Mia Estelle Bazaldua ’26 (left) and Yoanna Wu ’26 (right) express their gratitude for teachers by writing them a card and taping a piece of candy, which earns them key club hours. Photo taken by Eiley Abarca-Millan
Key Club is a student-run organization that allows students to earn volunteer hours while helping out the community. It provides opportunities to bond while meeting new people and build leadership. They host many events including the Candy Drive, John Piper Day of Service and tutoring for students on Wednesdays from 8:15-9:15 in the North Library.
The Candy Drive is a fundraising event that has students bring in bags of candy for Halloween. It is an annual event where South Salem High School opens up their doors, allowing kids to come inside and trick-or-treat. All the candy collected from the drive is given out to the kids. Faculty and students also have the opportunity to sign up and decorate a door to make it fun and enjoyable for all the trick-or-treaters and families who come.
John Piper Day of Service is another annual event where students take a few hours of their weekend and come to South to help rake leaves. As fall comes around, the leaves start to change color and die along with the many trees around. This can make the neighborhood look cluttered. Getting some of these leaves up before the rain comes helps the South community look and function better. Key Club provides snacks and water for all who took their time to come out and help.
“I started volunteering and found out it was actually really cool. My favorite part about Key Club is getting to do new experiences, meet new people and you’re also helping people in return.” Sofia Castellanos ‘25, key club president, said.
Having volunteer hours or key club on a resume is beneficial and increases the chances of job hires and college acceptance. If students are interested in joining the club, they may come to a key club meeting. Meetings occur on every Monday from 3:30-4 p.m.
