When it comes to serving the community at home and abroad, Seaside High School Key Club members put themselves on the front lines, continually seeking ways to care for others in the community.

The philosophy of Key Club, according to science teacher and adviser Suzanna Kruger, is “leadership through service.”

Seaside’s chapter has about 15 members, and its current officers include president Hailey Smith; vice president Tristyn McFadden; secretary Candace Kerr; and treasurer Anna Peon.

Smith, who was inducted during a meeting March 20, said she strongly appreciates the Key Club motto: “Caring — our way of life.”

“I think that’s an amazing way to live,” she said.

New leadership is elected in the spring, following the Pacific Northwest District convention, which this year took place from March 16 to 18 in Portland. Six students from Seaside attended the convention, accompanied by two students from Astoria and 13 from Knappa.

The convention takes place once per year and about 2,000 students from the Pacific Northwest district — which includes Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Northern California, and the Panhandle of Idaho — gather to train, attend workshops and network.

Kruger lightheartedly described the weekend as “full of chanting and screaming,” the intent of which was to incite students and get them motivated for leadership and service. At the convention, sophomore Andrea Castro, who did Builders Club in middle school and served as Key Club president last year, was elected lieutenant governor for the coastal division of the district.

“I love helping people,” she said. “It’s a passion for me, and Key Club is about love and service and giving back.”

Her role as lieutenant governor, she said, is to oversee the six clubs in the division and ensure they’re running smoothly. Those include the Key Clubs in the Seaside, Astoria, Knappa, Tillamook, Wahkiakum and Warrenton school districts. She will routinely visit the clubs to make sure they are remaining active, craft a monthly newsletter, and give reports, among other responsibilities.

“Each club does their own thing, but we’re encouraged to have a division project,” she said.

During the March meeting, club members discussed preparations for next year’s district convention in Seattle, fundraising opportunities, and ideas for its student-initiated service projects to better the school, local community and global community. These projects will take place throughout the year, including summer. As Castro pointed out, “Key Club doesn’t end when the school year ends.”

As the Seaside’s Key Club is sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Seaside, the parent club offers support to the students in various ways. Normally, a Kiwanis member attends the Key Club meetings to serve as adviser, and the high schoolers will take service project ideas to the Kiwanis members to receive feedback and guidance.

As a new service project, Smith informed the club she hopes they can fundraise for Thorn, an international nonprofit organization that builds technology to defend children from sexual abuse and trafficking. The organization’s programming efforts focus primarily on Internet technology and how it is used to facilitate exploitation of children.

“I’m very against human-trafficking,” Smith stated, adding this project would expand their reach to a state- and nation-wide level.

Kerr also discussed the need to further promote the club and motivate more students from across the social spectrum to join.

The club currently meets on Tuesdays during lunch and new members are welcome on a rolling basis.