Oakland Tech who won. She emphasized building stronger relationships with the Kiwanis and Circle K clubs as well as more division service events to further unite our clubs. Congratulations to Cindy! In general, conclave was a great event and I’m glad that we also got to see the LTG elects for Division 26 South and North.” - Danica Liang

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MAJOR EMPHASIS PROGRAM (MEP)

“Children: Their Future, Our

Focus”

The MEP started in 1946 when Key Club International challenged each

club to do service projects that would better the lives of children.

This has remained as Key Club International’s focus ever since.

How have WE (Alameda Key Club) been

participating in the MEP?

OMCA and MOCHA events—work with children

Treat-or-treat For UNICEF boxes—raise money to help children in third

world countries.

DCM social events— raise money for Pediatric Trauma Program and make

cards for PTP patients

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Credits

A big thanks to everyone who

helped contribute to make this

newsletter happen! :)

And thank you for reading this!

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Want to contribute next issue?

Contact Danica Liang (Historian) at [email protected]