November 2019 Edition

The Blue and Gold maldenblueandgold.com Malden High School

Volume 105 Edition 2

77 salem street

November 2019

Malden Works Host Meeting for Waterfront Equity and Resilience Carlos Aragon Aldana Lead Reporter

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plans for [the class of 22s] future” and is “as committed as a vice president should be.”

The Secretary position has many people running as well. Leslie Rodriguez decided to run for a class position due to her interest in politics and “[thought] it would be fun.”

She wanted to mix both and “have [her] own fun in school, but also get the chance to do something for [the] class.”

Sammie Nie ran for the treasurer position along with three other candidates. Nie’s sister graduated as an officer last year, which prompted her to run for her class. Seeing the accomplishments “her [sister’s] class made and their ability to create solutions with confidence,” inspired her. With the late elections prohibiting the class from fundraising, Nie believes it would certainly “create a dent and shift in [their] class.” Her “past experiences with finance” help her with handling the position of treasurer. Nie is “great with time management” as she is taking advanced academic classes, sports, and running for an officer position.

One goal for her is to “make more money for the class with events that

ne of the most undeniably important things a community can have in this day and age is Equitable Resilience, which is what the meeting on October 21st for Waterfront Equity revolved around. One of the best ways to define Equitable Resilience is that it shortens the advantage gap, essentially, between wealthier and poorer people. Equitable Resilience regarding climate change, for example, would ensure that the poor have help evacuating to more inland places if sea levels were to get too high in coastal cities.

According to Marie Law Adams, “In the Malden Works project in particular, our team is working to develop a planning and design process that is community-led, and amplifies voices that have been marginalized or underrepresented in the past.” The design revolves around the Malden River, ways to make it more accessible, and ways to improve it.

Another one of the subjects that the meeting revolved around, was the awarding of the Norman B. Leventhal prize, with its current (trianellial) theme revolving around Equitable Resilience, set by the Norman B. Leventhal Center for Advanced Urbanism. The prize was awarded to the team including Adams, Kathleen Vandiver, Evan Spitrini, Karen Buck, Marcia Manong, Amber Christofferson, and Gary Christenson. The prize was named after the late Norman B. Leventhal, developer and philanthropist.

One of the highlights of the night was Alexie Torres, who spoke about her youth in the Bronx, and how her community managed to improve many things throughout the Bronx, most notably the transformation the Bronx River went through.

Torres stated that “[she] was raised during a period of time in the 60’s

2022 Class Elections and Results, continued on page 7.

Waterfront Equity, continued on Page 2.

Class of 2022 Hosts Long-Awaited Elections Jennica Ruan Co-Head of Local News

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he Class of 2022 has begun the election process. With the recent addition of having a class adviser, the students were finally able to begin elections. The elections are very competitive this year with so many people running for positions.

The students are eager to provoke change for their class and to have more fundraising opportunities. Running for President are candidates Alain Joseph, Jennifer Machado, and Verlineca Bellange.

Joseph “[has] always wanted to run for a political position,” but one of the main reasons he decided to run for president is because he “wants to be a politician when [he] grows up.” The presidency was “the perfect opportunity for [him] to listen to other people’s ideas and implement them.” His main goal would be to “open up the decision making process to [the student body]” and “allow everyone in [their] grade to have an equal voice.”

The position of Vice President has the most candidates running with seven people in the race. Candidate Lillyana Mayo has “always dreamed of being Vice President.”

She is “determined for [their] class to succeed,” and has “always been

the type of person who take charge in situations.” Mayo is involved in many clubs and activities for school and out of school. She volunteers at a hospital every week, is apart of National Honors Society, and various leadership clubs. Mayo stated “[she has] always been a very hardworking and responsible person,” that has “good time management skills,” and “knows how to balance [her] school life with [her] social life.” She has “many goals for [their] class” like making “sure that [their] class is right at the top and is not affected in any way,” from the late elections. Mayo has many ideas for fundraisers such as a karaoke night and Homemade Color Run. She also wants to hold an assembly on bullying to “ensure a safer and more comfortable atmosphere for [their] class.” The campaign process has been “so much fun” for Mayo and she has “made many new friends” along the way.

Sarah Oliveira has “fantasized over the idea of running for a position” since she was in middle school. She likes the “idea of leadership and representing” and “would represent [her] class in every way a vice should.” Her goal as part of the student council would be “ to be a part of the most effective student body council.” Oliveira has “bright

2 Waterfront Equity, continued from Page 1

Staff

The Blue and Gold November 2019

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and the 70’s known as the burning of the South Bronx. It was a very dark and not a really good time in the history of [her] neighborhood.”

One of the things that Torres brought up was the Brady Bunch, surprisingly. She said that “[she] used to watch the Brady bunch and [she] used to be awed by the fact that they had a backyard.” Torres went on to explain that she grew up in the public housing project on the 9th floor, and for her as a child, it was “unfathomable that somebody could own a piece of the earth, and Managing Editor of Print Editor-in-Chief: have a backyard.”

Photography and Design: Sara Zakaria ‘20 Torres then described how the Michelle Yin ‘20 Bronx River was highly industrialized, very polluted, not navigable, not swimmable, certainly not fishable.” She stated that she grew up along the Bronx River and she never knew that it was there because she had no access to it and it was so industrialized.”

Web and Mobile Apps Managing Editor of Youth went out into the river Editor-in-Chief: Web and Mobile Apps: and they noticed disparities beJemisha Syliant ‘20 Sabrina Monteiro ‘20 tween the river that ran through some of the wealthier congressional districts and what the river looked like in their neighborhood, where there wasn’t much access and was much more polluted.

She stated that “where the people lead, the leaders will follow.” Torres explained they found Editor-in-Chief: that ideology through the Bronx Ana Pirosca ‘20 River. She learned that there was “a power in people that you could not find necessarily in anyone who had other types of expertise.”

Torres went on to describe the first of the projects organized by the youth, an abandoned concrete plant, Carlos Aragon Aldana ‘22 which they wanted to transform Brendan Bell ‘21 into a park. She said that “everyone Jana Elshafey ‘22 got involved,” and she brought up Courtney Fitzgerald ‘22 the example of her father, who was Stefany Foley ‘20 very passionate.

Luella Harding ‘22 After Torres spoke the attendees Julie Huynh ‘22 Sandra Li ‘22 broke up into groups and thought of Roxane Leon’22 Lauren Mallett ‘22 things that could be changed about Karen Rivera ‘22 the river, such as things that can be Vanessa Saintvil ‘20 done there (biking, good locations Anna Silva ‘20 for photos, etc.) and ideas on how to Liam O’Toole ‘22 increase the public’s knowledge and Idriss Touati ‘22 accessibility of the river.

Brandon Wong ‘22 Kathleen Vandiver stressed the role of the community in the project, as it is an important part in the purpose of the Leventhal prize as of now. One of the things that the prize strives to do is stimulate participation equitable participation in the community. Vandiver stated that “The Leventhal Prize hopes to ‘jump start’ [equitable participation] in Malden with a steering committee of community members participating in the planning for how the city’s new public open space on the river might be best shared.”

The Malden Redevelopment Authority is the entity that owns the land that the Department of Public Works is placed on, which is the primary way of entering the river. According to Evan Spitrini, “when the concept design is complete, [MRA] be responsible for applying for further funding to cover construction costs as well as managing that process.”

Overall, the goals of the project are still materializing.

However, the goal of involving the community has almost already been achieved if the meeting is anything to go off of, with many people, including youth, attending. It may take decades, but the river will go through a transformation.

The next meeting will be held January 2020.

Chaimaa Assli ‘23 Julia Custodio ‘20 Olivia Descilien ‘23 Gabriel Fesehaie ‘23 Kiley Fray ‘23 Julia Freitas ‘23 Kayley Glavin ‘23 Noelle Hayes ‘23

Juliana Luong ‘23 Krishany Marius ‘23 Christopher McIntyre ‘22 Desiree Nong ‘23 Erick Rodrigues ‘23 Ethan Phan Voeun ‘23 Kaoutar Damia Wakaf ‘23 Divina Wembi ‘23

Head of Local News: Julie Yu ‘21

Head of Local News: Jennica Ruan ‘21

Head of Sports News: Sandra Rivadeneira ‘21

Head of Sports News: David Cartledge ‘21

Class Advisor: Ryan Gallagher

The Blue and Gold November 2019

Nedlam’s Corner

Dear Nedlam, I’m a senior and with college right around the corner, I’m still uncertain if college is for me. What should I do?

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ear Anonymous, Thank you for reaching out! First, I think it’s important to point out that there is nothing wrong with not knowing what career path you want to take on, even as a senior. There are many people who are struggling with the same problem as you and you just don’t know it. I feel the need to point this out because I don’t want you to think that just because you don’t know what you want to do doesn’t mean college is out of the question.

Many students go into college as undecided so even if you’re not sure, college is still something worth considering. It offers many opportunities to students that are not only for education purposes, but for social ones as well. College is a place where you can learn more about responsibility and individualism. It’s your first step out of the comfort of your own home, in a new environment, surrounded by people you’ve never met before.

It may sound terrifying at first but that’s completely normal and soon you’ll grow accustomed to it and see it in a positive aspect.

I will not lie to you and say that the college process isn’t stressful though because it is. Application deadlines approach quickly and you have to make sure everything is intact. You’ll be worrying about the finances, college essays, teacher recommendations, SAT and ACT scores, etc. but like I mentioned earlier, you’re not alone. It’s going Continued on Page 6

Interactive

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November Crossword Puzzle

Senior Gerard Mauriello hitting the ball. Photo by Brandon Wong.

ACROSS: 1. Which club hosted the Zombie Tag event?

5. The Spicy Noodle Challenge has been an annual event hosted by the Asian Culture Club (ACC) for the ____ year in a row.

6. Sydney also mentioned that he would have changed the “attitude and _______” of the team in order to have a better season.

10. Kahli Harmond motivated Ishmael Sylus to play __________.

11. Back in 2013, Ceppetelli became the ________ for Peer Tutoring.

13. Eric London went to ________ school before coming to Malden High?

14. Kayla Scheitlin and Elizabeth Gibbons attended the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics at the ______ Convention Center.

17. In Malden City history, the name of the petition to save Edward Green was “Shall I _________ Ed Green.”

18. What did the Halloween Hike promote?

22. What is the last name of the ghost who is said to haunt the mansion in Chicago which he also built?

23. Veronique Helenon, a new member to the world language department, was born and raised in _________.

24. Maple Song explained that her favorite part about _________ Tag as an officer, would be “watching everything on cameras.”

25. Matthew Camire is a new ______ teacher at Malden High School this year.

27. Taylor Swift’s album ________ has become a recent top-selling album in the U.S.album.

Puzzle compiled by Intoduction to Journalism Class, Period 1. Edited by Jemisha Syliant.

Clues are from articles in both the online and print editions.

DOWN: 2. Every Tuesdays and Thursdays, the peer __________ program is available in the library from 2:30 to 4:30.

3. Giovanna Espinula’s first reaction to being nominated for the _______ Award was “being shocked.”

4. The president of the Film Club is __________ Lee. 7. The new ChargePoint stations are located on ________ Street?

16. The class of 2021recently hosted a _________ night on Wednesday, October 23rd to celebrate Halloween.

19. The supervisor for Green Room and Play Production is Leanne ________.

20. On November 4th, 2019 Malden competed against _________ in a Unified Basketball Game at the high school.

21. The Girls _________ team suffered a tough loss over North Reading in their last home game.

26. Coach Souza been coaching Field Hockey for Malden High for ________ years.

8. Alexie _______ spoke about her youth in the Bronx.

9. Chen says that Wanyoo was built in Malden because he saw “great ________.”

10. How many times did Malden go into overtime in the football game against Newton South?

12. The Spirit in the Sky mural was made to honor former Malden resident Norman _______.

15. Ebisuya Japanese Noodle House is on ___________ street.

Editorial

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The Blue and Gold November 2019

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Dealing with Stress and Anxiety in High School

ransitioning into highschool can feel overwhelming for students as the intensity of the courses increase and they want to maintain a relatively high GPA. Throughout the school year, it is common for students to express how they feel overwhelmed academically as they feel pressured to keep up their grades while also participating in extracurricular activities such as sports and clubs or potentially even balancing a job as well.

Although it is stressed by teachers that freshman year is highly important, which is true, this adds onto the stress and anxiety that many students are already experiencing.

Throughout the year, many students express how overwhelmed they feel as they try to complete their workload as they begin to adjust to the increased intensity of their classes.

Looking back to my freshman year, I could have performed more efficiently if I had listened to all those who had informed me that freshman year was the year to set a high GPA or even get more involved with extra activities.

Academic teachers as well as guidance teachers are helpful resources to students in assisting with their emotional well being which most students are not aware of.

Most students tend to express their feelings with their peers and friends instead of seeking help from an adult, which I have done countless of times myself.

Based on my personal experience, I have felt overwhelmed from academic classes as I found it difficult to manage schoolwork with sports, clubs, etc. Because of the increased amount of students who explain they feel stressed about school, it eventually leads to students having anxiety and potentially even depression as they might fall behind in their classes or become less inter-

ested in their extracurricular activities.

It is important for students to know that their guidance counselors and teachers are there to help them adjust to the challenges they may be facing. In order to lessen the anxiety that students may potentially be feeling and experiencing, it is important for schools to make improvements, whether it consists of making changes academically or even providing more resources for those who feel affected by stress specifically coming from school.

Despite students wanting to maintain a high GPA, there are different opinions revolving around what is considered as being accepted in terms of class ranking.

What causes students to stress is the constant pressure around GPAs, class ranking, and academic performances. GPAs also revolve around stereotypes as grades are important to students throughout highschool.

They cause students to sleep less while further weighing in on the levels of stress that they are already experiencing. Maybe schools should consider eliminating GPAs and class rank?

Many students at MHS have experienced the same feeling or have been in the same situation which ultimately revolves around the need for changes with GPA and class ranking. Students have the potential to take harder courses but refuse to in an effort to protect their grades.

As students fear their GPA will decrease as a result of not performing their best academically, this causes many students to avoid taking challenging courses as they would prefer taking easier courses to ensure a higher grade as they would most likely perform better.

Many students experience this feeling as they believe they would not

be able to handle the workload.

My sophomore year, my teacher recommended me for an AP English course for my junior year. I had already reached out to my academic teachers about managing their assignments with extracurricular activities and how at times it made me feel stressed. Discovering that I had been recommended for a course that would be even more difficult made me feel hesitant because I did not want it to affect my GPA negatively.

My teacher expressed how taking an AP course would be beneficial but I was still reluctant.

As it is now my senior year and I reflect on how I performed academically, I am thankful for my teacher encouraging me to challenge myself despite the fear of my GPA decreasing as taking the AP courses have significantly improved my writing skills and made me a better writer than I was in the past.

Schools should change the structure of how students transition into highschool in an attempt to lessen the levels of anxiety, stress, and even depression at times. The importance of building relationships with teachers and allowing students to express how they feel about everything would help ease how students feel overwhelmed.

Teachers should express to students that taking harder courses will be beneficial as they will be able to challenge themselves and get out of their comfort zones. Although students may feel stressed or begin to feel depressed as they find it difficult to manage and balance everything out, it is important to know that there are teachers and resources out there available for students for anything that they are going through and experiencing.

Many students are unaware that MHS has adjustment counselors that are there to help students

who are emotionally unstable or need someone to talk to. Students may also be recommended to other therapists if needed. Aside from the therapists being offered as an option at MHS, teachers are also here to help students with their school work or even personal problems.

Although most students stress over their GPA, class ranking, and academic performances, it is important to know that there are resources available to help students.

My advice to any student is to reach out with their teachers and build a relationship where they feel comfortable expressing how they are doing in their classes in terms of being able to manage the workload or just communicate with teachers to see what can be done to lessen the stress students feel during the school year.

There should also be a time for students to discuss their emotional health with teachers, which MHS introduced as circles, though it should be brought back. This way, students will be able to talk about how they feel. Having the circles really gave me the opportunity to be more engaged with how I felt in certain classes as I was able to express my emotions whether it focused more on my emotions or my mental state of mind.

I would add one more sentence making this personal again, and that you really enjoyed this when it was here.

As a senior who has experience, high school can be difficult at times but it is important to manage your time in attempts of getting ahead in classes. Reach out to teachers if you feel stressed and remember you are not alone.

Jemisha Syliant Editor-in-Chief of Web and Mobile Apps

Editorial Policy

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Blue and Gold November 2019

Project Revamp Sandra Rivadeneira Co-Head of Sports

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Malden Introduces “Spirit in the Sky” Mural

Local News maldenblueandgold.com

Karen Rivera Lead Reporter

roject Revamp is a new club to Malden High this year that was started by Junior Natalie Pham. The club’s mission is to give back to the community by collecting clothes and repurposing them, then giving the clothes to those in need through local charities.

Pham shared how the idea for Project Revamp was something she “always wanted to do since [she] was little.” What drew her to repurposing clothes at a young age was that it was an “outlet for creativity” and how now she wants to make an “impact on others and let them feel better about themselves through self expression.”

Pham expressed her idea to her friends at the end of the last school year, and they were all quick to assist her in making it a reality, with Pham as club president and people who helped her as fellow officers. Treasurer Elaine Du explained that what motivated her to participate was that the club would “allow [them] to give to a good cause as well as have fun and create bonds with others.” Volunteer Coordinator Sheilly Patel added that what motivated herself to do the club was the art portion, stating that she “always enjoyed art” and combining that with community service, how could she pass off that kind of opportunity?

Club officers also include Tiannah Macheria as Vice President, Julie Yu as Secretary, Melissa Tan as fellow Volunteer Coordinator, Aaliyah Smith as Historian, Suiyenah Chen as Social Media Coordinator, and both Billy Zeng and Vicky Pham as the Club’s Recruiters. Every one of the officers hopes that the club

T Project Revamp officers during their Halloween bake sale.

Photo taken by Sandra Rivadeneira. will have a positive impact on many and would be an appealing idea to students of the school as it is a process that requires many hands on deck.

Since the club will revolve around clothing, Patel shared that they plan to obtain their clothing materials by holding “various fundraisers, as well as donation drives around the school.” With the money collected during their fundraising events, they plan to purchase thrift store clothing and bring them in so that club members can be part of the creative process.

“It’s a process that’s going to make everyone feel good about themselves,” stated Du, “and it’s also something that we cannot do alone. [Project Revamp] is going to be very fun!”

The officers have already held a Halloween bake sale which Patel deemed as “successful,” and a “good initiation to start up the club.” Pham expressed how the outcome of their first fundraiser was a huge relief as she “didn’t know what to expect from it,” and was overwhelmed by the support given by so many students. Project Revamp’s next step is an interest meeting, being held in J372 on Thursday, November 7th.

“It’s a great way to meet new people and share your inner creativity,” Pham said, “and we really hope people enjoy the process and being part of it and bringing a smile to other people’s faces.”

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“Spirit of the Sky” Mural in Malden. Photo taken by Karen Rivera.

he streets of Malden have gained more life, with the addition of the “Spirit in the Sky Mural” found on the corner of 110 Pleasant Street.

The mural was made to honor former Malden resident Norman Greenbaum, who wrote the song “Spirit in the Sky” 50 years ago.

The image painted shows a hand releasing a rainbow in the sky, representing the “spirit” from the lyrics in Greenbaum’s song.

Greenbaum was a Malden High School graduate for the class of 1960, however found himself recently back in this city to attend a huge ribbon cutting to honor his songs and his roots he made here in Malden.

Managing Director Naomi Brave, whom worked and directed the making of the mural stated the idea for it all came from Malden Arts and the “4 themes for Phase 1 ‘Call to Artists’ for of the ARTLine” that they chose.

Each theme was designed to focus on an artist who was born in Malden. From there the choice was up to the artist.

Brave stated that “artists responding to the call could choose which them they wanted to design a mural for. Themes were: Spirit in the Sky, Wonder Woman, Perry Mason and a general Asian theme.”

When chosen, working with Greenbaum was described by Naomi Brave as “a real pleasure!”

Norman was supportive of the project and expressed that he “loved the idea of a mural inspired by his song being painted in his hometown,” and loved the design of the art.

Brave and the rest of her team were

“honored that he flew home to Malden to attend the ribbon cutting!”

The artist who created the piece of artwork is Jesse Melanson. Melanson was picked out of over 100 other artists by the Malden Arts. Brave stated that Melanson was chosen because of its beauty, its wonderful interpretation of the song, and Jesse’s professionalism and ability to complete the project.”

Brave stated that Malden Arts believed “the power of art gives people a positive feeling about their community and crosses all language barriers.”

This mural has undoubtedly brought light to the city of Malden, and has given joy and spirit to the individuals who walk by it everyday. Brave stated that having beautiful art in the community “benefits residents by giving pride in their neighborhood, and a sense of place and belonging.”

The art benefits “Spirit in the Sky” cover art. the community because it brings everyone together through the pride residents get from living in a neighborhood with such diversity.

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The Blue and Gold November 2019

Nedlam’s Corner Continued from Page 3

The Spicy Noodle Challenge Julie Yu Co-Head of Local News The Spicy Noodle Challenge has been an annual event hosted by the Asian Culture Club (ACC) for the third year in a row. This year the event took place on October 30th.

Students and one teacher gathered to competitively eat spicy noodles at the fastest pace.

This year's winner, Erick Aaron Rodriguez-Portillo, won a Dunkin Donut gift card. The proceeds from this event go towards the club to fund their upcoming events.

Secretary Billy Zheng explained that the Spicy Noodle Challenge was a trend on social media and as a club, they thought “it would be a fun and lighthearted event to incorporate into Malden High.” He expressed that this event has its benefits, not only for the club but also for the Malden High community “in terms of creating memories and experiencing the latest trends related to Asian culture.”

Treasurer Hanson Mei added that a big part of this event is “to have fun because it is pretty exciting to see how people react to the noodles.” He mentioned that they have been planning “this event since [their] first meeting because it is one of [their] most known events.” Mei believed that “it is crucial that [they] get it right and [they] do not waste time.” Adding that there is “a lot of preparation to make sure everyone follows the rules so that there is no cheating.”

President Thao-Mi Nguyen expressed that this event is a good way to “expose [Malden High students] to a unique cultural food experience.” She mentioned that the Asian Culture Club continues to host this event due to its “immense popularity,” and it “allows people to go outside of their comfort zone.”

Math teacher Arielle McCoy was the only teacher that attended and attempted the challenge. She said that she enjoys eating the noodles and that she eats them at homwhen she has eaten them in the

past she never ate the noodles with the entire pack of the spicy sauce.

Part of the rules of the challenge was to add in the entire packet of spicy sauce and mix it into the noodles. McCoy explained that normally when she eats the noodles she would only put in one-third of the sauce packet into the noodles due to the fact that it is difficult to handle the spice.

Mei felt as if the “outcome of [the event] was amazing,” further explaining that “everyone had a good time and there was definitely a lot of laughter and [that is] one of the best things,” that he would want from this event.

Nguyen added that this year they were able to raise more money for their club than they made from last year’s event.

Adviser Julie Fox and the Asian Culture Club officers would like to thank Chemistry teacher Katherine Haskell for allowing them to use her classroom to host the event.

Going clockwise: Sophmore Erick Rodriguez-Portillo smileing that he won the contest; Senior Thao-Mi Nguyen preparing noodles for the Spicy Noodle Challenge; Sophmore Erick Rodriguez-Portillo scarfing down his noodles; From left to right, Seniors Jimmy Li and Long Zheng mixing in the sauce into their noodles. Top photo: Sophmore Ina Liu pouring the sauce over her noodles. Photos by Brandon Wong.

to be frustrating but only for a short while. There are people around to help you and look on the bright side: you won’t have to worry about it for much longer because you’ll be graduating really soon and by that time, you’ll already have the results from colleges!

Now, if you aren’t sure if college is right for you, then it may not be and that’s okay!

Between the stress of school work, living on your own for the first time, not knowing anyone and so much more, it can be too much for some people to handle. Homesickness is a very real part of going to college if you move away from home. Whether you are 5 minutes away or thousands of miles. You have the decision to commute or live on campus, but it’s entirely up to you and it’s whatever you feel most comfortable with.

College can give people a ton of opportunities, but it also can give you a whole lot of debt. Going to college is very expensive, with the tuition, the housing (if you don’t commute), a dining plan, books and just everyday expenses.

Whether it is FAFSA, scholarships, or loans, almost everyone that goes to college needs some sort of financial help, but that isn’t always enough or even an option for some. There are so many people who can’t afford going to college, but that’s okay because there are other alternatives!

There are other paths that can lead to success other then college. Trade school might be the perfect option for you, especially if you are more hands on. You could go to school to be a mechanic, a plumber, an electrician, a dental hygienist, a cook, a radiation or respiratory therapist, etc. The opportunities are endless!

If you need a break from school altogether, try a gap year. You could travel or get a job and save up some money before you make your next move. And if more schooling is not what you want to do, working right after high school is an option too, and it can teach you so much about “adulting” and the “real world.”

No matter what path you choose, be sure to choose one that is true to you. It may take some time to figure out what you are happy doing and you may feel overwhelmed in the process, but be sure to do something that makes you happy because you may just be doing it for the rest of your life and that can be pretty exciting!

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The Blue and Gold November 2019

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September Pillars of Malden High

September’s Pillar Award nominees displayed near the cafeteria. Photos Submitted by Chris Mastrangelo

Julie Huynh Lead Reporter

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ears ago, Malden High used to feature a student recognition award, but for unknown reasons, the tradition faded away. So this summer Principal Chris Mastrangelo and staff were talking a b o u t how they can bring back the tradition to recognize students for their outstanding effort.

After receiving a grant from the BARR Foundation, the school brought together a group of teachers and some students to observe the school from different perspectives and see what they can implement to improve the environment within the school. One of the things they decided that the school was lacking was the “vision of a graduate.” Mastrangelo described that when a student graduates from the school, they should be “communicators, collaborators, critical thinkers, innovative learners, empowered citizens, and persistent individuals.”

Keeping the vision of a graduate in mind, the school created the “Pillar Award.” When you think about it, the pillars of a building are what it stands on—the foundation.

Students nominated for the Pillar Award are an essential part of Malden High.

To start off the program, Mastrangelo sent out an email to all of the staff members in the school, asking them to nominate students that seem to fit the picture. He received about a dozen responses and in the end there were twenty students nominated. Some students

got nominated by several teachers, some teachers nominated several students.

Initially Mastrangelo was going to have it be a quarterly award, but as a team they decided on making the Pillar Award a monthly tradition. The pictures of the students in the display currently are the September winners and in a few weeks the October nominees will be put up.

The full list of students nominated for the Pillar Award for September are as follows: Jeyda Ward: Grade 12, Hilda Chacon: Grade 9, Jenifer Abelard: Grade 12, Taha Moukara: Grade 12, Sean Kilbride: Grade 12, Tales Carneiro Passos: Grade 11, Mia Borseti: Grade 12, Kyle Craig: Grade 11, Jhechel Espiritu: Grade 9, Keri Gilligan: Grade 12, Isabella Geronimo: Grade 11, David McCollin: Grade 10, Peterson Maxis: Grade 12. Johnny Emmanuel: Grade 9, Maritza Ramos-Perez: Grade 9, Renata Tomaz: Grade 11, Jacky Luong: Grade 12, Giovanna Espindula: Grade 10, Yassir Saadouni: Grade 9, and Vinicius Piucco: Grade 12.

Last Wednesday, there was a “Reveal Party” for the nominees and the staff that nominated them. It is called a Reveal Party because the students did not know which one of their teachers nominated them beforehand. Mastrangelo said that the “staff is really excited” and he believes that this is “just a great way to recognize some students.”

Mastrangelo added that the

A.R.M. Lab Receives A $500K Grant from Governor Baker

Idriss Touati Lead Reporter utomation, Robotics, and Mechatronics (A.R.M.) Lab is part of the Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School. The new facility was funded through a $500,000 grant, the largest in the school’s history. It was awarded recently by the Baker-Polito administration through its Massachusetts Skills Capital Grant initiative. Since 2016, Monty Tech has applied for and received four Massachusetts Skills Capital Grants, adding up to a grand total of nearly $1.5 million.

These grants have allowed

students seemed to enjoy the new institution as well, based on their reactions when he called them in to tell them about their achievement.

It was not uncommon for him to get emails and messages from the kids worried that they were in trouble, and it was “priceless” to see their reaction when they realized that they had actually won an award.

Giovanna Espindula, a sophomore nominated for the Pillar Award by her English teacher Pasquale DiBenedetto admitted that she “was so shocked and caught by surprise,” wondering “why they [voted] for [her] out of all of the deserving students in the school.”

Another nominee, senior Jacky Luong, expressed that when he found out he had gotten the award, he “[was not] sure what to think,” but he “[remembers] feeling thankful for whoever nominated [him].”

Life starts to become very busy when you enter high school. The expectations for both staff and students are so high, and sometimes there is just so much happening all at once, that we get in the habit of diving right into things. There is not enough time to pay attention to the little things, and in many ways, the little things are the most important ones. As a school, Mastrangelo is trying to “shift that” through the Pillar Award and taking the time to appreciate and recognize students that are representing the school and its vision.

them to improve instruction and training opportunities in seven of their twenty-one career programs.

The lab was created in response to regional workforce needs, student interest, and the critical shortage of high-quality electronic system control and fabrication training programs in the area.

High school students benefiting from this brand-new equipment and technology. Monty Tech is also home to 1700 adults in training and retraining classes in the Continuing Education program. Many of this equipment is being utilized in their training programs as well.

7 2022 Class Elections and Results, continued from Page 1. are not time or labor inducing and yet benefits the future of the class and the enjoyment of everyone.”

Her personal goal for the class is for everyone to be more inclusive. She believes “Being an officer is not just focusing on your own position,” but being a role model for the whole community.

Social Media and Marketing Coordinator had three candidates running. Becky Tse wanted to run for this specific position “because, personally, [she] likes helping people,” and this position would have allowed her to help the class with many activities. Tse “would help brainstorm different ideas for raising money faster” so that the class would have better events in the future.

Candidate Linda Lama has “always been interested in joining the student council.” Growing up, she looked up to the people that affected her life and “most of them had led some sort of group, organization, fundraiser and other things to help people.” Her goal is to “to advertise [their] future events and fundraisers to get students excited and to feel comfortable to participate.” She chose to run for this position because “it was the best fit for [her] and a great way to contribute [her] marketing skills.” Lama has “had some small bumps the past two weeks” with the campaigning, however with elections around the corner, “the candidates are even more competitive and anxious about hearing the results.”

The last position is photography and video coordinator. Class of 2022 advisor, Daniel Jurkowski, decided to change the historian position into something that would make more sense for students to understand. Sophomores Tony Geich and Sara Dzaferagic ran against each other for this position. Dzaferagic had been involved with both fundraisers that the class of 2022 have held. With elections beginning so late in the year, she believes the fundraisers “has helped enormously because [they would] be starting with money in the bank.” Being apart of the fundraisers prompted her to “take the next step in being involved.” This position is “a good fit for [her],...because [she wanted] to capture moments at [the] events through photo and video.”

Jurkowski explained the new voting system that was implemented this year. Instead of a paper ballot, students will be voting online. This is to ensure that everyone votes only once and no cheating is involved. Ballots opened at 6:00AM and closed at 1:00PM, with the winners announced at the end of the day.

Jurkowski explained how “[he] will be a more hands-off advisor,” letting the students make the decisions. He hopes to have meetings once a week and be there for all the events. Elections were Friday, November 1st, and was sent out by email.

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The Blue and Gold November 2019

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Malden Community Garden Presents the Annual Haunted Gardens

Sabrina Monteiro Managing Editor of Web and Mobile Apps

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alden’s Community Garden is proud to present their second year of “Haunted Gardens.” The garden is located on the bike path on Railroad Avenue which is about a 10 minute walk from Malden High School, and the event took place on Saturday, October 19th, in celebration of halloween. With the help from members of the community and co-sponsors of the event itself: Eliot Human Services and Kate Grieves, Haunted Gardens had a positive turnout.

Julia Mangan has now been running the garden for the past five years. Mangan explains that “the Community Garden Development Project, is sponsored by the Mayor’s Office, Ward 5 Councilor Barbara Murphy, Malden Redevelopment Authority (MRA), Groundwork Somerville, Bike to the Sea Inc., and supported in part by a grant from the Malden Cultural Council-- a local agency. This project is also funded in part by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant program. Additional funding has also been made by Keurig Coffee and Seeds of Change and Project Management was provided by Groundwork Somerville Project Manager, Clay Larsen.”

Mangan’s love for halloween is was sparked her idea to create Haunted Gardens. She emphasizes that for this event, she wanted to “open the gardens to the public to have fun. She think[s] putting up Halloween decorations is wonderful and thought if everyone decorated their plot, then [their] garden would look really spooky and it just evolved from there.”

With winter approaching, this event was a fun way to end the year off on a good note. Mangan plans on continuing this every year, along with upholding monthly meetings to discuss future plans for the garden.

The garden has a positive impact on the community and as Mangan highlights, affect on “it educates people about what [they are] doing, even if [they are] just looking around and realizing there is a community garden. These events bring joy and laughter to people, especially kids.”

Joining the festivities is the YWCA (Young Women’s Christian Association) TASK (Teen Advocates Sharing Knowledge) Program. The

girls that currently work at the YWCA shared that the event was a “success.” Senior Kayla Cadet in particular, expressed that within her job range, they work on many community based projects and therefore, have the opportunity to work with “different people and enjoy[s] it.” The Haunted Gardens was one out of many events that they have taken part in Cadet shares that her favorite part of it was “seeing the kids happy.”

Along with Cadet are the other seven girls who work at the YWCA; all of which were in charge of the face painting station. There were a total of five stations: face painting, candy giveaway, wand and potion pot making, pumpkin patch, and pumpkin decorating. In comparison to last year, a couple old ones were replaced and new ones were added. Cadet said that she enjoyed Haunted Gardens more this year because she felt that “there is more activities and their is not an overwhelming amount of kids.”

Another YWCA peer leader, sophomore Tracy Nganga said that she liked the event as it was her first time hearing about it and being a part of it. She has only been working at the YWCA for a month but said that so far, she enjoys the factor of it that includes “meeting new people and working on different projects that will help the community.”

Nganga is in agreement with Cadet that “the kids being so happy with the finishing product” after the face painting was the best part.

The Mass in Motion Coordinator and the YWCA TASK Advisor, Christina Murphy, believes that what takes place at the garden “brings people together. Plus it is a free event which [she] think[s] is really great for people who may be struggling financially and therefore, do not have to worry. [They] can just come and have fun regardless.”

With Murphy working at the YWCA for the past 16 years, she expresses that working with the girls is “the best” and thinks it is good for them to “get out in the community and help. It is also good that [they] know where things are in the city, making [them] worldly maldonians.”

As soon as April hits, 60 more garden beds are to be expected. The garden community has proven to be a success and from here, only continues to grow and prosper every year.

From top to bottom, left to right: A little girl with a small painting of a pumpkin. A scarecrow with the sign hanging on it for the wand and pot making station. Senior Yadira Duarte focusing on her painting of a butterfly on the little girls face. Further back, Left to right YWCA TASK Peer Leaders- Sophomore Kaley Castaneda, Freshman Tracy Nganga, Seniors Bernice Cortez, Kayla Cadet, Yadira Duarte, and Junior Phisey Lam. Trick or treat bags and small mirrors hanged up for the kids to see their faces painted. All photos by Sabrina Monteiro.

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Halloween Hike on Fellsmere Park Chaimma Assli & Kayley Glavin Reporters

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n Friday, October 25th, the Malden Community Action Group (MCAG) held its second annual Halloween Hike at Fellsmere Park.

This event was also held by members from the YMCA Malden Leadership Corp. It was held from four to six p.m. The Key Club was present to show support and help out.

There were many members from the MCAG including Emily Rivera, who also took part in the Halloween Hike last year. Rivera described that the event’s “purpose was to bring the community together and it is educational [because it is]based around books.” She also said that the event was just a “really cool thing” for the kids to do around Halloween.

Another member of the MCAG was Julianne Orsino. She was at the event and took part in helping out.

She has a young daughter, Christine, that went on the Halloween Hike and simply thinks it is “fun.”

Orsino said the MCAG “have been doing house parties and they did this based on literature. Each station was based on a book.”

Orsino also stated that the event was originally going to be held at Spot Pond but was later changed because they wanted a location that would better fit the event. Mostly kids ten years old and under came but it was still welcome to teenagers as well. Orsino, in simple terms, said that “everyone just walks around and enjoys [the experience].”

Mayor Gary Christenson was present at the event and was involved with all the attendees.

Christenson enjoys these types of gatherings “because it is another opportunity for the community to come together.” He appreciates that the Halloween Hike was “held at a historic park.” Christensen made sure to thank all the members who put their time into organizing this event because it benefited the children. He loved that the get-together “promoted reading” because this makes it educational as well as fun for the young children who showed up and participated.

Class of 2021 Screens

“Halloweentown” Sandra Li Lead Reporter

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he class of 2021 recently hosted a movie night on Wednesday, October 23rd to celebrate Halloween.

In celebrating, they showcased the renowned movie during this time of the year, Halloweentown. Afterwards, attendees were able to paint pumpkins at an additional cost of two dollars.

Class of 2021 advisor, Cassandra Poole, explained that “it took about a week to plan” as they had to “get approval from Mr. Mastrangelo.” When receiving approval for the event, “[they] quickly sent out an interest survey” to see what movie people would be most interested in

The decorated pumpkins. Photo submitted by Cassandra Poole. seeing. As a result, Halloweentown received the most votes and the officers were quick to advertise the event.

Halloweentown is a movie that follows a 13 year-old girl named Marnie who finds out that her family follows a long family line of witches. After discovering the big family secret, she and her siblings follow their grandma to Halloweentown where supernatural beings have the opportunity to lead an everyday, regular life. However, trouble is both emerging for the family and the town as evil has become a threat to the world. The movie was

The Mayor, the Malden Community Action Group, and the Key Club get together for a photo at the Halloween Hike in Fellsmere park, Key Club helps with face painting and tattoos for the little kids, Key Club members preparing for the Halloween Hike in Fellsmere Park, Key Club poses for a photo at the Halloween Hike. Photos taken by Chaimaa Assli.

thought to be perfect for the Halloween spirit.

President Harriet Shane Gerochi stated that social media is the best way to advertise fundraising events due to how “texting people to attend is a more convincing tactic” especially if a large response is needed in the end. In addition, flyers were put around the school to further have students to go.

The proceeds that were collected from the movie night are essentially “used to support the class of 2021” as Poole stated. She explained that “[they] use the money to put together more fundraising events” which in the end, “the ultimate goal is to build up more revenue for prom.”

Poole believes that the benefit of hosting fundraisers is two-fold: she emphasized that not only does the class raise money, but the events “encourage people to get involved in the culture and life of the school outside of class.” And so, they mainly “bring people together who might not otherwise interact much” and this assists in fostering “a sense of community.”

Adding on to that thought, Gerochi believes that students in the class of 2021 should be participat-

ing “because in the long run, prom would be a lot more better.” She continued on saying that the student council puts a huge amount of effort in “making sure that [they] come up with ideas and have them turn into fundraisers.”

Personally, Poole’s favorite part about the movie night was painting the pumpkins as “[they] ended up having a surplus of pumpkins” which she was able to paint three of them. As for Gerochi, she also agreed that towards the end of the event, where they were able to paint pumpkins was her favorite part due to how “[they] laughed and talked, and overall it was enjoyable.”

Moving forward, Gerochi expressed that “[they] are trying to prepare [themselves] for the next couple of months” as the class of 2021 “only hopes for a successful JVs.” Poole hopes that they will be able to “put out a lot more good fundraisers” and “have more juniors coming out to volunteer.” With that in mind, the class of 2021 will be hosting more fundraisers in the future including their seasonal dodgeball tournament on November 19th and will be selling their class t-shirt for spirit week.

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The Blue and Gold November 2019

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Youth Fright Tour at the Library

Gabriel Fesehaie Reporter

The Malden Public Library is over 100 years old, and has accumulated many stories to its name. Some are good, some are bad, some are downright creepy. The Library has decided to focus on creepy stories this time, with their Haunted Library Tour. It takes visitors to off-limits areas and goes over the spooky scary history of the Library, other libraries, and the City of Malden. Here is a choice collection of stories that are sure to make Malden even more unique than it already is.

From top to bottom: Malden Public Libary Director, Dora St. Martin pointing at a picture of Frank Converse. “Lincoln at Gettysburg”, Albion Harris Bicknell. A binder with pictures of gravestones from the Bell Rock Cemetery. Elisha S. Converse, Frank Converse, Mary Converse. All photos by Brandon Wong.

Malden Public Libary Director, Dora St. Martin pointing at a picture of Frank Converse.Photo

by Brandon Wong.

Brandon Wong Lead Reporter When the season of horror was upon the city of Malden, The Malden Public Library hosted the Young Adult Haunted Library Tour. The tour took place on October 25, 2019, at Malden’s Converse Memorial Building.

The tour was led by the Malden Public Library Director, Dora St. Martin and Librarian Patrick Brennan. Throughout the tour, the history of Malden was told through many horror stories about the City, and the Malden Public Library. Horror stories were also told about many other libraries throughout the country.

The tour began in the entrance of Memorial Hall, the original part of the library. St. Martin directed the group towards a painting of Henry Hobson Richardson, the architect of the Malden Public Library. St. Martin began to explain that following the construction of the Library, Richardson began to design a mansion in Chicago. Following the completion of the mansion, Richardson would soon die at the age of 47, haunting the mansion until the end of time. To this day, a painting of Richardson is hanged at the mansion in honor of the architect and a ghost of Richardson may be seen passing through its halls.

Following this story, the group was directed into Memorial Hall, where St. Martin began to reveal the story of the Headless Mad Scientist. The story goes that a mad scientist had found a chemical of immortality.

The scientist had used the chemical in order to preserve his body after death, where he is buried in Bell Rock Cemetery. Several years after his death, a group of researchers had heard of his story and planned to rob his grave to see if the story was true. So in the dead of night, the researchers went and dug up his grave.

They found that the stories had been true. The body had been perfectly preserved. In order to understand what chemical was used to preserve the body, the Continued on Page 11

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The Blue and Gold November 2019 Continued from Page 10 researchers took the head of the corpse as a sample. Angered, the headless Mad Scientist roams Bell Rock Cemetery in search of it’s missing head. To this day, the grave of the Headless Mad Scientist has been paved over by streets and roads, but his ghost still roams the Bell Rock Cemetery in the dead of night, in search of it’s missing head.

Following this tale, St. Martin led the group towards the Lower gallery. Martin pointed to the painting of Frank Converse, retelling his murder. St. Martin told the group that Converse was murdered at 12 in the First National Bank, now the Main St. Lot. No one knew who had murdered Converse, but the citizens of Malden were suspicious of everyone.

Two detectives from Boston were assigned to the murder case, while a Circle was established in order to find the murderer. By the end of the investigation, Edward Green was found guilty for the murder.

Green had made several suspicious actions and transactions.

During the hunt for the murderer, Green had seemingly not cared for the murder of Converse, however he was able to pay off large debts that he was unable to pay off before the murder. In the end, Green confessed to the murder. Despite his confession, Green remained well liked through out his community, and a petition began to save him. The petition was called “Shall I Suffocate Ed Green.” It would take 20 years for Green to receive the death sentence for the murder.

This case was the first murder during a bank robbery in North America.

The idea for the Young Adult Haunted Library Tour originally came from Librarian Patrick Brennan, who had then handed it off to the Teen Advisory Board (TAG).

The Board had approved of the idea, and plans for the event were put in motion. Brennan wanted to host the tour because “[he] love[s] showing off the old parts of the library, and think that teens would get a kick hearing ghost stories here about Malden.”

During the research for the tour, Martin “was surprised at all the other ghost stories regarding many locations in Malden.” With many more stories yet to be discovered, St. Martin expects many more sites and horror stories to be included in next years tour.

St. Martin felt that the tour was a “great opportunity for students to learn more about the history of the library and the City of Malden.” This feeling was reciprocated by Freshman Eric Tang, who found the tour “eye opening”. Tang mentioned how the tour made him realize that “Malden’s history was this deep” and “changed the way [he thought] about [his] city.”

The staff at the Malden Public Library are already planning to bring back the tour for next year.

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THE FINE ARTS CLUB HOSTS

ZOMBIE TAG Sandra Li Lead Reporter

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MHS students gathering together for a photo after a round of Zombie Tag. Photo from Chris Mastrangelo’s Twitter page.

he Fine Arts Club recently hosted their annual Zombie Tag event on Friday, October 25th.

Tickets were sold leading up to the event for $5 at all four lunches.

Students who were participating were required to meet in Cafe B to discuss the rules of the game and to also receive their items for the game.

President Triniti Nguyen stated that “planning [did not] take too long” as Zombie Tag has been a recurring event every year, but they did have to “get people to help sell tickets,” and receive permission from Principal Chris Mastrangelo to host the event.

Secretary Aylia Fournier mentioned that they advertised Zombie Tag by having it in the “announcements every morning until the event,” and also by “hanging up posters around the school,” with addition to advertising it during lunch.

Junior Carolina Cuevas, a member of the club, further added that the profits raised are used towards art supplies and other events. Also, the proceeds are used for an end of the year party which is to “celebrate the senior members of the club.”

Malden High Art teacher and Fine Arts Club adviser, Joseph Luongo, described that each student was given a bandana to be worn either on their arm or on their neck in order to indicate if they were either a human or a zombie. A bandana around their arm would mean that person was a human and if it were on their neck they would be a zom-

bie. In addition, socks were given out to the players which they can use to throw at the zombies which is followed by the zombie freezing for ten seconds.

Before starting each round, two or three students were set aside to be zombies. After starting, participants were able to run through only the second and third floor hallways.

Participants were not allowed to hide in classrooms, lockers, or bathrooms.

During each round, announcements were made through the speaker to either tell if the round was over or to call out where the humans were hiding. A new round would restart when there were no humans left over.

Vice President Maple Song said that a problem they faced was trying to sell tickets during lunch as there was a challenge in getting a table which resulted in the officers “sharing tables because other people would be using the table before [them].” Also, she explained that there were not many people who could volunteer to sell the tickets as “[they could not] cover all four lunches some days.”

Song explained that her favorite part about Zombie Tag as an officer, would be “watching everything on cameras” and “hearing how people thought of the game.”

She specifically explained how in one of the rounds, there was a hoard of humans on the second floor of the Holland building and once the announcer revealed their location, “[they] see the group split into two directions at light speed,” which she

noted that “[they] all had a laugh at that.”

As for the players, sophomore Kellie Zhu stated that the most enjoyable part was having the chance to “play with people [they would not] usually hang out with,” and so Zombie Tag was able to “introduce [her] to people that [she has] seen but [have not] had the opportunity to really talk to.”

Adding on to that thought, sophomore Leslie Rodriguez expressed that it was a nice time to “team up with people [she] does not work with as much,” and learning what “strategies work best as the rounds progressed.”

Nguyen stated that Zombie Tag has “intentionally low stakes so that participants can focus on having fun,” as a lot of students are busy with class work, jobs, and other commitments. She personally loved the idea of “giving people an afternoon to just run around and have fun.”

Fournier believes that without the event, she would have never been able to “hang out and socialize with the lower and upper classmen outside of the ones [she is] friends with.” She emphasized that due to it not being an exclusive event, it overall “promotes interaction between students that would have never socialized with each other.”

In the future, the Fine Arts Club is planning to host more events and fundraisers including the gingerbread decorating for the winter holiday, selling balloons for Valentine’s Day, and possibly another Zombie Tag in the spring.

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New Staff Profile: Marta Cabral Sandra Rivadeneira Co-Head of Sports

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alden High School welcomed Marta Cabral to the school faculty as the new house principal for the Holland House, following the retirement of Marilyn Slattery last school year.

During her very early childhood years Cabral lived in Spain, where she was born. About the time when she was in elementary school, Cabral moved to a “very small town” in Central Massachusetts where she spent the rest of her childhood and adolescence growing up. Cabral is bilingual and grew up with her mother “only speaking Spanish to [her] in [their] household.” Now, Cabral makes sure to only speak Spanish with her own children, making sure that their ability to juggle two languages is

not lost.

Cabral received her bachelor’s degree from Worcester State University, double majoring in Spanish and in Education. Now, she has two masters degrees, one in Bilingual Education and another in Administration. As she takes on the role of Holland House principal, she describes her experience so far as “pretty great.”

Cabral shared how she “enjoyed meeting [the] students,” and that even though she has been here for a couple of months already, she is still “adjusting and learning things.”

Caitlin Quinn, the Holland house guidance counselor, who first met Cabral during the interview process for a new house principal, said that during her first weeks of knowing her, Quinn recognized that Cabral has a “very positive attitude

and is excited to be here.”

Like any interview process, Quinn shared, student involvement was a big factor when hiring Malden High faculty and what stood out about Cabral was how “professional she is” and how she seemed very “student centered.”

As Cabral gets to know the ropes of Malden High, she said that her biggest guides have been the students who happen to be the “easiest and quickest way to get all kinds of information about Malden High, because they know it well.”

She has made it a goal to, primarily, “not get lost getting from [her] office to Brunelli,” but then to also remember every one of her students’ names. “So far,” she joked, “[she’s] about 20 percent there, not even.”

Outside of school, one of Cabral’s hobbies is gardening. Flow-

ers specifically, as she has come to conclusion that vegetables are not exactly the easiest. Besides developing her green thumb, Cabral shares another goal, this time one that Malden High can help her with, which is to “develop her Portuguese.”

With the school being one of the most diverse learning environments in the state, there is no question that the student body will be able to assist her. Additionally, Cabral shared that she hopes to develop “an understanding of other languages and cultures,” all of which will help her in her job here.

Cabral takes the position of Holland House principal as an opportunity to teach others, but she will also be able to learn more for herself in this new environment.

Staff Profile: Gregory Hurley to be New Director of Humanities Lauren Mallett Lead Reporter

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his school year is starting with many staff changes, including the promotion of Gregory Hurley, who is taking on his new position as the Humanities Director for Malden Public Schools.

Hurley has worked as a social studies teacher at Malden High for the past 14 years, teaching various classes such as US History I and II, Modern World History, and AP US Government and Politics. His role in his new position is to lead the social studies, English, and fine arts departments.

Hurley was born and raised in Arlington, Massachusetts. He went to Bates University in Lewiston, Maine for his bachelor’s degree and received his master’s degree from Tufts University. During the 2004-2005 school year, Hurley student-taught at Malden High with Judi Allen, who taught history at the

time. Since 2005, he has taught his own social studies classes. He said he had “always had a passion for the study of history and government,” and has always “wanted to share these passions with [his] students.”

While Hurley is passionate about history, he applied for the humanities director position because he wants to “help teachers be the best [they] can be and provide the best possible education for every student.”

Social studies teacher Jonathan Copithorne, who has worked with Hurley since 2011, said that “as director, [Hurley] has been great,” and “is making sure that everyone knows what [they] are doing and has what [they] need. [Hurley] is very supportive.” Copithorne also added that he is “very organized and very knowledgeable of the system.”

Richard Tivnan, another social studies teacher at Malden High, said that “the [humanities] depart-

ment needed some leadership, [as] it’s been without a [permanent] director for a couple [of] years now.”

Tivnan has been working with Hurley for the last 15 years, and feels that he has been “awesome” as the Humanities Director.

Hurley feels that his “strong relationships with staff” and “experience in designing and implementing curriculum” will be very useful in working towards his goal of “implement[ing] a strong curriculum for all of [Malden’s] students,” that teachers will “feel reflects their goals for the courses they teach.”

Principal Chris Mastrangelo described Hurley as incredible, accessible, innovative, and supportive, saying that Malden “[really] hit a home run with [him].” Mastrangelo said “[Hurley’s] knowledge base around quality instruction is now [going to] benefit the entire district,” so now Malden High and the rest of the Malden Public Schools are “benefiting from his high level of

professionalism and expertise, so we’re pretty lucky.”

In his free time, Hurley enjoys spending time with his wife and children. Describing the transition into his new position as “very interesting,” Hurley is looking forward to meeting new teachers and students and “figuring out [how he] can help them all.”

He added that he hopes everyone has a great year and wants everyone to remember, “you are not alone!”

Have you ordered your yearbook yet? www.jostens.com

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Staff Profile: Erin Craven to be New Guidance Director may face and with this being said, one of her goals for the year is to expand publicity.

Jenkins and Brunelli 9th grade Guidance Counselor Taryn Belowsky shares a relationship with Craven as they have been working together for the past eight years.

When asked how she would describe Craven, Belowsky states that she is “passionate, motivated, energetic” and thinks she is “a wonderful person.”

In terms of Craven’s role, Belowsky agrees with her that the district is in need of more publicity. She thinks Craven will be “a great way to . . . advertise and advocate for the different programs and initiatives that [their] department does” and she thinks that in doing so, “everyone will be aware” and hopefully open to those opportunities.

Apart from this, Belowsky adds that Craven’s role also consists of “making new relationships with people outside the community that maybe [the school] is not connected to that could be utilized more by our students and our staff.” With this, she will also be “aligning some kind of vision with the middle schools,” since there is currently only one councelor in each of them, in which case Craven is preparing to collect a great deal of data on so that the guidance team can “continue to improve [their] services.”

Holland Guidance Counselor Caitlin Quinn, has worked with Craven for the last five years. When Quinn first applied to work at Malden High, she looked on the website and noticed that Craven had attended the same college as her at Saint Michael’s College. Quinn even reached out to her prior to her interview and thought it was “a nice connection” she could make with her and thinks she has been “a really great role model throughout [Quinn’s] time here at MHS” ever since.

Quinn believes that Craven is “a wealth of knowledge” and thinks it is especially important in

Sabrina Monteiro Managing Editor of Web and Mobile Apps

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rin Craven, who was born and raised in Reading Massachusetts, has been a faculty member at Malden High School since 2006.

When first coming to Malden High, she started off as a Special Ops Guidance Counselor and then became the Boyle House Counselor in 2008 and remained in that position for the last 11 years before becoming a Guidance Director this year.

Craven studied as an English Literature major with a minor in Business Management. A few years after completing her undergraduate degree, she taught English at a ski academy in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and then decided to go back to school near that area to Plymouth State University. She then received her masters degree in Education with a concentration in School Counseling. It was after all this that she then came to Malden High.

Her position is similar to her last one but in comparison, she now obtains more responsibility and “works with all the counselors in the district, as opposed to just the high school team.” Craven also adds that while she will still be advocating for students and families, she must also now advocate for “school counseling and academic support at the district level.”

Early on in her career when she was still teaching English, she realized how much she loved it and then decided to take a class called “Introduction to the Counselling Profession” and says “it was an eye opener for [her] that made [her] realize that was exactly what [she] wanted to do.”

Craven’s main reason for wanting the job was because she “want[s] to try and help in a new and different way that will be exciting for [her] and hopefully for the students and families at Malden Public Schools.”

As she takes on the new role, she is also prepared for the challenges she

regards to what the guidance team does and “what [they] do in terms of college readiness for students and [Quinn thinks] that is something all of [them] need to know...to prepare students for life after highschool.”

MHS has not had a guidance director for a few years and with the position now being reopened and filled by Craven, Quinn states that she likes “having another point person to speak on our and the students behalf.” She also emphasizes how it was a very “well deserved position” for Craven, as it is something she has been working really hard for.

Craven has created many special bonds with faculty, students, and specifically the guidance team.

Holland Adjustment Counselor Kristy Hardy is one of them. Hardy explains how she thinks the position “fits her well since [Craven] has been here for a long time and knows the ins and outs of guidance. It is also good that the team trusts her.”

Even though the school is taken very seriously, staff members still manage to have fun as well. Hardy mentions a story where she and Craven were discussing how they still know all the words to every song from The Little Mermaid and then they both broke into song. Craven was saying how she does not even know how she remembers all “the words coming out of [her] mouth.”

They were both just having a blast.

In her free time, she also enjoys doing anything that involves the outdoors, which includes hiking, snowboarding, kayaking, gardening, etc. She also mentions her love for cooking different authentic recipes from different cultures. Since she loves being outside, she explains that the biggest perk in her new position is the window located in her room.

Overall, Craven is very excited to take on this position and thinks it is “good for families and students to have [her], Jayson Payeur, and Heather Northrop here. People that know here. You don’t stay in Malden Public Schools unless you love

it and [they] love being here and it is nice having us be able to do that in new positions.”

For more staff profiles on: Joshua Abrams Jessie Belfer Sarah Kaleko Dan Jurkowski Rachel Leblanc Danielle Higgins Allison Fornash Elizabeth Lee Victoria Atkinson Elana Mayer David DePlacido Leanne DeRosa John Crews Keon Horahan Jay Hargis Matt Camire Eric London Vita Chiarenza Rania Kansoun Go to maldenblueandgold.com

14

Local News

The Blue and Gold November 2019

maldenblueandgold.com

Meet the Mayor: Gary Christenson

Gary Christenson Defeats John Matheson for his Third Term as Mayor Ana Pirosca Editor-in-Chief A week after the November 5th elections, people are still congratulating Malden Mayor Gary Christenson. After six months of campaigning against Malden City Councilor Matheson, many of Christenson’s campaign members all took a breath of fresh air as won his campaign.

You have served as Mayor of Malden for the past eight years now for another four. Tell me about running for mayor again.

There’s nothing like it that I’ve ever experienced because you give yourself to something that you’ve always wanted to do and to be able to do it and win… there’s no better feeling in the world. You know, we hear a lot of [times], to focus on money, and assets, and stature, but I believe to be able to achieve one’s dream… it’s all about. So right now I’m still on cloud nine. You know, and it all started at Malden High School when I was a junior, I ran for class president and it was then that I knew I wanted to become mayor one day of my hometown. And so again, to be able to do that, [it] never gets old.

Okay, tell me about how different it is to run against Matheson compared to past elections.

I ran against Debbie (Deborah) Fallon in 2011, then ran unopposed for four years and then this time against Councilor Matheson. There is no difference because I’ve always tried to run hard no matter if I have opposition or I don’t and that’s one of the things I take great pride in; [to have] never taken, for lack of a better word, payoff. I always try to remain aggressive and grateful to have the opportunity… so it could be anyone running I just try to remain consistent and determined to do the best job I can.

A lot of people have heard of you as the mayor who picks up trash, in fact, many people may know you from the social media site, Reddit. Did you hear that you made it on the front page of Reddit over the summer?

I did. And I actually found out from Birukti Tseige who just gradu-

ated in 2019 and my first reaction was: “What is a Reddit?” I thought I had it all covered with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and I think the kids even got me on to Tik Tok! So whenever someone said that I was on the front page of Reddit I had to find out first what a Reddit was and then [it was] funny you know, because I had always wanted to be known as a mayor who came up with this great policy or some initiative that people look at and say “Wow that’s something that will last for a long time”... Eight years later, to be known as someone who picks up litter in a suit, but yeah, it’s funny but I never thought in a million years I would get that call. Honestly, when I do it, I just try to do it to take pride in my city so whenever I have the opportunity, I’ll try to go around and make sure Malden is presentable for someone who may be looking to move here or open up a business [so] that’s why I do it. I also try to do it so that the next generation sees that and may do it because it’s all up to us because the future of our city won’t be determined by Washington or Beacon Hill, it’ll be determined by us, so that’s why I do it, but I never thought I’d reach that status.

You spoke about how you have pride in the city. What else are you proud of in this city?

The youth. I think after several years in office trying to do as much as we can for our students: so from the Malden Teen Enrichment Center to tripling the number of summer jobs we have now for our students, to having a very active recreational department that’s what I’m really proud of. Another one is really making sure that communication has been strengthened; so before we came into office there was no City of Malden the presence on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, [or] Snapchat but now we are and all those been used so I think the communications were good. Crime... we really try for dropping--I think we just cited a statistic that shows that violent crime has dropped about 40%, so we really tried to work hard there. And just having this opportunity never gets old.

As Mayor of Malden, you are familiar with the school committee. Tell me a bit more about your role in that.

Yeah I’m the chairperson. Every city or town is different. Ours is set up with a ward-by-ward representation. We have eight wards, so there’s eight school committee members.

Back in the late 90’s, the voters went to the ballot and changed to have the mayor sit as the chairperson of the school committee. I think the reason that was done [is] because back then, there was a lot of our financial issues between the school department in the city so they thought it might help having the chief executive officer be a part of this school committee, so that’s why it was done.

But other cities have five members others have people run at large but that the structure we’ve had in place for a while.

So then you must be thrilled about the Student Opportunity Act which will be adding an additional 1.5 billion dollars to the public school system.

Of course, and grateful, I mean because it was headlined by our own state senator Jason Lewis, so every chance we’ve had for the past eight years we’ve pleaded with Senator Lewis and our three Representatives which is DiNardo, Ultrino and it was Brodeur (before he became mayor) that we need help. I mean, we would you want everything we could on our end which is limited because the only revenue we really have is from property taxes and me we have fees, fines, and all that, but that’s nominal. The big source of revenue that we have is from the state and if you look at prior to the student Opportunity Act, we felt that the state had been falling behind on this partnership for providing our students with the resources they need to truly succeed. We have the base intact but we need more... we need resources around social, emotional learning. Every student that goes to any of our schools should experience the same courses so if they’re offering Spanish at the Linden, it should be offered at the other 4 K-8’s, so credit to our delegation, finally, eight years later we’re on the cusp we’re not there yet of having the Student Opportunity Act

in place which will result in millions of dollars to our city.

So right now it’s in conference committee from what I understand so the house has a version, senate has a version [that they are] trying to reconcile them, then it goes to the governor, now the governor could veto but I think the house has a vetoproof majority. Hopefully going into fiscal year 2020 which begins July 1st of 2020, we’ll start to see some big changes in our school system. I think it’s a combination [of goals to use with this money]; I think you see more counselors, I think you’ll see our class size reduced, I think you’ll see more offerings consistent across the district, and I will really hopeful about what this could mean for our students because we’ve known for a long time that the last time they did every education requirements in 1993 and the landscape has changed since then. We didn’t have the kind of issues that you have today homeless kids, I mean literally, homeless kids that aren’t living in a home. almost are the medical diagnosis of changed since then but the money thing of the funds have not kept up so hopefully this will will do that.

What are some of the future goals you hope to accomplish in the future?

We just mentioned we wanted continue to as much as much as we can for our students. We’re looking forward to opening the new City Hall. We are hoping to do something down at Public Works and create access to the river for the high school crew team. We are hoping to renovate Malden Center train station with State funds, hoping that will happen. [And to] continue to improve infrastructure [like] roads, water mains [to] replace our lead lines and to just keep doing what we’re doing. And affordable housing is another one--that’s big, ironically enough I’m sitting with you less than 24 hours ago the city council adopted our initiatives that we sent down so now we have an affordable housing trust fund. We’re going to be able to have partner up with some organizations to create more affordable housing and then whatever else we can do to help keep moving Malden forward.

When I was going door to door that was a big issue, our infrastructure, there’s just not enough money to do all that we need to do.

I mean Bainbridge Street was a big [concern] Forest St… that was hundreds of thousands of dollars, but we only get about $900,000 a year from the state and we don’t have a local revenue besides our general receipts but our first priority with the revenues is our student’s, police, fire, public works so there’s not a lot left over for infrastructure, so again we rely primarily on the state. Nine hundred grand doesn’t go far, it sounds like it’s a lot but I’ll give you an example: Forest street between Pierce and Sylvan, near the Forestdale School [cost about] $50,000 [to repave]-- just that one little area and we only get $900,000 a year.

The Blue and Gold November 2019

Local News

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maldenblueandgold.com

Malden Welcomes The Wanyoo Gaming Cafe Charging Station Roxanne Leon Lead Reporter

W

ith more and more restaurants and businesses being brought into Malden, the city is happy to welcome Wanyoo Gaming Café as one of them. Wanyoo Gaming Café is located at 96 Pleasant Street.

Wanyoo first opened back in 1998 in Shanghai, China. It was the largest gaming cafe chain in China.

Wanyoo’s website says that it was designed to be “the largest and best Internet Cafe in Boston, offering services from basic internet services to E-sport tutoring.” Wanyoo is equipped with high-end PCs, game machines such as a PS4 and equipment for e-sports. E-sports is a form of competitive sports using video games.

In Wanyoo there are gaming PCs with games such as League of Legends and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. They have nine console stations that “allows console gamers to come in and play with their friends using [their] 144hz curver HD monitors.” There are also Team rooms, in Wanyoo, where team players can go in and play as a team.

Wanyoo’s gaming PCs are able to “handle all types of games smoothly with high internet speed.”

Co-owner, Zhichao Chen, stated they want to create an atmosphere where people can come in and have fun. “This is a place for [people] to socialize and have fun and meet new friends as well because not a lot of the kids can physically play sports. But for video games, [it does not] matter how big or strong they are, they can play.

They can do an E-Sport.”

Chen says that Wanyoo was built in Malden because they saw “great potential” and believe that Malden is “going to be a gaming district” especially with Borda Borg next door. Chen also feels that Malden is “a place for people to come… and entertain.”

To play at Wanyoo a person would have to make an account and prepay. They would need to give them their name, phone number and student ID to verify their name.

When a person logs in on a PC their account will be charged by price per hour. If they do not log in then they will not be charged.

Since Wanyoo is relatively

new to Malden, they are having a grand opening promotion where it is $2 per hour to play in their lobby and $4 per hour to play in their gaming room. Though Wanyoo charges per hour, Chen added that the gamer does not have to play for the full hour but can be for a shorter time if they want. Wanyoo is not only for people to come in and play video games but can also be a place where people can come in to do work or homework.

Players can also bring in their Nintendo Switch to play Super Smash Brothers for free on one of the three monitors that Wanyoo provides. This is a limited time offer Wanyoo is giving to its customers.

Chen believes that people should come to Wanyoo because not everyone has all of the gaming equipment at home. Therefore people can come to Wanyoo and have the experience of playing on one for a cheaper price than to buy a PC that costs around $800 according to Chen. Wanyoo is also a place where gamers can communicate with one another all in the same place while playing. Chen wants them to “make new friends,” and play “healthy.”

Chen also believes that playing together in the cafe can decrease depression in the players.

Chen would also like kids at Wanyoo to play E-Sports, “We [do not] want kids to only play games but we want them to play E-Sport[s].

To play games professionally, with ethics, with sportsmanship.” Wanyoo also has a Wanyoo Cup Tournament. When Chen was in college, he had minored in special education and noticed that not every kid can

Vanessa Saintvil Lead Reporter

A

play a sport but can play video games. Chen would also like for parents to come to the cafe and play with their kids since kids now do not really communicate with their parents.

Wanyoo also works with a lot of colleges such as Northeastern, Boston College, Emerson College, and Boston University. Chen explained that the colleges send two teams to play in Wanyoo. Wanyoo is currently having a League of Legends tournament that is practice for players, where they are allowed to come in and play a team and possibly win the championship.

Wanyoo also offers a different kind of vibe to their players with service bells at each station, servers who cruise the area to make sure they are doing the right thing, offering any help and even cleaning the whole station after each session, within 10 minutes, before the next player comes.

Once the grand promotion is over, the cost for the lobby is $5 per hour and $8 per hour for their gaming rooms.

Phtos from Top to Bottom: What you first see when you walk into Wanyoo; Snack bar with many good snacks for the players to enjoy, Gaming Booth that’s recommended for professional players, but anyone can use it. Photos by Roxane Leon.

ChargePoint station has been installed along Exchange Street in Malden. ChargePoint is the world’s largest electric vehicle charging network. They have over 100,000 places to charge globally.

Recently, the city of Malden has seen an increase in electric vehicles usage by its residents. Suburban Electric, an electric contracting company, was responsible for the installation of the charging station.

Dereck Kehrein, an Electrician from Suburban Electric, was involved in the installation and startup of the charging station.

He mentions the installation of the charging station “takes a day to get the station built, set-up, and powered.”

He also mentioned how easy it is to charge an electric vehicle.

The charging station can be used via app or card by ChargePoint.

Kehrein stated that all you have to do is “tap in” to unlock the station, then you are “provided access” to plug in your vehicle. The app allows user to know if the station is vacant or occupied beforehand.

Kehrein also mentioned it is “free of charge” to the residents of Malden. Chris Burchard, the developer of the property, estimates that with this model it takes a “typical car to charge one to two hours.”

Chris Burchard was responsible for acquiring “an approval through the city” for the car charger itself. He has been working closely with the city of Malden. He mentioned that Suburban Electric had “development with the city,” and Malden took interest in obtaining a charging station.

As city hall is being redeveloped, the charging station is simply an added bonus to Exchange Street. Exchange Street is the perfect location for the charging station because there is “public parking” and also that side of Exchange Street is where Suburban Electric “parks their zipcars.” In neighboring cities such as Somerville, they have a lot of charging stations, and this idea of being “green friendly migrates” across cities, as more developments are being built.

16

entertainment

The Blue and Gold November 2019

maldenblueandgold.com

w e i v e R m u b l A

Julie Huynh Lead Reporter

LOVER is Taylor Swift’s seventh studio album and her first release with Republic Records, after parting from Big Machine Records in November 2018. Fans began speculating about the album as early as February of this year. Swift discreetly announced the album when she posted a thirteen-day countdown to social media, which was also featured on billboards in popular cities like New York and London.

After posting the countdown on social media and causing a frenzy, Swift continued to post new content every day leading up to the release of the album’s lead single, “ME!,” featuring Panic! At The Disco’s Brendon Urie on April 26th.

True to her brand, Swift sent her fans on an elaborate Easter egg hunt by placing hints about the future album title and song lyrics all throughout the music video. She finally announced the album and its of-

ficial release date of August 23rd on June 13th during an Instagram livestream. Swift also announced the second single, “You Need to Calm Down.”

On August 16th, Swift announced the tracklist of the album in a series of Instagram posts. Just one day after the album went on sale, Lover became the top-selling album of 2019 in the U.S., selling 450,000 copies on the first day alone. Later it went on to top the Billboard 200 Chart, with 867,000 copies sold in one week which makes this Swift’s sixth #1 album. On September 27th, Lover was certified platinum.

Track One: “I Forgot That You Existed” The opening track on the album is a song called “I Forgot That You Existed,” which at first might seem to be about last night’s homework, but not the case here. Based on lyrics like, “I forgot that you existed / It isn’t love, it isn’t hate, it’s just indifference,” it shows that Swift is letting go of the struggles and negative feelings described in her previous album, reputation. This song is the perfect way to start the album and transition into this new chapter of her life that focuses on the different types of love she encounters. Overall, a very upbeat track highlighted by short piano chords and faded vocals in the background, which seem to be a common aspect of many other songs on this album.

Track Three: “Lover” Skipping to the third and arguably one of the most popular songs on the album, “Lover,” which shares the same name as the album. Being a fan of Swift for such a long time, you’re used to hearing many heart wrenching songs filled with tragedy, but this one feels like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders. Just an innocent and heartwarming song about Swift’s partner of three years, Joe Alwyn. This track was released as a single before the album and on the first day it reached #1 on the US iTunes charts, making it her 35th song to do so.

Track Five: “The Archer” “The Archer” was the third song to be released from the album, after “ME!” and “You Need To Calm Down.” The song was actually teased in the music video for “ME!” in a very stealthy manner. In one of the scenes, there is a band of angels that resemble cupids, which are often depicted as archers

who shoot arrows. One appearance might be a coincidence, but in the music video for “You Need To Calm Down,” guest star Hayley Kiyoko is seen shooting an arrow into a target with the number 5 on it. This being the fifth track on the album, it doesn’t seem like too far of a reach. Additionally, among Swift’s fans, the “Track #5 Theory,” is one that suspects the fifth track on her albums to be the most vulnerable, emotional ones. This track definitely fits the bill as Swift is singing about her insecurities in a relationship.

Track Seven: “Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince” On the surface, this song be interpreted as one about a high school romance, but if you listen closely to the lyrics, there are so many layers to it. Swift told Rolling Stone that she wrote the song “a couple of months after midterm elections,” and she wanted to “take the idea of politics and pick a metaphorical place for that to exist.” What better way to do that than to compare it to a traditional high school?

Track Nine: “Cornelia Street” In 2016 and 2017, Swift actually rented an apartment on Cornelia Street in Manhattan. The song focuses on the role that the street plays in her memories of a former relationship. Swift explains that sometimes in our lives we will assign memories and feelings to a certain place in our minds. During the week of September 7, 2019, the song peaked at #57 on the Hot 100.

Track Ten: Death By A Thousand Cuts A personal favorite on this album, a catchy song about saying goodbye to someone you love. The title “Death By A Thousand Cuts” suggests that the song is about a

slow, torturous ending to a relationship. Contrary to most of the other songs on this album, this one was not written based on Swift’s personal life. For this track she took inspiration from the Netflix film Someone Great. After watching this film, Swift recalls that “for... a week [she] start[ed] waking up from dreams” that involved her living out the plot from the movie. Eventually she got in the studio with producer Jack Antonoff and they recorded the song.

Track Twelve: Soon You’ll Get Better (Ft. Dixie Chicks) This heartbreaking song is an ode to Swift’s mother, Andrea, who was diagnosed with cancer in April 2015 and rediagonsed in March 2019.

In Elle Magazine, she expresses that her mom’s cancer has taught her that “there are real problems and then there’s everything else.” She continues to say that she used to be so anxious about the “daily ups and downs,” but now she saves all her energy and prayers for real problems. Understandably, Swift admitted that this was the most difficult song on the album for her to write.

Track Fourteen: You Need To Calm Down Possibly one of the most iconic songs on the album, one dedicated to the critics who post hurtful comments online with underlying themes of self-love and acceptance.

On the track, Swift continues to show her support for equality, following her letter to Senator Lamar Alexander earlier this year and a petition she started for legal equality among people regardless of gender or sexuality. Therefore, it is not a coincidence that the song was released in June, which is recognized as Pride Month.

Track Sixteen: ME! Similar to track fourteen, this track featuring Brendon Urie revolves around the theme of selflove and confidence as well. When announcing the single, Swift said that the song is about “embracing your individuality” and “really celebrating it.” She adds that with pop songs, it is easy to get a melody stuck in your head and she wants it to be the one “that makes them feel better about themselves.”

Track Eighteen: Daylight The album closes with the song, “Daylight.” This track is very fitting as the final song because Swift sings about the struggles she faced in her past until she met someone that helped her see her life in a new, brighter perspective. For her, the song “recognizes past damage and pain,” but “shows that it doesn’t have to define you.” Compared to most of the songs on Swift’s previous album reputation, this one feels much lighter and relieving. One of the lyrics featured in the song is, “because it’s morning now / It’s brighter now” which paints a picture of starting fresh at the start of a new day. Swift acknowledges that she has made mistakes before, but based on the lyrics in the song, she has chosen to “step into the daylight and let it go.”

In the album’s lyric booklet, Swift included a foreword to her fans. During the outro of “Daylight,” her voice is heard reading an excerpt from this foreword. The excerpt reads, “I want to be defined by the things that I love, not the things I hate, not the things I’m afraid of, or the things that haunt me in the middle of the night. I just think that you are what you love.”

The Blue and Gold November 2019

Sports

17

maldenblueandgold.com

Golf David Cartledge Co-Head of Sport

Football Season Ender

Courtney Fitzgerald Lead Reporter

M

alden High School’s Golden Tornadoes Football teams’ season is shortly coming to an end.

With a record of 0-8, the team has had a tough season.

One of the senior captains Ishmael Sylus was disappointed with this season. It was not all Sylus had hoped it would be and explained that “[they had] potential” to have won some games, but stated “[they] are making the best of it.”

In one of their last games against Newton South, Malden pulled ahead of Newton in the second half. With nine seconds left in the game, Newton South ran the ball down the field and tied it, bringing the game into overtime. There had been four total overtimes before Newton South took hold of the ball and ran to the end-zone scoring the final touchdown in the game. Sylus stated that this was the highlight of his season. “Even though [they] lost, [they] kept battling” he stated.

Malden has had a couple of rough seasons, but Sylus is confident that “Malden football will be on top”

very soon. He also believes that “next season will be [their] season to shine, even if [he is] not there.”

Another captain on the team, sophomore Davenche Sydney, expressed his disappointment in how the season went, stating that “[he] was hoping for a winning season.”

Sydney also mentioned that he would have changed the “attitude and vibe” of the team in order to have a better season. However, Sydney shared that the highlight of the season, in his opinion, was “being tied with Everett” with a score of 6-6 at halftime.

Malden High School’s band plays during every game and some students have expressed how they love to go and listen to the band because they get the fans hyped up for the game. Sydney stated that he wishes the football players on the sidelines to be “hyped up” and bring more energy on the field, rather than “being silent.”

Malden had a few strong games and a couple of near victories. Overall, Malden had a fighting season and although the seniors will have to say goodbye, the rest of the team cannot wait until next year when they can get back onto the field and play once again together.

Top to bottom: The players getting into formation to execute a play, Junior Matthew Bessey completing a passing play, Junior Ralph Jr. Deus preparing for the referee to start a new play, Malden defense gets ready for the snap, Malden defense prepares for a play. Photos taken by Courtney Fitzgerald.

Senior Captain Gerard Mauriello placing the ball. Photo taken by David Cartledge

T

he Malden High School Golf team saw a great season this year, finishing with a record of 6-6.

Under the guidance of coach Richard Malatesta, who came back to the team for his 26th season, the team managed to pull together a season that led them to States. With Malden playing in Division One, they went to the Renaissance Golf Club in Haverhill against roughly 15 other teams. Though Malden did not win the tournament, it was a huge achievement, with captain Gerard Mauriello stating “just getting to the division one state tournament is a big deal.”

The tournament was played on October 21st after Malden secured a winning record of 6-2 during their season, qualifying them for States. With the team not making States in five years, it was a massive accomplishment. Though the team did not win the tournament, they held their heads high and were very proud to have had the opportunity to play. Coach Malatesta mentioned how the team showed “perseverance and courage” with Mauriello agreeing and adding to what Malatesta said, stating that he felt “everyone showed heart and courage”.

Just the ability to play in the tournament seemed to be more than enough for them, and even though they faced incredibly gifted teams, they showed an incredible amount of effort and played at a very high level. Mauriello mentioned how “[Malatesta] told [them], ‘[they] are playing kids who golf is their life.

Some of those kids play every time, sometimes multiple times a day.’”

Regardless of the opposing team’s efforts and skill, Malden played through and performed at high levels, with coach Malatesta commenting on many golfer’s abilities this season, specifically those that went to the state tournament.

Continue on Page 22

Sports

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The Blue and Gold November 2019

maldenblueandgold.com

Malden faces off against Newton South

Cheerleading Team competes in

Re g i o n a l s

Malden High School play against Newton High School. Photo by Erick Rodrigues.

Julia Freitas Reporter

M

alden High School Football Team went against The Newton South High School Football Team on for their senior night.

Although the team didn’t win, it was still a very close game. The team went overtime three times but the final score was 33-35.

Jamari Youman, number four on the field, transferred to Malden High from Florida ready to help our football team come closer to a win. Youman caught four touchdown passes, including two in overtime and a pick six in the fourth quarter.

One of the senior captains Ishmael Sylus, was injured three weeks before the game, he says “ [it] was hard to manage the team while injured because [he] was sad [he] couldn’t be out there with them but [he is] here now.” Sylus had a lot of advice for the players on how to get better. Though he was not satisfied with how the team has been playing over the years, he believes they have a lot of potential. He claims that “[the team needs] more execution, [they need to] work with each other and not against each other, [they need to have] more heart, [and the] will to win.” Sylus also said that his favorite part the team is being a part of a brotherhood, and knowing that his teammates always have his back.

Sylus stated that “[he was] proud about the [senior night] game because [the team] fought till the end, and [he was] proud of the team, they really showed heart, [and this is] real Malden football.” Sylus has been playing football for five years. His friend, also a senior football player, Kahli Hardmond, influenced him to play football, and helped him be interested in the game, but now the love for the game motivates him, “Football keeps me going,” he said. Sylus does hope to go to college and play football there, though he’s nolt so sure what college,yet. His most memorable game that he will carry on with him is the Thanksgiving game his freshman year, “watching the seniors play made [him] want to play and keep the legacy” Other team captain, Jerry Mervil said that this game, against Newton South, was the most memorable and the funnest game that he had played at Malden High school. Though Malden had a tough loss, Mervil was still proud of his team. “Honestly [he] feel[s] like overall the team performed very well, better than the last few games that’s for sure but it was just a tough loss, especially because of the whole hype around the regulation of the game and then three overtimes later [they] ended up losing, so it was a huge loss and [he] feel[s] like the team took a step and learned from it, so it just did nothing but make [them] closer.” Mervils favorite part of being a part of the team is being a leader. Mervil does believe that the team needs more improvement and he believes that the best way to improve is during the off season. “Improvement all starts

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From top to bottom: freshman Guilianna Celona performing a cheer. Junior Makayla Preston performing a cheer; the Cheerleading team cheering on the Malden High School’s Football Team. Photos by Brandon Wong.

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Read from left to right, top to bottom. Sophmore Audrey Keating watching the football game. Freshman Shani Hurdle performing a cheer. Freshman Guilianna Celona performing a cheer. Senior Ashley Stelmach performing a low V. Senior Amy Ngu performing a cheer. Photos by Brandon Wong.

with off season, off season is the biggest part of the football life, [he] feel[s] that if [they] put in the work in off season through skill training, weight room training,watching films from last year, just basically seeing where [they] lacked and try to improve those qualities [he] feel[s] like that’s where [they] start improving.” Mervil still was very proud of the team and stated that “[he] feel[s] like overall the team performed very well, better than the last few games that’s for sure but it was just a tough loss, especially because if the whole hype around the regulation of the game and then three overtimes later [they] ended up losing, so it was a huge loss and [he] feel[s] like the team took a step and learned from it, so it just did nothing but make [them] closer.”

Other senior team captain Peterson Maxis stated that “[they are] finally coming together as a team and playing with each other not against each other. Every game [they have] played were winnable games it’s just little mishaps shooting [them] in the foot.” Maxis says that the main improvement the team needs to make is knowing where they need to be on the field, “lineman not standing tall D-line giving push and changing the line of scrimmage, simple things.” And says that the main challenge is staying out of eachothers ways since there are multiple athletes and playmakers.

Maxis plans on playing football after highschool, and plans on going to prep school next year. He also stated that his brother motivated him to play since sixth grade because even though he didn’t really understand football, he still wanted to be like them.

Coach Stephen Freker stated that ”they [Ishmeal Sylus, Peterson Maxis, and Jerry Mervil] are three of our key players, with all three of them starting two ways, on offense and defense. Jerry has played many positions on offense, including starting several games at quarterback, as well as running back and receiver.

He has thrown several touchdown passes and scored four TDs including an exciting 85-yard kickoff return touchdown in the game against Haverhill.

Peterson has been a force at running back and linebacker and has really impressed the coaching staff with his leadership abilities.

Ishmael is another two-way starter at receiver on offense and cornerback on defense and has helped us compete in all of our games this season.”

Freker also stated that “All of our seniors will be hard to replace and it’s [too] early to forecast who will replace our captains, but there are a lot of good candidates among our underclassmen.”

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Girls Soccer Season Closer

Luella Harding Lead Reporter

T

he Girls Varsity Soccer team’s season is coming to a close, and although their record was 4-12-2, they put in their best efforts and fought hard on the field at every game.

The girls’ last home game was on October 26th against North Reading. Unfortunately, they lost 1-6, but the game was hard-fought and the team put in a lot of effort.

Sophomore goalie Olivia Donahue did particularly well and saved numerous shots.

The first goal of the game was scored by North Reading. The first time they kicked it towards the goal, Donahue saved the ball and it bounced off of her, but then they shot again and made it in. Directly after, senior Rocio Mejia fought for the ball as North Reading brought it down the field for a second time, but it wasn’t enough to keep them from scoring again.

Junior Kaitlyn Mini scored Malden’s only goal of the game in the first half, assisted by junior Camneilie Aristil. North Reading’s goalie was really far out, giving Mini the opportunity to run in and score behind her.

The game was intense, but Malden stayed together and had

some good plays.

The girls’ last game was away against Wakefield on October 29th.

Although they lost, senior captain Nour Chouiki said that “[they] did pretty good and played [their] hearts out. [They could not] really do anything other than try [their] best because Wakefield was a good team.”

This season, Chouiki stated that “[they] helped each other get up and not be too down on [themselves].”

Focusing on the positive was what kept them going throughout their games, and looking to what they could improve on.

Adding on to that, sophomore Sara Dzaferagic stated that “although the season might not have went as anticipated, [the team was] still able to stay positive.”

Something Chouiki thought the team should have done better with this season is passing more during the games. She also explains that “[they could have] improved on communication,” since it is important to talk with teammates on the field to ensure that everyone is on the same page.

Junior Sarah Whitehouse agrees, as she stated that “[they have not] been winning as much as [they] would like, but it has been fun overall.”

“The season [was not] what

[they] expected, but [the team] had some good wins,” Chouiki concludes.

Overall, this season was well-fought, and the team can not wait to come back together and take on the field next year.

From left to right: Freshman Catherine Santos jumps ahead of Everett to get the ball. Senior Beatriz De Oliveira Segato gets ready for Everett to come steal the ball. Photos by Brandon Wong.

Clockwise: Senior Tri-caption Batoul Chouiki, and Sophomore Sara Dzaferagic sub into the game during the first few minutes of the first half. Tri-captain and senior Bia Segato rushes to the ball in attempt to move it up the line. The girls’ varsity soccer team line up to thank their refs for their service during the game. The girls get in positions to start their game against the girls’ varsity soccer team in North reading. Photos by Karen Rivera.

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maldenblueandgold.com From top to bottom: Sophmore Yoji Yonetani performing a free throw.

Junior Frederick Correa headbutts the ball back down. Freshman Christian Osorno Vasquez protecting the ball from East Boston. Junior Brendon Santos trying to outmaneuver East Boston. Photos

by Brandon Wong.

Boys Soccer Lauren Mallett and Julie Huynh Lead Reporters

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alden High’s boys soccer team has officially ended their 2019 season.

Playing a total of thirteen games, they finished out the season with a 3-8-2 record. The team won three home games against Boston International, Salem, and Malden Catholic.

Senior Milton Padilla Hernandez says “one of [the team’s] main focus[es] was trying to qualify for the state tournament,” but this year they were “unfortunately unable to reach [that goal].” To qualify for states the team would have needed an equal or majority amount of wins compared to losses.

Overall, the season was difficult. Junior David Lombardi explains that it was a “season of injury,” which left many players, including senior captains “unable to play as well.”

Initially going into the season Lombardi had also hoped for their team to “continue the same trajectory [they] have been on making it to the State Tournament.” His personal goals were more based on “adjusting to the speed and style of play at the varsity level” as he was only able to play on the team last season for a shortened period at the end in the State Tournament.

Regarding Lombardi’s personal goals, the season started off pretty well for him. Unfortunately, due to an injury in the third game, he ended up missing a large portion of the season and wasn’t able to return until the last six games. On the bright side, Lombardi does feel like he now has a “better feel for the speed at which the team plays.”

Lombardi added that as the season progressed, there was a “rise in morale” as the team learned to work together. He expressed that everyone was able to put the necessary effort in to improve themselves by the end of the season.

Padilla Hernandez wishes that the team had “improved [their] teamwork” because during games their on-field chemistry “wasn’t adding up and [they] weren’t really playing as a team.” Lombardi expressed that “it was many of [their] first times playing with one another,” which made playing as a team hard.

Looking towards next season, Lombardi hopes the team can “build off the momentum [they] had at the end of this season” and make it to states. Altogether, Padilla Hernandez was pleased with the season, especially because of the group of “young talents this year who played a big role” in the season.

Lombardi agreed with this sentiment, stating that the team will be able to “establish a strong squad that will really be able to go far next year” due to the large number of underclassmen returning to the team.

If all goes well, next season the boys soccer team will have a stronger finish with its great group of underclassmen. Padilla Hernandez is hopeful that future players will “play as a team [and] strive for greatness.”

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Continued from Page 18

With the tournament marking the end of the season, it is always necessary to realize that the loss of players will negatively affect a team. The end of this season marks the graduation of five of the team’s eight starting golfers, which will have “substantial” repercussions for the team, as stated by Malatesta.

Captain JT Bowdridge, who is in his third year with the team, seems positive about the future though.

Bowdridge mentioned how “It will be hard to go without them, but [he feels they] can do it.”

The season saw many strengths in the team, some of which were more evident than others.

The team countlessly showed their “perseverance, tenacity, determination” throughout the season, as stated by Malatesta. As a result of this, the team has seen some major improvements in the past few years, with Mauriello mentioning how in his freshman year, “[their] team was barely scraping by”, but as the Senior Brenda Dias bumping the ball for a teammate to spike after the ball gets over the net. Photo taken by Roxane years went on, “[they have] become Leon. a team that not only wins matches but has a winning record” Kiley Fray Brenda Freitas is also finishing her fourth and However, every season Reporter final season with the Malden High School Varsity shines light on weaknesses within Volleyball team. Freitas has had a love for volleyball teams, with the golf team being no since the sixth grade when she participated in the alden High School’s Varsity Volleyball Team exception. One of the major things local volleyball clinic. Volleyball has created a solid pulled through with their final win to end in the tournament was the teams group of friends for her that has carried through sand play and approach shots. Ma- the season with a score of 3-0 against Chelsea High all four years of high school. Freitas described this latesta also went on to mention that School on Senior Night. Throughout the game, the experience as “a coming-of-age movie when you the major weakness throughout the team displayed passion and drive, which was a clear meet the jocks and the jocks stay together all through whole season was “skill levels on reflection of the score. high school.” Freitas stated that all of her teammates Deborah De Sousa is a senior that is wrapspecialty shots,” which he wanted have “different” interests “but the love for volleyball to work on for next season. Some- ping up her final volleyball season with the team. brought them together.” The advice Freitas has to thing Mauriello picked up on was Throughout the four years of her volleyball career, offer for new or incoming players is to “make sure the amount of practice that the team she has “been able to make many connections with [they] wash [their jerseys].” saw, stating that they “could have incredible people.” De Sousa hopes to keep volUltimately, the team that was created throughleyball in her life by volunteering for the boys volused more practice.” out the seniors’ four years at Malden High School The challenge to come next leyball teams in the spring. As De Sousa’s skill grew was described as a “family.” Malden High School’s year will be the loss of seniors, in the sport she also stated that her “perspective has Varsity Volleyball team will not be the same with the which tends to be a fear with most changed since [her] freshman year.” De Sousa has loss of the class of 2020 but those left behind will alsports. However, the golf team grown to see her teammates as her “equals” rather ways remember and honor the upcoming graduates. seems optimistic about the seasons than “competition.” to come, with Bowdridge stating that he wants “to build a more balanced team” and hopefully make it further in States. Malatesta however seems to want to focus more on the spirit and nature of the game rather specific parts of the team, stating that he wants “to help [his] players embrace and enjoy golf as a ‘Game for a Lifetime’.” For the seniors that are leaving however, it can be quite challenging to leave a sport behind, especially after playing for four years. Mauriello mentioned how he wants “the team to stay alive,” also Left to Right: Senior Myo Theingi serving the ball to the other side, Junior Julia Oliveria hitting the ball over the net. mentioning that “anyone that plays Photos taken by Roxane Leon. golf or even wants to learn should sign up.”

Overall, the MHS Golf team saw a strong season. Having been more successful than they have for the past five years, it can bring a great sense of pride and accomplishment. Though the team will lose many of their star golfers due to graduation next season, the team seems confident in their ability to develop and have just as great of a season as they did this year, if not better. The team played with “honor and integrity” this season, and, as Malatesta summarizes, this year Left to Right: Senior Brenda Freitas jumps to hit the ball, Senior Brenda Dias bumping the ball for a teammate to spike.

Photos taken by Roxane Leon. was a “fun experience.”

Volleyball Senior Night

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maldenblueandgold.com

Field Hockey Comes To A Close

Noelle Hayes Reporter

M

alden High School’s Field Hockey team started to wrap up their season with a win against Everett High School on Senior Night. The game resulted in a score of 3-0. The overall record of the 2019 season was 3-11-2.

Each player was assigned a poster to make about another person on the team. They decorated the bleachers with balloons, streamers, and cups representing the seniors jersey numbers. The team’s tradition was carried on with the players lining up and raising their sticks in the air to make a walkway for the seniors. They were given roses afterwards, along with the Everett seniors, who received roses from players on the Malden team.

Ketlyn Picinin Nunes stated that the Senior Night game was “one of the best games [they have] ever had,” to which Ashley Giang added

“[she] thinks that [they] all did really well.” The girls concluded that they may have put more effort into the game due to the fact that their opponent was more difficult to beat.

Because it was her first time playing goalie for Varsity, Picinin stated she “had to take it more seriously,” and she had to “improve [herself],” since she played for JV the previous year. She thinks that Zi Yi Zeng, “Billy,” stood out to her from a defensive point of view during the Senior Night game because he assisted her the most. Picinin claims that “he makes [her] feel confident,” and Zeng is “the one person [she] knows is going to back [her] up and help [her] always.”

Giang believes that the varsity players worked as a team that night for a successful outcome. She said “[she] thinks that [they] really applied some of [their] goals that [they] wanted to make on that day.”

Picinin described the game as “more organized” and claimed “[they] were more motivated to win.” As a whole, Giang believes her last

Malden High Field Hockey season brought many accomplishments for her. She also stated that this season she “got [herself] out there a little more.” Giang thought that this year had a great outcome and helped expose field hockey to new players.

The Varsity Field Hockey coach, Samantha Souza, believes that over the years each senior player has gained a lot of confi-

dence. In her second year coaching in Malden, she described the season as “frustrating” because the team could have taken advantage of more opportunities. In hopes for a better season next year, Souza claimed “[she] hopes [they] can come out with [their] energy, confidence, and aggression high right from the start.”

Top to Bottom: Field Hockey team poses for a team picture, Face-off between two forwards, During Senior night Patricia Esteves DeSousa running through the tunnel of sticks and being commemorated, a team huddle. Photos taken by Julie Yu.

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Unified Basketball Has a

Strong

Season

The Unified Sports basketball team. Photo by Chaimaa Assli.

Kayley Glavin Reporter

O

n Monday, November 4th 2019, 2019 after school in the Finn Gym, Unified Sports held a basketball game where Malden competed againstcompeted against Lynn. This was Malden’s second year competing against other schools for Unified

Basketball, while it was Lynn’s first year competing.

The Athletic Director, Charlie Conefrey, explained that this program “forms teams of students with physical and mental disabilities as well as kids who [do not].” Malden has won four out of a possible five games they have played and Cone-

frey thinks this is proof that “[they] are doing really good this season.”

Kathy Lutz, one of the staffstaff on the Unified Basketball program said, “this is a league where high schools play against other high schools” since not everyone is given an “opportunity”.” She loves that this program gives all students a chance to be a part of something special. 82 high schools across Massachusetts take part in competing

Malden High School Fall 2019 All-Stars Boys Soccer: John Nunes, Brendan Santos Girls Soccer: Rocio Mejia, Kaitlyn Mini Field Hockey: Kenny Nguyen, Billy Zeng, Alex Be Football: Jerry Mervil, Jamari Youman Girls Volleyball: Brenda Dias, Myo Theingi Boys Cross Country: Nicholas Wong Girls Cross Country: Crystal Wang, Katrina Chang against each other. Ever since they started doing this, Lutz thinks there has been “awesome growth in this area and that Malden has been doing great.”

John Oteri, the superintendent of Malden Public Schools, was also present at the game that afternoon. Oteri expresses that he “loves” this program and their purpose. In the fall, Unified Sports plays basketball and in the spring, they compete incompete in track events.

Mayor of Malden, Gary Christenson, also attended and heand sees Unified SportsUnified Sports as “another example of [Malden] coming together for the betterment of the community.” He was also present at two of the games last year and Christensonthe feels as though “[he] can never get enough of it.”

It gives him “satisfaction” when he is with Malden High School Students.

Malden experienced their first loss of 30-47 but are still carrying themselves great with more wins then losses. After all, participating in the event is not about winning or losing, but about sportsmanship and collaboration.

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