GHS Key Club Succeeds At State Conference

Five of the 16 Glasgow School's Key Club students represented the Scotties by traveling to Billings last week to participate in the District Convention (DCON) State Key Club Conference March 20 through 22. Connor Whitmer, Chase Tarum, Kate Parks, Mason Swenson and Michael Aho spent the two days participating in educational workshops, competitions and service while getting to know other students throughout the state. As a club, seven members, Parks, Kylie Lagerquist, Blaire Westby, M. Swenson, Tarum, Emma Whitmer, and C. Whitmer, were awarded Distinguished Members for putting in 50 or more hours of service. Seniors Parks and Westby also came home with a $2,000 scholarship each due to putting in at least 100 hours of service during their Key Club careers. Parks' scholarship is renewable for four years as long as she continues to serve her community through service.

Students weren't the only ones recognized as Dr. Charles Wilson also received the Outstanding Kiwanis Advisor Award due to his commitment to the community. Carla Swenson was also honored with the Outstanding Faculty Advisor for her service to the students. "Without her support, the club wouldn't have had as many opportunities as they have had," stated advisor Kristina McGee. "It's also phenomenal Dr. Wilson received the Outstanding Advisor Award and being recognized for his service to the club and the community."

Glasgow High School's Key Club was also honored with Club of the Year as well as recognitions in Achievement Report, Governor's Project, Kiwanis Family Relations, Project Life and the Service Hour Award. In addition, they received third place in the ELIMINATE Project and second place in Major Emphasis. The club was able to achieve their goal of donating eight pounds of pop tabs to the Missoula Ronald McDonald House.

In addition to being recognized in Billings, Westby, Lagerquist and Parks are eligible to receive cords during graduation as a result of their dedication to service and Key Club. New to this year's graduating class, seniors who have completed 100 or more hours of service in their Key Club career, which includes 15 hours with the Snack-Pack program, as well as written a short essay on what service has done for them, will be able to receive the distinguished honor.

"When you do service work, you don't expect anything in return. You do it because it feels right. Being recognized though is a very cool thing!," said M. Swenson.

M. Swenson truly enjoyed the experience in Billings. "We really had no idea what we were doing and it was a complete shot in the dark. What everyone had in common was that none of us really had the time to worry about what was going on. Everything was a true learning opportunity," he explained. According to McGee, this was the first in-person conference in two years and it was definitely a whirlwind but she is proud of the students. "I have seen a lot of growth, especially in the freshmen over the course of the year. It was awesome to see them at DCON, enjoying their time," she explained.

Key Club is the high school organization sponsored by Kiwanis and locally, Glasgow Kiwanis Club assists not only the high school Key Club but the Builders Club at the middle school level. The high school level provides students access to service projects in the school and the community while the middle school students learn the value of giving back and service.

In addition to serving their school and community M. Swenson served on the state board as Lieutenant Governor for District 7, which includes Glasgow, Shelby, Malta and Havre and Parks served as Web/Tech Master for half of the year. "[The position] has taught me about time management skills. My responsibility is to talk to the other clubs in the district and I have tried objectively to try to get to the other clubs," reflected M. Swenson. Due to his service this year, he was re-elected to serve again next year. "He told me his goal in life is to help others. I would not have asked him to run if I didn't believe it would be successful in the position. He has really gained a lot as a leader," explained McGee.

In addition to serving his school and community, M. Swenson has also provided advocacy for Erika's Lighthouse, which provides educators, students and parents with tools to talk about mental health and encourages students to reach out if they are struggling. In order to make our community more aware, he has presented to the Glasgow Kiwanis Club and Youth Conference and the club fundraised $200 to donate to the program. M. Swenson decided to advocate for this program due to having someone close to him go through a hard time and saw the opportunity to help others in the same situation. "When I was provided the information on the different organizations, I saw the opportunity and took it," explained M. Swenson.

Throughout the school year, the Glasgow Key Club and Builder Club puts together weekend meals for 130 kids every week through the Snack Pack program for the elementary and middle school students. "The ability to do this program comes from the Glasgow Kiwanis Club due to grant funding," explained McGee. "Donations from Albertsons, funds from Kiwanis, and several groups that help pack the food help keep the program going. As the program continues to grow, we want to help the community, but it makes it harder to keep sustainable. We have heavily involved students, which is awesome, but it makes the sustainability hard. We are always looking for community help."

McGee welcomes anyone in the community willing to learn more about the Snack-Pack program and help pack or needs service help to contact her at Glasgow High School or contact the Builders Club advisors Nicole Boos and Laurie Enebo. "We are a busy group but we would love to help out," expressed McGee.

In the fall the Key Club, in partnership with the Student Council, collects non-perishable food items and are always collecting pop tabs for donation to the Ronald McDonald House.

McGee can be contacted at 406-228-2485 while Enebo and Boos can be contacted at 406-228-8268.