Townsend Harris High School Key Club| Spring Newsletter|Issue No. I |2018-19

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key club

A newsletter for the spring months which include March, April, and May of the year of 2018 for the Townsend Harris Key Club

Created By Sharon Li Bulletin Editor '18-'19

contents townsend harris key club| spring issue

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Including the President's Farewell and farewells from other outgoing board officers like the vice president, secretary, treasurer, bulletin editor, and the webmistress.

Including the President's Greeting and greetings from other board officers like the vice president, secretary, treasurer, bulletin editor, and the webmaster.

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Including all the events occurring in the month of March like LTC with reflections and pictures following page nine.

Including all the events occurring in the month of April like Fight for Air Climb, Vision Walk, SCA Earth Day Park Clean Up. Beat The Streets, 6th Annual Walk For Kid’s Growth, and March of Dimes with reflections and pictures following page thirteen.

FAREWELLS FROM THE '17-'18 BOARD

MARCH CALENDAR OF EVENTS

GREETINGS FROM THE '18-'19 BOARD

APRIL CALENDAR OF EVENTS

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Including all the events occurring in the month of May like the TD Five Boro Bike Tour, Japan Day, and AIDS Walk with reflections and pictures following page twenty-seven.

All the contact information including the officers' email address and telephone number.

MAY CALENDAR OF EVENTS

BOARD OFFICERS CONTACT INFO

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Jenny He

outgoing vice president

Farewell, Key Clubbers. Before I knew it, my last Key Club meeting had approached. In the blink of an eye, a huge part of my high school career has all come to an end. The friends I’ve made here were special; the people I’ve gotten to know are so much more different from the rest; the events I were participating in were life-changing.

I can’t wait for the rest of you to have the experience that I’ve had at THHS Key Club. I can’t wait for you to listen to keynotes that are going to touch a part of your heart. I can’t wait for you guys to make friends who will last a lifetime.

Most importantly, I can’t wait for you guys to be happy - happy that you’re never-ending efforts are making a change in this world, happy that every day you’re becoming a better person.

Thank you, guys.

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To future members of Key Club, A warm welcome to you all! You’ve all probably decided to join Key Club out of confusion and eagerness, in search for that family to fit in to. Don’t worry, we’ve all been there, and that layer of anxiousness eventually breaks through attending fulfilling events and many rounds of icebreakers. Within all the work and time Townsend demands, Key Club will be your peaceful and interactive way of giving back to your community. Key Club has been such a big role within my first two years at Townsend, and I know it will be for yours too!

Yours in Service, Calvin Tan

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Shirley Lin

outgoing treasurer incoming president

Read on to find more about your incoming president for the 2018-2019 service year!

outgoing secretary

Dear Key Clubbers, It's been a pleasure being your webmistress. I first joined Key Club because all my friends were in it, not knowing a clue about what it was about. I loved going to events with friends and eating out with them after the events. I really admire the dedication that we all have to wake up early in the morning to help our community. I hope you all stay dedicated to helping the community and have fun while doing it.

Yours in service, Angelina Huang

Jenny Li

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Calvin Tan

Read on to find more about your incoming vice president for the 2018-2019 service year!

outgoing bulletin editor incoming vice president

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Angelina Huang

outgoing webmistress

Congratulations!

Read on to learn more about who they are and their roles for next year

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president's greeting Hi Key Clubbers!

My name is Shirley and I am very excited to serve as your Key Club President for the 2018-2019 service year. Before coming into Townsend, a friend of mine told me to join

shirley lin

Key Club and as a naivë freshman, that is exactly what I did. However, looking back, that decision was far from being naivë. Sure Key Club

fulfills your Townsend club and community service requirements, but the club has so much more to offer. Key Club has allowed me to give back to my community and make lasting relationships. Everyday, I am amazed and motivated by the power we have as students to spark positive change in the world amidst the social, political, and environmental chaos we are engulfed by. As Key Club members, we unite to improve our community and raise money for incredible causes, a feat that I'm proud to contribute to. For this upcoming service year, I wish to hold more engaging club meetings, increase attendance at events, and raise money for the Thirst Project. As President, I promise to uphold the values of Key Club and prioritize this club despite my other commitments. I can't wait to hear about your Key Club experiences and what it has in store for you!

Happy Key Clubbing!

Yours in service,

President '18-'19

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your 2018-19 board Heyo! I’m Jenny, your vice-president for the 2018-2019 service year. I will be a senior this year and have been part of Key Club since freshman year. Volunteering was definitely a stress reliever for me during that terrifying first year. It’s so inspiring to see people of all ages take time out of their schedules to give back to the community. And I'm so grateful to be part of that. Other than Key Club, I am also in No Buddy Left Behind, S!NG, and FON (join Chinese Ribbon!). Although I'm basically a sloth outside of school, I put my 100% into this club and strive to see it grow and improve. Next year, one of my biggest goals is to improve communication and increase club activity. I hope to establish a better sense of friendliness within the club. By doing so, I hope for meetings and events to be about more than just reaching the 7-meeting requirement or 40-hour requirement. I'm so so so excited for what the new year will bring and look forward to seeing you all!

Hey guys, my name is Christine Kim, and I'm your secretary! I'm in the class of 2021, and you can see me in other clubs like SING, FON, Grade Leaders, and Senate. At first, I joined Key Club for the same reason as most people: to get my service hours. But I never expected to love this club so much, and I definitely did not expect to run for secretary. Key Club is a way for me to meet new people, keep in touch with old friends, and get out of my comfort zone. On the surface, this club may just seem like a volunteer club where you “give back to the community,” but I've learned that it's actually me that's benefiting more. On that note, I hope to make our club as active as possible and help bring the Key Club spirit to everyone!

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Hey Key Clubbers! My name is Nikki, and I’m in the class of 2021. I’m also your treasurer for the 2018-2019 service year! I joined Key Club because I had heard about all the events from a friend of mine, and I was eager to take part when I finally entered high school. Key Club has taught me to be less introverted, and I slowly realized that it was more fun to put myself out there and be diligent about both the meaningful causes and the time I was spending with people from other clubs. By putting myself out there, not only have I earned volunteer hours, but friends and memories that I will always cherish. In my free time, I enjoy trying new ice cream in the city, exploring new places, and photography. In the future, I hope to coordinate successful fundraisers and for myself, as well as all of you, to continue putting our best foot forward for Key Club and the community.

Heyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!! I already wrote a note in the beginning, and you’re probably getting tired of me. But to formally introduce myself, I’m Sharon Li, and I’m in the class of 2021, and for the 2018-19 service year, I will be your bulletin editor. At first Key Club was my way of completing the 40 hours of community service requirement, but it didn't quite turn out that way in the end. By attending all these events Key Club has to offer, I gradually fell in love with this club, what it stands for, and the people. Key Club isn’t the only thing I do, but I'm also on the robotics team, wrestling team, and next year’s freshman-sophomore class president. Besides that, I enjoy eating, sleeping, and exploring the city with my friends. For the next year, I hope not to only create these newsletters filled with memories but to accomplish more by meeting your highest expectations.

Hey Townsend Harris Key Club! My name is Tri Watanasuparp, and I’m in the class of 2020 who is your new webmaster for the 2018-2019 service year! As you may tell from my last name, I am 100% Thai and also someone who is consumed by wanderlust. One of my favorite things about being a Key Clubber is having countless opportunities to make people smile while giving back to the community. To be lucky enough to experience this is something truly unique about Key Club because it guides Harrisites to uphold our Ephebic Oath. My goal for this service year is to capture the moments of our journey as a team and showcase our achievements on the newly revamped website/Instagram.

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KEY CLUB

KC LTC

2018 MARCH 23-25 LEADERSHIP TRAINING CONFERENCEÂ ALBANY, NY

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A M E R I C A N L U N G

A S S O C I A T I O N

FIGHT FOR AIR CLIMB A P R I L 1 4 ,

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For me personally, Fight for Air Climb was the first event that I attended for Key Club. It was a little nerve-racking for me, as I never ventured too far off into the city, and volunteering was new to me. But seeing everyone cheering and supporting all the climbers to complete their tiring race really showed me the impact us volunteers have on the events we attend. In addition, it was amazing to see the many members of the community come together for such a good cause. Kids as young as six years old to adults in their 50s came out to raise money for lung cancer research, despite the strenuous climb up the skyscraper.

Ultimately, it was a valuable experience that taught me a lot of what Key Club does and showed me the importance of volunteering.

- FARHIN BHUIYAN

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VISION WALK 4/14

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This was the very first walk that I went to and it was a very new experience During the Vision Walk our school was in charge of clean up However clean up was needed at the end of the walk so we helped out in giving out refreshments to the walkers When I was giving out water I realized how so many people came to support the vision walk It showed me how much people care about the world and try to make it a better place The tremendous amount of people that came even caused us not to have enough water to give out During the vision walk I also met new people from different schools and also got to know people in our school better that I never talked to before Throughout the process we also had a break time which we were able to play games until the walkers came back During this time I was able to bond with everyone who volunteered there It was an enjoyable experience - Nancy Jiang ,

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Vision Walk was a fun event for me especially because many other divisions came as well Our school was assigned the role of cleanup and handing out refreshments It was great for me to smile at all the people and encourage them before sending them on their way Aside from volunteering Key Club members were allowed to enjoy the refreshments as well and there was great music that everybody danced to I would definitely recommend everyone to go next year - Christine (Haeun) Kim ,

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SCA EARTH DAY PARK CLEAN UP

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In the duration of this event the members of Key Club including myself visited the Inwood Hill Park in order to restore all of its trails by raking leaves and branches as well as shoveling dirt from the pathways In addition we were able to remove invasive plant species by using rakes and shovels which was meant to allow for fresh crops and plants to thrive within the park Moreover the purpose of cleaning the park trails was to celebrate Earth Day by dedicating a day towards cleaning and restoring Manhattan Parks as well as celebrating 60 years of the SCA by honoring what they do best Conserving the true beauty of the Earth From my perspective I felt that I needed to create a sense of positivity and a chance for the park to thrive in the future so I thought that restoring park trails would be a good place to start After all we could often forget to take proper care of the Earth despite all of the great treasures it provides for us Therefore I restored the trails within the Internet wood Hill Park by raking leaves and shoveling away the dirt which I believe was my way of giving back to the Earth and making a difference on Earth Day ,

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On the 21 of April 2018 I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the SCA Earth Day cleanup at Inwood Hill Park New York To begin with this was the first SCA event that I have ever attended I was able to attend this event through Key Club with a few of my other classmates I was hesitant at first but the weather was great to work in and I was giving back to my community so I signed up to help With the guidance of a few representatives from SCA my fellow peers and I were able to give back to our community by cleaning up the parks The group I was apart of was in charge of digging a pathway and clearing up leaves so when it rains the water could easily flow through Multiple students took turns with either raking the leaves or shoveling the dirt Due to this event I was able to have a great experience I learned the importance of keeping our parks and environment clean I was also able to learn how today s generation can truly make a difference in our community In the future I would definitely like to attend more SCA events like the Earth Day cleanup ,

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This was my first event that I went to and I honestly imagined it would go much differently but I was still had lots of fun I genuinely thought we d only be picking up branches from the walkways or trash on the ground but that was not the case It was a lot of hard work but it was worth it after seeing all the progress we had made in the end There were a lot of other volunteers and seeing people who were so passionate about keeping the parks clean and cared so much about the Earth was really reassuring and inspiring ,

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KRISTEN ZHOU

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Beat the streets encourages student-athletes who wrestle, holding contests multiple times a year. At first, I was really uncomfortable.

Volunteering there meant I had to interact with other people, answer their questions, and make waffles, but I also met a lot of people who made the experience so much better. There was a sassy daughter and kind but funny parents. I helped at the concessions stand. As the wrestlers came to take a break, I heard lots of stories of how some students won the match, or someone who almost won but didn’t. Some students had been wrestling for years already! Of the wrestlers participating, I saw the passion the students had for wrestling.

jessie ye

For this two-day event, I competed in this tournament the first day, and so I got a sense of the atmosphere. Everyone was helpful and friendly, not when it came to the mats though. The second day everything was moderately clear about where

sharon li

to go and volunteer. I assisted at the concessions table where I met a couple who were in charge of the stand. They were approachable, easy to talk to, and didn't mind at all helping me. We worked together as a team, cooking hot dogs, making crepes, etc. Not to mention that volunteers were able to get five dollars worth of food too. To pass the time when things didn't become hectic, they told stories, and we got to know each other rather than just our names. In addition to this, I had the opportunity to score matches which were arduous, but I was able to get assistance from others.

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Walk for Kids' Growth April 28, 2018

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Key club has brought up so many opportunities for me and my leadership skills. The 6th Annual Walk for Kids Growth was one of the events of the year that made me realize I could truly make a difference. Signs were made by the volunteers that we would hold while walking the long path in flushing meadows park, informing everyone we passed about our cause. I actually got stopped and asked about the cause by a stranger, which warmed my heart. Other than walking, they had activities like basketball and frisbee and food for all of the children! I was assigned to put up some banners with a couple of other volunteers for the tents with activities, which showed me how much work they put in behind the scenes.

This event was an eye-opening and amazing experience to have been a part of, and I would definitely partake in it again!

- Nejra Barakovic

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April 29, 2018

NYC March of Dimes 2018 March of Dimes is a United States nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of mothers and babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

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VICTORIA CISZEWSKA The purpose of the March of Dimes is to support premature babies and babies born with defects (as well as their families) through fundraising. The atmosphere of the event was overwhelmingly positive throughout all three miles of walking. Looking back I remember mothers and fathers smiling while their toddlers run around in purple capes bearing the March of Dimes logo. Having the opportunity to see how much some families benefit from the funds raised was incredible.

OLIVIA LEON The March of Dimes was the first walk I ever did, and it inspired me to do more after that. The environment was so amazingly supportive of the cause and it was just generally very upbeat and joyful. It was pretty remarkable to see so many people all gathered in one place to walk miles for a cause they believed in and truly supported. Thus, being immersed in this environment in the March of Dimes was absolutely wonderful, and though at the time you may be doing something as little as walking, you feel like you’re giving back, helping the cause, and being part of a change. Overall, to be so supportive of a cause and surrounded by others who are so passionate about it is such an incredible feeling.

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TD Five Boro Bike Tour MAY 6, 2018

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nikki ng Volunteering at TD Bike Tour definitely lived up to the high expectations set by other members that have gone in the past. Despite the fact that it was way too early to be awake and functioning, it was all worth it. When we first got there, we helped set up the tables, and then filled up the jugs at the water station. Afterwards, we helped pick up garbage, collected soda tabs for a fundraiser, and helped break down. During this event, I was able to meet many new people, whether it be friendly athletes that took their time to chat and smile with us, or members from other clubs. It was so much fun, and it’s definitely an event I’ll remember and attend next year!

hannah krazyman Overall, it was a rewarding and memorable experience. The event entailed preparing food for incoming cyclists, as well as making sure their garbage went to its appropriate bin, which is the job that I was assigned. This task taught me a lot about the organization involved in the sanitation process.

Additionally, as volunteers, we had the opportunity of conversing with some of the cyclists. It was interesting to meet these new people and gain a little bit of insight into a multitude of different backgrounds. During cleanup, I also got the chance to interact with volunteers from different schools in the district. Although this event occurred early in the morning, getting to helping the cyclists along their journey was worth it.

tri watanasuparp Although I used to live in Astoria for a few years, I’ve always seen the TD Five Boro Bike Tour happening but never gotten the chance to fully experience it.

Even though waking up early in the morning seemed unappealing, the event itself turned out to e worth it.

Whether it’s setting up the tables, or filling up jugs at the water station, or even handing out bananas, everyone had something to be involved in. During the duration of the event, I was able to interact with many cyclists from various backgrounds and offer them assistance in whatever they needed. Besides that, volunteers can also enjoy the view of the Triborough Bridge and the East River of New York City. It was truly a wonderful experience and I would definitely recommend this event for those who want to meet new people while collecting service hours.

MAY 13, 2018

JAPAN DAY

Founded in 2007, Japan Day @ Central Park is an annual event designed by the Japanese community of New York to promote a deeper understanding of the Japanese culture and to say “Thank you, New York!”

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Volunteering at Japan Day was definitely an interesting experience. We were assigned to hand out the Japan Day programs/maps, but it ended up with us running up to every living thing we saw to ask if they wanted the flyer.

We quickly tried to hand all of them out in order to be able to have fun at the booths. Not only was I able to hang out with new kids, but I was also able to indulge in the Japanese game booths and the free food and snacks. And though the rain ruined my very nice calligraphy, this has been one of my favorite key club events so far. From the many free Japanese teas that we made sure to take to my newfound sympathy for those on the streets of Flushing handing out flyers, and of course the fact that I didn’t get a sunburn this time: I would actually love to come back to this event to volunteer.

- alexis dixon

Japan Day was a wondrous little adventure that took place in the midst of Central Park.

A major reason why volunteering here is so enjoyable is that we are able to experience the festivities as well. Admittedly, the beginning of this year’s event wasn’t the most eventful due to the rain that plagued the morning. Additionally, handing out flyers isn’t the most exciting task in the world. However, the energy of the crowd combined with the music and shows that occurred on the main stage motivated me to keep giving out those pamphlets. Another motivating factor was just the fact that I really liked wearing the rain poncho that they gave me, but I digress. As the rain started to subside in the afternoon, more people came into the event, and we managed to finish handing out our stacks of fliers and do some of the activities around the area, which included making yoyos out of balloons and face painting. My personal favorite place was the stand where I could grab free tea to keep myself hydrated throughout the tea. This is a great event to interact with fellow Key Clubbers from many other schools as this is a big event. It may not sound like a very fun event on paper, but I strongly suggest trying the event at least once to find out what it is really like. I personally plan to attend the next Japan Day because if nothing else, the food there is really good.

- calvin yu

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AIDS WALK

NY 2018

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AIDS Walk New York is an annual fundraising walkathon that benefits Gay Men's Health Crisis and over 50 other local AIDS service organizations.

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MILE 3

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[left] Wei Lin Li [right] Alice (Xin) Liu

[left] Sharon Li

REFLECTIONS WEI LIN LI Even though partaking in the AIDS walk was not my first walk experience, it had still provided a feeling of unity and pride as people band together to bring awareness and raise funds for a well-believed cause. On that warm day, I had not thought about the cause that the intensely, packed crowd was fighting for. Instead, my mind had lingered on the warm rays causing sweat to trail down my back, and the soreness of my legs as we continued to walk endlessly throughout Manhattan.

Despite, the walk helped to bring many new realizations to light. I vividly remembered a moment where rain suddenly started to pour down among the crowd. I had heard the sound of cheering as the people welcomed the rain. In fact, I remember looking at the people, awed as I watched their clothes slowly become drenched. Yet, there was not a single voice complaint, nor the battered look of defeat or exhaustion. Till the very end, the crowd seemed to keep their heads held high. When I had reached the finish line, I realized I was not as exhausted as I was during the walk. Instead, the crowds of people that congratulated each other made my heart to fill up with pride. This simple event had allowed me to see the kindness and determination in humanity when we join together. That heartwarming feeling had given me the energy to power my way home.

A LICE ( XIN )

LIU

Overall, I enjoyed this experience a lot. The registration process was straightforward and quick, and the actual destination wasn’t as far as I thought it was. Volunteers were welcoming us and leading us to the starting line of the walk. After the walk started, my friend and I walked slowly, and eventually, we were able to catch up with our leader. The walk was very long, and around the fifth mile we were getting tired, but the event provided a variety of refreshments and volunteers were cheering for us, so we kept on going until we finished. The walk was very meaningful for me, and I feel proud that I took part in helping to raise awareness.

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TOWNSEND

HARRIS

u o y k n tha F O R

N G I D A R E

e u s s i g n i this spr KEY CLUB