January 2022 Newsletter

Lydia Lee

Lynne Ta

JANUARY SUN

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15 CONCLAVE

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SERVATHON

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RICE RACE LETTERS FOR ROSE

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Kaylin Chan | 10 | Historian During the past month of December, our club and division hosted a rather interesting, fun, and delicious fundraising Division Council Meeting theme and event: the night market! All the different clubs in the division set up their own stalls and stands where they sold various and delectable night market-like foods and even a game for different amounts of tickets. Each ticket was worth $0.50, and because we used tickets instead of actual hard cash, all the money was safely kept at one table the whole night!

The foods that were sold include actual warm Pho noodles, egg rolls, warm and fresh pandan waffles – from our own Key Club – boba, spam musubi, pocky, chicken alfredo pasta, popcorn chicken, tamales, cookies, ice cream, soda floats, brownies, and such! It was very enjoyable, and Key Clubbers were able to bring a “plus one” and hang out the rest of the DCM night with their old and new friends, eating and socializing! All proceeds went to PTP, and this was a major boost in fundraising, activity, and bonding among division members, officers, and clubs!

Overall, I had a blast that night, and really loved the night market with it’s beautiful fairy light decorations, cute stands of food and fun, general social atmosphere, and extremely fulfilling meals and snacks! I hope that we will have another division event equally fun or maybe similar in the future, whether in this final quarter of this 2021-2022 term, or in the next and upcoming term of 2022 - 2023!

Tiffany Ong | 12 | Vice President This month, the December DCM was night-market themed! Each club made their own food, varying from pasta, ice cream, pho, and much more. Oxford’s food was pandan waffles, which are a popular Vietnamese street food.

With an unexpected turn of events, I learned that I would be making the waffles, which I had never made before. I honestly didn’t even know what they were supposed to taste like. :’) But after a bit of last-minute stressing about getting the materials together to make the waffle mix, it was finally ready by the end of the DCM portion of the event, so we were ready to sell them on time! I had no idea how long to leave the mix in the waffle maker, as I was scared of burning or undercooking the waffles. But after a few tries, I became a pro! :) It took a while to make each waffle, so people had to wait a bit to eat their waffle, but I’m sure it was worth the wait! I even got to taste-test the first waffle that I made, and it tasted pretty good. The other food from other schools also looked and smelled delicious, although I wasn’t able to try them all. Overall, December DCM was pretty fun and memorable, and I came out of it as a waffle maker expert!

Helen Tran | 10 | Publicist In my (biased) opinion, December DCM was one of the best so far! Not only was there BOMB food sold by all the clubs in our division, we received a very diverse turnout and also raised a lot of funds for the Pediatric Trauma Program! It took place the day right after finals week, at Anaheim High School, making it a really refreshing break from the stress of academics and everything else. It honestly felt so bizarre to me that I wasn’t stressing about how I was going to finish my homework before and after the DCM, but I suppose that was part of why it was one of my favorites! Though the actual event was 5-8 pm, treasurers began setting up their food stalls around 4:15, and after checking in members, we started the actual Division Council Meeting. We got recognized as a shining club, and our very own Alvin Phan was recognized as the Division Member of the Month! After the DCM, an icebreaker went on while clubs were called out in order of recognition to purchase tickets; one dollar was worth 2 tickets, and tickets could be exchanged for food at each booth! After that was basically freedom to just have fun and eat a lot of good food. OAKC sold pandan waffles which were really warm and yummy, and another personal favorite of mine was Anaheim’s tamales! All the food was really good though, and I was really down that Savanna sold out of their popcorn chicken before I could purchase any. During this time, there was a little photo bingo that could be done in exchange for tickets—this included taking a photo with Santa (which was Anna, our Cypress KC President, for most of the duration of the event) and other Presidents of our division! Music was played, and overall, it was just a really chill event. I got to meet a plethora of new members, from schools such as Servite to Los Alamitos, and I am so excited for the next!

Megan Tran | 10 | Publicist As the holidays are coming up, that means there is an abundance of holiday service events! From Gift Wrapping parties, Christmas Toy Distributions, and so much more is available to Key Clubbers. One holiday event I went to recently was Downtown Anaheim Tree Lighting, helping Anaheim YMCA with the Main Stage event on December 4th. This event was first an OAKC event, but it turned into a division event, which I always love because I get to see my friends from different schools!

Personally, I have never gone to this event before and it being my first time, I found it very fun. We got to walk downtown and see the booths occupied with many small businesses before the volunteering started, which was great. I really wanted to buy this minion Christmas hat from a lady selling hats, but unfortunately, I had no money on me. The event was relatively busy and at one point, it was packed with people. After we got to explore the scenery, the Main Stage Event started around 6PM. Seeing the city of Anaheim fill up all the seats for this show was heartwarming and a great start to the Christmas season. The other volunteers and I got the job of leading people where to go and get these special flashlights, which was very fun.

As the show started, we watched Santa and Mrs. Claus read a story, a ballet performance, and the best part, got to listen to so much Christmas music. This was a great start to the Christmas season, and it was really refreshing to be in a social environment that wasn’t school. And for the best part of the event, we got to see the huge Christmas tree light up. This was my first time seeing this happen in real life and I would say it was very cool and clap worthy. After the show ended, we helped put away chairs, pick up trash, etc. And to end off the day, we took pictures with the volunteer coordinators and got pictures with the huge lit-up tree for memories. I would recommend going to this event, especially with friends!

Lynne Ta | 11 | Bulletin Editor On December 4th, I attended and chaired Downtown Anaheim Tree Lighting at the Center Street Promenade.

Throughout the day, there was a festival in order to celebrate the tree lighting with many different booths and activities for children. I helped out at the paint booth alongside my friends and helped kids paint ornaments by giving them paint and supplies. There was also a big stage nearby where there were performers and I watched a family of tapdancers put on a performance that was really entertaining. Some other sponsors and booths that were at the festival included Raising Canes, CERT, and multiple food locations. There were a lot of families that came out in order to celebrate the Christmas cheer and enjoy the parade and tree lighting.

Many different schools from across Division 30 South came to volunteer at the event including a new school that is being established in our division, Fairmont. There were also a lot of presents being given out to unfunded communities, and it was really heartwarming to be able to celebrate Christmas alongside so many people. We also got to see the tree light up which was really cool because it was over 20 ft tall. Some of our upcoming events that you can come out and volunteer at include the 13th Annual Brunch and Rose Float Decorating. Make sure to also check out our executive applications and apply to be apart of Oxford Academy Key Club!

December DCM | 7

Devanshi Kothari | 11 | Secretary One major task of all Key Club secretaries is to submit MRP at the end of January. MRP stands for Member Recognition Program where all members can get recognized at District Convention. This program consists of 4 levels including Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Each level has a set of requirements that you must fulfill. For any of these categories, you must be a dues-paid member and fulfill the service hour requirement for each level. Last term, I was able to reach the highest level of recognition, Platinum. For platinum, members must fulfill 10 out of 13 of the requirements listed and serve over 200 service hours.

The Member Recognition Program is a great way for both officers and general members to be recognized for their efforts in Key Club. It motivates individuals to go above and beyond in their participation and involvement in this club. I encourage all members to go to the CNH CyberKey and check out the Member Recognition tab to find out more information about the specific requirements. Additionally, feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions about your attendance or this program!

It is a difficult task to track attendance, maintain records of everyone’s participation and tally up requirements but I love doing it as I know it helps the members of my club feel a bit more recognized for all the work they put in. I hope we can see many members get recognized for their efforts at DCON :D

Kenneth Nguyen | 11 | Project Chair Being one of the most known clubs on campus, Oxford Academy Key Club has one of the most members (not to brag!). This would not be possible with ALL OF YOU! You all play a huge role in making our club what it is right now.

Every person in OAKC, including board members, are students wanting to help the community, be spirited, and make an impact on those around us.

Our club holds general meetings every Wednesday, and events weekly, most of the time! With all our members and board members, our club is one of the most active clubs both in and outside of school! I hope to see all of you at our events and meetings, showing other students what Key Club is all about!

In addition, we often win awards at DCMS! Getting an award at a DCM is one of the great achievements of Key Club. There are a variety of awards, given by both our division’s Member Recognition Chair, (this term is Allan James Quintos), as well as our Lieutenant Governor (Christina Nguyen for this term). They are given each month since they are part of the DCM (which if you somehow don’t know already, stands for Division Council Meetings), which are monthly. First, our Member Recognition Chair announces some individual awards! These awards are chosen through monthly submissions from a board member of each school, typically the Vice President. For our Club, our Spirit Chair, Joseph Lukas, sends it! There are three awards the Member Rec gives, Member of the Month, Officer (Board Member) of the Month, and Kiwanis Advisor of the Month. I think these awards are self-explanatory, with the Kiwanis Advisor being a member of the Kiwanis Club near each school (ours is Le Bui of the Kiwanis Club of Cypress). The second set of awards are given by our LTG, which include Secretary of the Month, DLT (Division

December DCM Leadership Team) Officer of the Month, and the Shining Clubs. There are 5 Shining Clubs per month out of 13 | schools, so it is a great achievement to be one of the 5!

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Zuleyka Urieta | 12 | Historian Should you apply for an OAKC board position? YES! Whether it be applying for an executive position or an appointed position, if you’re an Oxford Academy key club member and want to be more involved within the club you should definitely consider filling out an application…and here's why: To start off, becoming an OAKC board member will allow you to have more connections and responsibility within our home club. As a board member, you will build close relationships with the general members, and not to mention the other board members who will soon become your closest friends who will be by your side for countless hours of volunteering. While establishing new friendships you will also simultaneously build your leadership and time management skills, both are very vital for you to chair events and attend required events.

Secondly, becoming a board member opens various doors for your future in key club! By serving on the club level, you will be able to establish whether or not you wish to keep pursuing a leadership position within key club. For example if you begin with an appointed position and want to run for an executive position the following year, you will have already built connections and reliability to assist you in your election. Additionally if you wish to have a position on the division, district, or even the region level, becoming a board member is a good first step to ultimately serve on these higher levels. It shows genuine demonstrated interest, experience, and most importantly your passion for serving the key club community!

Now you’re probably wondering, should I apply for an appointed position or executive position for the ‘22-’23 school year? If your involvement with OAKC at the moment is minimal and you’re not that experienced on serving on the board of a club yet you wish to ease into leadership positions, appointed is the way to go! Or if you are skilled in a certain skill pertaining to an appointed position such as videography and photography for the historian position, appointed is also a great route to go. Yet if you have previously served the club as an appointed board member, or are heavily involved with the club and familiar with the members, an executive position might be more fit for you. If you’ve previously held leadership positions, whether it be inside or outside of school, this will serve as an advantage for you to demonstrate your skills if you wish to run for an executive position.

If you’re planning on running for an OAKC board position for next school year or not, I hope you continue or even start your involvement with this club! Executive position applications were released this winter break and close on January 12th, and appointed position applications will be released in the near future.

December DCM | 7 OAKC Articles | 11

Lydia Lee | 12 | President Rose Float Decorating is an annual event hosted by the division as volunteers can help decorate rose floats. It isn’t the most glamorous work but is very rewarding and memorable as you serve for 8 whole hours in Irwindale. In the month leading up to December 29, I must complete the attendee and chaperone list and collect payments from everyone in Oxford Academy Key Club. Then, I need to relay all information from the division to all of my members and chaperones as well as work with the other schools in the division to ensure that every student is chaperoned.

On the actual day of, we met up at 5:30 at Savanna High School where the buses picked up all of the students to take to Pasadena. It was about an hour drive after waiting at Savanna for a bit over an hour.

At the actual decorating site, there were many different tasks assigned to volunteers. For example, one of the tasks including filling up small vials for flowers with water while another task was cutting flowers off of their stems. Other volunteers were able to work on scaffolding and glue the flower petal bits onto the actual floats. Due to such interesting and varying tasks, Rose Float Decorating has always been a popular event for many volunteers and many people enjoy attending. We were also fed lunch and struggled to stay warm in the cold, rainy weather.

Regardless, this was one of my most favorite Rose Float Decorating events and would encourage everyone to attend in the future as well.

Joseph Lukas | 12 | Spirit Chair Hi Suns! By the time you’re reading this, we most likely will have elected our new Lieutenant Governor for the 2022-2023 term.

So first off, congrats to whoever that may be! However, some Suns might be wondering: How can I become the next Lieutenant Governor? What does a Lieutenant Governor do? One of the best events to learn about running for Lieutenant Governor is during the annual Candidate Training Conference, which happened this past December at Saddleback High School.

The event was on a Sunday, which is quite rare for a Key Club event since most of them are on Saturdays. It was a conference from 9am-4pm, which meant that you would be listening to people speak for 7 hours. That may seem like a long time, but if you’re really interested in learning about the roles and responsibilities of an LTG, it’s worth listening to.

The event started with an icebreaker so everyone could get acquainted with each other. Each of us wrote down 3 facts about ourselves on a notecard, and once everyone finished, we were given a random note card and tasked with finding the person who wrote down the facts on your card. This was a nice icebreaker to do at CTC because there were people from Divisions 13 North, 13 South, and 19 North, and it was exciting to meet people that I wouldn’t have met otherwise. I made some friends in both D13N and D13S that day, which made CTC more memorable.

After the icebreakers, the information sessions started. The first 3 sessions focused more on the LTG position itself; talking about how they fit within the puzzle that is Key Club, the challenges and rewards that an LTG may experience, and a general overview of the duties of an LTG. Following those three sessions was a breakout session with an LTG, where every attendee was able to talk to one of the 10 LTGs present to ask any questions about what was presented or gain insight on that LTG’s specific journey. It was interesting to hear about the different journeys each of the LTGs went on to get to where they currently are now, as each story was unique with different motivations and different paths.

Once the breakout sessions ended, lunch happened! There were lots of snacks to choose from, and there was pizza there as well. Lunch was so lively as people talked amongst their friends about what they learned and what their future plans were within Key Club. It was exciting to see so many potential LTG candidates in one place, and my excitement for Conclave grew. Speaking of Conclave, after we wrapped up lunch, the following session was about Conclave and all the preparation that goes into those several hours. Conclave is such an important event since that’s when the LTGs of the next term are elected, and I was amazed at how detailed everything had to be when it came to what each candidate was expected to present. Another breakout session started, where we were able to talk to different LTGs to get their perspective on their positions and ask for advice surrounding Conclave. The rest of the presentations were on how to communicate effectively and the classic Key Club ethics, which was followed by a final breakout session with our own LTGs. Talking to Christina about her journey and comparing them to the journeys of the other LTGs fascinated me a lot, and it was nice to talk to several LTGs directly instead of just sitting down and listening to presentations the whole day.

The final part of CTC was practicing the Caucus questions, which was a bit nerve wracking as it’s sometimes uncomfortable to talk in front of a group of people when there’s nothing planned to say. However, many people were able to ace the questions asked of them by being through and direct, which was quite impressive to see. Even though I’m graduating this year, I was able to practice Caucus because I was curious to see what it was like. It was quite nerve wracking, but once I heard the question and formed an idea of what I wanted to say, the words just started flowing out of me. It wasn’t as scary as I thought it was, but it was still a little nerve wracking.

The whole event finally wrapped up with a group picture. It was so cool to see the mix of colors since a lot of attendees wore their division merch. I especially liked the merch from Divisions 30 North and 4 West, but obviously we have the best merch 😎. In conclusion, CTC was such a cool event to be at, and I learned so many things that I wouldn’t have known had I not gone. Even if you’re not interested in running for LTG, I still highly recommend going because it’s an experience that you probably won’t get anywhere else.

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