By: Eirabella Tapia
Greetings, BAMS! Another exciting year has gone past, and with it comes the annual Turkey Trot race! In this article, I am bringing you not just the times and names of the fastest runners, but an insightful interview with all the top participants of the race!
2023 has rolled past faster than any of us could have imagined, and it seems like it was only yesterday that the last Turkey Trot occurred. In the blink of an eye, we now have a fresh set of exciting young boys and girls from all grades who placed in the top 10 this year. For those of you who are new to BAMS and have yet to witness this delightful event, the Turkey Trot is an annual race managed by the BAMS physical education teachers in which students run a predetermined course around the school, with the race finishing in a fun inflatable archway. An image of the course is available below:
The prizes, as always, were spectacular- the top 25 placers received a popsicle stick with their placement on it, the top 3 players got a T-shirt, and the first prize winners were given an actual frozen turkey! Speaking of first place, the fastest finishers for each grade are visible on posters in the main hallway near the cafeteria. A placement podium listing the top 10 is provided below:
Everyone did a wonderful job running, and the crowd was incredibly supportive of our participants, holding up signs, performing the occasional chorus of stomping, and doing a lot of loud shouting and clapping to cheer on our runners! The BAMS mascot panther showed up too, and some of the teachers were wearing turkey costumes to show spirit. The wonderful weather certainly added to the buzz in the air as well! The suspenseful race was finished by Bailey Eaton and Parker McGhee in 6th grade, Aubrie Edwards/Maci Krout and Nolan Murphy in 7th grade, and Jordyn Sears and Ben Molen in 8th grade, all of whom received roaring applause from the audience. But those are only the first placers- below is an interesting interview of not just those people, but everyone else who managed a top spot in the race.
Q: Is this your first time running the Turkey Trot? Have you placed in the top 25 before?
A: Nolan Murphy, 7th grade - “I won the Bel Air Middle Turkey Trot last year in 6th grade as well.”
A: Parker McGhee, 6th grade - “I've never run a Turkey Trot, but I started running in the Bel Air town run every year since 2nd grade.”
Q: How did you feel when you crossed the finish line?
A: Samuel Musser, 7th grade - “I felt invigorated and exhausted at the same time. Being in the top 10 is a great feeling and running the race was a privilege.”
A: Elena Sedlak, 7th grade - “I felt accomplished, and I was very proud of how I ran. It was my goal to get top ten!”
Q: Do you have any prior experience with extracurricular activities related to PE, or do you enjoy playing any sports in your free time?
A: Rali Peeva, 8th grade - “Yes, I love playing volleyball! This year I'm playing for Premier Volleyball Club.”
A: Maxine Parduba, 7th grade - “I did competitive gymnastics for about 9 years and ballet for 4. I also ran in my old school cross country team for a year.”
Q: Do you think your previous knowledge of sports (if applicable) helped you while running? If so, how?
A: Christopher Talevski, 7th grade - “It helped a lot. I was able to use my knowledge of running to my benefits, which helped me place.”
A: Tyler Smith, 7th grade - “Definitely, all that running paid off.”
Q: Do you have any advice to others who may be thinking about running the Turkey Trot next year?
A: David Hott, 8th grade - “Save your energy for the end.”
A: Quinn Ingram, 7th grade - “It’s not all about winning. Just have fun and try your best! Try to keep a good pace.”
Q: What made you want to run the Turkey Trot this year?
A: Scarlett Chester, 7th grade - “I just wanted to try this year because last year I did not. Then, this year while running I made it to top ten and decided to change my goal for top ten instead of 25.”
A: Sidney Johnson, 7th grade - “Because I got 4th last year and wanted top 3.”
Q: Do you wish to pursue a future career in running or another sport? Do you think the Turkey Trot has helped prepare you for that experience?
A: Miguel Torres, 7th grade - “Yes. I think the Turkey Trot helped me prepare for my goal of making it into the NBA.”
A: Colton Schafer, 8th grade - “I’m hoping to run cross country in high school and play lacrosse.”
Q: Did someone inspire you to run the Turkey Trot?
A: Grace Reilly, 8th grade - “My mom. She’s a marathoner and basically a professional runner.”
A: Molly Keith, 8th grade - “My friend Gisella and I said we wanted to do it for fun because it was too cold to just sit on the bleachers cheering.”
Q: What made the Turkey Trot enjoyable for you?
A: Jordyn Sears, 8th grade - “I got to celebrate with friends.”
A: Anthony Kelly, 6th grade - “I ran with other people.”
Q: Based on your personal experience, would you recommend the Turkey Trot to anyone? Are there any specific reasons why you would recommend it?
A: Finn Drankiewicz, 6th grade - “I would recommend the Turkey Trot to anyone who is willing and determined enough to do it.”
A: Parker McGhee, 6th grade - “I would recommend it because all you have to do is participate and you get extra credit in gym. You also have a chance to get a turkey.”
That wraps up our interview! Again, everyone did an amazing job out there, and I thank all the participants and supporters of the race for providing us with another fun-filled Turkey Trot. Ever since the first Turkey Trot, there have been many wonderful races, and I look forward to 2024, when a new set of runners will emerge victorious once again. Thank you kindly for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day!
6th Grade Top 3 Boys/Girls
7th Grade Top 3 Boys/Girls
By: Laiba Shah & Sydney LeMay
As we dug farther into the school year, we started to recognize a new addition to Bel Air Middle School. Most students know Mrs. Charlier as a substitute teacher for Mrs. Dare, however now officially she has been a new addition to Bel Air Middle School. Here is an insight into our wonderful addition to Bel Air Middle School.
Q: How long have you been a teacher?
A: “I was a teacher for 5 years, stopped for 15, had three kids and moved to England. We're permanently back in the USA now so it was the right time to start a new position.”
Q: What is your opinion on language arts? Did you have a choice in which subject you would teach?
A: “So I was asked to apply to be a language arts teacher because there was a shortage it's new for me but I'm enjoying it.”
Q: Has teaching at Bel Air Middle School been better than teaching at other schools based on your experience?
A: "I love Bel Air middle school; I would not have had the courage to switch to language arts without the supportive staff.”
Q: Was teaching your first option as a career? Any other career ideas in mind? If so, what?
A: “No, I really always wanted to be a teacher or a princess.”
Q: How many students have you taught before?
A: "About 750.”
Q: What is your ideal day as a teacher?
A: "Where the kids are having so much fun, we lose track of time.”
Q: Which subject would you like to teach in the future?
A: “Maybe Math.”
Q: Why do you want to teach?
A: ‘I like being around kids your age. I don’t like sitting at a desk all day, I like being in a school setting.”
Q: Do you plan to still be teaching in five years?
A: “Definitely”
Q: How do you motivate students?
A: “I try to be silly and make them laugh.”
Q: What is your favorite part of your current classroom?
A: “I can control the heat and the air conditioning”
By: Henry Bell
The black panther is not its own species of cat. Animals usually named as black panther are melanistic* leopards or jaguars. Pumas (cougars) are also sometimes considered to be a variation of black panthers, but there has never been a confirmed sighting or specimen of a truly melanistic cougar. Both jaguars and leopards are in the Panthera genus along with lions, tigers, and snow leopards. Something that has been tied to melanism in leopards and jaguars is humidity. In moist forests (typically in Southeast Asia) presented remarkably high frequencies of melanistic leopards (55% of melanistic leopards have been found in Southeast Asia). Also, there have been no black panther sightings in the Middle East, Arabian Peninsula, Central China, or Far East Russia (drier areas in the leopard’s range).
There are nine recognized subspecies of leopard but only one recognized species of jaguar. However, there was originally thought to be nine subspecies of jaguars as well, but that is no longer believed to be the case, but there are still four regional variants of jaguars (something to note is the only variation is of geographical location).
You may have heard of the snow leopard or clouded leopard, but those two species are technically not leopards. The snow leopard is most closely related to tigers and clouded leopards are most closely related to leopards, just not a subspecies. The nine subspecies of leopards are the African leopard, Indian leopard, Javan leopard, Arabian leopard, Amur leopard, North Chinese leopard, Caucasian leopard (also known as the Persian leopard), Indochinese leopard, and the Sri Lankan leopard. The largest subspecies of leopard is the Caucasian leopard.
Although the leopard is endangered and does not have much habitat left, the range in which it can be found is large going from Southern Africa all the way up to parts of China and Russia. The jaguar is also endangered its main habitat range goes from Southern Argentina to Central America. However, some jaguars have been spotted as far North as Arizona.
Depending on if a black panther is a jaguar or leopard, even though they are both carnivores, they will have a very different diet and hunting method. One thing to note before continuing is that leopards are an arboreal species, spending almost all their time in the trees, while jaguars stay on the forest floor and are good swimmers.
The diet of leopards mostly consists of antelopes and gazelles but like with most predatory animals they will eat almost anything they can kill and eat. The way a leopard usually hunts is to slowly sneak up on its prey before letting out a brief explosive burst of speed, of up to 36 miles per hour, as it attempts to pounce on its prey and dispatch it by a bit to the neck. Then leopards usually drag their prey up a tree to eat it. The reason leopards can haul such a large animal up a tree is because even though they are the smallest of the “big cats” pound-per-pound they are the strongest. A leopard can carry something three times its weight up a tree with only its neck muscles.
A jaguar's diet consists of over 80 species of animals but two of the more notable prey items are capybaras, caimans, and tapirs. Like most big cats including leopards, jaguars ambush their prey. However, instead of going for the neck or throat, a jaguar will go for an animal's skull. The jaguar has the strongest bite force of any big cat - around 1,500 pounds per square inch - which is about double that of a tiger!
It is clear, the black panther, whether it be lurking in the jungles of Brazil or climbing up trees in Kenya, is a truly awesome animal.
*Having very dark skin or hair because it contains a higher than normal level of pigments known as melanin.
By: Tara Kirk and Amy Kossovski
Picture this: biting into your favorite cookie, letting it melt in your mouth and watching the snow outside the window. That’s the dream, right? Well look no further- Crumbl Cookie is the place to go!
Crumbl Cookie is a bakery that specializes in making cookies (hence the name) and has recently opened a new location: 551 Baltimore Pike, Bel Air, Maryland 21014. Crumbl Cookies business offers their customers clean surfaces as well as quick lines and services. They also strive, like Ms. Destiny (Bel Air's Manager) has said, to have polite and hardworking employees that bake fresh cookies. They sell six unique cookies at a time- however, their products change weekly; which does make it a bit more difficult to get specific cookies in time. Although all their cookies tend to be delicious, even if you don’t make it in time for the cookie you wanted, you're sure to find many more delicious cookies for sale.
Having trouble picking something to eat? Some manager recommendations are, “Cookie Butter Biscoff, also regular cheesecake. I’m a big cheesecake person, so that’s pretty good as well.” She also informed how, “The Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie is underrated.” A personal recommendation of mine is to try any of their cheesecake cookies or chocolate cookies- all of these cookies are amazing though! If you’re more of a picky eater, don’t stress, there’s still something that you’re bound to enjoy. The vast number of cookies they sell, boosts the chance of them selling one you’ll enjoy. And if that doesn’t seem to apply to you, they consistently sell the classic Chocolate Chip cookie every week. So even if it doesn’t seem like your cup of tea, I’m sure something will stick out.
Imagine having an event where you promised to buy everyone some delicious cookies from Crumbl Cookie- seems fair enough, right? Well, imagine that when you enter the store the whole area is filled with other customers, making it impossible for you to buy everything in time- well, almost impossible.Life can be quite busy, which might make it a bit more challenging to buy sweets for your own enjoyment. Fear not- Crumbl Cookie has a mobile app! This makes it much easier to grab cookies on the go, for your enjoyment. The mobile app allows you to order and pay for the cookies ahead of time, so that way you can just stop at the shop and grab your order.
With everything good about this place, seems like a good ol’ five-star rating, which is why we recommend trying Crumbl Cookie. The great customer service along with the delicious, sweet treats makes it impossible not to turn heads in curiosity. So, the real question is, will you try it?
By: KT Rabak
Last year we had a chorus teacher whose name was Mrs. Bales. After the Winter Concerts, she left BAMS for an assistant principal position at C. Milton Wright High School. Another chorus teacher was hired to replace Mrs. Bales named Mr. Zeisloft. However, he did not return to BAMS this year. Finally, a new chorus teacher was hired this year named Mr. Feyer,. Read on to find out more about him.
Q: What kind of school subjects do you teach here at Bel Air Middle School?
A: “I teach 6th, 7th, and 8th grade chorus. I also teach 7th grade general music."
Q: Do you have any kids and if so, what are their names?
A: “I have two kids, one’s named Maddie and she is a 7th grader and Ella who is a 4th grader.”
Q: How long have you been teaching for?
A: “This is my 10th year teaching."
Q: How do you feel about being a teacher here at Bel Air Middle School?
A: “I love it here! I have taught 2 other schools and this by far is my favorite. The factually is amazing, and I am impressed with the talent level of the students."
Q: Were you a teacher at any previous jobs, if not what was your previous job?
A: “I was a teacher at North Harford middle school and before that I was a teacher at Baltimore County. During the summer I also teach private voice lessons and work with several performing groups."
Q: What was your favorite school subject when you were in school and why?
A: “It all was dependent on the teacher. I liked the classes where teachers made content interesting and fun even when it wasn't.”
Q: What do you do in your free time?
A: “I love playing guitar and piano. I also love doing karaoke with my kids."
Q: What is your favorite holiday and why?
A: “Christmas because it’s more magical!”
Ice Spice (Isis N. Gaston)
https://images.app.goo.gl/77ibJMRvNFymShb17 Accessed 11 Jan. 2024.
50's Look
Modern Day Independent Women
By: Hannah E. Golley
Antonia Vega is a professional dance teacher at Supernova Dance Company. In this interview, she explains the dedication it takes to pursue a career in dance, and her experience dancing as a child star.
Q: When did you buy/become the owner of Supernova Dance Company?
A: “We received the keys to the studio, and officially opened in August 2015. “
Q: What inspired you to become a dance teacher?
A: “Dance has always been a part of who I am, and my greatest passion. Sharing that love with aspiring young dancers, and being able to provide quality instruction to ensure the future of dance continues is what inspires me everyday!”
Q: What is your favorite form of dance?
A: “This is a tough one, because it has evolved over the years and really depends on my mood. For the sake of answering the question, I'm going to go with ballet; however tap, jazz and contemporary all hold a special place in my heart.”
Q: Do you have any children that dance? If so, how many?
A: “I do not have any children, but I do have two fur babies, Luna and Harry. They love to make guest appearances at the studio.”
Q: What were previous jobs you had before being a dance teacher at Supernova Dance Company?
A: “Before we opened the studio, I used to manage a bridal shop and I did event hair and makeup.”
Q: How long have you been teaching dance?
A: “I have been teaching dance for about 11 years.”
Q: What is your favorite part about being a dance teacher?
A: “My favorite thing about teaching dance is watching my students grow. In dance, it takes years of dedication and discipline to master certain movements and develop technical excellence. Watching my students show up everyday, and watching them push themselves is a joy and privilege to be a part of. It's especially rewarding to witness when a student has a breakthrough with something that they have struggled with. Getting to wear sweats to work is also a bonus!”
Q: What is your dance experience?
A: “I started dancing when I was 4. Other than a baby tap class my first year, I started off only doing ballet. When I was about 8, my teacher invited me to join our studios competition team. Once I started competing and transitioned into pre-professional training, I was hooked. Over the next couple of years, I wanted to do more and more; I started jazz, and tap followed not long after. By the time I was about 10, I was dancing nearly everyday. Throughout my training, I worked with some of the most incredibly talented teachers and choreographers, and performed all over the country.”
Q: What classes would you recommend for beginners between the ages of 11-14?
A: “For beginner dancers, I always recommend taking ballet in coordination with whatever other styles the student finds interesting. In a ballet class, you will learn the proper class etiquette and terminology for movement that you will use across nearly all dance styles. Ballet training encompasses all of the elements a person needs to find success in any style of dance. It develops musicality, strength, flexibility, coordination, body awareness, discipline and expression.”
Q: Where do you advertise Supernova Dance Company?
A: “Our best form of advertisement is from word of mouth and our web presence.”
Q: How do you determine the price of each year doing dance?
A: “Supernova's yearly tuition rates are based on the number of hours per week a dancer is enrolled in, and is then broken up into 10 equal monthly installments. The more hours a week a student dances, the less they pay per hour. Other than tuition payments, parents also pay for their dancer’s costumes, and a recital fee. As a business, we need to determine what our expenses are, and then from there, we can calculate how much we need to charge in order to keep business operations running smoothly.”
