About 60 people assembled Wednesday evening in the Calvert High School gymnasium. The occasion was the presentation of an official charter to the new Kiwanis Key Club at Calvert. Local and district Kiwanis representatives attended, as well as Columbian High School Key Club members and their adviser, parents and teachers.
The charter members include 20 high school students. The formation of the club was "instigated" by Marguerite Bernard, a Calvert graduate and long-time Kiwanis Club member. She came to the podium to offer comments and introduced another Kiwanian, Nancy Warnement, who is to serve as the students' adviser.
"About a year-and-a-half ago, Jeff Kuhn and I started the process to obtain a Key Club charter for Calvert students," Bernard said. "I am certainly very proud of my part in this special endeavor. We all had a mission and a vision so that the students become caring leaders, aware of the community."
Bill Snellgrove, Kiwanis governor, welcomed all and said he was pleased to accept Calvert students into "the largest branch of the Kiwanis family." He and Lt. Gov. Peggy McQuistion handed out certificates to the new Key Club members and installed the new officers. Snellgrove advised them to be open to suggestions from members and to focus on the good of the club.
"With great honor comes great responsibility," Snellgrove said.
McQuistion then presented a bell, gavel and banner to Gase. Tiffin Kiwanis president Sharon Rigby presented a certificate to Warnement and reminded her to let students make decisions and direct the club as much as possible. Alesha Hanna, president of the Columbian Key Club, also gave brief remarks.
"Calvert, you have just entered an organization with 250,000 members, and 5,000 clubs, and Key Club is represented in 30 countries. Key Club is the oldest and largest service program for high school students in the world," Hanna said.
She spoke about some of the projects her club had done and about the leadership opportunities it offered to her, including out-of-state camps and conferences. Her involvement also helped Hanna to make friends all over the state. She invited the Calvert Key Club to attend the Key Club Rally Nov. 4 at COSI in Columbus.
Gase rang her new bell to dismiss the crowd. Light refreshments were offered in the school cafeteria after the ceremony.
Calvert Key Club's first project is a bake sale at tonight's football game. The students are to make the items and request donations in exchange for them. Bernard said students also are considering a unit to enter in the Kiwanis Christmas parade.
