CLUB RUSH Kenny Le | 12 | Vice President
COVID-19 sucks. But you all knew that! However, I seem to focus on the negatives of this virus a lot in real life and in fake life (Instagram), but there have been some blessings in disguise. For one thing, it has been so much easier to reach out to other schools. I don’t have to worry about distance at all, nor do I have to worry about other logistics that normally would come with socials. Also, the way that socials have been working has forced people from different schools to interact. Usually in socials, everyone congregates together at the very beginning and then dissociate into their own groups very quickly whether we like it or not. With virtual socials, they are forced into breakout rooms with different schools whether they like it or not. Okay but an article would not be written by Kenny if there wasn’t a touch of negativity in it. Whether the breakout groups work out or not is a complete gamble. We spend a long time trying to match people together, but sometimes personalities don’t mesh well, people aren’t that comfortable, etc. That has nothing to do with the people honestly. It is psychology that virtually, people are just less comfortable. You are able to see yourself (weird!), poor audio quality causes stress (science!), if people don’t turn on their webcam the natural inclination to react based on people’s facial expressions is gone, but at the same time if everyone turns on their screen, then people may start to think (oh is my face okay? Is my background fine? Is my video blurry?) distracting from the conversation. I could go on about the dynamics of video socials, but you get the point.
MEMBER RECOGNITION PROGRAM Devanshi Kothari | 10 | Historian
This past month, our district, CNH, hosted a member recognition webinar on September 13 to help all Key Club members learn more about the different recognition opportunities for members to be recognized on a division, district and international level. This webinar was open to all Key Club members, officers, and Lieutenant Governors. As an attendee, I learned so much more about how member recognition works, and all the steps needed to enter specific contests. First, we learnt about how to make e-portfolios, which are required for some contests and the updated Member Recognition Program criteria as well as the specifics for graphic standards and application forms. Next, we discussed the different types of contests such as international contests, distinguished officer awards and the annual achievement report score. These were discussed and explained though a Round Robin style where LTGs from the Membership Recognition Committee spoke about the unique contests, requirements, and preparation. I learned a lot from this whole experience and was excited to see so many people across the CNH District. This was a fun event that taught me a lot about the different types of recognition Key Club offers and how to qualify and apply for them. Another interesting part of the event was the q&a. Through this section of the event, I was able to understand what other people were confused about, have my questions answered and reflect on what specific information I had missed out on during the event. In all, I was able to comprehend more about the member recognition in Key Club and meet people I probably would not have before through Zoom.
