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By The Hampton Herald Staff
Mrs. Emily Zikorus, the Director of Development for The Ronald McDonald House Charities Maryland (RMHC), met with our staff to talk about her job at RMHC and the annual 5k The Red Shoe Shuffle. Read the interview below. Who started the Ronald McDonald house? The Ronald McDonald house was started by Dr. Audrey Evans. What is your least favorite part of your job? My least favorite part of my job is when a family has sad news. What is the Red Shoe Shuffle? The red shoe shuffle is a 5k that raises money for the Ronald McDonald house. How much money did you raise last year? 450,000 dollars How do you become a part of the Red Shoe Crew? Every June we have an application process, and you can nominate yourself or someone else can and if you get picked then you can choose if you want to be on the Red Shoe Crew. Why did you become part of the Ronald McDonald house? The first job I had I just didn’t feel fulfilled, so I joined. Do you participate in the Red Shoe Shuffle? I personally don’t because I have to work. Are there any other ones besides the one in Baltimore? Do they all look the same? Across this country there is one. There is more in other places. No, they all look different. Ours has 65 rooms and the one in Cincinnati has 188 rooms. Do you like the kids there? Yes, I do. They are all good. I love them all. I help with kids that are first born to kids that are 21 years old. But I love them all. Why is it called the Ronald McDonald House? Because when the first house was started, we worked closely with a McDonalds and then we decided to call it the Ronald McDonald House. How long does it take to plan? All year. The shuffle is on Sunday and when it is done, we start planning for next year. How did the Red Shoe Shuffle get its name? I think it was just a creative name that we created. It started in Baltimore, but there are more Ronald McDonald Houses that do it now. Does it cost money to stay there? It does not cost any money to stay there. Who is the patient who traveled the farthest? We have people come from all over the world, but I guess it would be Australia. How do you choose who gets to stay there? We work with the hospital social workers. They recommend people who need to stay there. We also have a tier system based on diagnosis. What do you do for the House? I am the Director of Development, so I raise money for the house. Do you ever travel for work? Not usually, but sometimes. When we built our new house I traveled a lot to visit other Ronald McDonald Houses. Is it stressful? Sometimes, because it was small and we could not serve everyone, so we had to make it bigger. What is your favorite part of your job? I really like that every day, when I get home, I feel like I did good. How many families are currently staying there? Fifty-five families are currently staying with us. Who runs the House in Maryland? Our president is Sandy Pagnotti. Who else works at the Ronald McDonald House? Well, Ms. Patek’s mom, as well as 30 other people. We have 16 part time employees and 14 full-time employees. What hospitals do the families go to? We service all the Baltimore-area hospitals. The two biggest ones are Johns Hopkins and Kennedy Krieger. What do volunteers do there? All different things. Individuals can come and help at the front desk or help in the kitchen. You can also help clean or make things for the cubbies. Last year, how much money did the Red Shoe Shuffle raise? Last year, it raised about $400,000. How much money are you hoping to raise this year? This year our goal is $450,000. How many people participate in the Red Show Shuffle? Our goal is 3,000. Right now, we have 2,734 registered participants. What else happens at the race? The president gives a speech, the sponsors have tables, we have food, and there are activities for kids to do. Does Ronald McDonald come to the race? Yes, Ronald McDonald does come to the shuffle. What is the Red Shoe Crew? The red shoe crew is a group for young workers starting their careers. What kinds of things does the Ronald McDonald House do besides provide a place for families to stay? We provide 3 meals a day, transportation to get to the Ronald McDonald house, and we also provide a place of comfort for families. *Update* Ms. Patek, the Hampton Herald moderator and member of The Red Shoe Crew is ecstatic to announce that this year the Red Shoe Shuffle sold out with 3,000 participants and raised $500,000!
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By The Hampton Herald Staff
The Hampton Herald staff had an opportunity to meet with Mr. Stepner, a sports reporter for WMAR, to talk about his job. Read their interview below. Have you ever been to the super bowl? I have never gotten the chance, but if we beat the Chiefs I would have gone. How did you end up on WMAR? They had an opening, and they hired me. Have you ever made a mistake on air? What did you do to fix it? Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, and especially because it’s on air, but the trick is to improve upon mistakes and to just keep going on. What is your favorite part of your job? Meeting new people and sharing their stories. What is the hardest part of your job? It is probably coming up with a specific story every day. I have to have a really good story and have to plan ahead sometimes. Why is hockey your favorite sport? I got into it when I was young, and my dad was Canadian so he taught me how to play, but I really like all sports. What do you like to do outside of sports reporting? I like watching sports, which is great because it is part of my job, and spending time with my kids. I have 3 girls and I like doing family stuff. What qualities does a good reporter need to have? A good reporter needs to be able to get up in front of a screen and not to get frustrated if you make a mistake live. How often do you report on air? I report on air every day—5 days a week. Do you have to memorize a script? I do not need to memorize the script as long as what I say and the order I say it makes sense. What was your dream job as a kid? My dream job as a kid was this--to be a reporter. When I was about 10 or 11 I got interested in it. Do you have a favorite story you’ve reported on? The Orioles because I also love baseball. How crucial do you think the loss of Felix Bautista is? It's a big loss but they were able to overcome the loss last season and get a new closer. Do you think Bob Babb and Adam Schlenoff and the Johns Hopkins Baseball team have a shot at winning the national championship? They always have a shot, but Adam did really good job at finding players and they could definitely win this year. The Hampton Herald Staff interviewed Hampton's principal, Mr. Conway.
Mr. Conway Interview Why kind of qualities should a person have to be principal? I think they should be kind. They should have integrity. I think they should be hardworking, and I think they should be caring, and I think they should have good humor. What do you like to do outside of school? First and foremost I like to spend time with my family and my kids. I love to fish and I love to play golf and I love to watch sports. What’s your favorite color? Green. What’s your favorite movie? Saving Private Ryan What other schools have you worked at? Owings mills and that was it. I worked there for 20 years. If you weren’t a teacher what job would you have? I would say finance because I would be rich, but that wouldn’t make me happy. I’d be a police officer. Do you have any other goals besides being a principal? Yes, I do. I would like to be superintendent one day, but you can put being a good dad as my most important job. Why do you like Hampton? I love the families and the kids. I think you guys are really cool and really funny. I also love the staff. The staff have been really kind and welcoming. The staff, the parents, and the kids have all been really great. What do you think of Hampton? It’s a welcoming and friendly place. I think Hampton is a place where people care about each other. When is your birthday? March 29, 1980. Did someone ask you to come here? The job was open and I was offered it. I did want to apply, it was my decision. To have a new experience. I think it’s helpful in life to have new experiences. What is your favorite sport? To play or to watch? I love soccer. Playing soccer is my favorite. Football is my favorite sport to watch. Did you ever have another job? Yes, I’ve done lots of jobs. I was a delivery person, I was a waiter, I was a restaurant manager, I stocked shelves at Gap. I was a newspaper boy, and I was a dishwasher. I was also a bus driver for a daycare in the summer. What did you want to be when you were a kid? I wanted to be an architect actually. What is your favorite animal and why? A dog because I love my two dogs. How many kids do you have? Three–two girls and a boy. What is your favorite food? Spaghetti and meatballs. I like chicken with vinegar peppers. It’s something my wife makes. I also like any kind of meat. I like Fogo de Chao. Why did you leave your old school? It was time for a change; to try something new. I want you guys to take risks, right? So, I think it’s important if I’m going to tell you guys to take risks then I should take risks. What’s your favorite baseball team? The Orioles Do you like online games? I do, I’m not a big gamer dad, I like poker and other games. Do you have any siblings? I do–one brother and a brother-in-law and sister-in-law. What do you like to do? We like to visit museums, we like to visit different states. We love to go to National Parks. That’s out favorite thing. For as much as my life loves National Parks, she won’t go camping. (Ms. Patek said she agreed with Mr. Conway’s wife). How long have you been teaching? This is my 21st year in education. Once your a teacher, you’re always a teacher. Is it hard being a principal? Sometimes yes and sometimes no. I think any job can be hard, but it’s about persevering. What is your favorite place to go? My favorite place of all time is the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. Do you like the teachers here? I do, very much. You’re teachers are very nice. Where have you been on vacation? Different places. So, we like to go places around the world. We went to Europe last summer, been to the Islands, and we’ve been to different states. I like to travel. What is your favorite subject? My favorite subject is math because it is challenging but over math is history. I love reading history and learning about the past. What is your favorite book? Freakonomics. A kid’s book is Great Expectations. A picture book is “Oh the Places You’ll Go” and I also like The Giving Tree. The tree is kind. I want you guys to be like the tree…to a certain degree. I want you to be kind, but I don’t want you to be taken advantage of. What pets do you have? What are their names? My two dogs are Duke and Duchess. Do your kids play sports? My daughter plays soccer and basketball, my son wrestles and plays baseball, and my oldest daughter plays field hockey and runs track. Can you do the moonwalk? Not good, but at least I tried, but I was voted best dancer in high school. Do you have other pets? Yes, I have a cat along with my 2 dogs. Do you have a favorite singer? The Lumineers. What is your favorite type of music? I like everything. I don’t have a favorite. If I like a song, I like a song. I do like acoustic music. What is your favorite thing to draw? I would say like landscape type drawing. My dad did the painting in my office. Why did you start the ambassadors program? Because I think it is important to recognize students not just for grades. Recognizing people for being good people is important too. What is your favorite song? At last by Etta James. What is your favorite season? Fall. I like when you can wear a hoodie but not a jacket. What is your favorite dessert? Ice cream. What sports did you play growing up? I played soccer. I was an all-state soccer player. I went to college to play soccer. I played basketball, but I was really bad at it. I pitched in baseball. I was really good at wrestling until I got hurt. I played tennis. I played football, but I was too small. What is your favorite restaurant? Fogo de Chao. What do you want for Christmas A day of peace and quiet. I want all my kids to try their hardest and to do their best. What school did you go to? I went to Scranton High School. It’s in Scranton Pennsylvania. What was your best test score? One hundred percent. If you study hard, you can get 100s. If I can do it, all of you can do it. I guarantee you most of you are smarter than me. If you want to be successful in life…you’re going to have lots of smart people. It’s the person who works the hardest and wants it the most that will be the most successful. What college did you go to? I went to Bloomsburg and then to Towson University. Where have you lived? I live in Reisterstown, Owings Mills, Cockeysville, White Marsh, Scranton, and Bloomsburg. What is your favorite store? Dicks Sporting Goods Who was your favorite teacher? Mr. Connerton because he didn’t give homework. He didn’t believe in homework Do you like Michael Jackson? Yes, I like him. Why did you start music on fridays? Because it is good to interact with the students Our Hampton Herald Staff interviewed Mrs. Conrad, one of Hampton’s assistant principals.
Why did you want to become a teacher? I love working with students and helping them as much as i can.I also like helping teachers there fun.I like being helpful. What other job would you have liked to have? I would have liked to have been a nurse or a famous singer. Not quite a Taylor, maybe like a Stevic Nicks. What qualities are important to have as an assistant principal? I think you have to be patient, flexible, organized, and have a positive attitude. Why do you like Hampton? What's your favorite thing about it? I love to get to know everybody and the positivity! What did you think about it? I love it! It’s a really large and thriving school community. I feel a sense of excitement here every day. I feel like there’s always something to go on. What school/schools did you work at before Hampton? The very first school I taught at was Graceland Park Elementary. Then I was at Owings Mills Elementary School. I was there from 1996 until June of 2023. Why did you leave your school? I was ready for a change and to get to know a new school and a new community and I had the opportunity to come with with Mr. Conway, and I really like learning and working with him. Did you have any other jobs? In college, I was a waitress. What’s your favorite movie? The Princess Bride. How does it feel to be an assistant principal? It is really busy and there is so much stuff going on, so that is why it is always busy. I feel really proud and I love the kids and teacher and I love being a member of the school family. What did you want to be when you were younger? I always wanted to be a teacher. When I was in college, I thought for a little bit about changing to nursing. What is your favorite thing about Hampton? My favorite thing about it is the people. The positive energy. The excitement. Meeting new people. I’ve enjoyed that the most. What’s your favorite animal? I really love dogs and specifically we have a dog named Wendell who is one of my favorite things in the whole world. He’s a good buddy. What else were you before an assistant principal? I was a reading resource teacher for a while. I was a STAT teacher, which is a like a staff development teacher. How do you feel about being an assistant principal at Hampton? I feel very proud to be an assistant principal at Hampton. This is a great community to work with and for. I am very happy to say that I am part of this school now. Do you have any other goals? I’d like to become a principal. I’d like that opportunity. I’ve learned a lot from lots of great principals around me, especially Mr. Conway. I’d like to take those things I learned and make a difference at another school too. What does your family like to do? We like to go camping. I have three children that I like to spend time with. I like to go hiking. I like to swim in my pool, take Wendell for long walks. I also like to play golf. What’s your favorite color: green When’s your birthday? How old are you? December 28th. I’m 52. What’s your favorite sport? Basketball. My girls have all played basketball for most of their lives and my husband is a coach. And rugby. My husband and son both played rugby, and now I’m a fan too. If you could have another animal, what would it be? I would like to have a horse. What do you like to do when you travel? We definitely like to sight see. What’s your favorite food? I’m a really picky eater. I do like pizza, fajitas. I love a good grilled cheese sandwich. Why do you like working with Mr. Conway? Mr. Conway is a really terrific principal, but he is also a really great friend. He has a a really great heart. He’s great to work with, to learn from, and to have fun with, and he’s just a great person. How long have you been a teacher? This is my 30th year being an educator. What’s your favorite book? A favorite book I’ve read is Bridge to Terabithia. Did you play any sports when you were younger? I really didn’t play sports as a child. I did ride horses for a while, but when I started by tenth grade year of high school, I played lacrosse until I fractured my ankle. What was your favorite subject? ELA. I have always enjoyed reading and writing. I’m not a math person. Who is your favorite singer? I do like Taylor Swift, I listen to pop, country, a little bit of everything. Is it hard being an assistant principal? It’s busy to be an assistant principal. Sometimes you want to do all of the things during the day. Some days just get really full with lots of different tasks. I don’t know if I want to say it’s hard. It can be demanding and it can be hard to try to do everything when you only have a certain amount of time. What’s your favorite bus? I don’t have a favorite bus. If you could teach any grade what would it be? I taught second grade and fifth grade. I might like to try first grade. I wouldn’t have the energy for it today. I also really love seeing kindergartners, but I don’t know if I have the energy for that. Do you like it when you're out of school? I do, I like spending time with my family and friends. It’s nice to have a little bit of a break to relax and recharge. If you could play any Instrument what would it be? Probably the flute. I played the flute when I was in fifth grade and a year or two in middle school, but I didn’t continue it. Who’s your favorite artist? Taylor swift and stevie nicks. Do you like rappers? Yeah, I do. Do you have any kids? I have three kids–two daughters and a son. My oldest daughter is graduating from law school in December. She went to University of Virginia. My son is graduating from West Point. My youngest daughter graduated from college and is a nurse at shock trauma. They are all out of school and adulting. by Quinn K & Dane A
How long have you been a teacher? “I have been a teacher for 9 years.” What grades have you taught? “I have only taught third grade.” What do you like about teaching at Hampton? “Teaching at Hampton is amazing, because the students are kind and work hard. I also love that there are so many extra curricular opportunities for students.” Where did you go to college? “I went to Stevenson University and spent 5 years there, getting my bachelors and Teacher’s certificate.” What degree do you have? “I have a bachelor's degree” How long have you been Hampton? “This is my second year at Hampton.” Have you taught anywhere else? “I taught in Montgomery County for my first seven years at JoAnn Leleck Elementary School” Have you ever had another job besides teaching, if so, what was it? “During the summers, when I was younger, I was a counselor at a summer camp called “Barrie camp in Montgomery. When I worked there, I was working with five year olds which is different” What do you like about teaching third graders? “My favorite part about teaching third graders is that they are kind, funny, and enthusiastic. Also, I like teaching third graders because you can see so much growth throughout your time teaching them” Do you have any teachers who have inspired you? “My aunt used to be a teacher and she retired. My biggest inspiration though, was my second grade teacher.” What is some advice that you would give to someone who wants to be a teacher? “Some advice I would give a future teacher would be to enjoy the journey, and try to find the great times and stick with it.” What are some things that you wish other people knew about teachers/Teaching? “I wish people knew how much time and energy teachers give their students. I wish people knew how much effort we give.” What is something you wish you knew when you started teaching? “I wish I knew better management skills. Specifically, I wish I knew how far positive praise would go compared to punishments.” Do you have a favorite subject to teach and why do you like teaching that subject? “My favorite subject to teach is math.” What was your favorite subject in school when you were a kid? “When I was a kid, my favorite thing to do in school was read to self. It’s not really a subject, but I just really liked the unending times I got to read.” What are some other things you like to do outside of teaching? Outside of teaching, I really like to cook, garden, read, and rock climb. I also like listening to Taylor Swift Music.” By Rachel CJ
Interviewer: How long have you been a teacher? Mrs.Allen: 33 years Interviewer: How long have you been at Hampton? Msr.Allen: I’ve been at Hampton for 13 years. Interviewer: What grades have you taught? Mrs.Allen: 2nd-8th grade. Interviewer: Why did you become a teacher? Mrs.Allen: Because my younger sister didn’t know how to read and my parents asked me to teach her how to read and I was like hey I’m good at this and then became a teacher. Interviewer: Did you have a teacher who inspired you? Mrs.Allen: My high school 10th grade teacher, Mr. Heller inspired me. Interviewer:Where did you go to college? Mrs.Allen: I started out in a place called S.U.N.Y at Brockport and then I went to Loyola coll. MD. Interviewer: Do you have a favorite subject to teach? Mrs.Allen: Reading, I just enjoy seeing a light bulb go off and the excitement. It’s hard to see the frustration but it’s very rewarding in the end. By The Hampton Herald Staff
In celebration of BCPS college day, The Hampton Herald Staff members interviewed two Hampton teachers about their college experiences. Mr. Carp, fifth-grade teacher STAFF: What college did you go to? MR. CARP: I went to York College in Pennsylvania. STAFF: What did you major in? MR. CARP: I majored in Education, Elementary Education. STAFF: Do you have any advice for people going into college? MR. CARP: Low cost, high value. Because I think that people spend too much money on college, but my advice would be to go cheaper and get more value from it. STAFF: What is your favorite job that you have done? MR. CARP: My favorite job... teaching. I have done it for so long so somewhere between teaching and camp counselor. STAFF: Have you ever changed careers? MR. CARP: I have worked for the Baltimore Sun Newspaper, a landscaping crew, and I have been a camp counselor for other jobs. STAFF: Have you ever wanted to stop teaching and do something else? MR. CARP: Yes, I have wanted to do something involved with financial work. STAFF: Have you ever taught at a different school? MR. CARP: Yes, I have taught at Essex Elementary. STAFF: Is this job hard or easy? MR. CARP: Hard. Yes, teaching is hard. STAFF: What did you want to be in Elementary School? MR. CARP: I wanted to be an Archeologist, I wanted to study the past. STAFF: Did you enjoy your college? MR. CARP: I enjoyed my college very much. STAFF: Do you have any family or friends that work the same job? MR. CARP: My aunt was a teacher. STAFF: Did you have any inspiration going into college and into working? MR. CARP: Definitely my mom and aunt inspired me. STAFF: Do you have any dream shoes? MR. CARP: Dream shoes? Uh no… Mr. Morton, first-grade teacher Staff: What college did you go to? Mr. Morton University of Virginia and Gouc Staff: What was your favorite thing about college? Mr. Morton: My favorite thing about college was meeting new people. Staff: Did you have friends that we’re becoming teachers Mr. Morton: Had lots of them Staff: Did you ever switch jobs? Mr. Morton: Yes, I’ve switched jobs. Staff: Which college did you like best? Mr. Morton: I like them both for different reasons. I was learning different things at each college. Staff: What are some of your hobbies? Mr. Morton: I like gardening and I like to do triathlons By The Hampton Herald Staff
In honor of Administrative Professionals Day, our Hampton Herald Staff interviewed Mrs. Williams who works in the front office at Hampton. Staff: Do any of your family or friends have the same job? Mrs. Williams: I do have friends in the same position in other Baltimore County Schools. I don’t have any family, but my sister would like to get a job with Baltimore County Public Schools. Staff: How many hours do you work each week? Mrs. Williams: In the week I work 37 hours. I also work about 10 hours at home a week. Staff: Can your job be frustrating sometimes? Mrs. Williams: Sometimes, yes. It can get a little busy and hectic. Sometimes people aren’t polite, but we just have to handle that. STAFF: Do you have any problems? Mrs.Williams: Being Diplomatic with parents and handling many crises that come up throughout the school day STAFF: What are your hobbies Mrs. Williams: I like to go shopping. And to the beach Staff: What are some challenges? Mrs. Williams: Some challenges are people (kids and parents) yelling at me. If they’re having a bad day at school or work they take their anger out on me. Staff: Do you have any other jobs outside of working at Hampton? Mrs. Williams: No, this is my only job, and it is my 7th year here. Staff: Did you ever work anywhere else? Mrs. Williams: No. I went to college and worked for a few years after college, but after I had kids, I didn’t work. My kids got to high school and that’s when I decided I wanted to get a job. I decided that I wanted to come here and work. Mrs. Kaiser was nice enough to hire me. Staff: Do you have to work during breaks or the summer? Mrs. Williams: No, every break that the students get off, I get off. If you guys have a snow day or any other break, I’m off too. Staff: Do you have to work on the weekend? Mrs. Williams: No, I have the same school schedule as you do, but I sometimes do work on the weekends because I have a device now. Staff: Do you ever have tech issues? Mrs. Williams: Yes, and when I do, Mrs. Dyer is our tech liaison. If she can’t fix it, I have to go through tech support. Staff: What is your daily schedule like? Mrs. Williams We greet the children, I take care of all the kids who come in late. I take the lunch count. I handle the stuff for Team, which is for kids with special learning needs. Staff: Do you like your job? Mrs. Williams: I love this job. It’s like coming to the castle. Staff: Do you ever feel like you don’t want to do it? Mrs. Williams: I think we all have days like that, but they are few and far between. By The Hampton Herald Staff
Mr. Wade, one of the fourth-grade teachers at Hampton, will be saying goodbye at the end of this year. To celebrate his 36-year career, the Hampton Herald staff spent some time with Mr. Wade asking him questions about teaching and this next chapter. Staff: Our first question is when did you start teaching? Mr. Wade: When Tyrannosaurus was roaming the Earth. No no, I started in 1985. April Fool’s Day 1985. I think the joke was on me. Staff: Have you done any other type of jobs besides teaching? Mr. Wade: Oh yes, yes, so going back to 1985…during summers I was driving a truck. I was delivering auto glass. Then after I started teaching, I got a job at a record store because I really like music and I worked there after school and during summer for I think three years, something like that. Since then, goodness I worked for a landscaper for a couple summers, I cut grass for a different company for a couple of summers. I worked for a company called Retail Grocery Inventory Service, so a team of us would go to store and we would count the items in the store. They would assign me a department, and I would just start counting things in the store. I worked in a funeral home. In a funeral home, they have these rooms they set up with chairs and flowers for the families of people who have died, and that’s what I would do. I used something in each of those jobs in teaching. Staff: Did you teach in any other place besides Hampton? Mr. Wade: Yes, I first started teaching out of college as a long-term substitute teacher at Brooklyn Park Elementary School, which is in northern Anne Arundel County. Then I taught at Woodside Elementary School in Anne Arundel County for six years. Then in 1991 I left Anne Arundel County and came to Baltimore County at Hampton Elementary School, and I’ve been at Hampton ever since. Staff: What advice would you give to a new teacher? Mr. Wade: Well, of my goodness, there’s so much I could say. I think probably the most important thing is that this job takes a lot of time, so a new teacher has to put teaching aside and planning and grading papers aside and spend time for themselves. Then I would also say, even though it’s a lot of work, it’s a lot of fun. Teaching is a lot of fun. Don’t let the work overwhelm you. Enjoy the job, enjoy your students, and have fun. Staff: How was your experience during virtual learning, especially because it was your last year? Mr. Wade: You know what, I learned so much during virtual learning about using technology and different ways to use technology in the virtual classroom and I’m kind of bummed that I can’t use some of those things in the regular classroom. It’s not the same having this hybrid situation we have now. I can imagine that I could make use of for example Google Meets, even though all the students would be in the classroom. Then the whiteboard.com. I can see that being a very powerful tool with everyone in the classroom also. So, I’m kind of bummed that I’m not going to be able to do that, but I’ll get over it. Also, as far as virtual learning goes, it’s not the way I wanted my last year to go, but we don’t have control over that. It’s definitely going to be a memorable last year. It really will be. Staff: What were your greatest memories and what were your greatest experiences while teaching? Mr. Wade: There really are so many, but I would have to say that I will remember, I guess first of all, the people that I’ve worked with over the years and how much I’ve learned from them. Another thing I will carry with me are different instances where a student’s really struggled with something and then they finally get it, they finally understand it, and then seeing how proud they are of doing something. Those are some things that I’ll remember about teaching. As far as ways that I’ve changed, I can remember coming to Hampton in 1991, and I had a whole different way of teaching. Obviously, we weren’t using computers then, we were using chalk on a chalk board. A lot of the teaching was done by explaining thins to the boys and girls; we weren’t going a lot of group work. So, I’ll remember how those things kind of evolved and changed over the years. Staff: What are your plans for retirement? Mr. Wade: Well, my options are open. I have started another job. I’ve been hired anyway; I haven’t really started. I’ll be working at Lutherville’s Active Minds part time. I still want to work; I don’t want to sit around the house and do nothing. I like money. I will be working. I will most likely be substituting at Hampton next year. I will probably substitute at Ridgley too, so you guys at Ridgley will probably see me every once in a while. I want to travel. Mrs. Wade and I already have plans to go away for a short stay in Cape May in the fall. Teachers don’t get to go on vacation in the fall. We’re too busy teaching and starting the school year, so I’m really looking forward to that. Then, looking out a little bit further, we want to go to Italy. We want to go to Jackson Hole Wyoming. That’s another reason I have to work because I have to pay for all these trips. Staff: What’s your favorite subject to teach? Mr. Wade: I have a couple and I’m going to miss teaching math and science. I’m going to continue to read about science because I really enjoy all different kinds of science, especially astronomy. There used to be a space unit in the 4th grade, and I really enjoyed teaching that. I also like math. I got a couple of math books that I’m going to be reading this summer. When I as in college I got a degree in history, so I also like learning about history, and I like teaching it too. Language arts…I like reading, but there’s too many ways to interpret what you read and that makes teaching language arts difficult. Staff: When is your exact retirement date? Mr. Wade: The exact date is June 30th, so after June 30th I will be getting a pension instead of a paycheck. Staff: Did you enjoy living in the neighborhood where you teach? Mr. Wade: That was a good move—literally and figuratively. It was a good move because first of all I saved a lot of money on gas and wear and tear on my car. I used to live in Perry Hall before we moved to this neighborhood. It’s really only a nine-minute ride from where we lived to school if there was no traffic, but I had traffic in the morning and the afternoon, and it made a nine-minute ride sometimes 45 minutes and that sucks up the gas and the car itself would need a lot of maintenance, so I saved a lot of money. It was also a good move because I still do see students and families of students, current and former, around the neighborhood when I walk the dogs and if you’ve been one of my students you’ve heard me say “Make sure you behave in the classroom because when I’m walking my dogs, if your parents ask me how things ae going in the classroom I’m not going to lie to them.” So in that sense, I think it was kind of helpful too. I taught my next door neighbor, I taught the boys and girls who live behind me, so it’s nice to see them grow up. They’re all out of Hampton, some of them are middle school, some are in high school, some of them have even graduated, so that’s really cool to see. Staff: It seems like you have a lot of kids in your neighborhood! Mr. Wade: That’s really nice to see too. I’m not going to see it anymore, but in the past I’d see the younger kids playing in the neighborhood and then they’d come up through fourth grade and I’d get to know them in a different way and know their parents, so that is one of things I’m going to miss. Now they will just be kids in the neighborhood, and I won’t’ really get to know them as students. Maybe I’ll have to start tutoring, I don’t know. Staff: What are you most excited about? Mr. Wade: Trying new things. I’ve got all kinds of ideas. I told you about substituting, and I’m kind of looking forward to that because if I don’t feel like teaching that day, then I won’t accept the substitute job. But, if I need the money and none of the teachers are sick, then what I am going to do? Another idea I have is something fun to do and to make a little extra money. My daughter and I went up to New York a couple of summers ago and we were sitting in Bryant Park and there was a guy there who was renting out board games. He had about 20 or 30 different board games on his cart, and you could go give him five dollars and rent the game and play the game. And I thought “What a cool idea!” I like playing board games, I like being outside; I might do that somewhere. You might see me on a soccer field or a baseball diamond with a box of games that I’m renting out for people while they watch their kids play soccer or baseball. I took a writing course, and I fell in love with writing through that course. I even tried to publish some of the things I wrote with that course. I got a lot of rejections when I would send those stories in, but I got a couple rejections that were not quite rejections. They would say “I really like this story, we can’t use it right now in this issue of the magazine, but we’re writing a magazine about this next quarter, so could you write a story about that?” So that wasn’t totally a rejection, it was like “We like your writing, submit something else.” So I think I might do some of that too. Staff: What are you going to miss about teaching? Mr. Wade: Well, oh my goodness, I don’t really know yet because…I think as you guys come back to school next year and I’m not coming back to school I am sure that I will miss things that didn’t expect. I imagine that I am going to miss all the people I work with for one, we all get along and we all have fun together. Another thing I am going to miss is I guess the challenge. I am constantly solving problems, and I don’t mean that in a bad way, just like someone can’t figure out how to log into their computer, so I am constantly solving problems and helping people out and I imagine I am going to miss that too. I think that’s probably why I decided to work at Active Minds so I could still be in that kind of mind frame where I am helping people learn and helping people solve problems, Staff: When you retire, are you going to move away? Mr. Wade: You know, we’ve talked about that. It wouldn’t happen any time soon, but now that Mrs. Wade is retired too and I’m retired, we are the only ones living I the house and it’s getting kind of big for us. We’re thinking that down the road, maybe five or 10 years from now, that we’ll sell our house, and we’ll move into a condominium in Towson, or we’ll go to Cape May where we like going every summer. It would be pretty cool to live there and not have to travel out there. It’s not going to happen right away, but it will probably happen in a few years. Staff: Why did you decide to retire? Mr. Wade: A lot of things went into that decision. I knew that I would be doing it eventually, like soon, even though I didn’t plan on doing it this soon. Mrs. Wade had some health issues that pretty much forced her to retire, and if I retire I get a pension and if I get another job somewhere, that would be like the two salaries that we had when Mrs. Wade and I were working, so that was one of the reasons. Mrs. Wade retired in November, and we found out that we were ale to afford to live on just my salary for the past couple of months, but with all the things that happened with coronavirus and hybrid leaning and all that stuff, I decided “I’m just going to retire.” And I know what I’m going to miss, and what was really hard about making that decision, was that I was going to miss the people I work with but I’m also going to miss working with the boys and girls, but Baltimore County Public Schools helped me with that with all the poor decisions they made this year. Staff: What are you most excited for? Mr. Wade: Being able to do what I want to do when I want to do it. I think it’s kind of like you guys at summer, right? You have to be in school every single day during the week and you have to do homework when it’s assigned and all that stuff, and it’s the same for teachers. When summer starts, it’s like “I can go to the bathroom when I want to. I don’t have to wait until the boys and girls are in special or at lunch,” so I’m kind of looking forward to that. Not going to the bathroom—but doing things when I want to do them. Like reading books just for fun. Teachers only get to do that in the summer; now I can do it anytime. There’s a song by the Crash Test Dummies—it’s an old 90s band--“I’m going to have a receding hairline and then I’ll be waking up with coffee spoons and T.S. Elliot” and every time I hear that song I think “That guy is just getting up whenever he wants.” One of the lines says he’s wearing his pajamas or his robe all day so nothing is holding him down. He’s reading poetry and drinking coffee, probably on the deck, and that’s probably what I’ll be doing a lot more. Staff: What are your greatest memories? Mr. Wade: So, I remember way back when I started at Hampton, back in 1991, the faculty and staff was really welcoming. That was a crazy year, we got married in 1990, my daughter Meagan was born in May 1991. I started teaching at Hampton in a new county—it’s brand-new job—in August of 1991, and then in October we moved into a house, so that was super crazy year and the people that worked here, the other teachers, were really helpful. They welcomed me, they helped me out. Here I am, they didn’t know me, and they gave me this housewarming party and all kinds of stuff like tools and things for the house, so that was a really cool memory. Then I remember teaching during 9/11. That was a weird time because all of the sudden parents started calling to have boys and girls go home and we didn’t know what was going on. You know how it is when you/re in the classroom, you have no contact with the outside world. Then we started hearing about the terrible news that the planes ran into the twin towers. Oh goodness, snow days. They are one thing that I am going to miss. Snow days! They are so magical! I can remember, I think it was 2010, we had two blizzards I think It was five days apart and we were out of school for a long time. Then, let’s see, yes, singing and dancing in the musical. It was “Santa’s Stuck in the 50s.” I was Santa Claus, and yes, I had to sing and dance. There are YouTube videos of it out there. My daughter posted it on YouTube, so thank you very much Meagan. So that was definitely a memory! Wow, there are a lot. Field trips—I’m going to remember those field trips. That Annapolis field trip, that was a field trip that I put in a lot of time and effort and planning. It was one of my favorite field trips. But also the camp Puh’tok field trips! I have great memories from that and the One Straw Farm field trips. We used to do a field trip, actually it wasn’t a field trip. We would have this lady come to school; it was called Mrs. Betty’s Trunk. Every year when we studied colonial America we would invite Mrs. Betty’s Trunk and it would take the whole day. She’d bring all these colonial crafts. She had the boys and girls make corn husk dolls, she’d show them how to bend it, twist it, and tie to make the dolls. She had the boys and girls making candles. Another thing that I’ll remember, I used to teach 5th grade here at Hampton, that the end of the year we’d have field days, and they were some really fun times and those graduation ceremonies. I guess you guys are getting ready for that now, and a lot of planning went into that. They were very memorable, some sad times seeing the boys and girls that I worked with for a couple of years leave, but those are some of the memories. I could go on and on about memories. Staff: During that musical is that when you got that Santa Claus outfit? Mr. Wade: It is, we actually did the musical twice. The first time I borrowed a Santa Claus outfit, and then the second time the guy I borrowed it from didn’t have it, so I went out and bought one. So I have Santa Claus outfit that I’m not really going to have a use for, so maybe I have to come back next Christmas. Maybe Santa is just going to have to walk through the school next Christmas. Mr. Wade has been a fixture at Hampton Elementary School for thirty years. All of his coworkers and students have appreciated everything he has done for the school community. Ms. Patek, the moderator of The Hampton Herald, has been on the same team with Mr. Wade the past several years, and she is immeasurably grateful for his mentorship and friendship. The entire Hampton community wishes him all the best for this next chapter! Our newspaper staff had the opportunity to interview David Bascome, the head coach of the Baltimore Blast, which is Baltimore’s professional indoor soccer team.
Staff: How did you become head coach? Coach Bascome: My best friend was the head coach and when he could no longer coach I became the head coach. I was the assistant coach first. I was the assistant coach for 8 years. Staff: Was coaching always something you wanted to do? Coach Bascome: Because I was only focused on playing, when I got older I couldn’t play. But I still wanted to help others win, so I became a coach. Staff: What do you like about coaching? Coach Bascome: Oh, I love yelling at them, I'm just kidding, what I love about coaching is that if they don't know how to do something I can teach them or show them how to do it. Staff: Is there anything about coaching that you don’t like? Coach Bascome: I could get fired at any time! And I can’t get on the field. The one thing I have to do as a coach is to teach them to teach themselves. Staff: What is the most interesting part? Coach Bascome: The most interesting part is that my players have to trust me by default. It’s my job to prove to them why they can trust me. I can mold them into better players. Staff: What is it like firing people? Coach Bascome: Very tough. Professional players do it for a living. If they don’t meet the standard I set, I will bring them to my office and talk to them about what they’re not doing and say that things aren’t working out. I tell them not to get confused with me as a person and me as a coach. I will fire you as a coach but as a person, the friendship will still exist. Staff: Is coaching Baltimore Blast your only job? Coach Bascome: Uh, no. It is enjoyable for me. I coach social development. I work with educators and I own a company. I’m even a leadership coach. Staff: Is soccer your favorite sport? Coach Bascome: Yes, very much so. I live and breathe this game. I grew up on this game in Bermuda. I played soccer, which we call football, and cricket. Every Christmas I got socks and a soccer ball. Staff: What is your favorite movie? Coach Bascome: I like cartoon movies. You cannot watch movies with me because I will spoil it. “Don’t go into the shed you're gonna get attacked” Ninety-Nine percent of the time I'm correct. Staff: Do you like listening to music while playing? If so, what genre(s)? Coach Bascome: Reggae! I also like all types of music. I even try to get into Trap and RnB. If I want to get pumped, I listen to something upbeat. Staff: What is your team doing this season because the season was canceled for Covid-19? Coach Bascome: We can’t play. We were supposed to play in November, but we didn’t have a facility and we needed to follow Covid guidelines. It’s disappointing, but Covid safety comes first. Staff: What are your players doing because you can’t play? Coach Bascome: Since we could not play this season the players are trying to keep in shape. Staff: Are your team friends? Coach Bascome: Yes, they are friends! We have to build a culture and a climate; it’s so crucial. Each player has to understand each other. Staff: What are ways that the Blast are involved in the community? Coach Bascome: We get to be in the community, during Covid, through social media and Zoom and speaking engagements. Before Covid, we also go to schools and do talking at schools. I also have worked with the Police Athletic League for six years. It’s very important that we are embedded into the community. We have to understand the importance of education. We have to guide and leave people with some tools and leave some substance behind. Staff: What do you look for in a player? Coach Bascome: They must be able to work hard. I want them to have a purpose. Staff: What advice would you give to someone who wants to be a soccer player? Coach Bascome: Let’s say the person I would talk to was nine. First, I would ask them what is their favorite thing to do and they said soccer. Then, I would ask if there is anything else you like to do and they said well I like math and science. Finally, I would say, well when you know what you want to do then we will come back and have this same conversation and understand what you’re doing, relate what you’re doing, and have the nerve to do it. |
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