Key Club’s district convention (DCON) is an annual event held to elect new officers for the club. Members from all over Florida attend DCON for a couple of days and do workshops to learn more about Key Club, allowing them to better the club and themselves as members of the club. This year, the event was held from April 18 to April 21, in Daytona, Florida.
Essentially, Key Club is an extension of the Kiwanis Club, which is a volunteer organization for children and their communities. They do the same thing as Kiwanis just at a smaller level. “Key Club is an international organization and in the US, each state is a district. Each district is divided into zones and each zone into divisions,” said IB junior Sophia Dupeyron, president of Key Club.
New officer positions that are offered during this convention include Governor, Secretary, Treasurer, and International Trustee. “Two members per club vote through the House of Delegates at the district level,” explained Dupeyron.
Apart from electing new officers and doing workshops, while the members are there they also are allowed to participate in fun activities. “We get to hang out with people, they give us free ice cream, it’s a great time to socialize and there’s even partying at a governor’s ball which is kind of like a homecoming,” said IB Junior, Sabrina Dong, Secretary of Key Club.
To be able to attend DCON, registration is required and costs can range from $360 to $760 depending on how many people stay in a room. The costs include a three-night stay at the hotel, six meals, key club souvenirs, a keynote speaker, six educational workshops, awards, contests, etc.
Although it is expensive to attend, members believe it is worth the experience received during the event. “I recommend every single Key Clubber to attend DCON. DCON is a unique experience that gives students the opportunity to learn more about Key Club and even run for officer positions that will eventually represent all of Florida,” said Dupeyron.
Dupeyron and Dong have been a part of Key Club since their Freshman year and believe it is a good club for students to be a part of. “I personally really love Key Club, it has helped me grow a lot. I’ve taken lots of leadership roles since I was a Freshman and I feel like it just gave me the opportunity to really understand what it is to help the community,” said Dong.
Stephany Bendezu is the Yearbook teacher and sponsor of Key Club at Cape High. She believes that DCON is a very beneficial opportunity for students. “They [Key Clubbers] do a lot of stuff to help their community so in this place is a leadership conference where they get trained, but also they get the recognition for all the hard work they have been performing in this school year,” explained Bendezu.
This event doesn’t just help the students in Key Club, it also attracts students interested in joining. “DCON is definitely a motivator for students to join Key Club as it gives them a chance to travel to Daytona and immerse themselves in the Key Club world,” said Dupeyron. “Students also have free time to visit the beach, nearby stores, and enjoy time with their friends.”
