Graduation 2011 by The Blue and Gold

The Blue and Gold http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

Malden High School Volume 96 Edition 8

Our 96th Year Graduation 2011

Opinion 2-5 Top 10 Profiles 6 - 10 Local News 11 - 24 Sports 27 - 36

Congratulations to MHS Class of 2011

Photos by Matteo Pocobene and Catherine Poirier on page 18 - 19. Layout and design by Brittany Foley.

Alison Nguyen

ccording to AP Spanish teacher Diane Brookes (and several of her students), senior and class of 2011 valedictorian Alison Nguyen was once so desperate to go to the bathroom that she dashed out of her AP Spanish class without a pass, joking, “I’m god of the school!” to anyone who

Jonathan Sit

would try to cross her – or worse, give her a detention. Though such a claim might at first seem somewhat exaggerated for Nguyen, “god of the school” is something of an understatement. If ever there has been a student at Malden High School that comes close to being “god of the school,” it is she – Nguyen has had officer positions in various clubs, ranging from more academic organizations like the Biology Club to those that further her interest in the arts (the Fine Arts Club) to communityservice based clubs like the National Honor Society. Nguyen is also tri-captain of the tennis team and is currently the only member of the team to have been on it for four years. Nguyen hopes to play in college, though only recreationally; “I would get smacked around with balls and racquets at a Div I school,” she explained, laughing.

Amanda LaFauci Profile on page 7

continued on page 6

f you have never met Jonathan Sit, you have at the very least heard his laugh in the cafeteria, the library, or down the halls, though this was not always the case. Sit, along with his older brother William who is a Malden High School graduate of 2008,

Alexandra Mathieu Profile on page 7

is a first generation ChineseAmerican and used to be what he called “uptight.” He credited this to his parents’ very strict upbringing which emphasized school and education as the only ways of achieving success. This, along with his training in Chinese line dancing and kung-fu, helped Sit bridge the gap that existed between his parents and himself due to the language and cultural barrier that existed among them. Initially taken at his parents request, Sit grew to love line dancing and described it as one of the most fun physical and mental activities he has ever done, going so far as to write many of his college supplemental essays on the activity. When he went on a college visit to his school next year, Brown University, his admissions officer even directed Sit to the line dancing club that Brown has. continued on page 6

Michelle Nguyen Profile on page 8

Editorials

The Blue and Gold Graduation 2011

http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

Peace Out Malden High Malden High School

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

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF João Nascimento Nidale Zouhir MANAGING EDITORS Brittany Foley Alexandra Mathieu HEAD COPY EDITOR Brittany McFeeley ONLINE EDITOR Omar Khoshafa HEAD LOCAL NEWS WRITER Cristina Peters HEAD WORLD NEWS WRITER Dan Holmqvist HEAD ENTERTAINMENT WRITER Reginah Sanyu HEAD SPORTS WRITER Alfonse Femino HEAD OF BUSINESS Alexander Gennigiorgis HEADS OF PHOTOGRAPHY Lauren Benoit Sharon Lee HEAD OF SPECIAL PROJECTS Kayla Bramante COPY EDITORS Haley DeFilippis Catherine Poirier Megan Kelly Natalie Fallano Paige Yurek Joshua Kummins REPORTERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS Rebecca Broomstein Kaela Bryan Freddie DiPhillipo Johanna Lai Kristen Leonard Jacob Martino Vicki Ngan Amalia Quesada Nylen Timothee Pierre Amanda Rosatone Joel Stevenson Lesley Ta ADVISOR Ryan Gallagher Established in 1915 Check out our online edition: http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

his year, the hallways of Malden High School were filled with all the usual noise – students asking each other for homework, girls frantically trying to get to the nearest mirrors and fix their makeup before class, random freshmen skateboarding to class only to be caught by whichever house principal happened to be doing rounds at the time – but there was also a single phrase that could often be heard above all the rest: “peace out.” When we didn’t do our homework and our teachers glared at us sternly, all we could reply was “Peace out.” When we left our college supplements for the very last minute and begged whoever was online at the time to edit them, all we bothered to throw up as an excuse were our index and middle fingers in what may be the universal sign of peace but has become the MHS sign of extreme senioritis. Our battle with senioritis was hard-fought, and though for the most part we managed to win (albeit with a few failing grades and forever fractured relationships with once-favorite teachers), we will bear the scars forever. Just a few days ago, Alison Nguyen, valedictorian of the class of 2011, expressed that she was experiencing severe wrist cramps due to what she called her “constant peacing out.” So it may be a little strange, then, that I believe that this senior class will be the most successful ever. We’re great problem solvers – after all, we spent months breaking into the library in the early hours of the morning to print out our English homework, and when that door was fixed, we learned how to jimmy the locks to teacher’s classrooms, or at the very least befriended teachers who would allow us to use their printers. Our Facebook statuses constantly complain about homework, school, and life in general, and when we don’t have anything to complain about, we make things up. We are so classy it literally hurts. We joke often that Malden High School is becoming “ghetto” or losing whatever class it ever had, but at the end of the day, when there’s a food fight, we’re there to clean it up; when there’s a campaign to end the use of derogatory language, we pledge to never again use the “r-word”; when

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 C339 or to his mailbox in the main office.

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

the Day of Silence comes around every year, we close our mouths for once and remain resolute in our muteness. The truth is, we have more potential packed into the 429 students of our graduating class than most schools have in their entire districts. We might have peaced out sometime around the end of junior year, but our futures lead us to colleges all over the country, to the military, to jobs in the police force or hospitals or schools. We went to Malden High School, and though that might not seem significant now, I have no doubts that it will soon become one of the most important experiences of our lives. Teachers, principals, even college interviewers, everyone constantly brings up the best quality of MHS: its immensely diverse student body. We have students in our class who survived the earthquake in Haiti; we have Albanian refugees in our class; we have students whose parents escaped the Vietcong in our class; we have students whose ancestors came to America on the Mayflower. Though we don’t necessarily realize it now, I am positive that we will look to our experiences with these people as the most necessary in developing our characters and helping strengthen us for what will undoubtedly be a difficult path into adulthood. Kurt Vonnegut once said – in what is undoubtedly one of his most quoted and therefore most cliche lines, especially in a farewell to a graduating class – “True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.” But I look forward to that day, the day when instead of several hundred old rich white men running the country, several hundred of us – varied in everything from skintone to socioeconomic background to music taste, but together in our love for Dunkin Donuts and Converse Chuck Taylors – are the CEOs of massive corporations, the members of the president’s cabinet, the highest ranking members of the military, the faces on CNN and MSNBC and Fox every night. Til then, 2011, I have only one piece of advice: Don’t commit seppuku. You will regret it.

Nidale Zouhir Co-Editor-in-Chief

Corrections: Page 10- Bottom left picture should have a caption that reads “Seniors Kisla Rami and Frankie Dunn model formal attire.” Page 11- Bottom right picture should have a caption that reads “Seniors Jeff Chaubre and Rym Soltani. Page 15- The caption for the painting should read, “A self portrait using light and dark shades of blue. Artist Alison Nguyen.” The caption for the origami photograph by Lung Yang should read “A group of origami paper cranes arranged in a sunburst. Artist Lung Yang.” Page 23- In the Girls Lacrosse article, Anita Caceda is incorrectly referred to as Anita Ronaldo. Also, Catherine Poirier’s last name was spelt incorrectly and is a sophomore, not a junior. She was also not mentioned as a member of the Blue and Gold staff. Page 24- Jessalynne Brown’s first name was spelt incorrectly.

The Blue and Gold Graduation 2011

Opinion http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

My Best Frenemies Brittany Foley

Dear Class of 2011,

Managing Editor

he cliché states, “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” While I generally despise clichés, generalizations, and any other universally-fitting generic statements of wannabe wisdom, I have found quite a bit of truth in the age-old saying during my time at Malden High School. I suppose it all depends on what you consider an enemy. Although they are some of my best friends and most trusted advisors today, my teachers and classmates all very well fit the label of “enemy” at some point over the last four years. Classmates, if nothing else, are competition. Teachers, meanwhile, are graced with the privileges of influencing your self-esteem, defining the status of your academic abilities, loading you with maddening amounts of homework, humiliating you via Poetry Out Loud, telling colleges whether or not you are worthy of paying 50k to endure freshman year all over again, and even forcing you through the horror that is the in-class essay. Yes, I think it is quite fair to consider our teachers enemies, to one extent or the other. “Sometimes you need a ying to your yang,” argues an anonymous individual who may or may not be a MHS English teacher, The Blue and Gold advisor, and my most sinister enemy, if you will. Yes, sometimes we students need those extra three open-responses to balance with our muchdesired long weekend. No. Despite my lack of a desire to waste several hours’ worth of my weekend laboring away over a trio of AP Literature essays (and by “my weekend,” I mean “my Monday morning” or “my long block study”), I completed my teachers’ tasks. In fact, on the sole occasion where I failed to complete one of his homework assignments--despite their ever-inconveniencing nature-my concern for the effect on my grade in his class was overpowered by the wave of guilt that fell over me. In my mindset, had not simply chosen to refrain from handing in my homework, I had disappointed my teachers, my mentors, and my friends. My relationships with all of my teachers, have been the driving force of my academic success during my high school career, continuously motivating me to exert effort in my studies, extra-curricular activities, college applications, and other school-related-involvement. While your procrastination reputation, average essay page-length, class attention span, detention record, attendance, speed-reading capabilities, drift-typing talents, and general input of effort are all factors in your academic achievement, inter-classroom relationships are unarguably one of the most significant. Not to be confused with fake-friendliness nor with the universally-despised sin of kissing up, so to speak, forming and maintaining strong, positive relationships with those in your academic environment only promises an equally bright outcome. “Having strong relationships with your classmates, as well as your teachers, can motivate you to want to come to school and show what you’re able to accomplish in the classroom,” explains junior Daniel Glynn. In a school of classroom settings dominated by in-class discussions, group proj-

Best Wishes for Success. May you enjoy many years of “good health” and happiness. I hope you find a career that you love as much as I have loved teaching and advising you. “Thanks for the memories.” Love Always, Mrs. Cepp

Thanks for the memories class of 2011! Always, Mrs. Scibelli

The Blue and Gold Graduation 2011

Opinion http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

Ten Things to do Before Graduating

MY MORNING SUN ALWAYS LASTS A DAY

Alexandra Mathieu Managing Editor

Reginah Sanyu

I am not too sure about others, but I know that I fully enjoyed my four years at Malden High School. There were definitely times when waking up in the morning was literally the last thing I wanted to do, but overall, I do not regret my time here. That being said, I do know of people who do have regrets, who look back at their time in high school and wish they had done more. Therefore, I decided to compile a list for all underclassmen so they can really appreciate their time at MHS.

Head of Entertainment and Style

10) Stay late in school with a purpose.

This doesn’t sound too appealing at first, but it is actually kind of fun. I had the pleasure of being both a part of The Blue and Gold staff and Play Production, which means that whenever the paper was going to print or there was a show to rehearse, I was leaving the school between the hours of 6 and 9 at night. However, I had fun during those long hours because I was with people that were stuck with me, who liked what we were doing, and were able to make a party out of it. So I do encourage staying late with a purpose at least once, though in order to do that you should…

9) Join a club/sport.

Getting involved is one of the best things that you can do at MHS and it is fairly easy to do since there are numerous clubs and activities to join. I do recommend a sport though since you not only have something to do, but you are also getting a great work out in the process. However, if you are not the sporty type, then by all means, join a club. In either one, you acquire a second family, people you can trust and rely on. It might not seem important but I know people who have found their best friend because of the sport or other activity they joined. So get involved and make a friend. Speaking of which…

8) Get to know your teachers.

This might come as a shock to some, but teachers are people too. They have outside lives apart from school, so talk to them and get to know them. All teachers have gone through high school and can understand and offer wise advice about problems you might be facing. Trust me when I say that you will not regret it. Now, along the same thought process…

7) Get to know your guidance counselor.

Personally, I feel like guidance counselors are neglected by most until it is time to fill out college applications. Talk to them before that! Getting to know you’re guidance counselor has two great outcomes: you have another person to talk to if you have an issue and they can recommend you for opportunities you might not know about. I have no witty transition for this one so I am just going to outright say it:

6) Participate during Spirit Week.

For some reason, a lot of underclassmen have this notion that hardly anyone will dress up for wacky tacky day or pajama day. That is completely wrong! Spirit Week is possibly the one time that the entire school is fired up and doing something together. Yes, it is really about preparing for the Medford-Malden Thanksgiving football game, but what it truly represents is the spirit of Malden in all of its blue, gold, and white fervor. So do not be that guy who gets left out and participate.

5) Attend the MHS band’s spring concert.

The band under the direction of Matthew Tavares has made leaps and bounds in the three years I was a part of it and in the year that I was not. All three sectors of the band (marching, concert, and indoor percussion) are now award winning and even the best in the state. The music performed is innovative and current for the most part, though you will be introduced to some classic repertoire. Band competitions, however, are usually not close to Malden and require some navigating to get there, but if you want to hear them play go to the spring concert. You not only get the concert band but the indoor percussion ensemble as well; that is two for the price of none (since the concert is free), who can pass that up?

4) Attend a play production performance.

If you did not hear about play production’s accomplishments this past year, you probably live under a rock, or do not read this paper often. Play production made it to the state finals for the first time in a LONG time with its play that members co-wrote and performed, American Land. Like the band, the actors in play production are good, commuting to their roles and director Sean Walsh along with technical director Allen Phelps are unafraid to take risks and try something new. On that note…

3) Attend a new sporting event. It is fairly obvious that the majority of the school attends basketball and football games. While I think that the support for those teams is amazing, I need to emphasize that there are over 20 sports MHS offers each with its own appeal. So I strongly recommend spreading that support to some other great teams, like the softball team or the tennis teams or the crew team. You might be surprised at what you end up liking.

2) Go to red carpet.

If you are an underclassman, attend red carpet and say hi to some upperclassmen friends you have or just be wowed by the stunning dresses and suave tuxedos. If you are a senior who is not attending prom, still go to red carpet and support your friends. Take pictures of and with them. Prom can be expensive so I can understand passing it up, but red carpet is free and is a chance to see friends dressed to the nines.

1) Make the best of your four years.

Even if you do not do anything on this list, make the best of your time at MHS. Make long lasting friendships, get involved, get out of your comfort zones, do big things! High school is your last chance to make mistakes and still have people give you a second, third, fourth chance. Do not waste that. Oh, and have fun. Always try to have fun.

Malden High School‘s diversity is like having many pairs of shoes; you can never get bored.

t is that time of the year when seniors graduate from high school and start a new chapter in their lives. This time, it is the class of 2011’s turn. I happen to be a member of the class of 2011; I guess that means that this is my last publication in the tremendous school paper The Blue and Gold. I am going to tell the truth that I have learned about Malden High School in the last four years. From the great faculty, the new renovations to the amazing French toast in the café, MHS is one of the best high schools on earth and any other planet where people go to school. And no, Principal Dana Brown did not buy me an iced coffee for me to say that. I immigrated from Uganda in the summer of 2007. When my mother told me that I was going to go to high school, I did something that an ordinary person would not do: I went on a high school-themed movie marathon. From those movies, I learned one thing: that I did not want to be the person who was locked in lockers or put in the rubbish cans, and that is why I stayed out of everyone’s way on the first day of school. I remember the freshman assembly when Mr. Brown told us to make good use of the four years because they were going to be over in a blink of an eye. I figured that he was just saying that, but I was wrong because it seems like that assembly was just yesterday. In order not to be “that girl”, I came up with a plan my freshman year. It was really simple, walk into school at 7:30 and leave at exactly 2:15. It worked for me – for a while, anyways, because after like three weeks, when I finally figured out the difference between my homeroom and the first period of the day, some catty girls decided to make my life miserable. They made fun of my hair and my accent, and as if that was not enough, they went along and gave me hurtful nicknames. (I would share them with you, but they are too embarrassing). I felt like I was too weak to tell them that it wasn’t funny, so it kept on going to sophomore year. When I look back at those two years, I realized that even though I was always scared to come to school because of those mean girls, I never skipped a day. I guess I have to thank my mother, who does not believe in giving up. But something happened at the end of my sophomore year that changed my life; I watched Legally Blonde. Although Elle Woods and continued on page 5

The Blue and Gold Graduation 2011

Opinion http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

continued from page 4 I are very different people, I watched that movie relating to her. She lived in her own world and I lived in a world full of cotton candy and pink snows woods, got into Harvard, and dealt with mean people. People thought that she was stupid. Woods did not fight anyone; she just proved them wrong, and that is exactly what I decided to do: prove to those girls that I was stronger than they thought. I did not fight them or pull out their hair. I just put on a smile and decided to not let other people’s opinions of me bother me – even if that meant I would be the uncool kid. I joined the school paper. I remember my very first published article. Let me just say that, if you ask Co-Editorin-Chief Nidale Zouhir, she will tell you of my hatred for the space bar. The best part about being in The Blue and Gold is that nobody judged me, and that is why I felt safer whenever I came to class. And I guess our advisor Ryan Gallagher saw something in me because after my first year he made the girl who hated the space button the Head Writer of the Style and Entertainment section. At the end of my junior year, the editors assigned me to cover “A Midsummer Night’s Dream“ by the play production class and to be honest, I thought that I could be doing better things with my time than going to a school play. But I went anyways, and then something happened. This time I don’t know what it was, but I wanted to be on that stage, so I talked to my guidance counselor Victoria Lipinski and she told me to go to English teacher Sean Walsh for an application. I got into the play production class and during my first and last Drama Fest, MHS went to finals for the first time ever and I won two awards for outstanding acting. Gallagher and Walsh might have seen something in me that I still don’t to this day because even when I had a terrible case of procrastination, they never gave up on me. And I made lifetime friendships from the Blue and Gold and Play Production. I guess the point of all this is to let you know that it is okay to be yourself. So I tell those girls who made my two years of high school a living hell, thank you. Because if it wasn’t for your rude comments that hurt my feelings and made me hate high school, I would not have pushed myself to tell this story. To my Blue and Gold and Play Production families, as much as I want to graduate from high school – if I could stay another year or lifetime to publish another edition or be on stage with you one more time, I would. So I tell you boys, and especially you girls: do not let anyone tell you that you cannot do something. Do not let people make you feel any less than you should because you all deserve the best and only you know what the best is. Although college seems intimidating, I feel as though MHS has done more than enough to prepare me for the challenges ahead and I intend to use all I have learned to improve and achieve my goals in life.

ects, and verbal presentations, the comfort that exists in being surrounded by friendly company is key to academic achievement. “When I feel like I am part of a living, breathing, interactive class, I am much more inclined to do well and strive towards my full potential,” junior Eddie Fisher admits, regarding the liveliness brought to a classroom filled with friends rather than distanced peers. In addition, said comfort encourages students to break past limits that they might bestow upon themselves when among unfamiliar individuals due to fears of harsh judgement and criticism. “Strong bonds between classmates create an atmosphere of endless potential for creativity and exploration where students can expand their minds together,” elaborates senior Rita Cote. Unarguably, even the enthusiasm that branches from inside jokes with fellow classmates and teachers alike sparks conversation and positive energy, if not intellectual or creative curiosity. The more positive social interaction in the classroom, the more comfort levels in said classroom rise. “Over the past four years, I’ve gotten to know numerous teachers and a lot of different kids very well,” explains senior Samantha Saggese. “Seeing familiar faces and having teachers who understand my learning style and work ethic has supplied me with so much support. I never once felt like the people I’ve been around at Malden High have tried to discourage me.” Much like comfort levels, familiarity levels rise. Given the extensive amount of time students and teachers are socially exposed to

continued from page 3 each other, some sort of familiarity is inevitable. However, should this constant interaction be taken advantage of, either party can get to know each other particularly well. This more intimate familiarity--knowing a teacher’s favorite hobbies, authors, and films, or perhaps knowing a classmates hidden struggles or pet peeves--offers a wide variety of benefits to its beholders. Furthermore, in strengthening your relationships with classmates and teachers, you find friends. “I’ve learned, especially this year with all of its personal ups and downs, that having classmates and teachers that you can talk to is really important,” reveals senior Jenna Delaney. “No matter how responsible or capable you think you are, everyone needs someone to be there if things get too hard, especially if your school work could suffer because of it.” Upon growing closer to your classmates and teachers, unintentionally-sparked conflict is suddenly significantly less likely to occur. Upon strengthening these professional relationships with splashes of personal pizazz and friendly exchange, communication inevitably becomes less of a hassle. Upon developing friendships with those you interact with on a nearly-daily basis, you guarantee yourself a trusted advisor or a sincere confidant at, essentially, all times. Upon maintaining these bonds with your peers and superiors alike, creative risk seems far less threatening, as your positive interrelations lighten the classroom environment. All in all, making the transformation of these would-be enemies into respected, familiar peers if not genuine friends is only efficacious in regards to academic success.

We will miss you senior staff members! Kaela Bryan, Alfonse Femino, Reginah Sanyu, Brittany Foley, Alexandra Mathieu, Nidale Zouhir, Freddie DiPhillipo, João Nascimento!

Local News

The Blue and Gold Graduation 2011

http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

Alison Nguyen

Jonathan Sit Alexandra Mathieu Managing Editor

Senior Alison Nguyen and her favorite teacher Brian Morrison pose in front of a diagram of an angle. Photo by Reginah Sanyu. Nidale Zouhir Co-Editor in Chief Furthermore, sophomore and tennis teammate Lisa DeLacey expressed, “Tennis is something [Nguyen] and I share, and her commitment to the team resembles her loyalty as a friend, dedication as student, and leadership abilities she exhibits.” Nguyen’s level of commitment is a personality trait stressed by many of her friends and peers; her tennis doubles partner, junior Wendy Tse, stated that Nguyen “is not afraid to be proven wrong, and that’s something that not everyone can do. She laughs at her own mistakes and embraces her embarrassing moments.” Nguyen has also taken her extracurricular experience outside of MHS; she is part of an Asian American youth leadership group for high school females called ASPIRE, which she explained made her think “more about who [she] was, because [she] had never really thought about [her] Asian heritage” before. Nguyen was also a Poetry Out Loud finalist two years in a row, most notably for a poem that was half in Spanish during her junior year (though Nguyen says she is “barely fluent” in the language.) This variety of extracurriculars “helped [her] get out of [her] comfort zone,” Nguyen explained, citing this as one of the greatest reasons she has chosen to leave the state for college. In fact, initially, Nguyen was set on following in her older brother’s footsteps and attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It was not until her sophomore year that her “brother’s friend advised [her] to get out of her bubble.” As a result, next year, Nguyen will be attending Stanford University, though this decision was undoubtedly difficult, as Nguyen was also accepted to the only two other colleges she applied to, Harvard University and MIT. Nguyen’s choice ultimately came down to the school that would best allow her to diversify her experiences. “I

loved MIT,” she said. “I felt at home there because of my brother and the programs [I took part in] there…. But maybe I’m not as comfortable at Stanford as I am at MIT because I’ve only been there once,” she reasoned, adding that for her, Stanford will be a “new experience.” “I don’t mean to downplay New England, but it’s so much happier [in California]. The people are brighter, they’re smiling everywhere.” Though Nguyen says she will likely pursue a career in the sciences, she says that, for her, art has been one of her greatest interests since middle school. “It’s lame to say this,” she said, laughing, “but it was because of anime” that she initially became interested in art. For Nguyen, art taught her to try to “transpose [her] ideas into a visual form,” she explained, adding that art allows her to “create an ideal world” on the page. In fact, “I really thought I was going to be an artist,” Nguyen stated, but this changed after the summer of her sophomore year. During the school year, Nguyen took biology honors with Kristen Kirby, which she cites as “the first time [she] actually liked a subject for what it was” because biology is “what makes us who we are.” Kirby later introduced Nguyen to the Broad Institute’s summer internship, to which Nguyen applied and was accepted for the next two summers. After the sophomore spring internship, Nguyen also took a molecular biology course at MIT, explaining that this “made [her] realize biology isn’t just about memorizing stuff – it’s also about applying what you know to solve real world problems.” This summer, Nguyen hopes to pass one final test – the driving exam. She then plans to “teach [herself] Vietnamese, and then multivariable calculus, and then read lots of books, and then draw lots of manga, and then party all day, party all night.”

Sit’s decision of his college for next year was not an easy one; he had to decide between Brown and the University of Pennsylvania. In his opinion, UPenn’s freshman dorms were nicer than the ones at Brown. Ultimately, the decision came down to the environment of both schools and the personalities of the people within them. Sit just felt that the people in Brown were more “chill” as opposed to what he described as the career driven UPenn students. Although not a major factor, it also did not hurt that his parents wanted him to choose Brown over UPenn. Despite already having a family, Sit found another family in the Summer Search organization. “[It] really helped me take risks that I wouldn’t normally take,” he stated. Sit was lucky enough to spend one summer on a whitewater rafting and mountaineering three week excursion in Desolation Canyon, located in Utah. His second summer, Sit did a five week home-stay with a family in Botswana. Out of the two, Sit claims that his trip to Africa affected him the most on a more mental and emotional level. While in Botswana, Sit contracted an illness and was bedridden for a few days. He was touched and comforted by his host mother’s attentiveness as she checked in on him frequently and made him porridge for his upset stomach. “It really gave me a new perspective.” Sit has credited the whole Summer Search program in helping him to understand that there are other forms of success and other ways to achieve it than just education. During his four years at MHS, Sit has been very active: he was treasurer of the National Honor Society and a member of the Key Club, Asian-American Club, Math Team, indoor track team, soccer team, swimming team, and tennis team. However, Sit expressed that if he

could go back and change anything, he would spend more time with his friends. “They’re freaking awesome. Quote that,” he said. Although he has known the majority of his friends since grade school, Sit is surprised at the tight friendship he has now with some of the people he has only met in high school. “I really value the time I have with them,” he said. Sit understands that college will be a major transition in his life and therefore is a bit uncertain about his future. “I see myself…working hard in college,” he explained vaguely. He is excited about the college life and with his passion of figuring things out and making connections between what he has learned and their real life applications, one can only assume the many Physics classes Brown has to offer. Physics was one of his favorite classes in high school, despite his talent in both biology and chemistry as well. This is accredited to his ability to see how physics is applied in real life. Unlike the other sciences, Sit feels that he is able to see physics in action, from electricity and magnetism to waves and optics. Despite his excitement about college, Sit has expressed that he will miss the “bubble” that is the city of Malden with its unique ethnic diversity. “I’ll miss [high school],” he stated. However, despite this, Sit cannot wait to break out of the bubble and experience more of the world. With his love of anime (particularly One Piece and Gurren Lagann) and the TV show Scrubs, as well as his favorite quote “Keep the sauce strong,” Sit is definitely a character. To any underclassmen who someday would like to be where he is, Sit says this: “Be outgoing. Don’t be the kid who just sits there and does nothing.”

Jonathan Sit studies the science behind reflection and refraction by checking out his own reflection in a mirror. Photo by Alexandra Mathieu.

The Blue and Gold Graduation 2011

Local NEWS http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

Amanda LaFauci

Alexandra Mathieu Paige Yurek Copy Editor

Senior Amanda LaFauci plays trumpet in concert band. Photo by Catherine Poirier. Natalie Fallano Copy Editor

n your mark, get set, go! To many students, high school is a race for success, with winners and losers in the end, but this is not quite the mindset of Amanda LaFauci. “To me, it’s not a competition,” explained senior Amanda LaFauci, when speaking about class ranking. LaFauci’s mellow mentality has apparently worked, considering she ranks an impressive number three in Malden High School Class of 2011. Despite her calm attitude, she is always pushing herself academically. She has been taking Advanced Placement classes since her sophomore year and has increased in the number every year. This year she took AP Spanish, AP Calculus BC, and AP Physics. LaFauci’s favorite subject is physics and fell in love with it freshmen year. She is now taking it again as a senior with the same teacher, Brian Morrison, who she “has looked up to and has been one of her role models since freshman year.” LaFauci is also involved in band. She is currently serving as secretary of the MHS band. LaFauci joined band and began to play the trumpet in fourth grade and has continued to play passionately ever since. She is part of concert band as well as marching band which includes grueling hours in the hot sun at band camp every summer. Over the last 8 years she has got to know Matthew Tavares, director and head of the Malden Band, exceptionally well. “I’m really close to Mr.T and like to tease him a lot,” she expressed, smiling ear to ear. Tavares thinks just as highly about La Faucci as well, especially when it comes to her work ethic. He stated “No one else has fought so hard to have gotten so far. She has been the greatest trumpet [player] to

come out of Salemwood.” LaFaucci will be a difficult leader to replace next year. According to Tavares, “Without [LaFauci’s] organizational skills [the band] would not be where [they] are today.” She has also been a part of the swim team since junior year and claims “my one high school regret is not joining earlier.” Not only is she a swimmer but also took part in creating a swimming clinic for kids at the MHS pool from December to February, “but was so successful that we extended it to March.” She does not plan to competitively swim in college but she may participate in swimming at the intramural level; she does plan on joining the band which she knows will be “intense, but worth it.” LaFauci is extremely close to her family, especially her mother, “the supportive band parent” and her sister Christina, who is a sophomore at MHS, because “they’re the two [she] spends a lot of time with.” Christina describes her as “an amazingly dedicated person” but who also as someone who “knows how to laugh at herself when she makes mistakes.” Christina admits the only positive to her sister’s departure will be “that in the mornings I won’t have to wake her up; she is a heavy sleeper.” In the summer, LaFauci plans to travel to New Hampshire with her family, which is an annual tradition. She will be attending the University of Massachusetts Amherst as part of the honors program in the fall and plans to major in physics. Along with her eagerness to attend college she will “miss the people here [at MHS] because the teachers and students are all helpful and involved like no other place.”

ccording to Malden High School Senior Hong Chung, “[Alexandra Mathieu] is like chicken wings, tough on the outside, sweet and good all around on the inside.” On November 13, 1993, a star was born by the name of Alexandra Mathieu. Born and raised in Malden Massachusetts, Mathieu grew up with two older brothers and one older sister, all of which attended Malden High School. Mathieu is known for being a very active student at MHS. In her four years, Mathieu: ran in indoor track for two years, ran outdoor track for four years, played the flute in band for three years, participated in marching band for one year, sang in choir for four years, and acted in play production for one year. She was also a member of the National Honor Society for three years, and The Blue and Gold for three years, where she held the positions of reporter, Online Editor, and Managing Editor. Mathieu, along with Chung, also delivered the morning announcements for three years. In her spare time, Mathieu likes to sleep, a typical response from such an active high school student, but not a typical person. Best friend Chung continues to describe Mathieu as “‘Cray-cray,’ ambitious, flexible, and good all around. She knows what she wants, and she does not let anyone get in her way. She wanted to get good grades, to be at the top of her class, and she did. She wanted to do track, Blue and Gold, and Play Pro, and she did.” When she was younger, some dreams Mathieu had included becoming a pediatrician, and a yoga instructor. However, after high school, Mathieu plans on attending Bowdoin college in Brunswick, Maine. Throughout her high school career, an ambitious Mathieu reached out and made the best of her

time at MHS. “No regrets,” Mathieu stated, “I think I did everything I could do. I am pretty happy, but I would have liked to see the finished, renovated new classes before I left the high school.” Mathieu, who joined Play Pro this year, stated that she wished she did it more in high school, and that it is really fun. English teacher and Play Production leader Sean Walsh, who has worked closely with Mathieu, thinks of her as “awesome, charismatic, involved, has a balanced schedule, really smart.” Walsh continues to praise Mathieu, explaining, “I have known her all four years, she was involved in MHS theatre for four years, and this was her first year in Play Pro. She did a lot of writing for Americanland too. I am proud to have known her, to have seen her grow.” Boyle house Guidance Counsellor Erin Craven also speaks highly of Mathieu, stating, “She [Mathieu] is very involved. She has energy and enthusiasm for everything she does, excites everyone around her, but she is mature, altruistic; she is always willing to lend a hand, and she throws her all in to everything she does.” Mathieu stated that her role model would be her sister, Kethia Mathieu. “She is my best friend, I love her. She always looked out for me, she has given me wisdom, and she believed in me.” For MHS students, and all high school students, Mathieu, an experienced active pupil, has some words of wisdom, “Don’t Give up. High school gets hard, and repetitive, but keep going, it’s worth it. Pursue your dreams, because as teens, we have the ability to do multiple things at once. When we get older, it’s harder to do those things. You never know until you try.”

Senior Alexandra Mathieu hard at work on an edition of The Blue and Gold. Photo by Nidale Zouhir.

Local News

The Blue and Gold Graduation 2011

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Michelle Nguyen

Nidale Zouhir Brittany Foley Managing Editor

Michelle Nguyen plays around with a dry ice mixture in her Advanced Placement chemsitry class. Photo by Haley DeFilippis. Haley DeFilippis Copy Editor

hile most students struggle with their classes in high school, Malden High Schools’ Michelle Nguyen was more focused on learning to figure out who she was; and she did find herself, through clubs, volunteering, and playing the piano. Nguyen knew from a very young age that she was capable of succeeding and was greatly influenced by her mother. “[My mom] was a teenage mother and I didn’t want to follow her down that road. She always pushed me. . .” It was this motivation that led her to where she is now, fifth in her class with a promising future ahead of her at Northeastern University. In addition to maintaining exceptional grades, Nguyen is Secretary of the Red Cross Club as well as a member of Interact Club, Environmental Club, and National Honor Society. Nguyen has discovered a passion through volunteering over the years. She particularly enjoys volunteering at the Animal Rescue League in Boston as well as the local food pantry every Saturday. Nguyen recently won an award in NHS as “Quality Person for Service.” Over the past two years in NHS, she has peer tutored and knit dozens of scarves with close friend and senior Patricia Aguinaldo to give to the needy. Nguyen’s family and friends have been an essential part of her throughout her entire life. Despite having a rather large family, Nguyen and her older sister Lily Nguyen, who is the ultimate supporter to her, are the first to attend college. Older sister Nguyen attends Boston University. Nguyen stated with a giggle that her closest friends and MHS seniors Danielle, Linda, Paul, and Aguinaldo “tolerate her,” but in all seriousness have also “supported [her] through [her] four years at MHS.” The co-op program at North-

eastern University is what captured Nguyen’s attention. She will be studying to become a pharmacist, stating that “[she likes] interactions and being with the same people to see how their health progresses and changes over time.” Whenever Nguyen has a moment to escape from homework, school, and volunteering, she enjoys playing the piano. She stated that when she set out to look for an instrument to learn and wanted to learn to play the guitar, but could not find a teacher. Despite this, Nguyen took on quickly to the piano, learning classical and contemporary types of music through ear. She stated that although it “causes [her] stress because of the frustration that sometimes comes with learning the notes, it is also a stress reliever once everything comes together.” In addition, Nguyen takes pleasure in taking care of her younger relatives. “I love kids!” exclaimed Nguyen. In fact, Nguyen already predicts that because of her strong love for kids and desire to have a family of her own, she does not “think [she will] be a pharmacist forever.” Nguyen will ultimately miss the “familiarity of everything” here at MHS. She has made tons of memories that will last her lifetime in high school, like studio class with Art teacher Mary Ann Seager. However, she states she will not miss “the lack of sleep and waking up at five in the morning.” Although MHS faculty and students will miss her, Nguyen is expected to shine at Northeastern University starting this fall. In closing, Nguyen wishes to share her own little piece of advice from experience at MHS, “Branch out. Don’t stick with your middle school friends and you want to inhibit your growth as a person. Oh, and don’t wait until Sunday night to start your homework.”

nown by her peers for her signature catchprases—“seppuku,” “peaceout,” and “rock” are among the most popular—senior Nidale Zouhir placed sixth in her class after four years of hard work and advanced procrastination. While she is undecided on which particular subject of interest she will pursue in college, Zouhir eagerly awaits continuing her studies at Columbia University in the city of New York this upcoming fall. Despite her position as editor-in-chief of The Blue and Gold newspaper, Zouhir has decided against any sort of future career in the field of journalism. However, her AP Chemistry and AP Calculus BC classes have both unarguably contributed at least in part to her academic fate as her latest interests range from such complex scientific fields as theoretical physics and nuclear chemistry. The rest of Zouhir’s senior courseload includes AP Literature and a Virtual High School AP Spanish, which is primarily self-taught online. In her spare time, Zouhir enjoys commandeering [Mr.] Gallagher’s swivel chairs, enjoying a Real Madrid match, and pretending to be offline on Facebook—when she is not in school, that is. “I spend, like, nine hours a day in school,” Zouhir admits without any tone of regret. For those three hours outside traditional class time, Zouhir divides her attention among her duties as co-editor-in-chief of The Blue and Gold, president of the Gay-Straight Alliance, secretary of the National Honor Society, and active member of the Fine Arts Club, among other activities. “She’s so involved,” fellow senior Andrew Terenzi. “She never leaves the school… when I need to look for her, I just go to [Mr.] Gallagher’s.” Unsurprisingly, when asked what her favorite part of MHS was, Zouhir immediately answered, “C339,” referring to the lair of The Blue and Gold newspaper staff and a place where Zouhir spends the majority of her time for four to five

periods per school day. After her heartfelt tribute to him at MHS’ 2011 National History Day Induction, it is no wonder that The Blue and Gold advisor, AP Literature teacher, and keeper-of-the-lair Ryan Gallagher is among Zouhir’s favorite teachers. Zouhir’s list continues beyond Gallagher, though; “Ms. Pettit, Mr. Max, Dr. Perito, Mr. Lippman, Mrs. Brooks, Mrs. Marjomaa,” she lists teachers that hold a place in her heart, “I loved all of my teachers, really.” Fortunately for Zouhir, the feeling is evidently mutual. “They all love her because of her enormous brain,” Terenzi raved about Zouhir’s intelligence. Unarguably, Zouhir is unusually bright--and has always been so. Intellectually curious and academically driven since a very young age, Zouhir’s success as a student has been building since her years at the Linden Elementary School, where she was a part of the gifted program. Zouhir has had the reward she hoped to collect from her incessant academic diligence in mind for quite some time as well. “I knew I wanted to go to school in New York City [for college],” Zouhir revealed. “For a while, I really just wanted to go to NYU. The summer before last, after sophomore year, I realized I really wanted to go to Columbia.” In fact, so driven by her hopes for after graduation, when asked to describe her experience at MHS in two words, Zouhir jokingly claimed, “Collegeboard monopoly.” Zouhir admitted that she will truly miss MHS and that she treasured her experience particularly “discussion[s] in Ms. Pettit’s AP Language Class.” Zouhir anticipates her future at Columbia University with the utmost excitement. “It’s bigger, there are so many more types of people,” she elaborated eagerly. “And I’ll be in New York City right?” she concluded with a smile, evidently beyond content with the fact that each and every venture over the “Seppukian third rail” finally paid off.

Senior Nidale Zouhir reads the latest copy of The Blue and Gold while relaxing in her home-away-from-home, Room C339. Photo by Brittany Foley.

The Blue and Gold Graduation 2011

Local News http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

Xi Gao

chang li Reginah Sanyu Head Entertainment Writer

Xi Gao makes her way down a MHS hallway for one of the last times. Photo by Brittany Foley.

Brittany McFeeley Head Copy Editor

t the top of her class, senior Xi Gao happens to be one of the four very lucky posse scholarship winners. Ranked at number seven, Gao sits at the top holding a very impressive and well earned 3.89 grade point average. In the beginning of the 2011 fall semester, Gao plans on attending Union College in Schnectady, New York on a scholarship that she was awarded with in the winter, much before any of the other seniors knew their fate or even applied yet. She will enter Union undecided on a major, but this leaves many great opportunities for her to explore. Gao is especially looking forward to the different classes that will be available to her at college that were not available at Malden High School. With these new classes, Gao hopes they will help her “[connect] with real world experiences.” Gao had a rough start to her high school career, due to the fact her house caught on fire during her freshman year. Despite this tragic event, Gao remained hopeful when “all the clubs and [former B-house principal Fred] Feldmen helped out.” B-House guidance counselor, Erin Craven, has also been a huge help for Gao, during her time at MHS (they even eat lunch together almost every day). Gao mentioned the Craven helped her out tremendously with social problems and emotional problems, commenting that she can just go and talk to her about anything she desired. Gao spends her summers participating in the Summer Search Program offered by the high school. She stated that her first Summer Search interview was the “start of a new change for [her] at school.” Summer Search has brought her down south to South Carolina and

even further south to South America to the country, Peru. Each summer she travels to a different place, whether it be state or country, making new friendships that will last a life time. In a previous interview, Gao mentioned she “would rather choose to go hiking than shopping,” not the usual comment from many of MHS girls, but nonetheless, this is why Gao is unique. It is safe to say the Gao is used to being away from home, and even her parents have become used to “the idea of not having her around.” Despite this, her parents have constantly provided her with unconditional love and support, adding that they were always “there to support [her].” Her parents have always been a huge motivator for Gao, and seeing her parent’s determination to create a better life for her motivated her to do well in school, all contributing to her successful education. Gao has an older brother, who migrated to the United States when he was just 15 years old; which made the transition into an American school much more difficult for him. Gao is very proud of her older brother, stating that he is “as smart as anyone else.” It is because of her brother that Gao “can sympathize with people who have other commitments other than school,” like learning a new language or having a job. English has always been a favorite class for Gao, but not because it was easy for her, in fact, she loves it because it was really difficult for her, forcing her to challenge herself. However, it is because of this determination and desire to take such difficult classes that allows her to do well in school. Sucess will find Gao wherever the road may take her in the future.

am surprised. I am an immigrant and because I came here a few years ago, I never thought about [being in the top 10.]” Li left her parents back in China to come live with her cousin Stephanie Su who immigrated to the United States three months before she did. “We did not contact [each other] a lot when we were in China but now we are like sisters,” stated Li, who is an only child. While Li may be homesick, she finds ways to stay in contact with her parents, through technology. “I miss them. I webcam with them almost every single week.” But this does not take away the homesickness completely. “I miss my parents a lot. Especially this year even if I webcam them it is not the same as talking to them in person.” Li stated, adding that although she feels like she is independent, she continues to miss her country and her family. However, she truly enjoys America as well because “it has [given her] many opportunities.” When Li immigrated to the United States from China, she joined North Reading High School Class of 2011 taking the initiative upon herself to learn English, as her high school did not offer ‘English as a Second Language’ or ESL classes. Li then moved from NRHS to MHS to continue her studying and learning English. “[The people] in Malden were so different. North Reading was much less diverse than Malden. During the first year, I was pushing myself to learn English. My teachers have become my friends as they are patient with me because my English is not that good,” she stated. Humble, endearing, and determined are some of the words that the people in Li’s life have described her as. Li’s physics techer, Brian Morrison described her by saying,

“She is an excellent student. Always prepared, always studying her material, and most of all, always willing to help people.” Li has always been drawn to science. “I love the challenge. In chemistry, you have to understand the concept. You have to learn how to manage time and think of everything. In physics, my favorite part is when [Mr.] Morrison gives out the lab and you have to figure out the calculations,” she stated. Li also credits Martin Berryman for making chemistry easier for her. “He is a very good teacher and I do not think that I would have passed Chemistry without him.” Li also finds time to do the same things that normal teenagers do like spending hours online or listening to music. “I love Facebook. It’s a great invention. I love [logging on] Facebook and fooling around after homework,” confessed Li. “It is not bad to have knowledge but it is also good to have fun,” she added. Just like many other people her age, Li also has a mild case of “Bieber fever.” Li enjoys Chinese, Japanese and Caribbean food although that does not stop her from enjoying a good burger. “I eat fast food but not all the time, but when I do I prefer Burger King or McDonalds. I love French fries. Fries with ice cream or yogurt is the most beautiful thing ever.” As for Li, much lies ahead in her future. The countless hours of studying and doing homework at MHS have been well worth it, as at WPI she will surely succeed. Math teacher George Doyle said, “[Li] is simply the best student I have had in my career. She is driven and has a strong desire for knowledge, [which is something] that makes her destined to excel.”

Senior Chang Li enjoys the weather outside Malden High School. Photo by Reginah Sanyu.

Local News

Debbie Ly

The Blue and Gold Graduation 2011

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Samantha Saggesse Amalia Quesada Nylen Reporter

Debbie Ly posing with her favorite stuffed animal, Kerori, a frog that she purchased at Anime Boston. Photo by Dan Holmqvist. Dan Holmqvist Head of World News

erhaps Debbie Ly’s most cherished friend throughout high school was her stuffed frog Kerori. Green, cuddly, and bug-eyed, Kerori has helped Ly deal with much of the stress she has encountered the last four years. Talking about the purchase of Kerori, Ly explained, “I had 6 dollars in dollar coins from the MBTA and I didn’t want to go home with them, so I bought Kerori. Now I’ve started to bring him everywhere.” Kerori accompanies Ly on days where she is up into the early hours of the morning completing homework. With a senior year course load that included AP computer programming, AP chemistry, AP physics C, AP Spanish, and AP English literature, Ly stayed up quite often and has earned a reputation within the school as a dedicated and determined student. In fact, in the past four years, Debbie has taken fifteen Advanced Placement examinations, a Malden High School record, despite only taking 9 Advanced Placement courses at MHS.. Ly took two of her AP courses through Virtual High School (VHS), an online program that Malden High School allows its student to participate in if they want to take a course that is not offered at MHS or if they encounter scheduling conflicts. Ly, however advised against any upcoming high school students participating in the program. “People shouldn’t take VHS. It definitely doesn’t compare to taking the course within a traditional school setting.” Despite all of the effort she invests into academics, Ly still manages to find time to participate in activities that are not directly related to school. Ly claims, “I feel like a regular teenager; I’m not a robot; I don’t stay at home or in the library all day doing homework – I just do what I like and sometimes it turns

out that the material I am learning is interesting.” For instance, Ly served as president of the Gay-Straight Alliance and youth commissioner on the Massachusetts State Commission on LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Youth). Speaking about her involvement in LGBT issues Ly explained, “It was a coincidence, I was at the right place at the right time and I knew the right person who offered me a way of meeting new people and a chance to learn about issues that I had never paid attention to.” In addition, Ly was an active member of the Fine Arts Club and American Red Cross Club, an officer of the Biology Club, and a forward on the lacrosse team. Next fall, Ly will be attending the University of Pennsylvania, and plans on majoring in chemical or bioengineering. Ly, who has always been interested in the sciences, believes that, “Majoring in engineering is the perfect way to combine and practically apply three of my favorite subjects: chemistry, physics, and biology.” She is excited to begin her studies in Philadephia, where she will join the ranks of thousands of Ivy League students. The greatest motivation for Ly to have achieved so much during high school was her family, and specifically her mother. A first generation college student, Ly referenced her mother’s continual sacrifice as one of the things that enabled her to do well. Even her brother, has pushed her to achieve more as a student. “My mother never really had great expectations for me. I was the one who always set high expectations for myself. But my mother has always given my continued support, and that has undoubtedly helped me in high school.”

very student at some point in her high school career wonders what graduating in the top ten of her class would be like, and the outstanding recognition that comes with it. Many, like senior Samantha Saggese, only thought of it as a distant dream, until it actually happened. When asked about her thoughts on her tenth spot in her graduating class, Saggese replied, “I had dreams, but I didn’t really think it would happen! Especially because earlier this year, I was number twelve. I think when everyone else started to slack off, I somehow pulled myself together enough to still get good enough grades, and that’s how I ended up lucky enough to be number ten.” Saggese definitely deserves credit for all that she has done, not only as a top student, but also as an athlete, musician, member of various clubs, and an active participant in community service. She was a cheerleader for two years, played lacrosse for four years, and swam for three years. She has also been playing the flute since the fourth grade, a member of both conert band and marching band. Saggese has been part of countless clubs and is viewed as leader in each one. She has been part of the Environmental Club since freshman year, was an active member of the 2011 Leadership Council for a few years, part of the Captain’s Council for two years, National Honor Society for two years, and Breast Cancer Awareness Club for two years, in which she was president this year. As part of these clubs, Saggese has been always involved with Special Olympics, Walk for Bread, Laps for Leslie, and Red Cross Blood Drives. For National Honor Society, she has raised over $200 in donations to buy Christmas gifts for two homeless families at Housing Families. Last year, along with junior Blue and Gold member Cristina Peters, Saggese also collected over 150 pieces of used sports equipment to send to Sports Gift in California,

where they were refurbished and sent out to unprivileged communities around the world. The list goes on and on, ending most importantly with her hard work and effort this year along with seniors Kaela Bryan and Karl Denis to start a swimming clinic, which turned out to be a huge success. The captains used the pool every Saturday morning for 4 months with other Malden High School Swim Team members to instruct Malden residents one-onone on how to master the different swimming strokes. One would think with such a vast list of accomplishments that Saggese never has time to spare on her busy schedule to be a normal teenager and hang out with her friends. Although she has very little time to relax, Saggese has made time to socialize to develop a bond with many students at MHS that she will certainly miss and cherish forever. “I kept some friends from middle school and then made some close ones as high school went on. [Senior] Patrick Keough and I have known each other since we were basically babies and we still go to school together every day to this point—I’d say that’s friendship. I met Rita Cote in physics class freshman year and we clicked automatically; we bonded over Spongebob, Putt-Putt, and being short. I continued to make close friends even after freshman year,” Saggese reveals. As for the future, Saggese plans to attend Northeastern University. There, she is enrolled as a chemistry major, and is also part of the Honors Program. She also received a scholarship from Northeastern, nominating her as Global Presidential Scholar, and she plans to do an internship abroad for six months during her time in college. Saggese has been one of the most successful and driven students in the history of MHS, and will be missed by many as she goes on to greater things as an outstanding student, athlete, musician, citizen, and friend.

Samantha Saggese experimenting with chemicals. Chemistry is one of Saggese’s favorite subjects. Photo by Haley DeFilippis.

The Blue and Gold Graduation 2011

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SHOUTOUTS I’ll miss you, Tuan. -Nina Ho

Hey Alexandra Ly, did you know that Nina Ho strongly believes that you are Awe-SoooMazing!?!? Haha this is soooo cheesy but thank you for being there for the past 3 years!! -Nina Ho

Bruce Palmer, Good luck whereever you’re going next year! I was depressed to learn that you were a senior! -Sam Wong

Bruce! I love you very much so and your drumset antics. I hope you do great wherever it is you go to college. So good luck my friend! -Keith Farris

To the friends I made, no longer talk to because you became strangers, and even those I just made eye contact with, I am going to miss you. -Reginah Sanyu

THANK YOU MR.BROWN, FOR EVERYTHING. -Reginah Sanyu

Hey PeeJays! Love you! Hate that you’re leaving. I’ll miss you tons. -Jaclyn Scales

:) -Thuan Banh

Michael Rincon, Thank you for making the beginning of high school easy for me! -Lucas Silva

Yo Illman369! We still friends, man?! -DonBonSoup

Patricia Aguinaldo, I’m going to miss you so much! I love you short stack :) -Your lovely sister Danielle

Thanks for always being there and making me laugh. -Alex Ly

To my lovely Blue and Gold staff members, I am going to miss you. “The morning sun never lasts a day.” -Reginah Sanyu

Debbie Ly! You are a true inspiration and role model! You’re going to go so far and accomplish so much! I’m so proud! -Stevie Klein

Jasmin, Proud of you! Keep up success! God bless! -Mom

Hi Reginah Sanyu, I love you <3 -Anthony Amaral Hey AndySaur! Happy graduation! Good luck in the future! Stay Hood! -Tina Dinh

I love you too Anthony Amaral <3 -Reginah Sanyu

The Blue and Gold Graduation 2011

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Congratulations Seniors! May your experiences at MHS help you attain your fondest dreams. -Diane Klibansky Jenkins House Principal

-Ann Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Connor Jenkins Guidance Counselor

BRUNELLI HOUSE Faculty and Staff

Congratulate

The Class Of 2011! -Thomas Mahoney Brunelli House Principal

Best of luck and enjoy every day! -Christopher Mastrangelo Boyle House Principal

All the best to Holland house! We rock! -Marilyn Slattery Holland House Principal

The Blue and Gold Graduation 2011

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Devoted to Education

Sidney Smith has left a memorable legacy in Malden High School. Catherine Poirier Copy Editor

LOCAL news

mith’s is not your stereotypical teacher’s story of a young boy who loves literature and decides to teach English when he receives his degree. Smith’s story started with his job working in housing projects. “Basically my job description was to make life better for the kids [living there], and I loved it,” he explained. He remembers how meaningful it was to him to help those poor kids, who no one was able to understand. However, Smith realized that it was a bit of a dead-end job despite how far some may think inspiration can take you. When this was realized, Smith told himself, “I have to find a way to make kids the heart of my work.” Sidney Smith’s career consisted of 37 years of 24/7 work days. His last three years were spent as the Superintendent of Malden Public Schools. After working so hard, the time has come for him to retire. Born in Detroit, Michigan in 1950, Smith’s childhood revolved around basketball and not so much school work. School was never Smith’s strong point as a child, “I hated school,” he recalled. His love for the sport of basketball brought him from his home in Michigan to North Carolina. Smith was on the Duke Blue Devil’s basketball team for about two years. The Blue Devils basketball team from Duke University of Durham, NC is the fourth ranked men’s basketball program of all time. At Duke, Smith’s first declared major was psychology. For the next few years he bounced around

to some other majors, but then senior year he returned to his first major. Smith spent a lot of his time in college with children. Kids in Durham (K.I.D.) was a big brother program started by Smith and his friends, and this partially contributed to his desire to major in children’s psychology. “I knew I did not want to be a psychologist, but I knew I did not want to be teacher at the time either. I had no idea where it was leading to,” Smith admitted. Soon after, he found a life-changing job as a Community Youth Advocate in three housing projects. The impact he saw himself make on the disheveled lives of some of the kids in Durham then brought him to Massachusetts. Smith found himself pursuing the career that, at one point, he had completely detested. Education was the last place he would have ever thought himself ending up, but Smith believes that it was one of the best decisions of his life. After having various jobs dealing in education, such as national reform movement for schools, headmaster, superintendent, Smith reflected on his career. His favorite job, second to being a Community Youth Advocate, would be headmaster or principal. He created relationships with the kids in those positions and was directly involved in aiding them, but also dealt with rules and regulations. Smith has also enjoyed his last three years here in Malden. The superintendent stated that the Malden Public Schools are the closest thing he has ever seen to a group of students who genuinely appreciate and like each other and, “[he] will be eternally grateful for having experienced that.” MHS administrators have expressed similar sentiments. “As an educator, I look at teaching and learning differently because of the leadership of Sid Smith,” stated A house Principal Marilyn Slattery; “he has opened my eyes to true differentiated instruction and student-directed learning experiences.” B house Principal Christopher Mastrangelo added, “His passion will be missed as well as hard to replace.” Although some students and faculty might believe Smith’s lasting legacy will be the ever so popular two-column note taking, D house Principal Thomas Mahoney disagrees. Mahoney believes it will be more of a “big picture” legacy, remembered by his personal enthusiasm and dedication. “We owe an awful lot to Smith, and I for one appreciate all he has done and will miss him,” Mahoney finished. Smith does plan to slow down working after his official retirement effective July 1, 2011. Despite this, he wishes his career to come full circle and go back to being directly involved in helping children and making sure that they reach their full potential. “Everything I wanted to be able to do was right there. After I retire, I’ll probably go back to do that... That’s where I started and that’s where I still am,” Smith said in reference to his first job as a mentor and Community Youth Advocate in Durham. “I have spent the rest of my life paying them back.”

George Doyle Retires

George Doyle teaching math in one of his classes. Photo by Natalie Fallano.

Cristina Peters Head Local News Writer

alden High School math teacher George Doyle has been known for spreading optimism and joy through out the school. People around here know him for his willingness to lend a helping hand to his students, and his interesting teaching style, which consists of songs and dances. Doyle’s unique ways truly set him apart from other teachers. After attending Somerville High School Doyle furthered his studies at UMass Boston where he completed his undergraduate years and UMass Lowell, which was then Lowell State College, for his graduate work for a degree in mathematics. It was in the spring of 1973 that UMass Lowell sent him to MHS to be a

“As a child I was uncertain of what career I wanted to pursue. However I knew it would involve my love for mathematics.” student teacher. Doyle recalls his time spent at MHS as very enjoyable, as the school system later offered him a teaching position there. This was “the start of [his] experiences [at MHS],” recalls Doyle. And after many years of teaching at MHS, Doyle has decided to retire. “As a child I was uncertain of what career I wanted to pursue. However I knew it would involve my love for mathematics,” stated Doyle. Becoming a teacher was his way of fulfilling his desire to have a job where he could continued on page 14

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Arlene Ceppetelli: A Legend “From her teaching to her character, Mrs. Cepp has always been caring and I’ll never forget her because of it” ~ Senior Jeri Scibelli

George Doyle Retires continued from page 13.

spread his fascination for math and interact with students, which in the end was a great decision for Doyle. Teaching at Malden High School, Beebe Junior High School and the Lincoln Junior High School in Malden, he has been exposed to a variety of different teaching environments. “He is sweet, caring, and most of all quirky. He really does care a lot about his students,” stated MHS senior Hong Chung. These descriptions of Doyle are ones that many of his former students reiterated while telling specific instances where he has created songs and said humorous

Arlene Ceppetelli (backrow, third to the left) sharing the spotlight with her “kids” during their period 2 health class. Megan Kelly Copy Editor

very school has its legends; for incoming freshmen at Malden High School it could be the infamous “advice” from upperclassmen that their class is located on the fifth floor of A-House. It could be Spirit Week’s wacky tacky day or the late entry days. However the one that seems to make the rounds at the middle schools the most is that the teacher they are going to want the most: Arlene Ceppetelli, or Ms. Cepp as her students call her. Ceppetelli, both a teacher and graduate of MHS, is going to retire this year with the graduating class of 2011, who she is the class advisor of. Born and raised as a “Maldonian,” Ceppetelli attended the Lincoln Elementary School and then moved on to Malden’s old junior high school, which has now been replaced by the Ferryway K-8 school. Ceppetelli made her first mark on MHS when she entered freshmen year in 1966. Like many of her students these days, Ceppetelli was a “well rounded” student as she played field hockey for a part of the year. She was also a part of several clubs (including Greenroom and Ski Club), worked on the Maldonian as the sports editor, and was the vice president of her class. To add even more to her plate, Ceppetelli worked

at Joseph’s Pleasant Greetings year round, a greeting card store which has since gone out of business. After MHS, Ceppetelli continued on to Boston University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in science in 1974 and her master’s in education in 1975. Ceppetelli, who calls herself a life long learner, is always trying to learn something new or different whether it be from the people in her life or in workshops. Originally, the graduate planned on becoming a Physical Education teacher at MHS after she taught PE to students in wheel chairs, with cereberal palsy as well as teaching dance to students who were hearing impaired. She originally entered the MHS system with the plan to work in physical education, coach a few sports and then move on to be Malden’s first female Athletic Director. However, Ceppetelli was not a sore sport about her new position as a health instructor. “I grew to love what I was doing,” Ceppetelli commented. She believes that her love for the subject grew from her own interest in human behavior and health. She also sparked interest in a number of her “kids” over the years as they have returned to say that they had joined the health field. “Always as a teacher I hope

that I reach and inspire these kids,” she said. For the students, it may have not only been the subject that interested them in Ceppetelli’s class. Jeraldine Scibelli, an MHS senior, shares, “I will never forget Mrs. Ceppetelli. She was always so welcoming. Mrs. Cepp always tried to get everyone involved and to be a part of the class; she always united us as a whole.” Ceppetelli’s warm and welcoming personality is known throughout the school. “People told me she has always been there to listen to her students’ problems and always was there to help,” Sophomore William Lombard said as he described what he has heard about Ceppetelli. For Ceppetelli, the feelings are mutual as she described when she first entered the school. “When I walk into the school and I see my kids, it’s like I’m getting a shot of oxygen.” After 35 years, Ceppetelli’s impact on MHS with her legendary health class will never be forgotten as she moves on. What Ceppetelli sees as the greatest benefit of her career is “to be able to work in a career that [she] loves, to stay passionate about it all 35 years and leave, still loving it.”

“He truly cares,” stated senior Chang Li, who “learn[ed], not only about math, but also life lessons such as treating others with respect and making good decisions.” things to them, something that made math fun to learn. Contemplating whether or not to retire three years ago, Doyle finally came to the decision of retiring this year. “Most of [his] friends are now retired, so [he will] be able to spend more time with them. This will also be a time to explore different things.” Along with exploring different activities to take part in, Doyle will continue to do two of the activities he most enjoys which are fishing and golfing. He will also listen to music by one of his favorite bands, the Beatles. His students describe him as “one in a million.” “He truly cares,” stated senior Chang Li, who wrote a tribute about him at the National Honors Society induction ceremony. From Doyle, Chang expresses, “learning, not only about math, but also life lessons such as treating others with respect and making good decisions.” “I will sincerely miss the day to day friendship of so many excellent teachers; Rich Bezubka, Chris Nagle, Arlene Ceppetelli, Connie Halks, all quality people,” stated Doyle, adding, “let each individual take [his] own thoughts with [him] but don’t forget my favorite joke!”

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TEN BY TEN Kayla Bramante Head of Special Projects

ith the school year coming to an end, Malden High School Play Production students stepped it up a bit with their final performance, “10 Plays in 10 Minutes.” This was not just any ordinary play, it was a black box play. In other words the audience is seated on stage with the plays right before their eyes. Since the audience sat on stage there was a limited number of seats but there was three nights of the play instead of the usual two. The tickets were five dollars and were being reserved during MHS lunches. It was a best bet to reserve your seat because there was no guarantee on a seat and the seats filled up fast. When making way into the auditorium on the 19th, 20th, or 21st of May you were greeted by one of the Play Production students helping you find your seat. Inside the black box, there were four sections of seats and entertainment of music by sophomore Crystal Araiza. Soon enough, the show began with an introduction by Play Production and English teacher Sean Walsh. Then after the brief introduction the plays began first with “How The Cookie Crumbles” written by senior Jenna Delaney. It was about a cookie company with a secret recipe of crack. Two spies were sent out by their boss to see if the owner of the would spill the beans about the crack. Following was the next ten minute play “The Audition from The Good Doctor” by Neil Simon. The moral of this play was to always give someone a chance. Following The Audition were two shorter plays. Both plays were written by Christopher Durang. The first was titled “Women on the Playground” and the second “One Minute Play”. The next, rather entertaining, play was “Unlikely Match” written by senior Sheila Teixeira and junior Jaclyn Scales. This play took place on a Thanksgiving night when a mail carrier knocked on the door of a lonely woman awaiting company. The mail carrier was asking to fill out a short mail survey and ended up telling her life story and stinking up the young woman’s bathroom. The last two plays of act one were a scene from “Crimes of the Heart” by Beth Henley and “The Rythm Junkies from Stomp”. A short intermission was held with beverages, candies, and kisses for the cast. After the intermission the plays kicked up again with the play entitled “Intermission” by Daniel Meltzer. However, unlike the first act, the second act contained mature

themes and language and the audience was asked to use discretion for the language and themes were more than PG-13. One of the most entertaining plays was “The Hardy Boys and The Mystery of Where Babies Come From” by Christopher Durang. It started off as two young boys talking about how much they liked each others sweaters and ended up in the school nurses office where they were last seen tied up together in chairs in only their undergarments. Turns out their school nurse was not as she seemed to be. The next two plays were “The Bitterest Pill” by senior Olivia Pagliccia and “Watermelon Boats” by Wendy MadLaughlin. Both were stories of two young girls trying to figure out who they are and helping each other along the way. The final play was a story of a young man going to a party trying to find the love of his life. Yet when he is found waiting outside for her he convinces her to stay outside with him and explain himself to her. A nice addition to the Saturday, May 21st, show was that it was the last play the seniors woud ever perform at MHS’ Jenkins Auditorium.

There, Walsh gave out roses and good-byes to all the seniors. MHS’ Play Production is now preparing for their next project, a musical production titled “Urine Town.”

Bottom left: “The Rhythm Junkies” Bottom right: Junior Sarah Fraas in a scene from the “Hardy Boys and The Mystery of Where Babies Come From.” Middle left: A scene from “Women on the Playground.” Top right: Senior Reginah Sanyu from the play “The Audition.” Middle right: Senior Geneva DeCobert in a scene also from the play “The Audition.” All pictures by Catherine Poirier.

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NHS Leaders Make A Difference Natalie Fallano

Kayla Bramante

Copy Editor

Head of Special Projects

ational Honors Society projects have a made a big difference in the Malden community this year. These projects are student created and made to show the dedication the members show to service. Members can work in groups or alone, but either way the projects are all very diverse ranging from a dog walk at the park to a chemistry program for kids. The NHS projects are a chance for the “leaders” to set an example for other students to be active in their community as well. Several of these projects either raise money or supplies for organizations and for those in need. Other projects were done to educate and interact with the youth or bring awareness to local issues. Juniors Nina Ho and Immaculate Mutebi chose to make their project about the Malden River and to raise awareness to it, they named it “Educating the Youth”. Ho stated “When you mention the Malden River most people respond ‘We have a river?” Their goal was to educate the youth about the Malden River, especially the amount of pollution found in the river. On the poster it displayed lots of pictures of the project and the process. Mutebi explains “We expanded the program, in order to try to get surrounding cities to commit as well.” Junior Eddie Lee and Senior Andrew Chen based their project off of educating the youth. They painted a mural at Salemwood Elementary School where hundreds of kids pass by everyday. Lee stated, “We pained the mural to raise awareness to children about how diverse Malden is and that they should appreciate this.” The mural shows painted flags from countries all over the world. Lee and Chen plan on finishing the mural this summer. Seniors Patricia Aguinaldo and Michelle Nguyen started the knitting club at Malden High School this year in hopes to learn new knitting skills from their peers and teach

the skills to new people around the school. They have knitted several things such as a Pokeball from the all over known game, trading cards and television series “Pokemon” and a black pig. When they started the project they did not know how to knit but by the end of their project they managed to knit 3,000 scarves for the homeless and deserving. It had an enormous impact and at the end of the day they felt good about themselves. Sophomore Elyse Valente’s project was called “Paws for a Cause”. It raised money for the Lucky Lab Rescue mainly for black labs. The organization saves dogs from being abused and left homeless. The community and their dogs were at McDonald Stadium doing laps for the fund. The reason she did this was because of her love of dogs. The fundraiser raised 401 dollars and all proceeds benefited the organization. Sophomore Lisa DeLacey, who is new to NHS, worked by herself on a project called “Bread for Malden”. The purpose of her project was to help people get food in Malden that do not have any money to buy food or are homeless. The main goal was to have an impact on world hunger but in a smaller community. Every Thursday night she would go to the restaurant Panera Bread, on Mystic View Road in Everett, and would ask them for all the leftover bread and pastries. Then, on Fridays she went down to the Bread of Life in Malden to bring them all the bread she had collected. “It makes me feel better about myself. I’m doing this for the greater good and helping contribute to ending world hunger”, stated DeLacey. In the end, all NHS members were highly satisfied of their final work. Not only were they proud of the project they had created they were proud to know that because of their project they were making a difference in the community and ultimately the world.

Bottom Left: Juniors Nina Ho and Immaculate Mutebi standing next to their project poster. Bottom Right: Eddie Lee, one of the two students who made the Unity and Diversity project. All photos are taken from NHS projects. All Photos by Kayla Bramante.

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NAtional Honor Society Induction Johanna Lai Reporter

n the night of May 11, 2011, it was not just another normal night at Malden High School; it was the night that the John W. Hutchins Chapter 84th Annual National Honor Society Induction Ceremony took place at the Jenkins Auditorium where family, friends, teachers or even retirees of the school gathered around to see their family members, students, or even friends being inducted to the ceremony as the NHS inductees. The ceremony began with some opening comments from NHS advisor Paul Marques and a welcoming from NHS President and Managing Editor of The Blue and Gold, Alexandra Mathieu. Then the Candle Lightning Service began with four seniors who spoke about the four qualities of NHS: leadership, scholarship, service, and character. Senior Andrew Chen, who was chosen for Leadership. Following Chen was senior Chang Li who presented her speech on scholarship. Then senior Michelle Nguyen spoke about the service. Finally, senior Samantha Saggese presented her speech on character. Former Vice-President of NHS, Senior Alison Nguyen read the NHS pledge, the inductees recited the pledge, standing in unity. After the pledge was read, Treasurer of NHS

Senior Andrew Chen gives a speech on leadership at the induction ceremony. Photo by Johanna Lai.

Jonathan Sit and Secretary of NHS who is also the Editor In-Chef of The Blue and Gold, Nidale Zouhir, introduced every new member and included a brief yet well-spoken description that included something interesting about them. Once all the new members are inducted into NHS, the graduating seniors were given sashes and a copy of Dr.Seuss’s Oh, The Places You’ll Go! Once those gifts were given out, it was time for the officers for 2010-2011 to complete their final task of the year by presenting the officers of NHS for the 2011-2012 school year as the Candle Lightning Service went on. The service began with Sit who lit the candle for the

next Treasurer of NHS, junior Eddie Lee, and passed on to him the record book. Next was Zouhir, who lit the candle of the next Secretary of NHS, junior and Head of Local News of The Blue and Gold, Cristina Peters and handed her the journal. Nguyen the lit the candle of the next Vice-President of NHS, junior and Online Editor of The Blue and Gold, Omar Khoshafa while handing him the plaque. Lastly, Mathieu lit the candle of the next president of NHS Daniel Rendon, and later gave him a gavel which signifies his presidency of NHS. For many of the seniors, tributes that were presented by every one of them were unforgettable,

touching, emotional and even had a touch of humor. One of the senior tributes was from Vice President Nguyen who gave a tribute to Physics teacher, Brian Morrison. Every year when it is almost the end of the ceremony, the members of NHS chose a Teacher of the Year and a Mentor of the Year. The award for Teacher of the Year award was presented to Calculus teacher and Math Team leader, Nicholas Lippman by Mathieu. Lippman stated “it was an honor to achieve this award.” Nguyen then presented the Mentor of the Year award to Maldnonian advisor and media study teacher James Valente.

Posters of Pine banks Clean Up: Poster by junior Daniel Rendon and senior Barbara Finnamore is about the Pine Banks being cleaned up for a better environment; Books for Africa by seniors and The Blue and Gold Members Nidale Zouhir and Joao Nascimento is a project about books donated to the children in Africa; Educating the Youth about the Malden River by juniors Immaculate Mutebi and Nina Ho is a project about educating children and teenagers about the Malden River; Pages for All Ages by Blue and Gold Members Senior Brittany Foley and Sophomores Catherine Poirier, and Lauren Benoit is a project about books being donated to children at a Children’s Hospital; and Ocean Outreach by The Blue and Gold Member and junior Cristina Peters and junior Alana Casey is a project about teaching the kids on helping out the creatures in the ocean. Photos by Kayla Bramante.

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MHS Seniors dress to impress

The Blue and Gold Graduation 2011

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glamorous gowns and classy tuxedos

Photos by Matteo Pocobene and Catherine Poirier. Layout and design by Brittany Foley.

The Blue and Gold Graduation 2011

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“A Year to Remember” Kristen Leonard Reporter

How Can They Stop Singing Their Song? Timothee Pierre Reporter

melody, a melody that has the potential to draw in the attention of the outspoken crowd. A melody that has the ability to leave them in awe is what the concert choir had achieved. The concert started at 7 pm, and was free to everyone. It was performed in the Malden High School Jenkins auditorium. The Mixed Choir performed first, singing “One Short Day,” “How Can I Stop Singing My Song,” “The Tide Rises,” “Neighbors’ Chorus,” and “We Dance.” Choral Teacher, Todd Cole explained how the songs were chosen, stating, “with Mixed and Concert, [they are] different groups, with different styles, and different music.” Some of the Mixed Concert students had something to say about their thoughts on the concert on its music selection. Freshman Jessie Memmolo stated, “The first song ‘One Short Day’ was the best, in my own opinion.” During the concert, there were solo parts in the mixed and concert choir. Nora Riordan stated, “I think it went really good, I enjoyed watching others [perform.]” After the Mixed Choir performed, the Show Chorus and the Madrigal Singers performed. When the Show Choir came up to perform, they sang a song called “Who Can I Turn To.” Sophomore Cindy Morales stated, “I wish we were singing more songs, but then again I loved it.” Cole added that the Show Choir did not have long to practice for the concert due to the construction and lack of a music room because of the room changes. During the concert, Freshman Ramses Neves-Riviere and Vanessa

Above headline: The concert choir sings as Mr. Cole--director of the show-conducts. Below headline: Vanessea Morales and Ramese Neves-Riviere of the mixed chorus sing their solo parts. Photos by Matteo Pocobene. Morales sang a solo part in the song called ‘We Dance.’ Morales stated that when she was practicing for this concert, what went through her mind was: “typically, I was very nervous. I was mainly thinking of the tempo mostly. I had a ton of trouble with that because I was the first one up to sing; I only had one beat to start.” Riviere stated, “ it is just learning lyrics is not that hard for me.” With one short solo, Riviere stated, “You get what you can get and I am grateful for what I [have.]” The concert, according to MHS students, was thought of as great. Freshman Ashleigh Ortiz said, “it went pretty swell.” Sophomore Stanley Syliant stated, “I was not

disappointed.” After the show chorus, the Madrigal Singers performed. According to MHS students, they were the best because of the way the they sing with no music, but they are not an acappella group. Cole stated that the groups are all different. The Madrigal Singers sang seven songs in total and every one of those songs did not need music. After the Madrigal Singers sang, it was all up to the Concert Chorus to take the night away with some very good songs. They ended the concert with a sweet and loving by handing out flowers to people in the audience.

alden High School’s Concert Band put on a great act for their 2011 Spring Concert. The concert was titled “A Year to Remember”. “It was the year we thought would never happen”, stated MHS Concert Band director Matthew Tavares during the concert. Parents, grandparents, siblings, and friends all sat in the Jenkins Auditorium on May 29, 2011 to watch the band perform. Tavares felt “very strong and confident that all areas of our instrumental program will be very well represented” and he “expect[ed] the students to play well, as always.” All the practice really did pay off. After a brief speech made by Tavares the concert began. At the wave of Tavares’ hand, the band’s instruments were raised and ready to play. Tavares states, “Music [was] a collection of works from our concert band work at the MICCA concert band festival where we scored a silver medal” The concert ‘s repertoire started off with the piece “Brighton Beach” composed by William P. Latham. The second selection was “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” composed by John Williams and arranged by Robert Smith. To help the MHS band perform this selection the Middle School Band also joined in. The third piece played was “On a Hymnsong of Philip Bliss” composed by David Holsigner. The final piece played by the band was also composed by David Holsigner was titled “Abram’s Pursuit.” When the Band was done performing, there was an intermission for the audience to make their way down to the Gymnasium for the second half of the concert. The Concert Band’s performance may have been over, but there was still more to come for the audience. First up was MHS Colorguard’s performance of “Oh the Places You’ll Go”. The gymnasium looked like it was a scene from the beloved Dr. Sues book. The team had on yellow costumes just like the character from the book. The Colorguard team did their routine to a track that was reading the book outloud. Finally the Malden Percussion took the floor to wrap up the night. Their performance called “Battlefield Saga: Secrets!” featured students playing instruments, working the soundboards, singing, and even rapping. The Malden Percussion preformed their own twist on the popular songs “Love the Way You Lie” by Eminem featuring Rhianna and “Secrets” by One Republic. All three groups, The Concert Band, MHS Colorguard, and the Malden Percussion Ensemble all put on a show to remember.

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A Teacher’s Comedy Night

Haley DeFilippis Copy Editor

n the 25th of May, the bravest of teachers took the stage in Malden High School’s Jenkins auditorium to perform skits and comedy acts. One of the highlights of the night involved a type of parody of Twilight. Math teacher Evan Mauser played Edward Cullen with his face completely covered in white powder. Several female teachers here at MHS sat together at a table for a faculty lunch, gossiping over the mesmerizing Mr. Edwards, aka Mauser, who then appeared out of the curtains. The teachers nervously pulled at their clothes and fidgeted in their seats, waiting for him to speak. When he finally did, squeals immediately arose from the teachers. The teachers pointed out the peculiar fact that he had been absent for several days when it was sunny. Then, chemistry teacher Meaghan Galdos, playing Bella Swan, walked onto the stage and made Mr. Edwards suffer, and the audience soon became aware of his irrevocable attraction to her. With his face in pain, he yelled out about his frustration not being able to read her thoughts. Completely freaked out, Galdos ran across the stage to leave, but fell hurting her wrist. Immediately, Mr. Edwards ran to her rescue and tried to resist his urge to drink her blood. Next out came Brunelli house principal Thomas Mahoney taking the stage to read his infamous afternoon announcements, but ones from 1950. Through a megaphone, he explained that the announcements “were not always as smooth as they are now.” He announced that the Abolitionist Society was to have a meeting in the afternoon, the Boston College Eagles baseball game was to be held the next day, horses are not permitted to park at school, and as always, school starts promptly at 7:45 am. No excuses. It seemed to be that students and faculty at MHS were morphing

into characters from MTV’s show Jersey Shore. Math teacher Hava Daniels did not believe studentteacher Amorin who claimed that she saw these characters running around the school, but then to prove her wrong, English teacher Sean Walsh, math teacher Bernice Diaz, and Principal Dana Brown, entered onto the stage as Mike ‘The Situation’, ‘DJ Pauly D’, and ‘Snooki’. They yelled about everyone needing to get “DTL” - down to learn. After deciding that Daniels and Amorin were too whack to hang around, the three decided to go to the famous dance club at the Jersey Shore called Karma. With “Get Crazy” by band LMFAO playing in the background, the three fist-pumped the night away. Next up came computer programming teacher Paul Marques, with a very long list of insults directed to teachers here at MHS. Insults that left the audience in hysterics consisted of Art teacher Ann Seager having claimed to be on a diet for 30 years, English teacher David Londino looking like Chicken Little, low blows to math teacher Katy Kwong’s peculiar outfits, and health teacher Diane Devito’s opinion of skiing. Last but not least, Marques played the video of himself on the reality show The Price is Right back from the 1990s. With the audience in hysterics, the infamous band named Iron Vanilly, who performed in Faculty Follies last year and consists of Walsh, Diaz, and Mauser, took the stage to present their music video of their cover of the Ramone’s “Hey ho, let’s go!” and then their rendition of rapper Drake’s “Find your love.” To conclude the night, the teachers set up to have a pie eating contest, but ended up having a food fight to mock the real food fight that occured in MHS on Friday, May 20, 2011.

Top left corner: Evan Mauser, as Mr. Edwards, attempts to stop himself from drinking blood from Bella Swan, played by Meaghan Galdos. From top to bottom: Thomas Mahoney lists afternoon announcements, Christopher Giordano and Bernice Diaz share a dance, and Sean Walsh plays the guitar as Shereen Escovitz sings a song to Malden High School students. Photos by Matteo Pocobene.

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a good experience Vicki Ngan Reporter

nthusiasm filled the air on May 25, 2011, as the annual senior internship was hosted in the Finn Gym at the Malden High School. Seniors proudly presented their jobs they’ve worked on these past months and students crowded around them, eager and curious about their projects. A variety of presentations were put on display this year, portraying the occupations of veterinarians to kindergarten teachers. All of this began behind the scenes with the coordinators of the senior internship program. Michelle Magner, the head coordinator of the senior internship program, introduced this program to MHS because she thought it would be great for the students. Her son at Masconomet Regional High School went through the same type of program, which is how she learned of it. As a head coordinator, Magner has the duty of managing the program and coordinating the committee. “I think it’s one of the best opportunities…It’s like a bridge to the outside world,” stated Magner. Benefits the students receive include exposure to a career they might be interested in the future. Learning not only just about their jobs, they get to learn about themselves as well, and how they would interact with people in the public. They have a great opportunity to try something different and get to network with people who are in the same career path. In addition, it gives them a chance to feel responsible, such as being punctual. “It’s a great opportunity for seniors to do something they feel passionate about or like,” explained Beverly Nyman, English teacher and one of the coordinators of the senior internship. Not only that, it is known that twenty-five to forty percent of the seniors on internship got summer employment, a nice bonus in this economy. For the seniors, it was mandatory that they write a short essay, a proposal describing and explaining why they would want a certain job. Before that, they would have to ask if the place they decided for an internship at would accept them. If a student is unclear about what job they would like to go into, they could get help from the coordinators. The coordinators are responsible for reading over these proposals and seeing if they are valid or not as well. Reading them twice over, they would pass a proposal if it’s a legitimate business, doesn’t have any family relations, no pay, and if a student can learn something there. They also check if the student has a good standing, such as their attendance, if they meet all graduation requirements, and if they would be working up to 30 hours. A “guide,” or a person in the business, must be

present too, overseeing the student as they do their work. Obviously passing all these requirements, the seniors on the presentation day stood near their projects, explaining themselves to any passerby that is interested. One such senior was Derek Trombas, who went on an internship with band teacher Matthew Tavares. Going to the five Malden Public Middle and Elementary schools, he taught music to grades four through eight. Trombas wanted to and planned to major in music education, which was why he wanted this internship opportunity. He gained some valuable experience explaining, “teaching is really difficult because even though you know what you are doing, it’s hard to portray.” Although there are some seniors that know what they are doing, there are some seniors that want to try something totally new. Senior Rachael Solano had gone on an internship she had absolutely no idea about, and she worked as a special educator in a post secondary program. Her job was to teach about money skills and how to start a good education. Loving what she had gotten into, she “learned the importance of a well rounded education.” Solano considers this as a possible career she might be interested in for her future. There are many other jobs a senior could be taking besides one that involves teaching. Jasmine Roach, a senior at the MHS, chose to work in Precious Memories, a florist shop on Ferry Street. Fashion as her center, she took the chance to pursue her interest at this shop and loved it. From her experience in the shop, she learned that everything was about image, about first impressions, and about how the costumers perceive the person they interact with. This job had helped Roach in getting to know how it worked behind the scenes. Then, for some seniors, they found this opportunity as an excellent chance to prep for college. Senior Nikita Chauhan had worked at the Tawakal Cuisine, which was an east African and Mediterranean restaurant located in east Boston. Although her ambition is to major in premed, she found cooking as a hobby to learn before entering college. While there, she had helped with cooking and cleaning outside as well as other chores they assigned to her. The restaurant had an attractive feature that drew her there, such as the traditional seating area on the mats instead of the tables, where costumers could choose to sit. Never having to work before, this internship had given her a feel of the real world and a sense of responsibility. Overall, once again, this senior internship had helped many students, letting them experience their possible future career paths.

Senior Derek Trombas presenting his experience about his internship on teaching music to Malden elementary and middle school students.

Senior Jasmine Roach with her internship presentation on the florist shop Precious Memories.

Senior Nikita Chauhan and her presentation about her internship at the Tawakal Cuisine.

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Walk for Hunger Raises $3.6 Million Rebecca Broomstein Reporter

ne mile down, 19 to go. Already, my feet are complaining and 75 percent of the water in my bottle is gone. It’s alright; I only have to repeat this 19 more times… Nineteen. More. Times. Surely, wearing such improper footwear (moccasins, to be exact) is going to kick me in the shin soon enough. All vexations aside, the weather was rather perfect, and I was enjoying it with thousands of people who share the same interest in preventing the spread of hunger in Massachusetts. On May 1, 2011, 42,000 people participated in the 20-mile walk to raise money for hungry residents of Massachusetts. Each year, all profits made from the walk are spent on organizations and programs to provide food for people who cannot support themselves. The Walk for Hunger began in 1969 by a man named Patrick Hughes and a group of hunger activists. The walk snaked 29.6 miles through Quincy (and was later shortened to 20 miles). That year, the walk raised $26,000 to fund two hunger projects. In 1974, an organization known as Project Bread was established to di-

Walk for Hunger volunteers trying to help make a difference. Photo courtesy of Rebecca Broomstein. rect the walk, now running through Boston and surrounding cities. Project Bread’s mission is to ultimately alleviate hunger in Massachusetts. This organization funds more than 400 emergency food programs, such as food pantries, food banks, and soup kitchens. In Massachusetts alone, there are about 253,600 households that are at risk for hunger. In Massachusetts, 13 percent of children under

the age of 18 live in food-deficient homes. The Walk for Hunger raises millions of dollars to help those households retrieve the meals they need to feed each family. The Walk for Hunger takes place on the first Sunday in May each year, this year falling on May 1st. On this day, 42,000 supporters paraded around Boston together, celebrating Project Bread’s 42nd Walk For Hunger.

Each year, many teams and organizations around Massachusetts fundraise money to participate in the walk. These groups are anything from entire schools, to a school group, a sports team, and even work groups. Some people prefer to register as an individual, in which case, one would raise money themselves to donate to Project Bread. For those who want to participate, but are rather intimidated by the thought of treading 20 whole miles might participate as a volunteer. Those who volunteer usually run the water stands, or stand along the mile-markers and motivate the walkers. There is always room for help, for there are thousands of walkers to tend to. This year, 2,000 volunteers participated in the 2011 Walk for Hunger. Fortunately, rest stops are positioned throughout the walk to relieve the walkers. These stops are called “checkpoints,” where you’ll find bathrooms and food stands. This year’s Walk for Hunger raised a total of $3.6 million dollars to support emergency food programs throughout Massachusetts.

Uniting in Memory of Leslie Kaela Bryan Reporter

alden High School runners, walkers and joggers once again gathered in one place for one purpose from 3 pm to 5 pm on Tuesday, May 10: MacDonald Stadium for the seventh annual Laps for Leslie fundraiser. As promised by the slogan, “Rain or Shine,” the walk continued despite the weather; something so special for the Malden community and for MHS cannot be postponed due to some rain and wind. Karen Razzino, MHS Business and Tech Education Program Director and Assessment Coordinator, began the annual walk when her daughter, Leslie, passed away after a long battle against cancer in 2005, just two years after graduating from MHS. According to Razzino, although Leslie was not a “super athlete,” she “loved the feeling of running and [going] against [her] own time.” Leslie also loved to write poetry; these two “endeavors made her feel like she had control over some things in her life.” The walk raises money for two scholarships for graduating senior girls here at MHS who also love to write poetry or who love Track. Usually five girls are selected for each scholarship, and are awarded about $500 each to put toward fu-

ture expenses like college. As usual, MHS students had something to say about the walk. For her second consecutive year, sophomore Kelsey Conti stayed for the entire duration to represent the MHS Outdoor Track and Field Team, and she managed to run about ten laps. She and her teammates all got together and donated as a whole. “I think it is amazing,” said Conti, “to see everyone there, from all the different teams, coming together like this. It is very inspiring, and it is a great bonding experience.” Students were not the only ones to participate in the annual fundraiser: teachers and other MHS staff members were present as well. One major supporter of all things athletic-related in Malden and especially of Laps for Leslie is Barbara Scibelli, MHS Administrative Assistant to the Department of Athletics and Physical Education. “[Leslie] was a great young woman,” said Scibelli, “and through this event people can remember her. And the younger student athletes who were not fortunate enough to have known her can be inspired by her. It is a wonderful way for the high school community to pull together and support Mrs. Razzino.” Despite the rain and the wind on May 10, the walk drew dozens of people in a fantastic turn-out. “Ev-

MHS staff and students take a lap around MacDonald Stadium for Leslie. Photo coutresty of Rebecca Broomstein. eryone who participates has a great time,” says Scibelli. “[The studentathletes] look forward to [representing] their teams and doing laps together. Even our out-of-season teams meet at MacDonald Stadium to do a few laps together for Leslie. Many former student athletes also come back for this event. Rain or shine, this is always the highlight of the year!” Laps for Leslie is always an enriching and unifying experience: the students are inspired to and are taught how to give back, and they learn why it is necessary to do something like this. Thanks to the help of the Malden community,

Leslie’s memory will continue to live on. “For two hours one day in May,” said Razzino, “everyone comes out, walks, runs, participates, socializes and gets a feel-good sense of community while contributing to a worthwhile cause. … That’s impressive to me and my family. It absolutely brings us comfort and satisfaction knowing that her spirit lives on in such a purposeful way. This to me is connecting beyond the classroom. It creates a bond and allows students and teachers to see each other in a different light working towards the same goals. … It’s such a feel-good day and event. How can I possibly stop now?”

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Sophomore Spring Festival Lesley Ta

Ninth Annual Special Olympics

Megan Kelly

Reporter espite the cold weather, volunteers and guests of the Sophomore Spring Festival had a lively and boisterous afternoon on May 24, 2011. Malden High School clubs, outside organizations and businesses signed up to be a part of this event. Some of the organizations that participated were the Fine Arts Club, Gary Christenson’s advocates, and Pathways. They held high hopes that the Festival would increase their chance of fundraising money to support their activities. Held at MacDonald Stadium, the delight and excitement began at noon. Students, teachers, and Malden residents visited the abundant stations, which were set up in intervals around the perimeter of the large field. Booths that sold game tickets, possessed various contest sign ups (such as the tug of war and the three legged race) and the ever so famous prize table were set in the middle of the grassy stadium. To make the festival more family oriented, multiple games were set up and placed all around the stadium. A creative way raise more money, these small game booths were places to earn tickets. In return, these tickets were used to trade in for prizes at the prize table. Some popular prizes were frisbees and plush stuffed animals. Other family friendly games available included a ring toss, basketball free-throws, a tin can knockdown, a small fishing for frogs booth, and a football toss that took up most of the field. The MHS Fine Arts club offered their members’ talents as a creative way to gain more visitors to their table. They painted hands, arms, and decorated faces of children, other students, and themselves. The most popular drawing people kept asked for were mostly floral designs, such as lilies, roses, and basic flowers. Other popular designs were animals, such as dogs and cats. A popular non prize game (the satisfaction of playing the game was rewarding enough) was the Pie in the Face game. Many MHS teachers volunteered to be a part of this booth. Science teacher Shauna Campbell, who volunteered to be battered by “pies” of whipped cream, laughed “I feel a little nervous [on the job], and the plate kind of hurts.” History teacher Benjamin Max, study hall paraprofessional Paul Famigletti, math teacher Hava Daniels, Head of Guidance Manjula Karamchetti, and MHS Principal Dana Brown also volunteered to participate in this game. Tasty foods were sold from various vendors around the Massachusetts area. Lynette’s Cotton Candy,Pisa Pizza, Donna’s Donuts from Tewksbury, a popcorn stand, and Spadafora Slush all took part in

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the event. Pisa Pizza’s mascot, Pizzaronni, also showed up at the event, giving small children high fives and gloved hugs. To kick off the festival long concert, MHS Percussion performed. Next were siblings’ freshman Cori and senior Patrick Malone. In honor of their veteran father, Patrick Malone, they sang “God Bless U.S.A.” by Lee Greenwood. He has been in the military for 21 years before retiring as a 1st Sargent. The Executive Chair was up for a loud and rocking time. The group includes drummer Cameron, an 8th grader at Mystic Valley, guitarist Nick Hames, an 8th grader at Linden, second guitarist Dylan Arema, a sophomore at the Voke and Malden High’s own senior Dan Armena. Sophomore Hannah Calderone started her show as a solo singer and acoustic guitarist. Calderone has been playing guitar for a little over three years, and From Top to Bottom: Joe Cote of Fourth Wall has taken lessons Fiction performing. Hava Daniels happily getting for piano as well. She performed pied in the face. Photos by Catherine Poirier. “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac, Panic at the Disco’s are alumni of MHS’ Class of 2008. “Ballad of Mona Lisa”, “Imagine” Cote is FWF’s pianist and vocalist, by John Lennon, “Hey Jude” by The while Wingerter is FWF’s guitarist. Beatles and “Baby” by Justin Bieber Andrew Sterner who was in MHS’s to feed the crowd’s raging delight- graduating Class of 2005 is the on lead guitar and currently is working ment. To close the concert, Fourth at The Dance Studio. The Festival was a huge sucWall Fiction, debuted multiple songs cess even though it was the first of that literally rocked the “stage” of the show. Gary Famiglietti, son of it’s kind. “I thought the Spring FesMHS School Publicist Paul Fami- tival was very successful and hopeglietti is FWF’s drummer and was fully it will grow in the future and part of MHS’s Class of 2006. Gary become one of the many Malden Famiglietti is currently majoring High School annual events,” stated in Criminal Justice at UMass Low- study hall paraprofessional Paul ell. Joe Cote and Billy Wingerter Famigletti.

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tudents milling around McDonald stadium isn’t a strange sight in Malden; the field used almost year round hosts most of the schools sports. Though on a chilly May morning some commuters might have wondered why there was mass of students there; an estimated one hundred Malden High School students weren’t there for their teams, they were there to help set up for the 2011 Malden Special Olympics. Arriving as early as 6:20 the volunteers set up flags and banners sporting the Special Olympics logo as well as preparing the playing fields with colored mini flag banners. Students from Malden not only enjoyed the games as students from neighbouring Medford Public Schools, the Roosevelt School of Melrose, Wakefield Public Schools, the SEEM Collaborative Program and the Hamilton Wenham Regional High School competed in the games as well. One group that could be spotted around the stadium in their coordinated outfits was Team Alex who were supporting Forestdale Eighth grader Alex Gentile who has been competing in the games for several years. Made up of fellow students and family friends Team Alex’s leader Penny Gentile, Alex’s mother, stated what was so important what was so different about Alex participating in the games, unlike in traditional sports, “It’s not about the medal, it’s about him being out there doing what he can do.” Being able to participate in multiple races, tennis ball and softball throws and long jumps students of all ages could show of their athletic side; with Karina O’Neil Adams, an MHS junior who competed in the Fifty Meter Wheel Chair Race explained her reasoning behind her participation, “It’s good... I just like to race!” For students the events give them a chance to share their school life with their friends and family. Alka Agarwal, a Para-Professional at MHS, said what the event does for her students “[is] something different where they get to spend three to four hours out of the classroom, where they invite their family and meet kids from other schools. Here it isn’t about winning it’s about the experience.” MHS principal Dana Brown opened the games with a speech that looked back at the last nine years of events, remembering that only a hundred students participated that first year and that only a few benches in the stands were full. This year with almost a field full of 400 charged students and 100 volunteers it seems that the games are not only gaining participants but supporters as well.

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Patrick Shank Congratulations On Graduating!!!!!!!!!!

Love, Mrs. Kelly

VINNIEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S PIZZA

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Splash to Success Sharon Lee

Alfonse Femino

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Head Sports Writer

s the spring season progressed, the Malden High Crew Team faced some tough challenges on the river. Winning three medals in their five regattas, the team remained in high spirits in hopes for a positive end to the season. Although “it’s been a rocky start, I feel like we are going to have [a] great season,” says senior captain Harout Khodaverdian. Going through few obstacles, for example, losing several team members from past years has significantly decreased their number of upperclassmen membership. The crew team has three seniors,

four juniors, 14 sophomores, and seven freshmen. Although there is a smaller number of upperclassmen membership, the team has a bright future with more than two-thirds of the team consisting of underclassmen. To prepare novice rowers for the season, the crew team holds their own annual crew camp which

started during the summer of 2010. It is a two week camp at the Malden River to teach new rowers how to row and also provide extra rowing practice for more experienced rowers. Since crew is not a sport offered as a city-wide sport for youth, most new rowers join with no experience, therefore making practice time very crucial. As sophomore Devon Moran called it “[the team is] an equal amount of quality and quantity.” Moran continued on to say “Our coaches can be the best coaches that [drive] you insane, but that is so important when it comes to rowing,” and both Coach Sarah Jones and Shauna Campbell recruit year round for new crew members. In the past years not only have the coaches put in hours and hours of hard work but so have senior rowers. Even though there are only three seniors, they are three who will truly be missed and are hard to let go. Moran describes senior Ana Sazo, and captains Jeremy Bowser and Khodaverdian as “amazing people to look up to.”

Top to bottom, left to right: Sophomores Rebecca Broomstein, Devon Moran, senior Ana Sazo, and junior Paige Yurek practicing for an upcoming match. Photo submitted by Mary Broomstein. Sophomores Dan McClenthen, Muhammed Raja, Alan Nie, and James Hickey rowing on the Malden River. Photo by Rebecca Broomstein.

Harout Khodaverdian As a seven season crew member, senior Harout Khodaverdian will be graduating from Malden High School wishing he could have had eight seasons. As a freshmen Khodaverdian joined the crew team during the spring season and loved it ever since. For the past four years, Khodaverdian’s life has been completely consumed by crew and now Khodaverdian states that he is “still in shock that it’s all coming to an end,” reminiscing on lasting memories. Looking back Khodaverdian remembers his sophomore season the most, being that it was the year his boat, consisting of himself as stroke seat, Class of 2009 graduate Wen Jie as third seat, Class of 2009 graduate Raul Villanueva as second seat, Class of 2010 graduate Matthew

The Last Hurrah

Maggio, and senior captain Jeremy Bowser as Coxswain, won first place in GBL’s, third place in the Lowell Invitational’s, and second place in States. For Khodaverdian, crew was a motivation; crew had motivated Khodaverdian to try new sports at MHS, like soccer during his freshmen year and wrestling during his junior year, which, in his opinion, “are nothing compared to crew.” It may just be the love or passion he has grown for crew but his entire high school career would have been altered if he had not joined crew during his freshman year. Khodaverdian knows “[his] day would be incomplete without crew or even doing something crew related,” considering that he has put in more time into crew for practices,

meets, fundraisers, and team bonding than he can even count. Although Khodaverdian is graduating from the Malden High Crew team, he has new adventures just around the corner as he plans to join the crew team at the University of Vermont next fall.

t starts with waking up in the morning, similar to any other day of the year. You pack your bag, skip breakfast because you are going to be late and you know your house principal will not excuse you, so you need to hurry. You get to school, see your friends, classmates, and teachers. By fifth period the anxiety kicks in, and you just want to get out of math class and hustle to McDonald Stadium, the gym, or the pool, so you can prepare for the game you have been patiently waiting for all day. Although every player dreads that last game, the difference may not even be felt in the first few minutes of the game. Heck, it might not even be felt towards the middle of the game. But once a player gets through about half of their last game in whatever sport it is, it really starts to kick in. The thought enters the brain, “this really is my last 30 minutes,” and then the emotions start to build. Once you get back into the swing of the game, other than the occasional glance at the time slowly ticking down on the score board, it may again just feel like any other game you compete in, but when the final buzzer or whistle sounds, the reality sets in. You realize that when you unbuckle that chest pad, remove the swim cap, or take off the helmet, that it is never going back on. You realize the grueling practices that you dreaded for four years, never once thinking you would miss, will never have to be dreaded again. But there is that small feeling, that feeling that you wish just one more time you could be forced to do sprints or laps or seemingly pointless tackling drills. Even for those lucky few that get to continue their athletic careers in college, there is the realization that nothing can ever compare to the camaraderie that developed from being in school with the same people for seven hours, then practice with them for another three, for three months on end. However, that faithful last game of senior year marks the beginning of something new. And by new, I am referring of course to the life long memories of being a Golden Tornado of Malden High School. Whether it is recounting the overtime win, or the record setting season to grandchildren, or reminiscing about “coach Pap” with old teammates, these memories are here to stay. Personally, I know that 20 years from now, I will not be able to remember who sat next to me in English, or who taught all my classes sophomore year, but if someone were to ask me about my football team, I could give them every name, number, and position of every other kid I ever had the pleasure of sharing the field with.

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Softball: a team for the ages

Junior pitcher, Kiara Amos pitches against Somerville High School at their home field, Calahan Park. Photo by Lauren Benoit. Joshua Kummins Copy Editor

he Malden High School softball team has had a very successful season and with a balanced line-up; the team was able to qualify for the first round of the state tournament. John Furlong, who is in his first season as the head coach, said that the team has had a strong season and that they were “heading in the right direction” in order to set forth during the pre-season. Furlong said that the team’s top priority at the beginning of the season was to win the Greater Boston League title and with a perfect record of 8-0, they did just that when they beat Everett on May 23. Over the course of the season, the team beat every other GBL opponent twice in order to win the title for the fourth straight spring. The team’s overall record is 173, but their only losses came from Burlington High School twice and Lynn Classical High School once. All their losses came against non-league opponents, therefore it did not affect their aspirations to win another GBL

championship. Even though they have only lost three games on the season, Furlong says that the team has endured a very harsh schedule, but their improvements throughout the course of the season have helped greatly. One of their wins, on May 20, was against Lynn Classical High School, who was previously undefeated until a 2-0 shutout against MHS. Three senior captains Ashley Powers, Francesca Richardson, and Renee Santo have all contributed greatly to the success of this year’s team and have led the way for contribution from younger players. Their season has been successful because of a mixed effort from the junior and senior leadership, as well as first-year sophomores. As a fouryear player, Santo pointed out that “there is not one weak link” with all their contribution. Since it is Santo’s final season as a high school athlete, she expected “nothing but the best” from the team this year with hope of

Junior catcher Emily Hoffman hits a grounder up the middle of the field against Somerville High School. Photo by Lauren Benoit.

making it “all the way.” Santo also believes the team’s success fed off the positive attitude of coach Furlong. “He’s a rah-rah type of guy,” she said. “He feels the same way and we really do feed off his energy.” Because of the team’s successful start, Santo said that it was obvious that the team would make the state tournament and as a veteran senior, she wanted to close her career with a deep post-season run this year. Unfortunately, the team’s run in the post-season ended prematurely after a 5-2 upset against Bishop Fenwick in the quarterfinals of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) Division 1 North Tournament. One of the team’s most notable players is junior Kiara Amos, who has been widely recognized as one of the best softball pitchers in the state. Santo says that although Amos usually gets all of the attention, her catcher, junior Emily Hoffman should also get credit, as they are a great duo -- one of the best in the area, according to Furlong. When Amos leaves MHS, Furlong said “hands down, she will hold every record possible in the school and maybe the league.” Furlong added that she would go down as the best pitcher in the history of the Malden High softball program. According to coach Furlong, sophomores Jessalynne Brown, Melissa Light, Bridget Furlong, and Hannah Calderone have been swinging hot bats and have been major contributors as underclassmen. Brown, Light, and Furlong are all returning to the varsity team for their second year. Calderone thinks that she has improved over the course of the season and “didn’t think [she] would play at all” since it was only her sophomore year, but the entire season has exceeded her personal expectations in terms of time spent on the playing field. She feels that the season has gone very well for the team because “[they] work as a team and it shows in [their] accomplishments.” Furlong said that it is always tough to lose players at the caliber of his seniors as they “bring great balance to the team,” but there will be nine returning players next year and help from the freshman and junior varsity levels. He believes that Santo, who has swung a powerful bat this season, will be a four-time GBL All-Star by the end of the season. Santo has hit three home runs this season. With a very balanced squad in line, the MHS softball team should not be hurt by the loss of senior players this season as the underclassmen have proven to be well-trained pieces for the future.

Renee Santo

Joshua Kummins Copy Editor

s a four-year, two-sport athlete at Malden High School, senior Renee Santo mentioned that playing in her final softball home game would be “so hard.” Especially, because it will likely be her final organized game as an athlete. She was a four-year member of both the field hockey and softball teams, while playing one season of basketball during her freshman year. Currently, Santo serves as a tri-captain of the MHS softball team, along with her senior classmates Francesca Richardson and Ashley Powers. After a “very successful” senior year, Santo chose to put an end to her athletic career as she will be studying at the University of Rhode Island in the fall, but she hopes that her softball team can “go out with a bang” to close her high school career since they are already assured of a berth in the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) post-season tournament. Santo plans on studying pharmacy at URI and would earn a Doctor of Pharmacy degree after six years of study. She decided not to play college softball due to the rigorous academic schedule, but said this would be “the last team [she would] want to play for” if her athletic career were to end. Santo easily recalled her favorite high school moment, which came at the end of the 2010 softball season, when MHS lost to Central Catholic High School in the state tournament. Despite the loss, she simply described the game as “amazing” after suffering a blowout loss to the same team earlier that season. It will be “very sad to leave” MHS for Santo, but she says that she will have a great team to watch when she returns to Malden during the upcoming seasons.

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MHS Baseball Makes Tournament Kevin Valley one more hit or one more thrown strike,” Valley commented, showing how the difference of the season has to this point been decided by extremely small aspects, and the difference between a possibly 9-6 or 10-5 team has been determined by just a swing. Outside of the baseball diamond, it is not uncommon to see members of the team hanging out with one another. Regardless of what is going on the field the players still maintain a strong relationship off the field as well, and Gibson feels like that has helped them through everything. “Most of our team is really close outside of baseball, which helps keep each other up and focused during practice and games.” The players believe that this camaraderie between the players contributes to the teams success,

Jacob Martino Reporter

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Senior Marc Woodman prepares to hit a ball at batting practice. Photo by Joshua Kummins.

he Malden High School baseball team had a rough start to their season but was able to rebound and qualify for the state tournament. Many people know that this was the year for the team to be great and go far but they had to overcome some adversity so far during the season. Senior captain Kevin Valley stated, “at the beginning of the season it really hurt us and now that everyone is back on the team healthy we are starting to turn this season around and are playing better as a team.” Although the team did face some tough adversity before the first practice, this negative

Junior Adam Lucey runs back to the dugout after getting out. Photo by Reginah Sanyu.

was soon turned into a positive. With the help of some younger players, the team was able to find some sucess early on, and with the returning of some more older, more experienced players, the team was able to transition quickly, and hit their stride. Coach Kevin Carpenito, along with the captains and the rest of the team feel as though overcoming the adversity has brought them closer as a unit, and will help them adjust when things get difficult once again.Sophomore Chuckie Gibson commented, “Based on everything we had to deal with, we have been playing decent, but we should have pulled off those close games against Everett and Lawrence.” He also added, “I think we were hyped up to be great and if we had the team we were supposed to have for the whole season, we would have met the expectations.” This season seems to have more significance and mean more to the players than last year. Gibson stated, “Last year we had a great season and only lost two seniors, so we expected a lot from ourselves this year.” Valley feels that this season has had its ups and downs. “We expected every game to be a battle, but I did not expect our record to be this way. We are a better team than what our record says and in three of those games the outcome could have been different if it wasn’t for

Sophomore Johnny Wilcox running the bases. Photo by Joshua Kummins. because the more the players know each other, the better they can play alongside one another. The team did make the state tournament. Unfortunatley, the boys lost in the first round to Westford Academy by a score of 4-2. Valley was very confident about coach Carp bringing them back to the tournament. He commented, “Yes he led us to the tournament last year with all of the same players except two kids, we are stronger and more experienced now and I am confident he will do his best to lead us deep into the tournament this year.” The younger players on the team look towards the captains to lead them in the right direction during the season, not just the coach. When asked about how he felt about that captains and if he was confident in their leadership, he stated, “Yes, they are the ones who keep us up most of the time and have the right attitude, they want it more than all of us so we know what we have to do.”

evin Valley is not just the quarterback, he is also the captain and starting shortstop for the baseball team. Valley has been playing football and baseball since he was a little kid, but enjoys baseball more than anything. “I just felt like I was better at baseball than football. I still love football but I would rather play on a diamond than a football field.” His dedication shows because next year he will be playing shortstop for Framingham State. “I have not made an official visit to the school yet but I know that Framingham is where I want to [go] for school.” Valley said that he will definitely “miss everything and everyone at Malden High. High school was the best time of my life, and if I could do it again I would without a doubt.” Valley has been at MHS since his sophomore year after transferring from Burlington High School when asked why he left valley commented, “ I just really did not like it, I lived in Malden my whole life so it just felt right about me coming back there and finishing my high school career with the people I grew up with.” Valley’s teammates and friends are glad that he came back and have had great times with him on the field and off. Junior Adam Lucey is valley’s teammate and close friend, he commented, “Kevin is a great leader to follow; he and the other captains really know how to lead us to victory.” Sophomore John Wilcox thinks the world of Valley, adding, “Kevin has taken me in like a little brother on and off the field. When I am a senior, I hope to be half the man that he is now.”

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track team finishes strong Alex Gennigiorgis Reporter

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he MHS boys track and field team this season was unable to replicate the success they had in recent seasons. Many athletes on the team had good seasons individually but when it came to the team’s effort as a whole, the team was unable to execute consistently. The team’s record proves that the team has “had better seasons,” stated senior and track team member Andrew Terenzi. In previous seasons, the team has been nearly unstoppable with multiple GBL championship victories and very good season records, including a 3-0-1 record last season. This season the team’s record was 2-2. Despite the fact that one of the team’s main goals was not met, there was still hope for the individuals members on the team because they had the chance to run in the state tournament. The key players on the team have performed consistently since they first joined the team. These athletes include seniors Andrew Terenzi, David Germain, Patrick Keough, Tyler Williams, and junior Yusuf Mohammed. The underclassmen on the team are performing well but they still have not proven that they can execute a strong performance consistently. The underclassmen on the team must stick to giving their best effort and proving they have a high level of work ethic. If the underclassmen can achieve this goal, “the team can be very good in the future” stated Terenzi. Watching the underclassmen do drills during practice revealed the high amount of effort that they are willing to put in and how far they can push themselves against their limits. In order to prepare for the individual competitions, the coaches acted as each performer’s personal trainer. The coaches focused on

the weaknesses of each athlete and builded on them, as well as kept their strengths intact. Doing so gave the athletes the potential to improve and perform well during the state tournament. Terenzi stated that when the season is over, the athletes that are planning to stay or join the team should “not take too much time off”. In order to do so it is recommended that the members join another sport or stay in the track category by playing sports like Cross Country and Indoor Track. Keeping in shape helps a significant amount. This can be done by going for jogs, eating a healthy and steady diet, and participating in other sports during the off-season. The members of the team that qualified for the state tournament were seniors Tyler Williams and David Germain for hurdles, sophomore Franklin Nguyen for the 100 meter dash, seniors Andrew Terenzi and Patrick Keough and junior Yusuf Mohamed for the 800 meter race and the 4x400 and 4x800 races along with senior Kelvin Tsang. Mohamed also qualified for the 1 mile run by running an impressive four minutes and thirty-eight seconds final time. In order to train for the state tournament, the athletes that qualified focused on keeping their strengths intact and building on their weaknesses. At the state tournament, performing particularly well were the 4x800 meter relay, which clocked in at eight minutes and six seconds, and Germain, who was able to clear 6 six feet and four inches. Both the 4x800 relay team and Germain qualified for the All-State tournament. Top: Sophomore Abdelhak Belatreche running the 800m race during a meet against Medford. Bottom: Freshman Daniel Gould pushing to finish the race in the boys 2 mile against Medford. Photos by Lauren Benoit.

Junior Yusuf Monhamed, Seniors Kelvin Tsang, Andrew Terenzi, and Patrick Keough pose after qualifing for states at an invitational at Fall River on May 21. Photo by Lauren Benoit.

Andrew Terenzi

Lauren Benoit Head of Photography

he 2011 track season will forever hold a special position in Andrew Terenzi’s memory, as this year he is apart of the graduating class of 2011. In the fall Terenzi is attending Vassar College in the heart of New York State in the heart of the Hudson Valley. Although being a reoccurring member of the track team, Terenzi has yet to deicde whether to be apart of the VASSAR track team. Whether or not he joins the team, Terenzi is positive that he will continue on running. The most memorable moment of his final track season was “winning states in the 4x800” states Terenzi. This is not the first time Terenzi competed in the states competition, but this is the first time he qualified in a relay event, along with seniors Patrick Keough, Kelvin Tsang, and junior Yusuf Mohamed. Out of all he experienced, Terenzi will miss the members of the distance team the most, because for the most part it was the same batch of [them] running together all year. And it will also feel foreign to him that he will not have to trek to practice everyday after school. The boys had a finishing record 2-2, not a record one would have expected from the previously undefeated outdoor team. Looking back to this past season, Terenzi thought that the boys track team would have finished off the season with a record of 4-0. Instead, he will have to end his MHS track career with a record of 2-2. Despite the season ending, the optimistic Terenzi tries not to think about the season closing. But being focused on the end is not an easy 100m stretch for Terenzi. He finds it difficult to be motivated, especially during the last moments of senior year, when all he wants to do is “peace out” like every other senior at MHS. Whether this curly haired, energetic, Dominican boy decides to run in his freshmen year in college or not he will always remember his final moments on the track team.

The Blue and Gold Graduation 2011

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Cynthia Antenor

“Good season on the Horizon” Alex Gennigiorgis

Reporter

he MHS girls track team struggled in the beginning of the season due to issues with attendance and commitment given by the members of the team but in head coach Mitch Abbatessa’s eyes, “[his] expectations of a great season [were] still on the horizon.” Four meets into in the season, the team had disappointed in building upon last season’s success. The conflicts going on within the team stymied any progress as a whole. However, some progress was been made with the athletes on the team who showed their tireless work ethic. Abbatessa stated that it is not that the team does not have talent, but the fact that the team may “have too much talent” not to be better at this point of the season. Getting underclassmen more interested and ready to face challenges about the sport may be the team’s key to future success. Abbatessa stated that “if we have athletes that feel like they can contribute right away and have some success, they will tend to stick with it and be the team of the future.” During spare time and off-season, the athletes on the team should eat healthy, which seems to be a big conflict among a lot of athletes. Missing meals, not eating during school lunch time, non-nutritional breakfasts and lunch, and dehydration are the main problems athletes on the team and around the world face. The team needs to practice better nutrition and hydration as well as drills and training activities. In Abbatessa’s opinion, a true

Sophomore Norma Borque-Pimental performing the high jump during a meet. Photo by Alex Gennigiorgis. athlete is someone who follows instruction when given, asks for instruction when needed, and performs when called upon. The MHS team is grateful to have athletes like these on the team that can perform so well and follow directions and show a great amount of effort every time they step on the track. One of the team’s “true athletes” is MHS senior Cynthia Antenor. Although she does not plan on doing track in college, she still gives her all and performs beyond her limits in order for the team to succeed. There are many hard workers on the team that will hopefully spread their knowledge and work ethic to the inexperienced underclassmen. There is a lot of potential in the athletes this year and even though it has not shown this particular season, it is apparent that the team is capable of performing well, due to the fact that the team had a very successful indoor season.

Junior Haley DeFilippis and sophomores Lauren Benoit, Haley Dowdie, and Iris Feng are part of the 4x800 team. Malden High School relay team. Photo submitted by Lauren Benoit.

The team’s sure sign of a good season in the horizon was when they lost their first meet to Cambridge Ringe and Latin High School by only one point, which is equivalent to nearly nothing in the track scoring rubric. The team performed very well, but it was a neck and neck meet and sadly the team lost by a finger tip margin. This meet showed some promise in many areas that the team was strong in. Many of the members on the team qualified for the Greater Boston League State Tournament this season, including seniors and captains Cynthia Antenor (110m hurdles), and Blue and Gold member Alexandra Mathieu (discus and shot put), sophomores Haley Dowdie (800 meters, 4x400 relay, and 4x800 relay), Blue and Gold member Lauren Benoit (800 meters, 4x400 relay, and 4x800 relay), Iris Feng (4x400 relay and 4x800 relay), and freshman Jacqueline Bouley (400 meter dash).

Senior Jessica Vo running during a meet. Photo by Lauren Benoit.

Alex Gennigiorgis Reporter

hen it comes to devotion and commitment and skill, Cynthia Antenor is among the best. In her coaches eyes she is as good as they come and pushes herself past her limits in order to execute 110 percent effort every meet. Antenor will be attending Simmons College and studying to become a nurse. Although this was not her first choice, which was the University of Connecticut, she does not seem disappointed that she could not go to UCONN. Although she did track her entire high school career, Antenor will not be participating in college track. Her most memorable moment during her career with the team was freshman year when she threestepped a hurdle run for the first time. For those who do not know, three step hurdles are when a runner sprints and attempts to jump over three hurdles, one after the other, and between each hurdle the runner must take 3 steps and then jump. It is a very difficult drill but proves effective for all athletes that participate in the 100 meter and 110 meter hurdle races. When asked what she will miss most, Antenor stated that she will “miss the atmosphere of competition and being pushed towards [her] full potential physically,” thus showing her high level of commitment and work ethic. For her senior year, the track seasons were very successful because she made states both seasons and took home a Greater Boston League Championship. Her influence in the team was positive because most girls on the team feared running hurdle races because it is very hard, but Cynthia with the help of her teammates and coach overcame the challenge. However, this challenge did not lighten up until she mastered it. Her coaches helped her a lot with pushing herself just enough so that she could be comfortable with the technique.

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Girls LAX Finishes Tough Season

Junior Malorie MacDonald sprints down the field to defend the goal. Photo by Catherine Poirier.

Amalia Quesada Nylen Reporter

he girls lacrosse team has, without a doubt, had a rough and stressful season, but they also undeniably deserve credit for all of their hard work and dedication to improve their game that they all share the same passion for. The varsity girls ended their season with a record of 3-17, and the junior varsity team had a record of 6-12. The team played their last game on May 24, 2011, against the Bedford Bucaneers. The girls also

“Keeping our heads cool because of factors we [cannot] control [was] one of the main challenges of this season.” ran into many scheduling conflicts throughout the season, whether it was for games or practices. Many times, it would affect their playing, often frustrating them, but they managed to brush it off and continue playing strong. “Keeping our heads cool because of factors we [cannot] control [was] one of the main challenges of this season”, states senior captain Patricia Aguinaldo. “[I am} talking about unorganized scheduling of our games and practice times.” “There are at least four instances when my team finds out that our game has been postponed or cancelled five or ten

The Blue and Gold Graduation 2011

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minutes before our scheduled game. The abruptness kills our momentum and we feel belittled by the lack of communication between administration and coaches.” Although all members of the team showed exceptional effort, four members were awarded with Coach’s and All-Scholastic Awards. The Coach’s Award is given to a player that displays hard work and effort. The All-Scholastic Award is given to the player that can balance achieving high grades as well as being an active teammate. For the varsity team, senior captain Mandy Liao recieved the Coach’s Award, and senior Samantha Saggese, ranked tenth in her class, recieved the All-Scholastic Award. The JV coach, Ms. Famiglietti gave out two awards as well. Sophomore Maria Gil recieved the Coach’s Award for her outstanding continous attendence record, never missing a practice or a game the entire season. Sophomore Blue and Gold staff member Catherine Poirier follows Saggese’s footsteps, recieving the All-Scholastic Award for maintaining the highest GPA on the team. Regarding the next year’s season, two captains have been selected, juniors Commie Ayuk and Stacey Sousa, by the coaches. They were chosen for their committment to the team and strengths, such as leadership. Junior Commie Ayuk waits for a pass. Photo by Catherine Poirier.

Patricia Aguinaldo

Amalia Quesada Nylen Reporter

fter four years of dedication, hard work, and passion for the sport of lacrosse, senior captain Patricia Aguinaldo will be graduating from Malden High School, and leaving her beloved lacrosse team behind. After having a rough season, Aguinaldo is still proud of her teammates’ effort and determination through the wins and losses. “It is stressful at times,” she states, “especially when the team that we play against are generally more skillful than us. It’s tough to hold our heads up high when we work hard in practice but don’t always the results that we want.” As a major goal-scorer and highlight player on the varsity team, the lacrosse team will have a huge gap to fill when Aguinaldo is off to college next fall. Although the seasons have been stressful, she has had a great time making memories with her team during her high school years. “It’s a cannon ball! I’m having a blast!”, she praises, concerning her emotions towards playing the last season of her high school career. Aguinaldo has enjoyed setting challenges for herself throughout the years as an athlete, such as “getting 4-5 goals per game or assisting, and then implementing them on the field.” Concerning the future, Aguinaldo plans to continue playing lacrosse and field hockey on an intramural or club team in college. She will be attending UMass Amherst in the fall, awaiting the new opportunities college life has in store for her.

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Alfonse Femino

Lacrosse works hard to finish season

Freddie DiPhillipo Reporter

Junior Daniel Glynn jumps in the air to catch a pass. Photo by Brittany Foley. Freddie DiPhillipo Reporter

truggling and working extremely hard for their two victories against Lynn Classical High School, the Malden High School boys lacrosse team has put in a tremendous amount of effort to move forward. Lacrosse is a fairly new sport at MHS and as student athletes like junior Pat DiCicco claim, the team gains new underclassmen every year. DiCicco stated that getting new people every year is really beneficial because the new players show that there is going to be growth and a continuation for the team in the following seasons. Head coach Brendan Maney states that he would love to see players from different sports come to join lacrosse next year hopefully to come and learn the sport. Maney mentioned that, “The team will get better through two avenues; the first way is to have entering freshmen come from the youth program, and the second way is for the ninth and tenth grade athletes join the team so we can teach them.” DiCicco mentioned that the team needs to work harder towards defeating better teams, and that they need to work hard in practice, focus and get better overall. Coach Maney claimed, “the wins and losses do not tell the story of this team. No one but the players themselves know how hard they worked and how far they have come as a team in one season.” Maney also claimed that this is the first time the team was able to develop a junior varsity team, which shows the rising interest levels of the student body at MHS. Assistant coach Greg Malone believes that the team has come a long way and have made incredible strides to earn their wins. Malone also stated that having new players is good, because

they can learn the game and the fundamentals as they move on. Some of the goals and expectations Maney posses is an off-season effort and dedication, working to improve their stick-work, along with their athleticism. Maney also encourages players to be active and play other sports all year around. Maney stated that “our goals are to increase the number of athletes playing lacrosse, and continue to create a culture that supports the program.” Coach Maney’s hopes and expectations for seniors who are graduating this year are to continue to play another game of lacrosse in their life. Maney explained that he wants the seniors to be happy with their choices and continue to act like first-class individuals and citizens. Maney also stated that the time they spent on the team this season was enriching physically and mentally. Although the team has not had

success in the win column, there are some aspects of the game that they have mastered, far beyond any other team on there schedule. And that aspect is there physicality. Every game, the team imposes their will, to get ground balls, win faceoffs, and to generally intimate the opposition. The team’s three starting defenseman are linebackers on the school’s football team, and the midfielders, as well as attackmen, never hesitate to take a body in order to get the ball. With this physical advantage and willingness to risk the body, all of the team needs is some more experience in there players, and the program will undoubtedly take a step in the right direction. Until then, coach Maney and the rest of the team will just have to continue suffering through the growing pains of being a young program.

Shawn Carlson makes a block during a game. Photo by Joel Stevenson

lfonse Anthony Femino, senior athlete at Malden High School, has played several sports throughout his four years in high school. One of the most memorable moments of his athletics career, was his first day of football back in freshman year. Some of the other sports that he played was hockey and lacrosse. Femino, played hockey for another school in the area. He played for the Northeast Metro Tech Vocational High School, because MHS does not offer the sport. Femino was the only hockey player in the school and after questioning Femino about the other school, he stated, “ Being in a different school and playing with student athletes that you don’t go to school with, it is different and you do not feel the same camaraderie from your teammates as you do at Malden High.” Femino is a perfect example of what Maney means when he tells his athletes to get involved with other sports. Femino claims that he was able to learn lacrosse so quickly because he played hockey his entire life. The games are very similar in rule and style, and because the real only differences are no ice and more players, the games art virtually the same. Femino also played football for several years, so the physicality in lacrosse was nothing new, and helped him adjust quickly to the new sport. After high school, Femino will attend Wheaton College, in Norton, Massachusetts, Where he plans to play on the club hockey team, and try out for the lacrosse team.

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Ivy Bui

tennis team bonds and improves Amanda Rosatone Reporter

Sophomore Lisa DeLacey prepares to serve. Photo by Amanda Rosatone

Senior Danielle Ton prepares to serve. Photo by Amanda Rosatone.

s the school year is coming to an end so is the spring sports season at Malden High School. Many sports this season have had very high goals for themselves especially members of the MHS girls tennis team. Although they are not meeting their goals this time around, the team was still very pleased with the outcome of the season overall. One highlight of the season was that there were, “more freshman on the team than any year before,” stated head coach Maggie Pettit. Sophomore captain Lisa DeLacey also added that, “the freshman were a vital part to the team.” As for any sport, incoming freshman are always important for the team because they are becoming, “developed as players which is great for upcoming seasons,” stated DeLacey. Along with all the new members, the team was very motivated this season and as Pettit stated, “very confident and game ready.” This game ready atmosphere is a result of how well everyone on the team got along. Pettit praised the team, the upperclassmen especially because, “they did a lot of team bonding activities and everyone got to know each other really well.” Not only had the team bonded really well but this season was, “a year for everyone to gain experience,” stated DeLacey. The motivation behind gaining more experience came from the drive of wanting to win

over Medford next season. Aside from her personal goals and speaking as captain of the team, she really wants to win this match because, “[we] were so close on our first attempt.” The goal of winning this match and having a stronger team in the upcoming seasond is becoming more of a reality for the team because they have such determination. As DeLacey stated, “[everyone] had a strong passion.” Considering the year is coming to an end the seniors on the team will be graduation in the upcoming weeks. Although there is a small number on the team they were still a very important aspect to the outcome of the season. “The seniors will truly be missed,” stated DeLacey. Along with bonding well with the team at the start of the season, the upperclassmen have also been good role models for the new members on the team. The team has made many gains this season and hopes that the achievements they made will carry over into the season to come. One main goal the team has made was the bonding activities they practiced which created more of a family atmosphere among team members and made them work better as a whole. Senior captain Danielle Ton stated that “hopefully the team will continue to work on team bonding activities in the years to come,” as it drastically helped overall his season. Team bonding is one of many goals they had overall and hopefully everyone who was on the team this year will carry the traditions over to the future.

Malden High School Girls Tennis Team: Seniors Ivy Bui, Alison Nyguen, Danielle Ton, Juniors, Vivian Le, Wendy Tse, Kim Flores, Sophomores Natalie Fallano, Lisa DeLacey, and Freshmen Hanh Pham, Louisa Tse, Naiya Kapadia, Thao Pham, Vicki Ngan, and Christine Le. Photo by Amanda Rosatone.

Amanda Rosatone Reporter

his is the year that senior Ivy Bui leaves the Malden High School girls tennis team, and explores the real world. In the fall Bui will attend Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater, MA. Although she is leaving her dearly beloved tennis team, Bui will still continue to play tennis in college, as well as swimming. Overall, Bui’s most memorable moment of the season was “fighting until the end [with] my double’s partner and giving it our best while playing games.” Once moving to Bridgewater and away from her teammates, Bui will miss the tightly bonded team. She will miss the people, along with the nicknames for her double partner, and other teammates. Bui will also miss her teammates’ cheers from the crowd during a close match. Bui felt that her last season, was also her most successful. This year Bui held a position on the varsity team. Since the season has not officially ended yet, it has not occured to Bui that this is in fact her last year playing for the tennis team but promises that she will miss every aspect about it. As this year is her senior year, Bui performed an impressive balancing act. Along with the full time practices, Bui had to balance school work, and a job. Throughout the season her priorities were organized, her commitments were strong, and her time was divided wisely. With every day passing, the season is coming closer to an end. This fact is in the back of Bui’s mind, and she will try to avoid that truth until the very last minute.

The Blue and Gold Graduation 2011

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Andrew DeLacey

Road to Achievement

Lauren Benoit Boys tennis team gathers around their head coach Bernice Diaz, strategizing before their Greater Boston League match against Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School. Photo by Omar Khoshafa. Timothee Pierre Reporter

his season, the Malden High School boys tennis team achieved their goal of winning the Greater Boston League Championship. They were able to reach this goal due to their strong determination and motivation throughout the entire season. As the new head coach, math teacher Bernice Diaz expressed, “the team [did] very well and I could not have wished for a better season.” This year’s roster consisted of seniors, juniors, and sophomores who have all bonded and played together extremely well. Regarding the season, Diaz commented, “Coaching the team [was] very fun and the members are very good friends with each other. They also like to spend a lot of time off the court together, which only makes their team bond much stronger.” She continued, “they are very supportive of one another and like to motivate each other to do better.” One member in particular, senior captain Andrew DeLacey, has been heavily relied upon for the last three years, and he constantly stepped up to the challenge of being a successful and key player on the team. With Diaz’s love for tennis and inspiration to spread it, the team was destined to be successful. Diaz made it a point to stress this love and passion for the game to her players when she coached tennis, which brought them all the way to the state tournament. What some people may not know is that tennis is extremely difficult and requires a lot of mental and physical preparation. Diaz mentioned that “tennis is not like other sports that you can just pick it up and play well. Tennis requires a lot of outside practice and individual determination to become bet-

ter. To be on the team you do need to have some experience playing tennis. Often times, the players on the team play on their own and during the off season. This makes practices go smoothly because we can focus on individual skills.” This shows that in order to be a tennis player, it takes much more than physically training the body, but it takes extensive practice and dedication to mastering the game, which the boys varsity team demonstrated very clearly. With a final record of 13-3, the team was able to reach their ultimate goal of winning the Greater Boston League c h a m p i o n s h i p . Wilson Hu serving the ball during a match. Photo by Coach Diaz ex- Omar Khoshafa. plained, “I feel very proud of the boys. They have Diaz stated that “we had two goals worked very hard all season and this year--becoming the first tennis their efforts have finally [paid] off.” team to be GBL champions since Last year, they lost the GBL cham- 1940 and also making it to states.” pionship to Cambridge, so this year Unfortunately, after receiving they were determined to do better, a bye the first round, the team fell and luckily, they succeeded in doing in a second round upset to North so. Reading. The final score was 3-2 in a Senior captain, Jackie Tran, was highly competitive match up. able to pull off a three set win to aid Diaz concluded by saying, the team in their defeat over Cam- “[she was] truly, very proud of bridge Ringe and Latin High School. them.”

Head of Photography

s the tennis season comes to a close, Andrew DeLacey, a member of the boys team at Malden High School is experiencing an emotional end of the season. In the fall DeLacey plans to attend George Mason University in Virginia. He was confident that “[he] could have played for many schools, but [tennis] wasn’t the deciding factor”. The bus rides to and from the games is a special moment DeLacey will hold near and dear to his heart. He loves driving to different towns with a bus full of his closest friends. The feeling of adrenaline fills the bus, pre-match. Senior year in high school is definitely an emotional one, DeLacey agrees. He feels that having a strong team, and a tight bond helped develop the family feel throughout the team. The sense of confidence carried the team on well. He felt that every match they entered in, they had the ability to win. The team made up of six seniors and one underclassmen, this is the strong year for the team. Next year will be the rebuilding year. Since the team was mainly made up of mostly seniors, DeLacey concludes that the senior dominated group made for a “good atmosphere for the whole team, [it] helped keep the team spirit high and the drive to have a successful season going.” With a good season comes great challenges. Some major issues that were addressed to the team was the number of playing spots. An outstanding fourteen seniors qualified for the state tournament. But the problem stands, that with only seven states positions the decision of who gets to play in the state tournament is still pending. DeLacey could not hold in his excitement for the state tournament. He felt that that one tournament would be top any of the memorable moments in his high school career.

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The Blue and Gold Graduation 2011

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Congratulations to MHS Class of 2011