Category: Announcements

Announcements

Centennial Celebrates Culture

Words: Madison Baltimore

Photos: Eliza Andrew & Natalie Knight-Griffin

On April 11, 2019, Centennial’s annual WorldFEST took place; a celebration of the many cultures that make up Centennial’s student body.

The event started with food served from 5 to 7 pm, followed by rotations of activities, including a trivia game put on by It’s Academic. After the rotations of activities, a talent show, fashion show and taekwondo demonstration concluded the evening in the auditorium from 8 to 9 pm.

Junior Daria Cara expressed how much she enjoys the fashion show aspect of WorldFEST and its impact on the school and the community.

“I absolutely adored the fashion show! It was absolutely wonderful seeing so many different cultures, and seeing everyone so confident and having so much fun on stage,” stated Cara.

Different clubs each served food at WorldFEST, ranging from sushi, to pizza, to funnel cake. The different activities that took place from 7:10 to 7:55 pm were Hair Braiding, Anti-Human Trafficking, Diversity in the Media, Latin Dancing, Taekwondo, Irish Dancing and It’s Academic Trivia.

Students from National Honor Society and the National Dance Honor Society, Delta Eta Pi, participated in the fashion and talent show, as well as students not in either honor society.

WorldFEST continues to celebrate Centennial’s unique diversity.

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Announcements

Centennial Travels to Wilde Lake for Delta Scholars Conference

Words: Madison Baltimore

On Friday, April 5, Delta Scholars from all 12 Howard County public high schools traveled to Wilde Lake for their annual Leadership Conference. The conference started with a sign-in of schools and opening announcements from Delta Sigma Theta Inc chapter members within the community.

The Delta Scholars then broke out into groups and went to different workshops they had signed up for in advance. The workshops ranged in topics, from how to budget money to self-care and self-empowerment.

Finally, the conference concluded with motivational speaker and founding principal of R.E.A.C.H. Beyond Solutions, Shavon Arline-Bradley, discussing and encouraging the Delta Scholars to use their “gifts and talents” to fuel their college and career decisions.

R.E.A.C.H. Beyond Solutions is an executive leadership firm made to widen the capacity of leaders in a corporate and non-profit environment. Arline-Bradley presented at the Leadership Conference before in 2018.

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Announcements

RISE Conference Inspires Students in STEM

Words: Natalie Knight-Griffin

Photos: Eliza Andrew

On April 1, 2019, Centennial’s National Science Honor Society hosted its annual RISE Conference. Students interested in pursuing the STEM field attended to explore internship opportunities, meet mentors, exchange ideas, and learn from the society members’ project boards. The night consisted of a jam-packed event calendar, from interactive discussions to intellectual student conversations.

Keynote speaker and director of data analytics for the Baltimore Ravens, Eugene Shen, gave an hour-long talk and presentation of what he felt leads to success. Meant to inspire, engage, and educate, Shen’s personable lecture captured the audience.

“If you put your mind to something, you can achieve it,” said Shen, promoting the main idea of his talk.

After Shen’s presentation, students participated in various workshops of their choice, each consisting of one out of seven STEM professionals representing their respective fields.

Following the workshop was the gallery walk, which included an impressive display of student-created projects and boards, depicting studies from computer science to data analytics.

As night rolled around, students began their second round of workshops, offering them the opportunity to engage with numerous professionals and explore multiple fields.

Students participating in the conference felt as though the experience provided a stronger pathway for their futures.

“I think the RISE Conference is an opportunity for high school students to expand their boundaries and horizons in what they want to do in life,” stated junior Shubi Saxena.

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Announcements

Junior Interview Photos

Words: Maddie Wirebach

Photos: Noorie Kazmi

On Thursday and Friday of last week, the  junior class took part in junior interviews.

Dressed in their business attire and prepared with resumes, students sat down with volunteer interviewers to answer their questions.

The interviews, a Howard County graduation requirement, are meant to help students exercise real-world skills; they allow juniors to practice and prepare for future job and college situations as they near the end of their high school careers.

Every year, students often feel nervous going into the interview, however, junior Sydney Vigderhouse advises rising juniors to “just be themselves and be confident.”

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Announcements

Film Club Hosts the First Annual Film Festival

Words: Sasha Allen

Photos: Noorie Kazmi

On Wednesday, March 13, Centennial held its very first film festival hosted by the
Centennial Film Club. All Centennial students were encouraged to submit a short film to be
judged, awarded, and watched at the festival. Summer Shen, the Film Club president, organized the event along with the help of the club members and sponsors.

The film makers all put a lot of thought and time into their unique films, and it showed. Peter Ganunis, a member of the club and a passionate film maker, attended because he wanted to see “what the passionate, young, film makers of Centennial are creating.” Ganunis said that he enjoyed watching all of the unique films and was interested in learning from what techniques and films were used.

There were four films submitted and each of the participants had their films viewed by the audience, received an award, and had the chance to say something about their process. The top two films were “Mirage,” a romance submitted by David Huang, and “Dreams,” a thriller submitted by Carolin Harvey. All of the films were scored based on ideas, execution, originality, camera angles, and sound effects.

“I like making videos and [the festival] was a good way to show what I’ve done” said
Huang.

Shen was delighted by the submissions and turnout. “I wanted to start a small scale festival for beginners so they could feel more included,” said Shen. She is hoping that next year there will be even more submissions from beginners in the school.

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Announcements

Know Your Planet Night

Words: Sarah Paz

On March 7, Centennial hosted its sixth annual Know Your Planet Night from 6:30pm to 8:00pm. Centennial students from Biology G/T, Physics AP, Earth Science and Environmental Science classes gathered to present engaging projects about the issues affecting the environment.

With topics ranging from tsunamis, earthquakes, plate tectonics and space, students created
fun, interactive projects including an earthquake table, trivia games with prizes, and an active
volcano made with newspaper and paint.

Environmental Science students displayed their research on various environmental issues such as an overflow of plastic in the ocean.

“All these projects are about helping the environment and raising awareness,” explained Green Club member, Aria Ma.

At the end of the night, English students presented poems explaining humanity’s
connection to nature.

Reflecting on the evening, Centennial Biology GT teacher Lori Griffiths hoped that Know Your Planet Night helped students understand the importance of protecting the environment.

“I hope students learn something new about the earth and become more aware and
respectful.”

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