April Edition 2019

The Blue and Gold maldenblueandgold.com Malden High School

Volume 104 Edition 6

77 salem street

April 2019

maldenblueandgold.com Malden High School Volume 104 Edition 6 April 2019

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The Blue and Gold April 2019

The Blue and Gold April 2019

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April Crossword Ericka Fermon Reporter

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he lack of funding for Malden Public Schools is a topic that has been brought to the forefront of administrative discourse. Trends have started to emerge on social media, such as #Fundourfuture and #RedforEd, aimed at bringing awareness to the lack of funding and the difficulties schools are having trying to give opportunities and the education students need and deserve.

In addressing those developing trends, Mayor Christenson comments “[He] believe[s] that any way [administrators] can educate the public on the current state of the education funding formula will help to update the formula to benefit cities and towns like [Malden].” “[Malden is] over a billion dollars underfunded by the states own calculations,” stated Jessica Haralson, a teacher’s union representative. “What this means for places like Malden,” she adds “is that [the schools are] short about 190 staff, which is a shocking number.”

This problem leads to larger class sizes and fewer all-around support for students of all ages and backgrounds. Haralson expresses that “this isn’t just teachers complaining, this is us realizing that students aren’t getting what they deserve and that they deserve a different future.”

On Tuesday, January 8, 2019, in the Malden High School Jenkins Auditorium, a meeting took place in hopes to inform local residents and parents of the school funding issue that has been and still is causing significant detrimental effects towards students future. Such meetings have been taking place throughout the United States, as part of a movement is called Project Equity.

Project Equity’s goals include informing people of the funding issues and beginning to address the necessary improvements to the inefficient Foundation Budget Formula or otherwise known as Chapter 70. The Foundation Budget Formula has not been updated since it was created in 1993, even though the costs crucial for educating students raises approximately 3% every year.

In the article “Fixing Malden’s School Funding” by Conor Powers-Smith, Aldo Petronio, the chief budget officer for the Brockton Public Schools, stated that “The formula needs to be adjusted, it needs to have a constant adjustment every single year.”

In Malden, Mayor Christenson, Superintendent John Oteri and the Teachers Union representatives are working towards bringing awareness to the predicament students are facing with their education due to their inept school funding.

Their goal is to encourage the State House and Senate lawmakers to act on updating the bill to accommodate the vital growing needs for students education success, which should occur before the end of the Legislature’s formal session on July 31.

8th grade parent teacher night in the Jenkins Auditorium. Photo by Brendan Bell.

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Nedlam’s Corner Nedlam’s Corner is a safe space to ask about anything you may be experiencing in your life, both academically and socially. Nedlam is here to offer advice. Although I will know who wrote the submissions, you are able to opt out of having your name reflected here.

Hey Nedlam, I have been debating on whether or not I should make the first move on this guy that I like. Any advice?

D

ear Anonymous, Thank you so much for reaching out! First off, I think we need to remember that it is 2019! Times are changing and we either need to change with it or get left behind!

In my opinion, I do not think you should just sit around and wait for something to happen. If you want results, you should act on it. Trust me when I say that if you wait around for something that may not even happen, you will regret it. Just as Wayne Gretzky said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”

I think the main reason you do not want to make a move is because you are afraid. You may be scared of rejection and or scared that people will judge you for not being patient and waiting for the guy to do it. Well, let me give you some reassurance.

I bet he is just as nervous as you are, which is probably the reason he has not made a move yet. That is why I highly recommend you do it. To feel this way is completely normal and being nervous is also what makes us human.

If you are also finding it difficult to come up with how and when the best timing is, here is what you should do: The best time to do it is to get the two of you alone. Then you should start the conversation smoothly by talking about what you would normally talk about. After a couple minutes of normal conversation, reel it in and casually ask him if he’d be interested in hanging out sometime out of school.

Rejection is difficult, I’ll admit that. But you do not know until you try. The worst that can happen is he does not like you back. Big whoop!

Who cares?! You are probably an amazing person and any guy would be lucky to be with you. So even if this guy does not realize that, another one will. I am also a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, so whatever happens, is what’s meant to happen.

Let me know if my advice worked! Good luck!

To submit a question to Nedlam for a chance for it to be answered in next month’s edition of the Blue And Gold, go to maldenblueandgold.com.

The Blue and Gold April 2019

What A

Next?

round this time of the year, or really all year to be honest, you will hear most seniors emphasize how stressful the college process really is. So I wanted to be totally original with my commentary and express once again how stressful the college process really is. Seriously, it was not fun and I am glad it is kind of, sort of, not really over.

My experiences with the college process this year has got me thinking about the value we put in going to college as a society. It is the end all be all destination after high school for an overwhelming majority. And I truly believe that it shouldn’t be. I realize that there are alternatives like trade schools that are encouraged by guidance counselors, but let’s just be honest, we look down upon those that choose not to continue their formal education after high school. We may not be explicit, but society definitely views trade schools as second class compared to universities and reserved for the intellectually inferior.

I have talked to countless of my peers this year who are determined to go to college but have absolutely no clue what they are studying, what they want to do with their degree and if they even truly want to go to college. I have also talked to some seniors who are not even interested in a particular academic field, and either do not put in the work and/or do not perform very well academically. Yet the same people are going to college next year to get their liberal arts degrees that in four years they won’t know what to do with. Many of them even realize that they won’t just magically start becoming interested in a field or transform into exceptional students without putting in the work. Yet college is still their chosen path because that has been what’s ingrained into their heads ever since they were children and anything short of reaching that would be a failure.

We have great alternatives in place, but because

of this college for all crusade we have been in as a society, we have failed to make them an attractive option. After graduating high school, we are really supposed to, for the first time in our lives, be in control of our destinations. Yet for many of us, our mindsets will give us no other choice besides college. And why exactly are trade schools looked down upon? They help people acquire skills that will directly contribute to a future career and earning, and not to mention, without the prospect of facing tens of thousands of dollars in debt. That is a lot more than what can be said about most bachelor’s degree in humanities.

College is really an investment that is supposed to better your future. And if you analyze it like you would any other investment, you realize how insane of an investment college is for some people.

What other investment or good would a rational consumer spend tens and thousands of dollars on without being at least somewhat certain of how they are going to use their purchase and what they are going to use it on.

Now I do not want people to be discouraged from going to college. If you are certain then go ahead. But if you are unsure and feel like college is the only option or you are not sure if you have a real reason to attend college, do not allow yourself to feel trapped. Realize that there are alternatives and make your choice with a level of thoughtfulness and certainty.

With all of that being said, I am still going to college and racking up debt, to pursue a humanities degree that I have no clue how I will use. So maybe I am the sucker who won’t follow his own advice.

Abhishek Rana

Web and Mobile Apps Editor-in-Chief

Editorial Policy The Blue and Gold is an open forum for student expression. It is produced by students for the school and the community. The views presented in this paper are not necessarily those of the advisor or the school administration. The views presented in the editorials are those of the editors-in-chief or guests. The goal of The Blue and Gold is to inform and entertain students as well as the community regarding issues that we feel are important.

We strongly encourage readers to respond to material printed in the form of signed letters to the editors. No libelous, malicious, defamatory, obscene, or unsigned material will be printed.

The Blue and Gold reserves the right to edit the letters. Names may be withheld upon request. Not all letters will be printed.

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

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

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

The Blue and Gold April 2019

In Memoriam maldenblueandgold.com

Obituaries Submitted by Rebeca Pereira and Sara Zakaria.

Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation This year, the History and Social Studies faculty are continuing their support of the Stolpersteine project. We dedicate this page to victims of genocide, as it is important to remember them and their stories. Photos courtesy of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Gertrud Teppich G

ertrud Teppich, born Gertrud Herz, was born on February 12, 1880 in Berlin, Germany. She married Richard Teppich when she was in her early twenties. She had two daughters.

Richard Teppich died in 1931, but Gertrud stayed in Berlin. In 1938, five years after the Nazis came to power, Gertrud’s eldest daughter, Ilse, and her family, fled to Amsterdam. Her youngest daughter went to Switzerland for business, but chose to remain there

instead.

During the war, the Nazis forced German Jews to sell their belongings to “Aryans” and turn the money to the Nazi government. Gertrud began selling her belongings to her “Aryan” sister-in-law who allowed Gertrud to keep her possessions.

In November 1942, Gertrud received a notice that she was to be deported. On November 18, Gertrud committed suicide, refusing to be removed from her home.

Shlomo Szczupakiewicz S

hlomo Szczupakiewicz was born to a Jewish family in 1899 in Malkinia, Poland. He was the youngest of four brothers. He married a woman named Pesia Ander in 1929, having a child named Ida a year after. During World War I, he worked as a nurse. He became a grain merchant after the war ended.

Szczupakiewicz escaped with his family to the countryside in September 1939, before the Germans reached Malkinia. His family returned to Malkinia a few weeks later. After discovering that a childhood friend had become a Nazi informant, he decided to flee with his family to the Soviet zone.

Szczupakiewicz and his family crossed over to the Soviet zone, traveling to Bialystok. They were eventually deported from Bialystok by the Soviets, along with other Polish refugees. Szczupakiewicz and his family had to be on the road for 16 days, in the cold and with no food. They soon arrived in Sverdlovsk, settling into a logging camp with little food and no fuel.

In December 1945, Szczupakiewicz died from an unknown illness. His family spent the rest of the war in the Soviet Union.

Urszula Kaczmarek U

rszula Kaczmarek was born on July 18, 1929 in Poznan, Poland. She was one of four children born in a Roman Catholic family.

Kaczmarek was ten years old when Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Germany entered her city nine days later, becoming annexed to Germany as a result of the German-Soviet Pact.

After Germany’s invasion, Kaczmarek’s parents were put to work as conscript labor for the Nazis.

Kaczmarek was left to take care of her younger siblings.

One day in 1942, Kaczmarek and her siblings were rounded up in a “street sweep.” She was deported to a forced-labor camp for children located in Lodz’s Jewish ghetto. She became ill, which led the guards to drag her into the snow, pour cold water on her, and leave her outside.

Kaczmarek died of pneumonia on May 9, 1943 at age 13.

The camp records listed her cause of death as a heart attack.

Sally Izikowitz S

ally Izikowitz was born in 1921 in Liepaja, Latvia.

He was the only son in his family. When Izikowitz was young, his family moved to Aizpute. While his parents opened a dry-goods store, Izikowitz went to a Germanlanguage Jewish school.

Germany invaded Poland the same year Izikowitz graduated secondary school, which was 1939. In June 1940, the Soviet Union occupied Latvia. Before Germany invaded the Soviet Union, Izikowitz’s father, who was sympathetic to communism, fled to the Soviet Union, as he feared the fate of communists under the Germans. However, Izikowitz and his mother returned to Liepaja.

Germany occupied Liepaja, and a few days later, Izikowitz left his apartment to cross the street to another house. He was stopped by a German patrol.

Izikowitz died that moment, as the German patrolman shot him down in the street.

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The Blue and Gold April 2019

Mayor Summer Youth Emplyoment Program Carlos Aragon Aldana Reporter

BOSTON CLIMATE STRIKE 2019 Brandon Wong Reporter

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n March 15, 2019, over 1.4 million students gathered in cities around the world in protest against inaction on climate change. In Boston, it had occurred outside the State House. Protesters spilled onto Beacon street themed around Climate Change. The posters featured climate related slogans and memes. Protesters chanted slogans like “We can. We will. Pass the Green New Deal” and “We are not throwing away our shot” as speakers debanded more legislative action. Towards the end of the protest, a Jazz ensemble arrived and played as protesters accompanied their performance with a chorus of chants. At the end of the Climate Strike, protesters swarmed the State House in a lobbying effort to push their representatives to act.

All photos taken by Brandon Wong.

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n February 28th, 2019, the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program became open to applications. According to the City Of Malden website, “The Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program partners with community, private and government agencies to provide a wide variety of first or early work experiences for Malden youth.” Applications closed on April 5th. The program provides a wide variety of jobs, so that people can find what kind of work they are comfortable with.

For the Senior Center, the website states that they are “looking for youth who are able to mow and weed grounds.” It also says that they are looking for people to assist the custodian; for example, emptying out trash and recycle bins, sweeping and vacuuming rugs, and other staffs in the custodial category.

There are also jobs available in the Malden High School Art Department. It states that it is “starting up new programs.” Because of this, it needs people to “reorganize the storage spaces, clean and move two classes; update our stock, catalog inventory and all the art work.”

The School Department/ Special Ed office also offers jobs.

The description says “Work with PACE summer students in a variety of educational, recreational, and independence promoting activities.” It asks that the staff “model appropriate behavior, assist staff, and maintain professionalism and privacy of student information.”

One could also work in the Mayor’s Office. The description states “Work as part of the HR team to assist staff in all administrative duties as assigned. This may include data entry, filing, answering phones and paperwork.” It requires “attention to detail and maintaining confidentiality is of utmost importance” Lynn-Sarah Georges was in the Food Services. She says that there were “different places you could go, but [she] went to the Ferryway.” She said kids from all over the city could “come and get pre prepared lunches, but you had to be from Malden.” The job description states that you are going to “Pass out lunches and engage children in outdoor activities and crafts. Clean up park after meal.”

Barr Foundation Grant Local News

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Makesha Mercedat Reporter

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ounded in 1997, the Barr Foundation has been the leading philanthropist organization pushing and investing in education, the arts and climate change. They have contributed to more than $838 million dollars in charitable causes, according to their website. As of 2016, the Barr foundation has $1.6 billion dollars worth of assets to fund and fuel their philanthropic endeavors in Boston, which they are based in.

They have donated to organizations such as Year Up, a non-profit that provides an alternative route for young urban adults who desire a hands-on experience in and around the city and the Massachusetts branch of the Clean Water Fund.

They also support visual and performing art ventures such as ArtsEmerson and The Theater Offensive.

However, as expanding education is a part of their agenda, they do not make individual scholarships for students to earn.

In October 2018, the Barr Foundation announced their third-quarter grant recipients totalling in $18.6 million. They awarded 16 grants in $4.4 million through its education program. It included grants of $150,000 to various schools around all along the east coast, including the Malden Public School system.

Malden’s district directorial staff which includes Dr. Douglas Dias, director of STEM, Sean Walsh, director of Humanities, Natalia Santiago Brennan, director of instructional technology, and Dr. Yvonne Endara, director of ELL traveled to San Diego to attend a conference centered around this grant. Malden High School’s special education program manager Elizabeth Smith also joined them on their venture.

Mr. Walsh explains that the conference was more of “learning excursion than sitting down and talking”. The learning excursion included visiting 4 different high schools, including High Tech High, a San Diego, California based school-development organization that consist a network of charter schools, both primary and secondary schools. This school district is diverse in its education, initiatives and curriculum which is what the foundation is all about.

There are multiple things Mr. Walsh enjoyed about this learning excursion. “They [the schools] had a clear, articulated mission,” he explains. “Each school was very different but they all kind of had a sense of who they were and they wanted to be.” Some schools had a very “personalized learning experience” while others were “very project based.”, some were very plentiful in resources and money and some were

From left to right : Dr. Yvonne Endara, Natalia Brennan, Sean Walsh, and Dr. Douglas Dias. The High Tech High School campus in San Diego, California. A room inside of High Tech High. Picture sumitted by Douglas Dias.

Picture submitted by Sean Walsh. Picture submitted by Douglas Dias. not. He loved that they all focused in different pathways; pathways such as college and career readiness, a focus around STEM, and how to be a global citizen.

Special Education manager Elizabeth Smith also weighed in on the journey, calling it “memorable” and a “life changing experience on how we saw education beyond Mal-

den”.

Administrators are not sure when this grant will technically go into effect or what it will specifically go towards.

Pink Party At Malden High

Sabrina Monteiro Head of Local

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alden High School Art teacher Mary Ann Seager and the Fine Arts Club arranged a Pink Party on Wednesday, March 7th of 2019.

At the party, there was a table filled with supplies for creating and decorating crowns. The supplies included measured construction paper, sparkling wrapping paper, charms, and ribbons.

Seager helped everyone through the process of making crowns by also providing pencils to sketch out the patterns they desired, scissors to cut them out, and hot glue guns to place the charms on the finishing product. There were also ribbons and beads on the table for whoever was interested in making bracelets as well.

After everyone was finished, snacks such as brownie bites, chocolate chip cookies, frosted covered vanilla cupcakes, and fruit punch were passed out for everyone to enjoy while the 1954 Original Rodgers and Hammerstein musical of Cinderella played. The film was popular back then and originally only aired on television, but was later on brought live on stage in 1957.

The idea behind the Pink Party began after Seager went to see it in at the Colonial in Boston over Christmas vacation. Seager expressed that “it’s still a powerful story of a young

girl who has a very strong personality and goodness in her heart...it’s a story worth being told again and again. That’s why [she] love[s] it so much.” She also emphasized that in this decade, teenagers only know about the Disney version of Cinderella and she wanted people to watch it in a different format and perspective.

Looking back at all the dedication people from clubs have put into events and making it “worthwhile,” has made Seager think about this opportunity to “just do something beautiful, listen to music, have some fun, and feel like princesses.”

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Play Production’s Original Play:

By Julie Yu Lead Reporter

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he Malden High School’s Play Production performed a preview of their semifinal show Common Space. Play Pro has been working on putting this play together since mid-December, and recently finalized minor details at the beginning of March when they were preparing for the preliminary round of Drama Festival.

Jennifer Clapp, director of Play Pro, stated that their inspiration for the play was a quote; She explained that the quote was about “seeing the beauty in things,” and “finding that hidden beauty in life” reflected in the play as it follows the main character, Tucker, throughout his life in his backyard.

Throughout the whole planning process of the play, Clapp explained that the production was mainly student-run with the help and supervision of the directors. Towards the beginning of the planning process, Clapp and former Play Pro teacher and current Humanities Director, Sean Walsh, were more hand on, coaching the students “through improvisation, shaping scenes, and keeping track of the drafting materials [they] used.” She explained that there were students in charge of making the sets or making sure everyone has costumes, but herself and Walsh guided them through the process.

Play Productiom actors going through a scene. Dexter Haag to the right, Moez Bensalem to the left closer to the stage and Nicholas Murray to the left further from front stage. Photo by Tonijoy Pimental.

Clapp stated that for this play specifically the script was the most difficult part. She further explained that it was difficult to “find the story, and find the connections between

the different stories.” She shared that they were able to come up with a good idea early on in the planning process for the set, which worked out without any major issues. She expressed that she would consider painting the sets the easiest part of putting the play together adding that “everybody was good at it, and it [did not] take very long.”

Clapp mentioned that Meghann McCarthy, the substitute teacher for Walsh, has been a great support for Play Pro, “she helped supervise costumes, and helped [them] take care of paperwork and all the different stuff that goes into getting the show together.” Clapp also explained that she has spent “fourteen hour days in rehearsal, or at competition.” She added that McCarthy has gotten to know the students really well and has many good ideas to offer.

Senior Jenna Vanella played the role of Alya Reed, the daughter of Billy, an “ambitious teenager who, taking after her uncle’s love for space, [had] a huge dream of becoming an astronaut.” She explained that “the most challenging part of playing [her] character [Alya] was giving her lines that didn’t sound too much like [Vanella] was saying them.” Vanella found herself struggling to create a character based off her own personality and have them be a completely different person with different ideas and aspirations.

Senior Dexter Haag played the role of Tucker Reed, the brother of Billy and uncle of Alya, who “constantly gives his all to everyone around him but doesn’t leave much for himself.” Haag explained that the most challenging part of performing the play has been indicating the time jumps. He expressed that it was a bit confusing since “age and

Top to bottom: Nour Tafraoui and Moez Ben Salem having a conversaition; Nicholas Murray coddling his new born baby; Salem and Dexter Haag bonding over their love for astronomy; Haag and Michayla Moody.

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Common Common Space Space context [are] all mixed together.”

Senior Salma Bezzat played the role of Layla, Tucker’s neighbor and the daughter of Adam and Rose, “a mixed girl who [does not] know anything about her father’s culture, but is still a very happy child.” She expressed that the easiest part about playing her character was when she got to bring her own “personality into the character and be funny.”

Bezzat explained that connected to the character so easily because of both her and her character are “50% Arab and 50% White American, and know little to nothing about experiencing the culture of [their] father’s side.”

Rodneisha Normil and award winner Dexter Haag performing a scene. Photo by Tonijoy Pimental.

Sophomore Ayman Boudrari played the role of Johnson, one of Alya’s friend, who Boudrari describes as a “goofball who [does not] really take anything seriously, but still deeply cares about Alya.”

Boudrari explained that “Johnson is a lot like [him], sharing a bunch of [the same] traits, caring about his friends and loving Disney,” as his character made a reference to the Little Mermaid. Due to the similar personalities, Boudrari found it difficult “make him as a separate person with a separate personality.”

Sophomore Ronald Batista played the role of Aiden, another one of Alya’s friends, that is a “typical teenager who [is not] interested in school and [does not] want to work on the group project that was assigned” in the story. Batista expressed that being on stage with such amazing actors made being on stage “a lot easier because the ideas kept bouncing off of each other.” He believes that “[they] were all able

to bring something to the table and [used] that to make a great scene.”

Batista explained that he spent lots of time “working on standing out,” to show the contrast between his character and Boudrari’s character (Johnson).

Senior Vanella further explains that on one side the audience sees parental love emphasized by the characters as Alya was raised by her Uncle Tucker and occasionally her father, Billy. On the other side, the audience sees fraternal love between two brothers that moved from Jordan to America, and watch as their bond strengthens as their family grows. In the play, Tucker’s dream was to travel to Hawaii with Triss, his love interest before she moves. Tucker was restricted from his future and stayed back home to help his teenage brother raise his daughter. The play focuses on how Tucker comes to terms with the fact that even though his life did not go the way he planned, it was still great and he was still able to be happy.

Malden High Play Pro performed Common Space in Semifinals at Danvers High on March 16th, but unfortunately did not progress to the Final round. However, Dexter Haag received an award for excellence in acting, while Sabrina Alayan, Isabella Geronima, Makesha Mercedat, Eliana Nieves, Lelani Nino De Guzman, and Danny Duong received awards for excellence in set design and construction, while Nathaniel Tortorella Silva and Miriam Jaber received awards for excellence in costume designs. Play Pro has also announced that they will have a school performance for Common Space but the date is to be determined.

Top to bottom: Tafraoui, Salem, and Haag discussing the stars; Gabriella Carli shocked at something Haag said; Salem looking at the stars through the telescope; left to right, Ronald Batista, Ayman Boudrari, and Michelle Chan, are helping Jenna Vanella write a letter.

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MHS MATH TEAM Sabrina Monteiro Head of Local News

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his year, Malden High School has a new math team. Many people may mistake it for a math club, in which case, the school already has one. However it is very different from the existing Math Club.

Senior Thomas Tran, President of the Math Team, expresses that the club and team are both similar to one another, but clarifies that “the club is for people who just want to casually solve some logical mathematical problems for fun every week, and the math team is for people who want to enter competitions and do higher level math that is not normally done at MHS.” Tran emphasizes the team’s importance in the school itself stating he thinks MHS needs the Math Team since there is a notable “contempt towards math.” Tran further elaborates stating he has “never liked how [the] public education system makes people hate learning [math] when [he thinks] learning [math] has just been represented in the wrong light.”

Tran had thought about the creation of a math team since the end of his sophomore year when he “[discovered his] passion for math” and began “planning to go into math related fields.” At the beginning of his last year in high school, he decided he wanted to take advantage of the fact that he would be leaving soon, realized he did not want to waste another second wondering ‘what if’ and began thinking “let’s see how far [he] can take this thing!”

MHS used to have a math team and Tran revived it again by discussing the possibility of bringing

it back with Math Teacher Leader, Cara Joyce, who then referred him to math teacher, Thomas Snarsky, and, since then, Tran has been working with him to set up the math team.

Tran hopes that the team “can create an environment where people feel encouraged to be a little nerdy, excited to be a little nerdy even!” He also hopes that members of the team can communicate and get comfortable with one another to then connect more smoothly when solving math equations together.

Senior Simon Cen, a member of the team, says that the start of the team began by talking it over with Tran about “seeing what it would be like having a club that had enthusiastic people that wanted to work with math. Moreover, on the other spectrum, [they] also talked about having a more serious part of the math club: the competitive side.”

Cen emphasizes that he wishes to major in a Statistics based field when he is in college, although he does not know if it was that specifically that interested him in joining the math club/ team or if it is “the idea of having competitions with friends. [He thinks] it is something [he] could enjoy regardless if [he] had majored in a math field. The feeling of having a day when all your teammates, and friends, come and sort of “nerd” out in front of a judge, sounds really enjoyable.”

On another factor mentioned, Cen believes strongly that “the fact that STEM is for males, is undermining to all the females who really like STEM. Thus, [he thinks] that having more gender diversity in [their] math club would be very beneficial.

From left to right: seniors Angela Soliz, Johanna Kruckenberg, and Felix Li. Photo submitted by Thomas Snarsky.

[Joyce] always advocates for [them] to talk to more girls and get them to join the math club, but it is not always that easy. It is hard to break out of your comfort zone. However, [they] had multiple girls join [them] the other day at the meeting, and it was really nice to see that they share the same interests.”

The President of the Math Team would also like to emphasize that “it won’t be like a math class, [he promises]!” and along with Cen who agrees and is speaking on behalf of both the math team and club, saying that “[They] welcome math levels of all kinds. Don’t worry if you don’t think you have the skills to “do math.” You might even want to try out for the math team. [They will] be attending math competitions where you and your friends

can be challenged. You never know what you might like until you try it.”

The advisor, Thomas Snarsky, says that the team is overall “driven by student interest in solving fun problems.” Snarsky also highlights that “Albert Einstein once said “Pure mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas.” Solving an elegant problem can feel like listening to a beautiful song, or as if the universe has just let you in on some kind of secret. It is an experience that absolutely anyone can have, whether or not you think of yourself as a “math person.”

Anyone interested in joining the math team, should stop by room B230 and speak to the advisor of the club, Thomas Snarsky, which takes place every Thursday.

Senior Sammy Lee showcasing his painting.

Sophomore Kathleen Hoang with her Japanese Mythology monoprint.

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BLUE AND GOLD ART GALLERY The Blue and Gold Art Gallery, hosted by the Art department at MHS, showcases the artwork of the students enrolled in art classes. This is a selection of a few pieces of artwork by students in Digital Arts and Studio II Honors. Scan the QR codes to view a video of the students explaining their artwork. Videos by Cedrina Missamou.

Senior Rachelle Menzies with her vector line drawing.

Sophomore Eva Tu with her monoprint.

Seenior Kevin Sathapornchaisit with his painting of Kendrick Lamar.

Sophomore Samantha Tang with her line pattern self portrait.

Junior Paolina Fornari with her Selkies book cover.

Senior Michelle Nie with her book cover.

11 Robotics Club at LINDEN Roxane Leon Reporter

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here is a new robotics club at the Linden STEAM Academy. “The Robotics Club first originated from the student interest” stated Christopher Mooney, advisor of the club along with Ms. Degelmann. “Many students asked [him] and Ms. Degelmann why there wasn’t a Robotics Club at Linden.”

The reason why there was not a robotics club before was that they didn’t have the equipment. Now with the new equipment, they had obtained, the Robotics Club came to life.

In the robotics club, Mooney and Degelmann encourage the students to be as independent as possible. As well as encouraging the students, they provide the students with challenges that have restrictions and criteria to follow. Mooney and Degelmann leave the students to plan, learn and solve the problem with each other. But, they are there to answer questions and help guide groups if necessary.

In the robotics club, the students are split up into two groups, fourth grade and fifth through eighth grade. The fourth graders work with Laura Degelmann, a kindergarten teacher. They spend the first few meetings learning how to use the app Blocky to code Dash robots. They work with Dash robots which move, light up, play noises, and perform several different tasks. The fifth through eighth graders works with Mooney and Vex robotics equipment.

“The first few sessions are focused on learning the equipment parts and their functions.

Around the third meeting, students start working on the final Robotics Club challenge.”

In the final challenge, a fourth-grade group and a fifth through eighth-grade group compete against each other in an obstacle course. In the challenge, each group must navigate their Dash robots through the obstacle course. By the end, the Dash launches nine ping pong balls into a pen where the Vex robots, that were built by the middle schoolers, collects them. “[The] teams are awarded points for being the fastest through the maze, points for balls collected, and “style” points for making the Dash robot do different things.”

Though the club is new to Linden this year, it has already benefited the students in so many ways. Such as, learning how to persevere through challenges given to them, dedication to solving challenges with communication and collaboration, and the feeling of pride once they accomplish their challenge.

The robotics club also get students “excited to share what they have done with others,” with the student’s families attending the final meeting where they saw the final challenge. “[They] had a great turnout from families from Session 1, and hope to have the same at the conclusion of Session 2,” Mooney further explained.

Given that this is the first year of the robotics club at Linden, Mooney and Degelmann made it the “pilot year” to see how the club would be and how many student would sign up for it. Because of this, the robotics club is scheduled for only three sessions this year. Both sessions meet for seven Mondays with at least thirty student attendees. “So far between Sessions 1 and 2, 60 students have participated in Robotics Club.”

When asked about the future of LSA Robotics Club, Mooney and Degelmann had replied “[they] hope it will continue to some degree beyond this school year” nevertheless “[they] are not 100% sure of what the format of the club will look like, but [they] hope to eventually mold the program towards competing in robotics competitions.”

12

Local News

The Blue and Gold April 2019

maldenblueandgold.com

Class of 2020 Hosts Jennica Ruan Reporter

C

lass of 2020 held the 79th annual Junior Varieties at the Jenkins Auditorium. This years’ theme was Late Night at Junior Varieties and the show was on March 8th and 9th. Tickets were $7 prior to the show and $10 at the door. The revenue generated from the show went to the class of 2020 and will directly contribute to their Senior Prom next year. This years’ Junior Varieties coordinators were Olivia Santangelo and Julia Argueta. The class of 2020 advisor, Caitlin Quinn, thanks all the efforts to the students because it was all mostly student led. She enjoyed the progression of each practice leading up to the show.

The years’ hosts were Juniors Angelena Nguyen and Taha Moukara. Nguyen stated that “it was a perfect opportunity to work with the class of 2020 officers.” Although the show was very well produced, Nguyen felt nervous knowing that “everyone [she] knew was going to be there,” along with “plenty of alumni who come to watch with their family and friends.” Nguyen explained that creating the ideas and script for the show was the most difficult part and that she is “glad [she] had the courage to go up in front of the student body.”

The preparation for the show is just as important as the event itself. The students worked tirelessly to ensure a smooth show. Every act prepared for the show in a different way with rehearsing for hours and months beforehand. Chan stated that “[she] barely had time to meet up with [the other members] to practice together.” Chan felt that “the process was very organized.” The step team had a difficult time practicing together due to everyone having other priorities. Although it was a lot of work, she says “[they] were able to pull it together and deliver a great performance.” Huynh says that the rehearsal schedule was “stressful but effective”.

Junior Brenda Dias volunteered to help prepare for the event.

All the crew members were helping each other out, figuring the best way to organize a “few things in the best way possible.” Dias enjoyed the skits in between acts because of “how entertaining it was.” Junior treasurer Keri Gilligan stated that “JVs went even better than [she] expected.” Gilligan had a variety of jobs to help with the preparation of the show. Her role as treasurer was needed more towards the end of the event.

The show included a variety of talented students who performed different acts. Many of which who were singers. Sophomore Renata Tomaz performed for the second year in a row. This year she sang “When We Were Young,” by Adele. She stated that “this time seemed to be less stressful and was more lenient in a way.” Tomaz hopes to continue singing in future shows.

Junior Kevin Fuentes sang “Sunflower” by Rex Orange County and “Mi Viejo” by Piero. He performed as a trio alongside Seniors Salma Bezzat and Santiago Portillo in a group called “Dueños Del Sol.” His performance was more than just a song for a talent show.

“Mi Viejo,” was “a lullaby [his] grandfather used to sing to [his] mother.” When he passed away after a battle against lung cancer, Fuentes cherished that song to remember him by and therefore performed “with [his] pops in mind.” He stated that “[he] could not be prouder of the work and dedication that each and every act brought to the table,” and is looking forward to performing again next year.

For Salma Bezzat this was her first and last show she performed in.

Bezzat has volunteered in previous years to help with the show but has never performed. This year she played the box drum for Fuentes’ performance. She explained that “[their] whole group was nervous the first night of the show, partly because the auditorium was almost full and there were so many people [they] knew in the crowd and it

Top to Bottom: Hosts Angelena Nguyen and Taha Moukara talking about the sports news. Left: Dance team Lotus performing to a medley of songs. Right: Edwin Gonzalez playing the drums. Left Brianna Le singing. Right: Jenna Vanella dancing to “Sticks and Stones.” Left: The Step Team. Right: Malachia Farmer introducing Loud Division. Left: Jimmy Ton playing the drums. Right: Birukti Tsige reciting the poem, “Us Black Women.”

Below: Lotus dancing

The Blue and Gold April 2019

Local News

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maldenblueandgold.com

79th Annual Junior Varieties was so loud, but it was still fun and an amazing experience.”

Seniors Jenna Vanella and Libby Taylor performed a dance routine to a poem by Shane Koyczan called “Sticks and Stones”. The poem is about being bullied and the effects it has on children. They chose this piece because “it [was] an issue a lot of people can identify with.” They hoped to convey the message for people to resonate with. Vanella performed last year at JVs, singing a song, which she stated is “much different because singing a popular song that everybody knows means” people will realize a mistake in a performance.

However, with dancing, she could improvise if she forgot on stage.

Vanella had high expectations for the show due to how “unique and extraordinary” every act was. Taylor, unfortunately, suffered an injury during the beginning of their last show but was able to finish the routine successfully.

Senior Chon Huynh is part of the dance group, Lotus. He performed last year in a dance group as well but this year “the level of excitement” was the “only thing that was different.” Their number was a combination of different songs that built up suspension for the audience to really enjoy. Huynh stated that “JV’s was an important event for [him]” and “as a senior, [he will] miss performing for the school.”

Many performance groups that are well known at Malden High performed as well, one example is the Step Team. Sophomore Natalie Pham performed with the step team this year after not making the team last year. She stated that after not making the team last year that “[she] wanted to redeem [her]self and see how far [she has] came along.” She found the step team interesting and “wanted people to learn more about step and the hard work/dedication that is put into each routine.”

Senior Renet Chan has performed in an orchestra group for JVs since her sophomore year. The group played a medley of songs to honor the former president, Naomi Brill, who graduated last year. The songs were mellow and smooth to dedicate Chan’s last JVs. Many performances went beyond dancing and singing. Some students decided to perform poetry pieces like Senior Birukti Tsige.

This is her third and last JVs, which she expressed as “bittersweet”.

She reflected back to her first year “thinking about how anxious [she] was [her] first year and how big the stage seemed and this year...it’s become like a habit. It was cozy and actually felt small because of how often [she has] performed.” Class of 2018 advisor, Kate Haskell, encouraged her to audition and that led to her performing for the rest of her high school years. She performed “Us, Black Women” by Natasha T Miller. She chose this piece because of the message it was sending to the audience. Tsige felt really connected to the poem because of how “unapologetic and direct” it was. She felt her execution of the poem was good but wishes that she controlled how fast she spoke.

The Step Team performing their step routine.

Senior James Plowman shouting out his former bandmate.

Junior Mia Borseti tap dancing “Get Me Bodied” by Beyonce.

All the performers of JVs celebrating at the end of the show.

Local News

14

The Blue and Gold April 2019

maldenblueandgold.com Julie Yu Lead Reporter

T

he Speech and Debate Team hosted their 5th Annual Debate Night on March 26, 2019. The event featured two debates, three original Poetry Readings, two Declamations, and two non-original Poetry Readings.

The team has been working on their debates and speeches for the past roughly three months according to Kurtis Sheer, one of the coaches of the Speech and Debate Team.

Patrick Finnegan, one of the coaches of the Speech and Debate Team, stated that the format of the debates was created by the students of the Speech and Debate Team.

“Usually when [the students are] doing congressional debate or any of the other events at a meet it will not be the same format.” Finnegan elaborated that the debates between two sides will not always have one side speaking and then passing it onto the next side and repeating that cycle.

Finnegan explained that at a lot of the meets that the team attends they are allowed to have notes, which is why most of the students either memorized information or utilized their notes during the debates. In those notes students will have an opening and closing statement prepared and oftentimes “graphic organizers or just lists of how they are going to go about the argument,” said Finnegan.

As coach, Finnegan’s job is to “help people with preparing for debates or speeches for meet on a more individual level.” Sheer added that his job is to “advise, and to give constructive feedback to all of [their] participants.”

As a team, they brainstormed 20 different potential topics they could debate about. The team then voted on the top ten ideas from the original list and continued to narrow the list down even more until they were left with two different topics. Sheer explained that the team “wanted to do one that was more political, which was the minimum wage one, and [they] wanted to do one that was more cultural and social, like art one.” After finalizing the two debates topics, the team gave everyone a chance to participate in a debate they wanted to, which was how they assigned different people to each debate.

During a debate, each side (pro and con) has two minutes to give the opening statement they have prepared. Following the opening

MHS 5TH ANNUAL DEBATE NIGHT

The Speech and Debate Officers. (From left to right) sophomores Roxon Benoit and Suiyenah Chen, seniors Birukti Tsige, Jenny Chen, and Michelle Chan, junior Rasmee Ky, and senior Makesha Mercedat. Photo by Julie Yu. speeches, the moderators ask a series of questions in which both both the pro and con side has to answer using their notes and research they got before hand. Afterwards, there is five minutes of the unmoderated debate, where both sides take turns countering the opposing side and supporting their own side in the argument. Concluding their debate, the two sides have two minutes each to give their closing speeches.

The first debate of the night was centered on separation of art v. artist. In the debate, the debaters discussed topics like mediums, preservation of art, retribution of art, and the relationship between consumer and creator were discussed.

On the pro side, senior Felix Li and freshman James Holland argued that art should be separated from the artist. Li expressed that he specifically chose to participate in the art debate because he was personally fascinated by the topic and “wanted a reason to do [his] personal research,” and come up with his own opinion. He first started doing preliminary research a couple weeks before Debate Night. He and his partner, Holland, discussed about points that they felt were relevant and necessary to include in their argument. They also reviewed the points that the opposing side would bring up and “how [they] were go-

Photograph by Nicholas Wong.

ing to counter them.” Li focused a lot on “updating [himself] with relevant news that connected to the argument like the R. Kelly case.”

While on the con side, senior Abhishek Rana and junior Jihane El Balaoui argued that art should not be separated from the original artist. El Balaoui expressed that she had never participated in a debate before, and this was her first time.

She explained that her and Rana “researched the pros and cons of [their] argument,” and also tried to look for “studies and statistical data to use as a supporting evidence.”

The second debate of the night was about raising the minimum wage in America. During the debate topics like prices of goods, inflation, income inequality, outsourcing jobs to foreign nations, and living wage were brought up. On the pro side, Rana and freshman Alain Joseph argued that minimum wage should be raised. While on the con side, sophomores Hossam Braer and Mason Burne argued that minimum wage should not be raised.

In between the two debates, juniors Donaita Anglades and Rasmee Ky performed declamation pieces, while freshman Sarah Oliveira and junior Sara Zakaria performed poetry readings. Ky recited “How to Make Stress Your Friend”, which was a TED Talk by Kelly McGo-

nigal. She explained that the TED Talk revealed that stress is not actually harmful to our health “as long as [we] believe it isn't harmful.”

Throughout the piece it also gives tips for stress management, such as reaching out to others under stress.

She explained that she had first come across the piece when she was searching through TED Talks, since they were the most common type of text for Declamation. Ky stated that she really enjoyed the TED Talk because “taught [her] a lot of useful information that improved [her] everyday life.” Ky believed that it would be the perfect piece for a competitive setting, since it “could hold [the] audience's attention from the strength of the writing alone.”

Given the length of the piece, Ky had to cut it down to 10 minutes of text. One thing that stuck out to her about this piece was how the original speaker had lots of moments of “direct audience interaction and interesting body language which could make [her] performance stand out in competition.”

The Speech and Debate Team was able to prepare and rehearse the Friday and Monday before Debate Night. Despite the fact that Debate Night is the only event that the team hosts at Malden High, they do travel around the state of Massachusetts to attend meets at different schools.

Wednesday, March 20th, Malden Reads held a meeting to review the most recent book they’ve read, The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See. The meeting began with a presentation from guest speaker Shenn Liou, whose mother lived in the Yunnan Mountains like Li-yan in the novel. Liou spoke about the history of China and the different tribes that living in places near the Yunnan Mountains. Liou talked about the different tribes in the area like the Han tribe, which live in the low terraces and practice rice cultivation. The Mayor had some questions for the group as they talked about the different events throughout the book. Malden Reads has many upcoming events including one at the Senior Center on May 3rd at 6:30pm. Here, they will be hosting a panel where parents with adopted kids from Asia will be speaking.

Brenden Bell

The Blue and Gold April 2019

Local News

15

MHS HOSTS CIVICS DAY maldenblueandgold.com

Courtney Fitzgerald Reporter Yasmine Alayan Reporter

I

t’s that time of year again, Generation Citizen is back at Malden High and history classes of all levels are coming up with issues they want to put forth to represent them on Civics Day. Generation Citizen was originally founded at Brown University by two students, Anna Ninan and Scott Warren in 2008, when the two of them along with eight other Brown students began to teach civics education in Providence, Rhode Island classrooms.

By February 2010, Generation Citizen became an official nonprofit organization. Over the years, GC rapidly grew and began to win awards, reach out to more students and even expand into New York City, Boston, Oklahoma, central Texas and the Bay Area.

In early June, 2014, GC launched a four-year strategic plan in which focused on delivering high impact action [] civics education through local hubs, buildings, demand for action, civics nationally, and building organizational infrastructure and capacity.” GC also began a Teens on Board Campaign that was successful in late August, 2014, lowering the age that someone could sit on the New York City Community boards form 18 to 16.

Each year, students gather to showcase their action civics projects on issues affecting their community to local officials and community leaders at a convention GC calls “Civics Day.” Malden High is having a preCivics Day on Tuesday, March 19, 2019, were all the classes are going to present what work they have gathered so far with each other and see if any groups can work together, or if they can plan to speak to contact the same officials, in order to complete their goal. The actual Civics Day is on May 29, 2019 and our school along with many more around the area will go out to Boston and present their work to a panel of judges. The judging panel go

over the issues root causes and if the students action plan would be effective for their goal. This day serves as a opportunity for students, from all over, to take pride in their projects and advocate for their issues to a local audience, this not only allows students to hopefully solve their issues by reaching their goals, but also gather feedback from the judges to improve their idea, as well as for guest at the event and government leaders to recognize what youth-led change is and the commitment of students to generate change where they live.

Malden has had success with Generation Citizen in the past.

The teen enrichment center was originally put in place to battle gang violence in Malden. But it didn’t even start with the teen center itself, originally it was a day at the YMCA where kids could go after school and play organized games and hang out with their friends. The intention was to keep kids out of the streets and away from violence. But with help from the Malden Task Force, a group of student and adults,who came up with serves to ask the students at Malden high what they felt like they wanted from the days at YMCA. But the serves revealed that kids wanted a free place to do homework, make friends, and play games. With more serves that came up with times and days it would be open. The teen center was open and not only to students at Malden High but students all over Malden regardless to what school they would go to.

Heather Filer, a history teacher here at Malden High,had been in contact with Generation Citizen (GC) throughout the recent events leading to the Local Civics Day. “Civics Day was very successful” stated Lynn-Sarah Georges, who GC project was on sex trafficking. Georges project is still an ongoing project but so far “the outcome has been very positive.” GC was a chance for Georges to get helpful feedback, and support from the representatives they pitched their idea to. With the outcome of her project being so positive Georges stat that “[She] would like to work on [her] project to still have an impact on the Malden community and possibly

even globally.” Seeing as sex trafficking is a serious and important topic Georges hopes to get “people to be informed about [her] project and consider spreading the word

and encouraging people to take action.” Georges hopes for Civics Day was to “get contacts and further information on how to approach the next steps in [their] project.”

Top to Bottom: Michelle Filer giving a speech. Freshman group presenting ideas.

Junior Taha Moukara giving a speech about his experiences with Civics Day. Photos by Fitzgerald.

Crowd of 8th grade parents attending informational night hosted by Chris Mastrangelo, Charlie Conefrey, and Heather Northrop.

16

entertainment

The Blue and Gold April 2019

maldenblueandgold.com

The Oscars: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE MEDIOCRE Carlos Aragon Aldana Reporter

T

he 91st Academy Awards ceremony was a mess. From the issues stemming from Kevin Hart stepping down as host, to the Most Popular Film category, it seems that the Academy has really dropped their act this year. While many people predicted it, it’s sad to see a once prestigious institution go to the dumps, even if it’s temporary.

While most people remember that the issues began when the feud with Kevin Hart started, sharp minds may remember that the Academy had garnered controversy even earlier that year. Some may remember the “Most Popular Film” award, which was cut almost as fast as it was introduced earlier this year.

While some people like Jason Blum voiced their support and called it a “step in the right direction” others like Rob Lowe called it “the end of the movie business.” When the negative comments came in, the Academy quickly realized their mistake and scrapped the category.

Now, much more recently in December of 2018, Kevin Hart announced that he would be stepping down from hosting the Oscars. This stemmed from several homophobic tweets he had made in the past. Hart says that “I have made the choice to step down from hosting this year’s Oscars. This is because I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists. I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past.” That same day, in an Instagram video, he said that the Academy had called him asking to apologize or else he would have to step down as host. He said that “I chose to pass, I passed on the apology. The reason I chose to pass is because I’ve addressed this several times, this is not the first time this has come up, I’ve addressed this… I’m not going to continue to go back and tap into the days of old when I’ve moved on and I’m in a completely different space in my life,” he said. “Regardless, Academy, I’m thankful and appreciative of the opportunity. If it goes away no harm no foul.” About a month later, Ellen Degeneres asked Hart to “reconsider hosting.” She called critics of Hart “haters” and Hart said that he would reconsider

hosting because of her suggestion.

Right after the fiasco with Hart, there was a big issue. The Academy did not have a host. Many people speculated who would host the Oscars now that Hart stepped down, however, nobody really saw what actually happened coming.

The Academy announced that the Oscars would have no host, and instead each Award was going to be presented by different people.

It ended up being hosted by Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph, Jason Momoa, Chris Evans, Jennifer Lopez, John Mulaney, Awkwafina, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, and more. Many people thought that John Mulaney and Awkwafina were one of the highlights of the night, and think that the pair should host the 92nd Awards ceremony.

Then, just when people thought the show was over, the academy decides to present the Editing and Cinematography awards during a commercial break. People were in an outrage, and for good reason.

Alfonso Cuaron, director of Gravity and Roma, took to Twitter, saying that “In the history of CINEMA, masterpieces have existed without sound, without color, without a story, without actors and without music. No one single film has ever existed without CINEMAtography and without editing.” Others like

Designed by Yasmine Alayan

Spike Lee and Guillermo del Toro made a petition demanding that the action repealed. The Academy quickly realized their mistake, and reversed their action.

The worst thing to happen at the 92nd Academy Awards however, was that in the end, a lot of the films were overlooked, and several films didn’t really deserve their position. For example, the film Eighth Grade featured a great performance

by Elsie Fisher and Bo Burnham’s direction was great for his freshman outing, but it didn’t score any awards or nominations. Another complete oversight was Timothee Chalamet’s performance in Beautiful Boy, which was one of the most praised aspect of the film. The film Roma won several awards, however people thought that it was snubbed of best picture because it was produced and distributed by Netflix, and the Academy has a burning hatred for Netflix. Many members have voiced their displeasure, saying that it’s ruining modern film. A lot of people also feel that the Best Picture lineup should have been severely shaken up. For example, while Black Panther was an almost universally praised film, people feel as if the Academy just added it in without actually intending to give it the awards. Many say that it only added it in because it wanted to ap-

peal to the wide audience, as last year ratings were the lowest they’ve ever been, and the Black Panther nomination was something that drew in the general audience.

It wasn’t that bad though. A Star is Born won best original song for “Shallow” and Into The Spider Verse beat out Pixar’s The Incredibles 2 for Best Animated Picture. Director Spike Lee won his first Oscar in the entirety of his career. However, it took a steep decline on the last award. The Best Picture award contenders were Bohemian Rhapsody, The Favourite, Black Panther, BlacKkKlansman, Green Book, Vice, A Star Is Born, and Roma. Many people were excited, and the general consensus was that the top contenders were Roma, BlacKkKlansman, and The Favourite. What happened next was probably the worst fiasco at the Oscars in 15 years.

The Oscar went to Green Book.

Now, Green Book is an alright film.

It’s rewatchable, and it has some great performances from Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen. However, it’s missing the flair of BlacKkKlansman or the heart of Roma.

The Best Picture award should go to a film that makes a statement, the greatest movie in the year. Ask anyone who’s ever seen Green Book.

Sure, it’s a good movie. But it’s not the greatest film of the year by a long shot. And there are several reasons why it won, but none of them are very fair or good.

Basically, it was the general consensuos. The academy was scared that they were going to make the wrong decision, so they did what they thought everybody would agree. Their line of thinking was “Everybody liked Green Book, so if we give it Best Picture, nobody will get mad!” They thought that it was the safest route, so that’s what they went with. They thought that BlacKkKlansmen was snubbed and for no real apparent reason. Roma was produced by Netflix, so they didn’t even want that trophy in the same country as it. The Academy never even intended to give the award to Black Panther, and who knows why the nominated Bohemian Rhapsody. Green Book is like cheese pizza. Pretty much everyone eats cheese pizza, but it’s probably not your first choice.

Time for the Moon Night (6th Mini Album) Review - GFriend

The Blue and Gold April 2019

Entertainment

17

maldenblueandgold.com

Sandra Li Reporter

‘

Tim nje for the Moon Night’ is an album from the k-pop girl group GFriend. GFriend has amazing dance choreographies and the band makes you feel sentimental with their songs. Their album, ‘Time for the Moon Night’ was released on April 30th, 2018 and has a total of eight tracks, which as a whole, bring together nostalgic and dreamlike emotions in contrast to their previous albums. The album incorporates a theme of the night, stars, and dreams that is similar to their concept look. GFriend consists of six members: Eunha, Yuju, Yerin, Umji, Sowon, and SinB.

K-Pop girl group GFriend performing. Picture from Wikimedia.

` The introduction and ending pieces of the album are both instrumentals that are called ‘Daytime’ and ‘Time for the Moon Night.’ Both tracks do not have any of the members singing as they are instrumentals. However, I do recommend giving it a listen when you don’t want to be listening to songs that have vocals in them since they are calming and were produced wonderfully.

Time for the Moon Night (밤): ‘Time for the Moon Night’ is the title track of the album. It starts off with one of the members, Eunha, carrying out an emotional tune that then follows onto a orchestra melody. This was actually the first time that the group had started off their title track with a member’s voice instead of instruments. The song merges both the groups dance side and a classic instrumental which all of the members were able to show how powerful their vocals are. The lyrics reveal a sense of youth and naivety due to the meaning being about struggling with one’s own emotions and contemplating whether or not if they should pursue someone who they believe has no interest in them.

Love Bug: Next is ‘Love Bug.’ Throughout this track you can really get attached to the catchy chorus as it is an addictive song and is upbeat due to it having that hint of retro jazz. In the first part of the chorus, there were highlighted vocals and in the second half, a few of the members were rapping which wasn’t really expected since GFriend is known for their soft and innocent-like concepts from the start of their career. Despite that, their rapping does steal the show. In the song you can also hear the hollow drum beats which made it have a nice instrumental in the background.

Flower Garden (휘리휘리):. The song uses electric guitars, bells, and orchestral instrumentation that helps to express the narrative and melody. Specifically with the electric guitars, it gives off an immense cinematic sound that overall makes the girl group unique. It also utilizes a retro synth pop that imitates instruments. The track depends on a metaphor regarding a flower blooming and this represents their dreams of speaking to someone about regaining hope.

Tik Tik (틱틱): This track is another bright one as it puts out retro vibes in the beginning of the song and ends with an instrumental sequence. The clear chorus develops into a persuasive rhythm and the song has a funky sound with a Nu-disco beat that makes it have a nice flow and results into a playful, upbeat, and cheerful track to listen to. From my understanding, the song is all about a friendship that is complicated. Both friends are trying to understand the feelings of one another and eventually wanting to declare them to each other.

Bye: After is ‘Bye,’ which is actually the only ballad that is on the album. Despite being the only ballad, it does stand out because the instrumentals and the vocals from all the members were admirable when they sang together which would have to be the highlight. Since it is a ballad, the lyrics have a significant definition to them. But the particular frequent usage of electric guitars adds another twist to this specific track as the meaning of it is about letting go of the person you love and reminiscing the happy memories they had given you, hence the title ‘Bye.’ You Are My Star (별): Within the first few seconds of the song, it’s easy to be absorbed into the great beat that is then followed by continuous finger snaps in the background. The beats are then accompanied with the members vocals which at one point they all start to perfectly harmonize and end with a twinkling sound effect and then brings you back to the title. The meaning behind it that it is primarily about a person who is looking at stars in the night sky toward which they are recollecting cheerful thoughts on a past friend that has been by their side and resembled a star: a bright, joyful person who shines wherever they go. Ultimately, it is a loving song for GFriend’s fans.

Altogether, this GFriend album has amazed me once again as all of the songs bring out many emotions and feelings such as sentimentality and nostalgia. The album gives off a dreamlike vibe as it carries out a consistent theme of the night and stars which I believed was a great idea for the reason that the theme even conveys through their thoughtful lyrics as well. I definitely do recommend listening to ‘Time for the Moon Night’ because all six members’ vocals were incredible and the songs held a powerful innocence.

Show Review : One Day at a Time Julie Huynh Repoter

O

ne Day at a Time is a Netflix Original comedy-drama that follows the Alvarez family through their ups and downs. The show features Penelope, the mother, Elena and Alex, her children, Lydia, her mother, and Schneider, their landlord. Together as a family, they try and navigate the hardships of life while also having a few laughs along the way.

One Day at a Time is not your typical sitcom though, Penelope is a newly divorced Latina Army veteran with PTSD and Elena has recently come out as lesbian and is struggling with gaining her father’s acceptance. Penelope struggles with being a single parent, but she has the help of her immigrant mother, Lydia. Living in the apartment upstairs from the Alvarez’s’, is their landlord who fights with his past addiction.

In season 1, one of the most important events was Elena questioning her sexuality and later coming out to her family. Due to the fact that there wasn’t only one main storyline in this season, it made the show more easy to watch and very comedic. This first season comes to an emotional where Elena has her quinceañera, but her dad doesn’t show up for the father-daughter dance. Instead, her family steps up to save the day. Throughout the next two seasons, the show follows storylines that involve Lydia’s quest for citizenship, Penelope trying to balance nursing school and her hectic life, and Schneider’s addiction.

While the show runs through many serious issues, there is still an abundance of jokes.

One Day at a Time is such an important show as it combines modern comedy with political progress.

For example, in one of the storylines, Lydia accidentally consumes a pot lozenge, but later the “high” comes down and Penelope is forced to deal with the issue of her son experimenting with drugs. Not to mention, Elena’s relationship with her non-binary partner, Syd, is both mature and family-friendly which demonstrates how refreshing it can be to portray stories of LGBTQ+ people in television. It creates a more diverse and inclusive environment by capturing what the world we live in is really like.

Above all, One Day at a Time is the perfect comfort show that will make you laugh, cry, and forget all about your troubles. From moments like when Alex stood up for his sister to their homophobic dad, to when Schneider helped Penelope with her anxiety attack, One Day at a Time really makes you feel like you have a place in the Alvarez family.

Opinion

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The Blue and Gold April 2019

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Is unlimited campaign financing from corporations and unions acceptable?

Campaign Financing has been a big issue in the world of politics long before the paramount Supreme Court case Citizens United (2010) was ruled upon.

Political candidates from both sides of the aisle have received donations from big-businesses and corporations, while other political candidates advocate for receiving small donations from the everyday American. In Citizens United the Court ruled that the government could not limit a corporation’s First Amendment right to donate to political campaigns. Some argue that this was a detrimental decision in the Court, although some still approve of it. Is unlimited campaign financing and unions acceptable? Was the Court’s decision correct? Abhishek Rana takes the affirmative while Sydney Stumpf takes the opposition. Let us know your opinions on maldenblueandgold.com.

Yes Abhishek Rana Editor in Chief of Web and Mobile Apps

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he role of corporations and money in politics has always been a heated debate at the very core of American politics. Before we can analyze the role of money in politics, we have to look at the recent history of campaign finance regulation.

In 2002, the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act (McCainFeingold act) restricted corporations and labor organizations from financing issue-based advertising on behalf of candidates, which it called “electioneering communication.” During the closely contested 2008 Democratic Primary between front runners Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, Citizens United- a conservative non-profit organization that receives money from private individuals and some corporations- released a documentary that was highly critical of Clinton, spending a million dollars on doing so.

In the landmark 2010 Supreme Court Case, Citizens United V. Federal Election Commission (FEC), Citizens United challenged the McCainFeingold Act, arguing that its regulations on “electioneering communication” violated the First Amendment of the U.S Constitution. In a narrow 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the McCain-Feingold ban on corporate and union expenditures was unconstitutional because it violated freedom of expression.

Justice Kennedy delivered the opinion for the court, stating that “were the Court to uphold these restrictions, the Government could repress speech by silencing certain voices at any of the various points in the speech process.”

The decision granted corporations and labor unions the ability to spend unlimited amounts of money on ads through the use of Political Action Committees (PACs), although direct contributions to candidates remained illegal.

Those who argue in favor of new campaign finance reform make the central contention that money is not a form of expression and that corporations and unions do not have the same free speech rights as individuals.

The assertion that money in politics can be restricted because “it’s not speech,” correlates freedom of expression with just one’s vocal cords.

Money is another tool through which expressions can be made, similar to using a pen and paper, doing a television broadcast, or organizing a political event.

As for the role of corporations in our politics and the claims that they do not have free speech rights, I would like to point to corporations the New York Times, CNN, Fox News, Wall Street Journal, CBS or any other media outlet that openly endorse certain candidates and policies as well as engage in political speech. Do you honestly believe a corporation giving money to a candidate influences an election more than media outlets applauding their preferred candidate for an entire election cycle?

Yet we don’t limit the resources media corporations can spend in favor of or against certain candidates and policies.Instead, the election reform being proposed recently comes in the form of the “For the people act of 2019” (H.R.1) which in addition to administering campaign finance reform, also seeks to nationalize elections, violating the states’ constitutional right under Article 1, Section 4 to decide how they want to run their elections. Even the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) came account against the House Democrats’ bill in a 13-page letter announcing their opposition, stating that provisions in the bill “will have the effect of harming our public discourse by silencing necessary voices that would otherwise speak out about the public issues of the day.”

A far better system is to allow individual unlimited contributions but with immediate disclosure. What we ultimately need is to be transparent with money in politics, not to restrict or eliminate it entirely.

No Sydney Stumpf Editor in Chief of Print

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ntroduced in January by Rep. John P. Sarbanes of Maryland, H.R.1 is a bill also known as “For the People Act of 2019.” The bill, although divided into three sections (Voting, Campaign Finance, and Ethics), has made a statement in the realm of Campaign Financing, creating need for reflection on former Court cases like Citizens United (2010) which ruled that the federal government cannot limit spending on political campaigns by corporations or unions. H.R.1 explicitly calls this, and other Court decisions relating to campaign financing, “flawed.” This proposed bill focuses on incentivizing political candidates to accept small donations over large ones from corporations/unions.

The heart of the matter is, campaign financing has become entirely out of control and unethical. Corporations, unions, these large businesses who donate hundreds, thousands, millions of dollars to political candidates are not reflective of the American people as a whole. Heads of these institutions make the decisions to donate these large sums of money to political candidates based off of their own personal or business interests as opposed to the opinion of a company as a whole. Campaign financing in this sort of way is a gross misuse of power.

When big businesses and major corporations donate large sums of money to political candidates, they often have influence in the policies that the recipient of said funds. This contributes to corruption in politics because politicians are influenced and controlled by major businesses and corporations instead of completely their own policies and beliefs. The electoral college was created in order to more accurately reflect the needs of all Americans, in order to combat against mob-rule. However, with unlimited campaign financing by these giant groups of people, it is counterproductive when policies are not beneficial to the people but rather to the donors.

When major businesses and corporations donate large sums of money, they therefore influence politics in order to increase business and improve their business-lives. When this happens, money and power congeals in the top 1%, reinforcing the ideal that the rich get richer, while the poor get poorer, given that policies that benefit the rich, that benefit big businesses and corporations, more often than not create worse environments for the poor. The top 1% is self-explanatory, only 1% of the American population.

When they influence politics, politics no longer reflect the people, they reflect a tiny portion of the population, going directly against the ideal that government is meant for the people.

The Citizens United Supreme Court case was a major mistake in the United States Court’s history. Unlimited political funding by major corporations should not fall under the First Amendment right to free speech and freedom of expression, because corporations and big businesses should not be considered in the same light as American individuals. If a billionaire were to independently donate large sums of money to political campaigns, that does, I believe, fall under the First Amendment right. However, as soon as that billionaire donates large chunks of money on behalf of their business or corporation, I do not believe that the same rights and freedoms should apply. That one person does not speak for the entirety of the corporation or business and should not place the institution in the support or opposition of political candidates.

All in all, the Supreme Court decision of Citizens United ruled in a way that is detrimental to the sanctity of the U.S. political system and allows major businesses and corporations to control the government, using political candidates as their puppets. Political candidates should take stands against corporate donations and PAC donations. Democratic Presidential Candidate Kirsten Gillibrand has publicly said that she will not accept PAC or corporate donations, while other candidates like Bernie Sanders, pride themselves on individual donations.

The Blue and Gold April 2019

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Sports

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The Blue and Gold April 2019

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T r a c k All-Stars Gabriel Matnog Lead Reporter

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he Malden High School Track and Field Team is kicking off their 2018-2019 season with a “running” start. The track team is looking for a season different from the rest, they hope to get even more athletes state qualified while also improving as a team and individually. The team ended the 2017-2018 season with multiple state qualified athletes, one being MHS Alum, Oussama Ourich, who competed successfully in the 400m, 400m hurdles, 600m, 800m, 1000m, and multiple relay races.

Senior Kyle O’Brien is entering his fourth and final year with the team. O’Brien competes in the 2 mile run specifically and is one of the best long distance runners on the team. O’Brien states, “[His] expectations are for the team to give 100% each and everyday, and to hopefully go undefeated.” O’Brien sees this year’s team as a group of talented and hardworking kids who will be “critical in winning meets.” O’Brien describes a typical day at practice as doing workouts that will help them prepare for meets. Since this is O’Brien’s last year on the team he states, “I am looking forward to winning as many meets as possible while enjoying the experience since I am a senior and this will be my last high school track season so I am trying to win and have fun because once I graduate I know I will miss this sport, the people, and the great

environment!”

Sophomore Harriet-Shane Gerochi is entering her second year on the track team. Gerochi has high expectations this year as she has competed in both indoor and outdoor track during her freshman year, as well as indoor track this year. Gerochi feels that the team can only get stronger. While having a plethora of athletes tryout for the girl’s team, a new mix of talent is being brought to the team. “The team as a whole is very much determined to work hard in order to win the meets and do their personal best.”

Gerochi states. Just like some of the other indoor athletes, Gerochi expects to break her personal records this season and set higher goals for herself.

Sophomore Kevin Casetta is also entering his second season with the team, while competing in both javelin and shot-put events, Casetta prefers javelin. Casetta’s expectations for the team and himself are to “ have pure dedication to the sport and to win meets!” Casetta sees that there are many unknown faces joining the team this year but they “all bring somethting we can use.” Casetta is looking forward to an exceptional season this year and wants nothing but the best for the track and field team.

Many new athletes and returning athletes to the MHS Track and Field team have high hopes for the 2018-2019 season, along with the coaches, they wish to do better than previous years.

Shataeya Smit h

Shataeya Smith broke a three records in the shot put and discus events both at Malden High School and at the North Eastern Conference.

“Being named NEC All Star means a lot to me because not only have a worked hard for it, but also I feel so good about it. I worked extra hard in the weight room and sure my form was correct and to pay off with not only breaking a school record but a NEC League Record means the world to me. Having this title means a lot to me, going through personal and home issues and allowing this to be a result of dedication is an amazing reward.”

and

High Bars

MATTHEUS FARIAS “I am beyond grateful to be named an NEC All-Star for track. Being a part if this team was a lot of hard work but it’s good to know my work behind the scenes stood out enough to spectators to name me as an All-Star. I thank all those who voted for me and I hope for more this spring.”

Mattheus Farias was named an NEC All-Star along with Jean Gerard, Ezra Krukenberg, Yousef Lahkiky, and Omar Asousy.

Farias’s 4x4 relay team that entered the NEC. Photo by David Londino.

Pryanna Alp er

Pryanna began running indoor track her freshman year and has run the 300 meter dash along with the 4x400 relay

Pryanna Alper recieved the NEC All-Star award along with Makayla Preston and Shataeya Smith Left: Alper’s 4x4 relay team that entered the NEC. Photo by David Londino.

Sports

The Blue and Gold April 2019

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maldenblueandgold.com

Swim Swim Swim Swim Swim Kevin Ochoa Goes to States Ochoa believes he

Golden Tornado forever.” will “be a

Oliv ia

Rebeca Pereira Editor-in-Chief

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swimmer since age six, Kevin Ochoa has steadily improved and maintained his commitment to the sport but the senior, described

by Athletic Director Charlie Conefrey as humble and “a silent leader,” never imagined he would become a member of a coveted and exclusive league of swimmers. Ochoa now joins the ranks of Elia Fish and Julie Dempster as the third state champion for swim For est ier in all of Malden High School history.

The success of the MHS swim team has experienced in recent seasons has been unOlivia Foresprecedented and “extremely tier, along with rare at the public school Joanne Ho are level,” says Conefrey, who has named Swim “never had to worry too much

about the swim program.” Even in the midst of other competent and powerful swimmers, Ochoa showed particular promise to Conefrey since his junior year, when Conefrey began observing the team more closely when his role expanded from physical education teacher to the district’s athletic director. “[Conefrey] knew there was potential there,” Confrey states, “and [he] thought ‘Wait, just wait,

remarks that it is “just the icing on the cake.”

“Representing [his] school has always been something [he has] wanted to do,” Ochoa states, but he measures his success based on his “level of impact on the team,” not the accolades he obtains.

The week of Monday, April 1st, Ochoa will be representing MHS at the national swim competition in North Carolina. Post-graduation, he plans to continue swimming at the collegiate level. Though Ochoa has

2019 All-Stars

Swim Captain Kevin Ochoa preparing to compete. Photo by Carlos Aragon Aldana.

Captain Olivia Forestier with Co-Captain Joanne Ho posing with other members of the team after a meet. Photo by Carlos Aragon Aldana.

Dav id Lombardi

David Lombardi earned the title NEC AllStar for swim, along with Haoxi Wang, and Kevin Ochoa.

he’s going to do something special.”

Ochoa partially attributes his progression as an athlete and his victory as state champ to the confidence of his greatest motivators, including Confrey. “Seeing the reactions of [his] family, coaches and teammates really made all [his] hard work worthwhile,” Ochoa says.

Ochoa does club swim during the off season, puts in countless hours at the gym weekly and has “It is an honor to be been a part of high school swim for recognized as an all four years, and, though he describes star because it proves his victory as an “unreal feeling,” he that hard work is not yet decided rewarded” where he will be attending in the fall, Conefrey believes that he is in a “unique and very fortunate position” where he “holds all the cards as a decorated student athlete” and “colleges would be very David Lombardi doing a back stroke during a lucky to have competition. Photo by Carlos Aragon Aldana. him on their

rosters.”

Ochoa believes he will “be a Golden Tornado forever” and wishes the best to his team in its upcoming seasons, during which underclassmen will continue to carry his legacy.

In spite of the loss the team will suffer from the departure of many talented seniors, including captains Ochoa, Sebastian Romani, Agatha Silva, Joanne Ho and Olivia Forestier, Conefrey remains unwavering in his confidence in the MHS swim team. He sees the potential to progress as far as Ochoa has in a handful of underclassmen, among them freshmen Chloe Akombi and Tony Giech, as well as sophomore David Lombardi.

Lombardi hopes that after the departure of his senior captains the team is able to “rebuild to the point that [they are] competitive while also establishing a family atmosphere that is very similar to the one [they] have had.” With the arrival of new athletic talent, he is optimistic about seasons to come and his own potential as well as the potential of his fellow teammates.

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Sports

The Blue and Gold April 2019

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Boys Tennis Sara Zakaria Head of Sports

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he Boys Tennis team has started their season this year, already aiming high and planning to work hard to achieve their goals.

This season, the team is led by captains Luis Gilbert and Thomas Tran. The captains, along with the rest of the team, hope to advance to the State tournament. Tran believes they have a “good chance” of making it to States this year. Tran’s goals as a captain is to “help [his] teammates improve” and get them to be “physically fit” for the season. For Gilbert, he hopes the team will end their season will a “positive record” and finish his last year on a “good note.”

Last year, the team ended their season with a record of six wins and ten losses. The team had their fair share of challenges as well, the most devastating one being the now-

graduated Malden High student the team, especially regarding the Viktor Teague’s ankle injury, as he lineup for doubles, according to was one of the strongest players on Tran. Both Gilbert and Tran believe the team. Gilbert says that last season that the team “will survive” despite was a “building the setback and season” for the are “confident” team. Tran states the players takthat they started ing their posiout “strong” tions will do with a winning “just as well.” streak, but due Both capto circumstances, tains are seniors they “lost steam” who have been in the middle of on the team the season. Tran since their calls the events of freshmen year. last year “unforGilbert started tunate,” but adds playing the that “that is the sport because of nature of what his mother, who happened.” he credits for The Varsity getting him into team last season tennis as a child. had four seniors, He states that meaning their Boys tennis captain Luis Gilbert, preit was a dream departure “defi- paring to serve. Photo from Blue and for him to play nitely impacted” Gold archives. tennis in high

school. Tran was also inspired to the sport by a parent, crediting his father for first introducing him to the sport. He would play recreationally with his family during the summer, but he says that playing tennis his freshman year is what made him “really fall in love with the sport.”

The tryouts for the Boys Tennis team went well, according to Gilbert and Tran. Gilbert says that they had a lot of “returning members,” but there was also a lot of “new students” that came to tryout, adding that they are “looking good.”

Tran agrees, saying that he was able to see “a lot of familiar faces” and also “new faces” who showed “a lot of potential.” Tran adds that the new members of the team are good both in talent and in character.

He admits that he does not know them “very well yet,” but hopes to get to know them better as the season progresses.

Baseball Tivian Nguyen Reporter

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s spring arrives, so does the spring sports season bringing along with a new season of baseball.

Baseball tryouts took place from March 11th through March 15th and saw an unexpected turnout.

Freshman Luke Zubrzycki decided to tryout for baseball because ”[his] dad likes baseball and [he] played it all [his] life. [He] enjoys playing with his friend”.

As tryouts come to an end, Zubrzycki mentioned, “it will be difficult for all of [them] to join the team, since there are many talented players at every position already.”

But Coach Stephen Freker reassures his incoming players saying that “being committed to the team is better than being the best.”

Last season, the team was unable to qualify for the state tournament, but, even as a freshman, Zubrzycki is certain that “nothing is going to stop [the team] from reaching this particular goal this season.”

One obstacle Zubrzycki does anticipate is the impact of the loss of recent graduates. “The season is going to be difficult since [the team] lost so many good players,” he states, but remains hopeful for the potential of new players like himself.

Though the team did not make it to states, players are very hopeful this year, as it seems that the team will be comprised of a balance between new and experienced members, many of which have been playing for nearly four years or plan to play for all four years of their high school careers.

Freshman Shawn Bartholomew is one of those few freshman who intend to play all four years, and his commitment to the team has already secured him a spot on the varsity team.

Bartholomew states that “[he has] played baseball ever since [he] was little. [He] feels like it something [he] is passionate about and want[s]

to pursue.” He also comments that having friends that are already on the team incentivized him to play for Malden, as it would make him feel “more connected with his friends.”

Preparing for the season is quite simple. Erick Rodriguez comments, “[the team] practice[s] all the basics and [the players] get in shape

for the season.” Ultimately, though, Rodrigues says “it is about making progress, not winning every game.”

With their bats and cleats ready to go, the team is willing to take any challenges thrown at them and make memories that, Rodriguez says “[he and his teammates] will never forget.”

The Blue and Gold April 2019

Sports

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maldenblueandgold.com

BOYS LACROSSE David Cartledge Lead Reporter

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he 2019 Boys Malden Lacrosse team has had a pretty rough start to the season, losing most of their players to graduation while also facing Georgetown prep in a scrimmage, who is one of the best teams in the state. Their success last season leaves high expectations for this season, with the team making the state tournament for the first time in their history last season.

The team this year still shows promise though, with head coach

Jonathan Copithorne stating that during the scrimmage “their hustle and effort was there” and that overall the team was “able to run up the field with Georgetown prep,” which showed some serious effort. Copithorne also mentioned that the team is able to “control ground balls,” which he mentioned was one of the best skill to have as lacrosse players.

Last season, the team had a really successful season. Not only was it the first time the team made states, but it was also the first time the team has had a winning record. The team was knocked out in the first round to Acton-Boxborough, which was one of the best teams in the competition, and ended up making it to the state finals. Coach Copithorne mentioned how the players “played admirably” during the match, and even the opposing team’s coach congratulated them on the season and their effort during the match.

That success obviously leaves high expectations for this season, with coach Copithorne saying he would “like to put themselves in a position to play in the tournament,” and would like to “Get a good seed, and ideally win a game in playoffs.”

Relationships on teams play a huge factor in their success, and the loss of a coach can always leave a toll on the relationship. Coach Copithorne is now the sole coach for the lacrosse team, having been a co-captain with coach Smith. Copithorne grew up playing lacrosse, so he has a good understanding of the game and how the players must feel.

Copithorne is also a history teacher at the school, likely having most of the players as his students at some time. These have helped grow a relationship amongst the team for the past few years. Coach Copithorne mentioned how the team “Seems to like each other, and hopes they continue to.”

This season is bound to be much more challenging than any others. Not only does the team have to deal with the extreme loss of players, but they also need to deal with the pressure of making states, and performing to that ability again. In all, the team lost about seven of their players, most of which being defense. As a result, the team has been mixed around a bit, having players that are normally midfielders or attackers playing defense. On Saturday, March 23rd, the lacrosse team played Georgetown Prep and Woburn, two of the best teams in the state. Although the teams did not keep score, Coach Copithorne mentioned how “Kids who had never played before were able to compete in those games.” However, this game ended pretty poorly, with Sophomore Jared Swanson tearing his LCL, possibly being out for the season.

Although the season has shown a rocky start, the team seems to have a chance to get back on their feet.

Coach Copithorne mentioned how the team has “good midfield and dodging, with senior Zachary Rufo and junior Collin Willcox,” and that the “midfielders are the strength of the team.” He also mentioned how Zheng Yi and Corey Rufo have taken big steps offensively, showing some real promise this season.

Sophomore Zaki Greige mentioned how “the more [they] play the more [they] learn something about [themselves].” The team has also shown that they have speed this season, with the players being able to keep up with the Georgetown Prep and Woburn players during the scrimmage.

The team this season is going to have to rely very heavily on their midfielders, with Coach Copithorne mentioning that “midfielders are the strength of the team” and that they have an “unproven attack and a really new defense.” The team had to move around a bit to accomodate for the loss of players, and ended up moving players from their normal positions to positions they have not played. Greige, who plays LSM and defense, mentioned how “For this one [he puts his] faith in coach Copithorne because [he feels] like [they] would play best there,” and that “the changing of positions on the team is for the better but only if everyone gives it their all.” Greige also mentioned that they will have to “work From top to bottom: Senior Christobal Marey Segto the extreme no matter uel taking a shot on net; Senior Zach Rufo trying to what position [they] get get past Sophomore Jason Ashworth while doing a put in because at the end shooting drill. Photos by David Cartledge. of the day it’s not about [them], it’s about the team.”

Goals are always something This year, the varsity team has seen a large shift in the roster, with teams set at the start of seasons, and a large number of players graduat- the lacrosse team is no different. ing and many players changing This season, most players on the positions as a result. One of which team seem to have a similar goal being Junior Kevin Ivany. Ivany in mind, as does coach Copithorne, has played lacrosse since the third who mentioned he would like the grade, and played midfield up until team to “take a step forward and freshman year, when he became the would like to put themselves in a goalie. He played for the JV team for position to play in the tournament.” that year, and this year has moved As more personal goals amongst the up to varsity. When it comes to players, Greige mentioned that he improvements this year, Ivany told wants to “make it on to the starting about how he feels the team has lineup” and for “the focus to always grown a lot, stating that “looking stick with [him] and the rest of my back last year [he] felt like there was team. Ivany mentioned how he’s a lot of individual play that carried “looking to make sure that [he] can [them] and it’s good to see, but stop enough shots to give [them] when everyone is able to contribute a chance to win every game [they] to [their] success it is a lot better for play.”

The team has high expectations all of [them].” However, there is always room for improvement in a this season even though they had sports team, with Ivany stating that a pretty rocky start. The players, “[They] have improved [their] team as well as coach Copithorne, seem play a lot, looking back last year felt excited for the season and how it like there was a lot of individual play turns out, stating that he “expects that carried [them] and it’s good to everyone to show up and get betsee, but when everyone is able to ter. Hopes they can do the best they contribute to [their] success it is a lot can.” and that “the ball will bounce however it bounces.” better for all of [them].

Sports

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The Blue and Gold April 2019

maldenblueandgold.com

Yohann i Costa

“Being the first girl to win the first Girls Wrestling State tournament in Malden High School is the best feeling ever. I worked really hard to achieve my goal of being a state champion, and it was a whole season of cutting weight, and wrestling with guys only. I went to every single practice and did my best everyday, even though I would get hurt all the time- have mat burns and bruises all over me.

Wrestling is definitely not only a sport, it is a lifestyle.

“It teaches you to have discipline and how to overcome obstacles, handle your emotions, and the importance of working as a group and caring about your teammates. But the main thing wrestling teaches

Yohanni Costa is Malden High’s first Women’s Wrestling State Champion

For the full coverage of all of the Spring sports, check out our website!

you is that success has to be earned through hard work and determination.

“These two words were really important to me and they still are because if you don’t have determination in your life, you won’t never achieve your goals and if you don’t work hard to get what you want you won’t never be successful in life. A goal can only be achieved with determination and hard work. I got these two things in my mind and that’s why I could achieve my goal of being a state champion and I know if I keep these two words in my mind, I’ll be able to achieve my next goal and be whoever I want, which is to go to the next level, get a scholarship and wrestle in college.

“I really hope that if you are reading, you won’t never give up on your dreams because it can be very hard but what you plant now, you will harvest later.”

UPCOMING SPRING GAMES Softball: 04/10, 4:00 PM @ Pine Banks Park Outdoor Track: 04/11, 4:00 PM @ Manning Bowl Boys Volleyball: 04/12, 4:00 PM @ Salem High School Boys LAX: 04/15, 10:00 PM @ Manning Bowl Girls Tennis: 04/15, 10:00 AM @ Amerige Park Girls LAX: 04/16, 10:00 PM @ Harry Della Russo Stadium Boys Tennis: 04/10, 4:00 PM @ Amerige Park Baseball: 04/17, 10:00 AM @ Pine Banks Park

Left to right: Yohanni Costa before a match greeting her opponent; Costa holding up the the wresting championship certificate on the first place pedestal. Photos submitted by Costa.

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maldenblueandgold.com Malden High School Volume 104 Edition 6 April 2019