Malden High School Graduation Edition 2014

Congratulations

The Blue and Gold maldenblueandgold.com Malden High School Volume 99 Edition 8

Our 99th Year Graduation 2014

Prom Prom 2014 2014

Baseball article on page 28.

Prom collage on pages 20-21.

More of the Top 10

1. VICKI NGAN V

aledictorian is a well known title in high school, top of the class, ranked number one for GPA out of a large number of students, and this year this title is given to senior Blue and Gold member Vicki Ngan. Earning this title of the Class of 2014’s valedictorian is not just a simple task. Ngan shares that being a “lucky student who worked hard throughout high school” is how she achieved this accomplishment.

After spending four years at Malden High School Ngan has taken advantage of the opportunities that MHS has had to offer such as being a member of the cross country team freshman year, being a member of the tennis team Continued on page 9.

2. Raymond Chen E

ven after years of being a devoted track runner, senior Guan Chen, known as Raymond, did not see his road to #2 in his class as a race to the top.

“You can’t do work every day and expect to maintain a low stress level,” Chen explains in regards to his ability to steamroll his way through high school without missing a step. Being on the track team was “a huge part” of his stress management strategy, which he attests is the most important part of getting through high school.

A dedicated student and member of the track team at Malden High School, Chen is sadly departing from the team this June. Even though he is leaving Continued on page 9.

Ricky He, ranked #3 Page 10

Nidal Hishmeh, Orator Page 10

In This Issue: Op-Eds - 4 Local - 14

NHS Induction

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Pag

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Special Olympics

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Sports - 28 Sports Profiles - 37

Editorial

2 Malden High School

The Blue and Gold 77 Salem St. Malden, MA 02148

The Blue and Gold was established in 1915.

The Staff: Editors-in-Chief:

Kristen Leonard ‘14 Vicki Ngan ‘14 Amanda Rosatone ‘14 Head of Local:

Amanda De Moraes ‘15 Sumya Mohiuddin ‘15 Head of Op / Eds, Politics & World:

James Mazarakis ‘15 Head of Sports:

P. J. Montezuma ‘15 Head of Entertainment, Style & Lifestyle:

Casey Lyons ‘15

Head of Multimedia:

Grace Stathos ‘15

Managing Editor of Local:

Julie Lam ‘15

Managing Editor of Op / Eds, Politics & World:

Jessica Lynn Depaula ‘15 Managing Editor of Sports:

Jonathan Decicco ‘15 Managing Editor of Entertainment, Style & Lifestyle:

Myle Nguyen ‘15 Reporters:

Crystal Day ‘15 Nicholas Bramante ‘16 Emma Ceplinskas ‘16 Andrew Cogliano ‘16 Chaimae El Adlouni ‘16 Ashley Leung ‘16 Lucia Quesada Nylen ‘16 Cassandra Reyes ‘16 Manale Zouhir ‘16 Tatyanna Cabral ‘17 Candela Diaz ‘17 Tenzin Dorjee ‘17 Felicia Fallano ‘17 Karina Matos ‘17 Julia Parker ‘17

Advisor: Ryan Gallagher Established in 1915

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On the Risks and Rewards of High School and Life

Top Ten Profiles begin on page 9!

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n my opinion, every school year begins with the motivating advice of “work hard, play hard,” and as a senior counting down the minutes until I walk across that platform at graduation with my diploma, I can honestly say, this clichéd statement holds a lot of truth.

The bottom line of any high school experience is that we all face challenges; sometimes they are a. academic, b. personal, c. social, or d. all of the above. However, regardless of the obstacles that we face each and every day as we walk into school (at that unjust hour of 7:45 in the morning), we have to remember that by taking risks and by challenging ourselves comes great, well-deserved rewards.

High school, in my opinion, is the perfect combination of successes and failures. Whether it is pushing yourself academically by moving into a more challenging class, or even trying out for a new sport team to test your skills, taking chances is a vital part of having new and memorable experiences, which is an important aspect about our high school years. Now, don’t get me wrong: I am not saying to take a million and one AP classes and to try out for every sport every season. My message is much more simple: taking risks is often unnerving, but by investing one’s self into whatever the endeavor may be, we can be rewarded.

Although taking risks is a scary part of high school, it is also a necessary aspect of living. Next year, when I am in college, I am going to feel like a first grader on her first day of school, the only difference is that I’m not going to be holding my mom’s hand and she won’t be saying “I’ll see you at 3:30.” The situation will be much different. However, regardless of the emotional part of transitioning into college, I feel confident in myself heading into this part of my life, mainly because of everything Malden High School has shown me about hard work, dedication, and putting myself out there.

In the future, I may never be able to shake the feeling of that little first grader inside of me, and the reality is that anyone who can is pretty lucky. However, in the same way, I am glad that I may not be able to shake that feeling because it will remind me that although the future is unknown and often scary, it should not stop me from making the most out of life.

For all of you who will be in my position next year, and all of who will be moving into a higher grade, my wish for you at MHS is simply this: that you remember high school as being the best part of your young adult life; that you realized the countless opportunities you have available at MHS; that you took advantage of them, and gave your best to every challenge you faced, because great things can happen.

Amanda Rosatone

Editor-In-Chief Editorial Policy The Blue and Gold is an open forum for student expression.

It is produced by students for the school and the community.

The views presented in this paper are not necessarily those of the advisor or the school administration. The views presented in the editorials are those of the editors-in-chief or guests. The goal of The Blue and Gold is to inform and entertain students as well as the community regarding issues that we feel are important.

We strongly encourage readers to respond to material printed in the form of signed letters to the editors. No libelous, malicious, defamatory, obscene, or unsigned material will be printed. The Blue and Gold reserves the right to edit the letters.

Names may be withheld upon request. Not all letters will be printed.

Although The Blue and Gold appreciates the support of advertisers, we may refuse any advertisement that violates the above policy or that promotes products questionable to student use.

Any correspondence concerning this publication should be directed to Mr. Ryan Gallagher’s room in J387 or to his mailbox in the main office.

The Blue and Gold c/o Malden High School 77 Salem Street Malden, MA 02148

5. Christine Le 6. Maha Kouroukchi

7. Bestine Cong 8. Benny Guan

9. Margaret Chiavelli 10. Allan La This school year, Malden High School lost two students. We would like to commemorate junior Julia Vanella and PACE student Ayoub Mahhou for their lasting impact on the Malden community.

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Interactive

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The Blue & Gold Crossword Puzzle

Each set of four photos represents one word!

(6 Letters!)

Hint: Think world events!

(13 Letters!)

Hint: Think albums!

(8 Letters!)

Hint: Think MHS teacher!

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A Day at the Blue & Gold Kristen Leonard Editor-in-Chief

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Editor-in-Chief Kristen Leonard recalls her days directing the newspaper.

he website is down. The widgets, apparently, need to be updated. How do I update the widgets on Wordpress. “Sumya, can you google how to update the widgets on Wordpress?”

Where is the memory-card reader? “PJ, can you assign someone to take football pictures Saturday?”

“James, did the article on Syria get published?” “Grace, the field hockey video looks great, can you put this video on YouTube, please?”

Of course, now the school network is down.

“Ok, Amanda and Vicki, we need to figure out what to put on the front page.”

“Football?”

“No, they have the back page in color.”

“The Marching Band?”

“Yes, that’s good--they won their competition.”

“Let’s turn the Harvest Moon Festival into a full color spread. We can also start the girls soccer article on the front page. We can also add small pictures at the bottom showcasing articles from the World, Entertainment, and Local sections.”

Why are the fonts in Indesign highlighted in red? They must not be recognized on this computer.

65 broken links to fix! I’m going to have to transfer pictures from a flash drive.

“Ok everyone, we go to print tomorrow. Make sure you are staying after school if your page is not done!”

Four years ago, when I stepped into J387, Mr. Gallagher’s room, I never expected to be an Editor in Chief of The Blue and Gold, the student newspaper at Malden High School. As a freshman, my job was to be a reporter, write articles, take pictures, and do layout and design.

But year after year, more responsibilities were added.

This class has taught me how to manage my time, learn how to be independent, and how to be a leader. As one of the editors, I had a huge responsibility, not only to the newspaper staff, but also to the community and the student body because the paper is a way to give the students a voice through submitted writing pieces, interviews, quotes, and even pictures. Our school newspaper shows off the diversity of the student body and showcases a great sense of school pride. Journalism is a way to give people the news, offer different opinions and provide critical information.

In the end, regardless of all the stress that newspaper deadlines can bring, the reward is opening up the paper on distribution day. Hearing students in the hallways say, “Wow that picture is so cool,” or “Look!

Look! My name is in the paper!” and hearing compliments from teachers such as “Well written editorial,” or “That Op-ed you wrote was very interesting,” is all it takes to make all the stress of running the paper melt away.

All the best to my wonderful Holland House students!

- Ms. Slattery Holland House

The Blue & Gold Staff would like to thank our editors - Amanda, Kristen, and Vicki - for their leadership, guidance, and friendship this year. We will miss you and we hope that you bring your successes to college.

Health and happiness to my Boyle House graduates.

-Mr. Mastrangelo

Opinions

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On Budget Cuts and Education: T

he education system is in place for students to learn and grow as individuals.

It seems as though it is a simple concept, but the reality is far more complicated than one statement. Bureaucracies, legal issues and economic hardships make the true aspirations of a school system obscure. Where can one go to fix the ongoing issues that plague the system?

Well, for one - the students.

What we need as a high school community is more support for the activities that help students not only attend school each and every day, but to strive for success in our everyday lives as students and members of society.

Athletics, extracurricular organizations, music classes, play production, even Blue and Gold--these are the courses and programs that have become vital to Malden High School and its students.

Not only do we need these essential aspects of the school in order to function as something other than a large group of serial test-takers, we need to be allowed and encouraged to think and express ourselves creatively for the more obvious reasons: increased attendance, improved health benefits, higher grades-and for another reason, as well: creativity, gone ignored and unnurtured, demands to be seen and heard. We shouldn’t be discussing the possibility of losing these programs every year during budget discussions; we should be advocating the expansion of them, as well as offering additional programs.

In this paper alone there are dozens of profiles on seniors who “made it” in the high school court. In an overwhelming majority of these profiles, the students found solace in a sport, club, or activity that motivated them not only to do well in school, but to become better people.

It is, admittedly, a tough task. In this day and age, budget cuts and uneven funding across schools make it more than a challenge to implement much-needed changes. As students, we feel that our community is doing everything it can to “make do,” and we genuinely appreciate every time

Congratulations to MHS Seniors.

Best of luck in everything you do!

An open letter to the Malden Community about the future of our education James Mazarakis Head of Opinions Jessica Lynn DePaula Managng Editor of Opinions

that administrators, politicians and fellow students step up at times of need.

One of the ethical qualities stressed the most at our school is responsibility. Well, we believe now is a time for responsibility. We, the people, are responsible for an educational system that is leaving our students crammed in classes bigger than they should be, not giving enough attention to the individual student and cutting crucial programs that bring students to school. It is the fault of no one, but we are still responsible, and it is our duty as a student body, school, government and community to fix it. We should be fighting for these experiences.

As we watch the Class of 2014 walk the dusty path into adulthood, they will bring their everlasting memories with them - from the ninth-grade class they “survived” to the very last day of school. So, let us take their example and make the next school year one of change. With tight collaboration between students, parents, administrators and political representatives, we can make change. The real changes can’t happen just at home; they must happen on a scale that is beyond the aspirations of one student, one parent or a teacher. Real changes happen when the people unite, and the cause of promoting and increasing the numerous elective classes in this school is the perfect opportunity to show the city of Malden just how powerful the simple act of creative expression in the face of adversity is.

Congratulations Class of 2014!

From Brunelli House

Mrs. Klibansky House Principal Jenkins House

Mr. Lamar House Principal

Opinions

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“To Prom or not to Prom?”

A contest run by the Malden High School English department awarded the student with the best college essay. Below is the winning contender, which was written by senior Sarah Bazir.

A

schism has existed within my household for as long as my memory serves me, a disunion which has crossed cultural boundaries and has transcended traditional values. A question so pressing that it has been the basis of conflict within my family for many a moon. That question is: should I go to prom?

Perhaps it was inevitable, an inherent issue which arises when any man who had been raised in the sprawling urban slums of Casablanca, Morocco, decides to marry a woman brought up in a stringent, staunch Irish-Catholic household and raise a family.

Perhaps this was the ramification of a cultural diffusion which defied what was considered normal by many’s standards. All my life, I had been raised with the principles and values of a Sunni-Muslim father who valued family and education above all else and an Irish-Catholic mother that saw independence and autonomy a virtue. Though the culmination of these underpinnings seem to have functioned successfully throughout my life, without much upset, it seems as though the American past time of Prom has brought all of this to a grinding halt.

On the drive to school, around the dinner table, and through the aisles of the grocery store, my parents would feud about the significance of prom. My father saw it as a waste of time, a night spent dancing that could be better spent studying for some undetermined future assessment that he believed would be the crux of my entire existence. My mother saw Prom as a rite of passage, something that affirms one’s transition into adulthood, as if fruit punch and uncomfortable heels could convince my father that I’m not still 8 years old.

The issue of Prom stemmed not from the expense, the time, or the effort, but simply the metaphysical question of why. Why Prom, or, conversely, why not Prom?

My mother skipped out on her own Prom and dwells on it to this very day. Although I understand

and appreciate her concern that I should not be burdened with the same regrets as her, I cannot help but think that her expectations for what Prom is like are slightly more extravagant than what Prom is actually like. My father, normally open minded, goes out of his way to understand beliefs which differ from his, but cannot, for the life of him, wrap his head around Prom on a rudimentary level. He does not understand why people voluntarily waste time dancing when those three hours could potentially be spent studying for AP exams or putting an end to human suffering.

With prom approaching, I look back on the warring factions and see how interesting it is to find that two people can become so agitated over something as meaningless as Prom, yet still live together, happily.

The same two people who get up in arms over the very word “prom” are the same two people who just a few months ago had celebrated their 20th anniversary.

This is a mere microcosm of what has encompassed my entire existence, I have grown up living under circumstances where cultural differences are anything but few and far between. I’ve seen the very basis of people’s upbringing contest that of another but still find that communication and respect are alive and well. My family is one composed of polarizing political, social, and cultural views but remains paradoxically unified under universal principles of empathy and understanding.

Whether or not I decide to fulfill my mother’s wishes and promenade with my peers in what would presumably be a windowless room with poor ventilation and mediocre food or abide by my father’s expectations and spend the night at home with my Calculus book, pondering derivatives and the solution to existential problems of the human condition, I realize that it won’t be a life changing experience. However, watching my parents argue about it has been.

On behalf of Mr. Mastrangelo, Mr. Lamar, Ms. Slattery, and Mr. Brown, we’d like to wish Jenkins House Principal Diane Klibansky a wonderful retirement.

You were an inspiration to us all.

Congratulations to the Class of 2014.

“It’s never too late... Follow your dreams.”

-Dana Brown

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Top Ten Profiles

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1. VICKI NGAN Kristen Leonard Editor-in-Chief Continued from page 1. freshman and sophomore year and being a member of The Blue and Gold newspaper for all four years.

Ngan expresses that she enjoyed her sports experiences and they taught her “perseverance” and enjoyed the “inspirational words of encouragement that the coaches gave.” She shares that she still keeps up tennis, “[going] on the courts now and then for fun.” Her favorite activity that has memories she will cherish, are from being a member of the newspaper staff. Freshman year Ngan was a reporter starting out like any other freshman in the class, but next year moving up to a copy editor position. In her junior year she became Co-Head of Local and this year, her senior year, finally reached the top position, Co-Editor in Chief, the position that is the backbone of the newspaper.

Outside of school Ngan was involved in the Youth in Government club at the Malden YMCA, which helped her “grow in terms of empowering [her] confidence in public speaking,” as well as having a part-time tutoring job in a program in Chinatown during the weekends.

Based on all of her activities, one could confidently say that Ngan

is a very committed individual, taking on roles in the community that promote responsibility.

Ngan’s favorite part about MHS is, hands down, the teachers. “As a senior, I realized how much easier, or how easy it has been, to approach a teacher and ask them questions, not just regarding academics and the subject I am learning, but also life advice too,” Ngan remarks. Some of her favorite memories involve teachers such as “ranting to Mr. Gallagher about random topics every now and then, or conversing to Ms. Clapp about academics and college and future goals, or coming up with excuses to tell Ms. Marjomaa about why [she] can’t take the test on the date she set for [her], as well as asking for life advice as well.” Regarding what Ngan will remember most about high school she answers, “I will remember the teachers who guided my path through high school and taught me the necessary knowledge to prepare me for higher education, as well as my friends and people I’ve met that have helped me develop and think in ways I did not expect.”

Come fall, Ngan will be Wellesley College bound, studying Math and Economics along with Physics.

She desires to pursue engineering

2. Guan Chen James Mazarakis Head of World

Felicia Fallano Reporter

Continued from page 1. his team, he is eager to start a new chapter of his life.

Chen is attending UMass Amherst in the fall and is double majoring in in Computer Science and Electrical Computer Engineering. Chen says he is “excited to go to college and gain independence as well as study classes that [he is] passionate about.” His goal is to “learn

the necessary material to prepare [him] for a job in the engineering / computer science field and get the results necessary for [him] to get [his] masters degree in grad school.”

Chen has been “pretty successful this year.” But regarding track, he personally feels that he “[has not] had a great season.” Chen says he hasn’t set any personal times but he has “kept in shape and had fun with friends on the track team.” Chen says his “goals this season [were] the same as for every season I’ve done track: to set a personal time and to stay active and fit.”

Even though Chen believes in hard work, he also likes to stay relaxed. He says that he thinks it is “most important to have fun and not be weighed down by stress.”

He believes the most important thing he learned in high school is “how valuable friendships are,” and they have helped him “find balance between academics and having fun.” He feels that “the most important part of high school is not to get straight A’s or ace every exam but to nurture one’s talent.”

He also feels that all of his teachers and friends have impacted his life in many important

Ngan (right) with fellow Editor-in-Chief of the Blue and Gold Amanda Rosatone (left). Photo by Grace Stathos. for graduate school, but has not yet decided what field of engineering.

Ngan chose Wellesley College due to “the empowerment and opportunities it has to offer as well as its small class sizes and individual attention” along with the fact that the professors and staff as a whole are “very friendly and encouraging.” One of Ngan’s goals in college, besides the obvious desire for education is to be “an active citizen, off and on campus.” Ngan is most excited, as any college freshman would be, to become independent and “[immerse herself] in the college culture.”

Advice to incoming freshman and other grades in high school from Ngan would be to “Be active in the high school and choose activities or clubs that you are passionate about.

Everything will unravel itself from there if you are able to find what it is that makes you tick, because that is when work becomes enjoyable.”

She also stresses to work hard in high school and to “take every opportunity given to you, even if the application process is long and you think it is drag, because it might just be worth it in the end.”

While the place of valedictorian will be filled every year by a new individual, Ngan’s shoes will never be filled by another student.

She is a very intelligent student, with a strong will power to achieve anything she sets her mind to. MHS will truly miss this unique student, athlete, journalist, and friend and wishes her the best of luck for the future.

“Friendship... is not something you learn in school. But if you haven’t learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learned anything.”

-Muhammed Ali ways. Most importantly, Chen has learned from his teachers that “[he is] responsible for [his] own success,” and “happiness is success and ultimately, those who are the happiest are those who follow their passions and engage in activities they enjoy.” According to Chen, “every teacher” he had influenced him in some way. He particularly appreciated Computer Programming teacher Paul Marques’ strategy of having students manage their own time, forcing him to be “more responsible.”

According to Chen’s track coach, David Londino, he is “a good senior leader,” and his “work ethic and dedication to the team is a model for our younger runners.” Londino thinks that Chen’s confidence has developed and he “knows what he is capable of.” He says that “he leads by example and will do anything in his power to help the team.”

Chen has been inspired mostly by his coach throughout his high

school experience. According to Chen, Londino “has a very clear outlook on life and he applies his values when coaching. He constantly reminds us about the importance of perseverance and discipline.”

Chen believes that these concepts are “not only essential in improving as a track athlete, but also as a person,” and Londino “emphasizes techniques to develop one’s character.”

Chen advises that students to “try different [things]” and find where they are comfortable so that they may “do what they are good at.”

Even though this is Chen’s last season on the track team at MHS, he wants to keep his passion for track going. He still plans to run on his own time to keep in shape. When asked if he had any advice for Chen, Londino said, “You only go away to college once, so work hard but don’t forget to have fun.”

Top Ten Profiles

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3. Ricky He Nicholas Bramante Reporter

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n every class of graduating seniors, there are always those who prize learning and education as an important value in life. Ricky He is no exception, as he has truly made the most with his time at Malden High School, pushing himself to his greatest potential and furthering his education to the best possible extent. He explained, “I felt that engaging in new subjects and experiencing variety was what drove me throughout school.” It is this work ethic that has pushed He into the top ten of his graduating class.

He plans on attending Boston University for a college education.

“My cousin went to [Boston University], and she enjoyed it very much.”

He plans on majoring in electrical engineering as He has always taken a special interest in electronics. He explained that “electronics have always fascinated me since my childhood.” As a child, He enjoyed taking apart and reconstructing old computers and electronics.

As with any student, however, He’s MHS career required bound-

ing over many obstacles. One such obstacle would be going out of one’s comfort zone. High school is an erratic change from life when you first meet it, and delving out of one’s comfort zone is a critical part in the acclimation process. He explained that “[he is] not a very social person, so when [he] did the science night in eleventh grade, [he] was a little nervous.” He faced this challenge head-on, however, and eventually stepped outside his comfort zone in order to do what had to be done. “After the first hour, my nerves started to ease. [In the end] I was enjoying it and regretted having to leave.”

A memorable portion of He’s senior year was “sitting in AP study or directed study reading and listening to music; [this] consisted of at least half my senior year.” A simple pleasure in the hustle and bustle of a busy senior’s life, no doubt. He also recalls the most difficult and frustrating parts of his time attending MHS: AP exams. “The worst time of any year is when AP exams come around. If you weren’t studying throughout the year, the exam [would] eat you alive.” Again, AP

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

-Nelson Mandela

4. Nidal Hishmeh

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rigorous student, Nidal Hishmeh will be taking much more from high school than academics.

Despite taking a total of 11 Advanced Placement classes, Hishmeh also was able to balance many other clubs and activities as well as enjoying his time in high school and not

feeling like he was “under any stress.”

He attributes this to the fact that all subjects he studied were subjects which he had a genuine interest and passion for.

A prominent member of the wrestling team, Hishmeh claims that going to practices and matches was both one of his favorite experiences during high school as well as one of the most demanding, “both mentally and physically.” Wrestling did teach him, however, the product of hard work, and Hishmeh states that “seeing the fruits of [his] labors while wrestling was always a fulfilling experience.”

During his time at Malden High School, Hishmeh never felt the need to “step out of [his] comfort zone,” and only “did things that [he] wanted to do or found interesting,”

exams are not exactly something commonly found within most student’s comfort zones, so overcoming them was an important feat achieved during He’s time at Malden High.

He has met various different figures while at MHS, but one person who stands out among the rest is Martin Berryman, a chemisty teacher here at the high school.

Berryman was an important influence to He as he prepared for leaping the hurdle that is college applications; “[Berryman pushed] me to start the college process. I still remember when I was sitting in his direct study with nothing to do, and he urged me to go to my guidance counselor. I’m always a slow starting person, so he was the catalyst I really needed to start.” He also gives a shoutout to Wayne Ameen, “the best engineering teacher” at MHS. In his time at MHS, He has learned many lessons regarding education and preparation. Learning from his own experiences, He also puts great emphasis on early

preparation for college applications and decision making. As one last piece of wisdom to hand down to upcoming seniors, as well as underclassmen, He implores students to “Get started on college applications early. Don’t wait until senior year to start. It will add a lot of undue stress in addition to any other classes.”

Amanda De Moraes Head of Local which he believes is a contributing factor to his lack of stress in high school. His philosophy is that only doing things which one has a genuine passion and interest in will not seem like a chore, but rather fun.

As he leaves MHS and continues on his academic journey to Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, he will not forget his humble roots and the school that greatly shaped who he has become, as a student as well as a person. The main lesson he will be taking away from his time at MHS is that “whenever you want something, you should work for it,” while still enjoying the process and remembering that high school is an experience which is only experienced one in a lifetime.

Despite leaving MHS with a heavy heart, Hishmeh is also excited to move to the “Nutmeg State” and begin a new chapter in his life.

Although he will definitely miss his friends the most, Hishmeh will also miss the unique experiences that high school provided him with, as

well as the staff who significantly impacted Hishmeh, including, but not limited to, Brad Gelling, Sean Walsh and Brian Morrison, the teacher of Hishmeh’s favorite subject: physics. He looks forward to continue to work hard at Yale and to have the opportunity to meet more “awesome people,” in an entirely new environment.

Hishmeh is grateful for MHS and the preparation it has provided him with for college; he claims that “unlike smaller schools, [MHS] has its fair share of distractions.” Over the years, he has developed the ability to balance everything and hopes that this skill will carry over to college and his future, where he hopes to pursue an MD-PhD and become a medical researcher. In regards to underclassmen, Hishmeh advises them to “open their minds” and be aware that “just because someone is older than you doesn’t mean he or she is right.”

“The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.”

-Aristotle

Top Ten Profiles

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5. Christine Le Casey Lyons Head of Entertainment

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ndoubtedly focused on her future endeavors and vowing to improve procrastination habits, senior Christine Le will graduating as one of the top ten students for the class of 2014.

Although the application process was not an easy one, Le has happily chosen to attend Northeastern University next fall. Essentially, Le made this decision due to the fact that Northeastern had the most to offer and because it is one of the best engineering schools with a co-op program that gives her the opportunity of a hands-on experience before she even graduates. Also, having planned to follow in her father’s footsteps, Le knew she wanted to pursue a career in engineering but was not sure what type and decided upon biomedical engineering after some research. She is also aware that her major could always switch in the future and that “there is definitely room for change in the future.”

But along the way, Malden High School has became Le’s second home. It harbors some of her best memories and began friendships that she will never forget and cherish always. Her experience here at

6. Maha

MHS has “made [her] realize who [she] is, what [her] values are, and what [she] wants out of life.” Her memories of MHS largely include meeting new people and having the opportunity to get to know them which is what Le is excited for in college.

Along with meeting new people, one of her best memories consists of winning the NESBA championship her freshman year in marching band. But she will never forget the countless laughs she’s shared with members of the tennis team, and a humorous dance to what does the fox say with Mr. Brown along with her friends on Wacky Tacky Day. Overall, Le is proud to say that she has met people that she will remain friends with in years to come but going to college will also give her the opportunity to truly discover herself and learn to be independent which she could not be more excited about.

In high school we gain advice but Le believes that it is important to never be afraid to speak up. Le says that it is evident for one to be able to voice their opinions because “it can take a while to break out of one’s shell.” Le says that she did not fully stop being shy until halfway through her junior year but in the end it is worth it because she is able

life or death.” Being focused on what matters is what is important so that you do not become worried over the little things. Le has experienced it all and offers her best advice that lead her to her bright future that awaits full of excitement and prosperity.

“I believe there are only two unstoppable forces in the universe.

One is love, the other is intelligence.”

-Damien Echols Kourikchi

Amanda Rosatone Editor-in-Chief

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to connect to new people and be more comfortable to speak her true opinions.

When it comes to high school Le admits that students should “not to take anything too seriously” because “we’re teenagers - not everything is

ow having graduated Malden High School ranking 6th in her class, senior Maha Kourikchi is able to look back on her experience as being memorable and an important part of her life. She is now ready to move on to college and attending Bucknell University in the fall, Kourikchi has high hopes for her future.

Everyone’s high school experience is different, however, in most cases, these years are very formative and important in one’s life.

Reflecting back on her time at MHS, Kourikchi expresses that “[she was] so fortunate to have attended a school as diverse and unique as [MHS and although] there have been times where [she] felt overwhelmed and stressed out, [she feels] as though MHS has allowed [her] to mature and grow as an individual.”

Transitioning into college is never an easy task, however, Kourikchi also expresses that her time at MHS “has especially prepared [her] for the future and for college.” Considering Kourikchi found her years at MHS very significant, “[she] found [her]self taking part in more clubs, sports, and activities; [meeting] some of [her] closest friends this way” which inevitably made her time throughout high school all the more memorable and on the whole, enjoyable.

Kourikchi, along with many graduating seniors, can look back on their high school years and realize some moments are naturally more memorable than others. For Kourikchi, her most memorable experiences were with Poetry Out Loud. Confessing that “hearing people recite poetry has always been something [she has] enjoyed” she also found it challenging and rewarding to “recite a poem of [her] choice” but she looks back on the experience as being “super exciting.” Since poetry has always been an interest to Kourikchi, it is really no wonder that in her experiences with Poetry Out Loud she made it “to the semi finals both [her] junior and senior year” and although she had the opportunity to recite a poem she liked, this experience was also beneficial to her in other ways.

When asked about the overall experience of moving onto the semifinal rounds, Kourikchi remembers that “presenting in front of an entire audience was terrifying, but it was also exhilarating” for her and this opportunity helped her “overcome [her] fear of public speaking by becoming more confident and less afraid of putting [her]self out there” which Kourikchi finds “absolutely incredible.”

Memorable experiences such as Poetry Out Loud made Kourik-

chi’s time in MHS meaningful, be different, because staying true however, she also managed to find to oneself is extremely important” strong strides academically. Taking and also to “get as involved as posa variety of AP classes, Kourikchi sible and to not be afraid to try new expresses that “[her] favorite subject things [because] high school is the would have to be science [because] perfect place to try new things, make there is just something so intriguing mistakes, and essentially grow from about learning how the human body these mistakes.” works, as well as how the world Kourikchi plans on going to around us works.” With this passion college in the fall with the same for science, Kourikchi “[hopes she] mindset as she hopes to gain “lifecan pursue a career that relates to long friends [and to] acquire a better science in the future.” Kourikchi ex- understanding of who [she is] as an presses that “the teachers [she had] individual.” were what made these classes so much more enjoyable [and] even though these classes assigned a lot of work and were overwhelming at times, [she does] not regret taking them.”

On the whole, Kourikchi will be able to look back on her high school years with few regrets. Throughout her four years at MHS, she has found that “what differentiates you from others can sometimes feel like a burden, but it is actually what makes you great.” With this, she also states that she would encourage incoming freshman “to not be afraid to Photo submitted by Maha Kourikchi

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7. Bestine Cong Julie Lam Managing Editor of Local

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s the year comes to an end, seniors across Malden High School are ready to turn to the next chapter. Among those seniors stands Bestine Cong, who is ranked as seventh in her class. Throughout Cong’s four years of high school, she was able achieve an outstanding GPA while being able to juggle other after school activities.

Although Cong is recognized as one of MHS’s top students academically, she is also very involved in sports. Starting from a very young age, Cong was a part of club swim team and also the MHS swim team the beginning of her freshmen year.

Cong swam for the MHS swim team all four years and also was also able to help bring MHS the Greater Boston League champion title during her junior and senior years as captain.

Throughout her excellent athletic

Photo by Julie Lam

8. Benny Guan Sumya Mohiuddin Head of Local

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ith high goals and a strong work ethic, Benny Guan proved to be academically successful in his endless endeavors during his time at Malden High School.

Deciding to take Advanced Placement United States History became a turning point in Guan’s life.

The class taught him “about time management due to sheer workload, which was extremely difficult [for him].” However, he continued to take challenging courses and endured the struggles from each of them.

After taking many classes, Guan found an interest in biology and computer science. Now, he can easily advise upcoming freshmen to “take all the opportunities given to [them], and to take all the Honors and AP classes that interest [them].”

Science teacher Shannon Votaw enjoyed her time with Guan in the classroom. She will not forget his good personality and sense of humor, which proves that he is “not all about facts.” Guan is a mixture of compelling thoroughness and admirable humor.

Guan was not all about academics: he enjoyed sports and clubs as well. Guan has been apart of the Badminton Club since sophomore year, where he “learned about teamwork.” During his senior year,

The Blue and Gold Graduation 2014

Guan widened his scope of activities by joining the Asian American Club, in which he learned more about his culture, and Chemistry Club, in which he learned that “chemistry was not the best subject for him.”

Guan learned a lot about himself while participating in his extracurricular activities.

Among many other MHS seniors, Guan ended his year by completing an five weeks of internship.

Working in Mayor Gary Christenson’s office gave Guan great experience in computer programming while in a new environment. Guan also copied, filed, and sorted forms.

Every summer, Mayor Christenson offers summers jobs to local students, and Guan was responsible for reading those forms, which included an essay. It was a different kind of work than he was used to.

Although he originally wanted to work for a software programming company in Boston, he learned a lot in retrospect.

Among many of Guan’s teachers, guidance counselors can agree that Guan is a studious and diligent worker; after some time, they can also agree that he has a great sense of humor. Boyle House guidance counselor Erin Craven started working with Guan his sophomore year; it was easy to notice Guan’s diligent

achievements, Cong was awarded as the “MHS Athlete of the Year” at the end of this year. Cong expresses that she would love to continue her swimming career at Bucknell if there is a club team. MHS swim team coach Jessica Bisson describes Cong as very “hardworking,” who always “pushes to achieve what she wants.”

Unfortunately, with her busy schedule, Cong does not believe she could handle swimming with the Division 1 team. Cong was also a part of the crew team her junior year.

Along her journey through high school, Cong has learned many things from her peers. One of her favorite things about high school is that “it really opened [her] up to so many different perspectives and beliefs.” Throughout her high school career, Cong also expresses her love for the experience of meeting many different people. When trying to specifically name a certain person that inspired her, Cong couldn’t just think of one. Cong reveals that there are many people that have influenced her including “[her] parents, friends, coaches, and teachers.”

Cong also mentions that they all “[play] a significant part in influencing who [she is].”

Throughout most students’ high school career, they are bound to step out of their comfort zone.

For Cong it was to take AP Physics.

Cong expresses the level of difficulties of physics considering that she

had no prior knowledge of it. After experience the course Cong also admits that physics is “unnaturally difficult,” and signing up for the class was a kind of “spur of the moment thing” where she thought she “might as well take it since it’s different” from other classes she has taken.

Since the fourth grade, Cong had strong feelings towards her studies of the Italian language.

Cong confessed that “[her] absolute favorite subject, without a doubt, is Italian.” With her love and passion for the Italian language, Cong has concluded that she will be majoring in Italian while attending Bucknell University.

While attending Bucknell, Cong will actually be double majoring in biochemistry as well. Although Cong reveals that she isn’t sure what career she wants in the future, one of her goals are to fluently speak Italian and “go backpacking through Italy one day.”

As for next year, Cong plans to have a “balanced and productive first year at Bucknell,” and also be able to maintain her academics.

Cong also plans to be involved with sports, clubs and meet as many new people as she possibly can.

Before leaving MHS, Cong advises underclassmen to not “be afraid of anything or anyone and if there’s something you want… work to earn it.”

“Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.

-Anthony J. D’Angelo

personality and the “confidence [he had] about his academics.”

Craven advises Guan to “remember to have a good time inside and outside of the classroom.” Votaw, similarly, reminds Guan to “enjoy college and the freedom.”

High school has taught Guan to challenge himself as much as he can, and because of that, Guan has reached his full potential. This following fall, Guan will be attending Boston University, where he plans “to dual major in computer science and biology.”

Apart from his academic studies, Guan wishes to meet more peo-

ple from around the world, similar to MHS. The unique diversity the high school has to offer intrigued Guan, and he hopes to keep that part with him wherever he goes.

Top Ten Profiles

The Blue and Gold Graduation 2014

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9. Margaret Chiavelli

Andrew Cogliano Reporter

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ften times in high school, one must go outside his or her comfort zone in order to attain truly remarkable results. In the case of Maggie Chiavelli, this is definitely true. Through hard work and sheer determination, Chiavelli managed to secure a spot on the coveted top

ten list at MHS, coming in at number nine.

Chiavelli has graduated MHS, and currently plans on attending Northeastern university. With a constantly changing major - going from chemical engineering to “political science or economics or Italian,” Chiavelli states that, frankly, she “has no idea what [she] wants to do.”

As far as her academic success goes, she is unsure as to exactly how she did so well. “I have no idea [how I did so well], it just kind of happened,” she says. Her parents are obviously pleased at their daughters performance, but Chiavelli states that they never pushed her to do well.

Looking back at her high school career, Chiavelli gives major thanks to both her family and some teachers that helped her along the way. Chiavelli thanks Italian teacher Mrs. Leuzzi, saying that she was “one of the nicest people” she’s met, and that she always knew exactly what to say, especially during her final and most stressful year. Her AP Statistics teacher Mrs. Joyce made taking AP Stats easy for Chiavelli, despite it being her first AP class, which she took sophomore year. “It was hard, but she made it

10. Allan La P.J. Montezuma Head of Sports

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inishing his senior year at Malden High School, Allan La is ranked number ten in the class of 2014. La has many accomplishments alongside his impressive ranking for someone who does as much as he does in and outside of the school.

During his time at MHS, La ran indoor track, outdoor track, cross country, and participated in gymnastics and tennis. Not being shy to trying new things, he was also successful, as he was a Greater Boston League All-Star for cross country and tennis.

However, La’s favorite memories come from his experience being on MHS break dancing team Air Bound. He enjoyed seeing Air Bound blow up and become more

known as the years went on.

His freshman year, the group was not at the show-closer level yet, but they have now closed Junior Varieties for the last three years in a row. They also perform at the Pep Rally during MHS Spirit Week, as well as fundraisers. La feels that Air Bound “is the best, and [he] considers each and everyone of them family. Air Bound is forever, and will never fade.” No memory tops his performance at the 2014 Junior Varieties. La had injured his ankle days befor the show and could not practice his biggest stunt, which was a back flip. With all the anxiety and adrenaline he was filled with, and even with the injury, La completed the stunt flawlessly. “[He] landed the flip perfectly and [he] heard the reaction of the crowd. That is [his] favorite memory.”

La has lived in Malden since he

doable,” says Chiavelli. Finally, Mr. Hurley, who Chiavelli had for her “awesome” AP Government class, encouraged students to “have real discussions about important issues,” which Chiavelli enjoyed very much.

As far as going outside of her comfort zone goes, Chiavelli mentions that she took Arabic classes at Bunker Hill Community College through dual enrollment during her junior year. “It was definitely the best decision I made in high school,” states Chiavelli, adding that she highly recommends that everyone takes classes that way. Chiavelli was nervous that it was going to be too difficult for her to complete successfully, but she ended up really enjoying the material.

Attaining top ten status is one of the biggest achievements a high school student can accomplish. It often takes endless studying, and nights spent alone, crouched in

front of a computer monitor in order to complete every assignment and still have time to sleep. Chiavelli is a prime example of the rewards that can be won just by pure academic effort. It is important to remember that without the aid of good teachers and a supporting family, Chiavelli might not have been on the list.

An education is a combination of perseverance by the student and effort by the teacher. With a bright and shining future ahead of her, Chiavelli looks back fondly at her years at MHS, remembering the struggles, but also the adventures she had when leaving her comfort zone. Her dual enrollment classes made her a desirable candidate for colleges as well as taught her a valuable skill that she couldn’t have obtained anywhere else. Chiavelli’s perseverance serves as an inspiration to other students, pushing them to try their best and always think of their futures.

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

-Maya Angelou was a second grader at Beebe School. During his journey of growing up, he has had his best friend, senior Danny Chen, alongside him. They have been best friends for the last 10 years and have done everything together, like breakdance, play basketball, play tennis, run cross country and even take the same classes. La hopes that Chen makes it big in college.

La will be attending Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. He “wanted to get away from Massachusets, do [his] own thing, have a new start.” La plans on going there for engineering; although, he is not sure what type of engineering he wishes to pursue, he will take time to think about this once he starts taking classes in the fall.

Congratulations and Good Luck class of 2014!

- From your Guidance Counselors Ms. Craven, Ms. O’Connor, Ms. Lipinski, Ms. Lessard, Ms. Karamcheti, Mr. Sadowski, and Ms. Northrop

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The Blue and Gold Graduation 2014

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Passing the light to a new future James Mazarakis Head of Opinions

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he National Honor Society carries on the tradition of inaugurating its newest members and officers, as well as saying goodbye to old ones, in its annual Induction Ceremony.

On this day, Apr. 30, 2014, adviser Paul Marques expressed the impression this year’s officers and students have had on the community.

He described their projects as among “the most successful... ever,” and congratulated the students for their hard work.

After the traditional candle lighting ceremony, the new officers were officially given their roles.

Junior and Blue and Gold Member Julie Lam was inaugurated the new president, accompanied by new Vice President and junior Olivia Verdone, new secretary and junior Sebastian Patino, and treasurer and sole sophomore Madeline Lam. Both tears and laughs filled the room as NHS’s seniors described the gratitude they had for family members, particularly their parents, and others.

Following this was the awarding ceremony for teacher, staff, and role model of the year. Both Berenice Diaz and Jennifer Rogowicz, math teachers at MHS, were awarded teacherof-the-year. Also, House Principal Diane Klibansky received the Lifetime Achievement award, where she modestly noted that she was just one part of the success that was Malden High School. Klibansky was “honored,” though she remarked that it “goes to the teachers and staff that process studies,” and share the honor with her. Klibansky will be retiring at the end of this year.

The Role-Model-of-the-Year award was granted to Spanish teacher Mar Marjomaa this year, whom many students felt had given incredible guidance and empowerment throughout her years of training.

Marjomaa gave a humbled speech in response to the high honor.

The event concluded with a viewing of NHS members’ presentations of their projects, which included charities, service projects, and fundraisers.

From top left, clockwise: Senior Bestine Cong speaking about scholarship. Mayor Gary Christenson making a speech to the audience. NHS inductees reciting the induction pledge. Spanish teacher Mar Marjomaa making a speech after winning mentor-of-the-year. NHS seniors receiving graduating sash and book. New officers being inducted by former officers. Senior NHS president Winnie Chen giving a speech. Math teacher Berenice Diaz giving a speech after winning co-teacher of the year. NHS members on stage. NHS members receiving their pins. Math teacher Jennifer Rogowicz giving a speech after winning co-teacher of the year. Photos by James Mazarakis. Collage by Tatyanna Cabral Senior Winnie Chen passes the light to new president Julie Lam, which symbolizes her new leadership role. Photo by James Mazarakis

Bestine Cong presenting her speech on scholarship. Photo by James Mazarakis

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The Blue and Gold Graduation 2014

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10th Annual Laps for Leslie

Emma Ceplinskas Reporter Manale Zouhir Reporter

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his year, 2014, marks a decade since the annual Laps for Leslie event began.

The event is in memory of Leslie Razzino, a former Malden High School student who battled cancer and passed away at the age of 18. During her time at MHS, Razzino was a member of the MHS track team and also developed a passion for poetry. Laps for Leslie honors Razzino’s memory while also raising money for scholarships that are given to female MHS students on the track team with the same passion for running and writing as Razzino displayed.

Razzino’s mother, Karen Razzino, launched Laps for Leslie “as a way to remember [Leslie] and the love she had for track and writing,” expressed Karen Razzino.

The event took place at Macdonald Stadium on May 21, 2014 and received a huge turnout with participants from MHS students and fac-

Counterclockwise from top right: The Razzino family posing for a picture. Sophomores Bianca Alves and Michael Light posing for a picture.

Several members from the outdoor track team.

Sophomores Wentana Ghile and Deborah Kibazo posing for a picture. Seniors Diamond Jones and Regine Exume and Joseph Levine.

All photos by Emma Ceplinskas

Because of the tireless efforts of the Malden community and former teacher Karen Razzino, nine to ten scholarships were awarded to senior girls who achieved excellence in track and poetry on Awards Nights, which occurred on June 3, 2014.

Image of Leslie Razzino’s track jersey. ulty, as well as other members of the Malden community.

Located outside of the track was a table set up for donations with Razzino’s track uniform on display.

Purple wristbands with the title of the event as well as Razzino’s name inscripted on it were handed out before starting the event. Participants made their way to the track where they could either walk or run the event.

“Each year the event gets big-

From left to right: Sophomore Laura Suarez, senior Christine Le, principal Dana Brown, and junior Michelle Menesses.

ger and bigger,” stated Karen Razzino. Senior Daniel Gould, who has participated in Laps for Leslie all four of his years at MHS, remarked, “It is great to see so many people here after ten years, which speaks a lot about the character of the school and our community. You do not have to be an athlete to participate; you just have to be willing to give up some of your time for this great cause.”

“We are keeping the memory of Leslie alive with this great event,” added sophomore Sabrina Harrath who participated in her second Laps for Leslie.

Depending on the amount of donations collected, several scholarships are given to members on the girls track team who have the same love of track and poetry as Razzino did. Recipients of the scholarship are required to first write an essay about their passion for track or provide three original poems. At the Senior Awards night the scholarships will be presented.

So far, 45 scholarships have been awarded over the years.

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The Blue and Gold Graduation 2014

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&Singing Into Spring%

Watch excerpts from the Spring Concert on YouTube! Video by Chaimae El Adlouni and Ashley Leung.

Chaimae El Adlouni Reporter Ashley Leung Reporter

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he spring concert happens every May at Malden High School and always showcases the vast talent of hardworking performers. Put on by Malden High School’s Choral Arts Society, the show is one of extreme excellence, by any standard.

The Choral Arts society has put a lot of effort and time into making the spring concert the best it can be by “having daily rehearsals” explains music teacher Todd Cole. On May 7, the different levels of chorus performed songs. Some of them included solos by soloists freshman Sarah Beaton, sophomore Sarah Bendell, and junior Abigaëlle Leblance.

The choir joined together to perform for the audience. Bendell explained how the group “looks out for one another, takes care of each other.”

Different varieties of music such as spirituals, folksongs, pop songs, and Renaissance music were performed in the past. Bringing a different style to this year’s concert, there were songs performed in English, Latin, Creole, German, French, Czech, and Italian.

The concert began with the Mixed Chorus, starting the show off with “The Rhythm of Life” from Sweet Charity. After, they performed “Et In Terra Pax”, and then introduced Beaton with her solo for “Where’re You Walk”, a song that all of the members of Mixed Chorus

Above from left to right: The Malden High School’s choir singing at the annual spring concert. Soloists junior Abigaëlle Leblance, sophomore Sarah Bendell, and freshman Sarah Beaton singing during the performance. have practiced in class before. After, they performed the song “Wangol” and “An die Musik”, both of which were in different languages. The last song the Mixed Chorus sang was “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel”, which is also Cole’s favorite song that the Mixed Chorus performed because of the high energy.

After the Mixed Chorus left the stage, the Madrigal Singers came onto the risers. They performed several different songs, such as “Flora Gave Me Fairest Flowers,” “Mia Benigna Fortuna,” “Leave, Alas, This Tormenting,” “Lean on Me,” and “If We Only Have Love.”

Their performances were in a variety of different languages, delighting the audience.

Following the Madrigal Sing-

ers the Concert Choir took over the show. They sang many different songs, with “From the End of the Earth,” and “Prsi, Prsi.”

Cole hopes that the singers will take his advice. He also expressed that “progress is made in little steps.

The choir does their absolute best to amaze the audience as well as themselves.”

In the future, he advises the singers to “practice [their] music and practice [their] craft,” and that knowing music and actually executing good vocal technique are different things. In the show, seniors were given roses as a token of their hard work and commitment to the choir; the seniors also did a group song as a memory of their last moments in chorus.

Left to right: Malden High School’s Madrigal singers performing and the mixed choir finishing up the show.

Scan the QR codes below to watch some of the Blue & Gold’s best videos!

Malden High Boys Varsity Soccer 10/3/13

Oklahoma! A Documentary 12/11/13

74th Annual Junior Varieties 3/24/14

The Blue and Gold Gallery 5/2/14

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&Major Changes% Nicholas Bramante Reporter

Andrew Cogliano Reporter

quiet shuffling of feet and soft chatter filled the Jenkins auditorium, followed by the mellow notes of a piano; it was the night of the Malden High School’s annual band concert. Seats had been filled as the clock struck seven and the lights in the auditorium dimmed. First up were the opening acts, complete with renditions of modern songs such as Alicia Key’s “If I Ain’t Got You.” Aside from the presence of mentor John Natelli, the performances were all student-driven. That being said, the quality of the performances rose well above simply “student-driven” as they were executed on par with professional expertise.

The performances took a nostalgic turn as a tribute to The Beatles was initiated, with versions of songs including the famous “Hey Jude.”

Each song was followed by a roar of applause, as spectators clearly enjoyed the trip down memory

lane. At times the crowd even joined in on the performance by rhythmically clapping along in usual Malden style. As the final notes faded into the air, small introductions in between performances usually gave way to laughter as Natelli broke the already thin ice. In a change of tone and style, Malden High School’s famous jazz group followed the throwbacks.

The mellow tones of jazz were suddenly broken at times by the occasional guitar or drum solo, which often filled the crowd with energy and were followed with roaring applause. The final performance that would close the show that night would be Malden High’s very own Golden Tornado Concert Band.

As the curtains were pulled away, the Band was unveiled. Before the performance, Natelli took the time to honor the leaving seniors calling them “a wonderful group of kids.”

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The MHS Concert Band on stage accompanied by John Natelli.

Blue and Gold member James Mazarakis playing the euphonium and Austin Marrow. Photo by Nick Bramante

“This show meant more than anything else.”- John Natelli With nicknames like “The Mellow Master” and “Future Congresswoman,” the powerful bond shared within the Golden Tornado Concert Band was clearly expressed that night. With percussion and wind instruments gleaming in the limelight, the band began and finished its performance.

This year’s concert was no easy task to put together, as the transition to a new mentor and instructor proved to be an interesting task for the band to say the least. Even with all the troubles the band faced this year, mentor John Natelli was more than pleased with how everything came together. “I’ve been teaching for eight years, and I think this show meant more than anything else,”

explains Natelli, as this year has proven to be both an emotional and difficult ride. He explained that this year has been “challenging” because of the sudden introduction of a new instructor. “You have these kids who are used to a certain style of teaching, and they have to acclimate to your teaching just as you have to acclimate to them.” These challenges however, are what made this year so important to Natelli as he believes “those challenges make for a better learning experience” both for himself and for the band as a whole.

Natelli is “absolutely”looking forward to his next years at Malden High School, and is prepared for whatever new obstacles may come the band’s way.

A Night of Rememberance: Immortalizing Paul Famiglietti Nicholas Bramante Reporter

“It’s a great tribute, to a great guy.” - Principal Dana Brown

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Above: The Famiglietti family under Paul Famiglietti’s memorial. Left: The plaque in honor of Famiglietti, housed in the Jenkins auditorium.

s the Jenkins House doors slid open May 29th, a nostalgic silence was set over Malden High School’s auditorium. Family members, faculty, and MHS students alike gathered within the Jenkins auditorium to once again pay respect to and remember a now missing piece of Malden High School: Paul “Fam” Famiglietti.

The dedication ceremony was held in order to commemorate the completion and reveal of a plaque, an immortalization of the man that was Paul Famiglietti. The eerie quiet was soon replaced with the soft, yet joyful chatter of family members, students, and faculty alike. An energy of hope flowed throughout the halls of Malden High School as people truly remembered who

Paul Famiglietti was and what he brought to the community, rather than the fact that he is now gone.

“He meant so much to Malden High School” explained MHS principal Dana Brown. The completion of the plaque now present in Jenkins Auditorium, means that Malden High School will never forget the name “Fam.” In his time at MHS, Famiglietti contributed an incredible amount to a full spectrum of Malden High’s programs and events. Even as new generations of students are admitted to MHS who have never known Famiglietti, his memory lives on forever both now in spirit and within the school itself.

“I miss him to this day, so doing this tonight was the very least we could do for him.”

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The Blue and Gold Graduation 2014

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2014 Special Olympics M

acDonald Stadium was filled with Malden High School students and faculty along with Special Olympic athletes from surrounding towns on May 8th, 2014 for the annual Malden Special Olympics.

The stadium was decorated with flags and banners and a vividly energetic atmosphere. MHS student volunteers and staff arrived bright and early to prepare for the event, making final touches to the work they had done the previous night to set up and decorate MacDonald Stadium.

Special Olympic events happen throughout the country, honoring those with special needs and giving them a day to enjoy themselves and overall feel good. Every year in Malden, it is a tradition that is never missed. MHS always honors this event, as it is vital to those who participate and care about this event.

Local schools in Malden attended the event as well as schools from Wakefield, Medford and Melrose. All of the athletes made their way through a path paved with pepfilled volunteers to their designated areas at the other end of the stadium. They had their picture taken, were given high-fives, and overall cheered for by MHS students.

Principal Dana Brown then announced the schools and the athletes walked to the center of the field where oaths were said. Senior Jesse Memolo sang the national anthem and Mayor Gary Christensen and co-superintendent of Malden Public Schools also spoke before the games began.

The games began with events such as the 50- and 100-meter race as well as shot put. At both ends of

Manale Zouhir Reporter

the field were stations with medals for the athletes where they would pose on pedestals and receive their awards. Outside of the field was a tent set up for arts and crafts where the athletes could have their faces painted by volunteers or play with soccerballs and be involved in other recreational activities in between their scheduled events.

This year had the most volunteers since it started, with over 100 MHS students helping out. Usually there is a goal for 60-80 students, but this year was different. This helped give almost every individual specific attention from a volunteer, making the event more successful.

This counted as an excused absence from school for students for the entire day.

Most volunteers were each assigned a school or a station to help out with, and stayed there during the event. Other stations included handing out awards, arts and crafts, face painting, bubbles, stickers, lunch, and more. There were also board games that volunteers and athletes played together, and some volunteers read to those in their specific section. The volunteers did whatever it would take to make the event successful and the athletes happy.

Overall, the 2014 Special Olympics was a huge success and kept the participants overjoyed. “These kids don’t have someone cheering them on the way that [MHS student athletes] do, and that’s why today is really important,” added Scibelli. The participants were glad to have a day that focused entirely on them, and could not help but leave MacDonald Stadium with a grin from ear to ear.

Scan this QR code to view a video about Special Olympics!

All photos by Myle Nguyen, Emma Ceplinskas, and Manale Zouhir

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Final Farewells Diane Kliblansky

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iane Klibansky, house principal of Jenkins, says her final farewell to Malden High School as the 2013-2014 school year comes to a close. With her retirement, Klibansky will be sincerely missed by her fellow staff and the student body of MHS. Klibansky has dedicated 17 long years at MHS. Klibansky was also involved for six years in the middle school level as a reading specialist in the Title 1 program.

MHS is a place she described as “a wonderful place to work,” because she “loved all the people [she’s] worked with.”

Klibansky is excited yet sad to have finally reached the end of her time at MHS. Looking back, she described her favorite memory at MHS being “when [the school] finally finished putting the school into 4 houses [as] it gave [her] own territory” to be in charge of.

A beloved member of the MHS community, fellow house principals Marilyn Slattery, Nathan Lamar, and Christopher Mastrangelo, have had the pleasure of knowing Klibansky beyond her job description.

Holland house principal Slattery described her as a “friend” with “a very good sense of humor.” Boyle house principal Mastrangelo called her a “mentor,” and concluded he has learned more from her than she may even realize. Mastrangelo adds that Klibansky is always one to “respect people enough to be totally honest with them.” The Boyle house principal also mentions saying whenever he needed someone to balance him out, he “reached out to her” for help. Mastrangelo spoke highly of Klibansky’s remarkable

Tenzin Dorjee Reporter

ability to somehow “find a way to forge connections with people.”

Lamar, house principal of Brunelli, highlighted another strong trait about Klibansky which is to be able to truly listen to others. Lamar describes that she always “allows [students] [to] talk all the way through,” to hear them out before saying anything in return.

All three principals agreed that Klibansky, in the words of Mastrangelo, “is one of the most professional people [they have] ever met.”

Slattery even additionally says that Kiblansky always kept the three “in line” with due dates and such.

She even went on to jokingly add that Klibansky is almost like “Mr. Brown’s work wife [as] she reins him in too.”

With the jokes aside, Lamar said sincerely that Klibansky “will be greatly missed.” However, Mastrangelo also expressed his excitement for her as now she will be able to “spend all [her] time with her grandkids.” Lastly, Slattery expresses with one phrase, but with great meaning, “dasvidanya”, which is Russian, for ‘goodbye’, since Klibansky is Russian.

Now with more time on her hands, while the she will miss MHS and all the memories created with her fellow staff and students, she is excited to be able to get “to do a little traveling, being with her grandchildren,” and jokingly added, “[and] more sleep.”

MHS will forever be grateful for the service that Diane Klibansky has dedicated to us. The MHS student body and staff wish her all the best.

From left to right: Kathleen Devito, Diane Klibansky, and Carol Mastromauro

Kathleen Devito Karina Matos Reporter

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ince 1975, Kathleen Devito has been a part of the Malden High School staff, supporting and caring for her students as they go forward in life. She has always wanted the best for MHS and it’s students. So after all the time she has spent being an asset to the school, we are sad to see her go.

Devito is “constantly pushing [her students] to do better,” said principal Dana Brown, which we can see through all the things she does for them. He also mentions that she is a, “ big follower of MHS athletics and [can] be spotted at most big games.” She could “always be counted on,” principal Brown said confidently, “to assist us in any way we need.”

Even though Devito is leaving, she will take with her the many wonderful memories that she has made here at MHS. She says that one of the things she will miss the most about working at MHS, will always be “the interaction with the kids and the extraordinary teachers here.”

Teaching at MHS has changed her life because it helped “expose [her] to such a diverse population and [she had the opportunity to] learn from the many cultures here at MHS.” She included that “the city has surely changed since [she] went to school here.” Some of her favorite memories here are “working with [her] health classes and of course working on extra curricular events.”

While Devito is sad to retire, she believes it is time because she wants to begin “another chapter,” in her life.

After her retirement, Devito plans to “volunteer at the Stillwater stables [in her] town in exchange for riding the horses there.” She also plans to spend her retirement with her “husband and [they] plan to travel a little and enjoy [their] grandchildren.” Principal Brown wishes her “nothing but health and happiness as she enters the next phase of her life.”

Teacher Carol Mastromauro was profiled in October for winning the Model U.N. Teacher of the Year Award. Check out the video on her various achievements as an enthusiastic history teacher!

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All photos by Amanda De Moraes. Prom collage by Amanda De Moraes and Casey Lyons.

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The Blue and Gold Graduation 2014

The Blue and Gold Graduation 2014

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Malden High Drama Presents:

On opposite page, from top to bottom: “Even Hitler had a Girlfriend”, which features sophomores Sajeanah Cadet as Kim, Zach Foster as Spencer and Alex Silva as Doctor. “Alas Poor Yorick”, which featured seniors Michael Howe as Seth and Bridget McCarthy as Olivia. “The Dining Room”, which features senior Stefaun Tallent as Father.

Emma Ceplinskas Reporter Manale Zouhir Reporter

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s school comes to an end for the year, there are a few Malden High School traditions that must be honored. One of these is the Play Production’s spring play, which is different every year. This year’s play included two short plays and a finale of a much longer play called The Dining Room. Junior Sebastian Patino called this year “definitely one of the best spring productions.”

Play Production directors Sean Walsh and Allen Phelps collaborated

First row, left to right: Seniors Justine Rose as Grace and Stivia Demiri as Carolyn. Junior Bailey Reed as Arthur and sophomore Ali Fletcher as Sally. Seniors Stefaun Tallent as Father and Jennifer Alves as Annie.

Second row, left to right: Michael Lane as Howard and Ellie Cordero as Elie and senior Robyn Farrell as Mother. Sally with Annie and Father. Senior Cori Malone as Peggy and senior Craig Powers as Ted with junior Kaitlyn Weng as Winky, sophomore Sabrina Kumar as Sandra and senior Sam Collins as Brewster. to make the play possible. “The maturity level and expectation of greatness were raised on the directors’ part. They wanted a well performed show.”

The short plays “Even Hitler Had a Girlfriend,” and “Alas Poor Yorick” were both written by MHS seniors. This demonstrates the skill that the students clearly have. Walsh expressed that, “We did two student written plays that I picked because I thought they were ready to stage and interesting.”

The first short play, “Even Hitler Had a Girlfriend” was co-written by seniors Sarah Zeiberg and Stefaun Tallent-Maldonado. It featured MHS sophomores Sajeanah Cadet, Alex Silva and Zach Foster. The two played extremely contrasting characters which signaled a love interest between them. Not only was this comical but enjoyable for the audience.

The next play, “Alas Poor Yorick” written by senior Jason Drapinski, featured both romance and hu-

mor. The characters were played by seniors Michael Howe and Bridget McCarthy, who were workers at a morgue with a love affair. They were accompanied by junior Corey McFeely, who played a dead body.

This was also a crowd-pleaser, with a fusion of both dramatic and comedic elements.

These plays opened up for the much longer play: The Dining Room.

This had many different storylines yet all tied together with the

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“The Dining Room” and Other Appetizers

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setting. All the characters in this dining room had a different story, but all of them were affected by the room.

Sophomore Sarah Bendell expressed that, “The Dining Room was such a fun show to do because there were so many characters and stories.

For a lot of people, they got to play types of characters they’ve never played before...it was so exciting to see people broadening their skills and challenging themselves.”

The different plot focuses within the play contributed to the play’s diversity in actors. “We have a lot of actors lurking in the shadows and they had a chance to come out of their shells and perform in a strong way,” added Walsh.

The play was a satire on White Anglo-Saxon Protestant (WASP) culture that took place in the 1960s. It immediately grabbed the audience’s attention without any dull moments, with once again a combination heartfelt moments and humor.

The seating for these plays was limited, as the set up was different. It took place in the Jenkins auditorium like usual, but the seating arrangements were on the stage rather than in actual seats in the auditorium. The arrangement caused people to be closer to the action and understand what was going on clearer.

This also meant that tickets must have been purchased in advance, causing a sell out nearly all nights. Sophomore Kamila Regalado added that, “It

was a great show, especially since the seniors are leaving. They taught us a lot.”

The setting of The Dining Room gave a homey feeling and was equipped with furniture and decor to add to the attitude. “Getting our dining room table, chairs, and alcohol cabinet [was a highlight to the play.] It really brought us into the world and we finally got to feel the real feeling of ‘our’ home,” added Patino.

The plays were all run mostly by the students with direction from Walsh and Phelps. Walsh added that “the students can do things on their own now.

They can paint the sets, build the sets, without us necessarily telling them what to do.”

It is not easy to put on a production and have it go well over four times straight, but somehow, MHS did it. The chemistry from the cast and crew was a necessary addition to this. As Patino expressed, “Every kid has found their place on the stage and no one feels like they don’t belong. Everybody learned that it is a team effort to make a great show.”

MHS Play Production could not have had such a successful play, however, if it were not for the ongoing dedication of the cast and crew, as well as the directors. Both Walsh and Phelps gave their utmost efforts to make this play the best it could be. They continue to improve and entertain the Malden community year after year.

MALDEN READS BOOKS FOR A FAREWELL DINNER Julia Parker Reporter

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alden Reads, an organization that influences young people of the community to get excited about reading, held a gala dinner on May 10th in order to “celebrate this year’s experience [they have] had”, says Linda Zalk, one who works with the Malden Reads organization. The event was hosted at Triangle Inc., a nonprofit organization that empowers kids with disabilities. Held as the fourth year of Malden Reads, and the second year of a gala dinner, the event represented what Zalk described as an “accommodating experience”.

This year, Malden Reads has accomplished many things to promote this year’s books: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot and Wonder by R.J. Palacio, and working with young adults and children about reading. Malden Reads has hosted many programs with children, and hosted many events outside those programs.

These events include panels “where dignitaries and people who

are very, very confident in the field” have spoke to the organization and had discussions with them, as said

by Zalk. Within these panels Malden Reads has especially focused on the topics of this year’s book.

In addition to these panels, the organization filmed series at multiple centers throughout the city. These centers include the senior center, the teen center, the Chinese Culture Center, and they “also had book discussions at the teen center and at the library with [their] celebrities”. Mei Hung, executive director of the Chinese Culture Center, confirms that they have done many events with Malden Reads. “This is [their] way of introducing American culture to those who also support Chinese culture” says Hung.

Malden Reads has also hosted many events at the middle schools, where they try to fully impact their target. “[The middle schools] also partner with [Malden Reads] to work with the title one programs,” which helps kids who live in poverty, stated Zalk. As part of the No Child Left Behind legislation, Malden Reads has really tried to get kids excited about English literature, and tries to

give them the materials they need as well. Malden Reads even had a film night at the schools, which was collaborated with the city-wide PTO organization.

Mayor Christenson has supported this organization, and even attended many of these events himself. According to Zalk, “the most interesting part is David Stein has been doing many things with us”,

in the matter of helping out with events.

Altogether, the night seemed to be a success for Malden Reads, for many, many people showed to the dinner, and they all got together and had a great time in order to celebrate their achievements. It had been a 100 percent success.

From left to right, top to bottom: the tables are set up with drinks of water and a picture; Steven Ultrino pays for his entrance to Linda Zalk; guests wait for dinner to be served at their assorted tables; the books from this year’s Malden Reads are assorted for view; David Stein gives a speech to the guests of the dinner.

Photos by Julia Parker

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MHS Ranked in Top 50

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Annual Memorial

Felicia Fallano Reporter

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alden High School has recently been named one of the top high schools in Massachusetts, as we are the 51st in the state and 1,205th nationally. MHS has been in a similar spot in the past, but the school is especially proud of this year’s high ranking, MHS students walk into the school every year excited to not only achieve academic goals, but also to participate in programs that are offered such as sports, the arts, foreign languages, computer science, performing arts, and many more.

MHS school also offers a variety of Advanced Placement courses, which have a reported 52 percent participation rate. Principal Dana Brown believes that the students at MHS, “want a good and safe school, and the majority of students are respectful to the adults here.”

The students succeed in keeping the school safe thanks to an exceedingly hard working and dedicated staff who go above and beyond to make sure their students have all the tools they need to be successful. Jenkins House Principal Diane Klibansky believes that MHS has, “phenomenal teachers who are willing to do anything for students.”

Holland House principal, Marilyn Slattery says, “we believe that every student can learn and our teachers have high expectations, which makes the student work hard.” In agreement with Klibansky, Boyle House principal Christopher Mastrangelo also believes that we should continue with, “great instruction in classrooms and challenging curriculum. I see how hard teachers work and how much they care so much about our students.”

Despite the praise, no matter how successful a school may be, there is always room for improvement. According to Brunelli House principal Nathan Lamar, MHS’s “ranking is reflective of many of our strengths including our graduation rate and the number of students taking AP courses and passing AP courses.” However, he still sees, “many areas that we can work harder at,” such as the dropout rate, and increasing the average AP exam and SAT scores. Mastrangelo also believes we should, “continue to strive for better and improve in what we do.”

Despite grades being extremely important to students and staff members there are other factors that make MHS a great school, one of them being diversity. Klibansky believes that part of what makes MHS successful is the culture that has been established at MHS over the last 10 years.”

Known for always having a tremendous amount of school spirit, what matters most at MHS is the sense of community, dedication and hard work. Brown stated that he wasn’t surprised at the high ranking but he also does not, “put a lot of stock in rankings. Rankings are based on numbers and sometimes numbers aren’t based on people.”

Brown is more convinced that MHS is a great school not because of the ranking, but because students and staff , “do great things, have great kids, a wonderful staff that is hard working so even if [MHS was not]the 51st, [Brown] still [believes Malden has] a great school” and states that Malden students work hard to prove that MHS is a school which is successful beyond its ranking.

From Left to Right: Director of Veteran Services Kevin Jarvis and Mayor Gary Christenson listening to the speech, First Lieutenant Christopher Carney giving a speech to the students on Memorial Day, Ellie Cordero, Jesse Memmolo, and MHS principal Dana Brown listening as well.

Tenzin Dorjee Reporter

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emorial Day, formerly known as Decoration Day, is a day to honor service members who sacrificed their lives. This event was celebrated once more in Malden High School’s annual Memorial Day Assembly.

The tradition of the assem-

bly began “many years [ago] at Malden High School and then was stopped,” MHS principal Dana Brown explained. The tradition was redeveloped in 2003 by former house principal Thomas Mahoney, and since then, it has been held every year. Brown went on and

MHS Robotics Club Wins 4th Place Julie Lam Managing Editor of Local

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Malden High School is proud of their robotics club for achieving great success in the Botball competition this year.

mong many clubs and opportunities for Malden High School students to be involved with their community, there lies a small and tightly knit club that share their passion for programming: the Robotics Club of MHS. The Robotics Club originated around 2012 and slowly grew throughout the years.

The MHS Robotics Club consists of around eight members who are truly dedicated to the club. Throughout the year, the members of the club stay after school several times a week with their advisor and physics teacher Brian Morrison and technology education teacher Chris Bazzinotti to work on their latest projects.

After finishing their projects, the members compete in the Botball competition, which involves middle and high school all around Massachusetts, where they can gather and show their new inventions to others.

Last year, MHS the robotics team placed sixth out of twenty-four in the Botball competition. However, because of all their hard work, the brilliant members of the club placed fourth this year. Although fourth place was a great turn out for the club, they did not forget about how much work they put into their final product.

The members worked hard, especially “during the weeks prior to [their] competition, [when they] had meetings everyday after school for a few hours. Some weekends [they came] in to work on the robot as well,” revealed MHS senior Nidal Hishmeh. Their hard work was persistent because “[they] do whatever it takes, whether that means taking time after school, or taking time from [their]

vacations, or even waking up in the middle of the night on a Saturday to loudly announce a new idea to [their] neighbors,” responded senior co-president Ivan Chen.

One of their greatest accomplishments includes knocking Medford out of the competition twice. Another accomplishment includes senior co-presidents Chen and Wesley Liao’s success on their Roomba vacuum robot. After the Botball, which occurred on Apr. 12, 2014, the club has been very low key due to AP exams.

Some of their goals for next year includes “[planting] the flag of [MHS] in each and every one of our vanquished enemies.” With that in mind, the seniors are very confident that the selected juniors will bring home the win and represent the MHS Robotics Clubs well.

As the year slowly comes to an end, another future goal for the MHS Robotics Club includes winning the New England Regional Botball Tournament and being involved in more tournaments like Botball.

Co-president Liao expressed that one of the unique traits about this club is that “programming robots requires a lot of coordinated work.” The Robotics Club encourages new members to join, ones that would like to improve their time-management and team-work skills.

As the Robotics Club members finished recruiting their new representatives, Chen concluded that “after [their] Robotics version of American Idol was over, [they] added two new juniors to the crew, [Eugine Szeto and Jonathan Ye], who will be leading the charge into next year’s competition.”

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How to Build a Great City Hall

Day Assembly

Tatyanna Cabral Reporter Candela Diaz Reporter

O From Left to Right: Director of Veteran Services Kevin Jarvis, First Lieutenant Christopher Carney & Mayor Gary Christenson listening to the speech, MHS principal Dana Brown speaking about the importance of the holiday, Jesse Memmolo and Ellie Cordero tuning into the words of Brown. described Todd Cole, Choral Arts Society director, “as the unofficial advisor to the assembly [since] he organizes the program, involves the students, and works with the City of Malden Veterans Services Office to coordinate the assembly.”

The assembly was graced by the presences of Mayor Gary Christenson, the Director for Veterans Services at MHS, Kevin Jarvis, veteran

first lieutenant, Christopher Carney, and principal Brown. The event was put together with the help of students, such as senior Jessie Memmolo and junior Ellie Cordero.

The event began with the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence. It was then followed by students Memmolo and Cordero, who spoke about the history of the holiday while the other guests

spoke about their thoughts on the momentous day. Mayor Christenson invited choral arts student, senior Cori Malone, to thank her for her contribution as a singer for the city of Malden.

The event was closed with the MHS choral society, which ended yet another successful Malden High Memorial Day Assembly.

The Star Network of Malden Andrew Cogliano Reporter

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acking. In a world where nearly all information is saved, transmitted, and stored on the world wide web, this single word can send chills up anyone’s spine.

In recent years, as hackers have gotten more serious in their efforts, so have those who stand to stop them. These mostly unknown guardians of all of the world’s information have been forced to become even more resourceful and crafty in order to protect what we take for granted. The safety of a complex labyrinth of firewalls and codes; of usernames and passwords; of glitches and matrices, all rest in the hands of a few very talented, and very devoted, people.

The Malden computer network is currently under the watchful eye of Khanh Du, the lead programmer of the system. He is judge, jury, and executioner when it comes to hacking crimes. Du says that “all schools staff and student’s information” is inside the network, meaning that literally everything, from student ID numbers to teacher resumes, lies in the computers. None of the data is ever exported to outside sources.

In terms of hacking and safety, Du admitted that “like any other network, there are some old servers that we need to patch up or replace”. These older servers act as hosts for all other programs, and a flaw in a server can result in a huge information breach. Thankfully, the administrators thought ahead and installed a series of firewalls, and also gave teachers and staff some special clearance codes.

A common internet security program, a firewall works by scanning and sorting lines of code that are sent into a computer. Afterwards, the approved codes are transmitted through the firewall and into the rest of the computer, and the excess codes (which are usually malicious software programs) are rejected. For example, it is common for students to say “I can’t get to Facebook because the firewall won’t let it through.” Firewalls are a cornerstone of nearly every respectable network because of their simplicity as well as their effectiveness.

Firewalls pertain to general security, but hackers don’t follow those rules. Du was prepared for this, and also installed an intrusion detector into the Malden firewalls.

With this software buffing up the firewalls defense, Du and many other administrators will automatically know whenever there is a security

breach, or even an attempted one.

With hacking, a quick response is a good response, and these detectors allow for the quickest response possible. At the heart of the network there exists a platoon of antivirus software, which detects viruses by bringing up a “dictionary” of virus signatures, tracking the culprit, and then forcibly removing or destroying it.

The Malden network is what Du calls a “star network”. Much like its celestial namesake, all the independent networks are routed together to create a more secure whole. The protocols that Du and others take to ensure the safety of all of the information in Malden are tedious, but definitely worth it; one wrong move, one downed server, and the whole system could essentially collapse.

SCAN HERE TO Check out our website for other local news stories.

n Monday May 12th, the Malden Public Library held the annual event “Quiet, Please” hosted by Greg Crook, reporter for WBUR.org and the Providence Phoenix newspaper. The topic discussed was designing the “perfect” civic space, since city hall is being moved and rebuilt. Multiple residents of Malden came and discussed what a perfect city hall would look like to them.

First up was Barbara Tolstrup, who spoke about the history of the Malden City Hall. For the past century, the building has been moved and rebuilt multiple times. Before 2015, the building will need to be disoccupied, making it the sixth time the Malden City Hall is moving. Architect Nick Brooks, who worked for Sasaki designing the Dudley Square Municipal Office Facility in Boston, states that “the fundamental goal of the project was to design a 21st century municipal building that strengthened the community.” Despite already having chosen an architect, the project is being put on hold due to the budget crisis. The new building will be placed in the current YMCA parking lot.

Aaron Helfand spoke about what characteristics would make a good public space. One of the things discussed was form and function; what the space would look like and what kind of things will be able to be done there.

Helfand compared the city hall of Siena, Italy to the city hall of Boston, Massachusetts. In Siena, there is a wide range of open space, with retail in the first level of the buildings, while in Boston, the building is not proportional, does not provide retail stores, and the area is a ghost town by six o’clock.

At the end, many suggestions were made to improve the building, such as shade trees being planted. Many others had ideas to contribute such as having the city hall area not only be used for council meetings, but used as a space where the community can gather and interact One of the goals is that the building should expose the city’s diversity, including different restaurants of various ethnicities.

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A Step in the Right Direction

Co-coordinators of the Senior Internship were Taryn Belowsky and Patricia Laidley

Ashley Leung Reporter

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Chaimae El Adlouni Reporter

s the seniors prepared themselves for the outside world that awaits them after graduation, many decided to take on an internship.

On May 28, the seniors who had participated in an internship presented their work to the rest of the school.

Many of the seniors who took on an internship chose something that was related to what they plan to do in the future. Senior Cori Malone decided to do her internship at Malden’s Early Learning Center, as she plans to major in a career of teaching special education and wanted to work with young children to see if that truly is her passion. Senior Tammy Tan worked at the YMCA in financial matters, as she wanted learn more about business and money. The experience working at the Y went so well for her that she considers taking a business major in college.

Future adults faced the work-

ing world and were able to “take in the obstacles and lesson” they gained as said by senior Jacqueline Bouley. Throughout the gymnasium, immense posters of senior internships were displayed for all the students, teachers and adults to see.

Every poster or presentation had one thing in common which is the strong depth of interest the interns had for their internships, along with a general explanation of what exactly they did during their internship. Go-karts, presentations, and displays filled the room, along with the proud seniors who presented their displays to their teachers and peers.

In total, the serious forms tuned internships helpful to their futures, as it taught them what the real work world was like, along with the importance of time management. The senior displayed impeccable efforts on their posters, some showed examples of their work and others showed their work to everyone.

From left to right: Cori Malone and her internship poster of the Early Learning center. Vania Andrade and Nafterlyne Corney with her internship poster of the Marines recruitment center. Derek Mauriello and his internship poster of the Malden High School crew. Britney Lafauci and her internship poster of MGH Urology. Erin McInnis and Rachel Robbio and their internship poster of of Spaulding Rehabilitation. Levar Simpson, Tyler Baxter, and the tech department volunteers with their Go-kart that was made at the tech department. Nicholas Ward, Thao Pham, Philip Glynn and their internship poster of Karnival. Neoama Bourote and her internship poster of City Hall. All photos by Chaimae El Adlouni and Ashley Leung

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ALUMNI Hall of fame Scan the QR code to experience Gary Cherone’s life after high school.

Sumya Mohiuddin Head of Local

Amanda De Moraes Head of Local

Julie Lam Managing Editor of Local

Scan the QR code to watch Keith Knight’s acceptance speech.

Gary Cherone Kevin Cullen Heather Braver Keith Knight James Matisoff Phillip Weiner

Gary Cherone Class of 1979

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ome people’s inspiration begins to develop by playing music in a garage underneath a parent’s house, but Gary F. Cherone’s inspiration started in a classroom at Malden High School. After enduring four years of school, with endless possibilities of becoming whoever he wanted to be, Cherone knew that music was his one undying passion.

His passion developed with his rock group, Extreme. After writing hits, such as “More than Words,” which has hit number one on Billboard, Malden knew that it generated a glowing rock star.

Although he could not attend the event, his lifelong achievements were evident through various clips of his songs and him performing. Giving back to his roots helps him stay in touch with them.

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tarting off as a former Blue and Gold member at Malden High School, Kevin W. Cullen soon reached high goals and is now working for The Boston Globe as a columnist.

He started off working with important news organizations, such as the Associated Press, which jump-started his career; he explored his talent and career field, and soon began writing influential stories for the Boston Globe.

Because he started working as a typist for 30 hours a week, he learned that the work he was doing would never appear in his college classrooms. He worked hard, and started working for the Boston Herald in 1983, where he remained for two years.

Article continued online at maldenblueandgold.com

Heather Braver Class of 1985

Kevin Cullen Class of 1977

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t was not just her time on the field as a cheerleader, or her time on the stage in Drama Club, but everything that Malden High School had to offer that made Heather J. (Kahn) Braver a brilliant success.

The experience of MHS helped shape her career, as well as the person she is today. Teachers were the main prize when she attended high school. Classes helped her figure out what she liked and what she did not like.

English teachers helped inspire her to become more than herself and express her individuality.

Working as a news anchor for ABC news has allowed her to reach her full potential. She learned that she had an interest in science during her years in high school, which has led her to cover health stories; she loves uncovering the story and analyzing the smaller pictures.

Article continued online at maldenblueandgold.com

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ith his humor and memorable moments at Malden High School, Keith E. Knight found his passion as a cartoonist. After graduating from MHS, Knight found himself writing cartoon strips, some of which have one awards.

His more well- known comic strips, “The K Chronicles” and “Th(ink),” made appearances in newspapers.

“The K Chronicles” reveals a continuous story about Knight himself; “offers a strange and hilariously twisted view of the world through the eyes and pen of your average, African-American male,” explained the main webpage for the series.

Knight writes relatable pieces with political, social, and racial themes that people can easily follow.

James Matisoff Class of 1954

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Keith Knight Class of 1984

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igh school students around the world learn a second language in order to widen their connections and communication skills. Learning two, even three, new languages is impressive, and the rewards are endless. James A. Matisoff, similarly, knew the benefits of learning languages, but instead of mastering one throughout his years, he has mastered twelve.

With twelve languages under his belt, Matisoff was able to produce many papers about his findings. By learning many Southeast Asian languages and Native American languages, Matisoff hopes to stress the importance of language, and the sadness of one’s extinction. Losing a language is losing a culture that can never be retrieved, and that is true sadness.

Matisoff is proud of his work, like all of the Malden community.

ith an impressive background glazed throughout his years, it is heartwarming to see Phillip B. Weiner reach back into his Malden roots and celebrate with everyone.

After graduating from Malden High School, Weiner completed his education at Northeastern University and Boston College Law School. Although his experience in the classroom was over, his experience in the real world had just begun.

After starting off as a prosecutor in Bristol county, Bedford, Weiner eventually found himself working for the United Nations as an International War crime Prosecutor. He spent time in Hague, Netherlands. Additionally, the Yukoslavian War involved areas such as Bosnia and Croatia, in which he learned a lot during his six years there.

Phillip Weiner Class of 1972

Article continued online at maldenblueandgold.com

Emma Schofield Class of 1902

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lasting memory highlighted the night of May 2, 2014, when Malden High School Alumni radiated through their acceptance speeches.

Emma Fall Schofield, through her many years of raw experience, fought endlessly for women’s rights. Although she kept her title as strictly “judge,” her efforts extended beyond that.

Her fierce attitude towards her goals allowed her to become the first woman Assistant Attorney General in Massachusetts. She continued her career as an associate justice for 27 years.

Schofield never rested a day; her efforts were extraordinary.

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Baseball: The Final Pitch PJ Montezuma Head of Sports

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he final innings have ended and the Malden High School Varsity Baseball team played with dedication all the way down to the last pitch. Standing in at a record of 5-13, the team fell short of making the State tournament by just three games. Being led by head coach Kevin Carpenito and senior captains Bobby Madden, Nick Ward and Philip Glynn, the team has gone through a season that was one to learn from.

Consisting of only seven seniors this year- Madden, Ward, Glynn, Frailin Medrano, Keyshawn Bridgeman, Matthew Delaney, and Nicholas Mason, the team had a lot of new faces and young potential that will lead the team to success in the next few seasons. The sophomores and juniors have played a major role on the team this year, “filling in some starting spots and eating innings on the mound” says Madden.

Glynn was honored to be one of the captains on the team this year, and having a “great group of kids on the team made it easy for [him] to be a leader.”

MHS had been triumphant against Pope John twice, Somerville High School twice, and East Boston High School. One of their best games on the field was against Melrose High School due to the fact that Malden came back from a 7-0 deficit; although they did not walk away with the win, they never gave up and played with determination. Madden pushes “[them] to be [their] best and coach [Carpenito] wants [them] to succeed both on and off the field” with admiration towards coach Carpenito.

The team finished their season on a high note winning their last two games which were against Pope John and Somerville High School. Although the season was not the best, the team built a bond playing through thick and thin by staying together. Although the record did not reflect their wishes Delaney “loved playing with the guys [they] had this year.” The team was a “great group of players and a better group of guys” said Delaney.

The end of the season starts a new era of the baseball team at MHS, a much younger team. They will have the experience of playing together for the next few seasons and can build a better team chemistry.

Clockwise from Top: Junior Dimitrios Kapotas playing shortstop with sophomore Robert Collins in left field. Senior captain Bobby Madden walking back to third base after talk with sophomore Brian Batting at the mound. Senior Nick Mason catching the ball at second base. Senior captain Nick Ward in the wind up. Sophomore Liam Elliott waiting for the throw at home. All photos by Jonathan DeCicco

“It was an honor to lead a team with such a sound history and so many young players.” -Bobby Madden

Visit the Facebook page for a photo gallery of Baseball in their home game against Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School

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Softball: Sliding into States

Top from left to right: Sophomore Alexis Brown pitching and senior captain Julie Bourgea at third base. Senior captain Keirra Sexton running after hitting the ball.

Below clockwise: Senior Courtney Kilgore up at bat. Junior Taylor Figueiredo preparing to swing the bat. Junior Jillian Powers catches a line drive. Senior captain Haley Sutera catching. Photos by Kristen Leonard. ing eachother along the way.” The girls are not merely teammates but friends, bonding over their passion he Malden High School girl’s for the sport and this is what makes softball team has dominated them so successful. this spring season. Tearing through Sophomore Alexis Brown was the Greater Boston League, the girls named MVP of the GBL this season. made it to the first round of states. On varsity since her freshman year With a variety of new and return- Brown is truly dedicated to her sucing varsity members the girls have cess in the sport. “I love the feeling proved themselves a force to be of getting a good hit or striking reckon with. someone out,” exclaims Brown. The With a record of 15-5 in the starting pitcher for the team, Brown regular season, the team became has 180 strikeouts for this season as co-Greater “I’m unbelievably proud of well as a batBoston League ting average Champions with everyone on the team for giving of 43 out of 70 rival, Medford. their all which made us GBL hits, and 49 Although the champions. I’m proud to say I runs batted in teams share this was captain of this team and can’t (RBI’s).

GBL title, the wait to see what the team can do The team MHS girls prove in the up coming season.” -Senior was seeded their dominance captain Keirra Sexton 8th out of 24 as they hold the teams in the MIAA North Division 1 better record over Medford’s 11-9.

The team is lead by senior cap- league. Unfortunately, the girls lost tains Keirra Sexton, Haley Sutera to Framingham which ended their and Julie Bourgea. On varsity since season. Despite this loss the girls their sophomore year, the girls are have definitely represented MHS experienced leaders.

Bourgea in the best way possible. Through states that her favorite part about their excellent sportsmanship and the sport is, “the importance of relentless effort, the girls have gone teamwork.” Explaining that the far this season. only way to be successful is for After a very successful season the the girls to work as one co- and only a loss of four seniors, next hesive unit, learning each others year is looking brighter than ever. strengths and weaknesses and From the endless amount of dediimproving over time. cation to the hard work the girls The girls have become a mod- have put in, is obvious their success el of teamwork, not only through will be admired by others. Softball their interaction on the field but is not just a sport to these girls, it off. Junior Shannon Gibson says is a way of life and through this that, “[they have] become more mentality the girls will continue to than a team, but a family, push- succeed.

Jonathan DeCicco Managing Editor of Sports

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Checking out the Season Sports

Lucia Quesada Nylen Reporter

Above: Senior Ethan Paiva facing off against a Revere player. Middle: Sophomore Ralf Jean scoring for Malden. Bottom left: MHS team walks off the field towards the coaches at the end of the game. Bottom right: Senior captain Dirir Mohamed getting subbed to go talk to assistant coach Jonathan Copithorne.

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s the last couple of weeks of school before summer vacation come along so does the wrap up of all the spring sports here at Malden High School. The MHS boys lacrosse team has come a far way since the beginning of the season that started in March. With a final record of 1-10, the team had a rough season, however held their heads high the whole time. Although the record may not reflect it directly, the team left their heart and soul on the field with every game.

Leading the team this season included head coach, special education teacher at MHS, Brendan Maney, and assistant coaches history teacher Jonathan Copithorne and English teacher Jeremiah Smith.

Alongside the coaches were senior captains Devin Fitzpatrick and Dirir Mohamed. In addition to the two senior captains, the team will be saying their farewells to three more seniors at the end of this sea-

son: Ethan Paiva, Rene Rivera, and Ramses Neves Riviere.

The highlights of many on the teams season included the win against Lynn Classical that took place on May 13, 2014. The final score was 8-7. Key plays were made

by sophomore Ralf Jean, who took the face-offs, that were essential to the win, that happen every time there is a goal or it is the end of a quarter, and junior Isaac Bethea and sophomore Owen Desrochersbeing key scorers for the Golden

Tornadoes. Jean stated how he “felt amazing [after the win].” “The win was something that everyone on the team wanted so bad, and just putting in all the effort and seeing our hard work pay off was great,” Jean stated. In addition to Jean, Rivera stated that “watching the clock run out [that game]” was his favorite moment, “everyone went crazy” he explained.

There are high hopes for the team next season to keep on improving and eventually come up on top, with more wins like the Lynn Classical game. The team is made up of dedicated players who have a passion and are committed to the sport, and with the heart comes the skill that the players are still learning and gain with every practice and game. While the seniors leave, there are current juniors, sophomores and upcoming players that restore the lacrosse teams’ confidence to keep improving next spring season.

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Girls Lax: Sticking together Above: Girls lacrosse team get pumped up before their game. Top Left: Sophomore Wendy Nguyen cradling the ball from Revere. Bottom left: The team playing against Revere at their last home game of the season. Right: The girls join in a huddle to encourage each other before their game.

Casey Lyons Head of Entertainment

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ixated on optimism and determination, the girls lacrosse team is focused on ending the season strong and becoming closer as a team.

Despite their losses, the girls tried hard to remain positive and enjoy the rest of their season by motivating each other to strive for the best.

The already hard working and committed team hopes to build an even stronger bond and grow from their hard work and experiences in order to triumph.

Their losses do not define them as a team but only encourages them to work harder than their last game.

“Although [the team] has not won

any games, [they] always try to remain positive” stated senior captain, Monica Joseph. The team makes sure that during every game, all team members put in their utmost effort and try to enjoy themselves as much as they can to overcome their losses. As serious as competitions and games are, the team reminds each other to have fun and be optimistic no matter what.

But with the loss of many players from last year’s team, the girls are also focused on rebuilding and training a new team. From new members that have played in lacrosse programs since they were young to members that have never played lacrosse before their freshman year, all players were adjusting

well to their new teammates, coaches, and other compet“This was a hard season for everybody, ing teams. This season gave but we never gave up. Although our record the girls an opportunity did not show it, we kept improving and to fully accommodate and that is what is important. Next year we build a strong team of many are going to come back stronger, and more new members. When out skilled to hopefully improve our record.” on the field, there is a sense - Junior captain Gabriella Silva of togetherness among the team. The girls display great sportsmanship and optimism and only use their experiences close to one another” in order to be as a platform of encouragement and successful. The girls spent immense time bonding and becoming closer motivation to become better.

During practices, the girls dis- to finish the season off strong. With played an undeniable commitment this years experience and learnings, to their team that pushes them for- the girls lacrosse team will be even ward. Sophomore Wendy Nguyen more prepared for next year’s seaexpressed that the girls are “focusing son and will dominate on the field. on working as a team and becoming

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strong team, strong strides

Above: Senior captains Daniel Gould and David Kibazo running side by side during a dual meet. Below from left to right: Junior Kingdolphe Julien sprinting in his event, senior captain Claude Bonnet, Julien, freshman Isaac Mukala and Kibazo running the 800 meter race. Photos by P.J. Montezuma Felicia Fallano Reporter

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he boys track team finished strong this year with a record of 2-2. The team has had many victories throughout the whole year in cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track, and with victories comes hard work and dedication.

The team believes that they have had ups and downs this season just like any team, but they are proud of their performances in their events.

Junior Nahom Ghile said he is glad they had a lot of state qualifiers this year and, “even though [they did not] do as well GBL-wise as a whole, [they] all grew as a team.” Ghile believes that, “the team reached their goal in [their] own way.”

According to Senior Daniel

Gould, he also believed that the team was really efficient during practice.” He also thought that there was a new “level of talent that we never had before.”

According to Coach David Londino, the record of 2-2 was due to, “injuries at critical times of the season.” Londino, who was recently presented with the Division 1 Coach Of The Year Award, was, according to many members of the team, the reason behind every success that team earned. He has been coaching them through losses and wins.

Ghile shared the most important thing Londino taught them this year’ “what to do and what not to do, both off and on the track, whether it is the way [they] eat or [their] work ethic to make sure that [they] do the best [they] could possibly do.”

In agreement, Gould said Londino is great at, “keeping [them] on task and knowing what [they] have to do to fill that kind of potential that he always wants [them] to be able to be aware of.”

Even though Londino has proved himself to know how to lead a team to many victories, he still sets goals for himself to ensure that he is doing his job right. Londino said he wants to make sure everyone gets the attention and training they need to develop and help the team, which “[he] felt was achieved.”

Londino had many beliefs, but the most important onehe had was to keep working. He said that, “[it is] cliche, but the idea [of] hard work pays off.” Even though there were losses, Londino is still, “happy with the effort of the team.”

State qualifiers included senior captains Richard Mulo, David Kibazo, Claude Bonnet and senior Janah Chapman. As well as juniors Kingdolphe Julien, Ghile and Mark Ortiz, alongside freshman Isaac Mukala. The 4x100 relay team of freshmen Marvens Fedna, Chapman, junior Jodens Didie, and Mulo.

The relay team of Mukala, Kibazo, sophomore Gutemberg Santos, and Julien qualified for states in both the 4x400 meter relay and the 4x800 meter relay.

Londino said the best quality his team has is “dedication and a willingness to push themselves to the limit in order to achieve.” Londino believes his team has worked for their success and will continue to achieve their goals.

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TRACKING THEIR OPPONENTS For more information on the Boys and Girls Track teams and their performances in the state tournament, please scan the QR code beneath the hurdle to access our website maldenblueandgold.com Above, left to right: senior Cristina DiScipio, sophomore Sabrina Harrath, and senior Annie Woolley hurdling.

Photos by P.J. Montezuma

Above, left to right: Junior Victoria Hannifan and sophomores Gillian Willcox and Deborah Kibazo running during a meet. Freshmen Sofia Calvo, Manel Soltani, Marissa Vasquez.

Ashley Leung Reporter

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losing up the season with the same determination and vigor as they began with, Malden High School’s girls track team is finally finishing off the season with many successes under their belt. With only one defeat in the entire season, the team finished with a final record of 3-1. With the season wrapping up, the members of the team can look back and reflect on their season.

In their first meet, the team went against Somerville and won with the score of 69-67. Coach David Londino recalled one of the most unforgettable moments of the meet and the season during the 4x400 meter relay, MHS was moving into their last event with the score of 64-

67, where they needed a five point victory in order to win the meet.

In the end, the girls running in the relay won by only seven-tenths of a second. At the team’s second meet against Everett High School, the team finished with a score of 101-30, a large victory for the girls. On Apr. 29, the team faced against Medford, where the team scored 102-28.

On May 3, several members of the team participated in a highly competitive invitational called the Western Twilight meet. In order to participate in the invitational, the runner must be able to meet or at least come close to meeting the state divisional qualifying time.

Runners who were able to qualify for the meet included junior Victoria Hannafin, seniors Joviana Morin and Jacqueline Bouley, and

sophomores Deborah Kibazo and Gillian Willcox.

The team’s last meet was against Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School, where both teams, undefeated, met in the season.

Throughout, the meet was an intense battle between the two teams.

In the end, it was Cambridge that had taken the win, leaving Malden with their first and only defeat, the score being 77-54.

Looking back at the season, Londino recognizes senior Kim Du’s consistency in her running, as she is a consistent scorer in the 400 meter hurdles, 100 meter hurdles, and javelin in every meet in the season.

She, along with senior Annie Woolley, sophomores Carine Exume and Carly Amos, junior Amalika Lucien, and a number of other athletes

qualified for states.

On the seniors leaving the team, Londino states that they “definitely have some holes to fill when the seniors leave.” As the team is currently made up of underclassmen, they will try their best to fill these holes. The seniors this year will be remembered for their team efforts, according to Londino.

After the GBL League Meet, many runners ran state-qualifying times and because of that, the qualifiers ran in the Division 1 State Meet on June 1.

Runners included Exume in the 100m and 200m, Lucien in the 100m, Sanders in the 200m, Woolley in the 100m hurdles, Amos and Abigaëlle Leblance, in the shot put, and the 4x100 relay team.

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serving up the wins

Team huddles together before the game against Somerville begins for good luck. All photos by Amanda De Moraes

Amanda De Moraes Head of Local

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Top: Junior Piero Pocobene hits the tennis ball after Somerville player served.

Bottom: Junior Kerry Ngan serving the ball to Somerville player.

oming back from a season of tough losses, the Malden High School boys tennis team has certainly more than made up for last year’s record with a final record of of 10-5 and spot in the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association state tournament. Through perseverance and hard training, as well as the guidance of coach Jayson Payeur, the team was able to accomplish this as well as many more firsts.

According to Payeur, he is “extremely happy,” with what the team has achieved. He states that they have all earned the wins, both individually as well as a team. Despite the “adversity the team faced throughout the season,” such as injuries and terrible weather, according to senior Danny Yu, the season could not have finished on a better note. The team practiced over the summer and winter in order to be in the best possible condition when the season began. Despite recognizing that there are still things which the team can work on such as their accuracy and consistency, Payeur is proud of the entire team, especially those which he has had the privilege to see “grow, as tennis players and as people.”

Despite having lost both of their matches to Cambridge Rindge and Latin, the MHS tennis team’s GBL rivals, Payeur claims that the losses were only a “small part of the season compared to all the great thing the team has and will accomplish.”

He also states that many players returned from the summer far more skilled, and as a result were able to contribute much more to the team.

Junior Eugine Szeto echoes this sentiment and states that many all the players returned with “more experience,” as well as a thirst to win.

For junior Piero Pocobene the change from last year has been drastic and his favorite part of the season, aside from the wins, has been “watching the team progress...from one of the worst in the league to one of the best.” A large part of this success he attributes to Payeur, stating that he was an “instrumental part of the team.”

From organized and helpful practices, he also was a motivating force to the team and helped the them “bring home the wins.” Senior Danny Yu believes the same, and also that Payeur “inspired the team to win, even at difficult times.” Pocobene claims that the season would not have been as much of a success without him and all the hours he dedicates to the team, despite his personal life and all other commitments to MHS. Looking to the future, senior captain Allan La hopes that the tennis team “continues to grow and win,” despite the loss of the seniors, who have always been a crucial part of the team. Pocobene also hopes for the continued success of the team as well as another “successful season, and just to have fun.”

For updates on the tennis team and the state tournament, please visit our website, maldenblueandgold.com

Top: Senior Allan La serving the ball to Somerville player.

Bottom: Senior La and Danny Yu hitting tennis rackets for good luck.

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Girls Tennis: Closing the Courts

Manale Zouhir Reporter

“This team is very motivated to win, everyone from the seniors to the freshman and I think that has had a huge impact on our playing throughout the season.”

- Senior Cori Malone

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hough Malden High School’s girls tennis team is wrapping up the season, they are not slowing down. This season has been rocky yet prosperous, proving the team’s dedication and progress.

“We all want to improve and play smart. We would learn from our last match and work on our weak points so that we can play smarter against our opponents the next time we meet,” stated senior tennis member Hanh Pham. This is proved true by the scores the tennis team has been receiving.

“The season has been going pretty well, we are improving from one match to the next.” Pham expressed regarding previous matches.

Practice does prove to make perfect, they have noticed, as they have been holding practices every day since the season started, and once a week in the winter season.

Their practices take place at Ameridge Park in Malden, which is a place that the team is used to, as they have been practicing there for years. This season there were several home matches, which gives a slight advantage to Malden. “We can’t let them beat us on our own courts,” Pham expressed in regards to a previous Cambridge home meet.

The tennis team has a work ethic that is similar to a family. Though they are all friendly as a team in unison, it is more than that. “I think we’ve gotten closer this year, we’re definitely hanging out more and

joking around with each other. I can’t wait for our next lunch/dinner date,” added Pham.

Despite the fun times they have on and off the court, it is not always fun and games for the team. They have suffered through a few losses but have been able to boost their morale. The team constantly puts forth their best efforts, which is most important. Senior Christine Le also expressed that, “The sense of family we have and our mutual love for the sport [is important].”

The girls tennis team is constantly pushing themselves to their limits to achieve the best that they can. Their states meet was on Thursday, May 29, 2014. The girls suffered an unfortunate loss, but did not let it affect them. As senior Cori Malone added, “Winning isn’t everything, but it’s what we do best. Work hard from the beginning and it’ll take you places.”

Le added that, “In addition to the titles and competition, we’re looking to improve on our strategy, speed, and strength, and to become great team members as well as tennis players.” It is safe to say that this is a similar goal for all the members, as it is their duty to make the team as successful as possible.

The dedication of the team is very evident. It is something that is not going to change no matter what, and the team will continue to bond year after year to keep the traditions alive.

Clockwise from the top: Senior Jessie Memmolo preparing to return a serve. Senior Christine Le hitting the ball. Senior Hanh Pham setting up. Senior Christine Le preparing to hit the ball. Seniors Jessie Memmolo and Sherri Zhen setting up. Sherri Zhen going for the ball while Jessie Memmolo is setting up to volley. Jesse Memmoloreturning a serve. Jessie Memello approaching the line to serve. Cori Malone serving the ball. All photos by Sumya Mohiuddin

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Row, Row, Rowing to States

Cassandra Reyes Reporter From top down: Malden High School Crew Boys Four Varsity One boat goes head-to-head with the Mystic Valley boys at the scrimmage on May 4, 2014. In the Malden boat, from front to back: sophomores Michael Light and Stephen Lafauci, and juniors Long Nguyen and Devon Laudadio.

Girls Two Varsity Four boat, front to back: sophomore Bianca Alves, junior Alanna Cherone, junior Samantha Kiernan, and junior Amanda De Moraes. Boys One Varsity Four boat rowing under the bridge, approaching their start. All photos by Casey Lyons

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rew: a sport where teamwork is essential and vigorous efforts must be present at all times. The Malden High School team, coached by science teacher Shauna Campbell and math teacher Sarah Jones, never fails to fulfill the requirements of the sport. This year’s team is being led by senior captains Ghita Jaouhari, Darrell Workman, John Hastings, Ivan Williams, and junior Blue and Gold member Julie Lam. Whether it be inside the halls of MHS or on the Malden River, the crew team could always be found practicing and improving. Jaouhari feels that “[the team] is able to recruit more talent in rowers and coxswains.” Both new and returning rowers found themselves very anxious once they were able to begin practicing on the river.

With a large number of members this year, Lam expresses that as a team, they achieved the goal of “creating a strong novice team and improving individually.” Sophomore Michael Light feels that the team “set goals to better and strengthen the teams performance as a whole.”

The outcomes of this season are a prime example of how crew at MHS continues to grow in numbers and talent.

With the weather completely against them, the team found themselves having indoor practices for the first few weeks of the season. Lam expresses that the team “pulled it together and worked really hard.” As the season continued, the weather continued to have an effect on the number of regattas the team got to compete in.

However, whenever the team got the opportunity to race, all rowers and coxswains are determined to defeat their opponent.

On Sunday, May 26, 2014 at the Rowing State Championship, MHS was represented by eight boats: one Boys Varsity Eight boat, two Boys Varsity Four boats, two Boys Novice Eight boats, two Girls Varsity Four boats, and one Girls Novice Four boat. The Girls Novice Four boat, consisting of sophomore Austin Giang, freshman Ariel Gustowski, Ayutha Basuseto, Gabrielle Casaletto and freshman Vivian Nguyen, was named State Champions. Ending their senior year by placing fifth was the Boys One Varsity Four boat, consisting of seniors Pedro Dias, Williams, Workman and Hastings, and sophomore Lily Tran.

Another great achievement of the season was the girls tying with Medford for the Greater Boston League Championship title at the race on May 10, 2014. The team also made impressive performances at the Mayor’s Cup Regatta on May 17, 2014 and the following day at the Moose on Malden Regatta.

After a season of many obstacles, the MHS Crew team did nothing but work hard and take advantage of every opportunity they had.

Although a very talented and influential group of seniors will be leaving the team this year, the Malden community is still looking forward to the new talent that is sure to appear next season.

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Crew: Tyler Zeng

Senior sports Profiles Girls Track: Annie Woolley Ashley Leung Reporter

Cassandra Reyes Reporter

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he year 2014 marks senior Tyler Zeng’s last season being on the Malden High School crew team. After being on the team for four years, Zeng has grown an attachment to the sport and his teammates. As well as being a devoted member of the crew team, Zeng challenged himself by taking honors and Advanced Placement (AP) level classes throughout his time at MHS. Zeng identifies one of his greatest obstacles of high school as time management. Showing great commitment to his school work and to his team, Zeng sometimes found himself juggling many responsibilities, but he always made it work.

Many members of the crew team look up to Zeng for his dedication and motivation, inside and outside of the crew team. Sophomore Samantha Forestier said Zeng “puts all of his effort into everything he does.” Forestier expressed that Zeng’s “humor, passion, and hard work” has had a great impact on the team and it will be missed.

Zeng expressed that being a member of the team has “taught [him] a lot of discipline and teamwork.” Considering that Zeng plans on attending the University of New Hampshire after high school and going to the Army Reserves, having been on the crew team will be beneficial even after he graduates.

Dreams of serving in the Army Reserves have followed Zeng since he was a child. Zeng believes “this is a great country and [he] wants to do [his] part and serve.”

Although there was a late start to the season this year, Zeng said he and his teammates use that as motivation to work harder to “catch up to [their] competitors.” The late start causes this season to be more time consuming than previous years have been.

Whether it be at practice or in a race, Zeng is willing to give his team all he has left in his final weeks being apart of the team. Experiencing all that he has during high school and becoming apart of a diverse community, Zeng feels prepared for what life after graduation will hold. Anxious about what is to come in the future, Zeng is ready to begin the new chapter of his life and accomplish some of his life-long dreams.

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alden High School’s class of 2014 is filled with a group of talented seniors. One of these seniors is Annie Woolley, a member of the girls outdoor track team.

Woolley has been able to make this year exceptionally unforgettable with all of the accomplishments she was able to make, one most notably being that she is one of the fastest female hurdlers in Massachusetts’ division one 100m hurdles, with the record of 15.91 seconds, breaking the previous school record.

Woolley has been on track for three seasons, her first being in her junior year for outdoor track followed by two consecutive seasons this year in indoor and outdoor.

What inspired her to join was the way her coach David Londino would speak about the track team during her English class. He spoke of the team in such an amazing way, and since Woolley was already

interested in the challenges of the several events, those factors made her decide to join the team. Her favorite part about track is how there are so many events that one could take part in, along with how the un-

derclassmen are able to really look up to the upperclassmen, and how they are all able to come together as one team.

As a returner to the sport,

Woolley noticed that from just her junior to senior year, the team had changed drastically. Currently, most of the team is made up of younger students. She says that “a lot of them are young, talented runners who have so much going for them.” For the future members of the outdoor track team, she advises that them to always be open-minded, to try new things and never give up. She states, “if you fail the first couple of times at an event, don’t give up on track as a whole. Remember there are so many different events that you are bound to find the one that fits you best.”

Besides outdoor and indoor track, Woolley was also a part of the volleyball team for three years, and is part of the Malden Teen Enrichment Center group that helped to start it all. In her spare time she enjoys watching tv shows and movies, along with reading. She also enjoys playing volleyball outside with her friends.

Boys Track: Daniel Gould

Felicia Fallano Reporter ince freshman year, Daniel “Danny” Gould has been a dedicated student at Malden High School and member of the track team. Unfortunately, this is Gould’s last season with his team as he is graduating and heading off to college this upcoming fall.

Leaving MHS on a good note and attending the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Gould will be majoring in political science. He hopes to have a career in politics and to “get a better understanding of how countries are run by people.”

He aspires to get “as involved in the future as possible.”

Gould has been involved in

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track for four years, but he is not entirely sure he is going to continue the sport in college. Gould says he is, open to the idea but whatever he chooses to do he will never stop running. He originally decided to join track because he, “felt it would make [him] faster for soccer but soon found [he] enjoyed it far more and had much more opportunities in the sport.”

English teacher and boys and girls track coach, David Londino, believes that Gould had a great season.

Londino stated that, “his practices were really strong and he had 100% effort 100% of the time.” Londino said he specifically recalls Gould’s best race which won their two mile event in a meet against Somerville where he ran a time of 10:09. Londino says he wouldn’t tell Gould to do anything differently. Gould says his biggest influence in high school was his coach. “[Londino] always made sure I was putting effort into what I did. [My coach] saw potential in me and gave me the chance to be a leader and a role model,” Gould says appreciatively.

Gould feels that his most memorable year was his sophomore year because it was not only his first full year of running but he also decided to take his first AP class. This experience has helped Gould develop his time management skills as well

as develop close relationships with his teammates.

According to friends of Gould, his coach isn’t the only one who sees a great leader in him. Besides working hard during practices and meets, Gould also connects with many members of both the boys and girls track teams.

In agreement with Hannafin, member of the boys track team junior Nahom Ghile says that Gould, “shows everyone that they have to do what they have to do in order to do well.”

Although Gould is departing with his team this year, he is eager to start a new chapter in his life.

He believes that his most important goals that he achieved in high school were, “performing well in [his] AP classes and being named captain of cross country [his] junior year because they were both accomplishments [he] could not have seen [himself] achieving just a few years prior.”

He has had a memorable experience at MHS not only as an athlete but as a student. As Gould departs from high school he leaves with many grateful lessons that he could only have learned at MHS. From top left to bottom: Senior Tyler Zeng rowing in the Boys Varsity Eight as stroke seat. Senior Annie Woodley running during a meet. Senior Daniel Gould running during a meet.

Sports Profiles

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Baseball: Matt Delaney

Boys Tennis: Kevin Banh

PJ Montezuma Head of Sports

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aving already hung up his football pads, senior Matthew Delaney is a few games short of hanging up his baseball glove and bat as his time at Malden High comes to an end. Delaney has been playing baseball since the age of eight.

However, he has only played football since his freshman year, which is where his favorite memory of high school occurred while beating Medford High School his senior year. Since he was captain, it was a huge accomplishment to bring that win home.

Delaney has been a Malden resident since he was born. Graduating from the Linden Elementary school back in 2010, he came to MHS with high hopes.

Delaney has had a great time with his experience playing baseball for MHS over the last four years.

He is grateful for the teammates he has played with and all the knowledge varsity baseball coach Kevin Carpenito has handed down during Delaney’s time on the team.

His favorite class he took at MHS was Mock Trial with Mr. Tivnan. There was “great teamwork and collaboration, and you learn so much about law and the courts,” Delaney stated. Delaney then added, “Tivnan is also the man.”

Delaney is attending Bridgewater State in the fall and plans on studying criminal justice. He then eventually hopes to become member of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) or of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF agent), or a Unites States Marshall.

During his spare time, besides hanging out with his teammates, he enjoys playing any type of sports, including “baseball, basketball, football, lacrosse, or frisbee.” And to the underclassmen Delaney said “be proud of what you do in high school. Get good grades, be responsible, but enjoy yourself; these really are the best years of your life.”

From top left to bottom: Senior Matt Delaney during a baseball game. Senior Kevin Banh posing during a tennis match. Senior Cori Malone during a tennis match.

The Blue and Gold Graduation 2014

Amanda De Moraes Head of Local

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first year member of the Malden High School tennis team and future member of Brown University’s Class of 2018, Kevin Banh has been an avid tennis player since 7th grade. He originally began playing as a result of his friends who played tennis; despite usually playing basketball, Bahn decided to opt for tennis instead one day and

ended up really enjoying the game.

Once he started, Bahn would play nearly every day in the summer with friends but when freshman year of high school started, he “drifted away from tennis and focused more on track.”

Bahn states that one of the many things he has learned from tennis is the importance of “sportsmanship and dedication.” In his opinion, tennis is a “gentleman’s sport and has taught [him] much about respect,” as well as the importance of support for ones team, which he experienced this season after injuring himself along with fellow teammate and sophomore Edward Gui. From being part of the team, Bahn has been able to experience the extreme competitiveness of the sport. Nobody on the team “ever accepts defeat” and it is critical that each player can learn from their mistakes. Because of this, everyone on the team pushes one another to do their best and to improve, which allows them to win “tough games in which [Malden] is down.” The easiest part of playing tennis for Bahn was learning the forehand because he claimed it just felt natural to him and the hardest part about tennis was definitely consistency and the

backhand which he still continues to work on today.

In regards to next year, Bahn will be attending the prestigious Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island and will be majoring in applied mathematics. He hopes to continue playing tennis in college, although much more casually than he does now, perhaps on an intramural team. Tennis is a sport in which an individual is able to grow with, as Bahn has. Although excited for what the future will bring, Banh will also dearly miss MHS. He stated that once the year comes to a close, he will no longer be seeing friends who he now sees on a regular basis, as they will all be going their separate ways.

Bahn advises underclassmen to continue working hard and also to simply enjoy high school. He also stated that it is in their best interest to “try their best to challenge themselves whether it’s physically in sports or academically in the classroom.” Bahn believes that it is never good to be satisfied with being just “mediocre at something, always strive to be the best.” While Bahn begins his life outside of high school he wishes the team luck as they continue in their seasons to come.

Girls Tennis: Cori Malone Manale Zouhir Reporter

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enior Cori Malone is completing her final year of tennis at Malden High School. Though she is leaving MHS, she is also excited for a fresh start and new beginnings.

Malone has been interested in tennis “ever since [she] was little.” Expressing that she “always played tennis with [her] dad growing up, [she] really got into it when [she] entered high school.” Her father was a vital role in her interest in tennis, as he was “the number one singles player when he went to MHS.” On the court, you can find Malone playing third singles.

She stated that, “being third singles is a new challenge for [her] because [she] was a doubles player [her] sophomore and junior year, [but she] loves the new challenge.”

Challenges and risks are something Malone constantly takes part in. She is a part of several extracurricular activities around MHS. Being a part of Play Production, choir, and cheerleading, Malone always finds herself busy with activities. In the fall and winter, she was captain of the varsity cheer team. She often participates in Junior Varieties, as she did this year. Malone also em-

phasized her love to sing, stating that “[she loves] to sing more than anything [and she] plays guitar and acts as well because [she] just loves performing in front of people.”

The work ethic that has been adapted by Malone and her team is both effective and enjoyable for the team itself. She stated that “winning

isn’t everything, but it’s what [the team] does best [because working] hard from the beginning will take you places.”

The tennis team is constantly finding ways to stay a cohesive unit. Describing the closeness of the team, Malone stated that, “[the

team is] closer than [they have] ever been and [they] all have fun playing together and [she] loves that [they] can do that.”

In the fall, Malone will sadly be departing from MHS and attending Bridgewater State University and studying special education and theatre arts. Hopeful about her future, Malone expressed that “[she hopes] to go on to be a special education teacher and work theatre into the classroom, and continue to act.”

It is easy to see the way that each individual member of any team contributes to its unity. Malone described her personal position on the team as “the goofball.” She added that, “When things get serious or awkward I like to lighten the mood somehow. And at practice I’m pretty easy going.”

Malone stated that going to a new school will be a new experience, but she is open to it. Despite this, starting a new life will be challenging for her because “[MHS has] basically formed [her] into the person that [she is]...[she has] made life-long friends who have taught [her] what true friendship and love is.” Along with this, Malone happily expressed that “MHS is in [her] blood and [she is] going to miss it so much.”

Sports Profiles

The Blue and Gold Graduation 2014

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Softball: Julie Bourgea

Girls Lax: Monica Joseph Casey Lyons Head of Entertainment and Style

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Jonathan DeCicco Managing Editor of Sports

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t bat for her last softball season is senior Julie Bourgea. With a long history playing softball, starting at the young age of just 6 years old, Bourgea has come to her final high school season. Bourgea was named captain of the softball team this spring season along with seniors Kierra Sexton and Haley Sutera.

Not just a sport, softball has become a way of life for Bourgea.

With the meticulous practices and challenging games, Bourgea has created strong bonds with her teammates through their mutual love for the sport. Bourgea described her teammates as her “second family,” and that she has created “friendships that will last a lifetime.”

Softball emphasizes the importance of teamwork and in order to be successful, the team must stick together and work hard. No other team best displays this then the Malden High School girls softball team.

Bourgea has proved to be dedicated to her work both on and off the field. A strong student and athlete, Bourgea is very involved in the Malden community. A member of the National Honor Society, Bourgea was inducted into the prestigious club her junior year. Bourgea is also involved in the Captain’s Council at MHS, volunteering at a variety of events throughout the city of Malden. Bourgea was a part of the basketball team freshman year and also a member of the field hockey team all four years of high school.

Bourgea was named captain of the field hockey team her senior year, in which she led with her senior co-captain Blue and Gold member Kristen Leonard.

With graduation around the corner Bourgea is preparing for her life as college student next fall. After applying to many schools, Bourgea decided to attend Bridgewater State University next year, with a major in criminal justice. Unfortunately, Bourgea will not be playing softball next year but hopes to join an intramural team.

Julie has left a strong impression on not only her team but MHS as a whole. While she’ll truly be missed MHS wishes her the best of luck in the next chapter of her life.

ext fall, senior captain, Monica Joseph, will be taking on a different field before she knows it and will be embarking on a journey that will shape her future.

After a “long, long, long analysis process” Joseph has decided to leave Massachusetts next fall and attend Howard University in Washington D.C., majoring in Civil Engineering. Like many seniors traveling out of state for college, Joseph is scared yet excited to leave Massachusetts and believes that Summer Search has a large role in her excitement. Because of Summer Search, she knows that she is capable of adjusting to a new environment and is optimistic for what the future will bring.

As for Civil Engineering, Joseph has decided that she would like to help other countries build their infrastructure, specifically in Haiti, and would like to leave a mark in this world somehow, and would also like for “[her] great grandchildren to drive on a bridge saying to their kids ‘hey, your great grandma built this bridge.’” Aside from lacrosse, she enjoys rock climbing, shopping (specifically online), and plaster fun

time.

But when it comes to lacrosse, Joseph tries to “make everyone feel that they belong to one family.” The team has lost a large portion of good players last year so the team is adjusting and despite their losses the they have remained positive. Be-

coming captain was also something Joseph had never expected and claims that “if someone said to [her] four years ago that [she] would be in this position I would have never believed them.”

Freshman year, Joseph claims that she was shy and afraid of the intimidating upperclassmen, but

through hard work and perseverance she pushed herself to better.

As a captain, Joseph works hard to be someone the underclassmen can talk to without feeling intimidated by, as she once was her freshman year, so she can give them the right encouragement and support they need to improve. To her advantage, she is also able to connect and motivate her team members differently from the coaches since she is closer to them in age.

With the year slowly wrapping up, Joseph has approached the final weeks of her senior year. She offers some advice to the underclassmen that indicate that the next few years of high school will be the most important years of their lives and to not let it go by. “It will hit you hard senior year” she stated, so to avoid a stressful senior year “do not be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and make new friends or try new things.” Stepping out of one’s comfort zone can create the best experiences and moments of a high school career. Although, one should stay balanced with school and social life. Joseph advises to not “overwhelm yourself...Of course stay focused on the larger task at hand, but make sure you give yourself time to enjoy life.”

Boys Lax: Rene Rivera

Lucia Quesada Nylen Reporter

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ince sophomore year, senior Rene Rivera has been a key player to the Malden High School boys lacrosse team. Rivera decided to play when “[his] friend Devin Fitzpatrick suggested the idea to him”. And currently playing his last year of high school lacrosse, Rivera is “one of the three starting defenders [for the team].” Fellow lacrosse teammate Mateus Ramos states that “[Rivera] is fearless on the field; he blocks everything for his team.”

In addition to lacrosse, Rivera has been apart of the MHS football team. He played sophomore and junior year.

Rivera has lived in Malden for five years, since eighth grade, when

he moved from Everett and before from New York. Rivera moved to New York from El Salvador as a child, where he was born.

Throughout his high school career here at MHS, Rivera confessed that his favorite classes have included Advanced Placement (AP) chemistry and AP physics taught by Martin Berryman and Brian Morrison. Rivera explained how “[the classes] taught [me] to look at things in different ways and from different points of views”. After taking the courses, Rivera explains how “you start seeing things in a more complex way; a falling apple is not just a falling apple anymore, but a series of forces acting against each other.”

Next fall, Rivera is planning to attend the Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, MA. Unsure of what he wants to major in, Rivera does hope to become either a mechanical or electrical engineer. He doesn’t plan on pursuing lacrosse in college, though “maybe for a club team, but [he] wants to make sure [his] studies are first,” which is an attitude that many students have going into college.

With his final high school lacrosse season now ending, Rivera reminisces about his career here at MHS. Stating that “[his] favorite thing about high school was definitely just the people [he] surrounded [himself] with and all the people [he] got to meet and interact

with, teachers and students both”.

In addition, his most memorable moments being all the pep rallys during Thanksgiving time, which Rivera commented “[that] you don’t forget things like that”, the atmosphere, and the people.

From top left to bottom: Julie Bourgea preparing to hit. Senior Monica Joseph prepping her teammates before their lacrosse game. Senior Rene Rivera on the field during a lacrosse game.

We wish our seniors the best of luck as they embark on their new journey outside of Malden high school.

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Photo collage by Amanda De Moraes