Annabel Yee, an East Meadow High School senior and one of East Meadow’s youngest community leaders, is moving forward in the National Parent Teacher Association’s annual Reflection Arts Program, an extracurricular art contest that supports creative and social growth.
The National PTA contest accommodates students from kindergarten through to 12th grade, giving students the opportunity to think of a creative way to express the theme provided by the PTA — that can range from dance choreography, music, literature, to visual arts. The contest is elective and not a part of their school’s lessons.
“I’ve been participating since I was in kindergarten,” Yee said, the Key Club President at East Meadow. “I’ve been doing this for 13 years now. This year, I submitted a piece of literature — It was an essay about my involvement with the community.”
The Key Club, as well as similar programs for middle school and elementary school students, are young peoples’ divisions of the Kiwanis Club international nonprofit. These programs serve two of the club’s goals at once: facilitating programs that help students in need and offering students a chance to grow through community service.
Yee leads her classmates through various Kiwanis Club events, such as the annual Thanksgiving food drives in November and events for young people, such as the Barnum Woods Cereal Challenge throughout February.
“It gives students an opportunity to show up — not just to volunteer, but also experience the community,” she said. “It’s really not too hard to get that many volunteers, because everyone is always really eager to help out, which is very exciting to see.”
In addition to her work with the Key Club, Yee runs the website Everything East Meadow, a community news outlet where she interviews local business leaders and significant community members.
One of the subjects Yee highlighted was her club’s advisor, Catherine Razzano, who also serves as the Chair of Kiwanis Food Drives. The benefits of working with another generation run both ways, said Razzano.
“Annabelle was extremely shy when I first met her,” Razzano said. “She has brought the Key Club to an electronic age, which is amazing… It’s paramount that, while our youth get involved, our entire community gets involved in just a few days of service.”
Razzano and Yee have worked together for years, starting when Yee was in ninth grade, a fresh member of the Key Club. In 10th grade, Yee became a board member for the Key Club, and in her senior year, became the club’s president. Throughout this time, Razzanno supported Yee’s digital projects, and in turn, Yee was inspired to enhance the web presence of the club.
During the course of her partnership with Razzano, Yee went from a high school freshman to an event organizer, playing a vital role in the administration of food drives and community wellness programs, learning skills that will last a lifetime.
“(Razzano) was one of the people that really connected me with this community,” Yee said. “I get to come here, especially as someone who had a very hard time finding a place to belong and found a community. I got to show my appreciation to all the teachers and the community members who have supported me and give that back to them as well.”
Yee’s essay won the regional competition for Nassau County, moving forward to the state level.
“It’s my third year going to the state level,” Yee said. “I’m obviously really thankful and grateful to all the people who adjudicated and allowed me to do this.”
With a world of possibilities before her, Yee is confident in one thing: supporting her community will always be essential.
“I definitely want to pursue a Kiwanis when I’m an adult,” she said. “Seeing the community of people who are just there to volunteer and help out is really inspiring me to continue doing that. Kiwanis plays an integral role in my life and being more comfortable in East Meadow by finding a community, and I definitely found one in Kiwanis.”
To follow Yee’s local community coverage, visit EverythingEastMeadow.com.
