We Got Spirit, yes we do, we got spirit - how about you?!

GHOSTS? SOMEONE CALL THE GHOST BUSTERS UP IN HERE!
No, just kidding! I'm not talking about those kinds of spirits, I'm talking about the spirit that comes from inside. Whether you call it spirit, passion or whatever word you use in your area, it is something that is a really huge driving force behind quality versus quantity of your members (and can contribute to both).
        In Key Club, there's a hype about being spirited, and what you're going to wear to the spirit rallies, events or whatever the event may be but from what I've noticed, there's significant differences between clubs who are good at doing their job and spirited, and people who are doing their job and not so spirited. I believe that if you don't have a passion or you don't feel like you have an enthusiasm for something, it may not be the right fit for you: but I also have to point out that you shouldn't just give up right away! You have to give a little to get a little, and if you just feel like something isn't for you just simply because you think you're no good at it, or that you're not the best, that's complete nonsense! You should be able to acknowledge that you tried your best to make it work, and if it doesn't work, then there's something that suits you better. It's the same for running for any position of leadership. Some positions may be a better fit for you than others, but sometimes it just takes pure guts and moxy to get up there, give a speech, and get out of your comfort zone.
      I'm going to be using a lot of my experience in Key Club here, but with my experience in Key Club (and even in speech and debate) the clubs who are more enthusiastic and create cheers (no matter how embarrassing) it's the smiles and enthusiasm you see that makes the member. Sam is right. Passion is not something that you can fake. Now, being spirited isn't all about big cheers and dressing up in costumes (and dying our hair and painting our faces until we look like we just came straight out of Hunger Games), it's about being enthusiastic, passionate, to some point where when you start talking about that club, your eyes light up, you smile and you go a million miles a minute without even realizing it. It's that kind of passion you are searching for. Whether it's sports or school, just about anything becomes a million times better when you let yourself fly with it.

Until next time dreamers-sweet dreams,

Marilyn Nguyen

(... The butterfly was dead if you wondering.)

Tool Kit - What you need to survive school and extracirriculars

~Let's take a journey together, and let reality mix with the dream realm~

It's time to build your club,

you have the materials and everything you need.

It's just time to learn what tools you have and to use them.

StudyBlue 
This is a flashcard website, but it's a fancier and more group oriented version of Quizlet. For premium, you can personalize your cards, make them longer, colorful whatever you want. Unlike Quizlet, you'll be able to put pictures and text on the front at the same time; it's a lot more interactive and customizable. You'll be able to organize your flashcards by classes. The only problem is that if a set of cards is private or protected then you'll usually have to pay to see or use those flashcards. Something that I find really handy is (when you are making flashcards) the little screen to the right where once you click on the backside of the flashcard it searches whatever you may have typed in to fill it in for you. If you are good at making notes, I suggest you use this website: you may be able to make some money off it, as far as I heard.

Quizlet
Quizlet is a downplayed and more watered down version of Study Blue. There are flashcards on every possible topic and word you can think off, but when you make flashcards on there, as far as I know you can't customize the cards or make them more interactive. You can't make your cards private either; once information is on there, it's on there for the world to study. The general quizzing yourself off the flashcards is similar to study blue, but more customizable than study blue.

Google and Google Drive
Google Drive has saved my behind quite a few times, and I just breathe Google. It's a useful search engine, and it's also useful to test how useful your club website is or find pointers for just about anything. One of the most useful apps is Drive though: it's easy to share documents, powerpoints, spreadsheets, forms and even make folders to organize them. It's all a very simple layout, but once it gets down to it and you start to customize what kind of add-ons you have on your Google drive, that's where the ingenuity comes in. Although what you can do can be compared to Microsoft Office, this is nothing compared to it. This is a good makeshift for when you need to make a quick essay that you can keep track off and won't lose on your computer. I find it's more easy to play around with the format and the style on Microsoft Office and Powerpoint, but other than that, I use Google Drive just about everyday. Another add-on is the Google forms, an easy way to get public opinion and keep track of orders for merchandise or just get general information of different board members and keep everything in one place.

Wolfram Alpha
This website reminds me of a much more dependable Wikipedia mixed in with Google. You can search just about any topic and you have an expanse of knowledge on your fingertips. It's like instant noodles, but like research. I haven't used this site as much as others, but as far as I hear, it's pretty up there in terms of usefulness.
Wix
This webs

ite is a website for all who are website impaired. It makes it very convenient to make a website for your club, organization, photography, makeup portfolio just about anything and everything.You can select a basic layout and use your own photos to customize and make your page special! It's especially useful for people who are really good at designing, but not so great at coding: everything is already set for you and you just have to set everything up to your preference/standards!

Weebly
Weebly is a go between for Wix and Webs, user-friendly, slightly challenging but you have less options than you would with webs!
Webs
A slightly more difficult and less user-friendly domain to create your own website, this website gives the most versatility and challenge since you'll be able to code and program and lay out your website all on your own. Virtually, you're mostly building everything from the ground up on your own, so whatever you wish to do, if you know how to code it, you got it!






Prezi 
Prezi is a more fancier and sort of like a hipster version of Microsoft Powerpoint. There're instructions and it's user friendly, but it can be time consuming  and a bit complex when you're in for a time squeeze; it's a stylish
and chic way to present information and make yourself stand out with different forms and styles of presentation and connect all of the ideas through different formats i.e. timelines, slides, etc.
Dropbox
Dropbox is essentially a backup for all of your files. It'll help you keep everything you need just in case something goes wrong on that laptop that your dad got you when you were in elementary, and all of the files just somehow disappear. It's an easy way to share documents between multiple groups of people as well.
Google Reflectors
These are mainly networking groups for you to find people who have been or currently are in your position and get feedback from them on any questions you may have. It's a good way to get tips and tricks from people who have already been through a term and to be able to help other people who may need help as well.
These are the most common websites that I've heard of being used and I think they will be the most useful for you during your term in any club, whatever it may be. Since it is 2014, most likely the websites will change and newer and better programs will pop up, but until then, let's just use these for now!

Until next time dreamers-sweet dreams,

Marilyn Nguyen
P.S. Thank you to all the amazing people who helped with this article! They were all fabulous and very helpful in explaining to me how the websites I didn't use worked if I asked them and didn't already know fully. LOLOL.
Vincent Quan
Victoria Bui
Kenny Yeung
Angel Le
Caroline Ba

Lifesaving Studying Techniques

As a student, I constantly promise myself I'll study, but usually those plans fall through until the last minute when the test is the next day. So here are a few techniques to try while you're in class to help get organized to study.

Basic tips for all learners and note takers.

1. RBDA - Read, before, during, and after class. (A tip from my conceptual physics teacher. He had a strong Chinese accent so he sounded like he was saying, "NO PDA!")
2. Take notes in class from lectures + textbook and try to find useful sights that you can take from outside of the classroom - it will give you an edge, especially in AP classes, where you'll have to do your own studying. 
3. Try to keep your notes for one subject in one specific place: one notebook, one binder, your choice. 
4. Be sure to date everything.
5. After you take a test, whatever you remember from the test and whatever you struggled on, go over your notes and highlight + make note that they were on the test.
6. Some people use different colored pens or highlighters to highlight important ideas/vocabulary.
7. Don't throw anything away until you are sure you don't need it. Teachers have dozens upon hundreds of students, so if something so happens to the gradebook, or you have a trip final where you can only use your notes, you'll be ready!
8. Title everything! Most likely you'll be busy too. How I usually title my papers is I put my name in the top right hand corner, below the date, and the class. Then in big letters, the chapter/source and full title and in the left hand corner what the content of the paper is (i.e. Chapter 1 Notes/ Chapter 10 Vocabulary)
9. Cite as much as possible- if your teacher questions where you got a particular piece of info from, you'll want to know what page of the textbook/article you got it from. It's also helpful to refer back to for more info later.

Basics (Without a strong foundation, all the details will fall apart.)

Cornell Notes

1. Read over the chapter or relevant content. Make sure you understand the concepts. 
2. Divide a paper in half and on the right, your notes, and put questions on the left.
3. Take note of important concepts and figures. Don't take note of every single detail. Make sure to mark areas where you didn't understand in your notes.
4. Write a summary.

Flash Cards

1. Usually index cards, with a phrase or word on the front: commonly used to study vocabulary. A helpful way to keep track of these is to keep a box to put them in and separate them based on chapter. I know one technique is to use differently colored cards to indicate different concepts/chapters. Keep them in a box or hold punch the corner and keep them on a keyring for safekeeping and fast studying.
1. I.E. For a history class, my teacher used to group concepts by PERSIA (Political; Economical; Religious; Social; Intellectual; Artistic), so students could use differently colored cards for each theme in each chapter.
2. Another way you can divide things is into classes like history, is person, event, setting, ideas, etc.

Everyone learns differently, so I've divided the study techniques into different types of learners. You can use these in your work/notes to bulk up and tailor your notes to suit you as you please.

Auditory Learners: Hear; learners who learn through listening.

Visual Learners: See; learners who learn through diagrams, images, and verbal imagery.

1. Try diagrams like...

• 2-D/3-D Models
• Graphics
• Charts
• Pictures/drawings
• Video/TV/Multimedia

Kinesthetic Learners: Touch; learners who learn through interacting with their surroundings like for sports or more interactive skills.

1. You can try...

• Physical activity
• Acting things out
• Role play

**Try using actual objects and equipment to help you connect the concepts.

Musical: learners who use rhythm and sound by creating little songs to use to study.

1. You'll be using...

• Musical instruments
• Music
• Radio/Stereo
• CD's
• Multimedia

Interpersonal - Learning through interaction - usually these learners learn more with their street smarts.

1. Some of the  best ways to learn like this is...

• Group activities.
• Seminars
• Dialogues
• Telephone
• Audio Conferences
• Writing
• Email

Intrapersonal - Learn based on what they are interested in or where their goal stands.

1.  You can try...

• Independent study
• Introspection
• Books
• Creative materials (scrapbooking, projects, etc.)

Other types of learners include...

Linguistic learners- these learners think in words, and pick up languages easily. They tend to use computers/games/multimedia/books/tape recorders and lectures.

Logical-These learners tend to reason/calculate and focus on the big concepts.

Renaissance Child - these learners are well rounded and draw from the mix of learning techniques.
Well, whatever your learning style, just do what you feel comfortable and most helpful to you. When it comes to knowledge the sky is the limit.

Until next time dreamers-sweet dreams,

Marilyn Nguyen

Sources and useful websites

http://www.tecweb.org/styles/gardner.html

http://www.academictips.org/acad/literature/notetaking.html

http://www.learningrx.com/types-of-learning-styles-faq.htm

Life's Bibimbap

          Normally, you don't choose what options are available to you - not directly at least and most of the time what choices you have are chosen for you, such as by the people are around you and what miracles and travesties that occur and how people react to you. Going into high school, there were times when I was reluctant to befriend or even talk to those in my own age group, since my mind of thought was something along the lines of, "I don't want to be here, it's required I come here. I don't know why you are asking me these questions, you deal with me and I'll deal with you." It's the polar opposite of what I'm like now (can you believe it?). What on earth could have made me change my perspective? It certainly wasn't an overnight menopause, I can tell you that.
         Out of my many extracurriculars, my favorites were the ones with an eclectic mix of people of different ages, nationalities, and styles! These were the clubs where everyone was accepted, where no one was left behind, and no matter how small or how big their contribution was to the table, they were still a part of our ohana (family). Just like Korean bibimbap, a club starts out like bland rice and then conjoins into hodgepodge of ingredients to make something delicious and unique.
          I just wanted to make this article with the point of talking about having an open mind. It's a crucial part to just about everything in life. I won't give you a lecture about how today's generation is a total 180 from my generation. I won't give you a lecture about how easy it is to be open minded. It's really not an easy thing at all. It's - excuse my language - damn difficult. I would love to spin you a tale about what a paradise life is, and how I'm doing well in all my endeavors, whatever they may be, but in the words of Dolores Umbridge - the most loathsome antithesis, this article is where "one musn't tell lies." There's two things about being open minded; what we wish so and what is so - the dream world and the reality. I believe that wherever you are comfortable and whatever balance you have between the dream and real world is the best way. Just the same as how homeostasis is different for every living being, so should be the balance between dream and reality. As you come to realize, there's some really underhanded stuff going on in every system you can find; like my school system where you only learn about government and economics and take a stance your senior year so that whatever corruptions you see in your own school or community it's too little and too late to change them. When it's not something like that, it's one of your friends or family backstabbing you. There always has to be some obstacle that life chucks your way but the only thing you can do about it is how you take it on.
       From what I've observed, many people tend to take stand with whatever opinion they have been exposed to the most. Here's where it gets a bit sticky. Take a moment to remember a time when you unknowingly stereotyped someone. Where do you think you got that stereotype from? This is why I love living where I do - California is one of  the most diverse places on the map! I am able to be exposed to different opinions, perspectives, personalities and get the knowledge and experience myself, instead of letting others decide for me.
        Everyone know's Harry Potter right? I love J.K. Rowling (she's brilliant) but one thing that really stuck out to me throughout the whole series is the idea of expectation. The expectation that all of Slytherin is evil, Ravenclaw= nerds, Gryffindor is full of heros, and Hufflepuffs are duffers. Many of the excited first years would often hear from the older students about the other houses. The expectation was that the students would believe whatever was told to them, simply because they didn't know any better. It's similar to being a monkey, monkey see monkey do. Although I don't wholeheartedly agree with the idea of segregation, I do agree that it's a method that works to endorse competitiveness between select groups and foster a camaraderie inside respective groups. What I really enjoy about what J.K. Rowling did was many of the characters she exposed us to were round characters: they have different sides to them like a folded paper and show only as much as they want to. Each respective character is multi-dimensional; we thought Snape was evil from the very start, when his intention was to protect the one he loved. It's funny how little we knew and how quick we were to pass judgement on these characters and even people in real life.
      The whole point is without an open mind, you can't really mix perspectives and create a delicious bibimbap. You really do miss out when you use someone else's expectations to judge other people - and even worse, yourself. It's fine if you can't be exposed to the other sides opinions because of your situation, just don't let others decide for you because they are not you - you decide what you think.

Until next time dreamers-sweet dreams,

Marilyn Nguyen

Getting the Toys from the Toybox- Getting Your Members

~Let's take a journey together, and let reality mix with the dream realm~

Next stop, to the land of toys to find your players.

The next step in preparing for a successful term for any club is to figure out your core members. This will tend to vary from club to club. Clubs should be open and friendly to ALL member who come in regardless of who you hate, have a grudge against or any other miscellaneous drama that happened. When you are in any extracurricular - try not to bring other affairs into it and be professional. Even if someone you don't like is in the club, it doesn't mean that members should just leave for that sole reason. So it's time to go to school and do some research.

What kind of people will fit into your club and who can you see becoming active, dedicated and not only will be impacted by the club but bring their own positive impact into the club? Finding members is a lot like casting new actors or actresses for a play or choosing a toy - before you go jumping to conclusions that I'm saying members are like toys and get offended think of it this way; all those little toys you had as a kid? The ones you played with, the ones that you held when you got scared or didn't understand what was going on and treated like a real person (heck I even put a seatbelt on for them)? We should take really good care of our toys, no matter if we threw them around as kids and wanted the new shinier toy - at some point or other they took really good care of us (I'm pretty sure I pulled this from Toy Story). Anyways, like an actor or actresses, you can have drama - loads of it. It's really inevitable, anything you want to do will come to drama; all that you can do is change the way you look at it.

So it's time to get to work. What kind of toys are there?

• Puzzles and Rubik's Cube
• These members have a tendency to ask many questions, but they are also the types who like to create problems, probably even more so than they solve problems. They have a tendency to get confused and other types like to point out contradictions. They tend to be a bit pessimistic,though the ones who are less confident in themselves are pessimistic about if they can do it right so they ask you questions to the point where they're asking atomic-level details; the more confident members tend to be pessimistic about others and make generalized assumptions - so you'll have to work with these members to solve not only their questions but making sure you snap them out of their pessimistic daze.
• Barbies and Dollies
• These members are really good at following directions and getting involved but often you have to do some string-pulling to get them to be on the same page as you. They’re flexible and can works in numerous environments as well. They usually come in groups - so if you have one doll in a collection - you probably can get the rest. They can be a bit plastic times and won’t really do more than the minimum requirement so really try to push them to do things for themselves and set goals and misc. so that way you’re not always pulling the strings.
• Action Figures
• These are the type of members who always - as the name implies - jump into action and try to be the hero or jokester of the day. Sometimes these members tend to get carried away in their own fantasies and they’ll completely forget what they are originally supposed to do. Just try to play along and make it so that they have a healthy mix of  fantasies with reality. These members also tend to get into fights easily, so when it’s all cannons ahead - as you can assume - it’s could be difficult to derail back to the original topic so try to keep a vigilant eye for any fights.
• Stuffed Animals
• These members are good at listening, you can talk to them and they will remember even the most minute details. Getting these members to events isn’t all too difficult, but it’s to actually to get them to work instead of chatting/gossiping/taking selfies/eating that’s the challenge. As far as I know, they’re pretty harmless when you are on their good side.
• Yo-yos and Spinning tops -
• These members are super-active and go getters. Concepts will easily click, they’ll ask you questions, ideas and tons more. One problem could be is that they strive a bit too far and they fall of the string/table. You’ll probably have to keep them on a tight string and ground them a bit, but once you get used to them, you’ll be pulling some amazing tricks in no time!
• Noisemakers
• These members are extremely loud! They love to make noise, drama, and bend as many rules as possible until you just want to pull your hair out. That’s their goal, anyways. There’s two sides to this spectrum. They love to make a big deal about not following the rules, or following the rules. They generally just mess with you to step on your toes - earn their respect and they’ll all play to the tune of your drum.
• Magic 8 Ball
• Leaders who are more inclined to leading/planning/organizing and doing all the administrative work than they want to do what the club is actually about. They'll be the people who come up to you and give you ideas, advice, etc. You should probably spread them out to engage other members - activeness is contagious. Though, their only flaw is that they tend to forget the whole passion side of an extracirriculars. There's a difference between doing something to just do it, and to do something because you love it.
• Etch-a-sketch
• Members who are very straightforward and blunt, they critique but seldom say what they want to since they have a tendency to go in circles(Or should I say squares?) They can be so straightforward that they go off the plane and once they leave the train station - let’s just say it’s hard to get them to think of much else. This member will make many assumptions but they usually take their time to think things through before they show their thoughts, but once you have them on board, it’s full trains ahead.
• Play-doh
• Mooches of the club who join for college apps or for class requirements and usually have fun for the club they don't really do much to help the club they are volatile members and only come to usually get what they want. Normally some of these members can be dedicated, but you'll probably have to put forward more than what you get back - but usually it's worth it. Just like play-doh it's a lot of conditioning and messing around to try to get your member to work with you and many times these members will take many shapes and backgrounds so not only will you be shaping them but you'll have to be flexible like play-doh to find their niche in the club.   
• Tamagotchis
• Members who are extremely shy but want to help and have some really good ideas but you have to help them along and help them break their shell and usher them in the right direction to get involved and help them.
• Tinkertoys
• The really creative members who have the best ideas for service events, they're very passionate about what they do and they know what it's all about. They tend to be absorbed in their work that they forget the original requirements so they are not all the best leaders and are not super organized or good at molding to fit any mold, so it's best to try and find a creative outlet for them to do their own thing.

         There's plenty more toys that you can choose from, far more than I can list and explain, you just have to find them. Don't doubt any toys/members because they all come with their own instructions - but a majority of the time, people don't use the instructions or they stick too close to them so they are unable to bring out the full capacity of a certain toys. After all if yo-yo -ers (?) stuck to the same old routine, we wouldn't have the amazing tricks they do today? It's all a matter of whether you are willing to put in the resources and the effort to make each member shine that will make one of the most productive clubs as well as fun and efficient.

        For example, just as one person, I find that if I focus on a specific group of people I can easily get them more involved. My method is that I usually target groups, sometimes the leader - but I like to focus on all the members and talk to them one on one and ask them if they are going to this event, if they need rides, how they are doing and I try to get to know them as people. So far my efforts have proven fruitful, but not exactly on the scale I would like. I've gotten a key group to become involved in clubs like Key club and I've gotten them to inspire their friends to join - but if their efforts in the chain reaction are fruitful, you can never be sure until that time comes. It always feels good to be acknowledged as your own person - and to know that people are going to look out for you.

       One good method of governing is to work in a manner that makes things easiest for your members. You don't want to inconvenience your members, if they need forms to go to an event, or if they need a ride always offer them - don't leave them out just because they "seem busy" truth is a majority of the time "I had homework," is an irrelevant excuse that noone really questions - since we can't really gauge the capacity or the amount or difficulty of every person. Everyone has homework; my reasoning is whether they were willing to put in the effort and passion to maintain that homeostasis between their obligations and things they actually want to do and actually come to an event and balance that homework.

       One of your biggest goals for members is not only get members who you can influence and teach and help but find members that can make a difference; these members are hidden "wild cards" or kind of like shiny Pokemon. You have to do some searching in order to find them and preparing them doesn't always work out. Sometimes you'll find you pulled a blunt and you'll just have to cut your losses or you may have pulled a blunt and it became a complete success after tons of effort. When your members leave your club, sport or whatever activity this may be - they should leave with a fountain and a grain of salt and be able to go on for hours and have to be stopped when they talk about the curricular.  Once you find that you inspired or helped someone become passionate about something, it's extremely gratifying. I’m not saying to be controlling like another overbearing parent - but be someone that members can look up to; someone that they strive to be. Like a little kid dressing up in his parents/older siblings clothes and playing with their toys, and you’ll see what I mean.

Until next time dreamers - sweet dreams, 

~Marilyn Nguyen

P.S. Handling your responsibilities is great, but there's some times where you need Peter Pan and you just need to remember what it was like to be a kid again.

It's All Peachy Until It's Impeachy.

~Let's take a journey together, and let reality mix with the dream realm~

It's a sunny day, you're outside smelling the freshly bloomed flowers and bees buzzing about. You take a your basket and you approach a tree. You set the basket down and reach for a fruit. Your basket gets fills with  and you reach for one more you stretch up and up... 

          So you've decided to join the ranks and become a board member then in that case you should also know about impeachment. Just as easily as you are on the board, you can be taken off too, so don't expect to sit pretty all day! You'll be working your butt off, questioning why you even got yourself into this, but when you finish you are going to feel accomplished, walking away from the experience a stronger and wiser person.
         What do you need to think about if you want to run for a position?

• What position can I run for (you usually can only run for one position don't go for the power, but something you the one you think will suit you most)?
• A majority of the time people campaign. Do not campaign like say "Vote for me," or bring people just to vote for you, or say "As this position, I will blah blah blah," it's unsportsmanlike behavior and make sure to clear it up when elections begin so other candidates know it's not allowed either. Only do it if it's allowed.
• If you are on the board this usually means you are not above members, you have more responsibility to take care of other members. The higher up you are, it usually means you serve more people. One thing many people don't understand is, board positions are for people to serve others, not yourself. You come into it for the resume, but the main purpose of the role is to help everyone else.
• Do I have time in my schedule for this position?

Okay, so usually you either volunteer or someone else volunteers you for the position, so what to do to prepare... hmm. Of course, most likely many people wait until the last minute to prepare, but always make sure you have prepared SOMETHING. It shows if you haven't put enough effort, so don't go up just to make a fool of yourself, go up fighting!

So what do you need for armor?

• A speech - obvi. You should have a speech tailored to the position your running for, talk for a bit about yourself, a bit about how you're qualified, how you joined the club your goals you want to attain if you win the election. Don't say "as this position, I will blah blah blah," it implies you know you are going to win, and it's not nice to the other people running. Be truthful, people can tell when your words are not coming from your heart. If you don't know something, take it in a manner that you will work on finding out about it.
• Do your research - if you didn't know, you should probably research about the club because it shows you put in effort and be sure to know how to answer basic questions like your goals for the term, or at least know how to properly reject a question without offending anyone. Researching is good, be sure to check with senior members that are willing to help you out/seem very involved in the club. They can probably direct you on what to look for.
• An outfit- Of course you don't want to be flashy, but you don't want to be a slob either. Be professional about how you dress, not gaudy. If the specific club you are running for has a mascot or they have themes you could wear clothes that correlate with the mascot colors, if not: like if you are running for anime club, obviously you could wear an anime shirt, a blazer, jeans and flats. Always dress one step ahead of the position you are running for.
• Smile- If you feel like it, you could throw in something funny to your speech and try to make everyone smile before you start. It will encourage you and help ease the tension.

So usually how it should be in most clubs, they have candidates running for the same position wait outside during the speeches and the voting to keep it anonymous. After this, you will either be elected or not. If you don't win, don't be sad, it just means there's something else out there for you. Don't be discouraged from ever going running again, it just means you've got more to improve on - if you don't see it the way I see it you should probably watch Meet the Robinsons- moral of the story, it doesn't matter what happens, it's already happened, all that you can do about it is change how you feel about it. Other than that, everything should be peachy fine and fun. 

Soooo.. on the topic of elections, you should  know what happens when something goes wrong, when something goes.. impeachy.

Impeachment- A formal process in which an official is accused of unlawful activity, the outcome depends on the club but mainly consists the removal of the official from office. -Wikipedia
This is a very touchy topic, as a member, no you don't technically have the power to impeach someone. Just because you know what it is, it does not mean you are allowed to impeach left and right, it's a power that should be used frugally, not abused. It's commonly used by board members who are behind the scenes and understand what's going on - many members don't really see everything that goes on behind the scenes, so you may have some misunderstandings. Here's a recap on some reasoning I've commonly heard of for impeaching people and show where you could be mistaken.

• Does the person know what they are doing? If one of the reasons is that they aren't doing it "right," or that they "have no idea what ______ club is about," even if you are a member PLEASE EDUCATE YOUR BOARD MEMBERS. Note that all board members come into the position with no clue what they got themselves into, so if you have to teach them what its all about, give them advice, direct them in the right direction. If you think they don't do anything, make sure you double check to see if they really don't do anything, if they don't do their work everyone else has to work harder to cover for them, so watch out for that. If it does happen, talk to the board and see if they are willing to talk to that person - if you are a board member keep in mind you should keep your private life and your work life separated as much as you can to avoid drama and misunderstanding.
  
  
• Does the person not attend events/ leave early? CHECK YOURSELF BEFORE YOU WRECK YOURSELF. Sometimes board members have a valid reason for not showing or leaving early. Just ask what they were doing or why they weren't there. You can do this for members as well - it's a really good way to show you care about each member, even if it is a ton of work it helps with the unity of the club. If the reasons are not valid, consult other board members to check. (I don't have a rule of thumb to measure this, but you shouldn't leave unless dismissed. )
  
  
• Does the person act inappropriately and gossip all over the place - even to members? This topic is very touchy - gossiping is a given for anyone, since we're in the 21st century. But board should be selective about who they unload their complaints to, which should be fellow board members NOT MEMBERS. No member much less person wants to hear something mean or cruel and come back to deal with it over and over again. If you see inappropriate behavior, be sure to deal with it with a quick hand so it won't happen again or get worse.
  
  
• Does the person not abide by basic club values(which usually are caring, character building, leadership and inclusiveness [and professionalism, it differs based on club]) board's should show that they care about members or the quality of their work. Board members should always have an open eye on the lookout for people who need help developing - for example if you see someone who seems to have the potential to be a dedicated member, befriend them, give them rides, advice and when they need a little nudge in the right direction go for it. Not only is that character building, but it's also inclusiveness and leadership. Inclusiveness is including everyone - no one gets left behind. You shouldn't leave members out because you think they won't come or they have too many extracurricular activities. You help them even if they don't need it,talk to them, make sure that they know you care. You all come for different reasons from different backgrounds and histories in all clubs we can either forget about our differences and work together to have fun or we can celebrate our differences. 

Until next time dreamers-sweet dreams,

~Marilyn Nguyen

Let the Dream Begin

So it seems you want to join a club! 

It doesn't hurt to join a new club and meet new people with the same interests as you and I really implore you to try it. Not only does it help you get to know others, but yes as many people do if you become an actual member you can put it on your resume. That's usually the number one reason why people join clubs. Right below I'll list the biggest reasons that people join clubs (in no particular order).

1. To put it on your resume.
2. You joined with a friend or to make friends
3. You were actually curious what the club was about or genuinely interested.
4. You wandered into the room and got caught by someone and for some mysterious reason that you refuse to admit, you were roped into keep on coming.
5. More exposure in the yearbook.
6. Or you're a returning member.

There's actually several things you should think about for joining a club.

• Does it apply to your interests? Your future career?
• Why you need to know this is mainly because clubs can help you decide what your next step of action will be - whether it's what college you want to go to with your local school honor society to what career path you want to take from mock trial to fashion club to misc. other clubs. 
• Some clubs that can be helpful are community service clubs like Key Club or Interact (otherwise known as Rotoract) these clubs do a variety of community service activities and help you understand how basic organizations act (since various career fields like the medical, law or educational field have them, it can be mandatory to join.) you'll be able to get a gist of how things work for in the future when you're in those fields.
• When and where do they meet? Does this happen to clash with other club meeting times?
• Why you need to know this is a bit obvious! You can usually find out from your counselors or daily bulletin/broadcast. Sometimes meetings overrun and make you late for other things or you can overbook yourself! Join to have fun, not stress yourself out.
• What kind of club is this? How well are they run/governed? (if you don't like the way a club is governed, don't disregard it! This could be your chance. )
• Many times clubs will have a board, and you'll want to know not how they function, but if the board (or basically the people in charge) are effective. Find people that have been involved with this club for at least 1-2 years. Ask them if you think there are any inefficiencies or things they don't like about the club. 
• DO NOT ASK IN FRONT OF EVERYONE PLEASE. Keep this on the down low, don't be rude and instead discuss this outside when the board members cannot hear you. Frankly, nobody would like it if they heard someone straight out ask, "What's do you not like about this club?" and frankly people answer truthfully without thinking too much, so it could offend some people and lead to unnecessary drama.
• Some clubs are more official (not prominent or special, just more official) than others. You'll find that many clubs begin with, "I call this meeting to order at ____ time," this is usually done for keeping minutes and knowing what exactly happened at each meeting (this is kept by the secretary and turned in to the office) while other clubs are more casual and leisurely like a hangout with friends. 
• If you find you don't like the way a club is run and you may think that this is just another 'resume club' (or a club that does not do anything productive and was found on the basis of putting something on their resume to look more impressive) you can either direct the board on activities you can do, or you can wait until elections and do things yourself. Though this does involve risks because you don't know whether the club will still be up by that time.
•  What kind of people are in this club? Why did they start/join this club? 
• You'll want  to know the basic environment of the club, it's no fun to go to a club just to have a depressing mood after. You usually want to leave smiling ,satisfied or wanting more. Look for friendly or comfortable environments for yourself, if there is a sort of rigid barrier since you're new don't be afraid to introduce yourself, smile and say hello to everyone. It takes a few tries! Don't get discouraged!
• What is a routine meeting like?
• This really varies from club to club. Meetings can be prompt and quick, consist of updating members on upcoming events or informing members about new opportunities. Some meetings will have pot lucks, some will have movies and treats, or ice breakers. DON'T JOIN CLUBS JUST BECAUSE YOU GET TREATS. Treats are nice but WE ALL KNOW what happened to Hansel and Gretel.
• What kind of history/ events has this club had?
• If this club has had a history: some clubs are significantly older - or well-aged. Like wine/cheese. These clubs tend to be more official clubs or have a steady supply of members.
•  Infant clubs are more volatile these clubs usually can be difficult to get started and get the word out so don't blame the board members! 
•  Infant clubs usually should surpass at least 2-4 years of age to surpass infancy so we know that they are stable, even then all clubs are volatile in their own sense, since it's difficult to get more involved members.

Okay, so I know this is a huge list of details to know and you may think that it's not necessary to know, but to be a good member, remember even if you join with ulterior motives, you should join with respect to those who put effort into making it all happen. You can always join with bad motives, just later on try to understand that it's not easy to organize events and get people to show up. Don't belittle other peoples hard work because you don't like the way they do it - it's not reasonable since you didn't see how much stress they went through into making it happen.

 Anyways, after that little rant yes, clubs and extra circulars take work. 

"REALLY? I HAD NO IDEA."

Wake up and smell the coffee darling, if you want to get involved you have to do the work and bust your hump! Meetings are only a small percent of what clubs and extracurriculars are, there's training, orientations, concerts, fundraisers and many more things you could get involved in.

Does it cost money?

It can, but if you work with your board and tell them you need help they will help you! They can't read your mind so let them know. Who knows, maybe someone will be willing to help you out and give you some tips to save money or even cover for you. There's always free events, so there's no excuse for you to push out and say "I had no money/ride so I couldn't go," I understand, it's public education and your argument is that everything should be free, but in the real world, things don't work like that.

 You have to put yourself out there, invest in yourself in order to get something back. Whether it's time or money, that's your choice.Schools literally are very troublesome when it comes to clubs so if they are asking for money, don't disregard, you could be missing out on a huge opportunity. 

Anyways, that's where I'll leave you for this, if you have any questions comment below and I'll get back to you ASAP! 

~Let's take a journey together, and let reality mix with the dream realm~
~Marilyn Nguyen