THE LOCKSMITH New York District / Division 11 Volume 5 Issue 3
Stuyvesant High School Key Club July Issue
About Us What does Key Club mean to you? Featured writer: Stephanie Raza To me, Key Club means community. Being a part of this organization gives me such a sense of community, as I can see different people come together and contribute to great things, whether it's helping out at an event or being apart of a committee. I've seen so many of my friends and classmates join this club, and even small deeds like participating in Locksmith committee or being the project leader has improved their initiative and leadership skills immensely. I am very happy to be a member of Key Club and am looking forward to see how it shapes me.
Give Us a Shout!
Cabinet Michelle Yang, President librasapphire2000@gmail.com Yuki Lau, Vice President stuyyuki@gmail.com Jenna Foo, Secretary jfoo@stuy.edu Justin Chan, Treasurer jchan15@stuy.edu
Contacts Gilbert Papagayo, Faculty Advisor g.papagayo@gmail.com Stuyvesant High School 345 Chambers St. New York, NY 10282
Tiffany Chen, Editor tchen8@stuy.edu Jason Lam, Webmaster jlam6@stuy.edu
Table of Contents Letters from Tiffany and Sammi Announcements from Stuyvesant Key Club Announcements from Division 11 Announcements from New York District Key Club Announcements from Key Club International Timeline of Past Events Timeline of Upcoming Events Featured Key Club: LaGuardia Photos and Articles
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Letters from Tiffany and Sammi Tiffany Chen, Editor
Sammi Lin, Locksmith Committee Director
Hi Key Clubbers! I hope you’re having an amazing summer so far! I’m so happy to give you guys this issue. It’s the first newsletter that was published a month after the last one, and I am very proud of that. I would love to continue this pattern, so if you would like to submit any photos or articles, I’ll appreciate it very much! Remember to continue volunteering; summer’s a great time to start racking up points. :) I hope you enjoy this issue!
Hey everyone! Hope you've all been having a great summer so far (is it too early to start anticipating the next school year?). Anyway, I would like to give a HUGE shoutout to the amazing Locksmith Committee who put time and effort into helping us produce another issue of the Locksmith! Also, another massive shoutout to everyone who's still committed to going to Key Club events and sending in pictures and especially articles! You guys are awesome. I hope you all enjoy this issue!
Announcements from Stuyvesant Key Club The new school year means new members to volunteer with Key Club! If you have any friends that are not in Key Club yet but should be (let’s be real, everyone should be in Key Club), tell them all these amazing things. As a Key Clubber, you can… ● Give back to the community! Key Club is all about volunteering at many events. ● See other people from different high schools! There are many Key Clubs in NYC, and schools such as Bronx Science, Brooklyn Tech, LaGuardia, and NEST+m have Key Clubs. Some Key Clubs volunteer at the same events we do, so you get to meet new people across the city. ● Participate in fundraisers! This year, we’ve already had two fundraisers: one at Dave and Buster’s and one at World Ice Arena. The money raised in these fundraisers often go to amazing causes, and we often raise hundreds of dollars. ● Join cool committees! There are six committees to join: Art, Locksmith, Fundraising, New Projects, Web/Video, and Public Relations! All of them have different experiences that are equally fun. ● Have amazing leadership opportunities! Key Club International is run completely by students, which is so mind-blowing. You can lead the club, the division, the district, and even the organization! ● Get free food and stuff! A lot of Key Club events give out free food, shirts, and other things. ● Be part of a really amazing community. Key Clubbers are some of the kindest and coolest people I know. So what are you waiting for? Spread the word about Key Club! Pass your friends this newsletter. Do whatever it takes. :)
The 1st American Culture Parade, an event that was supposed to be on August 6th, was canceled. This event was supposed to celebrate the many cultures in New York City. Sorry if anyone was looking forward to it, and thanks to everyone who signed up regardless!
Announcements from Division 11 HSMSE Key Club and LaGuardia Key Club collaborated on a fundraiser on Roosevelt Island on July 31. There, Key Clubbers participated in a large scavenger hunt, going to several key (pun not intended) places on the island in teams of four. The winners of the scavenger hunt got to pie the board members! The fundraiser was a success; they raised $481 for World Vision, an international organization dedicated to working with children, families, and communities to combat poverty and injustice. Congrats to HSMSE Key Club and LaGuardia Key Club!
Announcements from New York District Key Club The Governor’s Project this year will be the Honeybee Conservatory. The Honeybee Conservatory is a non-profit organization founded in 2009 in response to the bee crisis, an ongoing situation where bees across the nation are disappearing at a historic high. The Conservatory is doing several things to combat this horrible state, such as: ● Encouraging communities to plant bee-friendly habitats ● Supporting research to reduce and eventually end the bee crisis ● Educating people about the declining bee population ● Motivating groups to support beekeepers The goal for this project is to raise $5,000.
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Speaking of goals, here are the goals for this service year: Raise $150,000 in total ○ $5,000 for Sunrise Day Camp ○ $5,000 for the Honeybee Conservatory ○ $300 for the Kiwanis Lyme Disease Foundation ○ $1,500 for Kamp Kiwanis ○ $200 for Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Center Serve 110,000 hours in total
The 7th Annual NY District Kiwanis Family Picnic will be on August 12 from 12:00pm to 5:00pm! Anyone part of the Kiwanis family (like Key Clubbers and Circle K-ers) are allowed to attend! For Key Clubbers, it will be $5 for admission, and the proceeds will go to a charitable cause yet to be determined. It will be a great place to meet different Key Clubbers from across the district while being introduced to different people and organisations in the K-Family. The picnic will be at the Tennis House South Lawn in Prospect Park. Directions can be found on the event page, which can be accessed here. For more information, feel free to ask the Cabinet or check out the event page. The picnic is going to be loads of fun, so we hope to see you there!
The New Opportunities Fund is giving out funds for Key Clubbers to finance any Key Club project. Key Clubbers can request funds from $100 to $2,000. Applications are due October 15 at midnight. A notification email will be sent out to all applicants during the second week of January 2018 about their application status. This is a great way to fund any amazing projects for the next service year.
Our International Trustee for this service year is Alisa Nguyen! Last year, she was the Governor of the Southwest District, and for her amazing work, she received the Distinguished Governor award. Congrats to her!
Here’s a message from her.
Announcements from Key Club International Key Club International’s Convention (ICON) was from July 5th to July 9th, and there, thousands of Key Clubbers from across the world met at San Antonio to attend workshops, receive awards, and elect our new International Board. Speaking of our International Board, here it is! ● International President: William Sims ● International Vice President: Minyoung Kim ● International Trustees: Lindsey Banks, Audrey Dilgarde, Jared Dutko, Luke Gilmore, Rohan Mekala, Jack Nannie, Caleb Neale, Alisa Nguyen, Saul Ontiveros, Emily Rice, and Nhung Tran Congrats to our immediate past District Governor Matt Garber, immediate past Treasurer Cynthia Jiang, immediate past Secretary Tanya Hao, and immediate past District Editor Sofia Paulino for being distinguished in their positions! In addition, congrats to Bronx Science Key Club and Hunter Key Club (both from our division!) for being recognized as Diamond Level Clubs!
Clara Lee, District Editor, with Hunter Key Club’s award
Chevy Chen, District Treasurer, with Bronx Science Key Club’s award
Timeline of Past Events ●
July 3:
FABSCRAP 2017 Time: 9:00am to 12:00pm, 1:00pm to 4:00pm (depends on day) Location: 184-10 Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica, NY 11423 Project Captain: Vincent Yang and Evan Zou Description: We helped out with FABSCRAP by sorting out all the fabric it receives from designers. It was super fun and easy, and we were able to take home free fabric!
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July 7: July 9:
FABSCRAP 2017 Bastille Day Time: 10:00am to 6:00pm Location: Between Fifth Avenue and Lexington Avenue, on East 60th Street Project Captain: Sammi Lin Description: We volunteered at Bastille Day. We helped with set-up in the morning. In the afternoon, we worked an activities station, gave information, passed out programs, or sold tickets from FIAF booths. The day was a lot of fun, but it was also a lot of work on a hot July afternoon!
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July 10:
FABSCRAP 2017
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July 14:
FABSCRAP 2017 Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen Time: 9:30am to 1:00pm Location: 296 9th Ave, New York, NY 10001 Project Captain: None Description: To help out the Holy Apostles feed the less fortunate, we served food, cleaned and set tables, cut up vegetables, buttered up bread, and did other tasks to make a good meal. We also could stay for lunch in order to get to know the Holy Apostles Church more, which was not only easy on the wallet, but fun at the same time!
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July 15:
Runyon 5K 2017 Time: 7:00am to 2:00pm Location: Yankee Stadium - 1 E 161st St, Bronx, NY 10451 Project Captain: Tiffany Chen Description: We helped out at the Runyon 5K! Volunteers helped cheer on the runners and gave out water. Volunteers had the opportunity to do their own lap around the track at the end of the event, and breakfast AND lunch was provided!
Ice Skating Fundraiser Time: 12:00pm to 5:00pm Location: World Ice Arena Description: Stuyvesant hosted a fundraiser with Midwood Key Club and Bayside Key Club! There, Key Clubbers skated to keep cool from the heat and have fun with friends.
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July 16:
NYC Triathlon Time: 5:00am to 1:00pm Location: 110th St. and Adam Clayton Powell Blvd. by Central Park OR W. 74th St. by Central Park Project Captain: None Description: Each year, thousands of athletes race in the waters of the Hudson River, then bike along the West Side highway in Manhattan, and finally run through Central Park in the final third of the race. To help this race run as smoothly as possible, we needed to keep the participants energized. We volunteered at the AIDS STATION, where snacks and drinks were handed out so that the racers could refuel and finish the race!
Rubin Museum Block Party Time: 12:30pm to 4:15pm (check-in from 12:00pm to 12:20 pm) Location: Rubin Museum- 150 West 17th Street Manhattan, New York City Project Captain: Jenna Foo Description: We helped out at the Rubin Museum Block Party. We helped out at booths and had the opportunity to watch multiple performances. Pizza, water, and snacks was provided to volunteers!
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July 22:
FABSCRAP 2017 Brooklyn Bike Rave Time: 4:00pm to 11:00pm Location: Greenpoint, Brooklyn NY (specific location TBC) Project Captain: None Description: We helped out at the Brooklyn Bike Rave! Volunteers helped at the Start Line in Greenpoint, the Finish Line in DUMBO, or as Course Marshals or Ride Marshals.
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July 23:
Races for Faces Time: 7:00am to 12:00pm Location: The Warsaw Ghetto Memorial at 83rd St Project Captain: Penny Wang Description: We helped out at Races for Faces, which was an event designed to fundraise and raise awareness for facial deformities.
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July 29:
Ice Cream Social Run Time: 7:00am to 12:00pm Location: Firefighter's Field, Roosevelt Island - 405 Main St. New York, NY Project Captain: Yuki Lau Description: We helped out at the Ice Cream Social 5K & 10 K! We handed out packets, helped out at the water station, did bag checks, and more. Some even ran the race for free!
B&N Get Pop Cultured Time: 3:30pm to 6:30pm Location: Barnes & Noble Tribeca - 97 Warren St, New York, NY 10007 Project Captain: Amit Narang Description: We helped out with Barnes & Noble's Get Pop Cultured event (the theme was cosplaying!) Volunteers helped out at trivia tables and could arrive in full cosplay or T-shirts with superheroes/anime/etc (although it was optional).
Timeline of Upcoming Events â—?
August 5:
Summer Streets 2017 Time: 6:00am to 10:00am or 9:00am to 1:00pm Location: ***Please choose Astor location on the link*** Project Captain: *needed* Description: On the first three Saturdays in August, from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park, 7 miles of streets will be closed to cars for six hours to allow walkers, runners, cyclists and people of all ages to take back the streets and enjoy many free activities along the route. Volunteers need to be 16 years of age or older and be able to work outside in the variable weather. All volunteers will receive a commemorative shirt and goodie bag packed with great gifts and snacks from sponsors. Sign up here and here if you’re interested!
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August 12: Summer Streets 2017 Governor’s Island Run Time: 6:30am to 12:00pm Location: Governor's Island (specific location TBC) Project Captain: *needed* Description: We'll be helping out at the Governor's Island 5K & 10K! Volunteers will be helping as course marshals, the water station, or the festival area! Sign up here and here!
Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival Time: 7:00am to 1:00pm, 12:00pm to 6:00pm (various shifts) Location: Flushing Meadows Corona Park (exact location in confirmation email) Project Captain: *needed* Description: We will be helping out at the annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival! Volunteers will be helping with setting up, cleaning up, handling boats, directing traffic, and marshaling teams! Sign up here!
NYSoM Back to School Time: 12:00pm to 6:30pm Location: Brooklyn @ Raymond Bush Playground in Bed Stuy Project Captain: *needed* Description: We will be helping out at the NYSoM Back to School Supply Drive! The purpose of this drive is to distribute school supplies to benefit students throughout Brooklyn. Volunteers will be helping with the distribution of school supplies, managing our Pokemon scavenger hunt and other activities such as face painting, tattoos, and other crafts. Sign up here!
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August 13: Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival August 19: Summer Streets 2017 August 26: NYSoM Back to School Time: 1:00pm to 6:30pm Location: Target East Harlem Garden in East Harlem Project Captain: *needed* Description: We will be helping out at the NYSoM Back to School Supply Drive! The purpose of this drive is to distribute school supplies to benefit students throughout Harlem. Volunteers will be helping with the distribution of school supplies, helping distribute food items from our free bbq for attendees, managing our cultural crafts & information tables, and managing concessions stands (popcorn machine, lemonade). Sign up here!
Featured Key Club: LaGuardia In each Locksmith, we feature a different high school’s Key Club to spread awareness of our interclub activities and emphasize the large community Key Club fosters. This issue, we are focusing on LaGuardia Key Club of Division 11. Kimberly Nee, President: Hey Stuyvesant Key Club!! My name is Kimberly Nee, and I’m the president of LaGuardia Key Club. We’re so happy that you chose our club to be featured in your July Newsletter!! We’re excited to show you guys what our amazing members did this month. For the month of July, we went to so many great events such as Lymphoma Walk, Summer Block Party at the Rubin Museum, July Community Volunteer Day, Brooklyn Bike Rave and Races for Faces. We also had our interclub fundraiser with HSMSE on the 30th, which was a blast to plan and host! All of the funds are going to World Vision. We want to thank everyone for coming and we hope you had as fun as we did. We raised $481 together! We also had our annual Tie-Dye Picnic Fundraiser earlier this summer. LaGuardia Key club also has lots of upcoming events coming up soon like the Lunchtime Meal Service at Bowery Mission, August Community Volunteer Day, Cleanup at MacDonald Park and much more! Key Club and the Kiwanis Family provides us with such wonderful experiences. Being apart of Key Club was the best decision of my life. We are so proud of our members who take time to make their world a better place. As an end note, everyone is invited to come to our events and meet Key Clubbers from LaGuardia. We all love making new friends!
LaGuardia Key Club at July Community Volunteer Day
LaGuardia Key Club at the Lymphoma Walk
LaGuardia’s and HSMSE’s fundraiser!
Photos & Articles
FABSCRAP 2017
Photos taken by Henry Zheng
Photos taken by Zijia Zhang
By Penny Wang When I first signed up for the FABSCRAP event, I was hesitant because it was located in a warehouse in Jamaica. However, this event seemed appealing to me because I would be sorting fabric, something I’d never done before. Therefore, I signed up for this event and awaited the day that I signed up for. At first, things got complicated because I hadn’t received a confirmation email for the event. Despite this small problem, I took the bus to the warehouse and arrived around 9 in the morning. Upon arrival, I realized how shady the warehouse actually was. The building was very old and worn, which was ironic since it states “Ideal Building” over the entrance. I grew more reluctant to enter by the second as I approached the building, as if I were in a scene in a horror movie in which the character would be murdered in a shady warehouse. As I was pondering whether to go in or not, a kind man approached me and my friends and asked if we were volunteering for the event. After signing in on a notebook, we proceeded to follow him to the side of the building. There were two men spraying water on an upraised platform within an empty enclosement. There was also a gate leading to some sort of alley. At this point, I was very creeped out, but the kind man told us to go up on the platform and take an elevator up. One of the men with a hose showed us to the elevator and proceeded to take us up. This elevator was, by far, the shadiest part of this whole event. Its huge doors opened and closed from the top to the bottom and the actual elevator itself had metal sides with one side being a fence-like structure through which we could see the dirt-streaked, depressing walls. There was also some kind of ball wrapped in plastic hanging from the top. After seriously questioning the safety of the elevator, we somehow made it out alive and made our way to a huge room with tons of filled garbage bags. There were also several tables in the center where many tall grown-ups were examining and sorting fabric. After realizing we were the only teenagers present, we proceeded to awkwardly talk to a woman in charge. She was very kind and showed us exactly what we had
to do and allowed us to put our things in lockers. We were given jobs sorting through the fabric. This was quite a struggle because I had no experience with fabric. We had to sort through the plastic bags and place the clothes in either the polyester, mixed, cotton, spandex, or reuse bin. There were also piles of paper with fabric attached to them that we took most of our time separating and sorting. A different job required us to separate pieces of spandex by color into several large bins. This event turned out to be very tedious, but it was fun as well. I learned many valuable things while being forced out of my comfort zone. For instance, I learned that fabrics thrown away by companies can be shredded up and recycled. I also found some cool pieces of fabric. We were even able to take home some fabric of our choice afterwards! Overall, despite the fact that I was reluctant to do this event, I learned that you can't judge an event by its location and to always give things a try.
Photos taken by Penny Wang
Photos taken by Penny Wang
Photos taken by Penny Wang
Photos taken by Irene Chen
Bastille Day
Photos taken by Sammi Lin
Photos taken by Sammi Lin
By Tasnuba Sukanna The description for this particular event piqued my curiosity; at the time, I had never even heard of Bastille Day. I found myself so intrigued that I ended up signing up to volunteer at this festival. After overcoming the great adversity known as public transit, I found myself walking down Lexington Avenue. Upon making my way to 60th Street, I was immediately greeted by a sea of white tents and festivities. While searching for the booth for Stuyvesant Key Club members, my eyes indulged in all the sights the street fair had to offer. Despite only occupying a mere three blocks, the festival seemed like a vast expanse of blue, white, and red. An important day for French-Americans, Bastille Day honors the Storming of the Bastille, arguably the most major turning point of the French Revolution. Essentially a “Fourth of July” for France, Bastille Day is known to the French as “le quatorze juillet” (the fourteenth of July). Although celebrations in Europe are held on the 14th, the NYC Bastille Day Festival is always held the Sunday before. The festivities that take place are meant to embrace the historic friendship between France and the United States. As a celebration of French nationalism and culture, the festival was everything I could have expected; a myriad of people spoke with thick French accents. Macarons, crepes, and an assortment of croissants were served. The colors of the French flag were used, sometimes egregiously if I might add, to decorate nearly all objects present. Volunteers were tasked with helping set up tents and booths. After setting up, the volunteers assisted with managing of the booths. I was stationed at a booth that distributed flyers that advertised French classes for children and adults. In the booth, I made a new friend, Sammi. We were both assigned the task of creating minimalistic bracelets for the groups of little kids who came to our booth. They sat in a tiny round table with us and made bracelets. In my booth, there was also a coloring table that functioned the same way the bracelet table did. Although it felt a little childish to be swarmed by two-year-olds who wanted me to help them make bracelets and color, it bfjabjffbj
actually helped me destress. The fact that my services were able to provide joy for others was the icing on the cake. Other volunteers worked inside the French Institute Alliance Française building, writing emails to raffle prize winners or accommodating to guests. During our lunch break, I got to taste some French delicacies. Some of the memorable ones included lightly toasted brioche bread dusted with a light coating of caramelized onions and poppy seeds, stuffed with layers of lightly smoked roast beef, with fresh Romaine lettuce and a slice of juicy vine tomato drizzled with creme fraiche on the side. Sammi and I walked down the fair, where we got free samples of ice cream. There were many incredible performances too, as well as a parade that concluded the festivities. Quite a few amusing things happened to me the day of the festival. Prior to coloring and making bracelets, Sammi and I were required to read a children’s book in French. Although we were only able to say “yes” and “cheese,” we tried our best. Likewise, a shortage of volunteer shirts forced me to make do with an XL that fit me like a pillowcase. “Well, now you have something to sleep in,” one of the volunteer heads said with a laugh. The back of the shirt had French writing that said, “Speak to me in French.” Wearing this shirt would have put me in an awkward situation were someone to approach me for help and could only speak French. Fortunately, that did not happen during the event. The event concluded with clean-up. I laughed as I saw people stuff their bags with baguettes and other French delicacies. It was incredible to see the influx of French people bask in the celebration of their culture. Despite varying physical appearances, they all had a common background and were happy to have spent their time celebrating their culture. If I had not volunteered at the Bastille Day Festival, I would have missed out on an amazing occasion.
Photos taken by Tasnuba Sukanna
Photos taken by Tasnuba Sukanna
Photos taken by Tasnuba Sukanna
Runyon 5K 2017 By Tiffany Chen After getting through security and walking in, I was absolutely amazed at where the event was taking place. I was in Yankee Stadium, and since I’ve never been there, I was taking in everything. I was so happy to volunteer there. I got a bracelet and some breakfast from a table. Everything was from Dunkin Donuts. I may have only ate a strawberry donut, but that’s besides the point. I then met up with the rest of the Stuy kids at the Water 200 (200 is the second floor) table, which is where we had to wait until we received further instruction. We waited an hour. It’s okay though, because the guy who helped us work was really nice. He showed us around and told us more about himself. He even showed us a picture he took with a family while we took a pit stop at the bathroom. He told a story about how a little boy always wanted to go to a Yankees game, and he could because the father often volunteered at the stadium. (Does that mean I can get free tickets for a Yankees game one day? I better continue to volunteer there!) He then laughed at the picture and exclaimed, “This picture was how I realized I was bald! Why was I even buying shampoo, conditioner, and hair gel if I don’t even need them?!” Everyone in the group laughed with him. At the Water 200 station, we had to fill up hundreds of small cups with hose water. That’s right, hose water. Everyone was grossed out and concerned that the dehydrated runners would be drinking hose water to quench their thirst. Still, we didn’t comment on it too much and filled the disposable cups quickly. In fact, we were so quick that we could sit down in the stadium chairs until the run started. I took some pictures (the view with breathtaking) as I sang to the pop songs that blared through the speakers. The man kept checking on us from time to time, which I found really sweet.
When the race started, the other Key Clubber (Rachael) and I were moved so that we could cheer on the runners. As they ran by, we clapped and wooed. It felt great whenever they would smile or woo back. It felt like my encouragement really meant something to them, which was great. By the middle of the race, I got tired, so I grabbed a chair and sat down. When I cheered then, some people pointed out that I was sitting. Admittedly, it made me feel self-conscious. I stood up close to the end to cheer on the lagging runners and walkers. Once the race was finished, Rachael and I returned to the water station, where they were cheering the final runners and cleaning up. The man let us go downstairs, and there, we were offered bagels. What really enticed us, however, was the free cheese samples. They were pretty good! I enjoyed this event a lot. The people and location made it memorable. If I see an event at the Yankee Stadium again, I would sign up, and not just because of the possibility of the free tickets.
Rubin Museum Block Party By Jenna Foo The thing I remember most distinctly from this event was the amazing weather. The sun was blazing so hot that day that you could have cooked an egg on the sidewalk! As I arrived, I looked for the Rubin Museum's Teen Education Center, going through a bunch of twists and turns before I met the rest of the volunteers I would be with for the rest of the day. Fortunately, I had arrived just in time (fashionably late) and was lucky enough to receive the last Rubin Museum "Sounds of the Street" T-shirt (which was hugeeeeee). The coordinators were all super helpful and made sure that all of us were clear about what tasks we had been assigned to. I ended up being assigned to the outside welcome table, where I sat for most of the day; there, I handed out maps and answered any questions. Thousands of people passed through the streets, which kept me busy and allowed time to pass really fast. It was also a nice day to sit outside and enjoy the music and festivities, which were free, may I add. Overall, it was a worthwhile experience: I got to meet a lot of different people and really delve into the creative side of me that I had abandoned for a while. I hope to attend again next year, and I look forward to what new and interesting theme the Rubin Museum comes up with for next year's block party.
Photo taken by Jenna Foo
Brooklyn Bike Rave
Photos taken by Stacey Xue
Races for Faces
Photos taken by Marvin Wang
By Tiffany Chen I arrived at Riverside Park not knowing what to expect. I thought this event would simply be a run to raise money for children with facial deformities. However, I learned this couldn’t be farther from the truth when I signed in with one of the coordinators. She said that I would be working at the festival with the rest of Stuy’s volunteers. I joined them before walking down to the festival. We started setting up by putting trash bags into cardboard boxes. The only problem was that the trash bags were too small for the cardboard boxes! We were told to rip holes into the bags, which kind of worked. I needed a lot of help from Marvin to get a couple bags into the cardboard boxes. After that, we could chill for half an hour, so I talked to the Stuy kids. We bonded over past teachers we shared, which felt nice. Once the event was starting, we went to a random festival stand close to the entrance. The games weren’t explained to us, so we had to make up the rules for them. For the game with two balls and a box with colored boxes inside, we said that the two balls had to land on the same color for the kid to win. (This means that there was a 2/17 chance of winning. Yes, we did calculate it.) For the game with a traffic light and three balls, we said that the three balls had to be thrown into the traffic light for the kid to win. For the game with a wooden box with a hole, one out of three throws had to make it into the hole for the kid to win. Turns out, a lot of kids won. They weren’t necessarily from our games, but before we knew it, the big stuffed animals that were supposed to be “the big prizes” were gone. We started giving out the smaller stuffed animals and mini board games as the “big prizes.” Those were also supposed to be given as small prizes as a consolation prize, but all the prizes were running out. We were completely out of prizes by the end, but the kids didn’t seem to have a problem with that. They just wanted to play, which was really nice. I really enjoyed interacting with the kids. They were all so happy, which made me happy as well. Some volunteers said I was good with kids, but I just let loose and had fun with them. Some kids wouldn’t stop trying until they won a fbgiabf
prize, and I thought that it was super cool. There was one dad who wouldn’t let a kid get a consolation prize because “that’s how life works, honey.” I couldn’t help but laugh during that, but I felt really bad for the girl. On the bright side, she won a lot of other prizes, so she still went home with a bunch of toys. There was also a raffle, which had 48 amazing prizes. They were really big and worth a lot. There were four $70 Amazon gift cards, jewelry, toys, and beautiful paintings. I ended up buying five tickets, putting two for the Amazon gift cards and three for a painting. I didn’t win, but one Stuy kid won headphones and one won jewelry and a makeup lesson (after entering so many tickets he had a 54 percent chance of winning that prize). Either way, it was super fun to look at all the raffle prizes. We even played Twister at the end! I ended up staying a bit longer to help clean up. I had so much fun at this event. I love interacting with kids, and entering the raffle was a rush of excitement. I would definitely volunteer here again.
Photos taken by Penny Wang
Photos taken by Marvin Wang
Photos taken by Marvin Wang
By Aaron Wu (from Bronx Science Key Club!) On July 23rd, I volunteered at Races for Faces, a walk dedicated to fund for the myFace organization. This organization improves the lives of people who suffer from facial disfigurement by using the money they earn to help those with facial deformities undergo surgeries. When I first arrived at the event, there was a carnival, where we help set up activity stands for the participants. During this time, I got to meet new people from other schools and connect more with people from my school. After about one hour, we split into groups of two, and my group was sent to be course marshals. Another volunteer and I were responsible for guiding incoming participants to turn left instead of going straight ahead. The walkers were really approachable and understanding as almost all of them thanked us as they walked. This was basically what we did for about another hour before heading back to the carnival, where we would enjoy as the walkers celebrated. It was really amazing that crowds gathered to attend this type of event, and I remembered that on the stage, someone who suffers from facial disfigurement stood and sang while everyone applauded them. It was really nice to see how many people care for others who suffer from this.
Photos taken by Penny Wang
Ice Cream Social
Photos taken by Irene Chen
Photos taken by Irene Chen
Photos taken by Penny Wang
Thank you for reading this issue of the Locksmith! Please send any feedback to locksmith@stuykc.org and continue to submit articles and photos.