Key Club Teens Take on State, Regional Roles

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Brianna Gibbs/KMXT
Kodiak High School is no stranger to clubs and organizations. The list runs the gamut, but few have the worldwide backing of Key Club International. Key Club is a student-led organization that focuses on community service. Sara Thomas is a senior at KHS and active Key Club member. She said the  Kodiak club is one of many across the state, country and world.
“So you have what are called districts across the United States and internationally. And a district includes several states. The Pacific Northwest, which Alaska is a part of, happens to be one of the largest. So it’s students who are taking initiative and taking leadership. And we just do service. And we really value being involved in our communities, being involved in our global community, our local community. And doing service in any shape or form. I think Kodiak’s charter in particular; we do a variety of things. When people ask specifically what we do, we’ll get emails and calls for service projects and we’ll send volunteers. And I think that’s something really endearing to see in high schoolers. We’re taking initiative, not only that but we’re also taking leadership roles.”
While active in Key Club locally, Thomas’ role in the organization spans well beyond the archipelago. As the District Editor for the Pacific Northwest, Thomas trains editors throughout a region that encompasses Alaska, Canada, Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Northern California. She is charged with publishing four magazines each year, which are distributed to more than 23,000 high schooler students around the country. The magazines summarize what chapters across the region are up to, and include other bits of information relevant to Key Club.
Last year Thomas served as Lieutenant Governor of the Alaska Yukon South District, a position now held by Kodiak Junior Tahna Lindquist. While also active in Kodiak’s Key Club, Lindquist role as lieutenant governor allows her to works with 11 other schools around Alaska, connecting the clubs and their members. Sometimes this means traveling up to the mainland to meet with different clubs — something she’ll be doing this weekend.