I pledge, on my honor,

to uphold the Objects of Key Club International

to build my home, school and community;

to serve my nation and God;

And combat all forces which tend to

undermine these institutions.

The Key Club Pledge!

Important Key Club Information!

The Cabinet

Richard Huang (President)

Sue Yee Chen (Vice President)

Anthony Choi (Secretary)

Olivia Hu (Treasurer)

Ashley Cheng (Editor)

The Board

Jane Yang & Shadia Kim (Advocacy)

Cissy Lin & Connie Liu

(Art)

Anne Tsay & Irene Kho

(Fundraising)

Joanna Chen & Pei Xiong Liu

(Locksmith)

Rachel Dekhterman & Judith Chow

(New Projects)

Jing W. Xiao & Snigdha Das

(Public Relations)

Gavin Huang & Victor Ma

(Web)

Official Stuy Key Club E-mail

stuykc@yahoo.com

Send articles and pictures to

locksmith@stuykc.org

The Locksmith

Caring—Our Way of Life

June, 2007

Induction Issue

Farewells

from the Old

Cabinet

2-6

Flower

Market

7

March of

Dimes

8

NYRR Health

Fair

9

AIDS Walk 9

Crossword 10

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Upcoming Events

Stuyvesant

High School

Key Club

Dear Key Clubbers,

I’ll start with an apology,

because I believe in a clean slate

before any beginning or end.

I’m sorry if you ever

went to an event and felt out of

place or super-bored. I never

meant for things to be that way,

and I wish I could have been

there for you.

I’m sorry if you could

never fully comprehend the kind

of passion we have for commu-

nity service—how it makes me

feel whole, like I’m completing

myself by doing for others, and

that I’m learning invaluable les-

sons I could never have learned

on my own. I wish you all could

know that feeling.

I’m sorry if I haven’t

learned your name, I’m sorry if I

didn’t answer your questions,

I’m sorry if you felt ignored or

neglected by anyone in charge of

this club.

I’m sorry if this year has

been difficult for you, like it has

been for me, and if you’ve ever

felt like giving up. All I can say is

that the fight is worthwhile. The

struggle is what defines you in

the end.

Now, for a more posi-

tive outlook: I am so incredibly

proud of this club. We have

done amazing things this year,

and it has been in part to each

and every one of you giving your

time, your money, your enthusi-

asm, to our causes. My only

wish is that you will continue to

stay involved, enjoying high

school and embracing this club.

I’m especially proud of

those of you who were continu-

ally involved, those of you who

became part of our USACF

committee, my active commit-

tee heads, those of you who are

still attending meetings, and of

course, anyone who came to

Convention. Those are some

sure signs of dedication to me,

and I can’t thank you enough for

being such commendable mem-

bers of this club.

Thank you, also, for the

laughter, the memories, the

sense of companionship and

community. Thanks to everyone

who still says ―Hello‖ to me in

the hallway, or even remembers

who I am. I really appreciate

that you notice how difficult it

is—to run a club so large and

complex. I’ve given it my all. I

hope you will give it yours in the

future. Because this is not just

an end—it’s a beginning, too.

Good luck!

Sincerely,

Courtney

Thanks for a Great Year! Farewells from the Old Cabinet

THE LOCKSMITH Page 2

INDU CTION ISSU E

Looking back on my

time at Stuyvesant, there are

many memories I wish I could

relive, numerous choices I

would have decided differently

upon, and countless tedious

tasks (going crazy over SAT’s,

AP’s, the entire college process)

I am grateful I never have to do

again. With graduation a few

short weeks away I am bewil-

dered by how four years passed

by so quickly. After all, 10th pe-

riod following an all-nighter

seems to last an eternity.

Yet when reflecting on

my experiences with Key Club I

cannot help but appreciate how

much it has aided me in seeing a

side of the city, myself and other

Stuy students that I would never

have encountered otherwise.

Like everyone else wandering

through the crowd at the club/

pub fair allured by candy bribes

or threats of being rejected

from college without extracur-

riculars, I signed up for at least a

dozen clubs. Later, when partici-

pating in those clubs, I discov-

ered that they were mere fa-

cades for their members to fill

out their SSR sheets more eas-

ily. But Key Club was different

from those other clubs; it re-

sembled an actual organization,

with effective cabinets, commit-

tees and existent weekly meet-

ings. After becoming more in-

volved I learned that yes, indeed

it was an actual organization and

meeting with Key Clubbers

from other schools at divisional

formed something else, a sense

of community. The first induc-

tion, when I had missed the

3000 point award by 2 hours I

was determined to become

more dedicated to the club.

The first time I was pro-

ject captain for an event I felt

immense anxiety, thinking at

some point or another I was

going to do something wrong.

However after that first time

signing people in and guiding

them over the cell phone

through the labyrinth of Central

Park, I attended events not for

points but because I enjoyed the

atmosphere…even when I

thought my toes would freeze.

Whereas before I shied away

from positions of leadership,

now I feel that when you are

drawn to something it is in the

natural course of the world to

assume greater responsibility.

And this responsibility is never

carried alone. I will always re-

member Courtney, Khoi, Fanny

and Lily for adding to the club

their own approaches to solving

matters, along with their quirks

(hey, everyone has some) that

made the Beaver Dance progres-

sively less embarrassing. Thank

you guys for pitching in whenever

dealing with the school administra-

tion was a bit too much to bare,

reminding me that there are peo-

ple that still care about points and

while not as important, thanks for

introducing me to the snack wrap.

Good luck to the new cabinet, I

am confident you will continue

making the Stuyvesant Key Club

one of the best there is and take

care of the members; after all,

they’re Atrish’s babies. While I bid

all of you farewell, I guarantee this

is not a final goodbye, and hope-

fully I’ll get by the tightening secu-

rity in the school to visit you many

more times in the future.

-Marius Orza

love

,

Page 3

INDUCTION ISSUE

Dear Key Club,

I should feel awkward

writing to a nonhuman being,

but you have come to hold a

dear place in my heart. I am sad

that my time with you is soon

nearing its end, but I will always

remember your unique (though

perhaps cultish) world. From

now on, whenever someone

asks me how I am feeling, I may

have to restrain from answering

―I feel good, oh I feel so good,

ohh!‖ and whenever someone

shouts out ―Hey,‖ I may have to

restrain from responding

―Boomba!‖ So many memories

flash through my mind when I

think of you – images of myself

waking up before dawn to go

volunteering, cheering on walk-

ers with my friends, handing out

refreshments in the rain, clean-

ing up dirty streets under the

hot sun, reading to enthusiastic

children, and so much more.

What gives me the most bubbli-

est feeling, however, is knowing

that teenagers from all around

the world have bonded together

to help out their communities.

Who will ever forget

the awesome cabinet that I had

the wonderful opportunity to

spend a whole year working

with? We will always, without a

doubt, be your loving members

forever. I have been through so

much with those guys and with

the friends and loved ones

whom I have found through you

that it was like having another

family – the Key Club family.

I never thought that this

moment would ever come – the

moment where it all ends. My

goodness, I feel so old. I just want

to end this by telling you that you

have inspired me in so many ways

– inspired me to make my differ-

ence in the world, in life in general,

and for that, I thank you.

Much love,

Much l

o

Page 4

I still remember my first

Key Club meeting. At the time,

meetings were still held in the

Lecture Halls. And as I walked

in, I saw masses of people top-

pling over each other, trying to

find a seat. The cabinet mem-

bers screamed at the top of

their lungs to quiet down the

crowd; they didn’t use micro-

phones then. Tired of screaming

from below, Emily Fung, the

treasurer then, stood on the

podium and caught the attention

of everyone’s eyes. In an angry

voice, she told us to shut up.

Honestly, she scared me. But

after several Key Club meetings,

I grew to like and admire her

quirky character. I aspired to be

just like her. I dreamed of stand-

ing in front of a mass of Key

Clubbers and yelling at them to

pay their dues.

At first, I was reluctant

to the idea of attending Key

Club events. I didn’t know a lot

of people in Key Club and my

parents were almost convinced I

would get killed on the way to

an event. I was particularly in-

timidated by all the upperclass-

men. I got addicted to Key Club

after I went to several more

events. We bonded over cheer-

ing for walkers, setting up ta-

bles, handing out fliers, cleaning

up Chinatown, and getting lost

in Manhattan. It was during Key

Club events that I ate my first

donut (March of Dimes!), first

ice skated at Chelsea Piers,

learned how to waltz (during

the JDRF), saw Breaking Benja-

min perform (also during the

JDRF), and mushed butter with

Courtney at the JCC. I com-

pletely fell in love with Key Club

and I wanted to be more than

just a member.

Gradually, I became

more involved with the adminis-

trative work behind Key Club.

My dreams of becoming the

next Emily Fung (2004), Howa

Yeung (2005), and Winnie Lee

(2006) came true. And as the

immediate-past treasurer, I must

admit that we, the cabinet, have

had our ups and downs. Despite

each fallback, we managed to

pull through. In retrospect, I am

really in awe at what we have

achieved. The cabinet fought

over deadlines and candy sales,

among other things. At the

same time, we bonded over

Snack Wraps and karaoking. In a

sense, we became a family. I am

truly grateful for having known

these wonderful and dedicated

people. I have no doubt that

cabinet and board members of

2007-2008 will do a great job.

Wherever I go, Key

Club will follow me. (That is

true. I saw Kiwanis signs every-

where went I went to Califor-

nia, Arizona, and Wellesley. It’s

kind of scary. Perhaps Key Club

really is stalkerish.) Key Club

has become a part of life and I

will carry on the experiences I

gained with me as I go on to

college. As you are reading this

now, I really hope you took

something out of your experi-

ences at Key Club. I hope Key

Club means as much to you as it

meant to me.

Fanny Tang

THE LOCKSMITH Page 5

INDUCTION ISSUE

sentimental about my own

grandfather who had died of this

disease. I remember when

every time I thought I was doing

something ridiculous and not

beneficial, someone thought I

was working for a worthy cause

and thanked me for it. Key

Club has been a huge part of me

for the four years I've been at

Stuy.

I am also glad that I had the

privilege of being the Editor. It

was difficult not being able to

follow a predecessor's foot-

steps, but I feel that I made a

decent start. I am confident

that Ashley will do an excellent

job and go beyond anyone's ex-

pectations. The new cabinet is

amazingly dedicated and zany. It

would only be your loss if you

decide not to get involved with

Key Club and have the opportu-

nity to be around with such

great, fun people.

One word to sum up Key Club:

Supercalifragilistic-

expialidocious

-Lily Tsoi

Key Clubbers—

Freshman year, my goal regard-

ing Key Club was to help make

a difference in someone's—

anyone's—life. I know for a fact

that I surpassed my goal. I re-

member Meals-on-Heels, where

we walked to numerous resi-

dential areas, delivering meals to

the elderly. I remember Parkin-

son's Walk, where I saw Michael

J. Fox and other notable people

a mere two feet away from me,

making motivational speeches

that moved me and made me

Page 6

Looking back at this

Key club year, I realize that I haven’t gone to as many events as I should have. Sometimes, I couldn’t go to event because they just didn’t fit in my sched-ule. Other times though, they were far away and I was just too lazy to get up. Because of this, I don’t have as many Key Club memories as my friends do. I regret this. Hearing them talk about how much fun they had at certain events makes me feel like I should’ve gone alongside

them. So I tell myself that I’ll go to the next event, but I always seem to find an excuse not to go. Either it’s too early in the morning or it’s in a really bad neighborhood. The excuses seem to go on endlessly. In the

end, I ended up convincing my-self not to go to the events and because of this laziness, I’ve missed out on a lot of awesome events.

One event I did go to, how-

ever, was the Lunar New Year Flower Market at Columbus Cir-cle. I haven’t been to enough events to know if it started off normally, but it was normal enough for me. Being one of the first to arrive, I looked around for things to do and was given the job of yelling at people not to come in before the desig-nated starting time. As I stood near the door (and yelled at people), I waited for my friends and when they finally came, we were all assigned tasks and the first one I had was to man the welcoming table, along with my friend, Elaine. With was a girl called, Susan, whom we’ve never met before, but was ex-

tremely friendly and nice, none-theless, sharing her McDonald’s breakfast with us. This led me to realize that I missed out meeting a lot of nice new people by not going to more Key Club events and I regret this as well. The welcome table was not as easy as one would expect it to be. We were supposed to sell tote bags with Lunar Market logo and ad-vertisement on them. People came over when we greeted them and showed them the bags, but they immediately left

upon hearing that they cost money. This was really annoying and everyone kept asking if they were free. Eventually, we got some people to buy bags, al-though we found out later that they were giving them away.

After manning the welcome

table came a different task. My friends, Elaine, Anna, and I were sent out to be walking advertise-ments of the Lunar Market, with each of us holding a poster. Each poster had a map of the area with Columbus Park marked with a big star. On the way there, I slipped and fell, but got up laughing. We walked to our destination complaining of the cold, but happy and singing the whole way. This was yet another thing I missed out on by not going to more events.

After a while, we got cold

and we walked back to the tent, where we were greeted by a mass of people. We were as-signed different posts and shortly after we got there, the lion dancers came! My friends and I walked around yelling at the adults to move out of the

way. Most of them listened, but there were a rebellious few who decided that they wanted to move. They simply could not wait until the lion dancers passed to do so. That was a rather frustrating experience. I walked around yelling as loudly as I could for everyone to move in multiple languages, yet people still paid me no heed. Finally, my friend, Annie, and I had to go up to individuals and tell them to move. Luckily when we asked them directly, they finally

moved. The lion dancers were amazing and the drums loud and steady. As the lion moved past the mobs of people pressed against the stands, hands reached out to touch it, includ-ing my own. People followed the

lions as they moved around the tent. Finally, thought, the lion dancers left and everything went back to normal. After a while, my friends and I were hungry and we didn’t know what time our shift was over. So, we just decided to sign out and leave then. We returned the volunteer shirts and went to eat.

That Key Club event, al-

though short, brings back many great memories that all surface at the mention of Key Club. All my Key Club memories, when combined, help me define Key Club. Key Club isn’t just a club where you can get service and help people, it’s also a club where you can have fun and hang out with your friends. I hope to make more of these memories and attend more Key Club events in the future.

-Donna Koo

THE LOCKSMITH Page 7

Lunar New Year Flower Market

INDUCTION ISSUE

“Let’s go walkers, let’s

go” *clap clap*

We were delighted when

some of them participated,

clapping and wooting along.

A few people even brought

whistles along and blew them,

as if they had been brought

solely for this purpose.

We tried to get the other

non-enthusiasts to start cheer-

ing along with us, but it was

no use. Oh well. As the crowd

steadily grew larger, I taught

my friend another chant I had

picked up from previous

years, “Hey hey, ho ho, sav-

ing babies is the way to go!”

This usually went along with

a line of people linking arms

and kicking Rockette-style

while cheering, but with only

the two of us there, we were-

n’t able to get the full effect.

However, we more than

made up for it with our enthu-

siasm, swaying with the tune

and waving around the pom-

poms that had been given out

earlier that day. Some walkers

took pictures of my friend and

I jumping and cheering;

someone videotaping the

walkers turned the camera on

us. The others who weren’t

cheering just stared at us.

About half an hour of

cheering later, we were al-

ready starting to get tired.

Hundreds of people were

pouring in. We kept on cheer-

ing, jumping up and down

and screaming until our

throats were sore.

But it was worth it. Walk-

ers and other passer-bys

smiled at us, giving us many

thank-yous and exchanging

banter with us. (“Why don’t

YOU come down and walk

with us?”) A few considerate

walkers even gave us water

and food they had received

earlier in the walk.

After two hours, the last of

the walkers passed by. I was

spent and tired, my throat

completely sore. It was all

part of the fun. For those two

hours, I was able to let myself

go, freeing myself from built

up stress from that week.

Jumping around and cheering

my heart out seemed to be a

good cure fro stress. Good

exercise too. And on top of it

all, I knew that I was helping

the March of Dimes, helping

to save premature babies. I

walked onto my train, still

smiling and recounting the

day’s excitement. Then, I fell

asleep.

-Irene Kho

This was it, the first “project

of the month”, March of

Dimes. Since freshman year, I

made it a tradition to go every

year, prepared to go and meet

up with my friends, maybe

pass out free stuff to walkers,

or just to cheer on the walkers

until I lost my voice.

Unlike previous years, we

weren’t stationed at the

checkpoints where water and

other stuff were handed out;

instead we were in between

checkpoints to cheer on walk-

ers. I was fine with that. Two

years of past experience con-

ditioned me for this.

Going along with a friend

to an area that had less peo-

ple, we decided to help a par-

ticularly non-enthusiastic

group cheer. As the first few

walkers started to trickle

through, we gave encouraging

words to the walkers, telling

them how great of a job they

were doing and to keep it up.

It wasn’t until the large

groups of people came that

the real fun began.

Finally, a group of about

20 people were walking down

the street. We could see them

from about 3 blocks away.

Here we go. My friend and I

started speaking loudly,

chanting cheerleader-ish

cheers.

Page 8

March of Dimes

I have attended quite a

few Key Club events this past

year, and I have enjoyed most

of them. However, an event

that truly stood out in my

mind was the NYRR Colon

Cancer Health Fair, which

took place in the food court of

the Flushing mall. The tasks

of the volunteers entailed lit-

tle more than blowing up bal-

loons for the pink tables,

moving around boxes, hand-

ing out fliers, and helping

people interested in learning

more about colon cancer.

Nevertheless, I felt the event

was a great opportunity for

my fellow Key Clubbers and I

to bond as we were helping

the fair.My favorite part was

probably drinking bubble tea

while blowing up balloons for

the tables. I do hope that

there will be similar events to

the Health Fair in the coming

2007-2008 Key Club year.

-Shayra Kamal

THE LOCKSMITH Page 9

NYRR Colon Cancer Health Fair

AIDS Walk

On May 20, 2007 the

AIDS Walk took place. Most

people were walking this year,

but instead I volunteered.

Volunteering is rather tradi-

tion for me at the AIDS Walk;

my friend and I have always

done it together since fresh-

man year. After arriving at

Central Park at 6:45 a.m. and

getting a nice fitting t-shirt

(which always look nice), we

got shipped out on a bus to

our route-marshalling loca-

tion.

After our route captain

Beverly told us what to do in

her (awesome) British accent,

she told us we had lots of time

to kill before the walk began.

Spying a playground, my

friends and I decided to go

and play around a bit. Activi-

ties included see-sawing,

spinning on a carousel, and

swinging on the swings. Af-

terwards, we went back to our

station to get ready to cheer

people.

Rather, we did more than just cheer. It was a blustery morning, hence a lot of time was spent picking up cones that were blown down and chasing after boxes that were tumbling about. To ensure the garbage bags in the boxes wouldn’t blow away, my friends and I were allowed to use a staple gun, pinning the plastic bags to the cardboard Wet-Platinum© boxes (100% Silicone! Guaranteed never sticky! (lubricant for those curious)). After waiting awhile it finally came time to cheer on the walkers. The crowd was very nice, and my friends and I had a good time cheering on the walkers as they strolled down.

-Michael Chu