Key Club, an international organization, is in its second year at Scituate High School. This organization raises funds for local charities, helps students engage with the community, and brings students of all grades together for service opportunities.
During meetings, students of all ages come together to plan service events, make greeting cards, and create decorations. It is a great opportunity to meet new people and expand their acts of service within the community. Club co-presidents, juniors Olivia O’Malley and Mary Ann Dorgan, work with the treasurer, junior Bridget Ryan, and the secretary, junior Phoebe Braun, to plan events and create meeting agendas, ensuring the Key Club’s success.
In addition to participating in Key Club, O’Malley is a two-time varsity athlete, competing in volleyball and lacrosse. She is also a prominent member of HOSA (a club for future health professionals) and SHS Student Government. When asked what prompted her to start Key Club, she explained, “I used to do Girl Scouts, and my brother used to do Boy Scouts, so we were always getting involved in our community.” Motivated by her past experiences with charity work, she wanted to continue this work at the high school.
Serving with O’Malley, Mary Ann Dorgan is co-president of Key Club. Dorgan is also a part of Scituate’s Varsity Girls Volleyball team. She is also secretary of the Amnesty Club and Hunger Hearts Animate at SHS. Since starting the club during her sophomore year, Dorgan has learned a lot: “There is a lot of balancing and multi-tasking of duties, but it is worth it and rewarding at the end,” she said.
Members of the Key Club work hard during WIN block meetings. In October, they collaborated to create posters for the homecoming block party. In addition, they created decorations for the SHS front office, which included pink banners and chains. Key Club will continue to host more activities like this to raise awareness.
Key Club faculty advisor, SHS science teacher David Richardson, has been working with O’Malley and Dorgan since the club began last year. Richardson attended the University of New Hampshire, where he majored in biology. Because of his love of learning, he turned to teaching, noting, “I think that makes me love to turn around and then teach, because I want other people to be as excited to learn as I am.” Richardson also coaches the SHS freshman volleyball team, making him a familiar face to club members before he became the Key Club’s advisor.
Over the past year, Key Club has been extremely successful. In winter 2024, Key Club held a holiday book drive and donated all collected books to Boston Children’s Hospital. They collected more than 400 books and set up three book-collection stations around town. It was the club’s first major fundraiser and a significant achievement. Later in the winter, members had the opportunity to attend a Harvard Leadership Conference. Over the summer, they partnered with the Scituate Trashed Organization and participated in several beach cleanups around town, including Humarock, Peggotty, and Minot Beach.
Last year, O’Malley and Dorgan applied for a $1,000 grant from the SHS fundraising organization SHORE, which enabled them to schedule an event this spring.