By The Hampton Herald Staff

Hampton Elementary School celebrated Teacher Appreciation Week from May 2nd to 6th to honor teachers for their hard work. Teachers at Hampton were treated to breakfast or lunch each day. The PTA set up the food in the faculty lounge.


"I had a huge, delicious chocolate muffin on Thursday," said Ms. Patek, a fourth-grade teacher. "It made my morning!"


Since the week was superhero themed, teachers were able to answer trivia questions each day. Mrs. kaiser announced the winner during dismissal announcements.



Many students also brought in flowers, cards, notes, and other special gifts for their teachers to thank them for their hard work.


"I got my teacher, Mr. Willmore, a Starbucks gift card," said Tyler R., a fifth-grade student.

The Hampton community did a great job making teachers feel celebrated at appreciated this year.

                                                            By The Hampton Herald Staff
Hampton Elementary School’s Drama Club will perform “Beauty and the Beast Jr.” on Friday, March 25th, Saturday, March 26th and Friday, April 1st, and Saturday April 2nd.

    This is the first time that students at Hampton have been able to participate in a musical as an after-school club. There are 51 total cast and stage crew members; they are all from 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade. Mr. Willmore, a fifth-grade teacher is the director, Mrs. Barboza, another fifth- grade teacher is the choreographer, and Mrs. Fletcher, a Vocal Music teacher, is the music director. Mr. Willmore came up with the idea to do a musical because he had directed them before.

       “This is my third year at Hampton and I directed musicals at my old school,” said Mr. Willmore.   “I performed in shows when I was in high school, and I wanted to bring that opportunity to Hampton students.  This is the first year that we’ve been able to do the show since the shut down.”

The teachers decided to do the “Beauty and the Beast Jr.” over the summer. They had one year to perform after they bought the rights.

Auditions were held in October of 2021. Each student who auditioned had to sing a song and perform a monologue. Mr. Willmore was very impressed with the auditions.  Shortly after auditions, casting was announced, and rehearsals began.

    Rehearsals are held every Tuesday and Thursday after school.  Students warm up their voices, have a snack, practice blocking, and reading lines. Dress rehearsals begin this week.  Students have been rehearsing scenes from the show and practicing choreography.

“The choreography is spot on.  They are practicing with their videos at home.  We’re just working on some space issues right now with the props and things,” said Mrs. Barboza.

    In addition to Mr. Willmore, Mrs. Barboza, and Mrs. Fletcher, there are some other members of the Hampton school community who are helping with the show.  Mrs. Towner, an art teacher, is helping with the sets, especially painting the backgrounds for the scenes.  In addition, several other staff members also spent some time helping with sets.


    The tickets became available on Wednesday, March 16th. Homeroom teachers passed out papers for the tickets. People went online to order the tickets and then they brought the money to school. The tickets were five dollars per person. The ticket prices are to support next year's play. There are still tickets for the last two shows but others are sold out.

    The show begins at 7:00 P.M. in the school gym each night.  It runs for about an hour with a fifteen minutes intermission in the middle of the show.

    Hampton students and staff are very excited to see the show this weekend. Teachers have the opportunity to view a dress rehearsal on Tuesday, March 22nd.  Lots of people are already wondering what the show will be next year.


“It’s been a big undertaking,” Mr. Willmore said.  “We’ll take a big rest after this one and then start thinking about next year.”

​

                                                                   By The Hampton Herald Staff
     Valerie Tutson, a storyteller, hosted a virtual assembly for Hampton students on Tuesday March 1st to celebrate Black History Month.  Initially, the assembly was scheduled for February 28th but was postponed due to weather.  Hampton students attended one of two sessions, and during each session, Ms. Tutson shared a different folktale.  Each story had a lesson for the students to learn.   During the folktales, she encouraged the students to participate with songs and responses.   After Ms. Tutson finished telling the folktales, she shared a story of Zora Neale Hurston.  She told the story of Zora’ childhood and her attempts to fly.   Through her story-telling, Ms. Tutson was able to share some history and culture with Hampton students.

                                                                      By The Hampton Herald Staff
Hampton Elementary celebrated Read Across America from Monday, February 28th through Friday, March 4th to promote the importance of reading in education and to encourage students to read more.

To start each morning, a Hampton teacher read a story over WHES, the morning announcements.  Students were encouraged to dress according to a new theme each day.  Students wore pajamas on Monday, dressed to travel on Tuesday, wore a grade color on Wednesday, dressed as a superhero on Thursday, and dressed as a favorite book character on Friday.  Throughout the week, students came to school dressed as Draco Malfoy, the Mandalorian, Harry Potter, wolves, and Spiderman.

    According to Ducksters, Read Across America began in 1998 by the National Education Association as a special day to celebrate reading.  They chose March 2nd, which is Dr. Seuss’s birthday, a famous children’s author.  The celebration has moved away from just Dr. Seuss and towards celebrating all kinds of diverse books.

​

                                                            by The Hampton Herald Staff

To celebrate Black History Month, our Hampton Herald staff members did some research about influential and important African Americans.  Please read below:

Bass Reeves
Bass Reeves is one of the most inspirational black people ever.  He wa a sheriff in Oklahoma and only killed nine people on the job.  He caught hundreds of crooks in his career.  He helped make the wild lands safer.


Katherine Johnson

 Katherine Johnson was a calculator for NASA. She calculated paths for rockets for space missions. The work she did was important for human space flight. She also helped John Glenn be the first American to orbit earth, because of that she helped America win the space race.  In 2015 President Barack Obama awarded the Presidential Medal Of Freedom for her work. You may be wondering how she got here. She was selected from three black students to integrate West Virginia's  graduate schools. And by 13, she was attending high school.


Henrietta Lacks
Henrietta Lacks was born August 1, 1920 and died at the age of 31 due to her illness, cancer. Her cells helped create  the polio vaccine and the covid-19 vaccine. They also took her cells to space to see what would happen to cells in zero gravity.

Octavius V. Catto
Another influential African American would be Octavius V. Catto. He was born in 1839 and died in 1871 when he was only 32 because he was shot and killed. In 2017 a statue was unveiled of him. He fought for an end to slavery and for civil rights for all. 


Dr. Martin Luther King Jr 
Martin Luther King was born in Georgia in 1929, and at the time people were segregated and he was civil right worker. Martin was a good speaker. He won a big speech contest in high school. 

Martin Luther King was smart as well. In 1948, he became the minister. He also gave speeches and led marches. He did not want to have violence. He sometimes went to jail or faced violence for his ideas.  
In 1963 Martin gave his famous speech “I have a dream speech.” in Washington D.C. In 1964, Dr. King won the Nobel Peace Prize. 
Also, in 1963 the civil right act was passed when President Johnson signed the act of civil right.  
In 1968, Martin Luther King was shot in Memphis Tn, and they would still remember him by Martin Luther King Day. 

Bayard Rustin
Bayard Rustin was born on March 17, 1912 in West Chester, Pennsylvania. He went to college at the City College of New York and became active in the Young Communists League because of its opposition to racial justice. Bayard Rustin was one of the main organizers for the March on Washington and he was a very important advisor for Martin Luther King Jr. He also became a main founder of the SCLC or the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Sadly, he died on August 24, 1987 in Manhattan, New York but he still remains a very important Black leader.

                                                                      By Hampton Herald Staff
Masks will be optional at Hampton starting tomorrow, March 1st.  Baltimore County Public Schools chose to allow optional masking in alignment with new CDC guidelines.  In addition to school buildings, masks will also be optional on buses.

Lots of students are excited about this update.

“I’m really excited about not having to wear a mask because they are really annoying,” said Tyler, a fifth-grade student.

Currently students are unmasked during lunch time and during recess, but now that will extend the full school day. 

There are some instances where people will still need to wear masks.  People with symptoms of COVId-19 being seen in the Health Suite will need to wear masks as well as people who return to school buildings after a shortened quarantine. 

Baltimore County Public Schools is adamant that mask wearing be a personal choice and has stated that they will not tolerate bullying or harassment concerning mask wearing.
If you’d like to read the full statement, please click the link below:

https://www.bcps.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=2828&pageId=68382537​ 

  Even though Black History Month is coming to a close, students can still read about influential African Americans all year long.  Our Hampton Herald staff reached out to our school librarians at Hampton and also to the Towson branch of the Baltimore County Library to get their suggestions.

One of our Hampton Librarians, Mrs. Schnirel, told us that there are special sections in the school library devoted to African American literature.  She also displays books all year round from the American Library Association Coretta Scott King Book Awards.

When we reached out to the Towson Branch of the Baltimore County Library, their librarians gave us a lot of great recommendations for all different age groups.

"We have a lot of great books about important African Americans in history. I've listed a few below. This is just a small selection of what we have at the library. Ask a librarian for more great reads--call, email, or visit us in person! I've attached a photo of some of our books about Black history on display at the Towson branch that you can check out with a BCPS student account. "

Ages 4-8 
R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul by Carole Boston Weatherford - Children Bio FRANKLIN 
Black is a Rainbow Color by Angela Joy – Picture Book JOY 
The Highest Tribute: Thurgood Marshall’s Life, Leadership, and Legacy by Kekla Magoon – Children Bio MARSHALL 
Look Up with Me: Neil deGrasse Tyson: A Life Among the Stars by Jennifer Berne - Children 523 B 
Ages 6-9 
Let the Children March by Monica Clark-Robinson - Picture Book CLA 
She Persisted: Claudette Colvin by Lesa Cline-Ransome - Children Bio COLVIN 
A Ride to Remember: A Civil Rights Story by Sharon Langley and Amy Nathan - Children 305.8 L 
Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Doreen Rappaport – Children Bio KING 
28 Days: Moments in Black History that Changed the World by Charles R. Smith Jr. - Children 973.0496 S 
The Doctor with an Eye for Eyes: The Story of Dr. Patricia Bath by Julia Finley Mosca – Children Bio BATH 
Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks by Suzanne Slade – Children Bio BROOKS 
The ABCs of Black History by Rio Cortez - Children 973.0496 C 
Carter Reads the Newspaper by Deborah Hopkinson – Children Bio WOODSON 
Ages 7-10 
Young, Gifted and Black: Meet 52 Black Heroes from Past and Present by Jamia Wilson - Children 920 W 
Rise!: From Caged Bird to Poet of the People, Maya Angelou by Bethany Hegedus - Children 810.9 H 
She was the First!: The Trailblazing Life of Shirley Chisholm by Katheryn Russell-Brown – Children Bio CHISOLM 
Ages 8-12
Who Is Kamala Harris? by Kirsten Anderson - Children Bio HARRIS
We are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson - Children 796.357 N 
Brave. Black. First.: 50+ African American Women Who Changed the World by Cheryl Hudson - Children 920.72 H 
Birth of the Cool: How Jazz Great Miles Davis Found His Sound by Kathleen Cornell Berman - Children 781.65 B 
Little Legends: Exceptional Men in Black History by Vashti Harrison – Children 920 H 
Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison Children 920.72 H 
Hidden Figures: The Untold True Story of Four African-American Women Who Helped Launch Our Nation into Space (Young Readers' Edition) by Margot Lee Shetterly – Children 510.92 S 
Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library by Carole Boston Weatherford – Children Bio SCHOMBURG 
Ages 9-12 
Have I Ever Told You Black Lives Matter by Shani King - Children 305.8 K 
Timelines from Black History: Leaders, Legends, Legacies – Children 909 T 
Black Heroes of the Wild West by James Otis Smith - Children Graphic Novel 978.02 S 
Ages 10-13 
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson – Children Bio WOODSON 
Black Ballerinas: My Journey to Our Legacy by Misty Copeland - Children 792.8092 C 
Timelines from Black History: Leaders, Legends, Legacies - Children 909 T 
BOX: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford – Children Bio BROWN 

                                                                      By The Hampton Herald Staff
     Hampton Elementary School is participating in the Kids Heart Challenge during the month of February to help raise money for families with kids who have heart defects and diseases. The Kids Heart Challenge first started in 1949 by The American Heart Association. Since 1949 all states have participated in the Kids Heart Challenge to help raise money for kids with heart defects and heart diseases. Also, since 1949 they have made over four billion dollars. The money has gone to research and surgeries.
    
    Students at Hampton received information about the Kids Heart Challenge from their physical education teacher, Mrs. Cavender, during their classes. Students took that information home, and shared it with their families, friends, and anyone else who wants to donate money. 

     Mrs. Cavender has been in charge of the Kids Heart Challenge for three years, but because of the COVID-19 Pandemic, she was only able to lead it for two years. She enjoys running the program for Hampton.
 
“It’s very gratifying because of the money we’ve raised, and because it helps these kids,” said Mrs. Cavender.

    Although Mrs. Cavender really enjoys running the program, there are some challenges.

       “It’s very fun to do this but it’s really difficult because I had to get all the prizes, and they had to ship it to me,” said Mrs.Cavender.

      To encourage participation, students receive prizes when they sign up for the Kids Hearts Challenge and when they raise certain amounts of money.  The goal for this year at Hampton was to raise $10,000. Right now they have raise $13,494.62. Students have until the end of February to sign up and donate.

Since winter break is the perfect time for reading, our Hampton Herald staff chose 12 books that they would recommend to read during the break.

Book 1: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling.

In the fourth book of Harry Potter Harry encounters a surprise ,and is forced into it by someone. People wanting a great plot twist, fantasy, and the only known survivor of You-Know-Who will enjoy it. It is available in the Baltimore County Library and most bookstores.

Book 2: A Tale Of Magic… By: Chris Colfer
When Brystal Evergreen stumbles upon a secret area in a library, she finds a book about a world beyond her imagination, and figures out that she is capable of magic! Brystal lives in a society where magic is strictly forbidden, so Brystal embarks on a quest to find other magical people like her. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy books and fiction books. You can find this book at local bookstores, bcpl, and department stores.

Book 3:  The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane  by Julia Nobel

When Emmy has to be sent away to a boarding school called Wellsworth, she finds clues leading to secret societies and mysteries hidden within the school. Later, she finds clues that lead to information about her dad who had gone to the school also. The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane is a very good story that I would recommend to people who like fiction and mystery books. You can find this book at bookstores, department stores, and Baltimore County Public Library.

Book 4:  Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories Written & Illustrated by Jeff Kinney
This book is about a boy named Rowley Jefferson and, in this book, he is telling us about all his spooky stories 
I like this book because it is funny, and Jeff Kinney and his team really put work in all the books he made 
The book is in Target, Walmart, Barnes and noble, Walmart supercenter ​

Book 5: The invention of Hugo cabret by Brian Sezlnick. It is a book about how a boy lives at a train station. Who collects parts for an invention that he is building which you will figure out later in the book. People who like mystery in books, cliff hangers, and good endings. You can find this book in the Baltimore County Public library.

There are lots of fun holiday activities to do throughout the month of December.  Two of those traditional activities are seeing light displays and visiting train gardens.  Our staff found some local Holiday Light Displays and Train Gardens for you to check out:

Light Displays:
Miracle on 34th Street, Hampden Christmas Street Holiday Show  
Open until 12/31

Light Up Frederick! Holiday Decorations Tour & Contest 
Dec 11, 2021, 5 PM – Jan 1, 2022, 9 PM 
 
Lights on the Bay
Open until 1/2/22

Train Gardens:



 
Jarrettsville VFC Train Garden

3825 Federal Hill Road

Jarettsville, MD

1 PM - 9PM
____________________________
2.

Firehouse Train Garden

2700 Glen Ave, Baltimore, MD, 21215

4PM - 8PM
____________________________
3.

Marley Station Model Train Garden

Glen Burnie, MD 21061

10AM - 9PM    Monday - Saturday
Sunday 11AM - 6PM
__________________________


​