March 2018 Edition

The Blue and Gold maldenblueandgold.com Malden High School Volume 103 Edition 5

Ronald Batista Reporter

Safety Forum

Jennica Ruan Reporter

I

77 salem street March 2018

n the Malden High School Gallery, on March 1, in light of recent events in Parkland, Florida, a gun violence safety forum was

held for the MHS Community.

The Parkland Florida shooting has sparked many conversations over the past few weeks. Students have taken control of the situation with protests and petitions to enforce gun laws.

The main reason for this forum was an effort to try to raise awareness around the importance of trying to prevent gun violence and also to make sure

that our students know that the school cares and that they want all of the students to feel comfortable with talking to any of the staff members.

Speaking at the panel was Mayor Gary Christenson, Superintendent John Oteri, MHS Principal Chris Mastrangelo, Peter Dolan, and Congresswoman Katherine Clark.

Congresswoman Katherine Clark wanted to take the action of addressing the situation. Clark reached out to Cathy MacMullin Continued on page 8 ... maldenblueandgold.com Malden High School Volume 103 Edition 5 March 2018

2

Staff maldenblueandgold.com

The Blue and Gold March 2018

The Blue and Gold March 2018

3

Interactive maldenblueandgold.com

School Committee Meeting Malden Reads, Public Schools, and More

Malden Reads presents their selection for “The Hate U Give” at the School Committee meeting. Photo courtesy of Mayor Christenson.

Sidney Rodriguez Lead Reporter

E

very year Malden Reads selects a book for the whole city of Malden to enjoy together.

Currently, The Hate You Give

by Angie Thomas is being read throughout the city of Malden.

Thomas touches on almost every topic involving race: police brutality, the Black Lives Matter movement; microaggressions; drug addiction, all through the lens of protagonist Starr Carter, a black teenage student.

Kindergarten through eighth grade is reading The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles.

Which is a true story about a Ruby Bridges, who as a 6 year old, marked the beginning of desegregation of all white schools.

The story tells the power of perseverance, and reminds the community how far we have come.

In the recent school committee meeting held at Malden Senior Center, Superintendent John Oteri thanked the people behind Malden Reads for “igniting a spirit with in us to go off and read and be reflective and bring that back to the community”. A representative from Malden Reads also added that she is “thankful for the support [they] have gotten from teachers and librarians”.

Also from the Malden High School’s Black Culture Club, student Christina Charles spoke to the school committee the importance of the club. The Black Culture Club “informs and educates Continued on page 8...

4

The Blue and Gold March 2018

Editorial maldenblueandgold.com

T

Recommendations on New Principal

o begin, we would like to point out that, as a school newspaper, our purpose is to document the happenings in the city of Malden and reflect on our position as a high school in the community.

When we first decided to write this article, as a leadership staff, we wanted to be sure we were able to interview as many people as possible in order to understand where the Malden administrative staff as well as our community stood. We interviewed a variety of people including house principals, the interim principal, superintendent, as well as parents and students.

We believe that, while the ultimate decision is out of our hands, as members of the Malden High School community, the opinions and input of parents and students is extremely important.

After a week of interviews we came to the conclusion that,

though it was known that the high school was searching for a new principal, everyone was, and continues to be, on a different page when it came to which part of the process that they were on, which, considering how quickly administrative change is happening, is understandable. This resulted in a lot of people saying that they want the future principal to bring stability back to the high school, regardless of who they are. As a newspaper staff we could not agree more: stability is necessary at Malden High School.

Throughout the process of interviewing, we found the general qualities everyone in Malden is looking for in a new principal. Leadership abilities can be difficult to identify in an applicant because they can’t be summarized on a resume but some qualities like dependability, inclusivity, and supportiveness are nonnegotiable. Students need

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

these qualities from their principal, and Malden High School deserves these qualities from its leader.

Throughout, students expressed that they wanted someone who is aware of and embraces our cultural and linguistic diversity.

For students, it is important to have a face that they can recognize and trust. Students need someone who will be involved in their lives, supporting them at various events, and showing them what Malden Pride looks like. MHS students need someone who will consider all 1,845 of them, not only as a collective but also as individuals. Though change can be good, they need a leader who knows their names, families and stories. They need a leader who will not be selfishly ambitious or treat their school as another pitstop along the road, instead fully committing to lead-

ership of the school.

We exist as a newspaper to shape discussion in the school and make sure that the students are informed on the things that matter most. The principal search is a public process that should not only involve teachers and parents, but students. Malden High School is a special place because it prides itself on making sure that every student is heard.

It is important that students understand that their voice is most important when it comes to picking the next head of the school.

Knowing that they have the ability to be involved in such a big decision is empowering to a lot of students. We believe that as a student-run newspaper, sharing our journalistic discoveries with the rest of the student body will help Malden High School pick the best option for the next principal.

Leila Greige Anna Powers Megan Downer The History and Social Studies faculty at Malden High School is honored to support the Stolpersteine Project. We hope that this page will endure for years to show a lasting commitment to honor victims of genocide.

The Blue and Gold is dedicating this ad space to support this project.

Damian Aufiero Dana Marie Brown Jon Copithorne Rebecca Corcoran Ellsworth Fersch Michelle Filer Pat Finnegan Marsha Healy Paul Doucette Greg Hurley Michael Lightbody Ann Pember Kurtis Scheer Rick Tivnan Kerry Veritas Kelly Gibson, Tufts Intern Chris Cameron, Tufts Intern Mark Capansky, Tufts Intern

The Blue and Gold March 2018

5

Obituaries maldenblueandgold.com

Obituaries

C h a r le s Be d zow

Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation

Charles Bedzow after the war.

Photo from Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation.

B

orn in Lida, Belarus, Charles and his family “suffered in overcrowded, pest-filled living quarters; the threat of starvation constantly loomed.” Under the German occupation, the Jews living in Lida were confined to a ghetto. Charles had to watch

the people who lived in his town become slaughtered in 1942. His family was spared.

Tuvia Bielski, another holocaust survivor, was a family friend of the Bedzowskis. When the war began to spread, Tuvia reached out to the family. She wanted them to escape through the woods because people were getting killed. The Bielskis had set up camp after their own village was massacred.

“Charles eventually escaped the ghetto and fled to the woods, soon becoming part of the partisan resistance in the Bielski Brigade.” He was with his mother Chasia, older sister Leah, younger sister Sonia, and younger brother Benny.

In order to get to the Bielski camp, Charles and his family had to use an escape route. This route involved them crawling under fences and walking for multiple days through the woods. When they finally arrived, Charles recalled that it was amazing to see “Jews move in total freedom.”

When he was 17, Charles

became a Bielski partisan. He had to collect supplies for the group, scout, sabotage, and ambush.

“One such ambush occurred on January 28, 1944. Several Bielski partisans entered a local village pretending to be drunk. They soon caused such a disturbance that the locals alerted the Germans. One hundred and fifty partisans lay in wait for them, killing 26 policemen and 8 Nazi officers in the ambush.”

Sonnia, Charles sister, was on one of her missions getting medicine and she was caught and sent to the Treblinka camp to her death. “After the war, the family ended up in a displaced persons camp in Torino, Italy. There, Charles married Polish partisan Sara Golcman in 1946.”

In 1949, Charles and his family immigrated to Montreal. He started a successful international real estate company.

“Charles is JPEF’s Honorary International Chairman. His story is featured in We Fought Back, an anthology of partisan stories from Scholastic publishing.”

Don Felson

Don Felson (left) while in the Russian army. Photo from Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation.

I

Ab e As n e r

Submitted by Leila Greige and Taylor Winters

n 1925, Don Felson was born in Glubokie, Poland. In the year 1941, the Germans invaded and took over the town. Soon, a

violent ghetto was established.

“Don, who was working in the German POW infirmary at the time, was spared from the first massacre by a sympathetic German doctor, who warned him not to return to the ghetto the night of the raid.”

In 1942, Stan, Don’s older brother, tried to convince Don that he needed to leave the ghetto and join him in the partisans. Although Stan persuaded Don that he needed to go in order to survive, Stan’s weight loss and “disheveled appearance made Don skeptical.” Because of this, Don said no at first, but his mother convinced him otherwise, bringing her along.

A few months later of joining the partisan group, the SS learned that a mother of a partisan was living in the village and

murdered Don’s mother and brother.

“The boys sought revenge against the Nazis by dynamiting railroads and ambushing German convoys, killing soldiers, and building a reputation for valor. They took food from the local population and smuggled it back into the camps. As the war ended the partisans in White Russia got stronger, outfitted with short wave radios and airdropped supplies from the Allies. They even managed to evacuate their wounded behind enemy lines.”

Don and his brother were seperated and later were reunited back in Glubokie. “Using a network of family and friends, they secured visas and moved to the United States where Don met and married his wife and had three sons.”

Abe Asner in Polish army uniform, 1938. Photo from Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation.

B

orn in Poland in 1916, Abe Asner joined the Polish army in 1938, inspired by his brothers.

In 1941, German tanks surrounded the ghetto where Abe and his brothers were staying. Instead of staying among the 3,000 Jews, Abe decided to flee into the forests.

The forest proved to be a breeding ground for resistance fighters. “Abe was among the 60-some Jews and Russian POWs running missions.” He was provided with specific military training and skills in order to kill German soldiers who may search the forest. Thinking that the resistance would only last a few weeks, Abe suddenly became more and more involved when it continued to grow. Over the course of four years, their partisan unit grew to several thousand people. This is how Abe eventually met his wife.

“Abe and his brothers were successful in many missions, ranging from sabotaging enemy supplies to halting German food convoys to rescuing Jews from ghettos.”

Ongoing violence continued in the partisan missions. When the war ended, Abe had to make certain adjustments to his life. Although Abe struggled to carry the physical and emotional scars, he knows that he helped the lives of many people. Abe wants people to know the fight he remembers in his partisan days.

“After the war Abe moved to Canada with his wife, where they had two daughters and four grandchildren. Abe passed away on May 26, 2015, at the age of 98.”

6

Local News

The Blue and Gold March 2018

maldenblueandgold.com

Malden High's search For a New Principal Jesaias Benitez Head of Photography

Rebeca Pereira Head of Local

I

n the upcoming months, the Malden Public School district will be expecting administrative changes, as some interim administrators will be replaced by permanent administrators, most notable, the principal of the high school.

Superintendent John Oteri stated that the new principal of Malden High School, according to his initial timeline, should be introduced to the public prior to April vacation. In a recent edition of Nedlam News, it is stated that the hiring of new principal should occur early to mid-April.

Oteri wanted to hold focus groups so that the student body, faculty, and parents and guardians could give input before making the decision. With the intention to collect as much feedback as possible, Oteri invited former superintendent of Somerville Public Schools, Tony Pierantozzi, who is experienced in the process of hiring school principals, to aid in the coordination of these focus groups. What Oteri is looking for is a leader who can work with diverse learners, is open-minded, has “impeccable integrity”, and is a good communicator.

In order to choose the new principal, Oteri has come up with an interview committee made up of students which consists of the student rep on the school committee, Junior Birukti Tsige, the student government, two parents, three teachers, two administrators, a community member and a school committee member.

Oteri is directly involved in this shift through the hiring process of a new principal for Malden High School. Former principal Ted Lombardi had announced his resignation would be in early 2018 before winter vacation, making Boyle house principal Chris Mastrangelo interim principal and history teacher Richard Tivnan interim house principal.

In a previous interview with The Blue and Gold, Lombardi shared he originally planned “to do the rest of this year [2017-2018] and see that out and have more of a normal transition.” However, he was unable to due this to an opportunity that was presented to him which not only allows him to do the work that he really cares about, which is “to work in urban education, but also to do so in a job that allows [him] a little more control over [his] time and allows [him] to spend more, in quantity and in quality, time with [his] family too.”

The past three years, MHS has had three different principals.

From Dana Brown to Lombardi to the current principal, Mastrangelo. Students and staff are now looking for someone who will be permanent.

In the past, some of the characteristics Tivnan has valued in a principal were “consistency, fairness [in] discipline, understanding [that] every kid is different, [and] making judgement calls based on each individual case.” One attribute he likes is “ when people are seen throughout the halls”. This can be seen from interacting with the students and staff in the morning to after school in clubs or even as they exit the building. When the new principal is introduced to the school, one thing Tivnan hopes to see is “a little bit more of going back to the basics, some more stability because of all of the change that [the school has] had… a lot of the issues would be fixed with stability at the top.” With this, many students will feel more comfort-

able and encouraged to come to school and learn. Likewise, staff will also feel encouraged to teach.

Being a principal for 23 years prior to her arrival and completing her 10th year at MHS, Holland House Principal Marilyn Slattery is looking for someone more than an administrator. Slattery shared that she likes change, but doesn’t have a preference in regards to the applicant’s background, saying that she wouldn’t mind seeing “someone come in or be here already.” She tells teachers that “[they] need to get to a certain part of [their] curriculum by the end of the year” to meet the educational needs of students, “but how they get there is [their] idea.” For Slattery, what matters is getting to where they need to be. Slattery looks at it the same for a principal, “[to] have a plan, [but] how we get there is up to them . . . as long as we get there.”

Jenkins House principal Shereen Escovitz wants a principal that “[puts] students first” and “really [values] school leaders who know all the kids, who know all of their stories and put them at the forefront at all of their decision making.” Escovitz thinks “that’s the most valuable asset you can find in a principal.”

Over the years, the understaffing of teachers has been a major issue. Escovitz mentioned that classrooms are “really overflowing and there are just more and more kids that are coming.

We’re hoping our best to make sure everybody’s needs are met and that everybody gets a quality education which [she thinks] they do get here but [they’re] kind of reaching a breaking point in terms of not having enough staff,” so Escovitz thinks the school needs “someone that’s going to go to the school committee and to state senators and to whoever is willing to open their door and listen and fight for us and say ‘we need more staff here at Malden High School. We need more teachers,

more counselors, more administrators, more everybody.’” Not only would it improve the learning environment for the students, but also assist teachers.

The recurring issues most faculty are looking for the new principal to address are school safety and understaffing. Although staffing is more of a budget issue instead of a principal issue, safety in the school can be improved. From the smallest change to major changes, it is all to benefit the school.

The shift in administration is also affecting parents and guardians.

Although it doesn’t affect them directly, the change in administration affects their children. Guardians or parents need to make sure the new principal is a right-fit for the school and not just temporary for a short period.

As Ari Taylor explained, “it is always nerve-wracking when there is change—but it sometimes leads to good things.”

Fern Remedi-Brown said that though she cannot speak for all parents or guardians, she thinks the candidate best fit for MHS principal should “be familiar with Malden politics, [be] able to work with the Superintendent, Mr. Oteri, and with the School Committee, and the person must be dedicated to public education. . . the person must [also] be dedicated to eradicating systemic racism and other oppressions (LGBTQ, religious oppression, disabilities, etc.) within Malden High School, and committed to setting up forums and competency training for staff and faculty, as well as having students organize teach-ins and proactive events, with the support of clubs or teachers.¨ As the search continues for the most fit candidate, Oteri is working with a variety of resources to collaborate with the Malden community on finding a permanent principal for MHS.

The Blue and Gold March 2018

7

Local News maldenblueandgold.com

Malden High School Students Walk Out Sara Zakaria Lead Reporter

A

fter the shooting that occurred last month in Parkland, Florida, students around the nation organized walk-outs in their schools to stand in solidarity with the victims of the massacre, and to protest for stricter gun control in the United States. Most schools held a walk-out on March 14th, exactly one month after the anniversary, Malden High School held the walk-out on March 15th, due to the snow days. The walk-out took place from 10:00 am, and was supposed to end at 10:17, since there were seventeen victims. The walk-out lasted until about 10:30.

The walk-out was organized by juniors Angela Soliz and Birukti Tsige. Soliz shares that Tsige “presented the idea” of organizing a walk-out to her one night over a phone call, and she says that organizing it was a “joint effort between [them]”.

Soliz was motivated to organize a walk out when she realized that “there needs to be more done than just tweeting about it” and “being mad about it”. The point of the walk-out was “to send a message to the legislators” and raise awareness to those old enough to vote to “educate themselves” on what they can do as voters to “help reform the current gun laws to make our schools, churches and public spaces safe”.

Soliz says that the shooting in Parkland made her “extremely upset”, since she feels that “schools should be a safe place for every student in the country”.

She also says that there has been an “abundant amount of school shootings in 2018 alone”, and the recent shooting in Parkland has been the “wake up call” for “thousands of Americans”. Soliz adds that the national call for a walk-out is “necessary” to show the city and state government that “we’re calling for action and won’t put up with the current laws”, and urge for a “solution to prevent these tragedies”.

Students were concerned with the possibility of a punishment, since walking out of school grounds during the school day

Malden High School students, standing in solidarity with the victims of the Parkland shooting. Photo by Jesaias Benitez.

Malden High Students holding the names of the victims from the Parkland shooting. Photo by Jesaias Benitez.

Malden High School students hold signs to protest gun violence and remember the victims of the Parkland shooting. Photo by Jesaias Benitez.

is an offense. However, a note issued by Superintendent John Oteri and Mayor Christenson put those concerns to rest, saying that they are “confident” that those who participate will “handle this in a mature manner”, and expressing that they are “so proud” of the students who participate, adding that the students who walk out will not be “penalized or disciplined”.

Interim principal Chris Mastrangelo, in regards to the possibility of punishment, said that the students who choose to walk out are “doing exactly what we’re helping to teach them to do”, which is to “stand up for what’s right” and “self advocacy”, adding that if those in authority stand “against that”, there could be a bigger divide between the students and the adults. Mastrangelo adds how this “is the first time [he has] seen and felt that there could be some actual change” and does not think it’s a “coincidence that it’s the students leading it”.

At the walk-out, as students filled the stairs in front of the Jenkins auditorium, Soliz and Tsige, along with senior Meghan Yip, gave speeches to the crowd of students. All three speeches expressed sympathy to those who were killed in the shooting, and emphasized their point on how the U.S. is in dire need of new legislation when it comes to gun control. After the speeches were given, the group of students started to walk around Malden High, chanting phrases like “protect kids, not guns”, and “no more guns”. The crowd attracted the attention of those passing by on cars, with many pulling over to take photos, or honking their cars in support. Teachers were also there, either marching with the students or watching on the side, of both support of the students and to supervise. Police were also there to observe and stand as protection, sometimes interacting with the students.

A line of students on the top of the stairs held signs that had the names of the victims of the massacre, urging the students to keep them and their families in memory.

8

Local News / Opinion

The Blue and Gold March 2018

maldenblueandgold.com ...continued from front page from the Malden Teen Enrichment Center to discuss the recent incident, but found it more convenient to do it at Malden High.

Since principal Mastrangelo was holding a forum on the same day, it was more convenient to have one event instead.

Many of the faculty had stopped him in the hallway because the students were having conversations in the classes about the shooting and they felt like the students were concerned and afraid about the safety of the school. Mastrangelo decided that the best way to address what happened, was to have an open forum. To sit and discuss the issues would help ensure that the students knew how safe the school really is.

Mayor Christenson “thought it was important to react to what happened in Parkland and what better way to do that than by talking about what happened and what better place than Malden High School.”

During the event, many problems were asked about to the panel by the audience including teachers and students who attended like Julie Briggs, a gym teacher at Malden High, and Senior Keven Souza. Problems revolving the school and scenarios were brought to attention and how the school can improve the safety protocol. Briggs was concerned about the safety of the first floor and wanted the problem to be a concern of the school.

Malden High School along with all of the other schools in the city are equipped with a lot of safety measures, to ensure the safety of all students and faculty.

Equipment such as help cameras, door jambs, card readers, which are regularly checked to make sure that all the equipment is working properly. The school also has really detailed and organized protocols over lock downs and shelter in place. There will, most likely, be another drill in the near

future because by law, schools should have four drills a year, but the requirements have not been met. The city is also frequently looking for new measures that can be put in place for the safety of all of the students.

A new program called Crisis Go, that will hopefully be in place by the beginning of the new school year, is a phone app that allows pretty near instant communication between administration, support staff, parents, teachers. The point of it is for it to be useful during an incident so everyone would know what was happening as it is unfolding. Crisis Go would be another tool for schools to utilize and will also enable us to communicate with our public safety officials instantaneously. Christenson stated “We were working on all of this before all of these incidents started happening, we have been working on this for years”.

Mastrangelo said that the best way to prevent gun violence is to do what we are doing now.

He stated that “[He] thinks what we are doing on March 14 is a really good start... all the students over the country coming together and saying we have it, the adults in this country haven’t done anything about it so we are going to do something about it.”

Mayor Christenson explained that “our best defense is information and what the students need to do is let us know.

It’s always better to be safe than sorry. We do not do support arming teachers nor do most of the teachers agree with it. [He ]thinks what we are doing on March 14 is a really good start... all the students over the country coming together and saying we have it, the adults in this country haven’t done anything about it so we are going to do something about it.”

Mayor Christenson explained that “our best defense is information and what the students need to do is let us know.

It’s always better to be safe than sorry. We do not do support arming teachers nor do most of

the teachers agree with it. [He is] not sure where fighting guns with guns will get us”. He also explained that the city subscribes to the ALICE theory. ALICE is an acronym used in the case of a lockdown, ALICE describes what steps should be taken in the case of an emergency, the acronym stands for; Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate.

There is a lot of information that could have been taken home from this event. Mastrangelo said he wants people to take home “knowing that we have safety plans in place, knowing that the collective voice of hundreds and thousands of high school students across the country will make a change and the other piece is that the adults in this building are willing to sit and listen to the students and listen to their concerns and to what they are nervous about and to take steps to try to make things better.

Mayor Christenson added saying “we always need to be vigilant and always keep our gard up not matter what day.” He adds on saying “The way we remain safe is by writing about it and talking about it and that is what [The Blue and Gold] does and what we did at the forum, because the ultimate method to preventing gun violence is if you see something say something”.

Congresswoman Clark believes that students have the ability to make a difference.

Congresswoman Clark is doing her best to infiltrate a system in which students feel safe and that the necessary measures are taken to protect schools. This quote from Congresswoman Katherine Clark and administration expresses the situation, “From Stoneman Douglas to Malden High, our brave students are driving America’s conversation about civic leadership and ending gun violence. Right now, Congress’s number one job must be to listen to our students and take action to save lives.”

...continued from page 3

students about black culture and heritage in Malden High”.

Charles in addition announced that the Black Culture Club will be hosting a show comorating black culture. Which is in collaboration with Malden Reads. She hopes to have “more than one year of this, [they] want to have an annual event”.

In addition to Malden Reads, the Superintendent reflected on the first Superintendent Meet and Greet at the Malden High School Library. He felt that having a “open forum round table” decision was the best way to make a decision. Citizens of the Malden community gave their opinion on “things we doing well in the district, and things that are a challenge”. In which, the findings were reported to at the Principals Meeting.

Superintendent Oteri also provided clarification as to how the schools are going to be reviewed going forward. He explained how the accountability reports does not include student that drop out and reined repeat.

Before, they would that student will be “counted as a drop out twice. Now they will not”. In addition, the city will not be accounted for “students who has only been in [the] district for less than a year”.

However, they are going to judge the student growth percentile. Olteri stated that they calculate this by “taking the school and how they perform and the lowest quarter percentage of [the] student and 25 % of our performing students and they are going to grade that on a 1 to 4 bases.

Which is 4 being the best.. The goal is a 75.”

In closing, the school committee spoke about Dr. Susan Vatalaro who retired after being the principal at the Beebe School.

School committee councilor of ward 2 Rober McMcathy, Jr. commented Vatalaro on her “45 years of service for the district” , and how he is “really really glad to be her co-sponsor” Additionally, school committee member of ward 3 Jennifer Spadafora stated Dr.Vatalaro “embodies a true Maldonian”.

Dr. Vatalaro’s story of how she graduated from Malden High School and came back to teach is what Spadafora “is looking for from [the] students right now”.

The Blue and Gold March 2018

Local News

9

maldenblueandgold.com

Mastrangelo as Interim Principal jesaias Benitez Head of Photography

S

ince taking the position, there have been a couple changes in Malden High School by Mastrangelo and several committees, as Oteri began the search for a new principal.

After Mastrangelo took the position as interim principal, he was determined to assist the new principal by preparing the school.

His first decision was to address major issues occurring on a regular basis throughout the school. In order to do so, Mastrangelo established a “State-ofthe-School” Committee, open to all and any staff member. This “State-of-the-School” Committee was formed to identify some of the issues that might have arisen over the years at MHS that any administrator has had the chance to address.

After deciding which staff members were going to make up this committee, he was able to Sabriina Monteiro Lead Reporter

T

he Writer’s Den is a place where MHS students are free to learn about and work on creative or academic writing.

Fiona Maurissette is the new advisor of the Writer’s Den. Maurissette was born in Jersey City, New Jersey. She graduated from Wellesley College and said that “[Wellesley] was a great learning environment and taught [her] how to be proud of who [she] is and gave [her] the tools she needed to be successful in what [she is] doing now.” She majored in English Literature and minored in History and took quite a few courses in religion.

Maurissette said she was “excited to come to Malden High and [she] has been an educator for ten years.” She started her career teaching high school students and has been teaching college students for the last three to four years and “wanted to get back to teaching high school students who are about to start their college journey.”

She started working at MHS in early February this year. Maurissette plans on doing a series of different types of writing,

Mr. Mastrangelo in his ofice. Photo by jesaias Benitez. start directly working with this group to make changes. One of the 12 members, Kerry Veritas, shared the committee’s objective is to “find areas where [they] can improve as a school and figure out ways to do that, and find what are the obstacles in doing that, and coming up with solutions. In addition to that [they] are going to be rolling this out to

other teachers in smaller groupings. [As the committee, they] are going to break up and get teacher feedback, [they] also want the students to be represented as well.”

Throughout the process, this committee will be expanding and adding more faculty and students to work directly with any significant and vital problems

New Wrtier’s Den Advisor

Students in the Writer’s Den. Photo by Falyn Kelley. allowing students to submit poetry, short stories, essays, memoir pieces, or any type of writing the students “feel passionate about and [that really shows] who [they] are as a person.”

The publication this year is going to be called “Who Tells Your Story” a Malden soundtrack with seven sections. The sections are named after popular songs and soundtracks. The sections are Kendrick Lamar’s DNA, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton, India Arie’s “I Am Light”, Pink’s “Raise Your Glass”, Nina Simone’s Young, Gifted and Black, and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “How Far I’ll Go” from Disney’s Moana.

Maurissette has been listening to a lot of music while she works on her own projects.

She said “when [she] listens to [her] songs on Spotify...certain soundtracks really get [her] going... [she] listens to the same song on repeat and [she] wanted to bring that to Malden”. She chose what the sections would be called based on titles that would “speak to the population in Malden.”

She was really interested in bringing in “two loves of [hers], music and writing and [finding] other people who like to do that as well.”

English teacher Sean Walsh, who was a part of the process in hiring Maurissette, said his first impression of her was that he was “incredibly impressed by [Maurissette]’s creativity, enthusiasm, and passion for this work.”

He added that “[Maurissette]

throughout the school.

With the help of the newly placed “State-of-the-School” Committee, consisting of 12 teachers, a few changes have been made at MHS. In an all staff faculty meeting, Mastrangelo stated that through “a series of open and honest conversations we will determine the areas that will require the most attention, after a consensus determination we create sub groups to hold open town hall meetings with staff to gather pointed input in each determined area.”

One area being monitoring the halls, making sure all students had agenda books and proper passes or enforcing the “no hoodie” policy in which Mastrangelo addressed during an all staff meeting. Mastrangelo stated that enforcing these policies have significantly helped MHS on keeping students accounted for in classes or through out the hallways. brings a wealth of experience and vision to a space in the school that hopes to improve student voice and confidence.”

Walsh thinks the Writer’s Den will offer a “safe space for students to express his or her voice, as well as a chance to meet other creative students and to have student work published or become public.” He also hopes that the Writer’s Den will “focus on creation and a place for students, teachers, and educators to engage in the process of writing.

[He] would love for [The Writer’s Den] to grow as a hub in the school and community for writers and writing.”

English teacher Robin Doherty, who was also a part of the process in hiring Maurissette, thinks “having the Writer’s Den is great and [she] thinks [Maurissette] is the perfect candidate to be the coordinator.” She explained how “[she] thinks [it is] awesome [that Maurissette] tries to make connections with the students [through] current music that [students] enjoy. [Being] able to write [about] [that] so important.”

The Writer’s Den is located in room B327 and Maurissette is there on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:15-3:30.

10

Local News

The Blue and Gold March 2018

maldenblueandgold.com

Class of 2019 Presents Sabrina Monteiro Lead Reporter

The 78th Annual Junior Varieties took place in the Malden High Jenkins auditorium on March 9th and 10th, hosted by the Class of 2019. This year’s theme was “Cruising through JV’s” with twenty-two acts. There were four dance groups and an act with one dancer, Chon Huynh.

The first group was the step team and the dancers were Coralie Deus, Guerlyne Desane, Bryana Bichotte, Tiannah Macharia, Ariana Alexandre, and Keila Dumerant. A group known as “Cypher” performed to the song “DNA” by BTS and the dancers were Vinnie Truong, Chon Huynh, Sammy Lee, Guanhua Ao, Quang Nguyen, Vivian Dang, Jenny Nguyen, Astha Lama, and Suiyenah Chen.

The Dance group “Airbound” performed to a song mix by various artists and the dancers were Kevin Phan, Kevin Ruan, Hao Ly, Gary Mei, and Zhengyue Yu. The last dance group was “Azonto 4.0” that performed an African dance and to a song mix of AfroBeat music and the dancers were Cedrina Missamou, Alexia Jones, Audrey Magloire, Camille Nommi, and Laura Masseau.

There were twelve singing performances. The first singing act was by Lauryn Poindexter singing “New Rules” by Dua Lipa. The next act was pianist Briana Le with Renata Tomaz singing “Lay By Your Side” by Sam Smith. Meghan Yip sang “Sure Thing” by Miguel and “Mine” by Bazzi. Menna Bessah sang “Bright” by Kehlani. Sherley Maxime sang “Read all about”

by Emeli Sande. Delilah Doeleman sang with an original piece called “Upside.” Marquis Smith performed an original rap song.

Louna El Hamwi sang to “Hold Me Down” by Halsey. Tatiana Batista sang “I Fall Apart” by Post Malone. Nada Tuffaha and Santiago Portillo performed “Best of Her” by Daniel Caesar. Quang Nguyen, Jenna Vannella, and Kaytlin Kwong sang “Thinking

Juniors Birukti Tsige and Maribelle Jean Louis present their recitation of the poem “Somewhere in America”. Photo by Jesaias Benitez.

Juniors Gustavo Silva, Paige Pimental, and Santiago Portillo host a transitional bit presenting the next act. Photo by Jesaias Benitez.

Sophomore Tatiana Batista singing “I Fall Apart” by Post Malone Photo by Jesaias Benitez.

Junior Cedrina Missamou dances with her group Azonto 4.0. Photo

by Jesaias Benitez.

Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran. The final act of the night ended with Leticia Sidney singing “Resentment” by Beyonce.

The acts that fell neither into a singing or dancing category included the MHS Chamber Orchestra with a Compilation by various artists with performers Naomi Brill, Brendon Ky, Renet Chan, Jun Jie Kwang, Yuying Li, Thomas D’Onofrio, Pryanna Alper, and Wilson Chau. Sara Zakaria, a lead reporter for the Blue and Gold, recited a speech called “Muslim This ISIS That”

by Peace House. Birukti Tsige and Mirabelle Jean Louis recited a speech called “Somewhere in America” by Belissa Escobedo, Zariya Allen, and Rihannon McGavin. A performance of a band known as “Musical Sensation” performed with an original piece called “Run away” with Ishmael Sylus and Joao Victor Fontim as lead singers, Wesley Pierre as the pianist, and Brutchel Hyppolitte as the drummer. Another band known as “Loud Division” performed “Triple Threat” with Thomas D’Onofrio, James Plowman, and Jimmy Ton. Class Advisor and History teacher, Rebecca Corcoran, says her experience advising JVs “was definitely an experience. Not having any stage experience and putting together a show was difficult but [she] had some really amazing officers and volunteers and acts who helped put it all together.”

Corcoran says that overall she “really enjoyed it. It was really satisfying to see from the beginning when [we] had nothing to a full blown show in the end.

[It] was definitely worth it.”

Unfortunately, there were some “technical difficulties on Friday night that there was nothing [we] could do about but on Friday particularly, the acts really pushed through. Nobody totally melted down and [they] went with the flow which was great and Saturday [they] had an almost perfect show so it was totally worth it and it was good to end on that instead of on the technicality issues” says Corcoran.

Corcoran has attended JV’s the other three years that she’s been here and thinks that “[she] probably won’t enjoy them as much as [she] did this one just because [she] doesn’t plan on doing

The Blue and Gold March 2018

Local News

11

maldenblueandgold.com

Cruising through JV’S it again so this was like the one time [she’ll] be 100% involved in it but [she has] always enjoyed it.

It’s always a great show.”

Sophomore, Vivian Chen attended JV’s and says that she has thought about doing JV’s herself but never had the courage to and says that if she were to ever do it, she’d do “a speech similar to the people from [her] top two favorite performances.” Chen says that on Friday “there were technical difficulties but overall, it was really good.”

Math teacher, Cassandra Poole, helped out on both days of the show. Poole says that last year when she attended, she had no idea what it was until she got there and says she “enjoyed it because [she’s] never seen something like that before. [Her] school didn’t really do talent shows so [she] was really surprised but thought it was really good.”

Poole says that “one of her freshman students suggested that [she] be the freshman advisor since nobody else has signed up and half of the people [she’s] talked to told [her] not to do it because it’s so much work but [she] thinks it sounds interesting and sounds fun. [She] likes that kind of thing, managing and planning type things and [she] loves her freshmen.”

Poole says she “really liked the Orchestra. [She] thought it was really cool how [they] got just as much applause and people were just as into that as [they] were into the rap performance or the dancing performances. [She] feels that people who just play instruments or are just an Orchestra like that maybe don’t get as much recognition.”

Junior, Delilah Doeleman has always sang and “some of [her] friends told [her] to audition for JV’s, so [she] did and then [she] was in the show.”

Doeleman thinks this year “[they] put in a lot of effort to make it the best show possible.

On Friday night [they] had some technical difficulties which was just bad luck but [they] got through the show and it was still pretty good. On Saturday night, everything went perfectly and it was an amazing show. [She’s] so proud of everyone who did it, especially the backstage crew and Ms. Corcoran because [they] all put in so much time and effort.”

Senior Meghan Yip seranades the crowd with “Sure Thing” by Miguel and “Mine” by Bazzi. Photo by Jesaias Benitez.

Senior Sherley Maxime smilies as the crowd applauds her performance of “Read All About It” by Emili Sande. Photo by Jesaias Benitez.

Senior Marquis Smith performs his original rap. Photo by Jesaias Benitez.

Musical Sensation performs it’s original piece “Run Away”. Photo

by Jesaias Benitez.

Doeleman also says that she was “more nervous during rehearsals then for [her] actual performance. Once [she] got out on stage, [she] wasn’t nervous at all and felt really comfortable which was super different than what [she’s] used to because [she] usually gets a lot of stage fright.”

Sophomore, Tatiana Batista says she initially wasn’t going to perform in the show “because [she] didn’t think [she] was going to make it past auditions but [her] friends kept encouraging [her] to try. [She] finally decided [she] was going to audition the day of sign ups and hoped for the best.”

She decided her song “after many songs and practices. ‘I Fall Apart’ was a popular song at that time, that everyone loves and somehow relates to. [She] thought it was perfect.”

Batista says she “loved last year’s JV’s from an audience perspective but seeing all of the work that goes into the show, made [her] appreciate it more.

Everyone is so talented and [she] loved every single act.”

Sophomore, Jenny Nguyen has performed in the dance group for JV’s in both her years at MHS, in the dance group, Cypher. “It was easier to perform this year because [she] was already used to the whole process of preparing for the show. [She] feels that this years show was better than last year’s only because [she] knows that every act and performer gave it their all on shownight and in rehearsals.”

Nguyen also mentions that when she’s on stage, all she cares about is “focusing on the dance, music, and cheers from the crowd. The lights help you to think that no one is watching you, making you less nervous. All the cheers, screaming fans, help [her] and the rest of the group continue dancing on the stage. [They’re] like an energy drink. [They] give a shocking effect. Even if one of [them] makes a mistake, the crowd encourages [them] to keep going as if it never happened.”

All in all, the Class of 2019 has pulled of a great show, continuing the string of many great JV’s shows over the years. Next year, the Class of 2020 will take on the role of organizing the single biggest fundraiser for the class.

12

The Blue and Gold March 2018

Local News maldenblueandgold.com

Malden Reads Hosts “The Hate U Give” Showcase Ajithaan Sathiyendra Reporter

M

alden Reads and the MHS Black Culture Club held “The Hate U Give Showcase” on February 15 from 6:30-8:00pm in the MHS Jenkins Auditorium.

At the beginning of the event, exhibit tables were put out in front of the auditorium. In the interactive photo exhibit, a photographer would take instant pictures of people, then people would write their name and what they like about their culture at the bottom of the picture. Jodie Zalk, who is from Malden Reads and helped organize this event, “loved seeing people talking to each other about their pictures” and thought “it was really great seeing people discussing what they love about their culture and sharing together”. There were exhibits from the American Association of Arab Women, Anti-Defamation League, Chinese Culture Connection, Immigrant Learning Center, Malden Arts - Littler Free Libraries, Malden Overcoming Addiction, MHS Writers Den, North Shore Black Women’s Association, North Shore Hispanic Association, and the Outreach Community and Reform Center.

Zalk had “a great time collaborating with the MHS Black Culture Club”. She believes that “Working with students brought a different perspective to the Malden Reads kickoff event and helped shape the event in new ways”. She mentioned it was monumental for the MHS Black Culture Club since this was their first major event.

In the auditorium, the MHS Black Culture Club organized performances that related to the themes of the book “The Hate U Give”. The first performance was

Malden Reads and the MHS Black Culture Club held “The Hate U Give Showcase” on February 15 from 6:30-8:00pm in the MHS Jenkins Auditorium.

GG Cadet and Christina Charles perform “I’ll Rise Up.” Photo by Ajithaan Sathiyendra. a poetry reading by Junior and Blue and Gold member Rebeca Pereira of the poem “Abecedarian Requiring Further Examination of Anglikan Seraphym Subjugation of a Wild Indian Rezervation” by Natalie Diaz and was followed by a dance performance by the Malden High Step Team. After, the MHS Play Production performed “Why We Tell the Story from Once Upon an Island. Junior Blondina Odivin and Sophomore Francia Ettienne had a dance performance to the song “Fall” by Davido. After, Senior and Blue and Gold member Tobi Pitan performed stand-up comedy, which was followed by a poetry reading by Junior Birukti Tsige of the poem “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou. Juniors Gerdley Cadet and Christina Charles, who are the president and vice president of the MHS Black Culture club respectively, performed an Anti-Oppression dance to the

song “I’ll Rise Up” by Andra Day. The Malden High Step Club held a fashion show that showed the cultures of the world. The event wrapped up with a poetry reading by vice president Christina Charles of the poem “Unite Us”

by Kosal Khiev.

Breakout sessions and workshops were held after the performances on the Anti-Defamation League, Malden Overcoming Addiction, and the Malden High Hatian Club.

The MHS Interact Club helped out with the event by sending students that are a part of it to volunteer. Senior Reyner Susanto, who helped greet people at the front of the auditorium and gave them directions, mentioned that he “enjoyed volunteering for this event” and would like to volunteer for an event like this again.

Malden Reads will be showing movies at the library and at Malden High, have book discussions, and a night out at Boda Borg this year.

Check out the new Poetry Out Loud video on YouTube!

www.youtube.com/maldenblueandgold

The Blue and Gold March 2018

13

Local News maldenblueandgold.com

Rachel Eaglin Breaks School Record David Lombardi Reporter

S

enior Rachel Eaglin has been running for the cross country team and both indoor and outdoor track since her freshman year.

Eaglin told said ”[she] actually had plans to play lacrosse and basketball, but [she] was pretty good at cross country and Londino saw that [she] would be good at the 600m or 300m so [she] was convinced to do track both indoor and outdoor and it was the right decision.”

When asked about memorable friendships she has made over her years of running track Eaglin explained that during “ [her] freshman and sophomore years [she] made friends with a lot of the girls older than [her] who were on the team... it was great to have them as role models, people [she] could look up to.” She also talked about how being on a sports team helped her make new friends in different grades and allowed her to try and become a role model herself.

Coach David Londino said “Her confidence has been a great example for others. In addition, she’s the team’s greatest point contributor, as she scores in the 55 meter hurdles, high jump, and 4x400 every meet. she also qualified for states in all three events”.

One of her favorite memories as a runner was not one of her best but definitely one of the most fun. It was during her sophomore year and the senior girls on the team had never lost a meet in their entire high school careers. “[They] were [competing against] [their] biggest rival Somerville. The meet had come down to the 4 x 400m relay and [she ]was the second leg. [She] was not in shape for the 400 at all, but [she] was what [they] had left, and [she] gave that race everything [she] had.” Eaglin did not want to let them down so she ran as hard as she could. Eaglin said “[She]ran a not so good leg,

Senior Rachel Eaglin. Photo from Matt Ruelle. like 71 seconds, but that was one of the hardest times [she’s] ever run. [She] couldn’t walk after.

One of the seniors, Deborah, came to help [he] walk over to out bags where people were celebrating because we had won the relay. [She] [remembers] crying to Deborah and another senior Gillian..[she] was just so happy [they] won because [she] didn’t want to let them down.”

Eaglin explained that running is something anyone can do it doesn’t matter who you are. the ways it differs from racing is “You have that adrenaline. You have competition. You see the finish line and you put everything you have into getting your body to that line and in front of everyone else.” She also explained how in order to race you “need to have that edge, the edge that makes you want to win”.

During practice Eaglin was mainly focused on working on her form and speed because “for a while [she] didn’t consider [herself] [to be] a sprinter because [she] came from cross country.

[She] always has to remind [herself] in shorter races to get into gear and run fast.” Coach Londino also said that Eaglin is able to keep calm in high pressure situations and perform to the same caliber that her competitors are at.

On February 4th Eaglin broke the record in the 55m hurdle at

the Reggie Lewis Center. The day of the State Coaches Invitational Meet “[she] paid $10 to be in the race that day and it might be the best $10 [she’s] spent, elaborated Eaglin. She explained how “the gun went off and in the middle of the race, [she] felt fast…[she] was reaching to the hurdle less and [she] was pretty smooth over them...when [her] time popped up on the screen, [she] jumped up and spilled [her] water cup.” She said that once she found out she had gone a time of 8.95 and not only broke the record of a 9.06 but had broken 9.0 seconds which she was really proud of. She also mentioned that when she found out how close she was to the record she was hungry for it but just kept doing her workouts and trained hard to hopefully achieve it, which she did.

Eaglin also said how when she went to the State meet on February 11th again at the Reggie Lewis Center she broke her own record again this time with a 8.92.

She also told us how she was proud, but it wasn’t as big as the first time so she was more excited about getting a new personal record. Eaglin explained her main motivation is herself, her team, and the numbers. “Personally, a PR feels amazing, especially if you get points for your team doing it. For my team, my best and my improvement helps us win and it makes me proud and

happy to see our team prosper.”

She also spoke about when she figured out she was in reach of the record “when [she] ran 9.16 at a meet, Londino told [her] that the school record was 9.06. And that was all [she] could think about. [She] wanted to beat that record so bad…[she] wanted it to be [her] name as #1.”

When asking her coach if he expected it from her Londino replied by saying “[He] always [expected] big things from Rachel, but it wasn’t until [their] meet [against] Peabody when [he] noticed something dramatically different. That day there was a noticeable difference in her hurdling. She looked very fast, very smooth, over every hurdle. She produced her first sub-9 second time at that meet and that’s when [he] knew there would be some big opportunities for her this season” Eaglin also managed to place 8th at the State tournament and made it to All-States. When asked about that she replied by saying how it was “super exciting..[she’s] pretty sure [she] jumped on the bed when [she] found out.

She includes a “big shoutout to Londino because he’s been [her] coach for 4 years now and each season [she is] getting better and stronger so there must be some method to his madness.”

She also wants to thanks [her] mom for literally attending every meet of [her’s] except maybe 2 or 3 over [her] entire high school career.”

Eaglin also revealed that she will be attending Bryn Mawr on a Posse scholarship, “[she’s] been emailing the coach and he seems thrilled to have [her]. [She] [didn’t] know what [she’d] do with [herself] if [she] didn’t have track in college.” Coach Londino had informed us that she has had a great season and “the hurdle field at this year’s Division 1 State Meet was the best since 2010, so running 8.92 and making the medal stand was a big deal.

The school’s outdoor record for 100 meter hurdles is 15.84 set

by Annie Woolley who’s now a Division 3 All-American and ranked 3rd nationally. [They’re] aiming to break that record and hopefully go under 15.50 seconds”

14

Local News

The Blue and Gold March 2018

maldenblueandgold.com

SNHS Hosts Science A Preview of the NHS Community Projects

Trivia Night Angelina Prum Reporter

T

he Science National Honor Society hosted a Science Trivia night on February 9th. All the proceeds from the event were donated to the American Cancer Society. The event was held in B434 by SNHS Advisor and Science teacher Gregory Simone.

The Science Trivia night had enthusiastic students ranging from all different grade levels competing for the $100 prize.

Eight teams participated in the event, with each team consisting of two to five players. Participants in the trivia night were quizzed on different sciences such as Biol-

The group A-A-A Battery earned 1600 points at the end of the event. The 12 AM AP Calculus earned 5 points at the end of the event. The Killer Whales ended the event with 2650 points.

The Mashed Potatoes ended the event with 2099 points.The group Bella Thorne ended with 0 points.

The group Berry’s Man ended the event with 799 points. The group Miseri Discipul ended with 1000 points. Deux Arabes won the event with 3500 points.

The members of the winning time were Seniors Kamal Moussa and Maryam Benouari.

Benouari stated that “the win was unexpected” and she “felt happy [and] thrilled about

The participants of Science Trivia Night. Photo by Angelina Prum. ogy, Chemistry, Environmental Science and Astronomy.

The heads of the Science National Honor Society projected questions on to the board and students quickly jotted down their answers. Each question was worth a certain amount of points.

At the end of the event, participants had the option to risk all their points to win an extra amount of points by answering random questions unrelated to science in order to test the knowledge of the students.

[her] win.”

Moussa felt disbelief, but he felt “hyper and excited” for his victory in the event. Both winners states they would definitely attend the event again. Simone stated that “[he] really enjoyed hosting the event, and [hopes] everyone had a fun night.”

Overall, every student who attended enjoyed themselves at the Science Trivia night, and the members of SNHS were pleased with the outcome of the event.

Ajithaan Sathiyendra Reporter

T

he National Honor’s Society (NHS) has started working on more community projects. NHS is an organization where students figure out what they can do for the community by raising money or creating community events to help them out. They have done a fundraiser for Christmas where each student has to raise a certain amount of money to then buy gifts for kids and adults who are less fortunate.

Juniors Dijana Masic, Sebastian Romani, and Matthew DiStefano are trying to create a science activity day in the high school where where students from the [city’s] middle schools can come up and learn about different scientific topics through fun activities such as making slime and creating different types of chemical reactions.

Masic stated that their goals for this project are to “teach the kids about science and get them more involved in the high school” that they will be coming to in a few years. Masic mentioned that her group is trying to accomplish this “by working with the Malden High School science department [and] the middle schools in order to spread the word and gain support for [their] project.” They are planning on reaching out to the

science department and coming up with science activities that kids can take part in with them.

Senior Rowan Marcus is trying to create a club like the Computer Club at one of K-8 schools where they can meet at least once a to introduce middle school students to Computer Science. Marcus is doing because he noticed that “a lot of [middle school] kids don’t know what Computer Science is”. Marcus also mentioned that “if students know that it exists Freshman year, they can get into it and get a head start”.

Marcus is planning on teaching kids by mirroring what Paul Marques, the school’s Computer Science teacher and advisor for NHS, does in his Intro to Computer Science class and introducing students to a simpler online programming language called Scratch.

Junior Agatha Silva and her group will be continuing a project made by seniors from last year called “Play Like a Girl”. Silva is trying to “get girls from middle schools from 5th to 8th grade and [teach] them a certain sport every Sunday during April” along with other students in her group. Silva mentioned that they are doing this “to build up [the girl’s] confidence because not a lot of girls have confidence to play sports” and help them become better in sports.

Most students in NHS have already started to work on their community projects and will be working on it for the rest of this school year.

RER Cleaning Service

dondadybrasil@hotmail.com 781-420-6874 54 Pleasant St, Malden, MA 02148

The Blue and Gold March 2018

Local News maldenblueandgold.com

Let’s Get Ready!

Cristopher Correa Reporter

L

et’s Get Ready is a program offered at Malden High that focuses on preparing students for the SAT. It takes place from 6:00pm to 9:00pm and it occurs twice a week. The first two hours focus on SAT prep where students answer practice questions and prepare overall for the intense test taking environment that happens when you take the SAT. The last hour is a period called “College Choice”. During this time, mentors help students prepare their college essays and help them find colleges they are interested in.

The staff at Northeastern University, along with a variety of Juniors and Seniors at the University, are involved and act as the mentors to the students.

Let’s Get Ready also offers some college visits and diagnostic exams. In between the SAT prep and College Choice, mentors also offer food and games to play to keep them entertained.

In an interview with Kristel Normil, a student who participated in the program, she described the program as “exhausting, but worth it”. Normil described that the mentors helped her stay focused and that they were allowed to ask many questions about the SAT. However, she also liked the fact that she was kept entertained by eating snacks and playing games.

Overall Let’s Get Ready is a great place to start if you want to understand how the SAT is formatted and start studying for it.

28 Pleasant St, Malden, MA 02148

15

16

Local News

The Blue and Gold March 2018

maldenblueandgold.com

Lunar New Year Jennica Ruan Reporter

T

he Malden High Annual Lunar New Year Celebration occurred on Saturday, February 10th in the Jenkins Auditorium from 1:00pm to 5:00pm. This year’s festival celebrated the year of the dog and many people came to celebrate this occasion. Lunar New Year’s festival shows the diversity in Malden and encourages students to participate in unique acts.

Mayor Gary Christenson also attended the event along with Superintendent John Oteri and Malden High interim principal, Chris Mastrangelo. The event also had many sponsors including South Cove Community Health Center. The Health Center’s CEO Eugene Welch also made an appearance and gave a speech about the new health center opening up in Malden.

Volunteers from Asian Culture Club, Key Club, and YMCA Leaders came to help with the festival and mainly worked backstage in helping the performers or getting the technology in running the performances. Latin teacher Julie Snyder, who advises the Asian Culture Club, would like to give a shoutout to Rowan Marcus and the custodians for their help and making sure the event ran smoothly.

Performers from all over the Boston area came to show their talents at the festival. The Chinese Culture Connection was also one

The Chinese Culture Connection performing their dance, “Story of the Spring”. Photo by Jennica Ruan.

The children of Yin Wu Singing Class. Photo by Jennica Ruan. of the organizers for the event and had many featured performances from their Multi-Arts performance troupes. Performances included singing, dancing, kung

The performers taking a group photo with Mayor Gary Christenson.

Photo by Jennica Ruan

fu and other traditional chinese performing arts. Their were also fashion shows after intermission and at the end of the event that featured the performers and stu-

dents at Malden High wearing traditional clothing and other styles of formal wear.

Acts varied from Chinese instruments, chinese martial acts, different singing acts, and unique dancing groups. Malden High School Asian Cultural Club Cypher danced to the popular BTS, a kpop band famous song, Mic Drop. Dancers from the group cypher were very proud of their performance and hope to perform next year. Junior Vivian Dang stated that “Lunars [was] a very good experience” and she felt that she danced her best.

Sophomore Jenny Nguyen stated that she “enjoyed dancing with her friends” and that her group “felt like family”. Junior Guanhua Ao stated that he felt his performance was “good and well executed” and he was “happy to be with his friends”.

Following the acts, came a fashion show. This allowed the students to show the diverse fashion of Asia. People showcased their cultural clothing on the stage with the Mayor.

Overall, Lunars New Year’s festival was a amazing experience that exhibited diverse cultural acts from all over Asia. Senior Lindsay Trannguyen stated that Malden High school “would be perfect to hold the festival at Malden High because it’s a place where everyone’s differences and culture can be acknowledged and shared with everyone else.” Everyone that attended the festival had a amazing time, and the performers. All people from Malden were welcome and came together to celebrate a New Year.

The Wah Lum Kung Fu and Tai Chi Academy showcasing their martial arts. Photo by Jennica Ruan

The Blue and Gold March 2018

Sports

Swim

17

maldenblueandgold.com

David Cartledge Reporter

M

alden High School’s swim season has come to an end with a successful finish. They swapped to a new league and lost many of their veteraned swimmers, but they still managed to place third and even make it to states, succeeding there as well.

This year was very challenging for the Malden High swim team. When asked about this, Senior Pete Jinapin stated that Senior captain Pete Jinapin and junior Kevin Ochoa during the 100 but”The new league has proved to terfly race. Courtesy of Judi Lombardi. be more of a challenge compared to the old one, but [the team] fared well considering that [they] had no diving team. [The boys] won the league meet, and [their] overall team placed third at [the Northeastern Conference].”

Before states this year, the swimmers had broken records and won many awards. Senior Pete Jinapin won the NEC Male Swimmer of the Year, and finished 8th in the 500 freestyle out of 31 competitors, which is a new school record. Junior Kevin Ochoa made 3rd place in 100 fly and 200 freestyle competing against roughly 30 competitors for each. His 200 freestyle lap Freshman David Lombardi waiting for start. Courtesy of Judi Lombardi. managed to set a new school record.

The loss of swimmers and the introduction to a new team has posed a challenge for the swim team, but they managed to push through and come in third place for the season. When asked about if the team would be ready for states, Kevin Ochoa stated that “The swimmers have done everything necessary to prepare.

[He is] sure [the team will] be fully prepared to compete to [their] highest capacity.”

The new season has posed new challenges for the team, but has also created new goals for the team to set. Kevin Ochoa talked about this, saying that “A goal Senior captain Pete Jinapin during the 100 butterfly race. Courtesy of Judi among [the team is] to break as Lombardi. many records as [they] can this year, and to try and place as high- perform especially well because girl to swim at states. However, ly as possible among the other states are what they have worked Kevin Ochoa and Pete Jinapin competitors.” Coach Bisson said towards throughout the whole did an outstanding job at states, that “The goals [for the team] are season. When asked about which by placing in the top 5 of their always to swim best times and to swimmers performed the stron- events.” try and win [their] heat so that gest, Coach Bisson said that “all Freshman David Lombardi, [they] have the potential to score of our swimmers did really well Junior Kevin Ochoa, Sophomore in the top eight.” at States this year, especially Myo Haoxi Wang, and Senior Pete Since the team made it Theingi, who was [their] only Jinapin managed to come in sevto states this year, they had to

enth place out of 16 in the boys 200 yard medley relay. Senior and Captain Pete Jinapin stated that “[he] was super happy that our relay could pull off that time and a bit surprised”.

Along with making it to states and performing well, Senior Pete Jinapin also broke the Malden High school record which he had set a few years prior.

Pete’s original time was 1:59.74, but his new time is 1:58.29 for the 200 yard individual medley.

He also broke the 500 free record, which he also set. His original time was 5:06.34, but his new record is 4:52.24. Pete Jinapin stated that “Beating a school record is always fun.”

Only one female swimmer made it to states this year, Myo Theingi. She had to perform especially well because she was by herself and would represent all of the girls for the swim team. She ended up performing very well, coming in 13th place in the 100 breaststroke.

Jinapin also managed to come in second place in the division one state championship in the 100 breaststroke. Pete responded to this by stating that “[he] was surprised because [he] was seeded in the event with the second slowest seedtime and then [he] jumped over 30 places to get second. It was a great swim but [he] wishes it could have been a bit faster.” The first place time in the 100 breaststroke was 58.20, while his time was 1:00.24.

Junior Kevin Ochoa also managed to win fourth place in the 100 yard butterfly with a time of 52.55 seconds.

When asked about Jinapin making second in the division, Coach Bisson stated that “all of the events went very well but Pete’s 100 Breast was probably the stand out event. Pete had only swam the breast one time this season so [his] seed time was not [his] best and unfortunately [he] was seeded way back in the event. This meant that Pete had to swim in the first heat even though [he] had an opportunity to place in the top 5 of the event.”

This year’s states were a huge success for the Malden High swim team. Not only did the team make states in a more challenging league, but they did so with a loss of many veteran swimmers. At states they managed to pull together some great times and even break some records.

18

maldenblueandgold.com

Gymnastics Sara Zakaria Lead Reporter

T

his year’s Gymnastics season has come to an end and all of its members are extremely proud of their efforts this season. The gymnastics team has a record of 4-5, with four wins, and five losses.

Senior Max Weng thought that overall, the season went “much better” than the team expected. This year was a new experience for them, due to the fact that the team has never “faced most of the schools [they] did.” Weng shares that many of the schools they had to compete against “had access to club gyms, allowing their gymnasts to train in optimal conditions for much longer than [the MHS team] ever had,” but assures that the team had “beaten [other schools] at some meets and come close in the others,” despite the difference.

Weng adds that the team has improved at “an exponential rate.” In this season, Weng states that the majority of the team is comprised of people who “never had any gymnastics experience whatsoever,” and “[they are] working on and picking up skills” that Weng wishes he had “when [he joined Gymnastics] sophomore year.” According to Weng, at this rate, by 2021, “this year’s freshmen will have reached a level [he] could only have dreamed of.”

For Weng, the aspects that the team still has to improve on are “repetition and analyzing.”

He states that “hitting a skill for the first time is exhilarating,” while mastering a skill is a process, adding that the team “practices daily for a couple hours a day” to master their skills. He believes that having a “fellow teammate record your progress” will help a gymnast “figure out” what they need to improve on.

Junior Jenna Vanella admits that even though the team “[would have] liked to have won more meets than [they] did,” “overall, [she thinks their] season went very well.” She also believes that this year, the team has

The Blue and Gold March 2018

Sports

“improved immensely”, since members have “new routines and new skills”, and the team always “continues to strive for better”.

On improvement, Vanella feels that the team “could improve on being more efficient in practice,” saying that “[they] tend to get sidetracked more often than not.” The best moment in a meet this season for Vanella was when she did a “backward roll on the beam and [she] was stuck on the side.” Vanella knew that if she had fallen off, “[she would have

was “shy a few points from qualifying to compete.”

This experience, of being so close to qualifying for states, was “so frustrating” to Kwong, who ended up being less than a tenth of a point from qualifying.

Kwong says that she “never got the chance to compete at [their] last meet”, due to an ankle injury that occurred during warm up.

Despite this, she says that the season was “really satisfying” for her since she got to “compete one last time with so many of [her]

Senior Kaytlin Kwong on beam. Photo by Falyn Kelley. ended] up losing half a point,” so she resorted to struggling “as hard as [she] could to stay on the beam and not touch the floor.”

Vanella explains that this was her best moment, since “not only was [her team] cheering for [her], but the other teams and the crowd were cheering for [her] to get back on.”

The team has had their fair share of great moments this season, but they also had a few challenging moments. The very beginning of the season proved to be challenging for Weng. The first-years competed for the first time with routines “they barely knew” against Winthrop, and “their nervousness set the tone for each other.” Weng stresses that “getting over that nervousness and pushing each other out of [their] comfort zones” was essential this year, and that was a moment that “needed to happen.”

Like many of Malden High’s sports, there is a States competition in Gymnastics, but according to Weng and Vanella, senior Kaytlin Kwong was “the only person that could even qualify”, and she

friends”, and “did so much better this season than last season”.

This year, Vanella says that the team’s bond “has grown a lot.” She explains that “[they have become] closer and closer with every practice and meet that went by, and [they have] helped each other to grow as people and gymnasts.” Vanella adds that “[she loves] every member of [her] team, new and old, and [she would not] want to share [their] wins with anyone else other than [her] talented teammates.”

Kwong says she will definitely “miss the family [they] created on the team” since this is her last year. She recalls that she has made so many friendships from being on the team and that she is “going to miss [them] so much”.

Kwong also says that she will “miss the coaches”, adding that they “pushed [her] to try new things and [they] were always there for [her] whether it was related to gymnastics or not” Weng declares that if anybody is interested in joining gymnastics, “join as soon as possible”, admitting that he “regrets not joining [his] freshman year”.

Max Weng Sara Zakaria Lead Reporter

T

his gymnastics season will be the last season for senior Max Weng, after competing with the team since his sophomore year in high school. Weng joined Malden High’s Gymnastics team his sophomore year, with his friends Ricky Mei and Kevin Phan. The trio went to the same kung fu school together, where they had to “incorporate a lot of stretching and acrobatics”, which led them to “naturally gravitate towards the sport”. Although this is his last season with the team, Weng plans on continuing with the sport for “as long as [he] can”, because gymnastics is “beautiful, and physically demanding”.

Weng stated that his best moment overall in his career would be “just after making the team [his] first year.” He said that the gymnastics team that year was “very small’, and that he knew nothing of the sport. The gymnastics coach that year “wanted to see what she was working with”, and Weng recalls that every time him and his friends did something, “jaws dropped”.

Weng said that “no one really expected guys to join, let alone be decent at the sport”, which kept him coming back and reassured him that the gymnastics team is “where [he] belonged to, not any other winter sport”.

While Weng has his fair share of great experiences on the team, he recalled a challenging moment which occured his junior year in high school, which was suffering an ankle sprain the day before a gymnastics meet. “I knew at that moment that I’d be out for practically the rest of the season”, Weng said. He stated that it was “definitely frustrating watching the rest of the team make progress and compete without me”.

This season, the team expanded, and most of the new members being freshmen, so Weng is “still trying to get know everyone”, but he is confident that the team will “surely become a tighter unit”, stating that the team is “like a family”. “We push each other to become better gymnasts and to become better people overall. This team has shaped [him] for the better.”

The Blue and Gold March 2018

19

Sports maldenblueandgold.com

I n door Trac k Sandra Rivadeneira Reporter

T

he track team got to wrap up their season by having eighteen qualifiers in state events, which include four relays and three athletes that participated in multiple events. The Division One State meet was held on Friday, February 16th; three days after the official state qualifiers were confirmed. This gave the athletes three days to prepare for their competition against other teams in the State, working hard in order to improve their times.

Like other meets, excitement and some jitters filled the bleachers where the team located themselves. For some, such as

Senior Ivan Zhang running the race. Photo by Sandra Rivadeneira. sophomore Ezra Kruckenberg, making it to States was the goal of the season.He explained, starting his track career, he never had any knowledge about the sport and now in Kruckenberg’s second year of indoor track, not

only did he make it to states with a personal record, but also places 12th place which was “better than [he] expected.”

Breaking personal records is what most really strive for.

There is not one athlete that

“didn’t break a personal record on Friday.” Coach Londino said.

The boys 4x800 shed two seconds off their previous record and the girls 4x400 made a terrific come back during the second half of the race, stealing second place.

The only Malden High medal winners during the Division One State meet where Junior Shataeya Smith for shot put and Senior Rachel Eaglin for hurdles.

“The best part of track is seeing how [athletes] improve and progress.” Londino shared.

Sophomore Isabella Machado attended states for the first time this year, sharing she didn’t think she “ever felt that nervous before in [her] life.“ Machado competed in the mile run, describing the feeling of when she crossed the finish line as “a relief even though [her] legs were sore.

“In the end however, the best part is being surrounded by the support of the team”.

Wrestling Wrestling

Jett-le Tran Le Reporter

A

s the wrestling season comes to an end, some of their players have gone into sectionals.

Many seniors prepare to finish off strong.

The wrestlers have really enjoyed this year. With a strong season and making it to sectionals, the team worked hard and were able to surpass their season goals.

Ved Gray who is a sophomore, this is his second year on the wrestling team. He said that “training for wrestling is a lot of work [and] he was relieved [that he] could finally take a break, but [he] knew that [he] would need to prepare for next year.”

Gray’s greatest accomplishment this year was him being able

to place first in his weight class during the NEC tournament. He said that one of the things that changed this year from last year was the numbers of matches. He said that “[he] [felt] like there were a lot of schools [they] faced last year that [they did not] get to compete against this year.”

Gray said he “[he wanted] to get strong so that he would had been able to [accomplish] more... throughout the season.” He also mentioned that the team had improved their overall strength and endurance this year.

Gray said that “this year was harder than last year, [since] last year he was a freshman on the team [he did not] know much during his Freshman year, less was expected [from him].”

He also said that “[since he] is a sophomore, more was expected than him [since he was a returning member].” He will be on the wrestling team again with more experience from this season and will improve so he can make it

further in tournaments.

Stephanie Campos, a senior on the wrestling team completed her last and second year on the team. She said that “[she] feels really sad since this is [her] last year and it is kind of hard on [her] since she will not be able to [play the sport] since she won’t have her friends.”

Campos said that “it depends on if there are wrestling programs [for her to do wrestling].” Since the season has ended she is now doing outdoor track during the spring.

Campos said that her greatest accomplishment was getting second place during her tournament this season. She said that “[she] [wishes] she was more aggressive since...[she] was timid because she mostly went up against guys.”

She said that she wanted to learn how to leg ride, which is one of a move the wrestlers could do. Leg riding is when the wrestlers leg and interlocked with the

other wrestlers leg, this makes it so that the other wrestler is not able to get up. She said that “A lot of [her] friends did it last year and they [would] always win.”

Campos said that the team had improved a lot and had gotten strong, learned more techniques, accomplishments, and were more determined.

She said that this year was not that hard but “we had more punishment days this year than last year since we were on top of our game.” Punishment days is when the team has a lot of cardio workouts and “it helps us get better, but is a lot of work.” She said that “[she] is very happy that [they] had ended the season off with a great note.”

With the season ending the wrestlers will be moving up in high school. For some of the wrestlers it will be their last time wrestling. Some of the wrestlers might continue with wrestling in college if there are programs that allow them to do it.

20

Sports

The Blue and Gold March 2018

maldenblueandgold.com

Boys Boys Basketball Basketball Jemisha Syliant Lead Reporter

T

he MHS Boys’ Basketball regular season came to an end with an overall record of 14-7 ,as well as a birth in the state tournament.

The first round of the state tournament resulted in St. John’s Prep beating Malden with a score of 62-84. At the end of the first quarter, the score was 15-13 with St. John’s Prep in the lead. With 3:47 left of first quarter, St. John’s Prep had a four point lead, 22-18.

At the end of halftime, St. John’s Prep remained in command with a six point lead. At end of the third quarter, the score was of 6143 with Malden still behind and St. John’s Prep up by 18 points.

St. John’s Prep defeated Malden with a final score of 81-64.

Despite falling short, the team had a strong season as they finished 14-7 for their regular season and an overall record of 14-8.

Junior Robens Garcia explained that despite the season not going as he expected it to, he described the season to be “good” overall. Garcia continued to mention that he wished his team would have won the games early on into the season. As for himself personally, he wished that he would have “put a lot more work in.”

Similarly, Sophomore Cameron Lloyd added that the team should have won way more games than they did.

Senior Thomas Redwood, who described his experience playing for MHS to be a great one despite previously playing for Everett prior to transferring, and included one of the many memories shared with his teammates. When asked what some of his favorites memories are, he responded with “Honestly probably in the locker room, on the bus, just joking around having fun laughing.”

Senior captain Fern Berard along with Senior captain Malik

MHS boys running onto the court at the start of Senior Night. Photo by Jemisha Syliant.

Malden vs Danvers on the court. Photo by Jemisha Syliant.

The Malden High Boys Basketball seniors with their families during senior night. Photo by Jemisha Syliant.

Bissett both shared that having the opportunity to play at the Boston Garden for the invitational game [were] one of the many memories shared with the basketball team. Berard stated that “[He] never got a chance to play at the Garden.” Bissett explained that the Garden remained his favorite memory because he has been a Celtics fan since he was a younger child.

Berard said that not only has he shared memories with his teammates, but he also created a closer friendship with Senior captain Tyler Holness in which he said, “[their] chemistry is crazy”.

Berard continued to state, “We’re all like a whole unit, we all look out for each other.”

When asked if any friendships have been developed over the course of the season, Bissett responded by saying “Yeah the whole team.” He continued to elaborate on how when he first was on the team, he had been “afraid” to talk to people and mostly kept to [himself] until his teammates started opening up with each other.

Garcia believes that his leadership on the team will change, taking into consideration that he will be a senior the following year. He explained how this will require him to “step up” and help lead his other teammates.

Lloyd also explained that during the state tournament, he “felt like we’re the underdogs” and believes that they are able to beat teams.

Taking into consideration that Lloyd is one of the two sophomores playing on varsity, he explained that he hopes to be a “way better” player with more confidence to shoot the ball.

Redwood advises younger players to “be confident, play hard like you’re next.” He added that the fate of the program is in their hands. Berard stated “Keep balling and stay confident. It’s your team now.”

Overall, the season for the Boys’ Basketball team comes to an end after having an exceptional season.

The Blue and Gold March 2018

Sports

21

maldenblueandgold.com

Girls Basketball Julie Yu Reporter

M

alden High School’s Girls Varsity Basketball team went up against Salem on February 15th for their last game of the 2017-2018 season. Due to the fact that their last game was a home game, the Seniors on the team Malden on the court during an intense game aganist Saugus. Photo by had their Senior Night the same Julie Yu. day.

On the wall of the gym with the Golden Tornadoes mural, four to six posters were lined up for each senior. On the opposite side of the gym were posters saying “Senior Night” as well as cheering on the seniors. The decorations in the gym were all put together by the Girls Freshman and JV Basketball teams.

Along the bleachers were Blue and Gold balloons tied on the railings while the doorways were decorated with Blue and Gold streamers.

Like many previous games, the game got very intense during the second half. During the first quarter, Salem scored first but Malden on the court during an intense game aganist Saugus. Photo by Malden took the lead, 8-6. In the Julie Yu. second quarter, the score ended up getting really close, Salem in the lead, 20-19. During the beginning of the third quarter, Salem and Malden tied multiple times, leaving Salem in the lead, 34-28.

In the fourth quarter, Malden stepped up their defense preventing Salem from scoring as much, ending the game with Malden in the lead.

Out of the ten players on the team, five of those players are seniors. It is safe to say that the varsity team will change drastically, as there can only be five returning members in the next season. Seniors this year included Number 10 Mackenzie Furlong, Number Malden on the court during an intense game aganist Saugus. Photo by 23 Tiffany Tortora, Number 11 Julie Yu. Xue Zhou, Number 21 Jennifer said Head Coach Scott Marino.

Marino stated that as this Rosario, and Number 14 Zariah By the three main seniors Marino was the “[21st game in the seaStringer-Silva. was referring to Furlong, Tortora son, he did not] have to motivate Head Coach Scott Marino and Zhou. He also explained that the girls”. He further explained said that “The five seniors started Tortora and Zhou “nailed a few that the girls knew their goals the game, and the three main free throws [toward the end, and what this last game meant to seniors finished the game for us” which impacted the score]” them. Not only was it the Seniors’

last game ever on the team, but it would be their last chance to make the state tournament.

Marino mentioned everyone on the team was a key player in this game. He had the Seniors start the game off and the players that did not get as much playing time throughout the game finished off the last minute or two.

Top scorers included Tortora with seven points, Furlong with 19 points, and Zhou with 8 points.

Junior Salma Bezzat made a few free throws and Junior Audree Carleton had a couple rebounds.

Marino said that “Rosario and Stringer-Silva [did not] get the recognition and playing time [they] deserved.” He also explained how both girls are great team players, and motivates the entire team during their practices.

Bezzat stated that “[she will] miss all the [Senior] players” and that the team is losing some key players to their season.

Tortora said that because she was a captain this season, “the season was much different [than previous years]”. She explained that as captain, she was “being held accountable for [every player and not just herself]”.

Furlong said that as a captain, there was “more responsibility and pressure [on them] to carry the energy [throughout] the team.” She also explained that “[the members of the team] are close [and that she does not] think new members will change much because [they] share the same energy and motivation [that the Seniors players have].”

Due to the fact that their last game was a win, the team accomplished their goal of making it to the state tournament. The requirement for the tournament was at least ten wins throughout the season, which is double the amount of games they won last year. That meant that the girls had to train and practice hard this season in order to meet those requirements.

Although the girls won exactly ten games, they did not make it to States. Bezzat stated that they were unable to go “because [they had to win at least] half of [the] games on [their] schedule”.

Knowing that they were so close to States this season, the girls will push and work even harder next season to achieve their goal.

22

The Blue and Gold March 2018

Sports maldenblueandgold.com

Boys Boys Hockey Hockey Season Season Draws Draws to to a a Close Close Marc Giordano

Sara Zakaria Lead Reporter

Michelle Yin Lead Reporter

Michelle Yin Lead Reporter

J A

s this year’s Boys’ Hockey season comes to an end, the team reflects on their performances within the last season with a positive viewpoint.

The season in its entirety brought many different expectations and sophomore Corey Rufo stated that the team did happen to meet their expectations of making states. Senior Captain Michael Giordano added on by saying that their run at states “didn’t go as far as [he] wanted” but is nevertheless “happy with the way [the team] worked”.

Aspects that were different from the previous season, according to Rufo, were that the team was more skillful and the captains also were outstanding with their leadership positions, which contributed to them making it to states. Coach Joe Ciccarello mentioned that although every season brings different players and skills, in this particular season, this year’s group was a “good group of kids that cared and worked hard”.

This season also brought a lot of changes in the team’s chemistry. Giordano said that “[the team is] just a family now and [they all] care for each other”, whereas Rufo, in addition, mentioned that the team “was always close” but with the season passing “[they] feel as [they are] brothers”.

Even though everyone on the team contributed and worked hard to make states, some of the players that stood out this year would be senior Michael Goroshko, with his achievement of getting his 99th point in the tournament game, according to Cic-

Malden/Revere Boys Hockey Team on the ice. Photo by Cameron Ryan.

Malden/Revere Boys Hockey Team on the ice. Photo by Cameron Ryan.

carello. Michael Giordano stated that his brother Marc Giordano “stood out the most this year”, and he was able to see “what a smart mind [Marc] has” and acknowledges how his skills are “amazing”.

Despite the team accomplishing many of their goals this season, there are still some things that team has to work on.

Rufo stated that he definitely needs to improve on “not getting penalties”, and stickhandling.

Ciccarello asserts that with the leaving seniors, his expectations for his team is for them to “do the hard work in the offseason”.

“From being in the weight room to shooting pucks, there are many different skills our players can improve on to fill the void of the graduating seniors”, Ciccarello said. Ciccarello also said that he

will “look at why some of the reasons [the team was] inconsistent at times during key games during the year”, in order for them to improve. For Giordano, he believes that everything he does needs to be “faster and harder”, which is something he plans to work on.

On how he works as a coach, Ciccarello said that he already “preach[es]” to all of the players “about constantly look[ing] in the mirror”. His philosophy is to “[not] point fingers, and [to not] blame anyone else”, and he tries to practice this as “a teacher and coach”. He admits that he will “always look back and realize there are things that [he[ wish[es] had gone differently” and “this season is no exception”, but he uses it as a “learning experience to get better for the next season”.

unior Marc Giordano has been a member of the MaldenRevere Ice Hockey team for three years. He hopes to keep playing for the remaining of his years of high school.

From a young age Giordano was brought into the sport, he mentioned that his father brought him to a Bruins games and from then on, he had continued to dedicate his time into ice hockey.

He started playing Hockey himself since he was five.

Giordano mentioned that “[he needs] to improve on getting faster”. He wants to be able to “move around the ice quickly in order to make sure that [the team secures their] pucks every game.”

Giordano believes that he is better with being “on [his] feet and [he has] good hands”. He elaborated on that by explaining that he has good handling with the puck and passing to teammates, and better footwork on ice.

Giordano said that being on the team made him realized that he “loved the [spirit] [of] the team and playing with the people on [his] team” Other than Hockey, Giordano also plays other sports such as golf in the fall season and lacrosse in the spring season.

As both a student and a athlete, Giordano has some things in mind that he has set goals on. As an athlete, since the hockey team is very close in gaining a spot into States ,Giordano wants to be part of the push in helping is team get there. As a student, Giordano wants to keep improving his GPA and grades in school.

His teammate Corey Rufo says that Giordano contributes much to the team, being one of the highest scorers every game.

In addition to this, he says that “[Giordano] is a skillful player.”

The Blue and Gold March 2018

23

Sports maldenblueandgold.com

The Girls’ Ice Hockey Season Comes to a Close

Girls Hockey Senior Night 2018 Carolina Cuevas Reporter

T

he Medford/ Malden Girls’ ice hockey team hosted their Senior Night, which was also their last home game, on February 14th, Valentines Day. The game started at 5pm at the LoConte Memorial Rink where the team prepared to face their opponents from Bishop Fenwick High (Peabody).

Not even a minute into the game, freshman Elizabeth Lazzaro (#18) scored the first point of the game for the Medford/Malden team. During the first half of the period, the Mustangs kept the puck near their net. But the

was sent to the penalty box. The period goes on with the back and forth of the puck. But not until a minute and eighteen seconds left on the buzzer, junior Brenna Forbes scored another point for the home team. And with fifteen seconds left, Forbes scored again, thus ending the game with the score 4-2.

The team consists of three seniors, Julia Shanahan (#3), Summer Tufts (#11) and Mamie Powers (#12). All of whom go to Medford high.

Malden freshman player Alaina Giuliano said, “Playing with the seniors is fun because they teach [them] a lot and they’re really helpful”. Sarah Whitehouse, another freshman team member said that “We love all of them a lot...and it’s really good when you have older hockey players that are more experienced and know how to play well [because] you can look up

Numbers three, eleven, and twelve representing the seniors of Medford/ Malden Girls Ice Hockey team. Photo by Carolina Cuevas. rest of period was back and forth.

With three minutes and twenty seconds left in the period, junior Abigail Vigliotte (#8) scored the second point for the Mustangs.

But with forty seconds left in the period, Bishop Fenwick’s #15 scored their first goal. The period ends with the score 2-1.

The second period consisted of two of the guest team’s players being sent to the penalty box as well as Mustangs’ sophomore Bianca Sasso (#13). With the last thirty seconds of the game, Bishop Fenwick scored again ending the period with 2-2. Many of the players from each side fell during this game.

Ten minutes into the last period, junior Caitlin Sheehey (#17)

to them and they can teach you how to play well”. She added that “it’s just a fun experience to be with the older kids.”

The two described Tufts as funny and said that she tends to dance in the locker room a lot.

Tufts is also the laid back one that plays the music and is really easy to talk to. Whitehouse also said that Powers, another senior on the team, “is always there for you if you need anything. Giuliano said “She’s really helpful with all drills if you don’t understand them. And the same with [Shanahan].” Whitehouse added that “[Powers] does really well in school” and that “[she is] the scholar. She’s really focused on a lot and all the captains are.”

T

he players of the Medford/ Malden Girls’ Ice Hockey team have put in their hard work and dedication throughout the entire winter season. Their season consisted a total of twenty games, nearly half of which were home and the rest at opponents.

“Our overall record was 4-15-1.” says Terrell Pesaturo, starting goalie of the team. “Four wins, fifteen losses, and one tie.

However, most of the games lost were some of the best games played.” Though it seems that there are not that many wins, it is still more than what the team has earned the year prior.

Throughout the entire season, the players always gave positive feedback on their opinion of the team and their results in the rink. “[Pesaturo] was extremely happy with the way [their] season ended. [They] fought hard to the end and [they] doubled [their] wins from last year!”

The Medford/ Malden Girls’ Ice Hockey team works hard every practice and works together to make the most of what little appreciation they receive in return. Malden is confident that the players will continue to improve until the next season comes and show their strength in the rink.

Medford/Malden vs. MASCO in a face off before the game. Photo by Carolina Cuevas.

Medford/Malden vs. MASCO during a face off. Photo by Carolina Cuevas.

24

The Blue and Gold March 2018 maldenblueandgold.com

Editorial Comic: “17 Minutes, 17 Lives” by Carolina Cuevas.

NEC All-Stars

maldenblueandgold.com Malden High School Volume 104 Edition 5 March 2018

Download the MHS Sports App!