May 2018 Newsletter

Key Club International | CNH District | Region 3 | Division 30 South | Oxford Academy Key Club

Title

Volume 18, Issue 1

TABLE 2 4 6 8 9 10

OF

Table of Contents + Division/Club Updates President’s Corner

Editor’s Note

Division Banquet by Vina Nguyen

Reflecting on Key Club by Tracy Vu

16 18 20 2

The Bee-ginning by Brittney Le, Mai-Vy Truong, Timmy Bui, Amber Sun, Ashley Sun & Emily Sunaryo April DCM by Pauline Doan

DCON 2018 by Tobi Yao Los Alamitos Race Course Halloween Carnival by Jennifer Vo

CON 21 22 24 25 26 28

Serv

OA P

Arno

Rona Nata

May

Con

NTENTS

DIVISION UPDATES MAY DCM: THIRST TAKEOVER

vice with Animals by Leo Hernandez

Prom by Brianna Ong

@ KATELLA HIGH SCHOOL JOIN D30S IN THE SECOND DCM OF THE TERM AS WE LISTEN TO UPDATES FROM OUR LTG AS WELL AS GUEST SPEAKERS FROM THE THIRST PROJECT. WE WILL BE HAVING A BRACELET-MAKING SERVICE PROJECT AND PLAYING GAMES BASED ON THEIR CAUSE.

NOTE: YOU’LL EARN 2 SERVICE HOURS!

old Carnival by Grace Nguyen

ald McDonald Walk for Kids by alie Melendez

Calendar

ntact us!

CLUB UPDATES OAKC BANQUET @ MAMA’S COZZA JOIN OAKC AS WE

COME TOGETHER TO CELE-

BRATE THE END OF YET ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL TERM!

WE WILL BE PROVIDING DINNER AND REFRESHMENTS, SO BE SURE TO COME OUT AND HAVE A WONDERFUL NIGHT FILLED WITH APPRECIATIONG AND BONDING WITH YOUR FELLOW

OA KEY CLUB MEMBERS!

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PRESIDENT’S CORNER VINA NGUYEN PRESIDENT 4

Hey busy bees!

Hope the start of your summer has been full of rest and relaxation! If you didn’t know me already, my name is Vina Nguyen, and I proudly serve as your President. I can't even begin to list the amount of things that I'm excited for this term; however, I can definitely say that I am incredibly excited to work with each one of you guys!

Here are key things to know about me: 1. I love green tea/ matcha. If you ever feel like buying me anything green tea 2. related, here are some great ideas: matcha pocky, green tea donuts, and matcha milk tea. Jokes aside, green tea actually holds a special place in my heart.

2. Dogs are amazing-- blessings from heaven! I love all types of dogs, but my personal favorite is the dachshund, short legs and long body!

What do I have planned for my term as President?

1. I strive to really emphasize the recognition of more outstanding and dedicated members; so I have implemented a new recognition system called the “Shining Sun” alongside the ongoing “Member of the Month”. Just a brief recap on the new system: each event will be worth a specific amount of points and at the end of each quarter (every three months), two members with the highest amount of points, will be awarded special prizes, including but not limited to club sweaters, shirts, and gift cards.

2. I hope to raise more awareness for our preferred charities including the Pediatric Trauma Program, UNICEF, March of Dimes, and Project Eliminate. I plan to have Kahoot games based on various Key Club topics with special prizes awarded to the winners; so be on the lookout for the first few general meetings of the next school year!

3. Last but not least, I hope to help each and everyone one of you create a spectacular Key Club experiences. Key Club has definitely brought me great experiences and memories; so I would like to give back to members by fostering passion and dedication that will in turn help them to create amazing experiences as well.

Additionally, keep in mind that Key Club continues even throughout the summer.

The summer season is one of the greatest times to maximize your involvement in Key Club and service to your community. With plenty of free time, service and social events will be in abundance. This would also be the prime opportunity to reach the 100 hours goal (receive a graduation stole) and even the 200 hours goal (receive a graduation medal). Personally, some of my favorite summer events include Concert on the Green, St. Irenaeus Festival, and Beach Boomba. I would definitely recommend you to come out to Beach Boomba held in July, because it brings all of Region 3 together, and you are able to meet people from all over the Orange County area. Coming out to the numerous events that Key Club offers will not only allow you to serve your community, but also meet new people along the way and create everlasting friendships! With that, I am incredibly excited to meet and get to know each of you guys; so please feel free to talk to me or message me anytime if you have any questions, comments, or concerns!

Sun-cerely, Vina

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EDITOR’S NOTE GRACE NGUYEN BULLETIN EDITOR 6

Hey Key Clubbers!

I’m Grace and I’m your newbie Bulletin Editor for the 2018-2019 Key Club term!

It’s nice to meet everyone. I may not know a lot of you out there who reads the newsletters, but hopefully you can get to know me through the term. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be stuck with me as Bulletin Editor for another year if I’m lucky. Just maybe. ANYWAY, this issue is officially my first Key Club newsletter, and I’m looking forward to seeing what I’ll make in the future. Thank you for reading this! I put a lot of effort into making my first ever newsletter and I hope you’ll enjoy it.

Since I’m an incoming sophomore, lots of folks don’t know me, so I figured I should tell you about myself. (Don’t worry, I’m not THAT self-centered. It’s similar to what I talked about in my board introduction.)

Totally Random Facts About Me: 1. I’m a big fan of food, especially sweets. I honestly could eat a whole cake if my folks actually let me. I love ice cream, cakes, candies, you name it. Gotta love those sugary carbs, you know?

2. I’m horrible at math. I don’t know how I’m still barely surviving in my math classes haha. So never ask me if you need help in math. I mean you could but then, you’ll just get a blank look.

3. I’m a total koreaboo. I could stay up for hours watching K-dramas, especially during the summer. And I can name most K-pop songs by just listening to the beginning. I spend so much time on it during the summer. No wonder my math grades are horrible. Lol Being a bulletin editor is a lot of work. If I’m not careful managing my time, I would have trouble finishing the newsletters before the deadline and having time for other school work.

So here are my goals for the 2018-2019 Key Club term: 1. Finish the monthly articles and newsletters during the MIDDLE (not the end like how I did for this one) of the month.

2. Remember the due dates. I have a habit of forgetting when assignments are due. I wouldn’t want to leave our LTG waiting for articles.

3. Seriously don’t procrastinate. Especially with newsletters, one day of procrastination will be the death of me. Hopefully I don’t get really lazy during the school year.

Anyway, summer’s here and school can wait. I’m looking forward to all the summer DCMs, especially the Beach Boomba since I’ve never attended it before. Y’all should come out! Trust me, although I haven’t been to the summer DCMs before, it sounds like a blast. If you have time, be sure to come out! Hopefully I’ll see you there! .

From the Newbie Bulletin Editor, Grace Nguyen

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DIVISION BANQUET VINA NGUYEN | PRESIDENT

A

s a shy freshmen and somewhat socially- improving sophomore (but not enough yet), I never had the courage to go to a big division event like the Division Banquet.

Not until my junior year, did I break out of my shell; so this year, I was able to attend the Division Banquet.

After attending my first division banquet, I wished that I had attended those from the

past. It was nice and heartfelt to hear all the presidents’ last remarks on their term and hear speeches from the DLT as they talked about their KC experience and the 2017-2018 term. It was a rather emotional night and I felt like that was what brought everyone together—the

memories and experiences we all shared together.

On another note, many OAKC members were recognized for various awards. Tobi Yao was recognized member of the year, which was amazing. Our secretary (me) was also recognized for Early Bird MRF and Secretary of the Year.

Overall, Division Banquet was a wonderful celebration of the end of the 2018-2018 term.

It was a happy ending for our IP LTG Vivian Bui and a new beginning for our LTG Anjika Morari.

I’m incredibly excited to see what the new term has in store for our club and division!

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TRACY VU| VICE PRESIDENT OF SPECIAL PROJECTS

I

’ve been in key club for 3 years now and my perspective really changed since my first day in this club. Especially after division banquet, I became overwhelmed with feelings from being involved. Never did I think I would cry from other people’s stories of their Key Club experiences as well as mine. I will

miss all the seniors that I have met this year through Key Club and hope they will have great future endeavors.

To the new members out there, please be involved with the club. I highly recommend because once you become involved, you realized how Key Club has positively impacted your lives and great outcomes from it. You’ll meet people from all over the state and create awesome connections with others.

To those who haven’t joined Key Club yet, ask your friends who are in Key Club if it was worth it. I am positive that they have no regrets joining the club.

To those who are about to leave, I hope you had no regrets with whatever you

did in the club. I hope you will reminisce on those Key Club moments and think, “wow I miss those times”.

I hope key club has changed you for the better and that you’ll bring those qualities wherever you go in the future.

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THE BEE-G THE NEW TERM BRITTNEY LE | TREASURER

W

ith DCON on the weekend of April 13th, the 2017-2018 Key Club term came to an end, and the 2018-2019 term begins. This year embarks my fourth and final year in Key Club, which is quite bittersweet. This is the year of my lasts: my last monthly DCMs, my last Fall Rally South,

my last DCON, my last year being in Key Club. Although it’s gratifying that it’ll be my final year in high school, I’ve got to admit that I think I’ll miss it a lot in college.

There’s just something about Key Club – the volunteering, the spirit, the new friends, the life skills – it’s offered me so many invaluable things that I’ll never forget.

Despite everything, I think that I’m more than ready for my final year. These past three years have prepared me to take on my senior year, my final year in Key Club. Each year on board has taught me everything I needed to know in order to succeed as your Key Club treasurer. I’ve got the skills to pay the bills. I want to raise money not only for our club but for our preferred charities, to break our highest records of funds raised, to give it my all.

Not only that, but I’m ready to open myself up. It’s my final year so I’m putting myself out there; I’m ready to make even more friends; I’m ready to have fun; I’m ready to talk to random people at DCMs and hopefully meet people I stay in touch with in college.

This term has so much to offer, not only for me, but also for you. Every Key Clubber out there has opportunities just waiting for you to take the first step and grab that chance. You determine how your year goes and what you get out of Key Club.

DCMs, marathons, Fall Rally South, DCON, various volunteering events, attend them all. Get out there. Meet new people. Have fun. Have spirit. Volunteer.

Are you ready for this term?

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GINNING NEW BEGINNINGS MAI-VY TRUONG | SECRETARY

T

his month officially marked the beginning of the term, meaning I am officially the 2018-2019 secretary! I’m very thankful that I had the chance to start my position as secretary earlier because it gave me the chance to become familiar with my responsibilities and learn from my

mistakes then. So far, I think I’ve been able to get into the groove of things. The MRF and hours sheet seemed like daunting tasks, but I’m getting there! I’m glad I have Vina by my side helping me every step of the way. If it weren’t for her, I’d

definitely me struggling a lot.

I am super excited going into the next term. I think we have an extremely strong board this year and everyone will be committed to making it successful as can be. We have a good bunch of underclassmen and they’re all just very hyped up about being on board, so I think we can take that energy and transfer it to our work throughout the entire year.

With senior year coming up, I’ll have a lot more time to attend all the service

events I used to go to, and I know that’s going to be a lot of fun. I used to go to so many events during freshman and sophomore year, but then I became pretty busy during junior year will all the AP classes and extracurricular. With senior year being a little less packed, especially during second semester, I can’t wait to get back into volunteering.

Let’s do this!

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THE BEE-GINN KEY CLUB AS A FIRST YEAR TIMMY BUI | HISTORIAN

H

i all! After being a part of Key Club for nearly an entire school year, I’ve come to realize the greatness of this wonderful organization. Many people say the community is welcoming when talking about some organizations, but this is really the real deal! There’s been so much operating behind the curtains that I didn’t even realize!

DCMS My first DCM was the March Color War, and I sure regret not attending them earlier. It’s not like there’s always nonstop action going on at DCMs, but it still is packed with memories and experiences. And nobody cares if you don’t have any friends, because there’s always someone there you can talk to and mingle with, even if you’ve never met them before!

SERVICE Genuinely, I never realized that volunteering could be this fun! There are so many opportunities every month (even though April ;( has experienced a bit of a drought), and each event is a unique experience! Usually, it’s very lenient, and you don’t have to be working so hard. Instead, you can just talk to your friends all day!

BOARD I’m so glad to be on board of my school’s Key Club as a freshman. It’s a blast getting to know my upperclassmen. They’re all so friendly! They make every board meeting and group chat conversation a fun time. When it gets down to business, we put in the work to get it done but my executive board is so lenient that they make Key Club duties so much less stressful on me.

Key Club is the best club I could have asked for!

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NING (CONT.) A FRESH START TO A NEW TERM AMBER SUN | VICE PRESIDENT OF MEMBER RELATIONS

W

hile new beginnings are typically hard, this new start has been one that I have been looking forward to for a long time. Don’t get me wrong - I loved the old board. But I was enthusiastic to see what my final year in Key Club would bring me - a year full of outstanding achievements, fresh new ideas, and joy from building a bond with the new board.

Serving as Vice President this term, I think it’s safe to say that I’m an old school Key Clubber. Four years of being in Key Club has really shown me how much more there is to discover about life and about my community, and it’s so fun seeing the bright and enthusiastic eyes of our new board members as they dive into a year of serving on one of the best boards on Oxford’s campus.

While my term as Treasurer was full of achievements, surprises, and a few disappointments, I am extremely eager to take on this new term

with a new perspective and even more love for this club.

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THE BEE-GINN CHINS UP! ASHLEY SUN | TECH CHAIR

H

ey Sunshines! It’s finally the start of the new term, and boy am I excited. First and foremost, congratulations to all who have been accepted on the Oxford Academy Key Club board, I sincerely look forward to working with you all.

For those of you who were unfortunately unable to join board this year, know that your career at Oxford has only just begun. It is never too late for you to try to go for a position. Although it may seem hopeless and frustrating to meet failure, trust me, we have all felt the same emotions. What makes one stand out in college applications may perhaps be someone snagging a position under their belt, but what truly affects you and your character lies in what you learn from your failures, and how you choose to rebound from these setbacks.

In my opinion, working hard to jump up from the frustration and hopelessness that comes with failure will build you to become someone you are proud of, despite the scars upon the knees in which you may have fallen. In the long run, saying that you were able to become someone readily able to accept failure, and move on to achieve things despite it, will land you farther in life than one appointed position in a high school club. So, chin up kiddos. Come to terms with the pain of failure, and smile your way through the rest of this year.

Goodness, I have never thought to try to give life advice and spout philosophies on a key club article, but here we are. I guess I can cross that off my bucket list. xD On a more serious note, my goal for the upcoming year is to act as a proper and professional Tech chair (ha ha), and to meet at least 100 new underclassmen in which I will proceed make glorious memories with you kiddos. I hope to see you all at club banquet, where I will inevitably strike up a conversation using my ever so smooth skills. Come to club banquet.

Tech Chair Ashley Sun :D

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It will be litty.

NING (CONT.) BEGINNING TERM EMILY SUNARYO | PROJECT CHAIR

F

or this Key Club Article, I would like to talk about the beginning of this new term. I had not started off as strongly as I had originally hoped for as there had been many responsibilities I have just been getting used to, as well as many other events that I had been in charge of stepping

forward and leading as well. However, I did get the proper training to lead as Key Club’s new Project Chair and I am looking forward to the next term, and

the new board members I’m serving with as well.

One of the changes I would like to see in myself is making sure I am more accessible as well as a more responsible and punctual board member. I would also love to provide new opportunities for students to get involved in the community as well.

I understand the importance of the responsibilities of this position and even though I had a rough start of the term,

I hope to get back on

my feet to serve the organization that has done so much for me.

Our Goal...

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16

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he first DCM of the 2018-2019 Key Club term started off on a great foot! This was my first big event that I attended, officially as Oxford Academy’s Historian. Initially, I thought that taking pictures would be very hindering to the overall experience of the DCM. However, I felt that taking pictures just enhanced my enjoyment of it all!

s very nervous, because I thought that I would mess something up or

e to properly take pictures. Today was the first day I’ve ever even used

onal camera. Luckily, everything went smoothly and my fellow Historian,

assisted me in taking photos as well. We captured a lot of moments that stood out to us

nstance, when Anjika announced the new DLT board I was so proud when Oxford’s very

el Contreras was appointed as the Executive Assistant. Seeing the new DLT members made

xcited for this upcoming term since I’ll be working with such passionate and creative

ditionally, the games and activities we participated in were very exciting. I actually even to some people from different schools!

games we played were Hug-a-Bear, Poncho, Tic-Tac-Toe, and Dragon’s Tail. Hug-a-Bear

mely hectic, especially when they called out 30 people. Other than that it was really fun.

s a bit different, though. Instead of doing dance moves, we had to shout different chants,

ved to be difficult because I didn’t know many chants. It wasn’t surprising when we were

oup to get out, though. For the last two games, I decided to focus primarily on taking

ther than actually playing the games.

, but certainly not least, my friend Grace Cho and I both engaged in the fashion show! We

sponsibility of representing Oxford and let’s just say it was a memorable experience for

everything that happened, the first DCM of the 18-19 term proved to be very successful.

wait to see what else this school year has in store!

17

TOBI YAO | H

I

was lucky enough to attend District Convention in Reno,

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club, you need to pic strengths.

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only allowed us to bond even more. In the twenty total hours

me was ready to sta

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club or person from

always excited and full of energy.

number of recipients

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high, and a whole sli

how many people would be there. Key clubbers were

school’s recognitions

everywhere in the hotel, and multiple people who were just

Phan, and Vivian Bui

visiting the hotel came up to ask about the event that was

distinguished for the

happening. During breakfast and at the sessions, all of the

recipients of the dist

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meet new people from different divisions. Unlike fall rally

learn that she won th

south, district convention is an event for people from northern

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California and Nevada, so there were divisions and mascots

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that I’ve never seen before.

congratulations.

Some of the workshops that I attended include Graphic Standards, Navigating the Jungle of Social Media, Carpe Diem with Key Club, Club/Member Recognition, Applying to

18

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ISTORIAN

nd Departments, and Breaking the Ice. one of these workshops where he

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our division showed the most spirit night general session. Everyone around

and up and shout whenever we saw a our division win an award. Oxford’s

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A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE...

LOS ALAMITOS RACE COURSE HALLOWEEN CARNIVAL JENNIFER VO | PUBLICIST

M

y first experience with Key Club was not how I envisioned it to be. I had signed up as an optimistic freshman, eager to dive into an idealistic, sunny high school career full of service and smiling friends, only to show up at my first ever volunteer event feeling anxious and very small.

I was the only one in my group of friends that wanted to join Key Club. For weeks I tried to find someone that would volunteer with me, but everyone was already absorbed in their own busy schedules of extracurricular and academics. It wasn’t until three months into the school year that I finally decided that I had been making too many excuses, and signed myself up for the Los Alamitos Racecourse Halloween Carnival on October 28.

When I found my way to the racecourse I saw rows of red and yellow striped tents, waiting to be filled with games and toys. Other students from different schools had paired up to run the several of the booths, chatting and laughing. I told myself that two hours were not very much and smiled my way to an empty booth.

Within ten minutes, another student joined me. He was a senior from Cypress, whose name I still remember but won’t disclose, who had a really nice smile and told funny jokes. We talked about our school and Key Club and our lives. Soon we were so busy and invested with running the booth that we both ended up staying two shifts. All I had to do was set up a game and give candy to children. Before I knew it, my retail worker smile had turned into a genuine one, and I went home with free candy and new friends.

After that experience, I am no longer afraid of volunteering alone. The truth is, you’re never really volunteering alone. You’re always working with someone to help others.

For the members of Key Club that signed up, wanting to volunteer but can never find people to go with them, I can understand how they feel because I faced the same thing. Today, I am not afraid to be the first one to sign up for an event and fit my volunteering into my schedule whenever I can. I hope that I can encourage

others and create a club environment where we feel comfortable and safe enough to do the same.

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LEO HERNANDEZ | HISTORIAN

I

was especially sad to hear of the closure of the animal shelter located adjacent from The Outlets at Orange (501 The City Drive). It was old, and the animals greatly needed a new facility, but the memories of playing with the dogs at the shelter is one that I am certain many of us, including myself, will continue to look fondly upon. The new facility for the Orange County Animal Shelter is now located in Tustin, nearly 20 miles from Oxford. This greatly reduces the ability for many Oxford students, and Key Club members alike, to volunteer with many different types of animals, primarily dogs. Despite this setback, there are still many ways and locations in which you can help dogs and other animals, besides making the trip to the Orange County Animal Shelter, and I want to share just a couple that I believe are especially important!

1. “ADOPT, DON’T SHOP!” If you or a friend is considering getting a pet, the last place you should look is a commercial breeding store. Often, commercial breeders treat their animals inhumanely, and the health and happiness of animals suffer because of this. If no one you know is thinking of adopting, you can still publicize the importance of this! Although this seems like a small gesture, the publication of the idea of going to animal shelters, or pounds, instead of buying animals from vendors in malls or outlet stores, can help save the life of a pup or kitten, as well as a couple hundred dollars! Furthermore, getting the word out about “adopting, not shopping” may not seem like what we usually consider “service”, however, if one person had not stressed the importance of adopting animals instead of shopping for them, I wouldn’t be spreading the word to you today. Informing people on the importance of this is a small step you can take to protect the lives of countless animals!

2. DOGGY CLOTHES AND TOYS! This is something that has been done by Key Club before, mainly as service projects. Using old fabric, yarn, cloth, etc., and your own imagination, hats, sweaters, non-slip socks, and chew toys can be made for big and small dogs alike. Shelter animals usually tend to have unsteady lives, and any would appreciate a toy to help comfort them during rough times!

3. DONATIONS Donations are usually meant to be monetary, which by all means is an acceptable way to help shelters; however, donations of time and support to these animals is the last of the 3 ways to help these animals. Making sure animals around you are well taken care of, and supporting the cause to get these animals into better homes, through any means possible, is important to the wellbeing of these animals.

The more we all care, the better the lives for shelter animals will be!

Although there are tons of other ways to help animals, anything you do, small or large, can help improve the life of a shelter animal, and possible even get them into a loving home!

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BRIANNA ONG | P

Prom.

The day that high school students look forward to. The

night where students dance their hearts out as they wave

goodbye to high school and take on a new journey to college and into adulthood. This year’s prom was held at The Colony House in Anaheim. It was a very eventful evening that lasted for almost five hours, at least for our Key Clubbers that volunteered to help out with coat checking. From 6:30 to 11:30, volunteers helped out with organizing the belongings of the guests. When attendees of the prom arrived, they received a wristband that had a number on it. They then proceeded to walk around

the corner to the coat check room, where Key Clubbers received their items, usually coats, purses, and shoes, and put them in bags. We then asked them for the number on their wristband. Upon telling us their number, we wrote it down on a sticker and stuck it on the bag that contained their belongings. Volunteers had to stay in the coat check room for all five hours, constantly helping guests put away their belongings temporarily and getting them out whenever necessary. Key Clubbers were working during the entirety of the event, from the beginning to the end as people periodically came in during the prom to switch their shoes or touch up on their makeup. Since the job only required a couple of people to run the coat check room, only Anna and I volunteered at this event.

During the dinner when not many people needed to come to the coat check room, we got our own food, which was being served outside. We even got a chance to go to the boba bar and see what it had to offer! As we walked through the venue, we noticed so many of our schoolmates having fun, dancing and chatting with their friends throughout the entire night. Everybody looked so thrilled and delighted, not to mention how

22

PROJECT CHAIR

beautifully they were dressed for an occasion such as this. When we returned to our job of managing their belongings and making sure that

everything was there and clean, we leaned against the door and just observed the event. It was nice to see our friends having so much fun on the dance floor and playing cards as well as table tennis, otherwise known as ping pong, upstairs. It was amazing to see how nicely our friends got together to celebrate the end of the school year and the end of their high school careers. It was especially nice to meet people from different schools that were brought as the guests of some of our friends at Oxford Academy.

It was wonderful to meet new people that we had never seen before and just have conversations with them as we stored away their coats and

shoes. As we were putting belongings away, we could hear music blasting from the dance floor, which went on the whole night long. It was an incredible experience for us Key Clubbers at Oxford work alongside our own Junior Class Committee as we helped them the whole night putting away things that belonged to but were unnecessary at the moment to our schoolmates. Even though there were only two of us that volunteered for this event, we accomplished so much in only five hours. Although it was somewhat difficult putting things away in bags and having to find them again to give back to the original owners, we had fun completing the tasks

assigned to us. In addition to just putting belongings away and giving them back by the end of the night, we also had to number some wristbands for people that arrived later so that they would be able to store their items away for the night.

Prom was an amazing experience and was a beautiful night that was spent with members of our school.

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ARNOLD CARNIVAL GRACE NGUYEN | BULLETIN EDITOR

O

n Friday April 6th, I went over to Arnold Elementary School in Cypress (which is about five minutes driving distance and twenty minutes walking distance from our school) to help out with their carnival. As soon as I was dismissed from my seventh period class, I hurried over to Arnold Elementary School hoping I wasn’t going to miss my shift. The volunteer shift began at 3 pm sharp and school ended at 2:45 pm, so I was in a bit of a rush to get there. Luckily, I was able to carpool with one of my friends, so I didn’t have to run with my backpack.

When I got there, the first thing that I noticed was the huge crowd in the front of the school and the ticket booth. Already, there was a huge line of children and parents waiting to trade money for tickets. When I went inside the school and saw the carnival, my first impression of the was that it was huge. There were many games and food booths set up near the playground area. There was even a booth where they raffled off free cakes! They even set up three or four bounce houses and obstacle courses in the fields for the kids (and parents!) to play in.

There were many student volunteers helping with booths and monitoring the bounce houses. I helped out monitoring the kids in the bounce house for a while until I moved over to one of the abandoned game booths. The school was kind enough to give all the student volunteers pizza and water, which I thought was great. I was really hungry after all the physical work and I sadly didn’t bring money to buy food. Considering how many volunteers showed up, I’m sure they had to pay a lot for the pizza. I’m really thankful for their consideration for all the volunteers. I was able to make a lot of little buddies while monitoring the Frisbee game booth.

The kids were all so adorable and energetic. I think their excitement rubbed onto me as well. I wasn’t tired despite running around, chasing Frisbees and bending down a lot. I’m glad all the kids were able to enjoy their time.

I’m so thankful I had this opportunity to work with other volunteers to make this carnival possible for the students. I had a lot of fun working with the little

kids at the game booths.

Although I was exhausted by the time I got home, I do not regret helping out at the Frisbee toss. If they’re planning on holding another carnival next year, I’ll be sure to come again. Maybe I’ll even meet some of the little buddies again!

(And hopefully next year, I’ll remember to bring money to buy food.)

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RONALD MCDONALD WALK FOR

KIDS

NATALIE MELENDEZ | PUBLICIST

T

his past month I had the opportunity to volunteer at the Ronald McDonald Walk for Kids, which took place at the beloved Honda Center in Anaheim, CA on April 8th. A little light headed from my lack of sleep, I arrived at the center at 6am just to find a large group of people already there. I was taken aback and astonished by just how many people were already setting things up and were ready to start the day early. Hundreds were rushing around, making sure all booths and the walking course, which was an entire 5k course, were properly set up for the soon to arrive influx of people.

Among this large group of people were my fellow OA Key Club members, Key Clubbers from various other schools, sponsor employees, Honda Center employees, supportive family and friends; the list could go on and on. The point is, hundreds of people, with tasks ranging from support to technical, were all gathered early before sunrise for the same great cause.

Seeing such enthusiasm and support come from that many people is honestly one of the most inspiring things one can witness; and that was just for the set up!

Later that morning, walk participants began rolling in. Entire families, with the presence of aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, made their way towards the booths to pass the time before the long-awaited walk began. The sun was now out, delivering waves of heat and a radiant shine over the excitement filled faces. And soon enough, after a welcome and thank you speech, the walk begun. The job of us Key Clubbers was to cheer the walkers/runners along with words of encouragement and red, plastic pompoms.

While cheering on the participants I noticed how many more people there now were compared to the early morning. They all had smiles on their faces and were happy to be running for such a special cause. Some of the runners even came up to me thanked me for being there to cheer them on, or smiled at me from their spots; I once again became inspired by the tight knit community around the event.

Needless to say, I watched all of the participants proudly and excitedly cross the finish line, and they had all the reason to be proud. Not only had they completed a full 5k run/walk, but they had also helped raise money for kids in need. The event concluded the same way it began. There was a thank you speech directed towards the sponsors, participants, volunteers, and lots of cheering. Just like that, the 2018 Ronald McDonald Walk for Kids came to a finish.

In the end, what I took away from this amazingly inspiring and loving event was that, with a great amount of support, we can all come together to make a difference.

I am thankful for having had the great opportunity to volunteer at this event and hope to return the following year for more.

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SUNDAY

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D30S Shirt Design Due

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28 Memorial Day Memorial Ceremony

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26 Strawberry Stomp 5K

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