CYPRESS FALLS KEY CLUB

Caring Our Way of Life! OCTOBER 2012

KEY CLUB PLEDGE

I pledge on my honor to uphold the objects of Key Club International; To build by home, school, and community; To serve my nation and God; and to combat all forces, which tend to undermine these institutions.

IN THIS ISSUE!
Fall Funsies..2 Building Strength.3 Whats to Come?..4 Sincerely Yours....................5

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

I dont know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve. - Albert Schweitzer

CONTACT US Cypress Falls Key Club (Group) @CypressFallsKeyClub www.cyfallskey.me

Fall Funsies
How to Become a Superhero

On Saturday, September 15, Key Club superheroes from throughout the district came to Cypress Falls to attend the Fall Training Conference (FTC). Lieutenant Governor of the 3N Division, Carolina Hernandez, organized the event. The conference had several important functions: not only did it entail forums to better equip the club officers for their duties, but there were also amusing icebreakers, stations with service projects, and a superhero theme. All of the participants had an enjoyable time and are already looking forward to learning more at the 2013 FTC.

Fall Rally

Happy birthday, Mrs. Kiklas!

Over 700 Key Clubbers attended the Fall Rally at Six Flags on September 29. Led by the District Governor, Brian OHara, the event included encouragement for the year, numerous games, and updates on the Governors Project and other important information. Also, this years DCON theme was released: a haunted mansion. The Fall Rally was a huge success, in that it was able to unify everyone, deliver updates to each of the individual clubs, and lift the spirits of the district. Along with that, the participants got the day to take advantage of everything the Six Flags theme park had to offer.

Our sponsor, Ms. Kiklas, celebrated her birthday on October 10. We appreciate everything she does for usour organization wouldnt be nearly as successful if not for her dedication and devotion. Whats more is that we wouldnt be able to change the world without everything she does as our sponsor. The next time you see her, please be sure to thank her and wish her a wonderful birthday!

Fall Lock-In

We participated in the Halloween Lock-In on Friday, October 26. It certainly was a busy night. To begin, we did various service projects, such as making cards for soldiers, decorating pillows, and making plastic bag birthing mats for women in Africa. We also spent time playing games of Red Rover, basketball, football, and more. There were Gangnam Styles dance competitions, and everyone filled up on pizza and Halloween cookies. Though the lock-in was enjoyable for everyone involved, the best part is that all proceeds went to one of our favorite charitiesThe Eliminate Project. With our help, the foundation is closer toward its goal of eradicating maternal/neonatal tetanus (MNT) from the face of the planet by 2015. 2

STRENGTH for
Mr. David Boatwright
Cancer. Its one of those things no one ever wants to hear, to deal with, to know about. Hearing that a friend has cancer is sad. Hearing that a family member has it is heartbreaking. However, worst of all is hearing that you have it. Cancer is by far one of the most challenging events one can endure during their lifetime, and at Cypress Falls, we are learning what its like to know, care for, and love an individual who is suffering through cancer. Mr. David Boatwright, one of our support staff members, is a permanent fixture amidst the hallways of Cypress Falls. He is always the one thats good for a joke. His smile lights up even the darkest of days. He loves his job with such an ardent passion that many cant even begin to comprehend the love and devotion he has put into his career throughout his time at Cypress Falls. Through his love and respect for his job, we as students have begun to love and respect him. When word came around that our beaming custodian couldnt be at school for the time being, a wake of befuddlement was left in its path. The only bright side to the situation is that the esophageal cancer has been detected early enough to increase his likelihood of survival. Numerous teachers and students have found their way to Mr. Boatwrights hospital bed to offer him words of strength and moral support. Unfortunately, its not enough to help with the racking hospital bills. With this in mind, the Cypress Falls student body was forced to find a solution for our beloved custodian. The first problem was helping to maintain Cypress Falls as it became understaffed in the custodial department. Theoretically, the answer is simple. When applied to 3,200+ students, however, it becomes more difficult. To help out, the athletic department and student body devised a system of maintaining the commons through a reward and punishment system. Fortunately, the system has been successful thus far. With the first problem solved, a more important challenge lay ahead: helping Mr. Boatwright pay for his treatment. During a Key Club officer meeting, we all sat and began to brainstorm fundraising ideas for Mr. Boatwright. Almost every idea was immediately shot down, and our prospects didnt look too bright. After a long process, we finally came to a promising conclusion. We determined that wed sell strength bracelets. Not only would they represent our moral support for Mr. Boatwright during his time of struggle, but they would also help us financially support him. Please buy a strength bracelet for $1 to help a cherished one who is in need. If youd also like to help in selling bracelets, check out a bag from Mrs. Kiklas in room 2408. Lets wish Mr. Boatwright a speedy recovery, and we hope to soon seem him brightening the school halls once again. --Blake Jones, Treasurer

UNICEF

Donate! $0.07 provides 50 kids with safe water for a day $2 buys 1 liter of therapeutic milk $19 buys 3 mosquito nets to protect kids from malaria $257 provides an emergency classroom kit for 40 kids $500 buys a water pump for a whole community

Whats to Come?

The deadline for hours is sooner than it appears!

Make sure you start working on fulfilling your 20-hour requirement NOW. If you earn over 20 hours this semester, they will roll over to the second semester.

DCON 2013
From April 4 to 7, we will travel to Dallas to participate in the annual convention for the entire Texas-Oklahoma district. It may seem like theres a long while before April rolls around, but the time will fly. We need to start preparing now. All members are encouraged to participate. We will be holding two fundraisers to earn money for DCON: the ITZ Lock-In in December and candy sales (dates are to be announced). DCON is an extremely rewarding experience, in that we will get to meet fellow Key Clubbers from across Texas and Oklahoma, participate in a multitude of workshops, and enjoy ourselves in certain charity events and dances. Moreover, at DCON, we will learn how our club ranked in the Texas-Oklahoma district. We were ranked fifth last year and are planning to be first this year! Please try to get involved in DCON. Its something you wont ever regret. Contact Gabi Bradshaw or Mrs. Kiklas for more information.

Dont forget to sign up for

Text @keyclubc to (646) 392-8283. Dont have a cell phone? Dont have unlimited texts? Sign up for e-mail updates instead. E-mal keyclubc@mail.remind101.com. (You can leave the subject blank.) Stay up to date with whats going on with the Cypress Falls Key Club!

text updates!

Building a Builders Club

Were starting a Builders Club at Aragon Middle School. Its quite similar to Key Club, just on a middle school level. Encourage your Aragon siblings/friends to join. Just tell them to inquire about the next meeting with Ms. Kennedy (room 124).
DCON 11 (left to right: Ryan Nava, Layeeka Ismail, Carolina Hernandez)

Sincerely Yours
Every month, five of the officers write articles about a Key Club-related happening that particularly touched their hearts. In order for you to better acquaint yourself with the officers, some of the October articles are below.

Louis Kirkley, Web Editor

Over the weekend, I did what few people would do: wake up at 5:30 in the morning to volunteer in the cold. With coffee in my hand, I went to go do what I love to do: serve my community. Now, you may be wondering, Where would a person go that would make him so enthusiastic to serve? I left to volunteer at the Gingerbread Village Market Festival at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church by helping vendors unload their supplies and set up their booths. For the whole three hours, I enjoyed every bit of the event through volunteering and serving the vendors and the community overall. To start, when I arrived, it was dark, chilly, and relatively empty. As I looked around, I found my fellow Key Clubbers, and we got together to sign in for the event. The other Key Clubbers and I may have met outside in the cold air, but we were warmed by the enthusiasm that we had for the event. Initially, we were close to becoming idle, but things made a quick turn-around as morning approached. First, one car came every 5 minutes; it soon doubled to 2, then 4, then too many to count! Leading the Key Clubbers there was difficult at first because of how fast we were going around to different cars; however, we soon became organized and divided ourselves to cover as many people as possible. We moved quickly in order to help everyone who came, and I have confidence in saying that we did. Although it was difficult, we, with the help of the coordinators there, managed to have everyone inside and ready to sell their goods. The cold air (and sleepiness) seemed discouraging to me initially, but I was impassioned to continue volunteering by seeing my friends and Key Clubbers serve with a smile on their faces. The sight of it really warmed me, and by the response of the vendors, we knew we had done well. As the sun rose, we felt more satisfied with what we all did as a group. In the middle of volunteering, we were able to eat food together. Eating together and serving together really drew our group closer together, and we were more enthusiastic to serve when together. Overall, I really enjoyed my experience, and volunteering at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church reminded me of what it means to serve and give back to my community. Continue volunteering, Key Clubbers!

Habib Olapade, Class of 2013 Representative

One of the aspects of volunteering that often gets overlooked is the uncanny proclivity that volunteering has to bring the community together. In fact, the other day when I walked into Cy-Fair Family Fest, I was taken aback by the immense participation and planning that had gone into bringing folks out on a Saturday afternoon. While it may seem clich, I still think this phenomenon is worth documenting. Many of us take for granted the activism that is contagious and easy to become accustomed to. When I walked in, there was such a homey aspect that the smiles and laughter seemed to resonate from the walls. The coordinator, in particular, was so amicable that it reminded me of the ushers at my church. When you volunteer, it isnt just a commitment to benefit yourself or others. Its a benefice to the community as well. The amount of good will that you can do by contributing to something more than yourself is like going to a local fair and making somebodys day. Ironically, it far outweighs any contribution that you can give out of person. When the community is strong, so is each of its parts. What is even more important is that by creating a good environment for families and kids, we can help provide a real environment to help our future leaders grow. For instance, at the Cy-Fair Family Fest, there was an informative station that provided post-secondary school counseling at no cost to youth. Right next to that stand was a face painting station. I found it comical that you could get Tigger painted on your cheek and then get advice on your college essay, but what I learned is that the bonds and connections that you make at such fairs provide groundwork for feeding the cycle and keeping things like this going. The proctor and her friends seemed so acquainted with one another. When I asked them how long theyd been doing this, they just smiled and said they met each other a long time ago and had been doing these things for years on end. After looking around, I could understand why. Who wouldnt want to be a part of all this? Who wouldnt want to volunteer? 5