april 2015 volume 1 issue 1
DESCRIPTION
DCON EditionTRANSCRIPT
April 2015 | Volume 1 issue 1
Division 19LivingstonMontclair
West EssexMount Saint
DominicJames Caldwell
Page 1
Introduction Letter Page 3
District Convention Recap
Page 4
Upcoming Events in our Division
Page 7
Reminders Page 8
Contact Us Page 9
Page 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Page 3
INTRODUCTION LETTER
Hello, New Jersey District!!
My name is Meghan Nevola, and I am thrilled to take on my role asyour new Lieutenant Governor of Division 19 for the 2015-2016 service year. I can’twait to dive into this service year and help take this club to the next level.
About me:
I am a Sophomore at Livingston High School, that has a Key Club of 250members!
Last service year, I was the Vice President of LHS Key Club I participate in my high school’s 3 choirs I have Participated in New Jersey’s Northern Regional Choir for the past four
years This year, I was in the cast of my high school’s production of Beauty and the Beast I am a member of the percussion section in LHS Marching Band
Characteristics:
Trustworthy Hard-working Approachable Dedicated Passionate about service
Now, I am ready to step up my leadership and service once again andpush the limits of myself and my division in terms of service. I see so many people inand around my community with a huge passion for service, and I would like to helpimplement that passion and turn it into action.
Goals:
Increase active membership
Establish strong communications within Division 19
Get to know officers and Key Club members in my Division
Have all officers trained by October 2015
Have all dues paid before December 2015
Hold many interdivisional events so that Key Clubbers can meet with peopleoutside our division
Push the limits of Division 19 in terms of service and fundraising – let’s start offthis new service project with a big bang!
If you have any suggestions regarding service projects or fundraising ideas, pleasecontact me! Not only do I want to accomplish my goals, but I want to help youaccomplish your goals. I want to involve the entire division in club events so we canserve as many people as possible and meet other people with the same passion forservice that we have!
"It was an experience that I wish I could relive over and overagain. It was such a great opportunity to engage with so manypassionate individuals from all of New Jersey. DCON proved justhow amazing our state truly is and how Key Club truly has becomelife!" States Christine Jimenez, Lieutenant Governor from Division16. Jimenez shares how so many others feel about DistrictConvention. Magic was definitely in the air, and all of the ServiceWizards participated in all the Harry Potter-themed events andfundraisers and all seemed to have a blast in doing so! As I walkeddown the halls, I saw all the posters from the campaigningcandidates running for executive board positions, and I wasreminded of all the passionate individuals who had enough driveand commitment to take on that amount of leadership. After a longday of campaigning, the following people were elected for boardpositions:
• District Editor: David Guirgis
• District Treasurer: Bobbie Boettinger
• District Secretary: Sarah Park
• District Governor: Josie Suddeth
They all received many congratulations, along with the new DistrictWebmaster, Shannon Peng.
Throughout the entire weekend, the passion for key club onlygrew in many individuals. After motivational speeches were made,my perspective on ideas changed – I realized that ideas can easilyturn into action when one has passion.
I loved meeting new people and I believe that I, among othershave made life-long friends. In the words of Rebecca Lin, Treasurerof Livingston High School Key Club, "I never realized so manypeople cared so much about Key Club & have truly made caringtheir way of life." It was so refreshing to see so many people whowere all there for the same purpose: to serve. I have always lovedDCON because of the different contests going on (the oratoricalcontest, the impromptu essay contest, the talent show, thefundraising contests), and this year I loved DCON because of thepeople I met. If you haven’t been to DCON before, I strongly adviseyou going next year – it is an experience you’ll never forget. Page 4
DISTRICT CONVENTION
"I had gone to DCON last year, and my experience this year was even more amazing! I was again in awe of the hundreds of dedicated Key Clubbers who celebrated the end of the fantastic service year. The workshop for president was really informative, and I enjoyed being able to vote for the District Board as a member of the House of Delegates. I was so happy for everything that my club and the NJ District as a whole accomplished and excited for the year to come!"
-Melinda Hu, Livingston High School Key Club President
“…a magical experience full of
laughs, smiles, and tears"
-Zierra Dean, Lieutenant
Governor for Division 5
DISTRICT CONVENTION (cont.)
Page 5
DCON is life-changing. I spentthis past weekend at New Jersey DistrictConvention, and upon arriving home, I wasasked the same question multiple times:“What exactly is that?” and I always give theanswer: “DCON is a convention keyclubbers attend to learn about what itmeans to serve our community.” Soundsboring, right? Well, Key Clubbers know thatDistrict Convention is more than that. Theyknow that the speeches given are not justany ordinary speeches, given by ordinarypeople, to an ordinary audience in anordinary situation.
DCON is motivational. Yes, thisweekend was filled with speeches, but theytruly aren’t as boring or as uneventful asone would think. The majority of thespeeches were given by fellow high schoolerswho are more relatable than the teacherswho run your classes. And, surprisingly, it’sreally fun to be the audience - you spend alot of time cheering and clapping. Thewhole room acts as one large wave: whensomeone starts cheering, you want to jumpin and cheer along.
DCON is inspiring. Yes, there are hours of speeches, butevery single message that the speeches convey is worthy of the time itis are given. They make you want to become a part of somethingmore. During our free time throughout the weekend (yes, of coursewe get free time. This is a convention, not a prison), we wouldconstantly look back and do a self-evaluation. What have weaccomplished as individuals? What have we achieved as anorganization?
DCON is a bookmark. It shows the end of a service year,retiring the board members from their position. But, not a momentlonger, and the new service year begins, and the new board begins totake charge. So, on the first night, caucusing begins. Candidates tookturns making speeches, answering all questions (including thecommon request to sing the Key Club Song) and throwing candyinto the audience. While it’s fun to listen to terrible singers sing offkey and to dodge flying pieces of hard candy, understand that witheach speech given and each caucus question answered, the attendeesof DCON learned not only about the candidates, but how thedifferent levels of the District Board work and what each role is onthis board. Here, you also realize that you have already become a partof something big just by attending the District Convention.
Through DCON, you meet new people, all of whom arededicated to service. Through DCON you learn what the totalamount of money collected for the ELIMINATE project was, givingyou a sense of pride and accomplishment. Through DCON youknow that you have played a role in helping save the lives of babieshalfway across the world. DCON shows you that if you weren’t alltoo serious about Key Club in the beginning, afterwards, you can’thelp but feel inspired to become a larger part.
-Emma Greenberg and Yana Sang, General Members ofLivingston High School Key Club
DISTRICT CONVENTION (cont.)
Page 6
UPCOMING EVENTS IN
DIVISION 19
•Intergenerational Prom (Livingston High School Cafeteria on 4/15 at 6pm!)•Prom for senior citizens! Key Clubbers will be
serving the senior citizens dinner and dessert and there will be a dance floor open to all. A prom king and queen is chosen!
•Kiwanis Karnival (ADDRESS on 5/5-5/10)•Carnival hosted by the Livingston Kiwanis
Club open to anyone! There are rides, games, prizes, and food including funnel cake!
•Intergenerational Prom (on April 30th at WEHS) •Prom for senior citizens! Key Clubbers will be
serving the senior citizens dinner and dessert and there will be a dance floor open to all!
•WEHS Blood Drive (on April 25th held at WEHS)
Page 7
REMINDERS
Page 8
Make sure to stay updated with the NJ District of Key
Club on Social Media!!!Twitter: @njkeyclub
Instagram:@njkeyclub
CLUB MONTHLY REPORT FORMS:
CMRFs are due on the 5th of every month.
Be sure to tell me when your club meetings are! I would
love to visit!
Notify me of any Key Club events or fundraisers going
on in you community! I would love to get the entire
Division involved!
International Convention (ICON):
June 23rd – 30th
Please contact me with any questions, comments,
concerns, suggestions, or if you would like to write an article for my newsletter! I
would love to hear from you!
District Governor
Josie Suddeth
Cell: 709-709-0070
Lieutenant Governor
Meghan Nevola
Cell: 973-908-5118
District Webmaster
Shannon Peng
Cell: 973-722-0758
District Editor
David Guirgis
Cell: 201-356-7503
District Treasurer
Bobbie Boettinger
Cell: 973-865-6742
District Secretary
Sarah Park
Cell: 973-337-9172
Page 9