INDIANAPOLIS,
IND. - Key Club International will surpass 250,000 members when Edison
Collegiate High School Charlotte Campus receives its charter during a ceremony
on Wednesday, May 19 at 1 p.m.
Edison
Collegiate High School (ECHS) is Southwest Florida's first collegiate high
school and Charlotte County's only charter school. Located on the Charlotte
campus of Edison State College, students of ECHS will enjoy a collegiate
environment and graduate with both a diploma and associates degree.
Key
Club International President Abigail McKamey and Director Mike Downs will
present ECHS its charter and install members firsthand to commemorate the
historic milestone. The ceremony will be held in the Edison State College
Charlotte Campus auditorium.
"Our students have been very passionate in
regards to community involvement and they understand what a tremendous
organization Key Club is," ECHS Principal Diane Juneau said. "To have our own charter
means a lot to our students and faculty alike. The fact President McKamey will
be on campus for the occasion is an incredible honor and something everyone
involved will cherish for a long time."
Key Club
International is the oldest and largest service program for high schools
students in the world. An affiliate of Kiwanis International, Key Club is a
student-led organization that teaches leadership through serving others as
members build themselves as they build their schools and communities.
Key Clubs thrive on
more than 5,000 high school campuses in the United States, Canada, the
Caribbean, Central and South America, Asia and Australia. Since 1925, Key Club
International has provided more than 12 million hours of service to homes,
schools and communities each year.
"We are excited to have such wonderful examples of
youth who care about the world around them and have taken the initiative to be
servant leaders," said Kiwanis International President Paul Palazzolo. "We are
happy these young men and women have
a passion to share their time, talent and treasure with others."
The ECHS Charter will
open with 18 members and an environmental focus under the guidance of teacher
Michael E. Mitchell. Marissa Butcosk will serve as president; Taylor Richards
as vice president; Carissa Stepp as secretary; Gabriella Austin as treasurer;
and Holly Osborne as editor.
The ECHS charter is
sponsored the Port Charlotte Sunrise Kiwanis and President Tom Natoli, who also
will be on hand for Wednesday's ceremony. Sunrise member Connie Thrasher serves
as the ECHS advisor.
"The students of
Edison Collegiate High School have been tremendous from the start; their energy
and commitment are inspiring to everyone at Edison State College," Charlotte
Campus President Dr. Patricia Land said. "I think the addition of Key Club is a
perfect fit and will allow the ECHS student to continue developing as leaders
and role models for the future."
Posted
May 19 2010, 08:44 AM
by
Chris Hayworth