High School KEY Club Serves the Broadneck Community

supports several after-school activities, devoted to everything from theater to the environment. One of the oldest of these student groups, and by far one of its most well-attended, is Broadneck’s Kiwanis Educates Youth (KEY) club.

In the past year alone, KEY club participated in a successful book drive, the to raise funds for Special Olympics Maryland and the much-anticipated , a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.

Since its inception nearly 30 years ago, KEY club took shape as an extension of the Kiwanis organization and operates as a junior volunteer group dedicated to serving the community.

KEY club participates in a variety of volunteering activities, including monthly visits to the Light House shelter in Annapolis and regular work at several food banks. Currently, KEY club is in the middle of its food drive campaign, during which they distribute food drop containers to each classroom to collect nonperishable food that will later be donated to several local charities and soup kitchens.

“We need nonperishable items: canned food, boxed goods, anything really,” said Shrish Naureen, a Broadneck junior. “Anything you have that won’t go bad, bring it in!”

Unlike most Broadneck clubs, KEY club allows student participation without any grade requirements or prior experience.

“It's one of the things I think makes KEY club so great,” said Christina Houstian, KEY club sponsor and AP World teacher at Broadneck. “We end up with students from all across the spectrum, and they're all out there together working hard”.  

KEY club officers, typically consisting of mostly seniors and a handful of juniors, take charge of the KEY club events and administration needs.

“We organize upcoming events [but] we also spend a lot of time volunteering, we participate as much as anyone” said Christina Dehn, KEY Club secretary.