September Newsletter

KEY FACTS September 2014

The official newsletter of the Cypress Woods High School Key Club

Training for Success 3

President’s Letter Natasha’s plans for involving all members

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Upcoming Events Check out what Key Club is doing right now

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Perspectives

Division 3’s Fall Training Conference was a success

Volume 3, Issue 5 October 5, 2014

IN THIS ISSUE...

3 PRESIDENT’S LETTER 4 UPCOMING EVENTS 5 BALANCING ACT

CREATING FUN MEETINGS 7 FALL TRAINING 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 Bobby Thakkar

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

A letter from your

Club President Dear Fellow Key Clubbers, I would like to thank each member for contributing to the progress we have already made this year, building on the foundation of our predecessors. Within the first two weeks of school, our club has been able to provide the community with over one hundred hours of service, all thanks to you. Many members fail to see their importance in such a large club, but I cannot reiterate it enough - YOU, as an individual, are a part of something much larger, and without you we’d be short of one awesome Key Clubber. With this being said, each Key Clubber is responsible to stay informed about their club’s activities.

Currently, we are planning on creating our very first social committee. As explained at the general meeting, the committee will consist of several randomly chosen members. During the two weeks of their duty, responsibilities include coming up with food, games and music for general meetings. If the participating members choose to, they have the freedom to plan socials outside of meetings as well.

Regardless of what activities the committee comes up with, the officer team will be in charge of creating the annual lock-in, as well as the ice cream social. The purpose of this committee is get our members more involved in club decisions. This is not my club; it’s yours! Not only is serving on the committee a great stepping stone into becoming a future officer, but it also provides you with the experience needed in many group settings.

Furthermore, another key topic that was addressed at our last meeting was freshman representative application forms. This opportunity is available to all our freshman friends! All you have to do is fill out an application, and after your application has been reviewed, you will be asked to schedule an interview with the Rep Coordinator, VP, and myself. Knowing that each Key Clubber is special in their own way, it hurts me to know that we are limited to choosing only a few applicants. I wish the best of luck to each of our applicants, and I look forward to meeting you at your interview. For those of you who do not know, the responsibilities of a representative include writing monthly articles, attending rep meetings and managing some of our events. This is a great opportunity for you to improve on your leadership skills, and I encourage each of you to apply!

Yours in service,

Natasha Solanki President of Cypress Woods Key Club

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Upcoming Events Family Fun Night October 17 4:00 to 10:30 p.m.

Adam Elementary

Riata Ranch Fall Festival October 18 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Riata Ranch Pool Center

Wee Wuns Fall Festival October 25 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

13403 Cypress North Houston Rd CONCESSIONS Freshman/JV Football Thursdays 4:45 to 8:45 p.m.

Dyess Park Weekends through October shifts from 7:30/9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Goodson Football Tuesdays 4:15 to 7:30 p.m.

Spillane Football Tuesdays 4:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Spillane Volleyball Thursdays 4:15 to 6:30 p.m.

Facebook: “Cy Woods Key Club” Email: cywoodskeyclub@gmail.com Twitter: @CyWoodsKeyClub Instagram: @cywoodskeyclub Website: www. cywoodskeyclub.wix.com/home/home Be sure to check signupgenius & Facebook regularly for new event opportunities!

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Finding a Balance.

The struggle to balance responsibilities with Key Club.

Ashley Butterfield

Builders Club Representative

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rying to balance school, extracurricular activities, and Key Club can be extremely stressful.

This year especially has proven to be the most difficult year so far, and we are only a few weeks in. For me, prioritizing is the most important thing while planning how to approach things so that everything gets done.

Personally, school is my number one priority. I always make sure that everything school-related is done first before a tackle the extra activities. Being in charge of Builders Club has proven to be a challenge, but an exciting one that will benefit me in the long run - I just have to get through the stress first. With emails constantly needing to be read and written, re-chartering to accomplish, and planning and conducting meetings, being in charge

of a club is very time-consuming and can sometimes overtake my life outside of school. Before I know it, I have spent hours replying to parents and planning future activities, with homework waiting to be completed. I constantly have to keep in mind that school comes first; while Builders Club is extremely important, if I do not take my studies seriously, the club would suffer.

In order to manage my stress and time, I work out exactly how much time I have for each task. So if I have a test, I allot at least thirty minutes for that subject before I move on to the next subject. If I have extra time at the end I will look over the test material again until I feel comfortable with the material. Then and only then do I do extra activities. This includes that clubs I am involved

in and time for friends. Weekends, however, can be hard to plan. Friends constantly want to hang out, family dinners to attend, and guess what else? Homework. Sunday is devoted to family and school work. So I still have time Friday and Saturday to have a life outside of school.

Stress is something that I constantly have to deal with. One little thing goes wrong and before you know it I am so stressed I just want to sit and cry. Sad, but true. This is where time management has a vital part in stress and health. If time is properly managed, stress levels will go down and health will go up. Sounds simple enough, right? Not so much, but it is something that I am working on and is something that everyone should work on that wants to have a somewhat stress free life.

Grace Teoh, Naomi Zavala, Stephanie Dao, Nick Nguyen, Christina Lam, Sharon Zhou and Jacque Chan at the FTC

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The Balance Point.

Juggling Key Club with other duties.

Gina Zhang Historian

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hink of a balance beam, but multiply the number of weighing platforms by five. Now you have an accurate portrayal of the lives of most high school students. The point is, there are so many things we throw on top of our academics: extra-curricular activities, jobs, social lives. It’s hard not to feel stressed out at one point or another during your high school year. After all, most of your future depends on how well you do during these four years. For Key Clubbers, finding that balance point that allows us to be an active member of Key Club and maintain decent grades simultaneously is a challenge not every high school student can undertake. But luckily there are tips we can follow to relieve some of that overbearing pressure and better manage our time.

You might have that one friend that’s always super busy, but ends

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up being fine without having to stress about any of it. The secret is making a list of things you need to do so that you manage your time well. If something is forgotten, such as a US history test you totally forgot to study for, it only builds up to the stress you might already have. Create a daily schedule that lists everything you need done in all seven of your classes, and remember to also put on there the days your volunteering and the days you have club meetings, etc. This way you’ll stay organized and caught up on everything you need to finish. Be sure not to cram a bunch of work on one day alone, but instead, spread it out so that the ones with deadlines are done before they’re due and the others can be evenly dispersed throughout the week. This step only takes about five minutes, but makes a huge difference in relieving some of that inevitable

stress.

Volunteering can lower your stress level. It gives you a break from your everyday life and distracts you from the stress you are facing. By going in to volunteer, you will become focused on what you are doing in that moment, leaving behind any other problems you might have.

Sometimes you might find that your stress completely disappears after changing a few lives, and realize that the thing you’re stressing over is probably not even worth worrying about. By interacting with people in the outside world by listening to their stories and attending to their needs, you can take your mind off your own problems. Key Clubbers serving the community and gaining the feeling that we’ve really made a difference creates a more positive attitude that becomes our balance point.

Entertaining Members.

The guide to perfect club meetings.

Christina Lam

Junior Representative

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s much as we hate to believe it, some club meetings just are not that fun. “Ugh, not again! Another Key Club meeting?!” is an unfortunate thought that haunts most, if not all, of our minds when we see “Key Club Meeting” has been etched down next to 6:45/2:45 in our planners. When a Key Club meeting rolls around, however, the last thing we want is people dreading it. Members usually radiate a funeral-like aura as if the joy has been sucked out of them by the most powerful of vacuums.

Although it may seem impossible to flip the situation, there are many ways to turn the boring meeting into an exciting get-together. From

fun icebreakers to the tiny details of food and music creating a lively environment, Key Club meetings will eventually become event that people look forward to attending.

Icebreakers. Some people hate them with a passion (and to be honest, I used to be among that group) while others prefer playing a lighthearted game to sitting in a room bored.

After participating in and witnessing a variety of creative icebreakers, I have realized that they work. They spawn laughter like crazy and create a kind of “what are we doing?” unity.

Not only do they spice up meetings, but they help meet other members.

Having different icebreakers for each

meeting keeps things from getting boring and give people a bit of fun to anticipate.

Sitting in a room of silence with a hundred other people is awkward and boring. Turn up the music and suddenly… it’s a party! Music will awaken the sleepy from a hard morning or an insipid day of school.

Members can send in requests so songs played will be what they like and not only at the discretion of one person’s taste in music. It’ll break the silence, making the meetings less dormant and more active.

If the things listed above don’t work, there is one sure thing that will attract all the boys (and girls and basically everyone) to the yard… free food! This a 100% guarantee, fool-proof way to attract new members and keep current members interested. When trying to figure out what foods to buy, consider the time of the meeting.

While mini muffins and fruit trays are best for morning meetings, foods like cookies or chips should be kept for the afternoon.

Just because a meeting is mandatory, productive, and full of important information does not mean it needs to be boring, Key Club meetings can be fun too if we only put a bit more thought into our “party” planning!

Members should be leaving these meetings eager for the next time.

Students before the first general meeting of the year, which had over 140 people in attendance

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WHAT A

WONDERFUL

Division 3’s Fall Training Conference was a huge success.

WORLD

Nick Nguyen Webmaster

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e our guest! The FTC was once again a major success in the Key Club community.

Following the theme of Disney and magical fairy tales, the officers, representatives and lieutenant governors of each division gather in a very special place and celebrate the joys of volunteering. For many of you that do not know what FTC stands for, it is an acronym for Fall Training Conference where all Key Club members meet up to discuss new ideas, share stories, and teach each other the true meaning of service. In a way, the FTC is like a mini-DCON. Usually, the conference begins with a few introductory words

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by the lieutenant governors and higher ups. After the welcoming, the different schools divide up and go to forums ranging from icebreakers to designing the Key Club website. The forums are a place to display ideas and service projects which other clubs can use and vice versa. Concentrated with loyal and enthusiastic members, forums accommodate everyone and make everyone feel part of the Key Club family. For example, the icebreaker forum featured games and activities that involved everyone. The icebreakers also play a role in breaking the social barrier between schools and help produce and genial atmosphere of

kindness and respect.

After forums, the LTGs directed the crowd in performing a service project. Gathered in the cafeteria, hundreds of Key Clubbers cut wool into blankets for children at the Children’s Hospital and made plarn. With all the members working on a specific task and combined effort, the sense of completion and cohesion begins to form. Reinforcing the idea of togetherness and unity, Key Club members all have the same goal in mind when performing the service projects.

Once the service project comes to an end, everybody rushes to the auditorium, where a guest speaker

Photo by: Shannon Steele

usually gives an awe inspiring speech that gets everyone pumped about serving and volunteering.

The guest speaker this time was a member who used Key Club to cope with her difficult situation at home and declining health.

Touching the hearts of every member in the room, she explained that volunteering was not just about hours or getting credit but a chance to touch someone’s life and change the community for the better. Receiving a standing ovation, the guest speaker then opens the floor up to fun and energy.

The end of FTC comprises of fun and games. We played Perfect

Match, a game that helps you find your pseudo soul mate and played jeopardy on Key Club related subjects. Ending the conference with a bang, all the members stood up and sang the famous song “Let it Go” from Disney’s Frozen. Both place of seriousness and fun, FTC is a wonderful place to see new faces, collaborate with different schools that share the same views, and basically have a good time helping others.

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CONTRIBUTIONS COVER PHOTO

CHRISTINA LAM

PHOTOS

SHANNON STEELE CHRISTINA LAM ASHLEY KAWAKUBO

ARTICLES

ASHLEY BUTTERFIELD CHRISTINA LAM NICK NGUYEN GINA ZHANG

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

NATASHA SOLANKI

KEY FACTS CYPRESS WOODS HIGH SCHOOL KEY CLUB SEPTEMBER 2014