Bel Air High School held its distinguished honors breakfast on Monday, February 10^th. The breakfast was to acknowledge all students who received a 4.0 GPA or higher in the 2^nd quarter of the school year. In total, 160 students received distinguished honors in the 2^nd quarter. Mr. Komondor said a few words at the beginning of the breakfast. “For 45 minutes to an hour, breathe, relax, and take a little bit out of your hectic day.”

The students enjoyed their breakfast, provided by the school cafeteria, and got to listen to the Bel Air High School Jazz Band. The band started playing before the students entered, so the students attending did not get to listen to all of the songs. The first song was “American Patrol,” a rare patriotic swing tune. The next song was “Zoot Suit Riot,” featuring Ryan Eckart on tenor sax. Next on the list was “Cute,” with brush fills by CJ Spinnato. “In a Mellow Tone,” was the next song featuring solo piano fills by Sam Bittle. The slow, calm song “A Child is Born,” came next with solos by alto saxophonist Steve Nam and pianist Austin Sbarra.  Count Basie’s upbeat “Jumpin’ at the Woodside,” came next featuring rhythm section solos by pianist Sam Bittle and bassist Nick Czumak. Next was “Big Noise From Winnetka,” with solos by Josh Bock on trombone and Ryan Eckart on tenor sax. “Leap Frog,” came next, a bright swing tune featuring Ryan Eckart on tenor. The next song was “Woodchopper’s Ball,” with a long list of soloists including Elena Peretti on trumpet, Steve Nam on alto sax, Josh Bock on trombone, Tyler Bielatowicz on baritone sax, Nick Rhodes on trumpet, and Kaite Breese on tenor sax. The last song was “Groovin’ Hard,” with a saxophone section solo.

After the Jazz Band’s performance, Mr. Doyle, a Bel Air High School teacher and former student, spoke to everyone. He told everyone to keep up the fantastic work and that hard work will really get you far in life. The breakfast ended by ^^ announcing the names of all distinguished honors students and the students each receiving a certificate recognizing their hard work and good grades. The morning turned out to be a nice reward for students who had worked hard though the 2^nd quarter and gave them a chance to take time out of their busy schedules and relax for a while.