Newsletter 2022-2023 Volume 11.10

THE KIWI

BRONX SCIENCE KEY CLUB

"Younger you is so proud of who you are becoming!"

- Jeongwon Lee

True or False

Hey all! Quick True or False Question!

Bamboo is the slowest-growing plant on the planet.

If you want to know the answer, read this newsletter to the end! ;)

Editor's Note

Hello Key Clubbers~~

Your newsletter is here again!�� LTC is coming up, which means that this service year is about to end. I only have two more newsletters to write in my year, which really makes me feel bittersweet. I will be honest with you; there were times I was stressed out about writing newsletters—because I had this job in the busiest year of my life —but I truly appreciated being able to serve in this position where I was faced with so many opportunities and amazing people. I think I should be saying this in March when the service year will actually end, but I recently began to realize how little time I have left to be able to write my thoughts in my newsletter. So, I decided to just say everything while I can. I appreciate all of you, but especially our Coheads. I constantly tell Shiya how amazing our Coheads are (you guys can ask her LOL). You guys are one of the most warmhearted, passionate, and hardworking people I’ve ever met who helped our club THRIVE this service year. I was also really touched by how supportive you guys were of each other during the elections instead of getting jealous or upset. Please continue being amazing people even after I leave, and I am so excited to see your future journeys in Key Club and beyond. :))

I think I talked too much, so now you can go enjoy the newsletter. We had many fun events in January including the Kitchen Project, which I went to as a chaperone. :)) Kevin and I both wrote articles for it, so go check out!! We also had Ice Skating Fundraiser, so go check out all the lovely pictures taken that day! Ok, now go enjoy the newsletter. Love you all~~����

Warmest Regards,

Jeongwon Lee '23

Webmaster/Bulletin Editor

Fundraising Update

MEMBER OF THE MONTH

January Edition

MOK JACEY '24

Jacey is a great person, she’s kind, hardworking, and super easy to talk to. When I first met her, it didn’t feel like meeting someone new, she simply makes the space around her feel like home. In fact, none of my friends knew her but laughing with her felt so natural that we all had to confirm whether she was someone we met for the first time. I feel Jacey embodies the idea of inclusivity. As someone who finds it hard to start a conversation, Jacey easily bridged that gap between us and I can see her bridging gaps between others as well. Even when I lost my voice, she whipped out a pen and tiny post-its, ready to give it back to me. She makes those around her feel heard and welcomed, making her the perfect key clubber to be Member of the Month.

I first met Jacey at the Light the Night event, and she was sooo friendly and approachable! Now I see her at our club meetings, or just randomly around the school building, and she always has a big smile on her face and spreads positive vibes to people around her. I also know that she went out of her way to help us lower the price of our merch, which we really appreciated. Jacey is a naturally friendly and inclusive person, who is always willing to help and support those around her. For these reasons and more, I think she really deserves to be the member of the month!

CONGRATS Jacey! You deserve this position so much.:)

- Jeongwon Lee '23

- Mandy Lim '23

January Events

1/7/23: Pack Emergency and Relief Supplies t Bronx

1/8/23: NYCRUNS FROZEN PENGUIN 5K

1/8/23: Karaoke Fundraiser

1/14/23: Mott Haven Fridge

1/16/23: Day of Service

1/21/23: Thrift Store Volunteering

1/22/23: 25th New Year Firecracker Festival

1/28/23: Red Hook Composting

1/29/23: Kitchen Projects

1/30/23: BXSCI x BTHS x STUY Ice Skating Fundraiser

NYCRUNS FROZEN PENGUIN 5K 1/8/23

On Sunday, January 8th, 2023, my friend and I went to an event called NYCRUNS Frozen Penguin 5k. The event was about people registering for a 5K(3.1 miles) run, racing to be first or having a fun time with friends at 9 in the morning. The volunteers had to arrive at the event(at central park, and we live in Queens) at 6 am, and to make it in time; we had to wake up at 4-5 am. Once we arrived at the event destination, the project leader was late, so we couldn’t sign in until 6:30 am, but we started volunteering at 6 am. My friend and I were assigned with some other bxsci key club members to bag management. We organized runners ’ bags, tagged the bags with the runner ’ s number and put them into sections so the runners won’t have to run with a bag on their pack. Then we would return the bag to the runner right after the race. In the end, some of our bxsci members could take three bags full of bagels because they were working at the food/water distribution area, and there were a lot of bagels left over. We decided to take photos of the event with everyone holding a bagel and take off in our directions afterward. I would recommend attending these events if you love standing and watching people run and live nearby the area because waking up extremely early isn’t fun. Also, try going during the spring season when the weather is nice because sometimes these events, the weather can be freezing.

- Benjamin Lin '24

Mott H Frid

After I got off the 39 bus, I was greeted by a biting, chilling wind. I had come slightly underdressed in the cold but it was too late to go home. At the event, there were two groups, one making sandwiches and one unboxing vegetable. I chose the latter, in order to move around a bit more and generate a little heat. However, most people were like-minded and the goods were packaged in about 30 minutes. I went over to the place where people were making sandwiches and made them until about 11:30 AM. They were simple sandwiches, two pieces of bread, sunflower butter on one side and grape jelly on the other. Towards the end of the event, we put the goods into other volunteers’ cars so they could deliver them to their respective neighborhoods. Although it was cold, it was fine because we knew that people would be fed today.

(Little side story: William Loh only came in a sweater for some reason so we M h ll nd he managed to borrow a coat for free basically)

- Benjamin Huang

'2

Haven dge 4/23

The Mott Haven Fridge event was very unique from the other events I attended. First off, it was my first time ever WALKING to an event since it was so close to my house. I walked with Kevin Fu and got to spend time just talking and catching up about high school. When we got there, I was shocked to realize that the event was outdoors in the freezing cold. What was funnier was that it was also snowing so everyone was volunteering as well as hogging the heat packs they were distributing. Overall, I truly enjoyed the time I got to spend talking to my friends and also appreciated the rare cardio I got when walking to and from the event.

- Darien Lu '25

Day of Service

On January 16th, I attended the Day of Service event. It turned out to be a lot of fun!

I was expecting to work outside, but we ended up spending the majority of our time indoors (which, honestly, was all the better– it was really chilly that day.) I rotated between stations with my friends– first, we welcomed the kids who were arriving to the event, second, we colored with them, making paintings based on inspirational quotes- “how does this make you feel?”- and finally, we gave out daffodil bulbs and little plant pots, along with detailed instructions on how to care for them. There was also a station where volunteers scooped up spices and folded them into bags for the kids to take home– but we didn’t quite get to that. All in all, I’m so glad I ended up going to the event. It was so wholesome to see the kids running around with their daffodils, spices, and paintings in hand :).

- Mia Ortiz '26

Thrift Store Volunteering 1/21/23

I had multiple jobs at the event since we only had five people, including me. Some jobs that I did were reorganizing records, CDs, tape drives, carpets, electronics, etc. This event was memorable because we had to do a lot of work since there were not a lot of people, and we had to carry heavy things to another area. Also, we got to see a lot of old things such as typewriters, tape drives, old records, and other old electronics. It is quite interesting to see what people do before or use when they don’t have the technologies we have right now. I met some new people at this event and we were chatting about the mid-years and other things while working together. Overall, I think it was worth it of going to this event because it widened my mind and I got to meet new people.

Mingyang

-

Zhou '25

25th New Year Firecracker Festival

The 25th Annual Firecracker Festival was held in Chinatown, a place which I had not been to for at least 6 years. On the way to the event, it brought back memories from my childhood when I used to frequently go there. The event had people from a vast range of schools, from our Bronx Science to Brooklyn Tech, Francis Lewis, and some Eastwest schools. There were many tables for different toys to buy to support the event. At around 11, a lot of people were flooding into the park but as a volunteer, I was able to get into the exclusive section for journalists and VIPs only and see the event up close. Many people gave their thanks and Happy Lunar New Year including the mayor and people from his office. It was definitely an exciting event with lots of different people whom all went and celebrated the Chinese New Year.

- Benjamin Huang '26

Hook osting

Kitchen Projects

1/29/23

This event was an exciting experience. The setting was very professional and orderly, with everyone needing to wear gloves, wash their hands, and cooperate very well with each other. My job was as part of an assembly line packing food into trays, and that was a nice experience, working together as a team. The people there also told us that they were behind schedule for the week(or something like that), and we helped them catch up, which was very nice to hear ^ _ ^

- Kevin Fu '25

Words from me (Jeongwon)!

Originally, I decided to go to this event because they needed someone who is 18+ (basically, I had to be our members' chaperone :D) but I ended up actually really liking this event! Like Kevin said in his article, they had a very professional setting where we actually had to wear hair caps and gloves and everything. I had to cooperate with our members as well as people from different organizations who came to volunteer, who were sooo nice and cheerful! I helped scoop and put food into containers, as well as seal and label those containers. It was a nice experience, it made me feel good that I was taking part in helping those in need in our community.

January Fundraiser: Ice Skating Fundraiser

In January, Bronx Science, Brooklyn Tech, and Stuyvesant Key Clubs have once again collaborated to bring back our annual Ice Skating Fundraiser!!

Members from the three schools brought their friends and families to have fun after the midterms week.:))

All proceeds were donated to the Soles4Souls!

2/11/23: CUPID’S CHASE 5K

2/12/23: 25th Chinatown Lunar New Year Parade

2/18/23: Emergency Food Program

2/21/23: BXSCI x DOZO Pottery Painting Fundraiser

2/26/23: Kehilat Food Pantry

2/26/23: NYCRUNS Central Park Half Marathon & 5K

Due 2/28/23: BeanBeanBean

Check Out Upcoming Events! Sign the Petition Sets!

Petition Set #11: Preventing Child Labor / Trafficking

This month's petition set will focus on supporting immigrants and refugees. Human rights violations against immigrants and refugees can include rejection of civil and political rights like illegal arrests, violence, or a lack of due process, as well as financial, social, and cultural rights like the right to health, housing, or education. Signing petitions for causes that you believe in is one step to make change. - Public Relations Coheads, Stacy Qu '25 and Sumaya Suma '24

Petition Set #10: Providing For Immigrants and Refugees

This month's petition set will focus on supporting immigrants and refugees. Human rights violations against immigrants and refugees can include rejection of civil and political rights like illegal arrests, violence, or a lack of due process, as well as financial, social, and cultural rights like the right to health, housing, or education. Signing petitions for causes that you believe in is one step to make change.

- Public Relations Coheads, Stacy Qu '25 and Sumaya Suma '24 Click

Check our Website!

You can check all the upcoming events, fundraisers, and even petition sets on the main page of our website! (Click the bucky on the right)

Check Our Youtube!

- Watch the January Recap and Meeting Memories created by our social media Coheads Eric Leem '25 and Emily Zheng '25!

I hope you all go to many Key Club events during the mid-winter break!

I look forward to seeing you all at the meetings and events!

Answer to the True or False Quiz

The answer was False!

Bamboo is actually the fastestgrowing plant on the planet, capable of shooting up 35 inches each day at a rate of 0.00002 miles per hour, according to Guinness World Records.