Gyasi Atta-Fynn and Deborah Brug posing with first place trophy. Courtesy photo
Morrie Pongratz, Gyasi Atta-Fynn, Angel Meng, Maddalena Mereghetti, Deborah Brug, Jonathon Chen, and Betsy Hemphill at the Southwest District Key Club convention in Albuquerque. Courtesy photo
LAHS News:
Five members of the Los Alamos High School (LAHS) Key Club, accompanied by three adult Kiwanis advisors, attended the 2025 Southwest District Convention of Key Club International in Albuquerque March 28-30. They were joined by nearly 400 other Key Club members at the convention, which aimed to recognize member and club achievements, showcase talents, conduct training workshops, elect District leaders for the upcoming year, and provide opportunities for socializing.
The Southwest District encompasses over one hundred Key Clubs in Arizona, New Mexico, and El Paso. The district is led by a board consisting of an elected governor and lieutenant governors representing each of its seventeen divisions. For the 2024-2025 service year, Los Alamos HS’ Sangre de Cristo division was led by Jonathon Chen, a senior at Los Alamos High School. In addition to Jonathon, the Los Alamos contingent included Key Club members Gyasi Atta-Fynn, Deborah Brug, Maddelena Mereghetti, and Angel Meng. The students were accompanied by Betsy Hemphill, LAMS counsellor and Key Club Faculty Sponsor, Karin Church, former Key Club District Administrator, and Morrie Pongratz, Kiwanis Advisor.
The keynote speaker for the opening session on Friday evening was W.B. Sims, a rising country music star known for popular songs such as “Have I Met You Before.” Sims is not only well known in the entertainment business but also a past Key Club International President. During the opening session, Jonathon Chen was recognized as a Robert F. Lucas Outstanding Lieutenant Governor. Jonathon worked diligently providing monthly newsletters and holding meetings with the divisions Key Club presidents. He also led the Southwest District Governor’s “Governor’s Project” raising money for UNICEF. The Los Alamos Key Club contributed $500 from cotton candy sales to UNICEF. Jonathon and Betsy continued to raise money during the convention, ultimately collecting over $3,500 for UNICEF.
Following the opening session meal, the students attended caucuses where they listened to campaign speeches from candidates running for division and district offices.
Angel Meng was a candidate for lieutenant governor representing our division. She succeeded in her campaign and will represent high schools in our region, including those in Las Vegas, Los Alamos, and Santa Fe for the 2025-2026 service year.
After breakfast on Saturday, the Key Clubbers attended workshops with topics such as learning more about Key Club International, karaoke, fundraising, elements of club leadership, overcoming failure, public speaking, playing Jeopardy with questions about Key Club, and handling stress. There were additional workshops on member recruitment and meeting planning. After the workshops, the students attended their House of Delegates. Each Key Club in attendance designated two student delegates to vote on the selection of next year’s district governor and executive officers.
The recognition banquet followed the House of Delegates. LAHS Key Clubbers Deborah Brug and Gyasi Atta-Fynn were selected to perform their duet “I See the Light” from “Tangled” during the banquet. The audience waved their cell phone lights to accompany the singers. After the other talent contestants performed, Deborah and Gyasi were announced as the first-place winners. The Governor’s Ball following the banquet featured a live concert with W.B. Sims.
During the farewell session on Sunday morning, the results of the elections for the new Southwest District officers and Governor Isaac Teran were announced. The Kiwanis Governor-elect, Erica Stephens, officially installed the new board. Additionally, the outgoing board presented a video tribute to Karin Church, who was the Key Club District Administrator when they were elected and installed last April during DCON 2024 in Tempe, AZ.