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 2016!

 

Favorite School-Related Personal Moment:
Achieving honor roll/ principal’s honor roll 25%
Earning your 20th hour of community service 16.67%
Blue Marble 16.67%
Being awarding for NHD/Reflections/Science Fair 16.67%
8th grade portfolio project presentation 16.67%
Teaching a skill in Mrs. Reynolds’ class 8.32%
Called for your birthday at Morning Muster 0%
Working on “Snoopy, The Musical” 0%
Bay Farm students certainly seem to be academically motivated! A quarter of respondents said achieving honor roll was their favorite school-related moment. The three-way tie for second place also showed students’ enthusiasm for working on projects and their civic-mindedness (and relief at being done with community service!).
— by staff writer Kyra Kong

 

Favorite Elective Class:
Tie between Coding and Personal Health & Wellness at 23.08% each
Archaeology 15.38%
Art 15.38%
Other (unspecified) 15.38%
Foreign Language 7.69%
The best middle school exploration classes at Bay Farm, according to local students, are Coding and Personal Health & Wellness, followed closely by Archaeology class, Art, and Foreign Languages. Coding class, where you can learn Morse Code, program a Sphero, and even FIGHT with them, is taught by Mrs. Lori Oducayen. Personal Health & Wellness, the place you can go to find out everything you need to know about your growing body, is lead by Mrs. Joni Reynolds.
— By staff writer Brenden Dalipe

 

Favorite Ice Cream Parlor:
Tucker’s 50%
Cream 16.67%
Cookiebar 8.33%
Loard’s 8.33%
Baskin-Robbins 8.33%
Other (unspecified) 8.33%
Bay Farm students, you voted that Tucker’s Ice Cream serves the best ice cream in Alameda. Tucker’s got the highest vote, with half of all respondents. Cream came in next, and then a four-way tie with all others in town. Tucker’s is a popular gathering place for families and other groups of people, especially on warm days. But the other options are delicious too! Your summer is coming soon, so plan on going out for ice cream during the hot weather!
— by staff writer Giselle Morris

 

Favorite BFMS Club:
Journalism/The Dolphin Tail 72.73%
B.E.A.T. 18.18%
Other (unspecified) 9.09%
Running Club 0%
Ukulele 0%
Glee 0%
Student Government 0%
According to Bay Farm students, the best BFMS club is the Journalism Club, whose members write the stuff you’re reading right now: The Dolphin Tail! The Journalism Club is where all of the behind-the-scenes work happens in order to create well-written articles for people like YOU to read! OK, so maybe the staff skewed the results a bit by voting for our own club, but a lot of other people read us too: As of Tuesday, June 7, The Dolphin Tail’s website had logged 24,674 hits (and counting!). If you would like to let The Dolphin Tail know about anything, like a suggestion for a story, or just to subscribe in order to be notified about new issues, please let them know at bayfarmdolphintail@gmail.com, or comment in the box at the end of this article!
— by staff writer Brenden Dalipe

 

Favorite Social Media:
Tie between Instagram and Musical.ly at 26.67%
Snapchat 20%
Facebook 6.67%
Twitter 6.67%
Tumblr 6.67%
Other (unspecified) 6.65%
No surprise that Instagram tied for favorite social media outlet. It allows people to share pictures and stay connected with friends. You can also perfect your pictures by editing them before posting for all your followers to see. The account can remain “private,” or you can let the Instagram world know you’re there by being “public.” Instagram also allows you to send messages directly to friends and create group chats. Although the app sounds so amazing, have you seen the new update? Everyone I’ve talked to says they don’t like the boring black and white layout. The only thing colorful is the icon for the app. Even though the new version is terrible, there are still positives. Many people out there have different accounts for different things like cooking, makeup, tutorials, and more.
Then there’s Musical.ly, the world’s fastest growing video social network where people can create, share and discover short music videos. Every day, millions of teens use musical.ly as an outlet to express themselves through singing, dancing, comedy, and lip-syncing. The app celebrates creativity with videos recorded in 15 seconds or less and shared across the musical.ly community. More than half of U.S. teens are users of musical.ly.
— by staff writer Mia Bazo

 

Favorite Bubble Tea Place in Alameda:
TeaWay 33.33%
Tapioca Express 22.22%
Quickly 22.22%
T4 11.11%
Other (unspecified) 11.11%
Bambu 0%
Bubble tea is hot in Alameda, and TeaWay is the clear winner of students’ affections! No wonder: You can get all kinds of food and drinks at TeaWay if you’re not in the mood for yummy bubble tea. Other places clearly have followings, too. But poor Bambu didn’t get a single vote from BFMS students!
— by staff writer Katrina Chan

Bay Farm… Or Main Island?
Bay Farm 80%
Main Island 10%
Other (unspecified) 10%
Bay Farm Middle School students say that Bay Farm Island is better than the Main Island! While the Main Island is bigger and home to Park Street, Shoreline Drive and its beaches, Webster Street, and Southshore Center, Bay Farm Island is where Bay Farm School is! Bay Farm Island has its own culture, distinct from the main island; for example, who doesn’t love the birthday signs at the base of the Bay Farm Bridge? So go ahead, if you live on the Main Island, spend a day here on Bay Farm Island and see why BFMS students love it here!
— by staff writer Brenden Dalipe

 

Favorite Local Pro Team:
Golden State Warriors 50%
Oakland A’s 14.29%
San Francisco Giants 14.29%
San Jose Sharks 7.14%
San Jose Earthquakes 7.14%
Other (unspecified) 7.14%
San Francisco 49ers 0%
Oakland Raiders 0%
It’s clear Warriors fever has taken over Bay Farm! BFMS students voted the Golden State Warriors as their favorite pro team in the Bay Area. It’s all because of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. They are facing the Cavaliers for the championship trophy again this year. MLB baseball came in second place, with the A’s and the Giants tying. The San Francisco Giants this year are trying to win the world series again because this is an even year. For the third place the San Jose Sharks, they’re trying for the Stanley Cup. Football? It’s not on anyone’s minds right now!
— by staff writer Heather Yeung

 

Favorite School Event:
Dances 45.45%
Movie Night 27.27%
Who’s Smarter Than a Bay Farmer? 27.27%
Trash ‘n’ Fashion Show 0%
Evening on the Green 0%
NHD Open House 0%
Who doesn’t love non-academic school events?! Middle schoolers like dances best of all, it seems, followed by a tie between Movie Night and Who’s Smarter?. It’s not surprising… friends, music, snacks, photo booths… and sometimes people even dance at dances. See you at the next one!
— by staff writer Katrina Chan

 

Favorite Section of the Dolphin Tail:
Tie between Features and News at 27.27% each
Opinion 18.18%
Front Page 9.09%
Sports 9.09%
Other (unspecified) 9.09%
Submissions 0%
This poll had a tie between Features and News for first place. Students voted for Features, which includes Ask M, reviews of video games, and articles written about school performances and competitions. They also voted for the News section, which includes articles about the happenings at Bay Farm School and student life.
— by staff writer Kyra Kong

 

Favorite Mexican Restaurant:
La Penca Azul 45.45%
Taco Bell 18.18%
Ramiro & Sons 18.18%
Otaez 9.09%
Juanitas 9.09%
A Bay Farm institution, La Penca Azul won out by almost half the Best of Bay Farm voters. Who doesn’t like that place?! Taco Bell was voted a distant second, though that’s not surprising as middle schoolers love their fast food!
— by staff writer Katrina Chan

 

Best NHD History Timeframe:
Ancient Civilizations 55.56%
Middle Ages 33.33%
U.S. History 11.11%
Ancient Civilizations covers a broad time frame, and different cultures — one reason why it might have won. U.S History is covered by the 8th grade term, a class of 28, which might be why it lagged behind.
— by staff writer Chloé Amaden

 

Best BFMS Field Trip This Year:
Footloose at AHS 33.33%
Motherlode 25%
Yosemite 25%
Washington, D.C./New York 16.67%
Rosicrucian Museum 0%
Motherlode: Loved by 6th graders. Yosemite: Equally loved by 7th graders. New York/Washington: Also loved by the much smaller class of 8th graders. But what did all three grades have in common? The trip to Alameda High to see the spring musical of Footloose, followed by a lunch hour spent independently on Park Street! What’s not to love?
— staff reports

 

Favorite Break:
Summer Break 66.67%
Thanksgiving Break 8.33%
Spring Break 8.33%
Winter Break 8.33%
Long weekends: Labor Day, Memorial Day, Presidents Day, MLK Day 8.33%
Of course our winner for this one is summer break! Whether you’re swimming at the pool or visiting Hawaii, we can all agree that we love summer break. No worries about homework, a break from school, easy schedules, and lots of fun. Some people are super active and will go outside and play soccer or toss a frisbee. Then there’s people like me, who are usually a little bit lazy and like to sit at home, but will occasionally hang out with friends. Of course we all have that one friend who has the perfect/stereotypic summer. Road trips, swimming, being with friends, happy music, nice weather, and no worries. Don’t deny it, we all have that one summer outfit we love to wear (yes, even the boys). We love it because it fits our version of a perfect summer. There will be expectations, and they might not all happen. Make this summer great, and enjoy it while it lasts before school starts again! Have an amazing summer and we’ll see you next year! 🙂
— by staff writer Mia Bazo

 

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