March Newsletter

KEY FACTS March 2015

The official newsletter of the Cypress Woods High School Key Club

Time for

T-O DCON 2015

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President’s Letter Welcoming new president, Leia George

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Perspectives

Preparing for DCON 2015

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Code of Conduct Dress to impress at DCON

Volume 3, Issue 11 April 5, 2015

IN THIS ISSUE...

3 PRESIDENT’S LETTER 4 DCON 2015 PREVIEW 6 PREPARING FOR DCON

DRESS CODE 8 LOOKING FORWARD 9 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, First let me tell you I am so excited to be next year’s president.

We had our elections in February and I’m not bragging, but we have a great officer team for next year. This team will bring our Key Club to new heights next year, and I am so ready for that journey. I am very excited to get to know each one of you and watch how our leadership skills will grow within our club. I would also like to tell you a little bit about myself and who I am.

My name is Leia George, pronounced “lee-ah.” I am currently a sophomore (woohoo class of 2017!). I am a member of the Cy Woods tennis team, which usually results in me looking sweaty and gross for the afternoon meetings but I still love it. Key Club has been a very integral part of my high school career. I joined as a freshman rep and was able to tell that Key Club would stay with me for a very long time. Key Club was something that I automatically clicked with and had so much passion for. As a sophomore rep, I planned events such as the Senior Prom and helped oversee other projects as well. The events, officer meetings, and DCON have helped me to grow incredibly these past two years in my leadership skills. Through these leadership positions I knew that I was ready to take the reins and lead our club to being the best it can possibly be, which can only happen with each members support and enthusiasm.

I am also excited to tell you about the plan for next year, our 2015-2016 goals. As an officer team we are going to ramp up the amount of service projects in our community, and strive to go over and beyond, while still having fun. Also many members do not realize truly how large Key Club really is, and I want more members to be involved. I want members to be a more integrated part of our decisions, which will get us more excited about being a part of this fantastic organization. As many of you may or may not know the officer team and select members are going to be attending DCON, District Convention for Texas-Oklahoma. This convention is used to help us learn skills to lead the club in a new direction and we get ranked as a total for our year’s accomplishments. I am very excited to go to DCON with all of you who are going.

Lastly, I just want to convey my feelings about next year. Key Club is an extremely important part of my life and I hope I don’t let you down. As your president I want to make this next Key Club year an extraordinary experience for each one of us members! I want to let you know that I am always there to answer any questions and concerns that you have. I can’t wait to lead this club to new places, and I can only do that through your continued support!

Yours in service,

Leia George 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

The countdown to The guidelines to prepare for DCON 2015 Gina Zhang

DCON

Historian

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f you have checked your calendar, you probably realized that DCON is less than three weeks away. It’s true; the time for Key Clubbers from Texas and Oklahoma to join together for this celebration of service and leadership is almost here. I am very ecstatic for this “life-changing experience” that I have heard from people who went last year. This is an opportunity that will definitely strengthen my Key Club spirit and allow me to see beyond the border of just my local Key Club. Meeting new friends is another thing I look forward to; it’s a chance to make new connections with high schools that might not be from my division.

There’s the possibility of making a few long-term friends outside my regular boundaries. With those from other clubs in Texas and Oklahoma, we can get advice and exchange ideas with each other on how to improve Key Club. I can feel that this convention will make a lasting impact on the rest of my high school career.

I plan on preparing for my first time at DCON by reading through the schedule and checking out the different contests. Probably the event I am most curious about is the Governor’s Ball. The schedule says that it is casual wear, but I have never heard of a ball that was not formal. It

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Cy Woods Key Club at DCON 2014

is going to be interesting to see how the event plays out.

My packing list for DCON is simple: my luggage will include two professional attire outfits and three casual outfits. I am going to pair a basic dress with a black blazer and also pair a pencil skirt with a matching blouse as my professional wear outfits. As for casual outfits, I plan on taking a nice pair of jeans paired with a couple of T-shirts. I will also pack dress shoes, good walking shoes, a couple of snacks, and toiletries.

Since I am club historian, I am participating in the scrapbook

contest. The convention offers both a nontraditional and a traditional scrapbook competition. I chose the nontraditional one, because making a 3D presentation seems more interesting to do. Somehow, I will make the 3D scrapbook reflect the Jurassic Park theme they chose for this year. The materials I plan on using are clay, sand, wire, etc. to create a scene that accurately captures the moments in wildlife. I’m very excited for my first DCON, and I hope that I have a great experience there.

DCON 2K15 is almost here.

A freshman representative looks forward to DCON James Keiser

Freshman Representative

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CON is the Texas-Oklahoma District Convention that is held in Dallas every year. I am really looking forward to meeting people from all over our region and learning new things. I also want to see all the contest entries and how big all of the other Key Clubs are. I hope to go to DCON all four years that I will be in Key Club.

I have recently become a Builders Club representative and I am interested to learn more about that position and how I can do my very best at it. I want to work in the position correctly and to learn how to be a great leader and to benefit my Key Club and Builders Club. I am looking forward to being with my friends and staying with them. I’m also excited to get close with people in

our Key Club and meet people from other Key Clubs in the region. The talent show is something I think will be very fun to watch and hopefully our Key Club will be able to win this year’s talent show. I am a member of making the video this year for one of the contests, and really hope I will excel at doing so.

My sister went to DCON all four years she was at Cypress Woods High School and I can always tell she had a good time; she always came back with a smile on her face and stories to tell. I want to be able to do the same thing when I come home from DCON. Overall, I just want to have a good time that I can remember forever. I want to be able to hear about members from other schools and tell them about service projects

they have done in the past. I also would like to do service projects with clubs from other schools and be able to make friends within the TexasOklahoma region.

I think DCON will be really exciting and a great experience to learn from, and hopefully I will be able to take the things I learn from DCON to our Key Club and better it for the future. I think DCON will benefit Key Club next year through training, new education, and stories to tell younger or newer members who haven’t been to DCON before.

If you have the opportunity to go to DCON, I recommend doing so. What you learn at DCON for the rest of your life and to help to improve your Key Club with the skills you hone.

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Dress for Success.

Tips to stay within the dress code at DCON 2015 Grace Teoh

Builders Club Representative

M

y sophomore year was my first year attending DCON. Officers and representatives who had attended the annual district convention before had warned me of the strict dress code implemented throughout the weekend. I remember having the hardest time trying to find out which clothing items to pack and what to buy. I was extremely grateful to have known about the strict dress code, which prevented me from buying unnecessary clothing items that would have been deemed inappropriate.

First and most importantly, everyone should pack extra clothing.

He or she will most likely go through several outfits a day, due to the different events that take place and the different dress codes that must be adhered to. One’s clothing is supposed to be presentable and appropriate. Male and female students alike should bring several different outfits for the formal, semiformal, and casual events that could take place.

wear jeans; however, the jeans should not have excessive rips or tears in them. The showing of excessive skin is prohibited, low cut tops are unacceptable. Key Clubbers should bring a pair of comfortable shoes to wear during the casual parts of the day. For example, during my club’s down time last year, we were able to walk around downtown Dallas with the accompaniment of chaperones.

In addition, as a club, we walked to Spaghetti Warehouse for dinner one night. It is also imperative that Key Club members bring their Key Club shirts with them. This way, members can represent their school’s club proudly.

Dress code is important because it promotes a more professional and serious atmosphere. It allows an individual to portray their expectations and their image that they want to convey. Key Club is an important international organization and has a reputation that they have to maintain. A dress code at important events and conventions can help them illustrate what they represent Professional Attire: Casual Attire: and what they want to show others.

For men, bring several dress shirts.

Dress code is strict during casual More importantly, a dress code It is recommended that they wear a events as well. No pajamas or “lazy” allows to them to put their best foot tie for a more polished look. Whether day clothes should be worn during forward and dress for success. it be a standard neck tie or a fun bow casual events. Both girls and guys can

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tie is completely up to him. Men should stay away from jeans during the formal and semi-formal events, which are expressly prohibited in the official dress code. Instead, one should wear black or khaki dress pants. Men may opt to wear a jacket if they wish because it does tend to become chilly in parts of the hotel.

The only shoes that will be permitted during professional events are dress shoes.

Women have several options for professional dress. Women can choose to wear dresses, suits, pantsuits, or skirts with an appropriate blouse. For blouses and dresses, they must have sleeves that are at least dollar bill width. No spaghetti straps, strapless or one shoulder dresses are allowed.

An exception to that rule could be the awards ceremony, where the attire is more formal than professional.

Dresses and skirts must be at least finger tip length and no shorter.

Women should wear appropriate shoes such as heels or flats during professional events.

Defining DCON.

A peek at what DCON 2015 will look like Sharon Zhou Junior Secretary

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have a confession to make: Because of previous conflicts, I have never been to DCON. I know, I know.

You’re sitting there in front of the screen with your mouth wide open, shocked that those words are coming out of the mouth of a three-year Key Clubber who’s actively involved and has a leadership position in the club.

But wait – before you pass out from the lack of oxygen that’s currently not flowing to your brain because you’re forgetting to breathe, hear me out.

Here’s the good news, the news that will hopefully help redeem myself: I am going to DCON this year.

Let me tell you, there were a few weeks in there when I had to finagle with my orchestra director to let me go to DCON (“But I missed DCON last year to go on the orchestra trip, so shouldn’t I miss the orchestra trip this year for DCON?”), but it all

worked out in the end! I have turned in my dues and paperwork, and I am officially going to DCON. I’m so incredibly excited. There are so many things that I’m looking forward to, and here are just a few of them.

Non-Traditional Scrapbook.” There are so many interesting and unique categories out there, and it’ll be fun to see how Key Clubbers rise to the occasion.

D: Dinosaurs

As I’m sure you’re all completely aware of, the theme for this year’s DCON is Jurassic Park. I know I’ll be seeing a lot of dinosaurs and fossils. I’m sure I won’t be disappointed with all the ways Key Clubbers will infuse themselves with the “Service Adventure” spirit.

I already know that I’m going to learn about so many opportunities to turn Key Club even better than it already is. The forums are supposed to be very informative and yet highly entertaining as well! I hope I’ll be able to take advantage of these forums and make myself a better Key Clubber.

C: Contests

N: New People

I’ll admit it, I’m a competitive person. The contests at DCON are definitely going to be something I’m going to be paying attention to. I can’t wait to see all the different entries for contests like “Best T-Shirt” or “Best

O: Opportunities

Finally, I’m so excited to meet all of you. I’ve heard so many people say that the people at DCON are literally some of the nicest people out there. I can’t wait to make some new friends.

An example of proper dress code for professional events

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CONTRIBUTIONS PHOTOS

ARTICLE AUTHORS

ARTICLES

JAMES KEISER GRACE TEOH GINA ZHANG SHARON ZHOU

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

LEIA GEORGE

KEY FACTS CYPRESS WOODS HIGH SCHOOL KEY CLUB MARCH 2015