Character building, community service skills and leadership training is what KAY club provides students with to further better our school and community.

KAY club, also otherwise known as The Kansas Association For Youth, is directed by teachers Megan MacKay and Dianna Beck, who lead the way for students to make a world of difference for current and future generations.

“I love that we get to go out and help make our community better by doing the smallest things and putting smiles on peoples faces,” junior Alivia Turner said.

Donating to the blessing box, which is a free pantry where people of Derby donate food for those in need, collecting pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald house, and appreciation projects for the military are just a few of the many acts of service the club participates in.

“We do little projects in the school such as student and teacher appreciation, as well as donating gifts to local children’s homes and firefighters in the area,” junior Naomi Island said.

Club members are currently working on their yearly community service project by collecting items and toys to help parents in third world countries give their children a Christmas.

KAY club members also attended a regional conference at Goddard High on Nov. 9 as a way to share and exchange challenges and ideas, while also recognizing clubs for previous years’ accomplishments and electing new area leaders.

“What I love most about being in KAY club is the connections with people all around Kansas that I can make. With making connections, I make friends, and there might be opportunities that I have access to that I didn’t before,” senior Shallon McGowan said.

KAY club allows students to help the community and develop lifetime leadership skills.

“We always have a lot of fun with each other and are able to not only just have a great time together but also make broader changes,” Island said. Not just the areas in which we work, but also across the nation in the world as a whole.”