Key Club

How it works: Key clubs, available at nine high schools throughout Cy-Fair ISD, are designed to use service-oriented projects as a way to develop leadership and character values in students. Key clubs are sponsored by local Kiwanis Clubs, made up of leading business and professional individuals in the community.

The are 5,000 key clubs and more than 260,000 members worldwide. The Cypress Ranch High School Key Club, with 710 members, is ranked the largest key club in the world. All students can sign up for Key Club by filling out an application. Members are required to pay annual dues—usually between $15–$30—and log a certain number of service hours.

Types of service: Key Club service projects include fundraisers, clothing drives and working with organizations such as the Texas Children's Hospital and the Eliminate Project. Members also compete annually at the Texas-Oklahoma District Convention in areas such as essay writing, trivia contests and scholarship interviews. Key clubs can also win awards for club websites, scrapbook projects, photography and videography.

Available at:

• Cy-Fair High School
• Cypress Ranch High School
• Cypress Falls High School
• Cypress Woods High School
• Cypress Creek High School
• Cypress Ridge High School
• Cypress Lakes High School
• Cypress Springs High School
• Jersey Village High School

Contact: Each school has its own website and contact information

Young Life

How it works: Young Life seeks to form long-lasting bonds between adults and youth with a basis in Christian teachings. Young Life works directly with six Cy-Fair high schools. Meetings take place once a week.

All students at participating campuses are invited to get involved in Young Life. The organization has specific branches that work with teenage mothers, children with disabilities, economically depressed children and military teens. Young Life is supported by donations and is free for students to participate.

Types of service: Young Life staff works mainly by attending school events and practices in an effort to reach out to students and provide support, guidance and friendship. Methods of reaching out include hosting weekly gatherings for students who wish to explore their faith in a safe environment, as well as organizing the week-long Young Life Camp. Adults interested in supporting the organization can sign up as volunteers, Young Life committee members or by attending fundraising events.

Available at:

• Cy-Fair High School
• Cy-Falls High School
• Cy-Ranch High School (coming soon)
• Langham Creek High School
• Cy-Woods High School
• Cy-Creek High School

Contact: Cypress staff Kyle Boles, Whitney Moreland, Erica Cinder, Rex Bailey, John Dingman

281-587-9595

www.cypress.younglife.org

FFA

How it works: FFA students at Cy-Fair can participate in a variety of animal projects, including goats, sheep, steers, heifers, turkeys, chickens, rabbits and swine, to show and sell in the CFISD Livestock show in February. Members also participate in the Cy-Fair Christmas Craft Show, which is the primary source of funding for the FFA booster club. Members can earn a variety of degrees and awards, including the Greenhand Degree, Chapter Degree and Lone Star Degree.

To enroll, students must take at least one agricultural science class every semester, including Principles of Agriculture and Food and Natural Resources as freshmen. They must also attend monthly meetings and pay dues. Students do not need to raise an animal to be in FFA.

Types of service: Although livestock shows and agricultural projects are the main focus on the FFA, community service is a major part of the organization as well. Students help raise money for their chapters through car washes and other fundraisers. Other charity drives, such as stuffed animal drives, are organized regularly to benefit the greater community.

Available at:

• Cy-Fair ISD high schools

Contact: www.cyfair.ffanow.org

Interact Club

How it works: Interact is a combination of the words "international" and "action." Interact clubs are service-oriented clubs for high school students organized and supported by area rotary clubs.

Interact clubs are designed to develop a sense of teamwork, responsibility and civic-mindedness in students who participate with help from the leading business and professionals in area rotary clubs. Volunteering and community service are core components of Interact.

Types of service: Interact clubs take on a variety of projects aimed at strengthening the local community as well as helping others across the world. The International Rotary motto—"Service Above Self"—is applied in Interact Club settings as well.

Past activities for Interact club members include participating in events like the Walk to End Alzheimer's, Antibiotic 5k and the Color Run, helping to raise money in the process. They also help set up for school and community events like Creek Fest, I-fest and homecoming, volunteer time at food banks, and raise money through other fundraisers like car washes.

Available at:

• Jersey Village
• Cypress Creek
• Cypress Woods
• Cypress Ridge
• Langham Creek

Contact: Contact specific schools to learn more about Interact clubs at each location