November 2018 Edition

The Blue and Gold maldenblueandgold.com Malden High School Volume 104 Edition 2

77 salem street November 2018

November

Courtyard Closes Pg. 11 More New Teacher Profiles

Page 16 - 17 Cross Country pg. 22 Unified Basketball Team Pg. 23

2018 Ballot Questions & Results Page 6

Pg.13

2018 Elections & Politcal Artwork Pg. 6

maldenblueandgold.com Malden High School Volume 104 Edition 2 November 2018

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Editorial

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The Blue and Gold November 2018

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Can We Be Friends?

Nedlam’s Corner Nedlam’s Corner is a safe space to ask about anything you may be experiencing in your life, both academically and socially. Nedlam is here to offer advice.

Although I will know who wrote the submissions, you are able to opt out of having your name reflected here.

Dear Nedlam, I was really close with one of my current friends but now it seems like we are more distant than before. We have no classes together only homeroom and one lunch but my friend loves their phone. I want to talk but when I try to start a conversation it just ends quickly. What should I do?

-Anonymous Dear Anonymous, Hey! Thank you so much for reaching out.

Here are a couple tips: Try to talk about something that you know your friend is interested in and if you’re not sure what they like, then a good place to start would be avoiding anything school related (since people tend to dislike the topic and fall asleep at the near thought of it—I know I do.) If you’re still unsure, then ask questions that relate to them personally. People usually enjoy talking about themselves and if they happen to mention something you enjoy as well, then you’re bound to have a full conversation.

If by then you have not gotten anywhere, then should make your friend aware of the situation. Speak up and tell your friend what’s on your mind. Politely ask them to put their phone down and tell them how you really feel. If they’re your true friend, they’ll understand where you’re coming from and make an effort to communicate with you the right way. In any unfortunate event where they don’t make even the slightest effort of talking to you, then it’s time you find new friends.

We should all spend more time talking with each other than on our phones so much. I hope this can be a lesson to everyone of the importance of friendship outside of social media.

Let me know if my advice worked. We’ll keep in touch!

-Nedlam

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

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short while ago, I had a long conversation with a colleague at work. We barely knew each other but we were working a shift together on a light day at work. So naturally, we began conversing and really seemed to hit it off. We started talking about the new Venom movie and our shared passion for prowrestling. Life was good and the conversation should have ended there, but then, somehow, someway, we got into politics. Oh boy.

I knew I should have kept quiet when he started rambling on about gun control but I couldn’t help myself. I suggested that perhaps his proposal of an outright ban on assault weapons may not be feasible considering the millions of assault weapons that are already in circulation. Then somehow I was accused of being unsympathetic to the victims and families of mass shootings because of my stance on gun control. Suffice to say, things went downhill from there and there was an awkward silence till the end of our shifts. Goodbye, possible friend, I guess?

I bring this up because I think this sort of rhetoric and tribalism is becoming more and more common in our country. It is not mutually exclusive to the Left or the Right, but it is increasingly intoxicating our political climate. We must not attribute bad motives to those that we disagree with politically or else we are in a lot of trouble as a country.

I always believed that people of all political ideologies, except outright fascism or outright com-

munism/anarchism, were people worth talking to and whose perspective was worth understanding. And I refuse to believe that I am in the minority on this. But whatever percentage it is, there is certainly a very vocal minority on both sides of the political spectrum that would disagree. And they are what is wrong with this country today.

Now I do not want to take a false moral high ground and pretend that I have never disliked a person because of their political views, because then I would have to lie and claim I like most of our politicians.

I have also made the mistake on a few separate occasions of dialing up the rhetoric a step too far. But I have always been willing to have a conversation with anyone.

Honest and productive intellectual discourse is lacking in this country and we are becoming more and more polarized because of it.

Our bubbles need bursting and our ideals need challenging. We cannot promote racial diversity while dismissing the pesky diversity of thought, and we cannot promote a marketplace of ideas while dubbing our ideological opponents as “snowflakes” and using social media as a platform to constantly try and “own the libs.”

At this point, we cannot afford to be asking the question—whether a conservative can be friends with a liberal, or whether an economic capitalist can befriend an economic socialist. Because the answers to those questions remain a yes, even in today’s political climate. And I

know it is hard to befriend or even get along with people who have different worldviews than us, but we must make an effort. How can we possibly refine and evolve our own views if we are too stubborn to tolerate and understand the views of others?

Some of my closest friends disagree with me on virtually everything that there is to disagree about.

In fact, if I ran for office, I doubt that many of them would even vote for me. Regardless, I find that the conversations we engage in daily are some of the most valuable and enriching moments of my day. I can say for certain that talking to people whom I differ politically and philosophically has opened my mind and made me a more knowledgeable and sympathetic person. And I think my friends share similar sentiments.

My hope is that we stop assuming bad intentions from those that we disagree with. We cannot possibly classify half our country as lesser human beings because that is the end of civility and the escalation of deep division and animosity. So I plead that we separate policy and character, and treat our fellow humans with decency.

Abhishek Rana Editor-in-Chief of Web and Mobile Apps

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

In Memoriam

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Obituaries Submitted by Rebeca Pereira and Sara Zakaria.

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

Y a k ob Br a u n

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akob Braun was born in Wloclawek, Poland— located on the Vistula River, in 1886. He had a brother, Abraham, whom he studied Hebrew and German with, along with Polish.

He married a Jewish woman named Machla through a matchmaker, and subsequently moved to Lodz, Poland. Yakob ran his family’s textile business until 1938, when he chose in invest in real estate instead.

He was also the landlord of the apartment building his family lived in.

The Nazis expelled PolYakob Braun. Courtesy of the United States ish Jews from Germany in Holocaust Memorial Museum.

1938. This prompted Yakob to establish a relief organization in Lodz, which arranged medical care for the refugees. When the Nazis occupied Lodz in 1939, the Gestapo agents checked on Braun frequently. At one point, they interrogated Yakob in a confiscated Jewish school building. He eventually returned home safely.

In 1940, Yakob was forced to hide in a small room with his wife and children, since German soldiers were known to kill any Jews they found to make examples out of them. Eventually, Yakob and his family were sent to a ghetto located in the town of Piotrkow Trybunalski. He was separated from his wife and children when the men and women were separated for labor.

Yakob was deported to the Buchenwald concentration camp in 1944.

He died in Bergen-Belsen.

Isr a el Ce nd or f

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srael Cendorf was born on May 19, 1902 in Lodz, Poland. He was born into a religious Hasidic family, who hoped he would grow up to be a rabbi. Cendorf instead rebelled, becoming an apprentice to a printer at age 16. An avid reader, he grew sympathy for the workers’ struggle. He wrote his own revolutionary songs.

His first book was called The Red Agenda, where his poems were warmly received.

In 1933, Cendorf moved to Paris as Hitler became the chancellor of Germany. Paris at the time was faced with unemIsrael Cendorf. Courtesy of the United ployment, along with Jewish States Holocaust Memorial Museum. immigrants living in fear of being deported. Cendorf peddled from door to door to support his family, In the meantime, he continued to write, even joining the Writers’ Union and writing for the New Press.

As Germany occupied Paris in 1940, Cendorf worked for the antifascist underground, until he was arrested and deported to Pithiviers, a transit camp of 2,000 Jews. He helped to organize the underground at the camp, setting up cultural evenings and making sure to continue writing.

He went from shack to shack, reading poems to fellow prisoners. One poem that he wrote, “Our Courage is Not Broken,” became the camp’s anthem.

In May 1942, he was sent to Auschwitz. Cendorf died in Auschwitz.

Prisoners from Pithiviers sang his poem on their way to the gas chambers.

M a c hl a - S p i c e h a nd l er Br a u n

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achla-Spicehandler Braun was born in the year 1886 in Lowicz, Poland.

She moved to Lodz after marrying Yakob Braun. Machla acted as a housewife, taking care of their five children, ranging in ages from five to 15.

During the years 1933 to 1939, Machla worked as a volunteer for Zionist causes.

Machla’s children, Eva and Lena, got married, along with Machla’s fourth child, who got married in 1939. The Gestapo started to demand information about the tenants in the buildMachla-Splcehandler Braun. Courtesy of the ing Yakob owned by showing United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. up to Machla’s apartment daily.

In 1940, Machla and the rest of her family were sent to a ghetto in Piotrkow Trybunalski. Machla and her daughters were separated from Yakob.

In November 1944, Machla and her daughters were deported to the Ravensbrueck camp, a camp specifically for women. Machla does not handle the labor tasks given to her due to her age. Instead, Lena did her work.

Machla and her daughters were soon sent to Bergen-Belsen. There, Machla became weakened by starvation and disease.

Machla died in April 1945, two days after British soldiers liberated Bergen-Belsen.

L u c i e n - L o u is Bu n el

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ucien-Louis Bunel was born on January 29, 1900.

He was the fourth oldest out of his family of eight, born to poor Catholic parents in a small town in northwestern France.

Bunel began his seminary studies at age 12, in the town of Rouen, and later joined the army. After serving two years, he resumed his religious studies and became a priest in 1925, joining the Carmelite religious order in 1931, where he became Father Jacques.

In 1934, Father Jacques moved to the town of Avon, where he created the SainteLucien-Louis Bunel. Courtesy of the United Therese-de-l'Enfant-Jesus, an States Holocaust Memorial Museum. all boys school. He was the director of the school for five years, until the war started in 1949, when he had to leave his position to serve as a chaplain in the French army. In a letter dated September 21, he wrote, "I'm eager to go into action and make my small contribution to Hitler's demise."

He was captured by the Germans in June 1940, but in 1941, he was granted permission to return and reopen his school in France, which was now occupied. In 1943, the Mother Superior of a Catholic girls' school sent three Jewish boys to Father Jacques, for whom he obtained false IDs and enrolled in his school. On January 15, 1944, the Gestapo arrested Father Jacques and the boys. During his interrogation, Father Jacques refused to recognize the laws of the Third Reich, saying “I only know one law: that of the Gospel and charity.”

Father Jacques was liberated from the Mauthausen concentration camp on May 5, 1945. He died on June 2, 1945 in Linz, Austria.

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2018 Massachusetts & Beyond Ballot Questions & Results Jennica Ruan Lead Reporter Julie Huynh Reporter

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he first question on the ballot for Massachusetts involved nurses.

A “yes” vote would have put in place the “Safe Patients Limits Ballot Initiative.” This initiative would limit the number of patients that could be assigned to one registered nurse in hospitals and certain other health care facilities. A “no” vote would have made no change in the current law. The exact ratio of patient to nurse would vary depending on the hospital departments and the type of patients. For example, the maximum number of patients a nurse could be assigned in the pediatric department might be four, while the limit in the emergency room would likely be less. Many believed that this vote would have made health care facilities safer, but opponents said that this vote could make the waiting time in hospitals and emergency rooms longer. California is one of the states that already have limits in place and proponents of the initiative claim that it has actually helped the nurses’ do their job more efficiently. Ultimately, 70.4% of Massachusetts citizens voted no to question one, making no changes to the current law.

The second question on the ballot if voted “yes,” would have created a citizens commission to advance an amendment to the United States Constitution to limit the influence of money in elections and establish that corporations do not have the same rights as human beings. Mr. Tivnan, an AP government teacher at Malden High School explains that “they are trying to start a commission to look into the influence of money it has on campaigns.”

This vote dates back to a case called “Citizens United” in 2010 where the Supreme Court ruled that a corporation has the same rights as an individual and you can’t limit how much money they spend on campaigns because that would be in violation of their first amendment rights. People that disagree with this argue that corporations are just large groups of people with money who can influence politics. On the other side, “[if] you form a corporation, do you then forfeit your first amendment rights?” When asked if any major changes will happen if this vote is put in place, Tivnan says, “It’s going to be interesting because a lot of this stuff is based on the Supreme Court ruling… and to overturn the Supreme Court’s decision is very difficult.” For question two, 71.4% of voters voted yes to the citizens commission to limit the

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he Midterm Elections occurred on Tuesday, November 6th all across the United States.

Massachusetts is regarded as a liberal state with most residents possessing views that align with the Democratic party.

Republican Geoff Diehl ran for senate opposing incumbent Democrat Elizabeth Warren, who remained a favorite and maintained her seat. Her success and recognition could help her in the upcoming presidential election of 2020, if she runs for office, a possibility that has been circulating in recent political discussions. Diehl had a total of 36.3% of the votes while Warren racked up 60.3% of the votes, the other 3.4% having gone to Shiva Ayyadurai, who ran as an independent party. Diehl’s campaign was state-centric, as reflected in his motto “Massachusetts first,” a rebuttal to Warren’s broader appeal to American values.

This election rendered extensions to the tenures of all representatives except third district representative, Niki Tsongas, and seventh district representative, Michael Capuano, who have been succeeded by representative-elects

Lori Trahan and Ayanna Pressley respectively. Pressley defeated Capuano during the primaries, making her the first African American congresswoman from Massachusetts.

While the projected “blue wave” did not occur as predicted, newcomers including Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar rode high on a tide of incoming female candidates. With the influx of women elected into office, 2018 has been dubbed the “Year of the Woman.”

Ocasio-Cortez was elected as the Representative for New York’s 14th congressional district. When she takes office next year, she will become the youngest woman in history to hold office in Congress.

She defeated Joe Crowley in the Democratic primaries in June this year. Her primary victory against the 10-term incumbent Crowley, was a huge upset. After her stunning primary victory, she was an overwhelming favorite in the general election. She defeated Republican nominee, Anthony Pappas, in a landslide majority by over 64 points.

Beto O’Rourke was Democratic candidate running a high

profile campaign against Republican incumbent Ted Cruz in Texas, a campaign which was heavily backed by liberal celebrities and other members of the Democratic party, but ultimately came up short as Cruz retained his seat by a slim margin.

Allegations of voter fraud have surfaced since President Donald Trump alluded to and later explicitly denounced unsubstantiated claims of rampant electoral fraud. Florida has been in a process for a recount and so has Georgia. Arizona’s Democrat Kyrsten Sinema defeated Republican Martha McSally by 1.8% of the votes. Democrat, Andrew Gillum, who was defeated by Republican Ron DeSantis in Florida’s gubernatorial race, withdrew his concession as the state heads towards a recount.

There are still nine house races, one senate race and two gubernatorial races left to be decided as of November 15th, 2018. Overall, the Democratic party picked up 33 seats in the House, gaining a majority in the chamber. The Republican party maintained their majority in the Senate, adding an additional seat in the in Chamber.

Political Artwork from Mr. Luongo’s Students Special Counsel Investigator Robert Mueller, while notably silent about his political affiliations or electoral allegiances in the 2018 midterms, remains in the political limelight, as does his investigation into the inference of foreign governments in the 2016 general election.

Drawing by Aiwei Huang.

money spent on politics.

The last question on the ballot asked citizens of Massachusetts if they wanted to repeal a current law, one that prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity in places of public accommodation.

Voting “yes” would have kept in place the current law, and voting “no” would have repealed it. The concern that this law raises is that it may threaten womens’ safety by allowing men identifying as women to enter female facilities. Although,

supporters of this previous law say that there has not been one issue or invasion of privacy as a result of this law. Keeping this law in place will help Massachusetts continue being a fair and undiscriminating place for transgender people. 67.8% voted to keep the current laws on protecting transgender people in public facilities.

Originally published October 30, 2018.

“I will fight here at home and in the courts to make sure every single child and family in our strong 13th District lives in a just society, one that recognizes that all of us deserve the opportunity to thrive.” Rashida Tlaib Drawing by Asmaa Asousy

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The Importance of Your Vote Opinion Sydney Stumpf Editor-in-Chief of Print

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“I also want to congratulate voters across the country for turning out in record numbers, and for voting for several ballot initiatives that will improve the lives of the American people - like raising the minimum wage, expanding Medicaid, and strengthening voting rights.”

Barack Obama Drawing by Suiyenah Chen

“Texans came together behind a commonsense agenda of low taxes, low regulations and lots and lots of jobs. Securing the border and keeping our communities safe and defending the constitution and the Bill of Rights.” Senator Ted Cruz.

Drawing by Jada Scott

“This is what is possible when everyday people come together in the collective realization that all our actions, no matter how small or how large, are powerful, worthwhile and capable of lasting change,” -Alexandria-Ocasio Cortez Drawing by Renata Tomaz

ccording to NPR, the 2018 elections hit a 50-year high when it came to voter turnouts. The first election since Donald Trump becoming president, college aged students and other young adults were pushed to vote, even if for the first time. Over 47% of the eligible voters voted in the midterm elections this year, which is a great number, given that the election was a midterm and not a presidential.

Through social media and ads campaigning for people to vote, younger people were urged to vote.

The common misconception with voting is that “my vote does not count”. You have heard it, I have heard it. It is such a common thing to say, ingrained in the minds of so many. In 2018, many voters decided to go against this misconception and en masse, voted.

Some even argue that Taylor Swift is a large reason young people got out and voted. After posting publicly her political stances on the election in Tennessee, in which she endorsed Democratic candidates instead of Republican candidates, whom many thought she would be voting for. In her first ever political Instagram post, Swift urges young voters to get out and register to vote for the upcoming elections.

The effects of such large voter turnout are there. Younger, high school and college students are typically more liberal than their older counterparts. Generation Z has adopted a set of societal norms completely different from the times of the Baby Boomers, even Generation X, and to an extent, Millenials as well. As more Generation Z people are becoming of-age to vote, so many are. This is shown in the results of the election, as although the Senate still remained Republican, Democrats took the house, possibly due to the high Generation Z turnout at the polls. Even in Texas, one of the most conservative states in the nation was this close to sending Beto O’Rourke to the Senate instead of the incumbent Ted Cruz.

All in all, your vote counts. If you are eligible to vote, register, and vote in the next elections.

What are your thoughts on voting turnouts? Did the House become majority Democrat due to an influx of Generation Z voters? Are everyone’s societal perceptions changing, from Baby Boomers to Generation Z? Does the future of voting lay in the hands of social media moguls and reality TV stars? Let us know your thoughts on maldenblueandgold.com

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Former CIA Director John Brennan Visits Ferryway School Ailin Toro Managing Editor of Web and Mobile Apps Abhishek Rana Editor-in-Chief of Web and Mobile Apps

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terested. Later, Brennan contacted him and told him when he would be in Boston, what time he had free, and asked if he could speak.

Of the lecture, Stratford says that Brennan was “incredible.”

Stratford “knew how polished, and how eloquent he would be,” but was “still impressed by how really brilliant [Brennan] is.”

Stratford mentioned that whenever they have speakers at the school, “there are always a couple students who say the speaker was boring, but this time nobody gave that reaction.” He adds that “most of the students were impressed with how he answered all the questions, but also by how funny he was.”

Stratford had students do research on Brennan before his lecture so they could be familiar with him and ask him questions. Stratford said that during the research process, Brennan had “appeared as a very serious person to the students, so the fact that he had a sense of humor and talked about his family really humanized him and [the students] really liked that.” Overall Stratford credited the lecture as being “more fun than than [he] ever imagined.”

Greg Hurley, History teacher at Malden High School as well as the advisor of the Malden Youth Civics Council, says that he was excited about this field trip because “it was an incredible opportunity for students to be able to meet someone who has been at the highest levels of our government and get insight into the daily operation.” Hurley explains that Brennan was “very forthcoming with the details, in what the job entailed, and on his opinions on the current administration which [he] think[s] was really great.”

Senior Felix Li, who went to Ferryway as a member of the Malden Youth Civics council, says that

New Orange Line Trains Julie Yu Lead Reporter Jennica Ruan Lead Reporter he preview of the new Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MBTA) orange line trains were first showcased in the Spring of 2018. The cars feature a modern and more pristine design.

The current orange line cars have been around since the late 1970s, making them almost 40 years old. The MBTA is a daily source of transportation for the people of the Boston area. With many people riding it to and from work or school, the current model is not fit for everyday use, especially during rush hour.

The amount of seating in the new design cars is one of the most noticeable assets when viewing the pictures from the preview. Although there is not as much seating in the new cars, they provide much more standing space for passengers, which increases the maximum capacity in each cart. The standing space makes it more convenient for those who are traveling with strollers, luggage, or mobility devices.

The MBTA is looking to efficiently transport passengers to their destinations. A subtle change to the new cars are the wider doors. The change was made to get passengers in and out of cars quicker to spend

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ormer CIA Director, John Brennan, gave a lecture at Ferryway Middle School on Tuesday, October 23rd. Among those present were the school’s eighth grade students and faculty along with members of the Malden Youth Civics Council and select AP Government students from Malden High.

Brennan served as the CIA Director during President Barack Obama’s second term, between 2013-2017, and was also the daily intelligence briefer for President Bill Clinton. Brennan served at the CIA for 25 years and was involved in the highest level of American government.

In his lecture, Brennan shared his experiences working at the CIA and explained what his role was while working at the White House.

Students were also given the chance to ask Director Brennan questions regarding his career as well as his thoughts on current events. Brennan was candid about topics rangthe lecture “was really interesting.” ing from the Bin Laden raid to the He explains how “as someone who CIA’s enhanced interrogation and is part of a club that is meant to be the recent death of Saudi Arabian civically engaged it was awesome journalist, Jamal Khashoggi. to do something that was actually a Currently a paid contributor at physical manifestation of that.” He MSNBC/NBC, the former director goes on adding that “people often has caught media attention lately talk about doing their own research for being a vocal critic of President and doing their best to be active Donald Trump, who revoked Brenin politics, and actually talking to nan’s security clearance this August, someone who has experience in a move that made headlines around politics was really nice.” What stood the country. out to Li, was how honestly Brennan Timothy Stratford, a Social answered the questions that were Studies teacher at Ferryway School, asked. Li concludes that the “whole invited Brennan to speak at the experience was surreal.” school. Stratford and Brennan are former high school basketball teammates and met when Stratford was in 6th grade and Brennan was in 7th.

They both attended a small catholic school in New Jersey where “everybody knew each other.” One of the motivating moments Brennan mentioned in his lecture had to do with how he was cut from the basketball team freshman, sophomore, and junior year, but then made the team as a senior, attributing his success to his “persistence.”

Stratford and Brennan remain friendly even now, so he was invited to a party this summer that was a surprise anniversary party for Brennan and his wife. There, Brennan told Stratford that he was speaking at a school in Boston and that they should get together, which is what led Stratford to suggest that Brennan come speak at Ferryway. From left to right: MHS History teacher Greg Hurley, former CIA Director John He told Brennan about Malden and Brennan, and Ferryway Social Studies teacher Timothy Stratford. Photo submitFerryway, and Brennan seemed in- ted by Stratford.

less time stopping at stations and overall reduce the travel time.

The MBTA has incorporated modern passenger information systems such as the LED station announcement signs, the PA system, LED lighting, and LCD monitors with additional information.

New security cameras have been integrated, where the MBTA Operations and Police to view the footage in real-time. The operators are able to see the area of a passenger emergency intercom (PEI) if activated by a passenger in order to access the situation.

Trish Foley, the Legislative Liaison for the MBTA, stated that they had purchased 152 new cars when they are only planning on replacing 120 cars. She explained that that way the “system can be upgraded to run trains more frequently, thus spreading out the many passengers over more trains than currently available.” This is a major benefit since the overcrowding issue will be reduced and attract more passengers who need a quick and resourceful transportation system.

Foley stated that in the new cars they “use modern materials and a color scheme proposed by an industrial designer.” The seat cushions are no longer covered in fabric “which makes them easier to clean and more hygienic,” said Foley.

Sophomore Eva Tu thinks that the current cars are due for some changed. She explained how the cars are becoming outdated and old, both on the inside and the outside.

Sophomore Ava Pizziferri thinks that the new car design is “more sleek and modern [...], which will help cater to the new generations using public transportation and make it more convenient and comfortable for [passengers].” Pizziferri stated that it will make her feel more comfortable knowing that the seats and everything else are new and cleaner than before.

Junior, Matthew Mijares believes that the modern design contributes and adds the “Boston’s overall image.” Mijares stated that the current “cars need more space and need to be cleaner. He hopes that by “having new cars [it] will prevent delays, allowing trains to arrive on schedule more often and to consistently carry passengers.”

Mijares said that with the “new cars [having] larger capacities [...] [the] overcrowding within trains” can be limited or reduced.

The new trains will debut in early 2019. The cars will be replaced “trainset by trainset (6 cars).” As the old cars are being replaced, the new ones will also be in service until all the old cars are no longer available.

For the full article, go to maldenblueandgold.com

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Asian Culture Club Brings the Heat with the Spicy Noodle Challenge Ana Pirosca Head of Multimedia

(Left to right): Asian Culture Club members Senior Sammy Lee and Junior Jenny Nguyen with Asian Culture Club advisor, Julie Fox. Photo by Ana Pirosca.

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n a cool afternoon, Kate Haskell’s classroom was anything but—in fact, it was hot, flaming hot. This was the second annual spicy noodle challenge, hosted by the Asian Culture Club (ACC), but this time with a new twist to the original tradition.

Competitors were able to choose between two levels of competition: either “have your mouth burned” or “have your mouth burned twice as bad,” either a “hot” or “double hot” noodle spice.

Stratifying the competition began as an “idea [the club officers] thought would be really fun after people really enjoyed the event” last year, according to Asian Culture Club advisor, Julie Fox. With spicy on one side of the room and double spicy on the other, people eagerly awaited to chow down on noodles in hopes of receiving a Dunkin’ Donuts gift card. This year, about 20 competitors came,

with tickets available for spectators costing only $5.

Although competitor Santiago Portillo did not win this year, he “didn’t regret [participating]” because “it was fun seeing others going through the same pain as [he was going through].”

Portillo says that he had a plan to win. He planned on not using utensils, instead planning to use his hands to swallow the noodles “as soon as possible so [he could] win the gift card and deal with the pain afterward.” But clearly, he was mistaken. “As someone who isn’t good at eating spicy food, [he] was wrong,” he reflects.

A new addition to the competition was Joseph Luongo, one of Malden High’s art teachers. Fox states that he is “one of the only teachers who participated,” noting that she urges each year other teachers to think about joining the competition.

Fox says that “he is a much braver man than [she] is.”

This is not the ACC’s only event, however. The Spicy Noodle Challenge is meant mainly to raise money and awareness for the club’s other activities. Their “biggest” event, according to Ms. Fox, is the Lunar New Year Festival in which they pair up with Chinese Culture Connection.

Chinese Culture Connection (CCC) has been based in Malden since 1999, and has been a long time partner with Malden High students.

They focus on improving harmony between cultures, and “build bridges between American and Chinese people through interactive educational programs,” according to their website.

May Hung from the CCC is a collaborator with the ACC, bringing many people from across Boston to perform in the Lunar New Year Festival. The event itself is comparable to a talent show but showcases exclusively Asian culture. The ACC is already preparing for the event, which will take place in February of 2019.

Asian Culture Club is also looking to do more events promoting Asian culture alongside the CCC to further extend the impact of their efforts. They are considering food and clothing workshops, but the details of these events are still not concrete.

In the words of Santiago Portillo, students are “definitely down” to attend future events hosted by the Asian Culture Club.

Math Team at Malden High School Sabrina Monteiro Head of Local

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

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

the wrong light.”

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

MHS used to have a math team and Tran revived it again by discussing the possibility of bringing it back with Math Teacher Leader, Cara Joyce, who then referred him to math teacher, Thomas Snarsky, and, since then, Tran has been working with him to set up the math team.

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

Senior, Simon Cen, a member of the team, says that the start of the team began by talking it over with Tran about “seeing what it would be

like having a club that had enthusiastic people that wanted to work with math. Moreover, on the other spectrum, [they] also talked about having a more serious part of the math club: the competitive side.”

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

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

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

the same interests.”

The President of the club would also like to emphasize that “it won’t be like a math class, [he promises]!” and along with Cen who agrees and is speaking on behalf of both the math team and club, saying that “[They] welcome math levels of all kinds. Don’t worry if you don’t think you have the skills to “do math.” You might even want to try out for the math team. [They will] be attending math competitions where you and your friends can be challenged. You never know what you might like until you try it.”

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

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

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Local News

The Blue and Gold November 2018

maldenblueandgold.com

Julie Yu Lead Reporter

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he Chinese Culture Collaboration in collaboration with Malden Reads, hosted an event centered on the novel, ‘Beijing to Boston.’

The novel is written by Gordon Mathieson and Hengjia Liu and has a unique feature, where the storyline is written in both English and Mandarin.

The story features four Student exchange students from China visiting Boston for the fall term and four American 17 year-olds, spend spring semester in Beijing. Mathieson stated that “each chapter has the two main characters, Lanhua and Kayla, experiencing culture gaps and overlaps from their own native upbringing.”

The book took about three years to research and write. Mathieson and Liu “talked to students, teachers in the U.S. and in China.” The inspiration for the storyline came from a “student exchange program,” and they used that “as [a] vehicle to support” the series of events that occur in the book.

Mathieson stated that “the purpose of Beijing to Boston is to educate Chinese and American people about the two cultures.” He added that Beijing to Boston was “the first book to educate in an entertaining way [where the] topic [engages] readers of all ages.”

Liu explained that “[they wanted] to encourage people to be brave enough to travel to different countries to explore different cultures.”

Mathieson thought that by using both English and Mandarin it “[encouraged] students to have their parents read the books,” and it also provided an enjoyable reading for “Chinese kids to improve their English, and for westerners to im-

Beijing to Boston prove their Mandarin.”

Mathieson’s hopes that from reading the book, the reader will learn that “we must all learn to understand and respect other nations’ cultures if we are truly becoming a global society.” He added that he and Liu discussed what kind of resources would help student who are learning Chinese. They decided on a book about building and developing the “cultural bridge” between cultures.

Liu found that she “shared a lot in common [with Mathieson] [...] [they] decided to work together on something [that] will benefit students and young adults that are trying to explore [the] Chinese and American cultures.”

The US government sent Mathieson to Yale University to study Mandarin. Roughly, one year later he visited Taiwan to work and study the culture. He returned to Yale and tutored students in ESL (English as Second Language) from Taiwan.

Mathieson learned that their deficit in American culture could use additional assistance. He believes that “this book [has been] long overdue to help Chinese and Americans understand respectfully each others’ culture as well as language.”

Mathieson originally met Mei Hung, the executive director of the Chinese Culture Connection, at an event in Boston many years ago.

She reached out to him in the past to speak at CCC (Chinese Culture Connection) in Malden, since “[he had] published a Young Adult, Chinese American amateur Detective series.” Mathieson explained that he “wanted to wait until [he] had the book that was a good match for her organization.” After the publication of ‘Beijing to Boston,’ he contacted Hung and they began planning.

(From left to right) Gordon Mathieson, Linda Zalk, Mei Hung, Katrina Chang, Neima Joseph, Daniel Huang, Hengjia Liu, Jodie Zalk, and Lily Chen. Photo submitted by Mei Hung.

(Top) One of the two lions in the Lion Dance Performance. Photo by Julie Yu. (Bottom) The Lions begin to interact with each other and the crowd. Photo by Julie Yu. Hung explained that Chinese students, Katrina Chang, Daniel Culture Connection has collabo- Huang, Neima Joseph, and Lily rated with Malden Reads numerous Chen. times in the past. She expressed that Alongside the wedding perthe members of Malden Reads are formance, the Malden High Asian eager to learn more about Chinese Culture Club Lion Dance made their culture, and many other diverse debut with a traditional lion dance cultures in the Malden community. performance. The group of performHung further explained that “[they] ers practiced a few hours everyday will continue to support that inter- after school for two weeks, learning est and continue building bridges the different stunts and improving between the Asian community and and altering their dance along the the mainstream community.” way.

The mission of Chinese CulSophomore, Jimmy Ton stated ture Connection is to promote that he has been lion dancing since “intercultural harmony [which] the age of four, making this year fits nicely with the theme of the his 11th year. “Growing up [his] book depicting the experiences of family lion danced,” which meant two high school students,” stated he did not really have a choice. He Hung. She hoped that the book with explained how at first he did not “inspire people to take more inter- find much interest in lion dancing. est in learning each other’s culture, Although, throughout the years he especially in our diverse [Malden] has developed a strong connection community.” Hung further explains and passion for it. Ton stated that that she believes that “our world has his favorite part of the performances become so interrelated in so many were when the lions got to play and ways [...], it is very important for all interact with the crowd, and seeing of us to become more knowledge- the crowds reaction excited him able [...] [of] other cultures beyond even more. our own.”

Sophomore, Suiyenah Chen During the event, three Malden said that she joined Lion Dance Club High Students recreated a wedding to not only get a better understandscene, since one of the characters in ing of her culture, but to also “[emthe book was invited to go to China brace her] culture.” to be one of the bridesmaids at a Chinese Culture Connection wedding. and Malden Reads hope to host In the book, one of the students more cultural centered events in the from Boston was invited to China to future, for students and families to be a bridesmaid at a wedding. Dur- get a sense of the diverse cultures ing the event, Malden High School we have in the Malden community.

Local News

The Blue and Gold November 2018

Malden Reads Neden Bernadin Lead Reporter

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ach year, the Malden Reads committee selects a book for the school district along with the community to read. For the upcoming year, the book chosen as the main selection is Lisa See’s psychological fiction novel, The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane.

The title of the novel is a specific reference to the origin story of the main character, Li-yan, who “grows up on Hummingbird Lane in California, but starts all the way back in China,” as explained by Jodie Zalk, one of the co-founders and co-facilitators of the Malden Reads committee. Zalk continues on to describe that the setting which Li-yan and her family live in is rural, with mountains and a “very remote” community.

Essentially, the novel tells the story of Li-yan during her adolescent years, as she ends up “having to give away her baby [who] ends up on Hummingbird Lane.” Zalk describes the novel as “a really interesting story about how tea grows,” a story about the different cultures and connections within China, especially the relationship between mothers and daughters.

After selecting several different genres of books over past years, Zalk along with the rest of the committee realized they had the important opportunity to bring awareness and focus to the Asian community, which a book like The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane would be able to accomplish.

Zalk also revealed that Malden Reads will be collaborating with the Chinese Culture Connection for an upcoming Chinese New Year celebration. Another theme that Malden Reads plans to address is the relationship between mothers and daughters and how adoption shapes motherhood.

Committee member Martha Bezzat added that Malden Reads has “ been hoping for a long time to have a book that celebrates Chinese culture,” to not only work within the Chinese community but to also “ honor their heritage.”

For the students within the Malden Public School district, the main book will be offered at the High School with other companion books for the lower grades. The committee really wanted to select books that “each of the different levels of students can read and interact with,” while reflecting that same theme as the main book.

Overall, what Malden Reads hopes to accomplish with this main selection is to have “a rich celebration of the Chinese culture“ and to bridge the gap between the communities together.

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maldenblueandgold.com

Courtyard Closed Until Further Notice Yasmine Alayan Reporter

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rincipal Chris Mastrangelo recently stated in the morning announcements that courtyard privileges were no more. Students were originally allowed to go to the courtyard during the four lunch blocks, but Mastrangelo says that these privileges were taken away because of the lack of students cleaning up after themselves.

In the interview Mastrangelo mentioned the countless amount of warnings he and the staff sent out to the students leading up to the shut down. In his own words, “a small percentage of kids that didn’t [clean up] just affects the greater masses.”

He said that he actually really loves the fact that students get the opportunity to eat outside, and did not want to take this privilege away.

He says that he actually tried to solve the problem without shutting down the courtyard, by making the janitors put out more trash cans. However, students were still not cleaning up after themselves.

He adds that “It’s simple respect, because eating outside is a privilege, but when you don’t treat privileges a certain way they get taken away.”

Students have also not been

The courtyard at MHS. Photo by Idriss Touati. cleaning up after themselves in the cafeteria, causing Marilyn Slattery, the Holland house principal, to make less tables available to sit at in the cafeteria.

“This is a new phenomenon,” Mastrangelo explained, talking about an incident where a student was sitting next to a trash can, but walked away from the table leaving his tray behind. For the most part Mastrangelo was on his own to make this decision, but he did consult the staff and teachers working in the lunch room and they all agreed with him. The day he officially made the decision, he was pushed to it, due to the courtyard being a mess. As Mastrangelo put it, “it was bad out there, [there were] 8-10 trays and

just trash everywhere.” Mastrangelo voiced his frustrations with this issue, saying that “this is something you learn as a child, [to] clean up after yourself.”

But Mastrangelo knows that the Malden High school students are “better than this,” and he does plan to reopen the courtyard very soon, though he has not decided on a specific date. Once it is reopened, if changes aren’t made and students still do not clean up after themselves Mastrangelo made it clear he will reclose it for a much longer period of time, if necessary. Mastrangelo’s words to all the students at Malden High School are, “this is our school, and school can be beautiful or it can be a mess, it’s up to you.”

Zombie Tag Julie Yu Lead Reporter

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he Halloween festivities began early this year, as the Fine Arts Club hosted their annual Zombie Tag event on October 23rd, 2018.

President of Fine Arts Club, My Hua stated that her “favorite part of Zombie Tag [was] sitting in the main office watching students run from [the] zombies.” She explains that her and the other officers found it hilarious when they could catch a short glimpse “on screen, [...] of a group of kids running away from a single zombie or a hoard of them.”

After receiving the principal’s approval on the event, secretary, Sabrina Alayan “designed flyers immediately, and [the Fine Arts Club hung] them up” around the school, and promoted the event, said Hua. She mentioned that the planning process began two to three weeks prior to the event date. Hua described the planning process as “not difficult” given that “the whole officer team and club members [were] available to help as well.”

Art teacher, Joseph Luongo explained that after players passed in their ticket, they receive a bandana and are ordered to either tie it around their arm or if they are a zombie they need to have the bandana around their neck. He continued by saying that they asked people to bring in clean socks, and to use them to the human’s advantage. If the human

threw a sock at the zombie before the zombie could get in contact with the human, the zombie would then have to stand still for 10 seconds.

The players were limited to the second and third floor only, but could roam around the three houses. Players could not hide in classrooms, bathrooms, and could not loiter around in the stairwells.

The game would automatically win when the zombies take over and there are no longer any humans.

Although they set a limit of 20 minutes for each game. If by the time 20 minutes is up, and there are still humans alive, the zombies lose.

Freshman, Nam Doan said that “events like Zombie Tag [are] more interactive,” and require more teamwork unlike many events he was used to middle school. His favorite part was watching peoples’ reaction when they see a zombie and try to not get caught. Doan believes that “events like Zombie Tag [reflects Malden High’s] good spirit by [bringing] people together socially,” and providing a place where students can easily make new friends.

Sophomore, Suiyenah Chen explained that the best part of Zombie Tag for her was “the rush of exhilaration and adrenaline as the bells [rung] and [the players] were running from hoards of people. She mentioned that this event shows that students are still able to “have fun together even though [they did

not] know half the people there,” Whether players knew each other or not they had to work together to achieve a common goals, which was to survive. Due to the fact that Chen participated in the event last year, she said that she was able to “[learn] some of the strategies such as hiding skills to survive.”

Sophomore, Karen Hoang stated that her favorite part of Zombie Tag was running away from zombies. She mentioned that “after a round or two, the humans eventually came up with a signal to show that they were safe, [which was] raising the arm with the bandana up silently waving at [other] humans.”

Hoang believes that “events like these bring out ... students’ leadership and teamwork skills.” She further explained that many groups “brought out a lot of creative ideas and [tactics] to win the game. Hoang said that one group even brought in a drone “and flew it around to scout the area.”

The proceeds made from Zombie Tag will be used for funding for future events that the Fine Art Club will host such a their annual Gingerbread decorating event during Christmas time. Vice President, Paolina Fornari stated that they hope to “hold events that are fun and appeal to everyone.” Hua mentioned that “the officers will be trying to set up another zombie tag event in the spring if [they] get permission.”

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Local News

The Blue and Gold November 2018

maldenblueandgold.com

African-Arabic Union Culture Club Luella Harding Reporter

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he African-Arabic Culture Union is a new club at Malden High School that interests students by educating members about African-Arabic culture to learning Arabic and travelling to places such as Morocco. The club is advised by Mr. Amine Yakine, and run by president Alain Joseph, vice president Sophia Kouhail, and secretary/treasurer Ina Liu. Amine Yakine, the advisor of the club and new history teacher at MHS, was first approached by a group of students in the beginning of the year who wanted to create this club. Being of African-Arabic descent, he thought it was a great idea. Yakine was born in Casablanca, Morocco, and moved here with his family when he was very young. The African-Arabic Culture Union allowed him to give students the “opportunity to connect and reconnect to their roots” in a fun, welcoming environment. As a result, students seem to love it.

Reem Bouchara, an officer of the club and freshman at Malden High, says this club makes her “feel involved.” She continues on to say that she “[meshes] well with the people [in the club]” and feels “united and empowered.”

Additionally, students in the club have expressed an interest in learning Arabic. At the club’s second meeting on Thursday, October 18th, Yakine explained how “Arabic is a very accessible language,” and he “want[s] to inspire people to learn and pursuit the Arabic language.”

Already, the club has proposed cooking workshops, movie nights, cultural presentations, and much more to come. They are also working to approve multiple trips out of the country. On their list so far is Morocco (April 2019!), Ethiopia, Senegal, and hopefully Asia somewhere in their future.

Yakine wanted the group to travel to Morocco first is for many reasons. First, he explains that he “wanted to provide students with an international experience, and Morocco [has to do with his] interests and academic expertise.” He goes on to explain how “Morocco is like a mini Africa, with lots of culture,” and because of this, it seemed like the perfect place to take students.

The second and third trips to Ethiopia and Senegal have similar reasons for being chosen. There are over 80 ethnic groups in Ethiopia, and it is one of the oldest Christian states in the world. Along with being very rich in culture and history, Yakine says “the world has a lot to

From left to right: Alain Joseph, president of the AAUCC; Amine Yakine, advisor of the AAUCC; Ina Liu, treasure/secretary of the AACUC; Mohamed Chorfi a fellow officer. Not shown in photo, Sophia Kouhail, Vice President of the AAUCC. Photo taken by Roxane Leon. Collage by Julie Huynh.

(Above) African-Arabic Culture Union Club advisor Amine Yakine and both the Treasurer and Secretary candidates.

(Right, top to bottom): Freshman Inderbir Singh campaigning in front of the club for President.

Club advisor, Amine Yakine and the members of the African-Arabic Culture Union Club.

learn from them.”

The African-Arabic Culture Union is still waiting for approval from principal Chris Mastrangelo for the trip to Morocco, but everyone is looking forwards to these upcoming trips. Yakine says, “[it is] going to be an experience you will never forget.”

So far, there are about 35 students in the club and counting. For students wishing to join, according to Yakine, “[there are] no requirements to join, only an interest in African-Arabic culture and an open mind.” Overall, the club is looking forwards to a very successful year.

The African-Arabic Culture Union holds meetings every Thursday in room Br484.

The Blue and Gold November 2018

Local News maldenblueandgold.com

Veterans Parade 2018 Julie Yu Lead Reporter

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he Malden community gathered together to honor those who have served the United States at the annual Veteran Day Parade. On November 11, 2018, groups like the Malden High Band, Malden Police Department, and many other groups participated in the parade.

Everyone was instructed to meet at the Beebe School at 9:00. The different groups got into formation and began the route to Devir Park, where a ceremony was held after the parade.

After everyone made their way over to Devir Park, the ceremony began, and the mayor alongside other elected city officials were introduced to the crowd. A majority of ceremony was spent discussing and unveiling the new monument which is now displayed at Devir Park.

Mayor, Gary Christenson stated that “the memorial was to recognize and thank the men and women from Malden who fought in the first World War.” He further explained that “this tribute was especially significant because the unveiling and dedication of the monuments took place on the 100th anniversary of the end of that war.”

Christenson mentioned that the monument was a long term project that required time. He explained that the project took roughly 18 months and was officially finished the Friday before the parade.

Malden High YMCA Leaders Club volunteered at the parade, offering help to the Band. Treasurer of the YMCA Leaders, Angela Truong thought that it was a good idea to have this parade as an option for volunteers to “honor the brave soldiers” who served for the United States. Volunteers helped carry fake

guns, banners, and flags leading the band, while others trailed behind the band and marched along with them.

Sophomore, Suiyenah Chen was one of the many volunteers at the parade for YMCA Leaders. She expressed how she had a great time marching behind the band “because [they] looked and sounded good.”

Chen also explained that she is very surprised by the band’s ability to “play [their] instrument while walking in the cold weather.” She also mentioned that she “personally [likes] volunteering and helping people out if they need it,” which is why she decided to attend the parade.

Music Teacher, Erin O’BrienMazza stated that the band played two songs, “Washington Post and Taps.” She explained that “Washington Post [was] a very old traditional march by Sousa.” She also mentioned that “it is the song [the band] play for all of the patriotic parades.

“Taps is the song that every military event has played to recognize the soldiers who have died serving,” the United States, said O’Brien-Mazza.

Senior, Jesaias Benitez, sophomore, Wilson Chau, and freshman, Shai Cohen performed “Taps” during the ceremony.

Flutist, Alissa Schopp expressed that wind ensemble “did not practice the [songs] for very long because [they] have played it,” in the past. Although she thought that “concert band practiced in class more often,” due to the fact that the class consists of many freshman “who have never heard [the songs] before.” Schopp thinks that “parades are difficult because [it is] a lot of walking and it takes focus to play and walk at the same time.”

Malden Veterans have become a significant asset to the city, and hope to revisit the monument in the future years.

Top to bottom, left to right: Band members Dijana Masic, Libby Taylor, Salma Bezzat, Renet Chan and Sebastian Romani pose for a picture. Photo curtesy of Nefira Masic. Mayor Christenson and community members convene around Devir Park. Photos by Julie Yu.

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entertainment

The Blue and Gold November 2018

maldenblueandgold.com

Bohemian Rhapsody Movie Review Cristopher Correa Lead Reporter

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he long awaited Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody released in American theaters on November 2nd, 2018.

Queen is one of the most beloved bands of all time, so this movie had enormous shoes to fill.

This movie has been in development since 2010, when Sacha Baron Cohen was cast as Freddie Mercury.

Cohen wanted the movie to go deep into the life of Mercury and discuss and explore the dark components of his social life.

Due to creative differences between Cohen and the producers, Cohen left the project in 2013. The project remained in stasis, until Rami Malek was cast as Mercury in 2016 and filming began in 2017 with Bryan Singer directing. Even though Singer was fired late 2017 due to clashes with the cast and crew, he was given sole director credit, and Dexter Fletcher was hired to complete the film.

Bohemian Rhapsody follows the life of Queen frontman Fred-

die Mercury leading until Queen’s Live-Aid performance at Wembley Stadium in 1985. The casting for this movie was terrific and Malek delivers a sensational performance as Mercury. The character of Freddie Mercury is very complex and it is very hard to have an actor replicate him exactly, however Malek puts his own spin on the character and it is extremely enjoyable to watch.

The rest of the cast is fantastic as well, with Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy and Joseph Mazzello playing Brian May (lead guitarist), Roger Taylor (drummer) and John Deacon (bass guitarist) respectively. All these actors looked the part, however each stereotypically were given basic personalities. Hardy is the comical relief in the film and Mazzello and Lee are both quiet but necessary characters in the film, with Mazzello in particular getting the least character development of the three. This is not an issue with the film, however Queen fans may get annoyed with how basic and waterdowned they portrayed the other members other than Mercury.

The aspect of the film that

makes it standout is the soundtrack.

The main focus of the movie is establishing Queen’s journey through the musical industry and thus the audience gets to see some of the magic between the creation of hit songs such as “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “We Will Rock You”, “Another One Bites The Dust”, and plenty more. Along with the creation of many songs, we also get to see many performances as the movie shows Queen on tour which eventually leads to the fantastic Live-Aid concert recreation.

The director and crew did a great job recreating the numerous memorizing concerts that the band performed and did a terrific job of bringing Queen to life. Queen touched the lives of many people due to their unique style of creating and performing songs, and I do not doubt that this movie will bring joy to every Queen fan. While there were historical inaccuracies concerning the timeline of production of songs and of personal events in Mercury’s life, this movie is still a great dive into their life. It doesn’t dwell and explore the dark, traumatic moments in Mercury’s life,

and while that may seem like it lowers the influence of this film, to me it makes it more accessible to people unfamiliar with Queen.

The story of Queen and of Freddie Mercury isn’t a story that can be exactly recreated in film, and though Mercury’s early, eventual death is a tragedy for the music industry, their story never truly ends. The legacy that Queen left behind will outlive the terrible parts of their life. This movie doesn’t need to go into detail into Mercury’s dark personal life because that is not what he should be remembered for. He touched the lives of many through his voice and Bohemian Rhapsody does a terrific job of delivering that message to the audience.

I would highly recommend this movie to anybody who is a Queen fan and even if you are not familiar with their work this movie will give you a great insight into their journey and show you the meaning behind the band Queen.

Senior Year: Embracing the Unknown Ailin Toro Managing Editor of Web and Mobile Apps

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ll throughout high school, I have heard countless people utter the words “these four years will be over before you know it.” I never believed this though. In the midst of worrying about getting my essay done, or doing corrections for my math class, I did not stop and realize how quickly everything was happening. Weeks passed, then months, then years, and suddenly I became a senior.

Going into senior year, I was still naive. I was excited that it was my final year, and ready to move on to the next step.

What finally got me to realize the changing pace of my high

school career, was the beginning of the college application process. Everyone I know has been filling out financial aid forms, writing essays and supplements, and spending countless hours studying to get their standardized test scores up.

When I began to fill out my applications, I quickly realized that I did not even know where to start.

Some of my peers had their futures planned out, their major and first choice school, already having been decided on since they were younger.

This was not the case for me though.

Since I was five, adults have burdened me with the question of what I wanted to be when I grew up. In my kindergarten scrapbook, my answer to that question was a dentist. As time passed, my answers Submitted by Carolina Cuevas

changed. They ranged from a kindergarten teacher, to an author, and then to a social worker.

Now though, there is not one career, or even major, that I can let myself commit to. While so many of my peers are confident about the choices they are making, when people ask me what I am going to major in, all I can do is shrug and tell them that I don’t know. With so many people around me having a set plan for their futures, it would be easy for me to become frantic, and pressure myself into deciding on a major. However, instead of letting myself get trapped under these pressures, I have decided to embrace being unsure.

I am constantly changing, and will continue to do so for the rest of

my life. While it might be scary going into a college without knowing which path I will take, I am okay with that. I am okay with taking the required classes, until I find one that I love and that will lead me to where I am supposed to be. If I take a step back, and look at the bigger picture, I am still only a teenager. I still have so much of my life to live, and me not being sure about what I want to do for the rest of it should not be something that is frowned upon.

Instead of allowing myself to be consumed in the stress that comes with senior year, I am going to focus on enjoying my last year in high school. Senior year is something that I have been looking forward to all of my life, and I am not going to let outside worries ruin it.

The Blue and Gold November 2018

Entertainment maldenblueandgold.com

“His Dark Materials” Book Review Paul-Curtis Ngo Yon Reporter

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is Dark Materials is an Epic Fantasy Trilogy by British Author Philip Pullman. It is set in a parallel universe, similar to ours in many ways, but vastly different in many others. A world where witches fly, bears speak, and all humans have a physical representation of their soul in the form of an animal. It tells the story of Lyra Belacqua, a young woman struggling to understand her place in her world, and many others. She embarks on an mythical journey with larger than life characters and comes out of it with more questions than she began with.

Although the series of books set in this universe has now expanded to more than 7 books, it all started with the trilogy, containing 3 books titled “The Northern Lights”, “The Subtle Knife”, and “The Amber Spyglass”. Although they are taking place universe based in the fantasy realm, the books often challenge social standards, economic norms, and even the ideals of the All-So-Powerful Catholic church, discussing much deeper topics that spill into the real world. Especially

when exploring, in many ways, the meaning of free will. These books are filled with symbolism. It takes a while to uncover the meaning behind things, but once you dig a bit, you start understanding the deeper meaning of things.

“The Northern Lights”, also known here in the United States as “The Golden Compass”, is the first book in the trilogy. In many ways it is the setup for many of the main plot points in the latter books. It sets up the main universe in which the main character in born and goes into details about its nature, its traditions, its institutions, and cultures.

It does work up some character traits by giving back stories, but not enough to have completely flushed out well rounded characters at this point, but it serves as a good setup for the next two books.

“The Subtle Knife” is the second book in the series, directly following the first, where characters are explored here more so than any other book. In fact, this book, although it has a solid storyline and a valid lesson, is much more about building characters because the world is already very well setup from the first book. This is where we start to

get fully flushed out characters, see their point of views and understand their motives. It does leave some characters on the back burner, but that’s because it’s setting them up to be major characters in the third and final book.

“The Amber Spyglass” is the final book of the trilogy. By this point the world and most of the characters have been introduced and flushed out, so the story goes full steam ahead. The few characters that were not deeply explored in “The Amber Spyglass” are given a full backstory and motives and incentives. This is the climax of the trilogy. Things get crazy, motives get revealed, secrets get exposed, people die! And after a long series of unexpected plot twists, the story is finally drawn to an end, leaving the reader speechless...and craving more.

Throughout the years, “His Dark Materials” has been called everything from “Anti-Christian” to “straight up evil”, and it is undoubtedly controversial, but it does seem to be a must read for people who want to truly explore their own definition of what it means to be a part of society as a whole, religious or otherwise. It is a Trilogy for the ages.

Venom Movie Review Anthony Nappa Reporter

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enom is a very important character in the Spider-Man franchise, and after his introduction in the comics, Venom was quickly recognized as Spider-Man’s rival. Sony began planning on the Venom movie after the release of Spider-Man 3 where Venom made an appearance, which left fans wanting more. After 10 years, Sony announced the Venom movie on February 8th, 2018 with a planned release of October 5th, 2018. Months later, the Venom movie was finally released with mixed reviews, 7/10 IMDB, 30% Rotten Tomatoes. Here’s my take on it: the Venom movie was a good movie and I would give it a 7/10. I will be basing my review on a couple of categories, these include acting, CGI, the soundtrack, humor, lore, and the plot.

The plot of this movie is about a man named Eddie Brock who is successful in life. However, after a failed interview costs Eddie and his fiancee their job, the two break up and he heads towards a downward spiral. Meanwhile, a man named Carlton Drake is experimenting on symbiotes, while costing the lives of many people. Eddie breaks into the facility and is accidentally infected with the symbiote Venom. He starts

to experience changes and learns there is no way to get rid of Venom and they learn to work together and take down the strongest symbiote Riot, who is trying to infect all of Earth with symbiotes.

The movie’s acting was pretty good, especially Tom Hardy’s and Michelle Williams performance.

Other performances in the movie were pretty mediocre, for example, Riz Ahmed/Carlton Drake. The character’s motives were unrealistic but other than that the acting was pretty good, nothing was bad enough to be completely noticeable.

The main part of the movie is the CGI which in this movie was acceptable. Some moments in the movie were pretty cartooney like when Venom scares his neighbor, a scene that is in the trailer. Most parts of the movie, however, did have good CGI like when Venom bites off heads and when Venom protects Eddie from danger. The fight scenes are where the Venom movie shines, the CGI is great in the action scenes. You can see each little branch of the symbiote, each fight scene leaves you on your toes and are the best parts of the movie.

The soundtrack was good, it wasn’t completely noticeable throughout the movie but when you noticed it, it definitely matched the scenes you were watching. Eminem

even made a song called “Venom” for the credit section of the movie which was great and even made me sit through the credits to finish the song. If you are going to see the movie sit through the credits and see the after credit scene that implies a sequel for the movie and even sets up the villain.

The humor of the movie was actually really good, the humor was definitely the best between the interactions of Eddie and Venom, especially when the symbiote first attaches to Eddie and the cravings that Eddie experiences because of Venom. Venom talks to Eddie in Eddie’s head which leads Eddie to believe he’s crazy. I won’t spoil it but the humor is very entertaining and is a good filler for the boring parts of the movie.

Finally the lore, the lore is a huge part of Marvel movies and this movie is very good at setting up a fictional world, if you are not aware of the world, this movie takes place in an alternate universe where Spider-Man never existed, this change is very interesting as it leaves Venom being the good guy and even fighting evil. This leaves a whole new world for fans to explore.

In conclusion, Venom is a very good movie and I would definitely recommend this to you if you’re a Marvel fan or a Spider-Man fan.

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Young Sinatra IV Album Review Paul-Curtis Ngo Yon Reporter

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oung Sinatra IV is a Studio Album by Maryland rapper Logic, released on September 28th, 2018.

It was his fourth Studio Album and a return to the “Boom Bap Trap” sound that originally made him popular in the first place. Logic is a Biracial conscious rapper who, on many occasions, has used his platform to address his own struggle with race and his identity. Although he does take a back step in this album from deep world issues to talk about fun and youth, the concept is still to spread his favorite message: peace, love, and positivity.

The cover art, a mugshot of Logic in black and white, is a replica and an homage to both Frank Sinatra’s mugshot, and his own earlier mixtapes. Logic has been heavily influenced by people like Frank Sinatra and Quentin Tarantino throughout the years, so much so that he has named some of his projects after them. Although he remains grounded in the same realm, Logic has a different concept for every one of his different album series.

The young Sinatra albums are usually more rooted in Boombap culture, while the “Bobby Tarantino” series is a trap music experience for people who just want to plug in and have fun. The rest of his albums are pretty conceptual and are filled with conscious content.

With his return on this album, Logic immediately made a huge print in the hip-hop culture, bringing together all remaining members of the Wu-Tang clan on one song named “Wu-Tang Forever,” making a stereotypical Wu-Tang sound fit flawlessly in a Logic album. He also has songs like “The Glorious Five” where he tells a touching story over the beat, talking about how his father never having his back affected him as a young man and how he wishes he had understood his parents struggles earlier on in life. Then there are songs like “100 miles and running,” which features Wale. If you want to know what Logic truly sounds like, not just from a suicide hotline song, then listen to this one.

This song is the prototypical Logic sound at its best, mixing deep lyrical content with a very fun, fast-paced, killer sharp flow. Proving yet again, for anyone who may have forgotten, why Logic is undoubtedly still among of the best of the top tier lyricists in the world.

With that said YS IV turns out to be Logic’s most iconic and boldest album yet. He finds a clear sound of his own while collaborating with a plethora of talented features. The album shines as one of his finest works while standing aside from any of his conscious music. It’s just a fun album but it’s not trap, it’s “Boom Bap.”

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Profiles

The Blue and Gold November 2018

maldenblueandgold.com

New Math Teacher: Evan Hughes Brandon Wong Reporter

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alden High has introduce the new CP Math teacher, Evan Hughes. This will be Hughes’ first year of teaching full time. Hughes brought his teaching experience in New York to the table.

As a child, Hughes’ had many great experiences with his previous math teachers, influencing him New math teacher at Malden High School, Evan Hughes. Photo by Falyn Kelley. to teach Math. As Hughes fondly recounted his fourth as well as impression of Hughes, she said was some symmetry there” Joyce fifth grade math teacher, he stated “he immediately was sharing an expressed positively.

Originally from New York City, “[they] did a lot of cool stuff, not tra- interest with working with English ditional worksheets but math games Language Learners, some people Hughes earned his Bachelor’s and to help learn math ” His fourth and are more enthusiastic, more excited Master’s degree at New York Unififth grade teacher has definitely about working with English Lan- versity, then enrolled in classes at influenced how Hughes will teach guage Learners then others. And so Boston University. His knowledge as he explains a card game which he to see that true excitement from him, of mathematics and the content that describes the 24 card game where it interest, desire to work with that he teaches was something that was consists of having four numbers on population of students was really spoken very highly of by Chris Mastrangelo in which he stated “not just a card and attempt to make 24 with positive in my mind.”

Hughes is bilingual, speaking math so to speak but the history of the numbers on the card.

Despite his focus on math, Spanish fluently. With that, he is math. Famous mathematicians, and Hughes focused on a specific genre able to reach to some students and you can see that excitement come of math that is focused on English help them. Replacing Berenice Diaz, through.”

When in the classroom, Hughes Language Learners (ELL). When who is also bilingual, was someCara Joyce recounted her first thing that was “kind of nice, there is still “learning” said Laura Gould.

Hughes has began incorporating good routines in class such as swapping out phones for calculators, and adding more student discussion questions.

The efforts made by Hughes seems to be working, “Every week, things get better and better and it’s really awesome to see” Gould started, “[he is] generally somebody who has a lot of ideas, very open to listening to feedback and using that feedback to create some new lessons, and continue to explain, “[he is] definitely, kind of absorbs everything [that is] going around him, [he is] learning so much and [it is] kind of cool to see that.”

Hughes recounted how he had a teacher’s assistant in one of his courses, who talked about how like math, history education is lacking which that led him to look into it. “So whenever [he] see[s] a math formula, or a specific problem, [he] take[s] a look into what was the origin of that.” Hughes continues even further, diving into the people behind the math, and how they contributed to the development of math.

New Biology Teacher Michael Berman Carlos Aragon Aldana Reporter

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ith the start of a new year, Malden High welcomes a new Biology teacher, Mr. Michael Berman. He previously taught as a student teacher, and now teaches here at Malden High. As a student teacher, he was well liked by both students and teachers.

Mr. Berman, while growing up, wanted to be a Marine Biologist, not a Biology Teacher. He went to UMASS Boston and got his Master’s Degree there. Later, he went to a small town called Kirksville, Missouri, and attended the school Truman State University. He is certified to teach German and Biology. Right now, he is working on his Chemistry

Diploma, and he expresses interest to teach in ESL, however his diploma is still pending.

After graduating, he realized that “he just really liked teaching” and he became a student-teacher.

Now, he is teaching Biology here at Malden High School. He says that “Malden High is very large” but, he “went to a school larger than here” so it’s not really outside of his comfort zone. However, he says that he stays in his room and “doesn’t know where everything is.” He says that he loves “both the students and the teachers” and that “everyone is really great.”When he teaches he “prefers that students do an activity,

New Biology teacher at Malden High School, Michael Berman. Photo by Falyn Kelley. even if it’s just making a poster or something, opposed to having to sit through a lecture.” When asked to describe himself, he says that he is calm, fair, and he “enjoys being with students.”

Mr. Mastrangelo said that he is “smart, chill, and nice” and that he received many recommendations saying to hire Berman. Mr. Mastrangelo received thirty applicants for

the open job, and he only scheduled interviews with five, and he knew that hiring Berman was the right move.

Ms. Escovitz, his house principal, says that he has a “good teaching style” and that he “knows what freshman need to succeed. She also said that he had a “great start” and that he is “very clear with students, offering a lot of support to them.”

The Blue and Gold November 2018

Profiles

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maldenblueandgold.com

New Health Teacher Nathan O’Leary Jana Elshafey Reporter

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athan O’Leary, the new health teacher at Malden High, is excited to be teaching at Malden High school this year.

What attracted him to this school were the demographics because they were very representative of the country. He said that Malden High is “like a slice of America,” and for him, diversity was a pull factor and it interested him as an educator to have diversity in the environment around him.

This is not his first time teaching. O’Leary has been teaching for 5 years. Not only did he teach Health, he also taught Social Studies, as well as Journalism when he was in college. O’Leary has a lot of experience with teaching in schools because he taught in Holyoke, Massachusetts, Brookline, Massachusetts, and now Malden.

O’Leary also lived in multiple places such as New York and Iowa.

He moved to New York in his early 30’s and a few years later, he moved to Iowa. Now, he is back in Massa-

Ericka Fermon Reporter

New Health Teacher at Malden High School, Nathan O’Leary. Photo by Falyn Kelley. chusetts, where he was born.

He always wanted to be a teacher, but what he wanted to teach changed. O’Leary “wanted to be a sociology professor,” but he did not want to attend graduate school right after college. He “wanted to live a little.” However, he did attend a university and he is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

For fun, O’Leary enjoys walking along the beach because he lives in Winthrop. Another thing he en-

joys doing is traveling. Sometimes, he takes the weekends away with his wife. On other weekends, he works on house projects because he recently bought a house that he is trying to repair. He tries to live a healthy lifestyle.

Surprisingly, O’Leary has a three legged cat named Starfish.

Starfish was rescued when she was found in Boston where she was hit by a car. O’Leary would visit her at the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

(MSPCA) and he would also visit her in the hospital. He ended up adopting Starfish and now she lives with him. It’s good to know that we have caring people in this world.

Many students enjoy having O’Leary as their health teacher. Anthony Nappa, one of his students said, “he’s a fun teacher and he’s funny as well. He tells lots of stories in class.”

O’Leary tries to make his class enjoyable and fun, but educational at the same time. He doesn’t like phones. “He’ll take your phone away if he sees it open in class” said Nappa, a student in O’leary’s health class.

So far, teaching in Malden High has been going very well for O’Leary. He thinks the students are very hardworking and very driven.

What surprised him was that the students at Malden High have a higher interest in health than the students he taught at other schools. O’Leary hopes that people get excited about health. He said, “it can be a very fun class if people treat it that way and it can be a very interesting class.”

O’Leary is hoping to enjoy Malden High and he hopes that students enjoy his class.

New Adjustment Counselor: Benjamin Butler a plan for the day.

When asked what he wishes for the students and teachers of MHS to think of when they hear the words “school adjustment counselor,” he replies “[he] would hope that they think of counseling as a calm and safe place of additional emotional help to students.”

Butler is passionate about his job and sincerely cares about every student’s emotional health and well being. He is someone you can go to and feel comfortable to talk when feeling stressed about school life or having difficulty in your social and home life.

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enjamin Butler is a new adjustment counselor at Malden High.

His room is located on the second floor of the Jenkins House.

Butler got his degree in social work in 2001 and worked at the Linden-STEAM Academy as an adjustment counselor for the last ten years.

He explains that he really wanted to gain some experience with working with older students so he came to work at MHS. When asked what it is like to work at MHS he replied “[it has] been great so far,” he says he has really enjoyed working here at MHS. “I have met some amazing students and I have reconnected with some students that I knew when they were in second and third grade when I was at Linden.” He continues to explain that he already knows some of the challenges all high school students are facing these days.

“Mostly I just want to be as helpful as I can to the students and their families and I really enjoy hearing all the personal stories students have to tell about their lives,” explaining that this is what motivated

New Adjustment Counselor at Malden High School, Benjamin Butler. Photo by Ericka Fermon. him to be an adjustment counselor to the students.

Butler hopes to make as many connections with the teachers, students, and their families as he can in the upcoming months. He would like to hear more from students about how the counseling department can be better at helping the students so that they can make the improvements needed to benefit and help students in a more efficient

way.

Butler shares that during his free time he plays hockey, and enjoys playing music. He can also even play a couple of instruments such as the guitar and mandolin. Butler is a family man as he really enjoys spending time with his family during his free time as well. He continues to share that he is a morning person, so his favorite time of day is in the early morning when he makes

Pages 16 and 17 only reflect a fraction of the new teachers and staff members at Malden High School in the 2018-2019 school year. We are working to publish each article, and each new teacher will have their profiles posted on the website, maldenblueandgold.com, so check back to read more new teacher profiles.

Opinion

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The Blue and Gold November 2018

maldenblueandgold.com

Should the Federal Minimum Wage be Raised to $15/Hour?

In the second edition of our Debate page, Sydney Stumpf and Abhishek Rana provide two different sides to the question “Should the federal minimum wage be increased to $15/hour?” Stumpf took the “Yes” side while Rana took the “No” side. Let us know what you think about the issue on maldenblueandgold.com.

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Abhishek Rana Editor in Chief of Web and Mobile Apps

Sydney Stumpf Editor in Chief of Print

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ffective as of November, 2018, all Amazon employees make an hourly wage of $15. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has come under significant fire recently over the treatment of Amazon employees and his political ideologies. Although it is debatable for what reasons Bezos increased the minimum wage, everyone can agree that this is a positive decision for workers.

Bezos’ intentions may not be clear, but it is certain that the Fight for Fifteen movement helped him arrive at this decision. The movement has been around for a while now, and Bernie Sanders has been a major proponent of the federal minimum wage being raised to $15 an hour. As it currently stands, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. States have varying minimum wages, and Massachusetts has a state-wide minimum wage of $11.

However, by 2022, Massachusetts state government will be putting into effect a minimum wage of $15.

The Fight for Fifteen movement’s essential goal is to raise the federal minimum wage to $15, double what it currently is. What this could mean for people of all ages, all backgrounds, is tremendous. Working parents, single parents, individuals putting themselves through school and so many more could benefit from a federal minimum wage increase.

In cities across the United States, rents and housing costs are rising and the federal minimum wage is remaining stagnant. In some cities, it simply is too expensive for the average person to reside in. In Boston, Somerville, Malden, even, the cost of living is rising and has reached an all-time high. The average person working at minimum wage cannot afford a $1,200 monthly rent. They cannot afford to eat three meals a day, nor can they reasonably obtain higher education. Mothers and fathers struggle to make ends meet, providing all they can for their children.

Raising the minimum wage to $15 is the most logical solution to solve the financial issues many people in America currently face.

Opponents of the Fight for Fifteen argue that when the minimum wage increases, prices all around will increase, creating the same ratio

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of minimum wage to costs of living.

This is a valid argument and worry, although there is no necessary proof that concretely predicts this happening.

As a teenager, and I think many others may attest, working as I do, working for slightly above minimum wage, I could hardly afford to live on my own. It is unthinkable that working mothers and fathers, adults with dependents, work for minimum wage and somehow manage to get by. But that is all they are doing: getting by. Families across the United States cannot afford new clothing for their children, new books for school, going on to post secondary education, and many cannot definitively say that they will be able to afford to have three meals a day.

The federal government is doing little to protect Americans from financial instability, although they are given every opportunity to do so. Free public higher education is a reasonable solution to eliminate the financial burden that getting an education places on students and their families. Healthcare is another dimension of the federal subsidization that, if approached correctly, would lift financial burdens off of families and individuals. Citizens with specific health issues that need treatments which could cost a significant amount of money without health insurance, would benefit from free healthcare because their financial gains can be applied to rent, mortgage, food and any other expenses.

However, the federal government is doing none of this. The federal government is doing nothing to ensure the financial wellbeing of their citizens. The invisible wall between people and financial security is a wall created and maintained by the federal government. Without universal healthcare, without free public tuition, people who are working minimum wage jobs at less than $15 an hour are prevented from accessing healthcare, from accessing public education, let alone food, shelter and clothes. Without a federally mandated $15 hourly minimum wage, rents, mortgages and the cost of living across the nation are going to continue to inflate, while people will continue struggling to get by.

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$15 minimum wage seems like a noble idea, one that aims to improve the lives of workers, but what seems admirable in theory, would ultimately do more harm than good, if implemented. What promises to increase the incomes of minimum wage workers in the short-term, will in the long-term leave them unemployed.

When there is a price floor on wages at $15 an hour, more workers are willing to supply their labor at the price. However, by the same token, fewer employers demand labor at such a high price. Economists call this a surplus of supply and demand, which means that there are more workers supplying their labor than there are employers demanding that labor or willing to hire, leaving those people unemployed.

When the minimum wage is high, there is incentive for for-profit businesses to automate the jobs traditionally reserved for minimum wage employees. A nearby retail store is probably more than willing to hire a cashier for $11 an hour. However, when the wage increases to $15, it becomes more profitable for that retailer to invest in self-checkout cashiers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of fast-food workers, secretaries and cashiers all experienced a downward trend between 2016-2016—the number stood at -5% for fast-food workers and -17% for secretaries respectively. If the federal minimum wage increases, that downward trend will continue, making low-skilled, entry-level jobs harder to find.

Companies like Amazon have increased their minimum wages to $15 an hour, but that was each company’s own decision. It was a decision that was not government mandated, rather a decision made after public pressure and with the company’s own profit margins in mind. However, not every business generates the profit to afford to pay its employees a $15 minimum wage.

Consider a small business, for instance, it simply might not have the profit margins to afford to pay its employees $15 an hour. So there are two things the owner of the small business can do. It can increase its prices to meet the profit margin to pay its employees, which is bad for the consumers overall, or it can sim-

ply not hire additional employees, which would mean that there would be more people, who could have been otherwise employed, looking for a job. Furthermore, having to pay the mandated minimum wage may mean that a small business may not be able to afford to expand its business and hire even more workers.

Now multiply this scenario by the 1000s of small business with a small profit-margin around the country, and it becomes apparent why a mandated $15 minimum wage is a bad idea for both workers and the overall economy.

In addition, as an October 2018 study from Pew Research shows, $15 has different purchasing power depending on where you live in the country. The study estimates that “a $15 hourly wage yields $17.10 worth of purchasing power” in Spartanburg, South Carolina but “only $13.57 for a worker” in Kent, Washington. Now, if there is a $15 federally mandated minimum wage in an area like Spartanburg, that wage would be significantly higher comparatively than the wage of a worker that earns the same amount in California for example. Chances are that there are workers looking for minimum wage jobs that are more than willing to earn an $11 wage in Spartanburg. That is a competitive advantage compared to workers who want $15 an hour for that same job. However, because the federal minimum wage is at $15 an hour, that more desperate worker cannot take the job legally at $11 an hour even if he is willing to work at that lower wage.

When the minimum wage is set at $15, it eliminates the competitive advantage of some workers who are willing to offer their services at a lower salary. This mostly hurts students, most of whom are looking to make some quick cash. A higher minimum wage thus becomes an incentive for desperate workers to work under the table, a practice already prevalent in states with a higher minimum wage.

Ultimately, we cannot forget that businesses are for-profit institutions. While a minimum wage is necessary, when it is set too high, we risk forcing businesses to become welfare institutions, which ultimately harms the economy.

The Blue and Gold November 2018

Sports

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maldenblueandgold.com

Volleyball

The Girls Volleyball team during a match against Lynn Classical. Photo by David Cartledge.

Senior Captain Mirabelle Jean up.” She elaborates on how she has Louis elaborates on how the season improved on hitting, although she did not turn out the way she was ex- believes her serving can at times be pecting, which was making States, “questionable.” Overall, Jean Louis but is “extremely proud” of all the explains how she is fascinated with girls on both Varsity and JV. She how far she came, as well as how continues to explain that it being much she has improved as a player. her last season, she has gotten really Jean Louis describes that emoclose with her other teammates with tionally, it still has not hit her that the help of team bonding. this was her last season playing for As for goals, Jean Louis wanted MHS and still has yet to determine to get closer to her teammates and whether she will be playing in colhave a better chemistry with them lege or not as she says, “it is still a on the court. She goes on the de- decision [she] has to make.” scribe how she believes she has Although Jean Louis explains achieved that while explaining how that she did not have a solid relationeveryone on the team “has gotten so ship with Coach Jurkowski at first, much closer.” she describes how he “assured” her Jean Louis believes that that she can improve. She continues throughout her four years of play- to explain how he is constantly helping for MHS, she has improved as ing her become a better player while individual and has gotten a “step proving on her skills.

Similarly, Dias explain how their coach has helped her a great amount. She states, “he is just fantastic overall.” She believes that although he is a coach overall, he cares about them in general and wants them to do better.

Senior Captain Alicia Libby adds she is just happy to go out on a “good note” and win their last three games of the season. She continues to explain how this being her senior year, her and Jean Louis both wanted to make it a priority to make it to States in which she says it is still understandable.

Libby continues to describe as for improvements she has progressed and improved from the previous years. Emotionally, she explains that she was shocked when she found out she was captain but was “very happy.”

Although Libby has been contacted by colleges, she has yet to decide whether she will continue with the sport or not.

Libby adds on that Coach Jurkowski is “just the best overall” and cares for all of the team members on and off of the court.

Although this season resulted in more wins than the previous season, the Malden High Girls Volleyball team gave their best efforts in ending the season on a strong note.

a variety of players, such as offensive forwards Nguyen and Ashley Giang. Both players have led the teams in goals, while also working together to bring the ball up the field. Another notable component of this team is senior defender and Blue and Gold Managing Editor of Photography and Design Jesaias Benitez, who played a terrific game against Revere and was essential in sweeping the ball across the field numerous times.

Even though the team has improved drastically, there is always room for improvement. Nguyen believes that “the team could have been more aggressive with the ball and [attempted] to go to the ball more than either being passed to.”

Zhang also had similar concerns.

“There are always things that the team and myself can improve on,” Zhang says. One of the those is communication, “the talking on the field could be improved if [they] shouted and constantly communicated with each other.”

Overall after a season of up and downs, there was more positives than negatives. Compared to last season, the team now has more of a winning mentality and with the amount of talent the team has, it can

weight and pressure on the remaining varsity players and on the next captains, however [he is] sure [they will] rise to the occasion,” Nguyen concluded.

Jemisha Syliant Head Copy Editor

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ith a final record of 7-15, the MHS Girls Volleyball team have put forth their best efforts throughout the season.

Junior Captain Brenda Dias believes that the season went pretty well considering that their overall record is better than last years. However, she explains how the team still has to make improvements; she says that they are in a “rebuilding stage.”

As for the outcome of the season, Dias was expecting her and her teammates to make it to States, but is still proud of her teammates for having a better record than last year and “winning more games.”

Dias explains that individually, she has improved with the help of Coach Dan Jurkowski, while reaching a goal she had set for herself which was becoming captain. She believes that her loudness on the court as well as her energy is an aspect that has helped her teammates throughout the season.

Dias believes that the Winthrop game would have to be the best memory she has with her teammates because it was one of the captain’s birthday and had been their second game of the season while resulting in a win.

Field Hockey

Cristopher Correa Lead Reporter

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ast season, while they had great players and played well, the Varsity team were unable to win a single game. Through the help and leadership of first-year coach Samantha Souza, the team has drastically improved and it has shown through their performances and their attitude. Senior Captain Mei Mei Zhang described this season as “extremely successful” this year, winning about 3-4 games is “great compared to last season.”

A terrific aspect of this Field Hockey team is not only how they performed on the field, but how they communicated and bonded off it as well.“Our team has grown so close with each other from our coaches to every player on the team,” says Zhang.

One of the games that defined the season for the Field Hockey team is their 1-1 tie against Revere.

During this game, a storm began.

When lighting began to strike, the referee ended the game during the second half much to the disappointment of Malden, who were itching for a comeback. Zhang described the experience as “wanting to make us play even more.”

This season has been led by

From top to bottom, senior Queenie Dang prepares to defend the net.

Dang looks to clear the ball up the field as the team retrives back to protect the net. Photos by Falyn Kelley.

only improve from here. “[He] know[s] that [they] will work a thousand times harder than [they] did last year, and with the seniors leaving, that puts a lot of the

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Sports

The Blue and Gold November 2018

maldenblueandgold.com

Boys Soccer

Abhishek Rana Editor in Chief of Web and Mobile Apps

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or the second year in a row, Malden High’s boys soccer team bowed out in the first round of the state tournament. A promising season ended in disappointment, as the team’s 5-0 loss at East Boston in the first round of the MIAA Division I playoffs ended their hopes of making a deep run in the tournament.

The team began the year on a roll, going undefeated in their opening 6 matches with a record of 5-01. However, following their great start, the boys faced a brutal stretch of eight matches in the span of just 12 days. This gauntlet included matches against some great playoffcaliber teams including the Division II powerhouse, North Andover, who eventually qualified with the number one seed in their side of the playoff bracket.

This brutal stretch tested the team’s skills, stamina, and intensity.

The team battled with fatigue and a few nagging injuries, while attempting to continue performing at a high level. Despite losing games versus Everett, Salem, and North Andover, Malden came away from the stretch fairly confident about themselves and their ability to perform at a high level.

“The eight game [stretch] in 12 days was difficult,” explained junior defender Taha Moukara.

“But we learned a lot and it pushed us to work harder. Personally, I did experience fatigue but as a soccer player this is why I play and what I live for. The squad is filled with talented and devoted players, who know how to play the game.

Ultimately, we went up against some great teams, and we learned a lot about ourselves.”

The team’s lackluster performances to end the season did raise some concerns. The boys failed to put the ball in the back of the net for three of their last five matches to end the regular-season. Despite controlling possession of the ball for large parts of games in midfield, the team struggled to carve out scoring

opportunities in the final third of the field and did not attempt many shots from distance.

The Tornadoes did have the opportunity to win their league when they went at Lynn Classical to play the Rams. Unfortunately for Malden, the team was only able to muster up a 1-1 draw, meaning that it was the Rams who ended up with the league title.

Regardless, Malden finished the year with a strong record of 105-2, as well as a birth in the playoffs.

balanced affair where both teams exerted control and had their moments. The windy conditions made it a somewhat chaotic match. Regardless, East Boston had a few breakaways and capitalized on one counter-attack in the first half. The half ended 1-0 to East Boston, but with Malden still very much in the game and with a realistic chance of keeping their season alive.

However, the second half was a one sided affair and East Boston exerted full control in the game

“It didn’t really hit me till the last second when I got subbed out that it was my last season,” explained Tiken.

“It really made me appreciate the school, my teammates, and my coach and what they have done for me. I have put in four years in the program and that moment was really emotional for me. It was touching and the gesture really made me feel appreciated. It was one of the best moments of my high school experience.”

But the failure to win their league meant that the boys earned a lower seeding and had to travel on the road to play East Boston on Saturday, November 3rd.

Senior defender Matthew DiStefano reflected positively on the team’s overall performance in the regular season. “Many of us were new to the team this year and we hadn’t really played with each other before,” explained DiStefano. “We had to learn how to work with each other and how to play with each other well really fast, and I think we did a really good job at that.”

The game against East Boston was played in cold and extremely windy conditions. The elements played a big role in the overall pace and atmosphere in the game.

The first half featured a well

and the Tornadoes were unable to muster up any real chances going forward, and fell apart on defense.

After conceding the third goal, the team was demoralized and all but knew that it was the end of their campaign. The game ended 5-0 to East Boston and ended Malden’s season in heartbreaking fashion.

Senior captain and goalkeeper, Salim Tiken, described the game as well as the season as a “bittersweet” experience. Near the end of the match, Tiken, who had been the emotional leader of the team all season, was substituted out of the game to a standing ovation from his teammates and coaches on the field and on the sidelines. In what was a memorable moment, Tiken walked off the field as a Golden Tornado for the final time.

From top to botton, left to right: The team in a huddle before the game.

Sophomore Walter Lopez attempting to sheild the ball. Sophomore Mohamed Ayyoub Belatreche dribbling down the sideline. Junior Tenzin Shakya after a throw in. All photos by Brandon Wong

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Girls Soccer

Michelle Yin Lead Reporter and Designer

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his season, the MHS girls soccer team ends their year qualifying for the state tournament with a record of 19-1-2 with 19 wins, one game that was tied and two games that were lost making not only this year’s score one of the best in the MHS girls soccer team record but also their third time since 2008.

Senior and defense player Agatha Silva describes how this season has been one of the best seasons,

From left to right, top to bottom: The girls celebrating after a goal. Senior captain Jill Tramondozzi dribbling down the sideline. Senior captain Salma Bezzat getting ready for the ball to be played in. Beatriz Segato dribbling the ball. Photos by Michelle Yin.

beating records as well as achieving multiple goals. She expresses her opinion of this season stating that it was “very good” and how many of the girls on the team have been playing together for a couple of years, not only did they make it to states this year but also got the best record in MHS girls history. She also says that “[they] got to reconnect in ways that [they] [have not] been for a while” and that lead to the team determination and motivation being “stronger.”

Junior and next years captain,

portunities to score.” Silva also established the need for the team to be more vocal and “get better with [their] communication because [they] [do not] talk as much as [they] should.”

Ruperti believes that the team is always up for more improvement, but she noticed the team has been getting much better with the amount of effort that they put into their practices specifying that “everytime [they] go to practice, [they] know [it is] time to work and get better so [she] think[s] it really

Sophia Ruperti, expresses similar impressions on this season presenting that “[she] think[s] this season was amazing because [they] made history for Malden High School.”

With that being said she also mentions the similarities and differences of this year compared to the previous year where “[they] had the same exact players and the lineups [were] the same, mostly everything is the same except the only different thing is that [they] made history and [they] went further than last year”.

Silva mentions the improvements that the team has had throughout this season, where the team has enhanced their skills with handling the ball but the team still needs to advance “with using [their] wings, which can create more op-

showed from last year how much [they] improved.” She believes that their team chemistry is an example of what the team has worked on.

Ruperti explains how although their team chemistry has always been stable, this season they have to know each other better and now they “know how [they] individually play as well as other team members.”

Junior and Defense player Emraude Bonnet, asserts that “one strength was the constant pushing and challenges that the team put for themselves” in order to do their best every game.

Players that stood out within this season according to Silva were Senior Susan de Leon, who was a helpful teammate and a “non-selfish player, always willing to let another

teammate score even when she wanted to.”

Ruperti mentions that the defense team stood out to her this year as well as explaining how they worked really hard and gave their whole heart out for the team and did everything they could, as she says “so the defenders are the ones that shined this season” as well as Beatriz De Oliveira Segato, “who had an outstanding season with a lot of goals and numerous assists.”

Captain Angela Trejada-Soliz also gives a shout out to her fellow captain, Jill Tramondozzi who has “outplayed herself each and every game, she is outstanding and really holds [their] defense down.”

A game that stood out to both Silva and Ruperti was the pinkout game dedicated to the coach’s sister who is battling breast cancer, the game was against saugus, and both girls mentioned the nervousness of the team being so that they lost the first game against saugus but because the team knew that it was dedicated to the Coach’s sister as well as other people battling cancer they had even more motivation to win as she says, “since not only [was] it for battling against breast cancer but the team was also playing for someone else.”

Goals that the team has for next year is to make it to states again as making new records in the history of MHS. The girls soccer team went to their second round in states, where they got a bypass on the first week of states then held their second states game against Lexington which came out to be the score of 4-0 with Lexington winning.

The team trained for states according to Ruperti by “practicing everyday and [they] just worked on what [they] needed to work on, but [she] think[s] [they] have a lot of talent in [their] team. [They] just incorporated everything and showcased it throughout the season and [their] goals were to make make it into states and pass the round.”

For incoming students next year, Silva recommends to not “give up, stick through the season” as well as just trying.

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David Cartledge Lead Reporter

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his year the Cross Country team finished the season with a record of 3-4, with one of the teams most difficult opponents this year being Beverley. While Malden was unfortunately defeated in that meet, it seemed to show their strengths and even some things to work on for future seasons. When asked about the season as a whole, Coach Weldon stated that “the team has excelled in facing many tough opponents this season, while also running on difficult courses” which shows that even though they have had to overcome many challenges, they have managed to have a very successful season.

Beverley seemed to be a challenge for the team this year, with some factors, like the terrain, seeming to really play a big part. The Beverley track had “multiple hills” and had a “really rugged surface” as stated by Coach Weldon. Captain Kyle O’Brien stated that “the hills were awful” and that “it was so bad [he] could hardly raise [his] legs.”

Kyle also stated that he ran over 2 minutes slower on that course than any others.

Cross Country O’Brien went on to say that this was “probably one of the worst races [he] has ever ran” and that if “[they] had harder hills to train on [he] could have done much better,” but feels the team “still ran hard even though the hills were awful.”

O’Brien finished by stating that he “enjoyed seeing [his] teammates give it 100%.” Coach Weldon also commented on this saying “the team took on this challenge with no complaints or hesitation.”

This season has been a very challenging one for the cross country team, but the team has opened their eyes to things that can be improved for seasons to come. When asked about what he feels could be worked on, Captain O’Brien stated

Omar Asousy at the start of his first lap along with Malden and Marblehead teammates. Photo by Joie Huang. that “[they] will work hard and that “it will be the team’s last cross maintain the endurance [they] have country meet, and [his] last high for [the October 27th meet]” and school cross country meet ever!” that the captains will try to “motiEven though the team has had vate [the runners] to run the hardest to overcome challenges, they manthey have yet.” O’Brien also stated aged to work through it and have a pretty successful season. Coach Weldon stated that “The runners have had a great season, to which many have succeeded in setting personal records.” This year has also helped to develop and shape both new and veteran runners, with Coach Weldon saying that “Veteran runners have proven to be strong leaders, while new runners have stepped up to show [they] have a promising future.” Coach Weldon went on to state that “[He] looks forward to seeing how the team grows for next In their positions, Malden vs. Marblehead prepare for the horn to sound and to season.” start the race. Photo by Joie Huang.

New Cross Country Coaches: Sean Weldon and Cassandra Froio David Cartledge Lead Reporter

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his season has brought many new changes to the cross country team, one of those changes being the introduction of head coach Sean Weldon and assistant coach Cassandra Froio.

Both coaches have had coaching experience in the past, with Weldon coaching golf, soccer, and basketball at the middle school level, and Froio gaining some coaching experience over the summer. Froio is currently a senior at Regis College, majoring in sports management and minoring in athletic coaching. She is also on the track and field team for her school.

Weldon was born in Hollister California, moving to Massachusetts in the third grade. He grew up being interested in sports, and played soccer, golf, and baseball in high school, and continued playing golf in college. Coach Weldon said that he “hopes to continue coaching for the middle school basketball team and cross country,” with last year being his first year coaching them.

Weldon is a 7th grade math teacher at the Beebe school, and

From left to right: Freshman Kimberly Vo, Coach Sean Weldon, Coach Cassandra Froio. Photo by David Cartledge likes to motivate his students to pursue sports, especially cross country.

He remarked that “at least 70% of the team has to be from Beebe” and then got one of his runners to do the math, and found out that he has had 50% of the team is in his class.

Having prior coaching experience, Weldon knows a thing or two about how to run a team. Weldon

stated that having coached the basketball team, it has “definitely helped, but every sport has different challenges to overcome.” Through coaching the teams in the past, Weldon stated that “one thing [he] has learned is that [he] needs to make the athletes want to be there.”

While Coach Weldon has team goals that he set at the start of the

season, he also has some personal goals he would like to see himself reach. One of the goals is “being successful and having a good time,” and that he “really enjoys coming and working with the team.”

Coach Weldon is not the only coach on the team however, with assistant coach Froio helping out the team this season. Froio is the cousin of Coach Weldon, which is one of the reasons why she joined the team. Another reason is that she has experience in coaching and would like to pursue it in the future, being a student at Regis College and wanting to major in sports management.

Even though this is Coach Froios first year coaching a team, she seems to be very excited to see how the season goes.

One of Froio’s personal goals that she set this season was to “find what motivates the runners and learning more about injuries and how to prevent them.”

Overall, this season seems to be a very exciting one. The introduction of these two motivated and eager coaches has already shown some very good results.

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Unified Sports Basketball Team

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Football Profile: Raushad Moore Gabriel Matnog Lead Reporter

Sara Zakaria Head of Sports

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he Unified Basketball team is a new sports team at Malden High School for students with disabilities, a branch of the Unified Sports class, which is catered to students in the Pace program. The team was established back in September, with Joseph Taglieri as the coach and, since then, they have played a total of nine games: five regular games and four jamboree games. They have won four games and tied one.

The team was created with the help of Charlie Conefrey, the athletic director at Malden High. Taglieri says although him and Conefrey worked hard in the beginning of the year trying to get the program “up and running,” it was ultimately Conefrey “who got it started” and asked Taglieri to coach. The team was also created through a partnership with the Special Olympics and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA).

To Taglieri, coaching the team was “difficult” in the beginning of the season, since various techniques and rules of basketball had to be taught to the students because of their inexperience. Taglieri, along with a few student athlete volunteers, helped teach the members of

Senior Captain Raushad Moore. Photo submitted by Moore.

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the team drills and slides. Reflecting on his experience as coach, Taglieri says that the time he has spent with the team has been “very humbling,” adding that the decision to being coaching has been “one of the best things [he] has ever done.”

For a newly formed, first year team, the Unified Basketball team

From top to bottom, left to right: Unified basketball team sits for a photo with Athletic Director Charlie Conefrey; Unified Basketball athletes encourage their teammates; MHS students pledge to include and respect students with disabilities; MHS Unified Basketball team poses alongside their competitors. Photos submitted by Charlie Conefrey.

has done “a really good job,” according to Taglieri. He attributes how their success to having a supportive base, including “a very good home crowd” and plenty of “volunteers who came to help.” Taglieri hopes that the program will attract a “couple more student athletes,” since it “looks good on college resumes as far as college teams.” He also anticipates that the program will go “very far.”

Conefrey is currently working on creating a Unified Track team alongside the existing Unified Basketball team. Taglieri explains that both he and Conefrey are trying to “get a lot of Unified sports teams up and running for the kids,” knowing that having such programs would benefit “kids with disabilities and kids that do not have disabilities at all.”

At the end of the day, the beneficiaries truly are the students, but this and future Unified Sports programs are “just good for everybody.”

ashaud Moore, a senior at Malden High, plays wide receiver and safety on Malden High’s varsity football team. Moore has been playing football for 11 years, with hopes of playing in the NFL ever since he was a young boy. “I just want to make it, you know what I mean?” stated Moore. He feels that he needs to gain more speed and strength as a football player, which is a key component of being a wide receiver.

Moore believes that playing college football will help him with his skills and hopefully be a pathway to the pros.

“Our record hasn’t reflected a good season,” Moore states. However, he sees a lot of potential in the team this year and moving forward, “the Malden High Football team will be very good.” In a game, Moore mentions that, “[he’s] just trying to make plays, help [his] team out, help get a win.” When asked about what can be improved on for the remainder of the season, Moore states, “We have the talent, we just need to keep our heads in the game.”

Leon McFarlane, a senior who plays offensive lineman and defensive lineman on the football team has had an excellent experience with Moore as a captain. Although McFarlane has been on the team for only one year, “[Moore] has shown exceptional leadership skills on and off the field.” McFarlane believes that Moore is one of the best wide receivers on the team and really has talent.

“The team would be really different without [Moore],” McFarlane states. He agrees that their record is not an accurate representation of the teams talent. “We have small numbers on the team but if we had more athletes for every position, we’d be unstoppable.”

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Working With, Not Against, Each Other understandable due to the differences in autonomy and other physical differences between genders, but fall short when comparing the time and effort displayed as a whole and

Jesaias Benitez Managing Editor of Photography and Design

individually in games and practices.

From being a female and playing football to being a male and playing field hockey, one regulation that is clearly expressed from athletic directors to coaches is that everyone is given an equal opportunity regardless of gender. Many believe partaking in a co-ed team creates competition within a group, but from first hand experience it’s

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he discussion surrounding whether or not opposite genders should be allowed to participate in and play on intramural sports teams is always depends on the nature of the sport; it is more “socially acceptable” for a girl to play on the football team than for a boy to play field hockey, a traditionally more feminine sport. The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) specifically states “no student shall be denied in any implied or explicit manner the opportunity to participate in any interscholastic activity because of his or her gender”(MIAA Handbook July 1, 2015-June 30, 2017). Opposite genders should be allowed to participate on co-ed teams without restrictions.

In the past years, it would be seen as abnormal, however experiencing it at first hand and in the recent years, the uncomfortable and variety of looks from standing out from the rest of the team has no effect anymore. Being a prospector before joining the sport, it’s an interesting, yet beneficial experience.

Some view and argue participants in

Managing Editor of Photography and Design, Jesaias Benitez and the Field Hockey team after their pinkout game. Photo submitted by Jesaias Benitez. a co-ed team is unfair to competitors due to having opposite genders going against them, but the nature of the situation always depends on the sport; depends on the experience of the players. Based on the perspective of an individual whether its a board member of the MIAA, a parent, an administrator, a competitor, or a fellow teammate, there are mixed emotions about allowing opposite genders joining and creating

co-ed teams.

There can be a variety of significant differences between a male and female body, but those differences are no excuse from preventing opposite genders participating in sports.

There are many advantages and a few disadvantages to participating on a co-ed team. Some consider the physical aspect of co-ed teams as a safety concern from administrators alongside staff and faculty to parents and guardians. It’s completely

the complete opposite.

Finishing up my last season of field hockey and only playing for two consecutive years, no matter what the gender, all competitors had a greater advantage than I did.

After practicing and learning new skills, I have been able to thrive in the sport and become a well skilled player. Sure, it may have been a different experience if I partook in a same gender team, but a co-ed team along with five other males not only made it an easier experience to tackle, but more memorable, knowing I was able to join a team that was open to new opportunities, working together, and communicating with each other to meet our goals.

Being able to learn the sport and observe the interaction between same gender and opposite gender teams is what significantly stood out to me the most. I was able to better understand how a co-ed team can learn from each other, learn new skills, and most importantly coexist by working with each other, not against each other.

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maldenblueandgold.com Malden High School Volume 104 Edition 2 November 2018