independence interact second semester newsletter

Interact Second Semester Newsletter 1

INTERACT

SECOND SEMESTER

N EWSLETTER

By: Phong Hong & Joyce Huang

INDEPENDENCE HIGH SCHOOL

Interact is a more than a community service club because it also provides abundant opportunities for

friendship and leadership. Through Interact Club, different individuals come together with the same

vision, to better our community and change the world. Interactors also make an unique global impact

with a different International Project each year. This year’s project, entitled “Life, Love, Literacy,”

involves raising $100,000 to build a school and library in Bangladesh to promote literacy.

We welcome you to Interact!


Co-Community Officers’ Message….….1

Hours & Monetary Achievements……...2

Community Service Events………..…..2

Major Events…………………….........6

Jeans Drive

Book Drive

Benefit Show

Inspirational Awards

Incentive Cruise

Leadership Team……………………..9

The members want to share their Interact

experience with you! So watch out for these

boxes throughout the newsletter!

Co-Community

Officers Message

Hello, Interactors!

Since the beginning, we have dedicated

ourselves to helping our community and

raising money for our International Project,

“Life, Love, Literacy.”

From countless service events to a

phenomenal Benefit Show, Interactors were

seen out and about, making an impactful

difference while having a lot of fun! Through

serving the community on a local and global

scale, Interactors have become active citizens

in making the world a better place. Take

pride in what you Interactors have done

through this club because one person makes

all the difference, and everybody’s combined

contributions allow us to lend a hand to not

only touch the lives of people close to home

but also to those far across the world in

Bangladesh.

To look back on yet another incredible year of

Interact, we proudly present our second

semester newsletter that highlights the

accomplishments and memories we’ve made.

We hope that Interact can feel like a family to

you, with people you not only work with, but

befriend, as you learn and grow from each

other. We hope this newsletter can help you

fondly reminisce on your experiences

alongside other great Interactors in creating

change for the better.

Peace, Love, Interact!

Phong Hong & Joyce Huang

The members want to share their Interact

What draws you to

Interact Club, and why

did you stay?

What is your favorite

Interact event?


HOURS & MONETARY Achievements

ss

Seniors

Freshman

Sophomores

Juniors

39{active members}

603.35{hours}

Alum Rock Neighborhood Planting We were working with Our City Forest to plant trees

throughout the Alum Rock residential area. The

volunteers were divided into groups and went to

different areas to plant saplings. Working in the

morning in such a beautiful, calming landscape was a

very enriching experience.

Event led by: Andrew Tran and Kevin Luong

COMMUNITY SERVICE EVENTS

Freshmen

SCHOOL SERVICE HOURS

5,894.86

SCHOOL DONATED

$707

AREA 6 SERVICE HOURS

10,660

AREA 6 DONATED

$14,166

78{active members}

1,191.27{hours}

39 {active

members}

310.05 {hours}

27 {active members}

243.94 {hours}

These hours

are from

second

semester and

summer.

2


COMMUNITY SERVICE EVENTS

Vinci’s Family Fun Night The event was really fun. Everyone was cooperative and

dedicated. There were so many jobs available, and

everybody was glad to switch around and take care of the

game stands. There were a lot of volunteers who

participated in this event, so we took turns running the

games and taking breaks.

Event led by: Kevin Luong and Colin Nguyen

“I like the winter guard/perc championships

because I get to watch the performances.”

-Christine Du, Freshman

“I liked the amazing, friendly environment,

and I stayed for the awesome Interactors.”

-Tiffanie Tang, Sophomore

“I like (environment) beautification. I did a lot of

work, it was a lot of fun, and I got to help the

community.” -Vivian Nguyen, Sophomore

Heritage Rose Garden Lake Pick-Up

In the morning, we met up at

the lake office and were

welcomed with donuts and hot

coffee, which were provided by

LEO Club. Afterwards, we

scavenged the creek side for a

variety of trash, varying from

paper bags and spoons to

batteries and bicycles. It felt

self-gratifying knowing that we

played a part in re-beautifying

the creek, which is an essential

part to the bay and our

environment. In addition, we

met really nice people and

made awesome new friends

from James Lick High School!

Event led by: Jason Phan


Easter Egg Hunt

This event was hosted by UC Berkeley. It

gathered kids from all over the Bay Area to

join in Easter festivities such as egg hunting,

face painting, etc. The event also

incorporated some leadership booths where

kids could learn and also do interactive

activities at. Even though it was all the way

in Berkeley, IHS Interact club saw no limits

to volunteering, so they made it up there.

The volunteers were assigned to the Egg

Hunting section... here the volunteers helped

the kids count their eggs and re-stocked the

fields with eggs. It was a well-spent

volunteering event!

Event led by: Hoa Ngo

Silicon Valley International Triathlon

Volunteers were split into 3 groups. One group helped in the process of the

Marathon, another group stayed at the finish line to congratulate the finishers

with ice cold water and medals, and the last group stayed at the canteen tent to

distribute snacks to everyone at the event. As if volunteering wasn't fun enough,

the whole marathon itself was a blast to be at. It was pure great entertainment

watching athletes of all ages from 18 to 64 compete in a grueling competition that

tests both their physical and mental capabilities. And of course the best part of

the day was...... getting tons of free things! Every volunteer was awarded free

shirts, water bottles, and food to bring home.

Event led by: Kenneth Go

“Fall Leadership Conference is my favorite Interact event

because it was really fun meeting people from my area

and different areas while cheering with them.”

-Kevin Tran, Senior

“I like going to the meetings and

seeing what everyone tries to do. I

like the impact we’re making in the

community.”

-Peter Tran, Sophomore


District 4 Great American Litter Pickup A lot of volunteers

showed up for this

event, and everyone

worked really hard the

whole time. We picked

up trash around

campus and places

near campus to help

keep our community

clean.

Event led by: Tuong

Huynh and Annie Vu

“Charity Dinner because I love eating food

and watching people perform.”

-Vivien Trinh, Junior

“I like beautification. I did

a lot of work, it was a

lot of fun, and I got to

help the community.”

-Vivian Nguyen,

Sophomore

“There’s a lot of friendly

people, and it’s a very

comfortable

environment to be in.”

-Rika Watanabe,

Sophomore

“Benefit Show because

it was really funny to

watch, and it helped

children in Bangladesh.

So it was fun with a

purpose.” -Sabrina Ma,

Junior

Loaves and Fishes At Goodwill, Interactors served the less

fortunate hot meals and drinks! We

helped cut potatoes and apples, dried

dishware, and poured drinks. It was

overall really fun to work with food and

for the community. We met some really

kind people and got to know the people

in our community a little bit better.

Event led by: Cindy Nguyen and Justin

Wiltron

Lunar Celebration This year the various booths at the Lunar

New Year Celebration Festival were placed

outdoors. Interact's booth was in charge of

assisting kids to decorate hats. Even when

there were not many kids at our booth,

volunteers prepared hats and organized

decorations, so it would be easier for kids to

reach when they came. The volunteers had a

lot of fun helping the kids while being

patient with them! Event led by: Howard Wong (Shift 2)

These individuals think CMF is fun:

Daphne Sall, Freshman

Devin Tuong, Sophomore

Kathleen Joe, Freshman

Lan Le, Freshman

Royson Lin, Freshman


“Definitely the UC Davis Rotary sleepover because I

really loved meeting other people from areas 1-12,,

and it was great meeting all those wonderful

people. I loved connecting with them.”

-Melissa Ly, Sophomore

“I joined because my friends

convinced me to. I stayed for

the wonderful atmosphere

and friendly board members. I

thoroughly enjoyed my time.

5/5 would join again.”

-Jason Ma, Junior

“Orchard workday that Kevin Luong led. I’m a

skilled gardener, so it was great to use that skill

to help others.” -Michael Balance, Freshman

Major Events

Teens for Jeans Did you know that 1.7 million teens are

homeless in the U.S., and the #1 item they

request from shelters is a pair of jeans? In

conjunction with Aeropostale’s Teens for

Jeans campaign, Interact had a jeans drive

that got the whole school involved. The drive

lasted around 3 weeks, and Independence

students showed their compassion with a

grand total of 120 jeans donated by the end of

the drive. The jeans went to Aeropostale to be

donated to people in our local community in

need of them. Way to go, Sixers!

Book Drive

Interact collected books for a month

to be donated to the Santa Clara

County Reading Council for people

in our local community! We believe

that books open up opportunities for

children to learn more about the

world around them. All kinds of

books were collected, including

picture books, chapter books, and

even adult books. The books

conjured up fond, childhood

memories, making people nostalgic

but also happy to think of their

books being enjoyed by other people

in need of them.


Benefit Show

Benefit Show is an annual charity event that

Interact Area 6 hosts to raise funds for our

International project. Every year, talented

individuals entertain and captivate the audience

with varied acts, such as singing, ribbon dancing,

and even band performances. The amazing thing

about the show, besides the wondrous showcase of

local talents, was that it was put together by

Interact members, showing the impact youth can

make when we work together for the same cause.

Inspirational Awards

It’s that time of year again when we appreciate our fellow classmates,

teachers, and faculty members by writing Inspirational Awards.

Teachers who put in extra time to tutor, friends who never fail to cheer

you up, or maybe even someone you briefly met who left an impression

on you ─ now’s your chance to let them know how they inspired and

touched you. Teachers enjoyed scrumptious Togo’s sandwiches at a

lunch ceremony, while students had delicious cake at an after-school

ceremony!


We surveyed our members about which fundraisers they would like to see in the club

during the upcoming year. Members voted between recreational activities and

restaurant fundraisers. Then, each member voted on their favorite recreational activity

and restaurant preference, Grab-n-Go like food trucks or Sit-Down like Red Robin.

“The way you get to make

new friends, the people, the

events are rewarding.”

-Nhu Tran, Sophomore

Others agree that Interact is

fun because of its people

and community service

events:

Bryan Nguyen, Sophomore

Elizabeth Hoang, Sophomore

Katherine Ngo, Freshman

Duyen Tran, Freshman

George Sheng, Junior

Michelle Truong, Senior

“Halloween haunted house, we helped build

this great place for children to come and get a

new experience of Halloween. We also got to

interact with the kids and show them a good

time.” -Joshua Marin, Junior

INCENTIVE CRUISE

Incentive Cruise is an annual event that

rewards Interactors for their hard work

throughout the year. It is also an

opportunity for Interactors to meet one

another and then get their groove on, all

while sailing around the majestic San

Francisco Bay. Independence brought 12

members to this event, and everyone had a

fabulous time. It was really great to be able

to see old friends from around the district

as well as meet new faces. The cruise

offered fantastic views of the Bay Bridge,

San Francisco, and Alcatraz. Overall, it was

a really fun trip that all Interactors are

encouraged to experience.

Survey Questions


Leadership Team

“I joined board originally because I love community service! It

may sound like the cheesiest thing in the world, but even when

I was little I loved it, but everyone told me that I was too

young. Interact gave me an opportunity to involve myself in the

community, and as I applied for board later it helped me with

leadership building, social skills, and people skills. As of now, I

absolutely LOVE board, they're like a big family, and I don't

know how I could live without them!!! Anyone with even a

slight interest should apply for board! It has changed my life

for the better (:” – Maddie Takemori

, Sophomore

“I wanted to change the views of ‘Interact.’ I want people to

know that Interact isn't just about the service events, but

about how everyone as a team can do so much more to impact a

certain group or area of people. Lastly, I'd like people to not

automatically think Interact is a big, intimidating club. But

from a different perspective, how simple events can be fun and

help yourself develop better socializing skills.” – Howard Wong,

Sophomore

“When I joined board, my love for Interact

grew, and I guess I found my true

intentions deep inside of me. I wanted to

join board because I wanted to bring out

the leader in me, bring out the side that

had been dwelling inside of me for quite

some time, and actually commit to giving

back to the community and inspiring those

around me. Being a part of Interact also

gave me a background idea of what I

wanted to do in the future, because being

able to help out the less fortunate was an

amazing feeling that grew inside of me. As

of now, I can say I wanted to join Board,

because I wanted to change who I was and

help give back to the community I live in

and begin shedding light on a path I may

take in life.” – Edward Cabusora, Senior

CO-P R E S I D E N T

Cindy Nguyen & Lamanh Le

CO-S E C R E T A R Y

Ashna Mangla & Howard Wong

CO-M E D I A Jeffrey Yu & Jonathan Lam

CO-CO M M U N I T Y Brendan Truong & Katrina Dang

T R E A S U R E R

Annie Vu

The leadership team consists of board members, officers, and advisors. These are the individuals who work together to organize club events such as general meetings and community service events. We have our

upcoming officers who will be leading the club for the 2013-2014 term. A few board members shared their experience of being on board.


INTERACT Club

As the 2012-2013 school year of Interact ends, another opportunity to fill the long summer

days awaits in Summer Interact. Continue spreading that Interact passion and enjoying

your relaxing vacation time. See you next year bright-eyed and well-rested for an even

bigger and better year filled with Interact amazingness!

independence interact second semester newsletter

Documents

community service club

semester newsletter

active members

countless service events

great interactors

school donated

active citizens

semester n ewsletter