Tag: Sarah Paz

Sports

Centennial Hosts a Track and Field Meet

Words: Sarah Paz

Photos: Noorie Kazmi

On Tuesday, April 2, Centennial hosted a track and field meet. Atholton, Howard, Long Reach, Mount Hebron and Reservoir competed.

The Centennial sprinting team excelled in all of their events. Both the girls’ and boys’ sprinting teams won second place in the 400-meter relay race. Senior Marco Ayhon and junior Tyler Dan scored in the top ten of the 200-meter race.

The Centennial distance team raced especially well in the 800-meter race. Seniors Alison Betler and Katie Pistner and sophomore Michelle Weaver scored in the top 20, while sophomores Jake Cole, Fernando Duraes and Andrew Bank, along with junior Jacob Muma were in the top 15.

Sophomore jumper Victoria Pearson scored fifth in the triple-jump, and sophomore Liam Lovering won first in the discus event.

The Centennial track and field team will be competing in the Pikesville Track and Field Invite this Saturday, April 6.

 

KS, MW, PB, SP, NK

For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan.

Feature

The Impact of One Choice

Words: Sarah Paz

Photo: Eliza Andrew

*Editor’s Note: April 1, 2019– This article has been modified to reflect that the Centennial PTSA hosted the guest speaker. The previous version stated that Centennial was the host.*

On Tuesday, March 26, Centennial’s PTSA hosted an assembly presented by public speaker Tony Hoffman, who spoke about how one choice affected his entire life.

Hoffman started his story from when he was in high school and started doing drugs at parties.

He didn’t realize it at the time, but he made a decision that impacted the entire course of his life.

His bad choices resulted in his arrest and ultimately, prison time. Hoffman decided to change for the better by improving his life with little habits.

Hoffman’s determination to stay sober helped him to live out his dreams of professionally BMX biking and starting a nonprofit which is now called The Freewheel Project.

Since his time in prison, Hoffman has been successful in other areas such as being a coach for BMX athletes and helping to spread awareness about drugs as a public speaker.

After the speech, Hoffman answered questions about his message.

Many students enjoyed how unique his story was.

“[It had an] interesting perspective,” said sophomore Honor Reed. “I don’t think anyone expected the story brought forth.”

For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan.

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.”

For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan.

Feature

Looking Cute On Ugly Sweater Day

Words: Sarah Paz

Photos: Ellie Zoller-Gritz

On Thursday, December 20, students participated in Centennial’s fourth day of Spirit Week: Ugly Sweater Day. Students donned their ugliest holiday sweaters to celebrate the impending break.

Friday is Character Day, where students dress as their favorite holiday characters, officially ending Spirit Week and sending the school on Winter Break.

For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan.

Sports

Centennial Boys’ Coach Al Dodds celebrates 40 years of coaching at the Cross Country Banquet

Words: Sarah Paz

On November 12, the Centennial Boys’ and Girls’ Cross Country teams celebrated a successful season at their banquet. The season, which ended on November 10, resulted in a win for the Boys’ team and a third place finish for the Girls’ in the state meet.

The banquet started at 6:30pm and ended around 8:30pm. Runners and their families gathered to have a potluck dinner and recall the highlight of the seasons.

After the meal was finished, runners were called up by age and were awarded their certificates of participation. Coach Kevin McCoy reflected on the development of the seniors, saying that “every day was a joy, even though I didn’t act like it.”

But the wins weren’t the only thing that was celebrated. The announcement of the retirement of the beloved Boys’ Cross Country team coach Al Dodds led to much sadness from the members of the Boys’ team, especially for the seniors who had been coached by him the longest.

In his speech, Coach Dodds reflected on his more than 40 years he spent coaching, sharing the humorous moments of his career and the successes of his past teams.

After his speech, the Centennial Boys’ Cross Country team had speeches prepared for him, discussing the numerous times Coach Dodds had believed in them and impacted the way they are today. At the end, they presented him with a heartfelt gift.

Although he wants to spend more time with his grandchildren, Coach Dodds expressed the desire to continue coaching a few days a week for the Cross Country team.

Overall, the banquet was an event filled with joy and a bittersweet conclusion to a successful season.

For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan.

Sports

Centennial Wins Cross Country State Meet

Words: Sarah Paz

On Saturday, November 10, the Centennial Boys’ and Girls’ Cross Country teams raced in MPSSAA 3A State Cross Country Championships.

The Centennial Boys’ Cross Country team won first place, ending with a score of 87, which is determined by adding the places of the first five runners. They crushed the second place team, Linganore High School by 39 points and the third place team Towson High School by 52 points.

Senior Justin Ziegler crossed the finish line in 17:21, earning 12th place. Just three seconds later, sophomore Jacob Cole earned 14th place, followed by seniors Chris Bieberich, David Riina, Jason Kraisser, Zachary Deming and Ryan Erle. Ziegler, Cole, Bieberich, Riina and Kraisser won a medal signifying that they placed in the top twenty five.

The Centennial Girls’ Cross Country team won third place, dominating other Howard County schools such as Atholton High School and Mount Hebron High School. Northern Calvert High School won first place.

The team consisted of seniors Alison Betler, Cora Blount, Christina Stavlas, Caroline Shimeall, junior Apoorva Ajith and sophomores Katerina Talanova and Michelle Weaver.

The Centennial Girls’ Cross Country team ran around 10am, while the Centennial boys ran around 11am. The race was on a sunny but cool morning, which is often considered as the ideal weather for running a successful race. Though Hereford’s course is known for being extremely difficult, all runners persevered and contributed to the success of both teams.

For the seniors, many are sad that this is their last cross country race and they celebrated their successes at the cross country banquet that occurred on November 12.

For more breaking news and photos, follow The Wingspan on Instagram and Twitter @CHSWingspan.