2012-2013 Newsletter: Issue 1 -- May

BRONX SCIENCE K E Y C L U B 75 West 205 Street, Bronx, NY 10468

Phone: 1-718-817-7700

Fax: 718-733-7951

Volume 1 Issue 1

THE KIWI HAPPY KEY CLUB NEW YEAR!

By Jessica Chan, Editor As the calendar dictates, April has come and passed, and the keyclub year, which runs from April to April as come to an end. On April _, during a keyclub meeting, Keyclub kicks off its new year in its induction of the new leaders of the club.

The old but wise keyclub board of the 2011-2012 service year officially hand things over to the new board; passing their batons, or rather, keyclub pins, to their respective successors. During this process, each respective board member gave a few tips of trade and encouraged the new board in their long venture ahead.

A particularly notable and interesting part of the ceremony was for the vice president position. Vice President Jaehwi Kwon was reelected for the position for this service year, and had a difficult time making a speech to himself.

In general, the new board: President Amanda Tam, Vice President Jaehwi Kwon, Secretary Lawrence Chen, Treasurer Roman Mondal, and Editor Jessica Chan, were all smiles towards the audience of members when they received their pins, evidence of their excitement and enthusiasm.. In general, the new board: President Amanda Tam, Vice -President Jaehwi Kwon, Secretary Lawrence

Chen, Treasurer Roman Mondal, and Editor Jessica Chan, were all smiles towards the audience of members when they received their pins, evidence of their excitement and enthusiasm.

President Amanda Tam, in particular, was laughing and smiling the entirety of the meeting.

“Whenever I hear someone call me

"President", I squeal like a little girl. I grin like crazy and clap and, of course, embarrass myself but I just can't help it because I am still unbelievably elated that I am your new leader,” she stated. “You [can] trust me to lead this club to be even better than we were.”

For seniors Immediate-Past President Victoria Li and Immediate-Past Treasurer, Michelle Soto, there, there was no hesitation to pass over the power and officially retire.

“It's been great being the Immediate Past President,” Victoria remarked, “but not because I have less work, but because I'm so proud of seeing everyone taking higher leadership positions and are now running the club..”

At the end of the day, the new board looked ready, confident and optimistic about the year to come; they were ready for a new year of service, bonding, and fun.

In this issue!

New board induction…1 LTC Recap!...........…..….2 Divisonal Events…..……. 3 Spotlight: Japan Day….4-5 Recent Clubl Events…..6 Member Spotlight……..7 Credits!................……..7

The old board and the new board pose for a group picture together. 

UPCOMING EVENTS! New York Coalition Against Hunger:: May 19th

Aids Walk: May 20 th

Great Strides: June 3rd

Are they birds? Are they planes? No. THEY’RE SUPER KEYCLUBBERS! An article on the Leadership Training Conference in perspective

By Connie Liang, Public Relations Committee Chair During the weekend of March 29th to April 1st, 2012, members from Key Clubs from all over New York State assembled at the Holiday Inn Hotel in Albany for an annual conference known as the Leadership Training Conference (LTC). This year, the theme was superheroes.

LTC is geared towards helping keyclubbers grow. At the conference, there was a large variety of workshops on topics ranging from how to be a great president or vice president to how to make a washcloth look like a bunny. There were also the caucus and elections for the next New York District Board, along with the nominations of the International President and Trustee. When our club had our elections for the new board, I ran for the position of the club treasurer and was very overwhelmed. If running for a club level position was nerve-wrecking, I could not imagine how the candidates felt. In the end, Daniel Ivan Lin from our division, division 11, won the position!

Aside from all these serious matters, there were plenty of fun activities! There was a guest speaker, Jon Vron, the author of an award winning, inspirational book that emphasized living life “in the front row”. He really taught us that everyone has their own talents, and that to always take the initiative to start things as simple as standing up and giving a round of applause for a concert.

There was also Playfair which was an enormous icebreaker where we all had to team up with people we never met to do activities such as form circles based on interests, favorite color, and birthday date, just to name a few. There was also a talent show which involved people dancing, and singing. One of the songs that was sung was one of my favorites, “For Good” from Wicked.

At LTC, eating was never boring! Our club sat together in designated tables to eat, so we enjoyed having conversations with each other as well as the scrumptious food. And, to keep things exciting, it is, apparently, a tradition to call a keyclubber or groups of keyclubbers out. For those of you who do not know, if someone calls us out by screaming, “HEY BRONX SCIENCE, HOW DO YOU FEEL?” we would respond with “I FEEL GOOD, OH I FEEL SO GOOD, AIGHT!” as loud as possible. At first, I thought it was very awkward, but I quickly got use to it, and enjoyed the screaming marathon during every meal we had.

Keyclubbers party too! There were also two dances, one of which was casual, and allowed people to wear their superhero costumes. In contrast to this was the Governor’s Ball, which involved people wearing more formal clothing. It was amazing seeing people, who were thought to be very serious, on the dance floor going crazy and having an immense amount of fun.

LTC was fun while it lasted! At the end, there was also the Governor’s Farewell. District Governor Domenick Pesce was crying and even though I was not in Key Club for half the service year, I felt moved because of his speech. I could hear his dedication and his love for Key Club in his words and the tone of his voice. At that moment, I was sad that the conference was over as well. This was my first year attending the LTC and it was much better than I had anticipated. This weekend helped me acquire valuable knowledge, and allowed me to experience priceless, fun moments.

Attending LTC made me realize that Key Club is bigger than I ever imagined. It left me in awe when I saw how many people filled the room. Although we were all from different places in the state, we are connected through our dedication to Key Club. This weekend changed my way of thinking. It made me realize being a freshman, and a little unexperienced isn’t a big deal. I can still give my all to help our club to the greatest of my abilities. It also motivated me to run for office again next year, and to keep trying. After attending LTC, I am now motivated to learn as much as possible, to gain more experience, and to contribute to Key Club as much as I can. Here’s to a great year!

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BRONX SCIENCE KEY CLUB newsletter

Divisonal Events  Division 11 Bowling Royale: Who Will Come Out on Top? Connie Liang, Public Relations Committee Chair, Kevin Chen, dedicated Member To commence his term as Lieutenant Governor, Herman Li of the Bronx Science Key Club, held a Bowling Tournament Fundraiser at Astoria Bowl. Key Club members from Division 11 came together to bowl either competitively or casually and the profits would be donated to fund for a charity of choice.

Some key clubbers bowled competitively for a chance at a trophy. Several brave keyclubbers contested for the prize, but it was the least expected person who had won. The father of a keyclubber, Manfred’s father, was the victor!

For those who lacked a competitive edge, which was the majority of the division, they bowled with our friends and some mingled with members from different clubs. This divisional was indeed full

of surprises, because a key clubber from division problems but they got solved. Even though it was my 8A boldly decided to join us. Cindy Chui from first fundraiser as Lieutenant Governor I still had Martin Luther High School came to the event, some previous experience on how to organize and mingled with the crowd, getting to know fundraisers. Plus the bowling manager was very many key clubbers from our club in particular. friendly and we eventually got everything under Herman was happy with the turn out of the control.” Herman said, reflecting on the outcome of event, as it did what he had wanted: to create the event. better relationships among club. In his election In the end, a total of $200 was raised. To add speech, he talked about how he believed in onto our major accomplishment, everyone had fun stronger bonds among the members of Division and enjoyed themselves. Herman has ensured us 11, and this was an event, hopefully the first of there will be more fun events to come! many, that will allow achieve this greater unity.

Though the event was enjoyable, it was not immune from minor setbacks and Herman did recognize that.

“I think it went well. There were a couple of

April Divisional Kevin Chen, dedicated Member April 17 was the date of Lieutenant Governor Herman Li’s first Divisional meeting. Before he became Lieutenant Governor, he was the Executive Assistant for Division 11, which involved him helping the Lieutenant Governor at the time, Emma Cheng. Therefore, he assumed some responsibility a Lieutenant Governor had. Aside from that, he managed his home club’s Projects Committee, making sure his home club’s members would be able to get involved in the community.

This meeting, held in a private room in a public library, yielded a high attendance of Division 11 Key Clubbers. Herman even wore a cape, which made him look adorable. In the beginning, Herman asked people to come up and talk about the Leadership Training Conference.

He also presented the new District Governor, Daniel Ivan Lin; the new Webmaster, Barry Lee; and the Second Executive Assistant, Tina Lee. Not to mention that they are all from Division 11! Herman also mentioned having a divisional barbeque picnic, similar to the one our home club had. Earlier this month, our own club held a barbeque picnic and it was quite successful. We raised over $250;

so if one club could raise over $250, who knows how much a whole division could raise!

Towards the end, he made everybody engage in an ice breaker, an idea he got from a similar ice breaker at LTC. Although it was a little chaotic, it meant people were having fun and getting along with each other. Herman then raffled off items that were distributed during LTC, and a total of $14.50 was raised. After the meeting, Herman said, “I felt the meeting went well, there is always room to improve. It seemed like everyone was having fun during the ice breaker so for a first divisional I think it went very well. It was certainly much more nerve wracking than when I was executive assistant, I was only on the side for support before, but now I'm the one who is leading the meeting. None the less it’s something that I enjoy holding.” Nonetheless, Herman made a good first impression as Lieutenant Governor, convincing most of us that he will accomplish his goals, especially the one involving strengthening the unity of Division 11.

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KONNICHIWA! : Keyclubbers help out at "In the volunteer tent, we helped the countless volunteers find their way to the events. Though it was a tiring job in the beginning with all the volunteers registering, we were able to surmount the challenges. These challenges became greater as we distributed lunch to all the volunteers at noon. It was great to see all the faces that helped Japan Day happen, as we helped to facilitate their offerings to this joyous occasion. " -- Tanvir Islam, dedicated member

 Volunteer Tent!

"Although I was mainly doing crowd control in the origami tent, I enjoyed getting the job done with my partner, Rick.

It was nice meeting and talking with new people who were waiting on line and had an interest in Origami paper folding, a hobby I grew to enjoy since I was in elementary school."

-- Kevin Chen, dedicated member

Origami Tent! 

"At the Language Tent where there were 7 teachers who taught 12 basic Japanese phrases related to cherry blossoms and Mother’s Day. The people studied the words while they waited on line and when it was their turn, the teachers taught them the correct pronunciation and the meanings of the words. At the end of the lesson, they played a game called karuta which was matching words to the pictures that were shown on small cards. We were all very enthusiastic and encouraged people of all ages and ethnics to come and learn.. Those who did come in had a great time and I heard them sprouting Japanese phrases to one another as they left. Even I picked up some Japanese from working at the tent!"

--Natalie Qin, dedicated member

 Language Tent!

"In the charity tent, we were in charge of selling T-shirts in order to raise money for charity. Though we were all working at different posts, we had the chance to interact with different volunteers, ranging from adults to other teenagers. Some people were in charge of counting the money earned, others were in charge of checking off the shirts bought, and the rest were responsible for finding the customers’ desired shirts and handing it to them."

-- Lisa Liu, Projects Committee Chair

Charity Tent!  4

BRONX SCIENCE KEY CLUB newsletter

at JAPAN DAY @ Central Park!

“Yo-Yo Fishing” Tent!  “Thomas, Jimmy, and I were part of the crowd control group where we were in charge of keeping people in line and making sure no one cut the line. We also explained how the game was played, which was very fun. The balloon was in a kiddie pool filled with water and the goal was to hook the balloon before the “fishing” line (made out of paper) ripped. We also got to watch cute children gape in amazement when they hooked the balloon. Most of them had their eyes wide open and their mouths in an o-shape because they were so close to getting the balloon, but at the last moment, it would rip.”

– Tiffany Ng, dedicated member

 Tea Tent!

"The tea tent was extremely fun. We ran out of sweeted tea very quickly and shout out names of the [less popular], unsweetened teas (Oolong, Jasmine, Green Tea, etc.) Eventually, we took entire packages of tea out to people who were in like just to hand them out. From this [experience] I learned how important it was to appear friendly."

-- Helen Leu, dedicated member

Wellness Tent!  “The wellness tent included a variety of tests: blood pressure, grip, and stress. Among the tent were doctors who performed the examinations while other aids helped in scoring the level of stress of the customers. It was a great experience as many people came to learn about their health and was able to understand what they should do to become healthier. “ – Paul Nam, dedicated Member

 Udon Tent!

"The udon tent was run by the Sanuki UDON company. They had a very interesting way of cooking noodles. First they had us throw the frozen udon noodles in to inflatable pool, and melt them by pouring in boiled water. Next the thawed noodles were then opened from their packages and put into the pots in which the hot water was boiled. From there the process became very messy. After warming up, the noodles had to be transferred from the pots to a station a good 6 feet away. Noodles were flying. From there the noodles past through the other station and ended up in the hands of the customer who enjoyed it greatly!"

- Jaehwi Kwon, Vice President 5

RECENT CLUB Alley Pond Picnic Connie Liang, Public Relations Committee Chair Kevin Chen, dedicated Member

Let’s March for Babies!: walking for March of Dimes Jasmine Quindala and Christine Lim, dedicated members

The annual March of Dimes for Babies was an event that took place on Sunday, April 29th.

On a nice sunny day during the long-awaited The starting point was at Lincoln Center and ended at 22nd street, totaling 3.6 miles. The purpose of Spring Break, Bronx Science Key Clubbers gathered for a picnic at Alley Pond Park, a local park in Queens. this event was to raise money to fund research that will ensure the healthy birth of babies. Each year, more than half a million babies are born prematurely in the United States. Being born premature can This picnic was a fundraiser organized by Bronx cause the baby to develop severe health problems and lifelong disabilities. Our club raised a total of Science Key Club member, Jimmy Lin. In the end we $305 and the money went to programs in many different communities to help mothers have healthy managed to raise around $250 for a charity. and full-term pregnancies.

There was a large variety of food ranging from When we arrived at the event, it wasn’t such a fun start. It was very cold and we only saw two chips and cupcakes to burgers and hotdogs. These Key Clubbers there at that moment because it was only 7am. However, we were very excited for this fabulous commodities were brought by the members themselves, and prepared by the awesome duo, Jaehwi event. The walkers were welcomed with donuts, granola bars, water, and an apple. As we crossed the starting line, many course marshals were cheering us on.

Kwon and Vinson Huang.

Bronx Science Key Club was one of the many groups/teams that participated in walking for As an inexperienced cook, Jae jokingly said, ““I this event.

Thomas Chan from Bronx Science Key Club told us, “I anticipated for this event because hope nobody got poisoning,” regarding the food he this is one of the larger ones and I hadn't been to a walk in a while.” prepared.

It was enjoyable to be able to walk with many other teams such as: The Midwood High School Key The atmosphere of the picnic, and Alley Club, Howard R. Murrow Key Club, the Key Clubs of Division 9, and even our very own Bronx Pond Park itself, were warm and family-like, which Science Red Cross Club. It was amazing how no one is a stranger in Key Club. Even though we just helped replenish our spirits. Energetic people participated in handball, volleyball, and football while met these people, it was as if we had been friends with them for a long time. All the teams were others enjoyed the scenic view. The scenery was very Smiles and cookies: a family festival article refreshing and calming. Taking a walk in really helped Lily Ma, dedicated member relieve worries and stress of school. It was a much welcomed escape from troubles for all who attended.

“Can I decorate a cookie?” a little 5-year-old girl asked me shyly. “Of course you can!!” I answered “It was such a fun event such that I experienced excitedly. The little girl was the first “customer” to come to my stand, which involved decorating cookies. I many new things and got to interact with other people was volunteering at an event in Brooklyn called the Family Festival. It was my first time taking part in an from our Key Club. I would love to come back to this event like this, so I was very excited and enthusiastic. After I put some vanilla frosting on her cookie, the park and take a walk with my family and friends,” little girl started her creative decoration. The little girl finished her decoration quickly and then she looked commented Connie regarding the picnic and the park at it with deep satisfaction and smiled. Without realizing it, I smiled as well. it took place in.

As more time passed, more children came and left with big smiles on their face. Since a lot of children came, my friends came over to help me. We worked as quickly as possible so that every child can decorate his or her cookie. Looking at them made me feel energetic; I even forgot that I hadn’t eaten anything except for a piece of bread in the morning. After about two hours, less and less children came. I finally slowed down and went to get my “lunch”. While I was eating, I kept on smiling and thinking about those children who came to my stand to decorate their cookies. They reminded me of when I was young; I was exactly like them.

“This is a very fun and meaningful event. It’s fun to watch the kids play and it feels good to help,” my friend Min Zhao said to me while she was helping me. Indeed, the event was very meaningful since the money collected would be donated to charity. Also, not only did the children have fun, but so did we. I enjoyed every second of the event and would definitely volunteer for another event like this.

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BRONX SCIENCE KEY CLUB Newsletter

SERVICE EVENTS  welcoming and friendly. Barry Lee from High School for Math Science and Engineering said, “The Lawn and Tree Care March of Dimes walk was an amazing experience. It was great to see so many Key Clubs from different Connie Liang, Public Relations Committee Chair areas and divisions to show up to the walk! Towards the end of the walk, we all shared a group photo that Katie Xue, dedicated member we'll never forget.” Everyone felt amazing because we were able to walk for a good cause and meet new At the Lawn and Tree Care on the Harlem people.

This was a great event to be a part of because it allowed us see what Key Club is all about. Key River Esplanade Event, we realized just how difficult Clubbers from different schools came together with one purpose, to help out with this worthy cause. It trying to find Swindler Cove, pulling weeds or was a very overwhelming feeling to actually grasp how big this organization is. After the walk, we took a digging holes to plant tulip bulbs are. The difficulty memorable picture together with many other different key clubs. We even went to eat together afterwards of the tasks, actually, made it all especially satisfying. because we wanted to spend more time together. Ryan Naing from Bronx Science Key Club recalled the At the event, we separated into two groups, one walk saying, “The walk was fun and I was able to meet new people but I was sad when we couldn't decide group went to weed around the trees while the other went to weed the flower beds and plant tulip bulbs. where to eat.” It was a great experience to share with people, who are like a family to us.

We learned that the purpose of weeding was so the trees will be able to get a sufficient amount of nutrients. Sometimes, we would accidentally dig up a worm’s home or pull out a canteen which hosts a colony of ants.

The natural environment was amazing. Aside from weeding and planting, we also had a lot of fun amongst ourselves as we met many different people.

We met a many people who were passionate about saving the environment.

A tour around the entire park was given, and the scenery was stunning. Along the paths, there Fun at the Family Fun Festival were different past pictures of the park which left me Yiwen Huang, dedicated member in shock. It was hard to believe that the dirty Is there anything better to do on Sunday than sleeping on the couch with the TV on? Well put on junkyard park of the past had turned into such a your shoes and experience a type of fun you’ve missed since kindergarten.

The event was organized beautiful park of the present. There was a worker by the non-profit community arts organization, Puppetry Arts. It was held on April 28, from 11 A.M. to 4 there that had been there to see the change, which P.M. on 4th Street at 5th Avenue near the park at the Old Stone House. This event was opened to the really showed his commitment to his work. He said public and more than 100 people showed up. They bought tickets at the front and used them to do all that a lot of volunteers helped make it happen which really proved that the simplest attempts to kinds of activities such as arcade games, arts and craft, bouncy house, and cookie decorating. help the environment can result in such a beautiful I volunteered at the carnival games, where children had to try their best to throw sandbags and thing. knock down cans. At first I felt awkward cheering on a child that I’ve never met before. Later on, This event was great in that we were able to however, I slowly got used to it and believed that it was alright for me to cheer them on with their help restore the natural environment. Sabrina Law parents. We would also cheer them up if their attempt wasn’t successful.

After two hours of helping children, it was lunch time. We were given free lunch voucher from the agreed with our thoughts. “The scenery was event manager, so my friend and I went to the tent that served Halal food. However, I didn’t really have beautiful. It was a great environment to work in," she remarked, recalling the setting of the event. time to eat since there were children showing up every 10 seconds to play the game.

By the end of the day, I felt so drawn into this job that I didn’t want to leave. When my friends came to tell me that my shift was over, I stayed for a while for fun. Soon, volunteers from New York Cares came and we explained to them how to monitor the job and make the children happy. At the end I went home knowing that volunteering is a great way to help the community and have fun at the same time.

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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT:

monthly recognition to Key Club Extraordinaires

In a club as large as our own, it is important to recognize those who are dedicated, and those who go above and beyond the call and role of a member. That is why it is vital we recognize a familiar face in the crowd during various Key Club meetings and events.

For the Month of May 2012:

XIDA ZOU!

Dedicated member since 2009 Scrapbook Committee Chair 2011-2012 Perfect attendance of all meetings during the 2011-2012 service year

"He never had senioritis, the signs of a true key clubber. He has committed sooooo much to the club with leadership, creativity, and leadership."

-- Amanda Tam, President

"Xida spent all year using his creativity to turn others into superheros but he never stepped into the limelight. I remember him working diligently on the scrapbook during meetings and before elections.

The pages truly demonstrated the spirit of our club. Here's to Superhero Xida!"

-- Victoria Li, Immediate Past President

"Xida was very accepting of me, even though I nearly forced myself into his personal space when I first met him.

Though he maintains a very sarcastic voice, I think you will find both a dedicated Key Clubber and a wonderful person within :)" -- William Yu, dedicated Member

"Aww, I love Xida, but he's such a bully to me. I guess you can say he [is] a like a brother to me."

--Kevin Chen, dedicated member

“I always ask Xida, jokingly, to be my shopping buddy, because he’s so feminine sometimes.

He’s really fun to be around and a great guy in general. He’s dedicated to an extreme extent, and was always working on the scrapbook before its deadline. Hes one of those people I am really glad I met through keyclub.”

--Jessica Chan, Public Editor

The Newsletter Staff Jessica Chan Editor

AMANDA TAM Club President JAEHWI KWON Vice President

Connie Liang Public Relations Committee Chair

LAWRENCE CHEN Secretary

Qing Lin Public Relations Committee Chair Valued Contributors: Kevin Chen, Yiwen Huang, Jaehwi Kwon, Christine Lim, Helen Leu, Lisa Liu, Tanvir Islam, Lily Ma, Paul Nam, Tiffany Ng, Jasmine Quindala, Nathalie Qin, and Katie Xue Thank you so much for submitting to the newsletter. Do not think I did not appreciate your work if it did not appeared in this issue. All other articles have been submitted to the divisional or district newsletter. It has gone on, so look out for when those are released! 

Email us @ bxsciencekeyclub@gmail.com

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ROMAN MONDAL Treasurer JESSICA CHAN Editor