December Newsletter

KEY FACTS December 2014

The official newsletter of the Cypress Woods High School Key Club

HOLIDAYSERVICE

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President’s Letter Welcome back to 2015, Key Club members

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DCON 2015

Get a sneak peek at District Convention 2015

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Perspectives

Resolutions for the new year

Volume 3, Issue 8 January 5, 2015

IN THIS ISSUE...

3 PRESIDENT’S LETTER 4 DCON 2015 PREVIEW 6 HOLIDAY SPIRIT

WORKING TOGETHER 7 KEY RESOLUTIONS 8 CREDITS 10

Contact Information Cy Woods Key Club Officers President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Editor Representative Coordinator Historian Webmaster Junior Secretary K-Family Board

Natasha Solanki Matt Faga Jacque Chan Ashley Kawakubo Shannon Steele Kishan Solanki Gina Zhang Nick Nguyen Sharon Zhou Ashley Butterfield Grace Teoh Naomi Zavala Madelin Cowden Richa Patel Trenton Bird Daniel Campos

natasha.solanki@hotmail.com mattcfaga@me.com jacque.chan1019@gmail.com

(281) 904-7873 (713) 449-3307 (832) 349-4198

shannonjsteele@gmail.com kitchishere@gmail.com gina_zhang2008@hotmail.com nick.erik2010@yahoo.com happysharonzh@yahoo.com ashleybutterfield97@gmail.com gracelvo@gmail.com naomizavala@icloud.com madelin11@live.com richa928@hotmail.com

(409) 767-5316 (281) 904-8652 (832) 773-3228 (281) 849-4885 (281) 346-9218 (281) 312-9706 (832) 298-4772 (281) 974-7152

Division 3N Lieutenant Governor Amy Jiang

Cypress Falls

amyjiang.kc@gmail.com

Texas-Oklahoma District Staff Governor Secretary Treasurer Editor Convention Liaison Tech Producer

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Kaitlyn Wilson Samuel Kinnin Colin Gonzalez Emily Zhao Andrew Loh Bobby Thakkar

governor@tokeyclub.com secretary@tokeyclub.com treasurer@tokeyclub.com editor@tokeyclub.com cl@tokeyclub.com

A letter from your

Club President Dear Key Clubbers, Happy 2015! We have officially entered winter (well, as much winter as Texas has) and have a few more months of cool weather. With a wonderful winter break behind us, it is time to reflect on the first semester and prepare for the second. No matter what you have going on this semester, whether it be STAAR tests, AP exams, choir concerts, school plays, or even graduation, remember to save some time for Key Club. As much as we have done as a club these past few months, I know we can do even more in 2015. However, that is only possible if we have help from each and every member; it is your responsibility to stay current on your hours and turn in forms as soon as possible. Also, let us know about any possible events or ideas you might have.

This is your club as much as it is mine, and I would like you to be involved in it.

We have so much going on this semester, including officer elections. While I will speak more about this at our next meeting, I would like to invite every member to at least apply for a position. Running for club office is the first step to becoming more involved in Key Club and can even lead to bigger, more involved positions outside of our school club. Stay tuned for more information, including how to apply and deadlines, which will be available soon.

I hope you had an enjoyable break, whether you stayed at home or traveled. As we all venture back to school to take on another semester, remember to think of Key Club. Our next meeting will be January 12. I will see you all there!

Yours in service,

Natasha Solanki President of Cypress Woods Key Club

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TAKE A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE

DCON 2015 WHEN? April 9 - 12 WHERE? Sheraton Hotel, Dallas, TX WHO? T-O Key Clubbers WHAT? A weekend of adventure, fun and leadership 4

What’s the THEME? Prepare for an epic adventure through a jurassic land! Like the film Jurassic Park, Key Clubbers will spend four days “training” for the sensational - and possibly dangerous events to come.

What to expect: - Games - Service fair - Forums - District elections - Contests - New friends

Giving during the holidays.

Incorporating holiday spirit into service Gina Zhang Historian

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his time of year, the community buzzes with service opportunities. Spreading the holiday spirit does not stop at giving gifts; the simplest acts of kindness can make somebody’s Christmas be a good one. As a club this month, we wanted to give back to the community by organizing a few simple projects.

Writing letters to veterans is a great way to reach out to those who might not get to enjoy Christmas with their families. Besides the usual “thank you for your service” note, try writing about a funny story or talk about anything going on in your life. This will show soldiers that they are actually impacting real lives of everyday school teens, and it will make them feel like they have a more personal connection with the people whom they are out fighting for and protecting. Basically, try to write something more creative than the common “thank you for being brave” response (though still keep that part too). As a club this month, everyone wrote a letter to a soldier or veteran.

The room fell quiet for a few minutes as over a hundred students started writing and decorating their cards for strangers. In the end, we had a huge stack of Christmas cards to send out.

Another great way to spread holiday joy is by baking for a hospital or retirement center. Get together with your fellow Key Clubbers at

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Key Clubber makes decorations at a lock-in

someone’s house sometime over the break. Decorating holiday adorned cupcakes or cookies can be really fun.

You get to donate something simple to those less fortunate and at the same time spend time with friends.

Children at the hospital or seniors at the retirement center would feel gracious accepting something homemade by the hands of people who care.

Making Christmas or New Year’s decorations from scratch can also lighten up the mood in places such as an animal shelter or a children’s hospital. You don’t have to go out to the store and buy a bunch of expensive items to put together

something nice. With simple colored paper and a pair of scissors, you can create snowflakes, snowmen, paper ornaments, etc. These embellishments would surely make residents at a hospital or retirement center feel the holiday spirit, too.

Probably one of the most common donation opportunities offered at this time of year is the toy drive. Do not hesitate to participate in this activity!

Open up the box of childhood toys you might have stuffed in your closet since the fifth grade and pick out the ones that look somewhat new.

Contributing is easy, and what is Christmas without toys to a little kid anyways?

Forming connections.

Working with other school clubs to maximize service Shannon Steele Editor

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ith so much happening at school, students have no shortage of volunteer opportunities.

From sports concessions to debate tournaments, there seems to always be something going on that requires help. However, at a school with four large service organizations – Key Club, Interact, Student Council and National Honor Society – there can be instances where events must be shared between multiple clubs. As much as it might seem like the best idea is to stay completely separate, clubs can serve more when working

together.

Perhaps one of the biggest mistakes to make is attempting to commandeer a large event with just one club. For instance, if a certain event occurs on a weekend and requires 100 volunteers, it is unrealistic that all of the volunteers will come from Key Club. Get in touch with the sponsors of other clubs and reach out for help, providing them with ample time to find people. There is nothing wrong with asking for help, especially if it means the event will succeed. After all, the last thing anyone wants is an unhappy event organizer who only gets half of the volunteers requested.

The most important thing is to remain in contact with other clubs, whether it be once a week or once a month, to check in on what events they are doing.

That way, you avoid accidentally planning the same fundraiser for the Students work together to decorate a community center same week. Our

club is lucky to have both the NHS president and an Interact officer as representatives. This makes it easy to coordinate certain events from the beginning of the planning process while allowing the other clubs to talk about their own events.

It is this connection that prevents miscommunication between clubs and allows ideas to be shared.

Serving the community is the main goal of Key Club, so organize a large event with the help of multiple clubs, like a park cleanup or Food Bank visit. Certain events need more planning and volunteers than others. Plus, by including a variety of clubs, you bring together a variety of people who might not get a chance to know each other.

Also, the more people involved, the greater the impact on the community.

No matter the number of school organizations, always be sure to connect with the leaders of other clubs. Unless Key Club is the only service club at your school, there will be times when you have to work with other clubs to get the job done and serve the community.

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Contemplating what can be done differently in the new year Nick Nguyen Webmaster

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he bustling season of Christmas has now passed. What follows, however, is much more magical and momentous: the New Year, a fresh new page for new beginnings and new hope for change, is a special occasion that is celebrated throughout the world as the ball drops or as the fireworks explodes or as the clocks strikes 12. New Year resolutions are promises that I make to myself to better myself over the New Year – personal promises as well as Key Club promises.

I promise to uphold the Objects of Key Club International. Recently, Cypress Woods Key Club has started to say the pledge at every meeting, instilling in me and fellow members a sense of pride and passion. The objects of Key Club International are few but difficult to upkeep. The will to lead and initiate events are some

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of the hardest to achieve. I believe leading is not solely reserved to the president but to all the members.

Being a part of Key Club means leading people in the community and school to do better and help others through acts of service and genuine kindness. All these values combine and sum up to being a good citizen, another object of the pledge. I will also pass down my knowledge and experience as a senior and a 3rd term Webmaster to my future successor.

In order to keep the operations of Key Club running smoothly even after the seniors graduate, the current members including myself must put 100% in training our young ones and guiding them towards the right Key Club path.

I promise to build my home, school, and community. Key Club is a powerful influence that has

helped me make amazing lifelong friendships and kept me in touch with my community. Making me a good communicator and selfless young man, Key Club has inspired me to achieve more and perform more. I will also promise to spread the word of such success and combat any force that try to undermine this institution.

In order to fulfill this goal, I promise to work diligently to find new and important service opportunities to allow the club to truly give back to the community.

These are my resolutions the year 2015. Feel free to borrow or adopt my resolutions, for Key Club after all is a hub of ideals, events, and friends helping friends. Remember, your life, like any project, must always start with a plan, so why not start now?

Grace Teoh

Builders Club Representative

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ew Years. A day for new beginnings and fresh starts. As people watch their television waiting for the little silver ball to drop, as colorful fireworks explode in the air marking the festivities, and as the countdown begins, people across the world buzz with excitement for what the New Year may bring. The start of the year is filled with hopes, dreams and goals. Old and young alike try to fulfill a resolution, whether it be make better grades, become healthier, save money, etc. Whether they actually fulfill it or not is up to them.

My New Year’s resolution in regards to Key Club is to become a more active officer. I am currently a junior, and this year has been hectic. With my AP and Dual Credit

classes, homework, job and other responsibilities, my extracurricular activities had been moved to the back burner. However, I want to change that. I did not purposefully mean for my extracurricular activities to move further towards the end of my priority list, but it just happened. And just because they are further down, it does not mean that I have not been doing my duties as an officer. I just feel like I can offer so much more.

At the start of the next semester, I want to become more active. I want to be able to go to more volunteer opportunities and socials. I have been able to volunteer this semester at many events, but not as many as I thought I would. Additionally, this semester I have not been able to

attend that many socials due to my full schedule, but next year I want to make time for those events where I can meet and hang out with other people in Key Club, whether it be the officers or the members or even from other Key Clubs in our district. I want to get to know my fellow officers and reps better, especially when DCON comes around.

My main goal is to dedicate more time to the club. I want to be able to find events that we can do., or figure out ways to make Key Club better. There is always room for improvement, and the only way to achieve more is to make a commitment to do more.

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CONTRIBUTIONS COVER PHOTO

SHANNON STEELE

PHOTOS

ARTICLE AUTHORS

ARTICLES

NICK NGUYEN SHANNON STEELE GRACE TEOH GINA ZHANG

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

NATASHA SOLANKI

KEY FACTS CYPRESS WOODS HIGH SCHOOL KEY CLUB DECEMBER 2014