November Newsletter 2022

Happy Thanksgiving! In this month of thanks, I hope all of you are able to give back to your community while also doing the little of things of showing you are grateful to your friends, family and loved ones.

Wrapping up Fall Rally, I hope all of us can go through the second half of this term with the same spirit and energy we started this term with. I am so proud of everything our club has accomplished and can’t wait to see what we do next!

President's Corner

Thank you to all of you for your dedication and hours of service that you have committed to our club! Hope to see you out there serving and smiling, suns! Best wishes :D

DevanshiKothari

Devanshi

What's poppin', OAKC!

I hope that you had an amazing break! Welcome back to another edition of the Sunspot in this November Newsletter!

I hope that you all continue serving and continue to enjoy serving. Key Club is an unforgettable experience full of fun, service, friends, and more! All in all, I do sincerely hope you grow to love this club, even after Fall Rally South, like I and many others did!

But, for now, I just want to say: you are all so incredible and I hope to get to know more of you in the future!

Hope you are ready for the December holiday cheer.

KaylinChan

OAKC Bulletin Editor 2022-2023

Kaylin Chan

KaylinChan

Sun-Spotlight

Sun-Spotlight

Hihi, everyone! My name is Kaylin Chan, and I serve as your current Bulletin Editor for 2022 2023. I make these newsletters and update our bulletin board I really enjoy meeting new people and interacting, so if you see me, don't by afraid to say "hi!" :D

Fun Fact =3=

ILOVEthecolorpurpleand ILOVELOVELOVEdark chocolate!Thisincludes everything100%cacaoand below.Butifthere'sno choco,I'llstillbesnacking.

I really love the close connections that we build here in Key Club, as well as all the interesting opportunities, such as decorating the Rose Floats that go on TV, or heading to SixFlags to yell my voice out!

Don't be afraid to take the initiative to further your Key Club journey. Don't be afraid to ask others for help or advice, too! We don't bite :))

Key Club Key Club

November Drip Check

Rachel Kim| 11 | Publicist

It is extremely scary how fast time passes… The past month of October has been so hectic with both my personal schedules and Key Club events From the Region 3 Training Conference (Horror-TC) to preparations for Fall Rally South to busy Halloween festivities, Key Club has been preoccupied with events as we neared the end of Quarter 2. November had seemed so far when we first started this term in April and even when we started school in August, but it is already nearing the end of 2022.

In the first week of October, it was the end of the first quarter and our PSAT. Due to the hectic schedule and workload of 6 AP classes (especially AP Biology ), I could not manage my time well and find a balance between school, extracurriculars, and volunteering. People are not lying when they say that junior year is basically just homework, studying for tests, then thinking that you have caught up when you actually just have more tests and projects coming up. I remember hearing juniors complain about their struggles, but I guess it is already my turn to…

This month in November, I want to make an effort to volunteer more and participate in more Key Club events especially as it is the month of Thanksgiving Volunteering is one of the easiest yet most rewarding ways to contribute back to our community, especially through Key Club! I hope I can find a better balance between school and extracurriculars so I can spend more time serving my community.

Megan Tran | 11 | Treasurer

With the end of the second quarter of the Key Club term and the beginning the second quarter of the school year, time has been passing by quickly. It feels like yesterday I was at club rush recruiting new members and now, all members have been dues paid. Time flies by with school and Key Club all at the same time can get overwhelming at times, however, I am still trying to find the time to volunteer and go to DCMs.

With spirit nights and Fall Rally South coming up, I feel the Key Club spirit growing and the anticipation for these big events. Each weekend is filled with some sort of volunteer, spirit, or fundraising event, so the fun never stops! Despite the stress of school and other extracurriculars, my excitement for Key Club has never wavered! With more exciting events from socials, DCMs, to Fall Rally South, it has only begun.

Coming Soon... Coming Soon...

Kenneth Nguyen | 12 | Vice President

It’s the time of the year. DECEMBER IS HERE! Do you know what that means? Christmas events ���� Every year, events related to Christmas begin to need volunteers. We sta having events for gift distributions to families with low income, including a Hope Foods version! Events vary each year, and hopefully this year we’ll have a ton for you to volunteer at. Last term, the biggest Christmas event was Holiday Tree Lighting, which was held in the beginning of the month at Center Street Promenade in Anaheim, where there were a ton of food booths, games, and activities. At the event, OAKC volunteers helped out at a variety of crafts booths as well as stage set up. At the end of the volunteer event, we helped clean up, and we able to see the huge Christmas tree being lit up. Overall, it was an amazing experience for everyone, an event I will definitely volunteer at this year. 3 years ago, in my freshman year, there were a ton of events since there weren’t any COVID-19 regulations at the time (a few months before quarantine). There were so many events such as multiple Tree Lighting events in various parks, Candyland events, and Toy Drives. My most memorable event was the Polar Express Pajama Party at the Muzeo Museum. At this event, we helped kids create crafts for a while and got free hot chocolate and marshmallows! After the crafts activity, everyone went into the theater room to watch the Polar Express, and us volunteers didn’t need to do anything but enjoy the show! It was an amazing experience, and after the movie, we walked around the museum looking at the models, which were train tracks along different scenaries. It was an amazing event, and was posted on our Instagram page all the way in 2019, so you could scroll and find a picture of me and some alumni volunteers!

I can’t wait for this year ’ s events and I hope to volunteer to as much as I can since college app season mostly ends after November 30, and I want to make my Key Club senior year the best possible. I encourage you all to as well to make the best out of your Key Club Journeys, you won’t regret it!

Spirit Night #3

Ryan Dang | 11 | Project Chair

Spirit Night 3 was the first spirit night I went to and it was a blast! Even though I arrived somewhat late, It was so nice seeing all of the costumes and people from different schools. Even though it was my first night, I felt right at home, cheering with Oxford and Cypress kids in our little circle. It was so nice meeting all the new faces and seeing old ones from last Fall Rally. The cheers were really fun, and the costume contest at the end was even better! There were so many nice costumes and I lost my throat cheering for them! Although I felt a bit sick after and went to bed early, it was still an experience that I am so thankful I forced myself to go to, and I hope that the rest of the nights and Fall Rally itself will be as fun!

Fall Rally South

Helen Tran | 11 | Vice President

“LISTEN TO THIS TRACK, DIV! Suns the way we move it, got them in a trance! DIV gon turn me up [point up], SUNNIES this yo jam!!!!”

Cheers

The lines above are part of my favorite D30S cheer this term, that goes along with the tune of “No Hands”! As Fall Rally South approaches, the division has been hosting various spirit nights in order to teach FRS attendees all the cheers we need to know to win the spirit stick! For those of you who haven’t been to FRS yet, aside from all the rides at Six Flags, one of the best parts of the day is the spirit battles. Walking around, decked in our sunshine gear, other Key Clubbers from other divisions challenge us to spirit battles, where we basically keep on shouting different cheers until we run out of ones to scream! It sounds really weird in text, but I promise you, it’s a super fun and passion-filled moment when you ’ re actually doing it. Aside from that, we also have a spirit SESSION, where we compete with all the other divisions in our region for the spirit stick! All of the district executives decide on which division cheered the best, and each round, one is eliminated until one division ultimately comes out the victor. We have won for the past four years, so there’s a lot of pressure to continue that sunshine greatness! In order to make sure that you are prepared for FRS, make sure to come out to spirit nights and memorize all those cheers!

Region Training Conference: RTC

Devanshi Kothari | 12 | President

Region Training Conference: Horror-TC was held on Saturday, November 12 th . It was an informative, spirited and fun event for members to attend. First, we checked in at the booth. It was interesting to see the various divisions present at the event, clothed in their rainbow colors like the Dragons in red or the Otters in teal. We then separated into our respective divisions and practiced the “How do we feel?” cheer with the remix as we would have a spirit session right after. Though we didn’t win the spirit session, we were still extremely energetic and showed the rest of the region our spirit. After the spirit session, we transitioned to a guest speaker. This was an exciting and engaging experience as the guest speaker was Mr. Nguyen, an Oxford Academy Alumni and the co founder of OAKC back in 2003. His talk was very interesting and it was great to learn more about OAKC’s roots and the person who had started the club that now has grown to be so big.

After the guest speaker, we enjoyed a pizza lunch and went into each of our respective DCMs or Division Council meetings. During the DCM, we heard updates from the division and the various events coming up. We ended with a quick picture and then went into the opening session of RTC.

In the opening session, we were introduced to the 7 LTGs and 3 District Board members who had come together to plan this event. We also played musical chairs where a few Key Clubbers were picked to play and it was a super entertaining game. After opening session, we went through 4 rounds of workshops where members were able to learn more about the different parts of Key Club and widen their understanding. I was able to attend these workshops: Presidents, DCON 2023, Team Building and Communication, and Key Club Scholarships. All of these were super informative and beneficial to my comprehension of Key Club this term. I also was able to win candy for answering trivia questions which was definitely the highlight of my day.

After the workshops concluded, we all shuffled back into the gym for the closing sessions where the LTGs gave their closing remarks and we took a region picture. All in all, this was a fun and informative event that I wholeheartedly enjoyed. Realizing that this was my fourth and last Region Training Conference, I made the most of my experience.

Region Training Conference: RTC

Victoria Tran | 11 | Secretary

This month, I went to Region 3 Training Conference. It was a great learning experience as there were multiple guests from the district board. I got to learn more about the LTGs in our region. My favorite workshop was the team building and communication. At the end of it, my president and board were planning a bonding event so we can all get closer. I also went to a marketing workshop. I really liked the theme of this year ’ s RTC and how goodie bags filled with candy were given out. I had a great time at this event and I am excited for Fall Rally South next month. I hope we win the spirit stick and our division has a great time!!

Katelyn Ngo | 11 | Publicist

Region 3’s annual Region Training Conference took place at Bolsa Grande High School on October 22nd. This Region Training Conference is a place where the members, officers, advisors, and even parents from all across our region come together to learn the duties and responsibilities of being an officer, in addition to how to build KEY leadership skills. We had a spirit session at the beginning of RTC, where the respective divisions split up and practiced our cheers. We mainly practiced our “How do you feel?” and our Division 30 South remix for it. All the divisions came together at the end to compete to win the Region 3 HORROR-TC spirit stick, and Division 4 North otters won. After the spirit session, we were introduced to our guest speaker for RTC, who also coincidentally was the founder for Oxford Academy Key Club. He explained who joining Key Club dramatically changed him as a person. He went from being timid to an outgoing and outspoken person, which helped him all throughout his life after Oxford Academy. When he was finished, everyone got to enjoy pizza as their lunch. For RTC, there were four sessions of workshops on all sorts of topics that can assist you in your Key Club experience and outside experiences as well. The workshops ranged from “Planning your Key Club Journey” to “Key Club Scholarships and Opportunities”. We also got a preview of what events are to come like Rose Float decorating and DCON 2023 during the closing session.

After Banana Bash, OA Key Club just had another joint social called Evil Banana Bash with three other Key Clubs. The theme this time is purple and black evil minions from Despicable Me 2. Similar to Banana Bash, the service project this time is also paper minion making, except last time it was making paper bags and this time it is making bookmarks. I enjoyed cutting minion jumpsuits into all sorts of not jumpsuit like shapes and drawing weird minion faces. I’ve actually never seen evil minions and I didn’t even know they exist… or perhaps I just forgot. I also made the photo board for this social again!! The biggest difference this time is that the evil minion has hair and one eye while the normal minion doesn't have hair and has two eyes. I got a lot more familiar with the process so I didn’t go to Hobby Lobby and spend 50 dollars on non-required decorations for a photo board that is going to be used just once (which was what I did last time). Instead, I got paint from the 99 cents store and made sure that I only got the things that I really needed to complete the board. It was great that I had just enough purple paint for the board and didn’t leave a drop wasted. I also tried to make the letters look spooky so this photo board can look somewhat different from the old board since most of the boards pretty much look the same. Overall, this time was a much easier process and I would say the board turned out better too (although the back side is completely white because I had no purple paint left), but it still took me my entire weekend to complete!

Evil Banana Bash Social Morning Musical Service

Byran Phan | 11 | Technology Chair

For Key Club this month, I had the opportunity to chair an event. Having not chaired an event in months, it was a learning process again. I had to track down the members who worked hard for our hours at the musical giving candy, setting up seat cushions, and managing the games for the children to play. Hearing their experiences from volunteering made me reminisce back when I had time to volunteer as much as I wanted. Maybe next month, I’ll find the time and courage to sign up for another volunteer event, to be able to meet new people, to be able to help others, and to be able to have fun.

Yuehanna Yuan | 10 | Historian

Your Key Club Journey

Ta | 12 | Project Chair

Key Club is made up of multiple levels, club, division, region, and international. However, within each level, there are multiple leadership opportunities available. Clubs are ran by presidents, divisions are ran by lieutenant governors, and on the international scale, there’s a presiding California-Nevada-Hawaii District Governor.

Within the club levels, Oxford Academy recently just created a Service Committee, meant to be an outreach to members who are interested in Key Club. Additionally, they’ll be working alongside the Project Chairs (me & ryan) to find events, send out emails, and help us with feedback!

In addition, on the division level there are small committees too, an easy way to get involved! Key Club is so wide, meaning that there are so many opportunities. Right now, with Fall Rally South coming up, Spirit Committee was looking for members to help cheer alongside them! There is also applications open for Creative Media Team, they’ll help take pictures and edit videos. So don’t be shy and sign up for all these opportunities as a way to get involved :D

Chan | 11 | Bulletin Editor

Key Club is such a wonderful club, but as the school year intensifies, I began feeling it more difficult to get my priorities straight and found it harder and harder to balance my extracurriculars and my grades, which were all slowly dropping lower and lower.

If I am being perfectly honest, there was a period of time when I was considering quitting all my extracurriculars due to the record low grades I was producing, including Key Club. However, when I was just about to send out my email of resignation, I asked myself, “ can you really give this up?” And I couldn’t. Because Key Club is just such an organization. I really enjoy being a part of the OAKC family and the D30S Suns. I had a lot of firsts in this club, and have made a ton of beautiful and ugly memories with Key Club, from going to SixFlags for the first time, or actually liking the color yellow for once – it grew on me. In short, I couldn’t give it up. If you are reading this and you are feeling this way or have felt this way before, ask yourself what you truly wish for. If you ’ re like me, and don’t truly want to leave the family, then I say stay and enjoy all Key Club has to offer you. If you decide that this maybe isn’t the club for you, then follow your feelings. It’s understandable, and while I’d personally love for you to stay, if you feel you really should go, then go. For me, however, I enjoy the hours of service, chiling, and having a sunny time!

Lynne

Kaylin