Members of the Sanford High School Key Club meet at the school.
Photo: Sanford High School
By Sam Bonsey, Sanford Schools Communications Coordinator
Most Mondays at 6 pm, a group of Sanford High School students meet in the Agora. Not for practice or tutoring, but to figure out how they can make their community a little better. They’re members of Key Club, the school’s oldest club, which has been around since 1959.
Key Club is an international student-led organization focused on community service and leadership, sponsored by Kiwanis International. At Sanford High School, membership is open to all students throughout the school year.
SHS senior Braeden Landry has been showing up to meetings since before he was even a high school student.
This year’s biggest undertaking was the Lighthouse project, a large, student-designed display on the Agora wall created in partnership with Erika’s Lighthouse, an organization focused on youth mental health awareness. The display points toward the guidance office, and students are invited to share tips on staying mentally healthy and how to get help — giving a voice to struggles that can be hard to talk about. Members spent hours carefully planning and executing it. “The Lighthouse is one of our biggest projects we’ve done. That was really cool,” Braeden said. “We also set up an ornament painting station and got like 40 different presents. That was awesome.”
Members focus on hands-on community service projects, preferring to try new things rather than repeat the same events each year. This year’s standout was the Lighthouse project. “They spent like five hours figuring out how they wanted it set up and what they wanted it to say,” said co-adviser Payton Orino. “They worked really hard on it.”
Other highlights included assembling and distributing “Boo Bags” around Halloween and running babysitting nights at the school. One of the biggest events on the calendar is DECON — the District Convention — coming up at the end of March in Springfield, MA, where members get to compete and represent Sanford High on a regional stage.
DECON is one of the most exciting parts of the Key Club year. Students travel to compete in events including a talent show, an advertising competition, and a poster competition. Last year the club had a strong showing, taking first place in both the Talent Contest and Club Video competition, second place in the Oratorical Contest, and earning an Adviser Award for Kyle Landry.
Landry is in his 10th year advising the club, which has around 40 members on its roster. He remains enthusiastic about growing it. “I would love to figure out how to get 30 or 40 more kids,” he said. Landry and Orino are supportive in their roles.
“We’re here to guide them when they need it, but this is really their club. They take a lot of pride in what they do,” Orino said.
Students who love the experience can continue through Circle K International, Key Club’s college equivalent. Those interested in joining Key Club can reach out to the advisers or ask at the main office.
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