The Centennial Eagles defeated the Atholton Raiders by a score of 14-4 on Wednesday, April 18.
In what was a very complete performance on both sides of the ball for the Eagles, pitcher Jordan Hinz controlled the game, throwing a complete game and only allowing four runs.
Centennial tacked on four runs in the first inning to jump out to an early lead. The Raiders didn’t respond until the fifth inning, allowing Centennial to add another five unanswered runs, and extend their lead to 9-0 after four innings.
However, the Raiders fought back and scored four runs in the top of the fifth to trim the lead to 9-4.
It was too little too late for the Raiders, as the Eagles didn’t allow any more runs after that and added five more runs of their own, finishing the game with a score of 14-4.
Centennial’s Olivia Reese and Lauren Marcotte combined to go 6-8 as they continue their success at the plate.
The Eagles now pushed themselves to a game over .500 in-county (5-4) but still remain two games under .500 overall (5-7).
As for the Raiders, they continue to fall in-county, dropping to 2-7.
The Eagles will be back in action on Thursday, April 19, against Marriotts Ridge, who is currently 7-1 in the county and on a five game in-county win streak.
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From Thursday, April 19, to Friday, April 20, Centennial High’s very own Mock Trial team will be attending the Mock Trial State Semifinals in Annapolis, Maryland. They are this year’s county champions, and have previously won both rounds of Circuit Championships against Rockbridge Academy and Marriotts Ridge High School. As circuit champions two years in a row, they now continue their undefeated season this week against teams from across the state.
Centennial’s team is the first Howard County team to advance to the state semifinals in history, which is significant for its members. “Because we’re the first Howard County team to ever advance to [this level], we’re all being exposed to a different environment,” says junior Anjali Gajendiran, who acts as one of the team’s defense attorneys. “It’s definitely daunting; I’m so grateful we have this opportunity.”
“One of the best parts about Centennial moving onto state semifinals is the opportunity to compete against high-level teams, which will be a great experience for us,” says senior Kayleigh Hasson, who is the captain and a defense attorney of the team. “I’m proud to say [that] we’ve had an undefeated season so far, and the experience of winning the state title would be incredible.”
Advancing even further would be an ideal result of the semifinals, but there’s more to the competition than just winning a prize or title. Reaching this far in the competition involves building strengths and learning to work closely together as a team. “I am so proud that our team is one of the top four teams in Maryland,” says Hasson. “We’ve made Howard County history by making it this far!”
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The Table Tennis Club continues to welcome all students of Centennial High School. The club meets every other Wednesday after school in the cafeteria. Everyone interested is greatly encouraged to attend.
The Table Tennis Club is a great way to take a break from school and have a good time. It is very casual and students can go whenever they want. President Ruoheng Zeng and Vice President Tae Wan Kim are the club’s only official members.
Not only are students welcome, but teachers are also encouraged to join. Allen Leung, a teacher at Centennial High School, is the club’s newest member.
Jarret Emery said, “He has been joining us regularly and seems to be really enjoying himself.”
As always, if anyone has any questions regarding the club, contact Mr. Emery at jarrett_emery@hcpss.org.
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Interview: Caroline Chu and Natalie Knight-Griffin
Photo: Eliza Andrew
John Sharbaugh, who teaches English, was recently selected as Centennial’s 2017-2018 senior Teacher of the Year. The prestigious title is awarded to the teacher that they most appreciated throughout their high school years. In this podcast, Sharbaugh shares classroom stories and personal memories that both inspired and changed his teaching career.
For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan.
On March 24 and 25, The 2018 Baltimore Science Fair was held at Towson University. The fair is run by the Towson-Timonium Kiwanis Club, a local scientific organization that is “cognizant of the need to promote the study of science,” according to its event’s website.
Impressively, Centennial senior Nicole Meister, who competed against a total of 32 other projects, was selected as the recipient of a First Place Division One award for physical sciences.
Her project was centered on machine learning. Meister aimed to study the improvement in accuracy of a neural network that could classify features in x-ray scattering images.
This is not her first go-around in science competitions. She has proven her strength as a young scientist by participating in the Technovation Challenge, in which she and her team coded, marketed, and pitched an original app; by utilizing Arduinos, a computing platform, to record solar panel energy output; and by studying collision avoidance for robots.
Winning first place in the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium adds to her list of accomplishments.
Symposium Nationals will be held the first week of May, and The International Science and Engineering Fair is scheduled for the second week of May. Meister will be participating in both events.
Michelle Bagley, Meister’s Gifted and Talented Intern/Mentor teacher, has been teaching her for four years. This period of time has given her sufficient information to characterize Meister as both intelligent and modest.
This modesty translates to her being a wonderful team player.
“She is always one to be encouraging to others in their work, ask probing questions, and offer advice,” Bagley stated.
Meister will take these traits with her to college, where she plans to study either computer science or electrical engineering.
Throughout the years, Bagley has been appreciative of her ability to help students reach opportunities outside of the classroom. The Intern/Mentor class at Centennial has allowed her to apply this concept, but she has gone even further in encouraging students to apply to competitions like those Meister entered.
Bagley raved, “I have seen students take their research from high school and turn it into a patented product, continue their research in college and beyond, and become successful contributing adults. The fact that I can be a small step in their journey is what I love best.”
Appreciative of Bagley, Meister articulated, “She is so much more than just a teacher to me because she has been so supportive in these past years. I couldn’t thank her more for everything she has done [for me] and all that she has done for the Centennial community.”
When posed the question as to what she has learned in high school that will translate to a successful career and life, Meister stressed the importance of pushing oneself to try new things. This has allowed her to grow as a person.
Through her experiences in competition and in Centennial High School itself, this drive has allowed her to become more confident as a public speaker and to improve her writing skills.
Sometimes all that’s needed is the decision to take the first step to try something new.
“By pushing myself to try new things, I found interests in activities and subjects I never would have imagined,” Meister concluded.
For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan.
The CHS National Honor Society and the Dance Honor Society presented WorldFest, a celebration of student and staff diversity, on Thursday, April 12 from 5 to 9 p.m. It was an extremely successful event, and students could be seen throughout the school.
Most students milled around the cafeteria for the first two hours, where clubs set up to sell cultural cuisine. The Pre-Medicine Club offered mango lassi, the National Chinese Honor Society sold fried rice and dumplings, and ramen was available at the Korean American Student Association table.
In the media center, many students gathered to listen to a panel. The speakers included Dr. Calvin Ball, District 2 councilman; Mona Eldadah, co-founder of Next Wave Muslim Initiative; and Neveen Kurtom, chair of the Howard County Commission for Women. They discussed intersectionality, being part of multiple minority or disadvantaged groups.
Another popular activity was making crepes in the culinary classroom, which drew so many people that the strawberries quickly ran out. Latecomers simply piled chocolate sauce and whipped cream onto their crepes until the ingredient supply was exhausted.
The final event of the evening was a series of performances in the auditorium. Performers socialized with others before the show, admiring their decorative clothing. The theatre room, where they prepared, was a spectacle of glittering jewelry and vivid fabrics.
Representing India in the fashion show, freshmen Anushka Parab and Pratulya Chengala said that previous experiences helped them relax.
“I’m wearing modern Indian attire for the fashion show,” Parab said, doing jazz hands. Her bold red and gold apparel rivaled the bright colors of the dancers’ skirts. “I haven’t done anything like this before, but I’ve gone onstage to dance, so I’m not that nervous.”
Dances, set to music ranging from Bollywood to Blackpink, captivated the audience. Other performances had roots in West Africa, China, and Ireland. It wasn’t just physical talent that was highlighted. Centennial students Mallika Kadabha, Sindhoori Mukka, Arya Bhargav, Avni Patel, Amaka Agbim, and Bibiana Phan all choreographed their dances, an exceptional achievement.
There was a fashion show as well, where students displayed their cultural dress as Mr. Stephen Doff explained the origins. Clothing from all around the world was showcased. Nigeria, Iran, and Haiti were only a few of the countries represented.
Freshman Sarika Kapadia flaunted a turquoise Indian lehenga for the fashion show. After the fashion show, she said of her experience onstage, “It was quite scary, but once you get used to it, you realize that you’re in a supportive and cultural community.”
For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan.
