Royal High Students Host Jeopardy Night at Kiwanis: Teens vs. Veterans — Find Out Who Won

(CLAIR | Simi Valley, CA) — On Feb. 18, the next generation of community leaders did more than show up to a Kiwanis meeting. They ran much of it.

About 20 students from Royal High School’s Key Club joined the Kiwanis Club of Simi Valley at 99.1 The Ranch in the town center and quickly took charge of the evening’s program. After a brief update from Kiwanis members about upcoming service projects, the students stepped forward to guide the room.

They organized a Jeopardy-style trivia game with lighthearted categories including TV and headlines, with questions from the 1960s, 70s, 80s and today. The format paired longtime Kiwanians with high school students on the same teams, blending decades of experience around each table.

Contessa, vice president of membership for the Royal High Key Club, led the trivia game, calling out clues and keeping the energy moving as teams talked through the answers together.

Kiwanis members provided appetizers and dessert. The students provided the leadership.

“This is what Kiwanis is about, developing leadership in our future leaders,” said Kiwanis President Steve Trocino.

Trocino said the evening reflected what makes the organization meaningful.

“What’s very inspiring here is we have members who’ve been here for well over 30 years. We have newbies like myself . . . And then we have the key club in Royal High School and the up-and-coming, hopefully in time, Kiwanis members,” Trocino said.

“It’s very heartwarming for us to see (that) we have people of all ages in different areas of their life who are getting involved in the community,” he added.

For students like Isabella, a sophomore at Royal High, the commitment to service is intentional. She joined Key Club because she wanted to give back to her community and feel more connected at school. Since then, she has taken part in projects like making handmade cards for seniors, small acts that reflect the club’s larger mission. After graduation, she hopes to attend a four-year university to study biology and continue serving wherever she lands.

The Kiwanis Club of Simi Valley serves as the parent organization for Royal High’s Key Club, which has about 100 members. RHS’s Key Club is part of Key Club International, the high school service arm of Kiwanis, built on the same four core values: leadership, character building, caring and inclusiveness.

Beyond hosting students, the Simi Kiwanis Club continues to invest in them. The club offers scholarships, and Trocino encouraged Royal High students to apply. In recent years, those scholarships have expanded to include students pursuing trade education, including programs such as cosmetology at the Simi Valley Institute for Careers and Education.

The club is also looking inward. Members receive a yearly survey designed to gather feedback about programs, priorities and potential new initiatives.

“The only way to really know what kind of a job you’re doing is to ask others, not just ask yourself,” Trocino said.

Kiwanis is increasing its visibility as well. The club maintains Facebook and Instagram pages, managed by member EP McKnight, who serves as social media chair.

“We’re trying to let people know what Kiwanis does, who we help, where we’ve been, where we’re headed,” Trocino said.

Among the causes the club supports is the Simi Valley YMCA. Kiwanis plans to donate funds toward the YMCA’s expansion, citing the impact its swim lessons, after-school programs and other services have on local children and families.

The relationship between Kiwanis and Key Club remains central to that mission. Mary Martin, who has advised the Royal High Key Club for about 15 years, and co-advisor John Downey guide students as they plan projects and develop leadership skills.

Trocino recalled one former student who joined the RHS club shy and unsure of herself. She later attended Moorpark College, where she helped grow its Circle K service club from about 10 members to roughly 30. After transferring to Cal State Northridge, she launched a new Circle K chapter there. The Moorpark College club has since grown into what Trocino described as the largest Circle K chapter in the United States, possibly the world.

For Trocino, who joined Kiwanis about three and a half years ago as he prepared for retirement, the intergenerational connection remains the most meaningful part of the work. On Feb. 18, that connection was visible across the room, from longtime members to teenagers just beginning their service journey, each learning what leadership looks like in real time.