Newsletter 2022-2023 Volume 11.9

- Mark Twain

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. "

Editor's Note

HAPPY NEW YEAR GUYSSSSS

Wowwwww it’s JANUARY!!! THE MONTH I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR SO LONG! Ok. I’m literally so excited because, after the midterms, I GOT NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT

College apps are over, grades aren’t too important anymore…. and that’s when senioritis kicks in �� If you are jealous, YOU’LL BE THERE TOO ONE DAY! There were many days I was overwhelmed by the amount of work I had to do, but I think those days all became a good experience that shaped me into who I am today. So if you guys feel like burning out right now, always remember that your hard work WILL pay off (but pls don’t overwork yourself)

And omg if you guys didn’t know, I suffered from COVID last week… and yeah it was NOT a good experience. If you ’ ve never caught COVID before and are thinking it is probably not that bad, I’m telling you it IS THAT BAD. It’s much worse than the flu AND THE THROAT PAIN IS LITERALLY ON A DIFFERENT LEVEL. Yeah so please be careful not to get COVID☺☺☺

Ok, anyways, there were so many cute holiday-themed events in December, and I had so much fun making this newsletter because I LOVE doing Christmas decorations. Also, I wanted to shout out to those who volunteered on the day of Christmas, when it was literally freezing cold outside.�� Landin, Kevin, and Malika wrote articles for the 12/25 Christmas Project event, so check them out!! I had many article submissions in December, so I really hope you check all of them out. Enjoy the newsletter, and stay healthy!

Warmest Regards, Jeongwon Lee '23 Webmaster/Bulletin Editor

MEMBER OF THE MONTH

December Edition

YOU

ELENA '25

Ever since Elena first started in Key Club in April, I have seen her continue to not only be a leader but a friend to everyone she works with. At her first event in the NYSoM Eggstravaganza, Elena dressed in a full bunny outfit in the middle of a hot spring to take photos with kids. She also does not hesitate to help others in need. She represents the standard of what an amazing, caring, and awesome person is. I, Darien Lu, nominate Elena You as member of the month simply because she has been such a ray of sunshine to everyone in Key Club.

- Darien Lu '25

I agree with Darien with every point. I still remember the day she dressed up in a bunny costume. She has been such an amazing Key Clubber, and I'm glad she got nominated this month!

December Events

12/3/22: NYCRUNS COCOA CLASSIC 5K & 10K

12/4/22: West Village Community Clean Up

12/10/22: Welcome the Winter!

12/10/22: 9 Million Reasons Evangel Food Pantry

12/11/22: NYCRUNS BIG APPLE HALF MARATHON & 5K

12/17/22: Season of Love Toy Drive 12/17/22: NYSoM Holiday Mania

12/18/22: 1st Annual Toy Drive 12/18/22: Kehilat Food Pantry 12/24/22: Emergency Food Program

12/25/22: Christmas Project

12/26/22: Crown Heights Food Pantry

12/27/22: Pitch In to Pick Up at Starlight Park, Bronx

NYCRUNS COCOA CLASSIC 5K & 10K

Since this event was close to my home, it was pretty dark when I woke up at around 5:00 AM, and my mom drove me to the event. When it started at 6:00 AM, I was really surprised to hear the name of my friend with whom I went to middle school. I then saw some other people I recognized from my middle school, including my old media teacher! All of them like running, so it made sense to see them at a running volunteer event near where we live. Our job was to do both bag check-in and check-out. We took the runners ’ bags and organized them in rows based on their bid numbers, and then gave them back to the runners at the end of the race. I got to meet a new person from Brooklyn Tech, who wasn’t a Key Clubber but was there to volunteer with his running team. It was also fun meeting some new people from our school’s Key Clubs, and other volunteers/workers at the event. At some point, it started raining, so we received blue ponchos from the NYCRUNS staff. Honestly, the rain was pretty refreshing and nice even though it made us feel a little bit cold. When the event ended, we got free t-shirts, hot chocolate, and some bagels. I am glad I went because I really liked seeing my old friends from middle school, meeting new people, and spending the morning at a park breathing fresh air.

- Malika Toregeldiyeva '25

Welcome the Winter!

The “Welcome the Winter!” event was really memorable because it was the first event I got to go to with my K-Family and actual family! In other words, I dragged my little brother with me… There were a bunch of volunteers from Stuyvesant Key Club and Millenium Red Cross who were there giving out free books, hot chocolate, cleaning the streets, and tending to a really small but beautiful garden. It definitely felt like it was Winter, and the fairy lights hanging everywhere made the atmosphere super cozy too! I was put on duty to get boxes of dumplings from a nearby award-winning dumpling shop, and it was actually a really interesting experience. The store owner was a super kind Chinese woman, and she was so motherly and caring to all of the volunteers that we even went back to eat dinner there afterwards!

- Shiya Lin '23

9 Million Reasons Evangel Food Pantry

This event took place on 12/10/22. I didn’t really plan on going with anyone to the event but I contacted Jessica through our dms, and we realized that we were both going, so win-win for us! As I arrived at the event site, I was quite shocked. I think the building the event used was like a school building and it was cool to see that these inspirational people were repurposing the school to help out their community. They served us a lot of snacks and were super duper nice. There was also a dog, it was very big and floofy, but it kept on barking at all of us T^T. Our group was split up in half, one half went to go sort out toys (I think), and my group sorted food. I remember sorting bagels, biscuits, scones, burgers, and so much more. We were all collectively working together and it was really fun! We finished our job and the boss praised our work, rewarding us with sooo many boxes of sushi. I really enjoyed this experience and I hope to see more people at these events!

NYCRUNS BIG APPLE HALF MARATHON & 5K

12/11/22

The NYCRUNS Big Apple Half Marathon was an outdoor event and was so early in the morning. I was the project captain for this event and many of us going to this event had to wake up at 4am! Before the actual run started, we had to stack a ton of heat sheets (which were these sheets that were supposed to keep you warm), and layer so many medals. Once runners started finishing, we handed out medals and the heat sheets. This event was really memorable because it was the first time I was the project captain, and it was really fun to be one. Also, we volunteers were already so cold, and then it started raining, sleeting, and then snowing. But besides the weather, I think key clubbers should go to this event because 5K and half marathon events are really fun to help out.

ica Zhan

Season of Dri

This event was super fun and rewarding! Everyone there was super nice which made it a lot more enjoyable and there were free snacks and drinks before any of the guests came so we were basically just helping to set up in the beginning. When the people started coming in, they had different colored tickets which would signify which age group to get the presents from and then we would give the kids the presents. There was candy, music, gifts, food, drinks, and Santa and Mrs. Claus even showed up. The best part of the whole experience was that at the end of the event, we got to choose any gifts we wanted to take home and I really enjoyed that because throughout the whole day, I was thinking about how cool all the gifts were and how nice it would be if they let us keep some. -

Emily Guan

Toy

NYS Holiday

Even though the temperature outside made me feel really cold, I have no regrets about attending the event. This event in particular was special to me because I had the opportunity to help a new member of the Stuyvesant Key Club enjoy her first time at an event. I decided we could work together at one of the many stations organized around the huge gym in the building where the event was being held. We worked with children and helped them make dreidels. It was really fun and I got to work with so many people!

- Sumaya Suma '24

SOM y Mania

7/22

1st Annual Toy Drive

I went to the 1st Annual Toy Drive on December 18, 2022. It was located in a small churches basement. It was quite fun wrapping toys for kids who are less fortunate. I really got to improve my wrapping skills during this event and work with others to wrap odd shaped items. They even gave us deserts and drinks at the end. The coordinator gave everyone who came a certificate with a notebook and Starbucks card which was so sweet. Everyone was so kind and it was overall a great day.

- Jessica Lin '25

Kehilat Food Pantry

This event was pretty interesting to attend! When we got there, we were given a kosher speech, where we learned about what kosher was, the importance of kosher, and how kosher food is made. The mission of the Kehilat Food Pantry is to provide kosher products to Jewish and immigrant families, they believe that “One should not have to choose between their religious/dietary needs and going hungry.” Being able to be a part of this community, even if it was just for 3 hours, was very fun and gave me a sense of accomplishment. I’ve never really understood what made kosher products so unique, or how to identify kosher products, and I can’t believe I got to learn all of this at a key club event! This was a very unique experience compared to all the other key club events I’ve attended, and I definitely do recommend attending this event if you ’ re interested in learning new things. :)

- Sabrina Zhao '26

Christmas Project 12/18/22

I attended the Christmas Project Event on Christmas Day (December 25, 2022), and overall the experience was really great, except that the weather ruined some of the fun! I got there early with Darien and Kevin and we were a bit anxious, wondering whether or not the event was going to happen, because the event coordinators ghosted Darien and Jessica for around 4 days, and we didn’t see any signs of an event happening. That was because we assumed the event to be indoors, however, there was an unexpected change of plans, and that the actual event was held outdoors! We noticed that there were bags of food and tables being set-up across the street which led us to the conclusion that that was the event we were attending. It was early in the morning, and setting up was atrocious. Many of us didn’t expect the event to be in such harsh weather conditions so many people including me didn’t even wear gloves. Nevertheless we managed to set up the food and the tables efficiently, and then we started to prepare to serve the food. It was at that moment that I realized I messed up because I cut my fingers with a knife when trying to halve the patties, and I was in agonizing pain for a bit. Jessica however, came to the rescue and supplied me with some bandages and we resumed back to business. Everyone at the event was cold and we had to take many breaks, rushing into the nearby stores and trying to defrost before going back out into the icy cold weather and serving those that needed the most help. Though the weather was cruel, there were still many people waiting in line to be served and it made me realize how big of an issue food insecurity is, and that some people can’t even eat a warm and cozy meal on such a big holiday. Many of these people waiting in line were very polite and appreciative of our hard work in such weather, which made me extremely contentful, and it warmed my heart emotionally, even though I was physically unable to bear the cold. During the event I also met an alumni of Bronx Science who graduated in 2021 and it was great that I could see alumni taking the extra step to make sure people are able to eat comfortably and well during the holidays, and I guess it represents the spirit of volunteering!

I went to the Christmas Project event because I had nothing to do on Christmas, and it was pretty worth it. During the event, our job was serving food to people. Everyone was responsible for a set of trays and people came by with plates to fill up with food. It was nice being there and being able to help people out on christmas day. The people in charge of the event were also very kind, and we even met a Bronx Science alumni.

- Kwcin Fu '25

The Christmas Project was one of the most enjoyable events ever. It was a cold Christmas morning, and we were outside handing out warm food and clothes, drinks, and toys to those in need. It was so cold that some of the water I spilled became ice pretty quickly. However, seeing all the homeless people and other people in need happily taking the food and clothes made the cold weather seem like nothing. Besides meeting the people who made the food and got the materials we were handing out, I also met some other Key Clubbers who I was stationed with and saw my friends. We made it through the event, cold as it was (below 32 Fahrenheit), and took a group picture and went home! As always, it was inspiring to see other volunteers taking time out of their mornings to do community service outside in the cold. Looking back, it was probably one of my favorite events because we got to help people in need by giving them food and clothes. It made me want to learn more about homeless shelter coalitions and how these organizations get the funding/donations for the food, drinks, toys, and clothes. I am looking forward to attending future events like these.

- Malika Toregeldiyeva '25

Crown Heights Food Pantry

When we all first arrived to the event it was a bit confusing because the main coordinator was not here yet so we waited for them. After arriving they assigned us the job of cleaning the place where we were supposed to distribute and pack food. After cleaning my friends and I were led to another room and we ’ re taught how to pack food into plastic bags. We made over 300 plastic bags full of food to be denoted. The event was pretty simple and even though nothing extravagant happened it was still nice to go with my friends and volunteer.

- Sumaya Suma '24

Pitch In to Pick Up at Starlight Park

On Tuesday, December 27, I went to the Pitch In to Pick Up at Starlight Park event. The whole point of the event was to help clean up the Bronx River by picking up litter all over the park. Overall it was a pretty productive event, where we organized ourselves into groups of three and had a friendly competition to win some lush soaps and body lotions from Ms. Jennifer Seda, the lovely organizer who kindly offered us little prizes for the competition. My group didn’t win, but I feel like everyone did a pretty good job. We realized afterwards, from marking down every piece of trash we picked up, that things like cigarette butts, metal bottle caps, and food wrappers (eg; chip bags, candy wrappers, etc.) were among some of the most commonly found litter items found around the park. During the event, it was decently cold, but it wasn’t so bad that we were freezing, even though the Bronx River was mostly frozen over. I’d definitely recommend future Key Clubbers to go to this event if it ever happens again, because Ms. Seda was so kind and helpful to us, and the ultimate goal of cleaning up the Bronx River so that one day wonderful goal, and it’s definitely eep cleaning. saki '26

Answer to the True or False Quiz

True

The answer was True!

Hot water can in fact freeze faster than cold water for a wide range of experimental conditions. This phenomenon is surprising even to most scientists, but it is in fact real! Hot water evaporates faster than cold, decreasing its volume and thus the time it takes to freeze. Cold water also could contain more dissolved gases, which lower its freezing point.