Key Club International is a student-led organization for high school students to help out our community and earn service hours. The club focuses on leadership and teamwork to improve the world around us. Almost every weekend, they organize events to help better our community such as food drives, bake sales, silent auctions, packing lunches, and more. For every event you attend, you earn a certain amount of points. When you earn 40 points, you become an official member. With 50 points, you receive a certificate and pin, and with 70, you receive a Gold Award and Varsity Activities Letter. There is a monthly meeting where members gather and discuss upcoming service events.

“I feel really, really proud to be the sponsor for this club, because I think these kids can help. It’s like a small grain in a huge organization that are little by little changing the world to become a better place. They’re collecting money in order to help people in need, they help the older people in the retirement homes. I am very proud of this club,” said the Key Club sponsor, Mariana Taboada, a Spanish teacher at Centreville High School.

The Key Club has events occurring very often. On January 19, from 3 – 8 p.m., they’re holding ‘Skate 2 Eliminate,’ which is a fundraiser at Reston Town Center to support the Eliminate Project. The Eliminate Project helps put an end to a deadly diseases that kills nearly 49,000 infants and women each year.  On February 18, there is a CMN Carnival here at Centreville High School from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) is a non-profit organization that works to raise funds for children’s hospitals, medical research, and awareness of children’s health. The carnival will have plenty of fun things to do, including a Silent Auction the Key Club contributes to every year. Members receive donations and interact with businesses that will donate to the carnival.

Every year, Key Club has a District Convention (DCON) in Baltimore, Maryland, March 17 – 19th. DCON is an annual gathering of the Key Club committee where you learn all about Key Club at the district level, attend workshops and seminars, participate in service activities, develop leadership skills, and learn about organizations that have a relationship with Key Club. There is a different theme every year, last year it was Greek mythology.

The Key Club has many events and accepts new members year round. For more information on Key Club, talk to Mrs. Taboada in room 245.