Clubs & Student Extracurricular Activities

TC Central's Debate Team: the largest policy debate team in the state!

What is debate?

Students learn the intricacies of debate through covering everything from the detailed rules and procedures that are part of debating to the best way to research a topic. They also learn how to discern what's relevant in the overabundance of information that is now available on the Internet. Students learn and successfully utilize research techniques, critical thinking skills, presentation skills and leadership skills all the while tackling meaty national issues. High school debaters can also qualify for college scholarships. For TCAPS students, honors debate class counts toward a visual performing applied arts (VPAA) credit. 

Who may join the debate team?

Any 9th-12th grader who is interested in defeating an opponent using evidence, strategy and persuasive speaking may join. People on the debate team do NOT have to take the debate class, and people in debate class do NOT have to be on the team. 

Sign-ups

Students can sign up anytime. There are no cuts. Everyone who comes to practice gets to debate competitively. Experience is preferred, but not necessary. There are three levels of competitive policy debate: novice, junior varsity, and varsity. 

Fellowship of Christian Athletes is the largest Christian campus ministry in the world. Here at 
Central, Fellowship of Christian Athletes meets every other Thursday at 7:20 a.m. in room C130. For more information, click on the link or contact Mr. Schugars at schugarser@tcaps.net. Learn more about the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at www.fca.org. 

Key Club is a service organization for high school students, which operates under school regulations and draws its membership from the student body. Key Club is unique because it is sponsored by a local Kiwanis club, composed of the leading business and professional people of the community. Key Club's objective is the development of initiative, leadership ability, and good citizenship practices.

Key Club is different because it functions not only on the local level, but also on a district and international level. This highly developed structure provides programs, literature, and the opportunity to relate to teenagers from countries all around the world. Key Club is the largest service organization of its kind with over 160,000 members in approximately 4,200 clubs.

History

The first Key Club was sponsored in May 1925 at Sacramento High School in California by the Kiwanis club of Sacramento. The original concept was to develop a vocational guidance program aimed to combat the problems of student fraternities. From this evolved the idea of a service organization for the home, school and community.
 
This idea slowly spread throughout the country, and by 1939, Florida had a sufficient number of Key Clubs functioning to hold a state convention and form a district. Other districts followed Florida's lead, and finally in 1943, a national organization was started. In 1946 the first club in Canada was formed. Also, to establish a strong foundation, the Key Club International Constitution and Bylaws were adopted during that same year. Today there are clubs in Aruba, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Netherlands Antilles, Philippines, Republic of China, St. Lucia, Trinidad, Tobago, the United States, Colombia, Bermuda, Panama, and New Caledonia.

Kiwanis Support

Each Key Club must have a sponsoring Kiwanis club. The members of the Kiwanis clubs are dedicated to seeing that Key Clubs are active and thriving. They spend a great deal of time and energy on Key Clubs' behalf to ensure a successful program. There is also a district and international level of Kiwanis that is pledged to the support of Key Clubs. Kiwanians on all three levels are valuable sources of information, wisdom, and insight. Finally, there is an international office in Indianapolis, Indiana, devoted to Key Clubbers' needs. The international office serves as a clearinghouse for Key Club information, keeps the records, handles the correspondence, provides effective liaison between Key Clubs and Kiwanis, conducts the annual international convention, and handles the organization's international publication - Keynoter.

Dues

Like most worthwhile organizations, Key Club costs money. Key Club International annual dues are just a few dollars per member. Through these dues each Key Clubber receives seven issues of the official publication -Keynoter, an official membership/ theme emphasis card, a Key Club Manual (one free per club), a wealth of literature (from the role of the faculty advisor and welcoming new members to training new officers and suggestions for Key Club Week), a chartering service for new clubs, and many other services. There are also individual dues for the district organization. Some clubs charge club dues.

Conventions

An international convention is held in July of each year. This convention is the highlight of the Key Club year and is usually attended by over 2,500 people. At the convention a new major emphasis program for the coming year is unveiled, new International Officers are elected, the constitution and bylaws are amended, and clubs are able to compete in various contests. The district organization also holds annual conventions of similar nature and structure during the spring of the year. Both conventions provide excellent programs and educational forums, utilize superb speakers, and offer the opportunity to make lasting friendships.

Your Club

Although there are district and international levels within the Key Club Program, the local club is the foundation and strength of this organization. It is the member and club which perform the real services. Also, another unique feature of Key Club is that it is run by the Key Clubbers themselves; the adults are there to advise and counsel only. You develop the programs, you organize the projects, you run the meetings, and you take the initiative to serve. It should also be noted that Key Club is not a fraternity or secret organization and its membership is open to all qualified students. Key Club can be a tremendous asset to your home, school, and community if you are willing to become involved and show you care. The success of your club is dependent only on your willingness and desire to work hard enough to make your efforts felt.

Model United Nations, also known as Model UN, provides students the opportunity to take on the role of delegates to the United Nations and simulate UN committees. Participants are assigned a country to represent and spend considerable time researching their country in preparation for attending Model United Nations conferences. Model UN participation helps students learn skills in public speaking, debate, critical thinking, leadership, writing as well as how to work as a team. 

Web Sites for Model U.N. Research

United Nations Information

• United Nations: https://www.un.org/en/
  Obtain historical information as well as information about the current issues. Multiple links are available to narrow search of departments or topics. Site index is most helpful and can link you to online publications including recent issues of U.N. Chronicle. Documentation Canter will link to all resolutions and decisions.
• United Nations OnLine:  www.unol.org  
  The United Nations OnLine is basically a virtual model United Nations sponsored by GEMUN, or Global Elementary Model United Nations, a service activity of The Robert Muller School, a non-profit organization in Arlington, Texas. The purpose of UNOL is to bring students from around the world together using the power of the Internet on a nonprofit basis for educational purposes. The UNOL seeks to:
  • Promote world peace and study the means necessary for its development
  • Inform and educate the public about the activities of the United Nations system.
  • Develop participants' abilities in leadership, communication, interaction, and other skills so necessary in a modern interdependent society.
  • Demonstrate the importance and effectiveness of exchanging ideas, understanding different cultures, and cooperating in pursuit of common goals.
  • To promote goodwill and cooperation between delegates participating in the simulation.
• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees:  https://www.unhcr.org/en-us/
  Up-to-date information about refugee situations globally.

Information About Countries

• INCORE (Initiative on Conflict Resolution and Ethnicity): www.incore.ulst.ac.uk/cds/countries/index.html
  INCORE lists annotated resources for news and background information, related e-mail lists and newsgroups, articles and documents, maps, NGOs and other related resources dealing with current conflicts. Also hosts a collection of full-text peace agreements.    
• Rulers: http://rulers.org
  Site contains lists of heads of state and heads of government as well as some international organizations. 

News Sources

• The following are also listed on the CHS library media center page:
  • ABC News
  • CNN Search
  • Newspaper Link
  • Int. New York Times
• BBC News Service: http://news.bbc.co.uk
  Excellent source for news and analysis.

Other Suggested Sites

• Intergovernmental Authority on Development: www.igadregion.org