Last issue, we asked Bay Farm students to weigh in and vote on your favorite things, Alameda Magazine-style.

Our staff has compiled the results of your feedback. So sit back and enjoy… The Best of Bay Farm!

 

Favorite Student Organization:
The Dolphin Tail Student Newspaper 66.67%
B.E.A.T. 13.33%
Glee Club 6.67%
Ukulele Club 6.67%
Student Government 6.66%
Minecraft Club 0%

We at The Dolphin Tail felt very proud of ourselves when the poll results were in. Close to the beginning of the year, a bright group of students (6th, 7th, and 8th graders) joined forces to create this virtual newspaper from scratch! As the year went on, the paper grew and the process of getting published was honed (and should we say, perfected?) But let’s not forget the other amazing student organizations also started this year: BEAT, the fabulous environment club that spreads the word on what we can do for the earth; the Ukulele and Glee clubs, run by music teacher, Ms. Bonnie; the Minecraft Club, where technological creativity comes to light; and middle school Student Government, a place for leaders present and future!
— By staff writer Rowan Esquer

 

Favorite Bubble Tea:
Tie between TeaWay and Tapioca Express 46.15% each
Quickly 7.69%

Voted the two best bubble tea places, TeaWay and Tapioca Express are Park Street-area favorites with Bay Farm students. TeaWay is located at 2402 Central Ave., and is known for good popcorn chicken and milk tea. Located at 2307 Encinal Ave., Tapioca Express has many bestsellers like the snow bubble. These bubble tea places don’t disappoint!
— By staff writer Justin Wong

 

Favorite Field Trip This Year:
Tie between Guys & Dolls at AHS, and 7th Grade Point Montara Lighthouse 28.12% each
Motherlode (6th grade) 18.75%
Washington, D.C., New York City (8th grade) 12.5%
Grace Cathedral (7th grade) 12.5%
Rosicrucian Museum (6th grade) 0%
Asian Art Museum (7th grade) 0%

Voted as the two best middle school field trips this year, both the Alameda High production of Guys & Dolls and the Montara Lighthouse field trip were both fun-filled and enjoyable. The entire middle school went to see the production of Guys & Dolls at Alameda High school, and spent the lunch hour on Park Street afterwards. It was a great day, and the high school cast and crew did an amazing job putting on a great show. The Montara trip was a three-day, two-night overnight field trip put on by Ms. Ely, Ms. Frechou, and the wonderful chaperones for the two 7th grade classes. Their action-packed field trip involved trips to the beach, tide pool visits, volleyball, watercolor projects, hikes, and various games.
— By staff writer Kyle Wonzen

Editors PIck:
8th Grade Washington, D.C./New York City trip
There have been many exciting trips throughout the year for each of the middle school grades. One, however, topped them all in our opinion. The 8th graders went on Bay Farm’s first-ever trip to the nation’s capital, Washington D.C., and to one of the greatest cities in the world, New York. The 16 8th graders who attended the trip were lucky enough to see famous monuments, such as the Lincoln Memorial and even the White House (from a fair distance)! In New York, students got to walk around Time Square and gaze down upon the city from the top of the Empire State Building. Of course, students visited many other locations during their time on the East Coast, but we can’t mention them all here. See our story and slideshow on the 8th grade trip here!
— By Editor Rowan Esquer

 

Favorite Bay Farm School Event:
BFMS Bowling Fun-Raiser 40%
BFMS Spirit Week 26.67%
Middle School Movie Night or PTA Movie Night 13.33%
Fall Festival 6.67%
Pumpkin Carving Contest 6.67%
Middle School Talent Showcase 6.66%
NHD Showcase 0%
Student Leadership Elections 0%

Voted as the best school event, the Fun Committee’s Bowling Fun-Raiser in December was a huge success. More than 60 kids from the middle school showed up to go bowling at the AMF South Shore lanes to out-bowl each other! The “fun-raiser” was put on by parents Erick Wonzen, Tina Hong, Heather Dooley, Kelly Brady, Aida DuPree and Rak Bhalla. The event — originally part ice-skating, part bowling — turned into just bowling because of rain. Nevertheless, it was still a great event, and not only did the school make nearly $200, but the students had a great time bowling during the two-hour event.
— By staff writer Kyle Wonzen

 

Favorite Munchies Around Alameda:
Scolari’s 20%
TeaWay 17.5%
Bowzer’s PIzza 17.5%
Yogofina 12.5%
Starbucks 12.5%
Tucker’s 10%
La Penca Azul 5%
Bagel House 5%
Peet’s Coffee 0%
Quickly 0%

Scolari’s is a “good eats” restaurant, which features items on the menu such as stromboli, sandwiches, lettuce cups, chicken wings, burgers, and more. They also sell a variety of drinks. Scholari’s is about $8-10 dollars per meal, without tax. They feature outdoor seating at the Park St. location. They also have a location at Alameda Point/Rock Wall Winery, and offer a food truck and catering services. Scolari’s definitely offers good eats!
— By staff writer Luke Wonzen

 

Favorite South Shore Shop:
Tie between Chipotle and Daiso 33.33% each
Panera 19.05%
See’s Candies: 14.28%
Kohl’s, Ross, DB Shoes & Daphne’s 0%

Voted as the best shops in South Shore Center were two intriguing shops, Chipotle and Daiso. Chipotle, a fresh fast-food “phenomenon” in the restaurant industry whose stock has risen by 350% in the last five years , is a make-your-own-food Mexican restaurant, where you can design your own tacos, burritos, bowls, and salads. Similar to the Subway setup, Chipotle focuses on fresh, organic, GMO-free food that tastes delicious. Our second winner is Daiso, a small “knick-knack” store in the plaza-like area. Daiso sells  Japanese goods, from Hi-Chew candies, to ping-pong paddles, to umbrellas. The best part is, everything is $1.50 (unless marked otherwise). This foreign “dollar store” is very popular in the South Shore area.
— By staff writer Kyle Wonzen

 

Best Suggestions for BFMS Improvements:
Electives 21.75%
Lockers 17.39%
New Buildings 17.39%
Lunch selections 17.39%
More/Different Clubs 13.04%
Dress for PE 8.7%
More Activities 4.35%
New Lunch Rules 0%

Electives won the top spot in our polling, but it was closely followed by a three-way tie for lockers, new buildings and better lunch selections. The good news? Electives are on their way to Bay Farm in the fall; see our article! New buildings and lockers are also being discussed. The school district and Principal Babs Freitas will begin the planning process for these next year as well. But if you want different lunch selections, let your voice be heard and contact AUSD’s Food Services.

 

Top Activity For a Friday Night:
Going to the movies at the Alameda Theatre 39.13%
Hanging out at a friend’s house 26.09%
Mini golf 17.39%
Roam around South Shore 17.39%
Window shopping around Park Street 0%

There was a poll put on the dolphin tale that asked: What is your favorite thing to do on a Friday night? The answer that won was:  go to the movies! Going to the movies is a fun thing that Americans love to do, especially on Friday nights. At the Alameda Theatre, there are pre-movie magic and music shows on weekend evenings, along with the debuts of new movies to enjoy. Who doesn’t love a movie?
— By staff writer Zelinda Strell

 

Best Sports Opportunities in Alameda:
Tie between Alameda Little League and Alameda Youth Basketball Association 27.5% each
Other 20%
Neptune Beach Pearls 13.33%
Bladium teams 6.67%
Alameda Girls Softball Association 0%
Crossfire Softball 0%

The two best sports organizations in Alameda voted by Bay Farm students were Alameda Little League and the Alameda Youth Basketball Association. Alameda Little League offers kids a chance to play or even try out organized baseball. It comes with weekly practices and games against other teams. The Alameda Youth Basketball Association is similar to the Alameda Little League: It gives kids a chance to play organized basketball in a league. There are practices and games, played on a great court with referees to monitor the game.
— By staff writer Pete Brady 

 

Favorite Park Street Shop:
Books Inc. 43.75
Toy Safari 31.25%
Write-ins (Yogofina, the shoes place near Quickly): 12.5%
Sumbody 6.25 %
High Scores Arcade 6.25%
To Herb Wth Love 0%
Juniper Tree 0%

The best shop on Park Street had a clear winner, Books Inc. Being the West Old’s Independent Bookseller, Books Inc. can retrace its steps to 1851, when a small bookstore in Shasta City, Calif., was built by Anton Roman. But that small bookstore went through a lot of changes, and soon it became a Books Inc. With currently 11 locations in California, these stores thrive and make it easier for people in California to shop local to buy books.
— By staff writer Waverley Achacoso

 

Favorite School Project This Year:
National History Day 43.75%
Mask Making 31.25%
NaNoWriMo 12.5%
Write-ins (Kites; Random Acts of Kindness: Snack Bags and Little Notes for Ms. Hester’s): 12.5%

The winner of the best school project was the National History Day project, or NHD, a 6-month long history project introduced and spear-headed by 7th grade history and English teacher, Ms. Ely. All the middle school students showed off their projects on a person back in the time of their respective history topics. The theme was “Leadership and Legacy”, and students could compete in the Documentary, Website, Project Board, or Play/Presentation  category.  Judges selected 12 top projects to go to the County competition at the Oakland Museum at California, and one, 7th grader Jay Bond, was named as an alternate for the state competition. The project boards were displayed at the Alameda Library on the Main Island for two months following completion of the competition.
— By staff writer Kyle Wonzen

 

What did you think of our list? Send us a letter in the form below!