October 2018 Edition

The Blue and Gold maldenblueandgold.com Malden High School Volume 104 Edition 1

77 salem street October 2018

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Malden Forfeits Football game to Everett

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Malden High School Volume 104 Edition 1 October 2018

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The Blue and Gold October 2018

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October Crossword

Editorial

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The Blue and Gold October 2018

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

Dear Nedlam, What’s one thing that’ll help me come out of my shell?

-Anonymous

Dear Anonymous, Hi there! I am so glad you reached out. This is the first step of getting out of your shell! Getting out of your comfort zone is hard, I will admit, but trust me when I say that most of the time, there will be a positive outcome from doing so. There are plenty of ways to become more social, here are a few tips: Baby steps first. You can start a conversation with someone that sits next to you in class. Begin with a simple “hello” and build your way up to having conversations with them.

However, this method can also backfire, but don’t let it scare you because rejection is the beginning of progress. There will be times where the person won’t show any interest, but just know that it’s not your fault.

Some people are not as outgoing, or may not be having a great day, and that’s okay!

Another thing you can try is joining a club or sport. Doing extracurriculars is a great way to meet new people. It’s vital that you know the people you are spending so much time with when doing these activities and you’re bound to make some friends.

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

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.

How to say Goodbye

Rebeca Pereira Editor in Chief

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sat down to respond to a shortanswer prompt some nights ago, desperately trying to form coherent thoughts after an exhausting day.

If you could meet a character from a book, who would it be and what would you ask them?

In an unexpected moment of clarity, my mind settled on an obscure character from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s timeless children’s book The Little Prince.

“Tamed by the little prince, a fox discovers “what it costs to be happy.” The color of the wheat and its ethereal submission to the wind preserve the memory of their friendship, all that remains once the prince resumes his search for his rose.

Growing up, “The Little Prince” was a bedtime rite, and at nine years old, I recieved my own copy with a note scribbled onto the first page in my mother’s distinctive handwriting: “With love, Mom and Dad.” With college ahead, I often question my own capacity to grapple with the loss of all that is familiar, especially my family. I am tamed to my parents and them to me, and, as the little prince comes to learn in regards to his rose, other parents exist, but none like mine.

Our love is unconditional, but I must leave to find my rose, my vocation, my purpose.

Perhaps, in reply, the fox would recite his mantra “anything essential

is invisible to the eyes,” but, pending a response, I would like to know: Fox, how do we release those we love with grace and selflessness?”

The college application is, of course, daunting, and the stress soon begins to compound as the intricacies of the process come to light.

But, I’ve found that, aside from college essay writing, which can be emotionally taxing, the entire ordeal is more tedious than it is difficult.

The brunt of the work is over for most seniors: tests have been taken, resumes polished, and volunteer hours completed.

What nothing could have prepared me for, no guidance counselor appointment or financial aid workshop, is my own fear of unfamiliarity.

Malden has been my home for the majority of my life, but only now I’ve come to realize that its unparalleled diversity is a two edged sword.

We, who laud our own diversity routinely, are well aware of the benefits it provides our community, but as soon as we leave this self-contained bubble, we are confronted with a world with a much higher racial disparity than we are used to. That isn’t the only shock I foresee.

As an only child, over the years my friends have become surrogate siblings, and my most significant friendships, my sisterhood, were forged through years of shared classes, lunches and recesses. These are the friends whose names and faces librarians came to recognize along with mine over the years; they are friends with whom I have re-

vered many a celebrity and watched too many shows religiously; friends whose initials are carved beside mine on trees across town, claiming physical territory and emotional territory in each others’ hearts.

By that same token, by virtue of my only-child-ness, I am also extremely close with my parents.

As immigrants they’ve made inconceivable sacrifices and have been my greatest supporters and my fiercest motivators.

The reckoning that these people, who have brought me so much comfort and joy, who have meant to me far more than words could possibly describe, will soon be miles away from me, a reality I, and many seniors, have been fortunate enough to have never been confronted with, scares me intensely.

So, like I imagined asking the fictional fox in my short-answer response, I have been compiling the wisdom of some of the adults around me, adding it to my emotional arsenal and equipping myself with tools to cope with the impending changes in my future. The resounding general consensus seems to be that it’s excruciatingly painful to miss your friends and family, but that it doesn’t take long to acclimate to college; gaining independence and self-sufficiency is a crucial part of the college experience, a transitory period in most people’s lives, and soon in my own.

Rebeca Pereira

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

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

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

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

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

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

In Memoriam

The Blue and Gold October 2018

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Obituaries Submitted by Rebeca Pereira and Sara Zakaria.

Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation

Bertha Adler 1928-1944

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Bertha Adler. Courtesy of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

ertha Adler was born on June 20, 1928, in Selo-Solotvina, Czechoslovakia to Jewish parents in a small village.

Her family moved to the predominantly Catholic city of Liege, Belgium, where she was taught to speak French in her elementary school. At home, she spoke Yiddish , her first language, Hungarian, which she learned when she was a child, and Hebrew, a language her religious mother encouraged her to learn.

Adler was 11 years old when Germany invaded and occupied Liege and at age 13, Adler and her family were forced to register as Jewish. She was subsequently removed from school.

Catholic friends of the Adlers’ forged documentation and rented a house for them to hide in.

Adler’s father developed an illness and had to go to the hospital. On the Sunday Adler planned to visit her father, her family was instead awakened at five in the morning by the Gestapo.

At age 15, Adler was sent to Auschwitz on May 19, 1944. She was killed by the gas chamber on May 21, 1944.

Gyula Breiger 1927 - 1945

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yula Brieger, also known as Gyuszi, was born on April 15, 1927, to a Jewish family in the village of Nagyhalasz, Hungary. He moved to the town of Nyiregyhaza with his father after his mother’s death, a town where his father owned a hardware store.

After his brother Jeno moved away to study at a rabbinical school in Czechoslovakia, Brieger became his father’s main helper, assuming the responsibilities of the eldest son.

Brieger was 17 years old when Germany occupied Hungary on March 19, 1944. Brieger, along with the other 17,000 Jews in Nyiregyhaza, were moved to a ghetto. In May 1944, those living in the ghetto were sent to Auschwitz, where Brieger, his father, and his brother Jeno were forced to become slave laborers. At Auschwitz, Brieger learned how to steal food from the Germans. Brieger and his brother Jeno were moved to Bergen-Belsen shortly after.

Days after the liberation of Bergen-Belsen, Brieger died in April 1945. He was 18 years old.

Gyula Brieger. Courtesy of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Rudolf Acohen 1922-1942

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udolf Acohen was born in the southern part of Amsterdam to a Jewish family of Spanish descent.

In the summer of 1935, Acohen’s parents rented a beach house in Zandvoort. That summer, Acohen met a girl, Ina, who would later become his best friend. They attended Montessori High School together. The two and the rest of their friends would notably spend evenings listening to Frank Sinatra, classical music and popular French songs together.

In May 1940, Germany invaded the Netherlands, but life remained relatively normal for Acohen, who would play tennis with his friends and go on long bike rides. Summer 1941, he biked for several days with his friends, a trip which he logged in his personal diary.

On June 7, 1942, Acohen was arrested in a raid in retaliation for the murder of a German in Amsterdam. Acohen was subsequently sent to a killing center, where he died.

Rudolf Acohen. Courtesy of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Profiles

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Malden Introduces New ELL Director

Dr. Yvonne Endara. Photo by Cedrina Missamou.

Lauren Mallett Reporter

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s the new school year starts and offers a fresh beginning of new opportunities, Malden is joined by many new staff members, one of which being Dr. Yvonne Endara, the

new ELL Director for Malden Public Schools.

Endara is originally from Puerto Rico, where she lived until she was around the age of ten, when she moved to New York. She graduated from Hunter College, where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education with a major in studio art. Endara lived in New York until she was 21, then moved to Massachusetts to pursue a career in education. She taught high school in Northborough for 11 years, then went on to become the ELL Director for Watertown Public Schools, a position in which she stayed for four years before coming to Malden.

When asked why she chose to go into this field of education, Endara had a very thoughtful answer, “I was first asked many, many years ago to tutor some students from Guatemala, who ended up not having had any education, so I was coming in as a tutor just to help them out, and that began this journey. Since then, I realized that this is a special niche, and it’s important to do whatever we can to help these students [that are coming from other parts of the world].” She then went

on to say, “I didn’t have that kind of support when I came to the United States, so it’s available now and I like to be a part of it.”

Endara cited the diversity of Malden Public Schools to be one of her main reasons for choosing to work in the city. “Malden is amazingly diverse, … so having lived in the city, where everyone is from everywhere, it’s really nice to again be in a district that is so rich in diversity.” She continued, “it was also a bigger district than the one I came from, so it gave me an opportunity [also] to spread out my wings, so to speak.”

While Endara’s main position is the Director of the ELL program, she is also the Director of Title III. When asked what it was like to be in charge of both this and the ELL program, she responded, “it’s a nice marriage, because the funds are exclusively for English language learners, so it’s nice to have a say about the grant. … so it gives me another opportunity to see how to really spend the funds that we get, to enrich the programs and support the programs that we already have.”

Superintendent John Oteri de-

scribed Endara as “dynamic” and “a very hard worker” when asked about the traits that made her stand out during the hiring process. Assistant Superintendent Kelly Chase said of Endara, “She brings [just] a kindness with her to the position of understanding the students with whom she works and a really strong desire to work with teachers in the community, and bring them into the work that she does.”

Jessica Haralson, an ELL teacher leader, has had the chance to work very closely with Endara. Haralson has said about her that, “she seems to really be a good listener, and that is a very rare quality in a leader, and it’s a good quality for a leader to have.”

Endara added, “I think I’m in the right place at the right time, with people who really want the best for all our students.” She later went on to say, “I’m really excited to be here, [that] I look at it as a growth opportunity, professionally and personally, and I welcome all kinds of ideas and suggestions to how I can best serve the district.”

New Assistant Superintendent For Malden Julie Huynh Reporter

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r. Kelly Chase is returning to Malden Public Schools as Assistant Superintendent. She has been in the education system for over 20 years and has been the assistant superintendent for the district before; now, she is back and reconnecting with the community. In June, she was appointed by the school committee to her new post.

Chase has experience in both urban and suburban districts and was most recently in Lexington Public Schools. She says that it’s “strange to be back in the old context” but really great to connect with the people she has worked with before and to meet new faces as well.

So far Chase has been able to establish a good working relationship with her co-workers very early on.

Superintendent John Oteri says “It’s been terrific, she’s phenomenal.”

One reason why Chase and Oteri work so well together is because of

their similar philosophies, which they say boils down to supporting student achievement and putting students’ needs first.

Assistant Superintendent Sandra Donah describes Chase as a “breath of fresh air.” Donah was the chairperson of the hiring process and says that while the competition was heavy, the decision was very easy. Oteri agrees, saying that Chase’s combined ability to communicate easily with others, organize information, her abundance of knowledge, and her previous experience in Malden made her stand out as a candidate.

As assistant superintendent, Chase is responsible for anything from overseeing grants that come from the district to everyday tasks like helping the superintendent when a problem arises. She also helps administrators with supervision and evaluation and works with directors on professional development.

Chase’s favorite thing about working in Malden “hands down has to be the people.” She loves watching people come together and do “really great things for the kids

Dr. Kelly Chase. Photo

by CedrinaMissamou. in Malden.” She believes that teaching can be one of the most difficult jobs a person can have but says that she’s more than happy to be there not only for the students, but for the teachers as well.

Chase believes she’s in a unique position to help others. She says that she prefers a collaborative method rather than “top down,” a hierarchical system where she could, theoretically, tell others what to do.

Chase says she enjoys the collaborative piece because “work can be lonely when you’re not being collaborative and that kind of makes it exciting that you’re in this together.”

Chase describes feeling very excited when she found out she had gotten the job. She says that while she has had numerous jobs, she felt “like a 16 year old kid again when [they] get [their] first job.” She went through the process of multiple interviews, mainly with the people she would potentially be working with, and they asked her many questions about how she would address certain issues and how she works with other people.

Chase values education and she’s benefited from many great teachers and administrators along the way who “have been [her] role models for very long periods of time.” She looks at everyone she meets as someone who has something to offer. Chase asks herself, “So what can I learn from them and what can I help them with?”

The Blue and Gold October 2018

Profiles

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New Boyle House Principal Yasmine Alayan Reporter

New Boyle House Principal Stephanie Sibley. Photo by Cedrina Missamou.

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alden High School has spent it summer hiring new faculty, faculty which now includes includes new Boyle House Principal, Stephanie Sibley.

Sibley has previously worked as a principal at both Excel, in South Boston, and Greater Egleston High School. Sibley coworkers described

her as a caring and loving individual, whose love for the students pushes her to go that extra mile in order to help students reach their full potential.

Only a few months into the school year, Sibley has already done a lot. She revamped inhouse intervention, coming up with the new

guidelines for in house suspension, a part of the restorative justice system. She did so by building off of the idea of creating a community where students have a real second chance.

One of SIbley’s goal’s as an educator is to find progressive way to support students when they make a mistake.

Sibley states, “I feel like I’ve been here a long time, even though it’s only been a few months.”

The Holland House Principal Marilyn Slattery, who has known Sibley for six years prior to her recent employment introduced Sibley to MHS. “The school intrigued her, because she was looking to make a change in her life, so basically, instead of taking a right off the expressway, she just took a left and went to Malden,” said Slattery.

Slattery went on emphasize that Sibley “epitomizes the phrase tough love,” explaining that Sibley is clear and consistent and goes by the rules, but cares for her students deeply, corroborating what Sibley’s previous co-workers have said

about her.

Jenkins house principal Sheeran Escovitz was also involved in Sibley’s hiring process. Escovitz stated that Sibley stood out the most because of her past experience in Boston that prepared her for her current job. Sibley work ethic is also extremely useful because she is good with communication, clear with directions, passionate, and building positive strong relationships with students.

Sibley, herself, described Malden High School in three words: diverse, welcoming, and community.

Most of the faculty at Malden High who have met with Sibley can say she is a great fit for Malden High.

New Teacher: Laura Gould Since Gould was young, she was never really interested in math as she is now.

Gould attended Northeastern for her undergraduate degree where she majored in English New Teacher Laura Gould. Photo by Falyn Kelley. and Secondary EngSandra Li lish Education, then went onto Tufts Reporter University for graduate school, and after attended Simmons College to As the school year starts and further pursue her career in Special students are bustling to come in, Education while working in Boston. teachers are also actively coming in When describing her motivation and urge to pursue this specific field and out.

Malden High school has re- she recounted on how she wants to cently welcomed the new Math work with students who may need a Special Education teacher, Laura little more support.

Before even arriving in Malden, Gould. As a new teacher a part Gould taught at Waltham and then of Malden’s teaching community, Gould has not only been adjusting in a charter school in Cambridge to the new school environment but and Boston for middle schoolers. also the Malden district as well, as Additionally, she taught abroad in she moved from Somerville over the Turkey, teaching English as a second language already, having experisummer.

ences teaching a variety of students ranging from different ages.

Although Gould is one of the new teachers here, she has already made a positive impression on staff such as special education director, Elizabeth Smith. Smith spoke about Gould working with her students describing that “she’s very organized, very detail oriented, and she’s just so compassionate and really engages with them.”

Gould has fully expressed on how here, at Malden High, the atmosphere has been warm and welcoming with addition to the “positivity not feeling fake” of which she did not expect for so many staff members to ask how was her day when she first came.

When asked if she has enjoyed learning Math all throughout her life, Gould said that she did not really have a regard in it when she was younger. But she did note that of course as she got older, she has learned to appreciate the subject as Gould enjoys to see students who have previously struggled with a problem, understand it more after with some explaining of which she further explained that “that’s the other thing that keeps me coming back.”

One of the reasons why Gould became a Math Special Education teacher was because she has been

tutoring math for about 2-3 years outside of school and actually has been able to tutor with another teacher and have the opportunity to review her math skills. She also tutored a variation of subjects such as English and ACT Prep.

When Gould is not teaching, she likes to sing in a chorus group, is a member of a band, takes voice lessons, plays video games, and takes a computer programming class.

She tells how taking a computer programming class has “not always been easy but it’s something that I found as an adult that it’s super cool.”

Gould describes her position as a teacher who “likes to form positive relationships with students” and moreover clarifies that “without that, it’s really hard to teach anybody.” Notably shesays that she “values students rights to learn and class time.”

Gould’s goals for teaching this year would be establishing “purposeful collaborations” with her colleagues and overall just “have everything come together” as this is her first time teaching in a high school environment.

Malden High school is very pleased to welcome Gould as one of the new staff members a part of the school community.

Profiles

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The Blue and Gold October 2018

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New Counselor Profile: Kristy Magras Idriss Touati Reporter

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risty Magras is a district family counselor and is now also a guidance counselor for the Pathways Program in Malden High School.

Pathways is an alternative school within Malden High School for students who need individualized education to receive their diplomas. There are a variety of students in Pathways. Pathways students take basic subjects and also complete Bunker Hill Community College courses in order to reach the 21 credits needed to graduate.

Magras’ main goal working in Pathways is “to make sure a student that is dealing with housing instability can get to school and thrive in school,” a goal that Magras says “is challenging because resources are limited,” but is determined to reach.

“Depending on where they are staying transportation wise, [she sets] up transportation for [them] to get

New Pathways Guidance Counselor Kristy Magras. Photo by Falyn Kelley. to and from school,” a means to ensure regular attendance for students who may be falling behind.

Magras worked for Malden High School previously and graduated from Malden High before she was brought in the be a guidance counselor for the Pathways Program.

At the beginning of her career in Malden, she served as the Homeschool Assessment Assistant for the

district. Now, as a Pathways Guidance Counselor, Magras has been “working with Stop and Shop to get Christmas meals, Thanksgiving meals, toy drives and other school supplies to students.” She has also been “working with community agencies and providing any services they can for families.”

Much of her focus as a counselor is on remedying student homelessness. “Homeless does not mean

in Methuen, Massachusetts. She taught in CREST’s alternative program for six years, and has been a teacher for 16 years.

Kyne became an English teacher because of her love of reading. Kyne loves to read biographies, non-fiction books, and historical fiction.

When Kyne teaches her English classes, she tries to incorporate different teaching methods, whether it’s done through video, music or reading a book with poetry. Kyne says that she “[tries] to keep it from focusing on just reading or just writing but [instead] using all aspects of it.” Kyne believes that building a relationship with her students is important and helps “create activities and lessons with their interests and personalities in mind.” Kyne wants to give her students “the opportunity to express themselves” and “experiment more.”

Principal Chris Mastrangelo, Pathways Program Manager Ronald Janowicz and Holland House Principal Marilyn Slattery all describe Kyne’s personality as very poised, confident and professional. Kyne seems to be an outgoing person and has a sarcastic sense of humor that

makes her seem welcoming.

Kyne has many different hobbies that she enjoys doing besides reading, including distance running, hiking, baking, and spending time with her sixteen month old daughter. Kyne completed her first ever half marathon on October 21st.

that [they] are living in the streets or living in a car,” Magras explains.

“It could mean that [they] are in a shelter, it could mean that [they] are going from friends house to friends house.”

In addition, Magras serves as the Vice President of the Board of Directors for Malden Rising Leaders Inc. Malden Rising Leaders is a nonprofit corporation founded in 2017 to promote youth leadership and development through scholarship support and mentoring. Its mission is to help the Malden’s students engage politically to advance the community’s development. Malden Rising Leaders provides a yearly scholarship to Malden High School graduating seniors to further their studies in the field of education, entrepreneurship, nonprofit, and public service.

At the end of the day, Magras says that all she does, from counseling to serving on the board of directors for Malden Rising Leaders, is in an effort to “to make sure that [students] have everything they need to be successful in school.”

New English Teacher Profile: Meghan Kyne

Roxane Leon Reporter

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eghan Kyne is a new member of the Malden High School staff. Kyne has been a part of alternative schooling programs in the past and is now an English teacher for the Pathways Program.

The Pathways Program is an alternative option within the high school that allows students to take a different path to get their high school diploma. It can also be for students who need to be in a smaller classroom. Though these students are part of a different school setting, they still need to take the core subjects, pass the MCAS, and reach the required 21 credits in order to graduate. Kyne believes that the students in the Pathways program “become more like a family” since the classes there tends to be smaller.

Kyne first became a teacher because she enjoyed helping her students figure things out and building a relationship with them at her first job at CREST Collaborative

Kyne also appreciates hiking in the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York. Her favorite hike she has done so far was the Knife Edge trail on Mount Katahdin with her brother, saying that “it was simultaneously beautiful and terrifying at times.”

Malden High School welcomes new english teacher in the Pathways Program.

Phtoto by Falyn Kelley.

Profiles

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New Teacher Profile: Jason Jin Luella Harding Reporter As school starts back up at Malden High School, new Pathways biology and physics teacher Zuqian (Jason) Jin joins the staff for another successful year of teaching.

Before coming to Malden High, Jin previously taught Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) physics at Waltham High School for 2 years. He later wanted to try teaching a new topic, and being a “half-generation” immigrant from China, Jin decided to teach SEI. SEI is a technique for teaching English to students who may be new to the country or just don’t speak English as their first language. Once their language level is proficient, the students are able to attend normal classes. After teaching at Waltham High School, Jin decided to apply for a different job, a decision which brought him to Malden High.

During the hiring process, one of the main things that set Jin apart from the other teachers who applied for the job was the fact that he is cer-

New Pathways science teacher Jason Jin. Photo by Falyn Kelley. tified in four different areas, including physics, biology, Chinese, and SEI endorsements. This is very rare, as most teachers are only certified in one or two subjects. Now, Jin teaches Pathways Biology and Physics for students that are not ready for the “mainstream” and need a more

personal learning environment.

According to Jin, “Pathways is an alternative high school for students who need different environments and don’t fit in the ‘mainstream’.”

There are only about 15 students in the class, which helps him give his students the more individualized attention and direction that they need.

He describes it as almost like a “private school,” which makes learning easier for students who have a harder time in normal classes because of “things like peer pressure, homework, or thier schedule.” Jin always wants to help his students and not “leave them alone;” he wants them to be comfortable in his class.

Jin also mentions that Malden High School is very similar to Waltham

High School. He says they are “both big schools with a [Pathways] system that works.” Having this effective system has made it much easier for him to adjust to the new environment. The transition to the new school has gone really smoothly for him and, although Malden High is huge, he can always get help easily.

So far, Jin is enjoying teaching his class because, even though he has to follow certain guidelines, he is able to “make [his] own curriculum,” which he views as a way to represent himself to his students.

On top of this, his goal for this year is to “show [his students] a way to be successful and direct them to success.” Jin is excited for his new job teaching Pathways biology and physics at Malden High School and he’s looking forward to a very successful year.

New Teacher Profile: David Kamishlian Courtney Fitzgerald Reporter

T ian.

he math department has gained a new teacher, David Kamishl-

For Christopher Mastrangelo, Principal of Malden High, there was no hesitation in hiring Kamishlian.

Coming from Brighton High School, another Urban High School District, Kamishlian was already familiar with the inner workings of MHS and according to Mastrangelo, “he had a real understanding of educating in an urban district.”

Kamishlians’ resume had been pushed through as a recommendation to Mastrangelo. There had been a lot of applications for the job and his application had been forwarded to Mastrangelo by the interview group consisting of S.T.E.M. directors, teachers and students, and he had been a strong recommendation.

Within three minutes of talking to Kamishlian, Mastrangelo was able to see why he was such a strong recommendation.“He was a great

hire, a great find” as Mastrangelo explained during the interview.

Cara Joyce, who is the teacherleader of the Math Department explains what stood out most about him was that he was a teacher with a lot of experience in not only teaching but in leadership.

Kamishlian has been teaching since 2004, for 14 years. His first two jobs were at middle schools and then he moved to Brighton High School. One of the main reasons she believed he was hired was that he had an interest in the students. “He had a profound interest in what the one student on the panel had to say.”

Kamishlian had the idea to become an educator after his son was born. Before going back to school to get his Masters in Education, he had programed cell phones, worked with robots, and even worked a little on artificial intelligence. Then his son was born, and he had a different outlook on life and wanted to do more. When he visited a fourth grade class he became interested in it, so he went back to school and got his masters in education.

Kamishlian had always been a fan of math, but he had felt history was more meaningful, in which he

talked to a principal in Boston who he lived across the street from, who had told him that there was a gap in math and that students had a high need for math.

The team Kamishlian had met, and being a teacher leader in Malden was what caused Kamishlian to actually take the job in Malden.

Just like any new student or new teacher, Kamishlian got lost around the school sometimes and still has not figured out his way around the entire school yet.

Outside of school he enjoys to ride mountain bikes on trails locally but also in New Hampshire, and at home he does all the cooking for his wife, son, and daughter.

For the future he plans to be commuting to and from school on his bike. Some professional achievements that he is proud of is he stopped a middle school from closing with the help of fellow teacher and surrounding parents. Which then later turned into a STEM school and helped rising eighth graders get into Algebra 1.

His only hesitation taking the job would be the commute from his house in Cambridge. Other than that he plans to stay at Malden High

New math teacher David Kamishlian.

Photo by Falyn Kelley.

for as long as Malden is welcoming to him.

Local News

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MHS Students No Longer Have Senior Privileges Julie Yu Lead Reporter

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his school year, Malden High is determined to make changes to ensure students and staff are in a safe environment. One of those changes made during the new school year, is the new status of Senior Privileges. Principal Chris Mastrangelo officially announced this at the beginning of the year.

Superintendent John Oteri stated that after he came to Malden High, “after one of the the most horrific school shootings [in Parkland], there was a real effort on school to tighten up their campuses and keep the schools safer.” He explained that as the world becomes more dangerous, administration has “had to look at way in which [they] keep students” safe and keep outsiders from getting into the school.

Oteri shared that when he was here at Malden High (Class of 1982), they had an open campus especially during his “first two years because the cafeteria was not built yet.” He explained that at the time, they did not have to worry about precautionary safety measures, “but nobody ever thought of school shootings, there was no such thing as a lock down or a shelter in place.”

Class of 2018 Advisor Katherine Haskell stated that since “kids [were] taking advantage of [senior privileges] and were leaving a lot, even when they [were not] seniors or [did not] have senior privileges, it made it so that [they could not] keep track of the students.” Haskell shared that growing up she never had any form of senior privileges and she was surprised when she first came to Malden High. She explained that she and fellow teachers saw this decision coming, and how they tried to figure out a system where they could keep track of students who leave and enter the building, but it just did not work out.

Class of 2019 Advisor, Rebecca Corcoran was also not surprised when it was announced that there would no longer be senior privileges, because “they have been talking about it for the last couple of years.”

Corcoran believes that “some form of senior privileges will be returning in the future.” She further explains that she thinks that the school will figure out some way to have some kind of senior privileges “versus taking everything away from the seniors who have worked towards getting [them].”

Corcoran thought that one of the major pros to having senior privileges was that “it gave students something to work for, since [they] needed a certain attendance rate,

The New Student Study Center

Camille Nommi Nzepa Lead Reporter

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outinely, Malden High School students swarm into their homerooms at the 7:45 bell. They await the “absent teachers list”; it determines their fate, whether they will be attending all their classes or rejoice in having at least one free period in what was formerly known as “Big Study.”

Unlike many traditional high schools, Malden High does not have substitutes for absent teachers, which means that the lucky few who find themselves The new study center at Malden High School. Photo by Falyn with a free period will be making Kelley. their way down to room H102, a change in scenery from the gallery, where Big Study addition, Valente asserts that she is content with the was previously located. The gallery is being liber- new Student Study Center for now. She expressed ated, finally being used for its original purpose: to that although ¨it is a bit of a walk for some students,¨ display student art. she likes that the room is enclosed and that if anyAccording to Principal Chris Mastrangelo, the thing were to happen, she could have her room on use of the gallery had been an ongoing conversa- lock down successfully and quickly. tion for years. Mastrangelo says that that space was Students have expressed mixed feelings about ¨never meant to be used [as a study]” but rather the new Student Study Center. Junior Sebastian used ¨to display artwork, sports, theatre and mu- Blanc, when asked how he felt about the Student sic awards.¨ The space was used out of necessity Study Center, expressed that he likes the space and because the school did not have enough funding to that the new room is ¨a reasonable place to study.” hire substitutes to supervise students when teachers In addition, Blanc expressed that this new room will were absent. be more efficient because at anytime if a student The change in location for what is now the were to leave, they would have to address Valente Student Study Center became especially necessary because there is only one door to go in and out of as a security measure. The gallery had no locks on the classroom. any of the doors and students could leave and deSenior Alexia Jones expressed that she finds part freely. Last year, Paula Valente, who runs the the space quite confining. Jones added that on days Student Study Center, expressed that she felt very where a lot of teachers are absent, it is hard to even unsafe that she ran a room with big windows and find a seat in order to get to work. Nevertheless, no locks by herself, a room which was frequently she did acknowledge that in the new Student Study occupied by over a hundred students.

Center initiative is being taken to track down the In addition to the Big Study being unsafe, stu- location of students. dents were able to leave the Big Study whenever Principal Mastrangelo says that for now Mary they pleased making it harder for Valente to know Liberge is willing to have students go up to the liwhere students were at all times. brary if it is too crowded in the Student Study CenWhen Valente found out that she would not be ter. Mastrangelo hopes that in the future there will holding the study in the gallery anymore, she was be two rooms where the Study Center can be held. pleased. Valente expressed that holding the study in Ideally, he would love for there to be substitutes but the Gallery meant having to ¨take care of the court- for now he realizes that the school does not have yard, while making sure students[did] not leave.” In enough funding yet. and [no] behavior issues” which really motivated students, and rewarded them for their accomplishments. Although, she agreed with the school in that “it’s a safety risk to have [students] outside the building [...], and it’s been well documented that underclassmen were [...] taking advantage of the system.”

Senior Class President, Mattheus Farias stated that at first he was extremely disappointed because he had waited all those years in high school for senior privileges.

But, “later on [he] looked at it in the eyes of the administration and thought it was reasonable given the situation our country is in regarding school safety.” Farias explained that in the direction our society is shifting in, “the fun and games need to be reevaluated so that students and workers are safe.”

Like many seniors, Johanna

Kruckenberg and Paige Pimental have been looking forward to having senior privileges. Kruckenberg stated that one of her “motivations to stay in school, and not skip classes, and not sneak out, is because [she] wanted to have senior privileges.”

Kruckenberg also explained that students being able to leave school property was not only a “safety issue but also an attendance as well” but that banning senior privileges is not the solution to these issues. She believes that “it helps with safety, but it’s not the answer to safety, [...] there is no way of keeping a school completely safe.”

Pimental said that she was angry about the decision “because there was no discussion with the students beforehand. [They] had no voice, [and] no opinion in the matter.” She explained that she thinks “there will always be kids who

break the rules and more safety issues will arise and this [will not] be effective for very long.” Pimental also mentioned that Mastrangelo said that “the privilege of [going] in late or leaving early for a study may be given back depending on [their] conduct in the next semester.”

Similarly, senior Shataeya Smith said that senior privileges “are a good way to show students life outside of school” but during the school day. Smith stated that she and many other seniors “would be willing to compromise with administration to come up with a system to make it easier for students to check in or sign in and out.” She explained that she thinks that “if something is taken away, students are going to find a way to [change] that.”

For the full article, go to maldenblueandgold.com

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Paul Degenkolb Visits Haiti, Returns With New Perspective

Sabrina Monteiro Head of Local

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alden High School French teacher, Paul Degenkolb, has had the opportunity to go to Haiti previously— his first trip was back in 2015, and he visited again later in 2017— but now, in 2018 he has decided to visit once more to raise his own awareness of the world around him.

On his first trip in 2015, he went on a fellowship with “Fund for Teachers” foundation but he paid for his other two trips himself.

The purpose of the first trip was to learn about the Haitian educational system in order to better support students that emigrate from Haiti to the United States.

While he was there, Degenkolb made lots of connections with people in the educational field on the Island of La Gonave and he says that, when he came back to MHS, the Haitian Culture Club students were “really interested” in learning more about his trip.

He says his experience in Haiti for the first time around was “hard to adapt to”, since he was staying in the middle of nowhere with no electricity, roads, or anything of the sort. “Regardless,” he

says, “it was a great experience.”

Degenkolb emphasizes that “more people in the world live that way than the way we do,” which leads him to believe that “it’s important for [Americans] to be in touch with that and realize how privileged [Americans] are.”

“There are people who don’t even have access to books and learning materials that really want them,” he says, suggesting that the more fortunate “need to make sure that people who need [resources] and want [resources], can access [them] too.”

In 2017, ESL teacher, Judy Cummings, went with Degenkolb because she was also interested in visiting another country. Cummings knew what to expect before arriving in Haiti but says she was still very much “surprised” to see a place “so close to the U.S” experience such poverty. Cummings agrees that the environment was difficult to adjust to, but that the people “were wonderful and really friendly.”

Cummings thinks the trip was important because it helped her as better understand some of her Haitian students. Haitians make up one of the largest groups of students in Malden High School, but there are

Paul Degenkolb tutoring children in Haiti. Photo submitted by Degenkolb. no Haitian teachers at MHS, and so she thinks it’s important “for those students to know there’s an adult in the building who really wants to connect with [them] and speaks a language [they] can speak and can make them feel at home.”

Degenkolb concludes that it is crucial for diverse communities

like Malden “to understand and support each others’ backgrounds.”

His experience with Haiti has affected his daily life profoundly, allowing him to recognize how “easy” his life is here in comparison and how much harder it could be for him. He hopes everyone comes to this realization.

Martin Berryman Recognized by The Yale Educator Recognition Program Sabrina Monteiro Head of Local

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he Yale Educator Recognition Program has the honor of recognizing the great potential of hundreds of teachers around the world.

This year there were 371 nominees, who represented 42 states and 12 countries. Only 59 teachers and 28 counselors were selected to receive the award. The winners were sent engraved desk sets and congratulatory letters.

Malden High School received the news that Martin Berryman was awarded out of the many who were nominated. He is an example of having an “outstanding dedication to students” as it says on the award.

High School graduate of 2018, Matt Chin, nominated Berryman for this award and says “[Berryman] has made a positive mark on Malden High School because he genuinely cares.” He mentions that when he wanted “a balance when picking [his] academic courses, [he] went to Berryman for some advice and as expected, [he] gave [him] some of [his] insight on chemistry as well as a confidence booster for the upcoming year. Yes, organic chemistry is tough, but [he] may not

have even thought about tackling the challenge without [him].”

Chin also adds that he “personally [thinks] this award is a testament to the valuable resources and supportive faculty at Malden. Malden students should have confidence in their learning and their dedicated teachers. It is through mentors such as [Berryman] that allow students to feel capable of competing at a nationwide level.”

Berryman says he was “really excited to be nominated for the award with so many teachers. [He’s] just one of so many teachers that are worthy of that award but [he] also feels honored, appreciative of getting it,” especially since it is his first year being nominated for this particular award. He also says that the award emphasizes “the great staff of teachers [here] and the wonderful students and so it’s important to get that message out about Malden High School and just how strong this place is and what a strong academic institution we have.”

Junior Cedrine Brisson, had Berryman as a chemistry teacher last year and says that “he worked very hard to teach our class so it was fun to see him get recognized for it.” Brisson also expresses that “he very much deserved it. He is such a sweet, kind and helpful teacher.

Martin Berryman conducting an experiment. Photo by Falyn Kelley.

[Berryman] makes sure every student understand[s] the material that’s being taught, whether it was in college prep or honors.”

Junior, Stefany Foley also had him as a chemistry teacher last year and says that she is “impressed, and definitely think[s] he deserves the award because he was always willing to help everyone. He was very accommodating towards [her] when [she] needed extra help and is such a nice and understanding teacher.

He truly cares about his students and their well-being and not just what grades they get. [Berryman] has definitely been not only one of [her] best teachers, but one of [her] favorites as well.”

Katherine Haskell, a chemistry teacher, has known Berryman for seven years. She met him when she started student teaching back in the

fall of 2011. Haskell says that she “could tell how passionate he was about teaching right away. He would always take the time to have conversations with [her] about teaching philosophy and chemistry.”

She also explains “how proud [she is] of him for winning, but not at all surprised. Everyone who has been in his classroom knows what a phenomenal teacher he is. He completely deserves the award. It could not have gone to a more deserving educator.”

Berryman has shown his dedication to his job on a personal level by always being on top of things and for always being so humble in everything he does. Berryman has also won “Teacher of the year” awards in the past, and continues to prove why he so very much deserves them.

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Malden Rising Leaders spearheads Vote 16 initiative Rebeca Pereira Editor in Chief

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hough caught in the sway of his rushed entrance, Ted LouisJacques’ bright lanyard, foiled by the neutral tones of his formal wear, sticks out at a glance to any bystander. In jest and justification for his tardiness, he jokes “Teddy’s at the Forbes Under 30 speaking about education, representing the community, representing Malden, representing the youth.”

“The only thing I’m doing is ‘Hi, I’m Ted, I’m from Malden, I currently serve as the president of Malden Rising Leaders, and we have a Vote 16 initiative,” an introduction he deems fitting for someone who is “just on the waitlist.”

“And, four, we need money.”

His sponsors’ investments finance scholarships, like the Malden Public Service Leadership Scholarship awarded in 2018 to graduate Isabelly Barros and in 2017 to graduate Nathaniel A. Ilebode, and sustain the basic functions of the non-profit organization.

Community service scaffolds MRL, which strives to provide academic resources, mentorship, and financial support to budding leaders shortchanged by “unequal distribution of opportunity,” a hurdle the organization hopes to neutralize in Malden beginning with its summer fellowship.

This past summer, fellows attended financial literacy, social equity and career development

workshops orchestrated by MRL while concurrently investigating the status of Vote 16 initiatives around the country and kick-starting their own, which successfully passed in the school committee in an 8-3 vote and is currently awaiting approval in the Rules and Ordinances Committee.

Similar Vote 16 ordinances have been proposed in other parts of the nation, mainly down the east coast, including some cities in Massachusetts, but has been struck down in their respective state senates. But Louis-Jacques has high hopes for Malden’s iteration of the Vote 16 bill, and recognizes that it is as much his responsibility to supervise the legislative process as it is “the next generation of kids’” to lead the process.

In his summer fellowship, Louis-Jacques assumes a “handsoff approach” and allows the teen fellows to steer the ship. Fellows were introduced through Mayor Gary Christenson’s Summer Youth Employment Program, which is available to students 16 and older.

Among them were Senior Shataeya Smith and Junior Sean Lightbody, both of whom have continued to work with MRL post-employment.

“Maybe [fellows] would do research for an hour or two, [they] would make phone calls to different cities, [they] would call different representatives from other cities,” says Lightbody, adding that “[they] learned that, in each different city where the voting age was lowered, they all had their own sort of system.

It was up to them how they wanted to do it.”

But across districts, the premise has been the same-- to lower the voting age to 16 in municipal elections-- and the takeaway for students involved has also been the same. Smith notes how the summer fellowship has equipped her with greater civic awareness, saying “I’m now taking American Law, I’m now taking Examining Criminal Justice, I’m now taking AP Government.”

Smith is optimistic about the trajectory of the Vote 16 ordinance and believes MRL has presented “a compelling and persuasive argument” in previous forums before the City of Malden but remains pragmatic about the opposition they might encounter.

Treasurer Karl Denis describes that most of the opposition MRL has faced originates from anecdotal objections. “It’s the ‘I know my son, I know my daughter, and they can’t have an intelligent conversation right now’,” he recalls from previous interactions with legislators.

“I challenge that by saying ‘well, I don’t know your son, and I don’t know your daughter, but I’m willing to say to you that, if I asked them about the issues, they’d have something to say to me’,” Denis says.

The assurance that 16-year-olds are mature enough and are capable of “complex executive reasoning” informs Denis’ future plans for MRL. MRL plans to boost the number and frequency of their events, extend their summer fellowship into a full year program and offer six scholarships, rather than one. But before they instate this new stage, MRL needs to see Vote 16 through state legislature.

Before arriving on Beacon Hill, the Home Rule Petition needs to be approved in the Rules and Ordinances Committee, pass through a final round of City Council scrutiny and face mayoral discretion. On the State House floor, Vote 16 will then face a vote in both chambers of Congress.

The trek to committee is laborious, though, and requires groundroots activism and investment on a local level, a truth acknowledged

by Louis-Jacques and corroborated

by Scott Warren, Chief Executive Officer and founder of Generation Citizen, another non-profit organization that strives to empower students through “action civics education.”

Warren comments that, although his project model is different from Louis-Jacques’, “at the core, [they both] believe that young people can guide us to a better future politically.”

Local momentum could be critical in the upcoming open forum on November 15th, where MRL will address the city with its revisited design of the Vote 16 initiative. “[MRL] wants to pack [the senior center] filled with energized students,” says Louis-Jacques, a demonstration he hopes will serve as an unequivocal pronouncement of community support. “[Politicians] keep saying ‘the next generation of kids,’ ‘the next generation of kids.’ Okay, well, the next generation of kids is here, [it wants its] voice to be heard. And that’s it.”

The social Activism club at MHS

Neden Bernadin Lead Reporter

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ocial Activism Club at MHS gives students the opportunity to bring up any social issues or concerns in their community. The club is run by seniors Nikita Puri, Fritza Jeudy, and Nour Khurram. English teacher Nierika Nims serves as the club’s advisor.

The club is focused on trying to “raise awareness throughout the high school about social [issues]” in order to help students become more “empowered and to make a difference in society,” explained Khurram.

As for Jeudy, she strongly believes that this is “a great way” for students to become informed on what is going on in today’s society.

Jeudy also added that the club is

aimed at students who are curious for a “change or perspective on things.” She explained that it is an opportunity for all students to “speak their truth.”

In their very first meeting, they handed everyone flashcards to write any topic of current social events that they wanted to discuss. After reviewing these cards, they found common interests in discussing gun violence and police brutality.

Because of this, these topics will be the center of conversation in upcoming meetings. Jeudy explained that every week, the club will “come together and chose a topic that was popular among them or anything else of that sort and hold a discussion.”

Apart from discussions, they are also planning on incorporating activities like planning to go to the movie theater to see “The Hate

From left to right, seniors Nour Khurram, Fritza Jeudy, and Nikita Puri along with MHS English teacher Nierika Nims. Photo by Neden Bernadin.

U Give,” a movie adaption of the novel by Angie Thomas that focuses on police brutality. Khurram also stated that soon, members of the club will begin “[writing] down a quote or something meaningful so that in [their] school, [they] can raise awareness.”

Additionally, Puri highlighted how the club wants the “students [to] facilitate the discussion and not just [the officers],“ so that they have

the opportunity for to gain their leadership skills. What is unique about this club is “that [it is] not just [the three of them]” that want to drive the conversations, and that they want to create a friendly and open atmosphere for the members.

They hope to explore and dive deep into social issues as the club moves forward.

Social Activism Club meets every Monday in room Br448.

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MHS Flashes Back To The Founding Era With Hamilton Julie Yu Lead Reporter

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ilder Lehrman’s Hamilton Education Program gave Title 1 high schools an opportunity to go see the award winning broadway musical, Hamilton. On October 18th, a select number of Malden High School students and 20 faculty members went to the Boston Opera House to enjoy the the musical. The show ended after school hours, ending at about 4:30pm.

The Hamilton Education Program is touring 14 cities across the United States, providing students with a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the educational Broadway musical, which narrates the life and legacy of Alexander Hamilton, one of America’s Founding Fathers. One of those cities is Boston, Massachusetts and several high schools in the Boston area were chosen to attend the show.

Through Gilder Lehrman’s partnership with the Hamilton Production, Malden High students went to watch Hamilton at a discounted price. Gilder Lehrman has many partners and sponsors which was their source of funding for schools like Malden High to go on this field trip.

History teacher Michelle Filer said that the department received the news that they would be attending the show in May or April of the 2017-2018 school year. Filer stated that “it was really through [former U.S. History teacher, Damian Aufiero] that we had this opportunity.”

She also mentioned that, when Aufiero left, he left the role of leadership and planning to her, although it has been a collaborative effort.

Filer describes the whole planning process as stressful simply because of time. She explained that “Gilder Lehrman had very strict guidelines of what [information the school] needed to give them, and when,” adding that she does not think the teachers had much time to plan the field trip. As simple as it may seem, one challenging factor of planning the field trip was figuring out who would be able to attend.

Filer explained that every student who will be attending the show was assigned a project in which they would connect the topics they were learning in class to Hamilton and the Founding Era. She added that the assignment was not created by teachers but that it was a requirement from Gilder Lehrman.

Students could either work alone or work in groups of two or three people to create and produce a “performance piece based on the time period, and it had to include some

sort of primary source.” There were different possibilities, from writing a song to writing a script for a scene, but all students had to do research to find background information on the historical figures and events involved in this time era, and from there they had to integrate that historical figure or event into their performance piece.

Filer expressed that she thinks that many times when we think of historical figures “we think of them uncritically” and she hopes this show will “help students see that these people were people and had flaws.” “We always think of the constitution or the Revolutionary War or even independence [...] as this inevitable process, but really it could have gone in so many different ways,” said Filer.

Filer clarified that “there [were] a lot of people involved with this project, because it [was] a pretty big undertaking.” She added that teachers communicated non-stop to figure out who could help cover classes, given that there were 20 chaperones who left the building the day of the field trip.

History teacher leader Kerry Veritas did a ton of planning for this field trip and “devoted a lot of time on weekends and weeknights to try and make this possible.”

Veritas saw this field trip as an “opportunity to go see a Broadway production, which not everyone has the opportunity to do, and certainly not all students would have the opportunity to do.” Veritas also mentioned that she hopes this was a valuable memory for the students who went.

Individually, Veritas believes that there are students who were truly interested in this field and were eager about the “theatre aspects of the show, and some students have heard about the show and the music, so they are passionate about the [storyline] itself.”

Sophomore Ayman Boudrari was thrilled that he got the chance to see a show he is really passionate about. Boudrari explained that he thinks Hamilton is efficient in the educational field, explaining that “instead of reading through several chapters in a history book, you can learn through music and rap without realizing you are even learning.”

He further explained his strong interest in the show and soundtrack, adding that he wanted to watch the show for years, but what “stopped [him] was the fact that the tickets were incredibly expensive.”

Sophomore Alissa Schopp said that she “[expected the show] to be good since she [had] seen smaller performances of certain songs.”

Schopp believes that Hamilton is a “historically accurate representation of Alexander Hamilton’s life in a fun

Portrait of Alexander Hamilton and the Hamilton Musical logo.

Art created by Gabriella Carli. way that you can not always interpret from words.”

Senior Matthew Distefano believes that this field trip was a great opportunity “because tickets can be upwards of 1000 dollars” and he thinks the Gilder Lehrman program allows “people who largely cannot afford that to see it.” Distefano mentioned that watching the show definitely benefited his knowledge of the time era, given that he did “not know a lot about Hamilton specifically.”

Senior Kathryn Kilbride explained that Hamilton the musical

“added a sense of emotion to the series of historical events” that occured in real life, as opposed to reading about dates and events. The show also informed Kilbride about historical figures that she would not have know about otherwise such as John Laurens.

Filer described this field trip as a “building wide effort, and [they] could not have done it without everyone’s help.”

Hamilton: The Musical, inspired by Ron Chernow’s book Alexander Hamilton, created by Lin-Manuel Miranda, at the Boston Opera House. (Left): The Hamilton Musical Playbill. Photo by Sydney Stumpf.

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Malden Hosts Cultural Appreciation Week Ana Pirosca Head of Multimedia

Full photo gallery on maldenblueandgold.com

Speakers at Malden’s Cultural Appreciation Day celebration. From left to right: Mayor Gary Christenson, Senior and Blue and Gold member Cedrina Missamou, and Paula M. Carey.

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ood, poetry, music, and art filled the 3rd floor of the Malden District Court in order to celebrate Cultural Appreciation Week.

Cultural Appreciation Week is the first of its kind in Malden, spanning the duration of September 24th to the 28th, although, last year, there was a Cultural Appreciation Day. The Malden District Court calls for a minimum of one Cultural Proficiency Champion for every court which attends training to talk about cultural proficiency and to implement a community event that showcases its diversity. This year, it was changed to a week because one day was not enough.

The showcase began at 9:00 AM with a welcome from a few Malden District Employees, and Mayor, Gary Christenson. He spoke about the importance of diversity and how special Malden is for being able to be home to so many cultures.

The Malden High School choir made an appearance, singing the national anthem, as well as the Everett High School choir, which sang “The Fellas and the Bellas” and also made an appearance with some spoken words from a few of the ladies about their heritage and the difficulties facing immigrants.

Another notable guest speakers included Regional Supervisor, Pamerson O. Ifill from the Massachusetts Probation Office, who pleased to be able to say that he works in a diverse area.

The chief of the Malden Police Force, who grew up in Malden and saw the changes over the years as the city became increasingly diverse.

Malden High student and Blue and Gold videographer, and Black Culture Club President, Cedrina Moussimou, performed the poem “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou, a poem about prejudices toward African Americans, namely former slaves.

Malden teenager Christian Dejesus, an immigrant from Puerto Rico who came here at the age of five, feels great appreciation to the

acceptance of all lives in America.

Aside from the cold weather and lack of palm trees, Dejesus noticed some radical changes from what he was accustomed to in Puerto Rico. “When [he] moved in to Chelsea, [he] never expected to see more people from another country,” since Puerto Rico was very much inhabited by people of similar skin color.

Dejesus attended the Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational School, leading on to be president of the Gay/Straight Alliance Club, and worked with the director at the Boys’ and Girls’ Club to create the Gay Student Alliance for people who want to feel acceptance. “Back then Puerto Rico wasn’t really that accepting of the LGBTQ community,” which led to some internal battle when he came out to his family, specifically, his mom, but now “they are more accepting, and [he’s] been seeing more gay flags raised,” said Dejesus.

When Dejesus addressed the Malden District Court, he spoke of the greater context of Cultural Appreciation Week- a positive change, and appraisal that change is possible. He loves his culture and heri-

tage in Puerto Rico but much more, he “[loves] this country because it means love and acceptance.”

This seems even more true as the courtroom reflects all the diversity in Malden and Everett. Representatives of every culture sat in one room and at tables in the lobby.

The Chief Justice Paula M. Carey asked everyone to briefly talk about their heritage with the person next to them, and everyone sat next to someone different than themselves.

The room even showcased a multitude of art from The Gallery in Malden, by artists with different ethnic backgrounds.

Associate Justice at the Malden District Court, Cesar A. Archilla, grew up in the Bronx, New York but his parents were from the Dominican Republic. Reflecting on his youth, he recalls that “[he] grew up with kids in every background that you can think of… [and] it taught [him] the importance of getting out of your comfort zone and getting to know people that are different than you,” says Archilla. Being able to be surrounded by a diverse group of people is incredibly valuable because you learn about the real world where diversity is the reality of ev-

eryday life.

After all, Malden is home to many cultures- where Whites make up 48.6% of the population, Asians make up 22.9%, Black/African Americans make up 14.7% and Hispanics make up 3.08%, according to DataUSA. Also, the most common languages include Chinese, French Creole, and Portuguese.

“It’s worth a week of celebration” was what most speakers said when addressing the crowd. “Today was a testament to our community coming together and how when we come together as one and celebrate similarities and differences, we move our community forward,” said attendee Ted Louis-Jacques.

The event organizer, and Malden’s Cultural Proficiency Champion, Gianna Franco, reflected that last year, even though the event was merely a day, it was much more like a banquet, with hearty meals from various countries, but hopes that next year, more people will come and talk about culture.

In the words of Chief Justice Carey, “we are the patchwork quilt of our communities.”

Left: A map of Malden using street names by Grace Julian from Trinidad and Tobego.

Above: Christian Dejesus.

Photos by Ana Pirsoca.

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World Of Of Difference Difference AA World At MHS MHS At Jennica Ruan Lead Reporter

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World of Difference is a program organized by the AntiDefamation League (ADL). The club is run by freshman guidance counselor, Taryn Belowsky, History teacher Gregory Hurley and Principal Chris Mastrangelo.

The Anti-Defamation League is a non-governmental organization that “fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals, and protects civil rights for all.” Founded in 1913 by B’nai B’rith and Sigmund Livingston, their goal was to create a safe place for people of different religion, race or gender to live the American dream.

The club is accepting 30 stu-

dents from the sophomore and junior classes as peer leaders to mentor freshman. Belowsky states that “the peer leaders [will] go through intensive training on social justice, anti-bias, combating racism and discrimination.” The training will last three days and then the leaders will “facilitate lessons for the ninth grade population through advisory in the spring.”

Malden Public Schools began working with the ADL at the end of the last school year. Belowsky, Hurley and Mastrangelo are working together to take advantage of all the resources they have been given to jumpstart the program. Belowsky and Hurley will take part in the activities to learn and help the students prepare as leaders.

Belowsky took part in a convention about the program over the summer for the advisors of the programs from all around New Eng-

land. The advisors were taught how to implement the program into the schools.

The application to be a participant is a Google form that was either sent by email or presented to students during homeroom. The application asks general questions then asks for what is the interest behind participating in the program.

Belowsky says that “[the advisors are] really looking for a strong mix of diversity to really get a good representation of [our] school.” She is seeking students who are “wellrounded,” even if they lack in other criterias. After the applicants are chosen the training will be provided by professionals from the ADL program.

Belowsky’s ultimate goal is to make the school “more kind.” She believes that once in a while there are unjust situations that occur in the school that she can help solve.

She also believes that this program can be an outlet for some students to express their opinions on controversial topics and the current events that are happening. She wants students to be able to process the current events happening in the world and help them take action if they see unjust situations.

Sophomore Kathleen Hoang attended the interest meeting and is considering applying for a position in the program. She states that “it would be a good change for [our] school” and has heard of past events in the school that regard some of these topics. The program is something new and interesting so Hoang thinks that it is a good opportunity.

Belowsky states that “making our school and greater community hopefully more inclusive and kind” is an achievement she is looking forward to see.

UNICEF Club at MHS Jennica Ruan Lead Reporter

Members of the UNICEF Club (Left to Right): Sophomores Melissa Tan, Diana Garcia, Sohaila Ammar, Jason Yao ,Jake Breen, Julie Yu. Photo by Jennica Ruan.

U

NICEF Club is a new club at Malden High that donates at a global scale. The club is run by adviser Suzanne Brill and Sophomores Sohaila Ammar and Melissa Tan as president and vice-president respectively.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is an international subagency of United Nations (UN) that gives back to children and mothers in third world countries that lack of resources. Its headquarters is located in New York City, where it was founded in December 11, 1946 by Ludwik Rajchman, the 1st chairman of the United Nations General Assembly. The organization works in 190 countries and has done so for over 70 years.

Its motto is “All children have a right to survive, thrive and fulfill their potential – to the benefit of a better world.”

The process to get the club

approved took a week after filling out an application and waiting for Principal Chris Mastrangelo to send them an email. Then the officers had to find an advisor that was willing to take on that role.

The club has already done a bake sale to raise funds and managed to fundraise over $100. It hope to continue bake sales throughout the school year along with some themed events, including a movie night.

Currently, the club is raising money with trick-or-treat boxes. The person who raises the most money

by the deadline will receive a reward and all the money raised will go towards UNICEF as a donation.

“The back of the boxes shows how much money can supply resources for third world countries, like five dollars supplies a backpack” says the club’s historian and treasurer, Diana Garcia De La Cruz, adding that “as little as 50 cents can buy a kid a meal.”

Tan states that “the goal is to raise at least $1000 this year and have more members join.” After raising the money, the officers “fill out a form and mail it to the Unicef

headquarters.”

Ammar states that “Unicef, unlike the other volunteer clubs at [Malden High], such as Key Club and Y-leaders, which help out the local community and Malden specifically, reach out to underdeveloped countries that are in need of immediate help and [supports] them in any way [it] can.”

Donations are accepted even if you are not in the club and can also be done yourself at unicef.org.

The club holds meetings in B431 on Wednesdays.

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entertainment

The Blue and Gold October 2018

maldenblueandgold.com

Hocus Pocus Movie Review Tonijoy Pimental Reporter Hocus Pocus is an October favorite for many. The film came out on July 16th, 1993 and made a total of $39.5 million at the box office.

Ever since, it has been the perfect October movie to curl up in bed to and get you right into the spooky mood. The film has the perfect balance of horror and humor. A great choice for both parents as well as kids. Although the witches are the villains, they are still humorous characters due to their confusion to the new time period.

The director of the film was Kenny Ortega. The film is set in the present of 1993, in Salem Massachusetts. It is based around three witch sisters from the seventeenth century who used to kill young children and take their souls so they could be young. Before they were put to death, they set a curse so that one day on Halloween a virgin soul would relight the black flame candle. In the film, 300 years after the witches deaths a young boy named Max takes his young sister Dani trick or treating. He is new to town and doesn’t believe in the legend of the Sanderson sisters. In an attempt to impress Alison, a girl who he likes, he relights the black candle and reawakens the Sanderson sisters. After the candle is lit, a feline friend who used to be a real boy comes to save the day. His name was Sean Murray and he was the older brother of a young girls whose soul was taken by the witch. Throughout the rest of the movie it shows the events of the night that gets the witches back into the grave. Through the film there are some great laughs as well as a blossoming romance between young Alison and Max The cast of this movie includes Bette Midler playing Winifred Sanderson, Mary Sanderson played

by Kathy Najimy, Sarah Sanderson played by Sarah Jessica Parker, Dani Dennison played by Thora Birch, Alison who is played by Vinessa Shaw, Sean Murray played by Thackery Binx, and Max Dennison played by Omri Katz.

In 1994 Hocus Pocus won the Saturn award for best costumes. It was also nominated for the best special effects as well as Best Fantasy Film Saturn award. Although, Thora Birch who played Dani, was given the Young Artist Award for the Best Youth Actress Leading Role in a Motion Picture Comedy.

Hocus Pocus was given a seventy percent score on rotten tomatoes. Parents from Common Sense Media say that the perfect age for watching this movie is ten plus, and kids from Common Sense Media say it should be eight plus. For anyone looking for a great movie night, Hocus Pocus is a great film for all.

Spooky Halloween Playlist

Carlos Aragon Aldana Reporter

It’s October and with the coming of the spooky month, there must be a playlist so you can jam out to (some of) the creepiest songs out there.

Thriller-Michael Jackson Pretty much everyone knows this one. Michael Jackson turns into a zombie, turns back, and the twist is, he never actually turned back.

Monster Mash-Bobby (Boris) Pickett You know, the one with the “graveyard smash” This is Halloween-Danny Elfman A classic song from the opening of “The Nightmare before Christmas, this song will make a wave of nostalgia wash over you, bringing you back to the first time that you saw this movie.

Spooky Scary Skeletons- Andrew Gold Most people have heard of ‘that one skeleton video with the pumpkin guy dancing.” Or at least heard somebody talk about it before. If you haven’t, you live under a rock.

Ghostbuster Theme-Ray Parker Jr. Same as “This is Halloween,” this will also wash a wave of nostalgia over you. Who you gonna call?

Werewolves of London-Warren Zevon It has that iconic “Aooooooooo” howl in the chorus. What more could you ask for in a Halloween song?

A Nightmare on My Street-DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince In this tune, WIll Smith meets a guy named “Fred” (I think we all know who he’s talking about). Who could ask for any more?

Don’t Fear The Reaper-Blue Oyster Cult Opening with a catchy guitar part, this 1976 song, you’ll be hooked everytime you hear the line “Don’t fear the Reaper”.

It’s Almost Halloween-Panic! At The Disco With frontman Brendon Urie encouraging us to “do the trick or treat” in the chorus, you’ll either cringe at or love this song.

The Ghosts of Beverly Drive- Death Cab for Cutie With pretty good vocals, this catchy tune is pretty good for anyone looking to find a laid back, but ghost themed tune.

Somebody’s Watching Me- Rockwell If you loved “Thriller”, then you’ll love this. With a Psycho reference in one of the verses and Michael Jackson in the chorus, this is a must have for all Halloween playlists.

Halloween Movie Review Cristopher Correa Lead Reporter

T

he highly anticipated movie Halloween, starring Jamie Lee Curtis in the reprising role of Laurie Strode, released in theaters on October 19, 2018.

This movie is a direct sequel to the original Halloween released in 1978. This movie takes place 40 years after the original and takes every other movie in the series out of the continuity. Even though it is a sequel, if you haven’t watched the original it isn’t necessary to watch and enjoy Halloween (2018).

This movie itself provides most of the background so it is newcomer friendly.

This movie’s main plot takes place on Halloween, and the director, David Gordon Green, did a terrific job incorporating the elements of costumes and parties.

The character of Michael Myers is played by James Jude Courtney, however in some of the scenes he is also played by Nick Castle, the original actor that played Michael Myers in 1978. This serves as a nod to fans of the original installation.

While Michael Myers is present and of course murderous throughout the film, the star of the movie is Jamie Lee Curtis.

Curtis puts on a sensational performance as Laurie Strode, however at times it can overshadow Michael Myers himself. This in my opinion is not necessarily a terrible aspect of the movie because I believe that there should be more female led movies like Halloween. Jamie Lee Curtis proves that you can be a tough, strong and intelligent female lead, without the help of another strong male character.

Another great aspect of this movie is it’s cinematography. It has amazing still shots of one scene with multiple people moving in it, which leads to plenty of great moments and intense scenes. The sets had a great amount of detail and it feels and looks like a Halloween movie.

Even though this movie has a lot of great components, it is not for everybody. This movie doesn’t have many true jump scenes with Michael Myers, so if you are looking to be constantly scared this movie will not be what you expect. However where this movie shines is the buildup to Michael’s kills. This movie is excellent at building suspense and this makes the movie much more of a thriller than a slasher film.

With Halloween, it doesn’t completely take away the fear, but through the combined use of camerawork and suspense, it keeps the audience on their toes the entire film.

Rate: 8/10

The Blue and Gold October 2018

Entertainment

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Cozy Up With A Good Book Sydney Stumpf Editor in Chief of Print

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s we begin to wish for the warm summer weather back, it is more than the perfect time to get comfortable on the couch and snuggle up with a great book. Over the summer, between work, summer work and volunteering, my 20 book goal turned into three (and a half). However, two of these books I felt I absolutely needed to share, given that, as winter approaches and fun in the sun is no more, reading becomes a fabulous way to enrich your ample free time.

The first book I read, right after the last day of school in June, was Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer.

After almost reading it for school, I felt deprived of what this book had to offer. I went off to Barnes and Noble and purchased it as soon as I could. Into the Wild is about Chris McCandless, who, in 1992, decided to ditch a semi-normal lifestyle and venture in the Alaskan front alone, which led to his death not long af-

terwards.

Through interviews with people who knew McCandless on his journey to Alaska and even prior, Krakauer paints a vivid picture of McCandless’ life without ever speaking to him. Krakauer describes his own adventures as an outdoorsman and his journey to the spot where McCandless died on Bus 142, which is pictured on the cover.

Krakauer conducts an investigation into the death of McCandless and what really killed him. Speculations from the cold, to the plants he may have eaten are all considered, and Krakauer does an excellent job of synthesizing these theories. Overall, what Krakauer does is create a true story in the most eloquent of ways, painting the picture of a life tragically cut short, and the adventures that led up to this.

The second book I read was Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple. After having frequently passed up the opportunity to buy this novel, always intrigued by the bright blue cover and the cartoonish woman, I finally gave in and ended up reading it in no time at all. Just as beautiful as the cover, Semple’s

words create a fascinating story that constantly leaves readers on the edges of their seats. I could never put this book down for more than a few minutes.

Bee, the daughter of the titular character, Bernadette, convinces her well-off parents to bring her to Antarctica for continuously performing well academically. Elgin Branch, Bee’s father, is convinced by others that his wife is crazy, due to the fact that she accidentally gave away information to Russian hackers fronting as an Indian online assistant, and that she must be put away for the good of their daughter.

Bernadette escapes and is missing for many months. Throughout this tumultuous time, Bee struggles with school, with her father and finally with Soo-Lin, a character who’s development was the greatest thing to be written, and the worst thing to happen. Audrey, another mother at Bee’s old private school, has a character development that warms the heart, and makes her the most liked character in my opinion.

After a mishap occurs between Soo-Lin and Elgin, Elgin tries to make up with his daughter,

by taking the trip they never got to take— to Antarctica. It is in Antarctica where Bee finds her mother, who had traveled to Antarctica without them.

Where’d You Go, Bernadette is one of the most well-written novels I have ever read. The characters are so complex, even young Bee, and their developments are so drastic and complex, making this novel so amazing. I hated some characters in the beginning who turned out to be my favorites, and loved characters in the beginning, who I think were the bane of the novel.

Writer's Den Photo Gallery

Brandon Wong Reporter Daria Shaw Reporter

For the full photo gallery, go to the website maldenblueandgold.com

Opinion

18

The Blue and Gold October 2018

maldenblueandgold.com

Should PUblic Higher Education be Free?

The debate as to whether or not public higher education should be free has been a highly debated topic alongside the issue of free healthcare in the United States. In the following articles, Sydney Stumpf took the supporting view, while Abhsihek Rana took the opposing view. Let us know what you think about this topic, submitting comments on maldenblueandgold.com

Yes

Abhishek Rana Editor in Chief of Web and Mobile Apps

Sydney Stumpf Editor in Chief of Print

A

s a senior, college is pretty much the only thing on my mind. As of now, applications, acceptance and rejection letters are not the stressors in my life. Money is. I am not the only one either. Millions of students are gearing up and getting ready for college next year, many of whom do not know if they’ll be able to afford it. Private universities are costing upwards of thirty thousand dollars a year, and even public universities are increasing in costs. The fact of the matter is, so many people cannot afford higher education, and in a society where degrees are needed to acquire many jobs, this situation is not ideal.

Senator Bernie Sanders is a huge proponent of free education on the public level, and, I must say, I agree. Public Universities are universities funded by the government, not by individual donors and the institution itself. Public education is free on a K-12 level nationally, but why does free education stop at the college-level?

I suspect that college is not free already because of the added costs of keeping colleges and universities open, as well as paying professors’ salaries on top of the salaries of K-12 teachers. In short, what free college education would mean for the government is higher taxes. Similar to free healthcare in Canada, however, these higher taxes, although not ideal, are supporting a bigger cause for the greater good of society. It should make sense that everyone pays a little bit more in taxes in order for students to have the opportunity of an education. These taxes would be an investment in the future of America.

Republicans are avidly against raising taxes, especially on the rich. Most Republicans believe in a capitalistic society and believe that everyone makes their own money and is entitled to such, no ifs, ands, or buts. Sure, this makes sense in a perfect world, but the reality is, everything costs money and the people with more money have more access to education than do people who are not as well-off or wealthy.

This educational and economic divide is creating a cycle in which students are unable to go to college and may not be able to get as high paying a job, thus putting their children in their same shoes. The United

No

States should want nothing more than to give everyone an equal opportunity to succeed, but the mere fact that public education on every level isn’t free shows that education is not a high priority for the government.

Countries such as Germany, Finland, Norway and Sweden all offer free public university tuition to their citizens, because they understand that paying thousands of dollars for college is discouraging to students who want to pursue higher education (Bernie Sanders). The same cannot be said in the United States. So many students decide not to go to college because it is just too much money for them to pay. Instead, they work retail, they work in entry-level jobs, and continue doing so for years.

Those who are fortunate enough to be able to attend a college or university are often left with years upon years of debt and student loans, leaving them in a bad position financially and credit wise.

Student loans and student debt is a looming rain cloud over graduates’ heads. Public universities are often seen as a financial safety net, but with continuously rising tuition costs across the board, they may not be for much longer. Eliminating tuition for public higher education will, in effect, eliminate the student debt of many students, though not all. Eliminating tuition on public higher education will allow students new opportunities to progress their learning and contribute to national and individual monetary gains.

Making public universities tuition free is absolutely the most logical and moral choice the federal government can make. With a more educated workforce, economic growth will be so much greater than the amount of money being spent by taxpayers on free universities.

As tuition rates continue to rise, it is more than likely that the amount of students attending college will drop significantly over the next ten years unless something is done. Free public higher education is not only an investment in students’ lives, but an investment in the United States of America.

A

s the prospect of higher education looms closer and closer for high school seniors, so does the reality for many of facing massive debt in the future. With this in mind, it might seem to many that free tuition for state colleges is a great idea, with many endorsing the movement do so. After all, free public schools already exist in the country for K-12, so why not post-secondary free public education? Well despite this seemingly noble idea, there are many reasons why free tuition is not the answer:

Who is paying for it?

This is the main misunderstanding of most people as it pertains to free college because, technically, it will not be free. What so-called “freetuition” does is, instead of making an individual pay for his or her college education, it makes everyone else pay for each others’ tuition. In addition, what many fail to realize is that a college degree on its own has little to no value. The value of a college degree is what an individual makes out of it. In contrast, when a bank loans an individual money for a house, the value of the loan is that house. This is not the case for a college degree because the loaner has no value with someone else’s degree. So what a loaner can do is make calculated risks. Students majoring in a field such as computer science or engineering, where there are numerous career opportunities, are more likely able to pay back their loans than students majoring in a field such as philosophy, where the career opportunities are limited in the 21st century. So why is this relevant to free college tuition? Because free college tuition does not mean that the “value” of all degrees will be the same and many students are no longer incentivized to choose majors that are beneficial to the overall economy.

What happens to all those that are already in debt?

According to Forbes, there are currently 44 million students who are a combined $1.5 trillion in debt for student loans. What will happen with all those student loans?

Are taxpayers going to pay for all of them, just the ones that are owed to public schools or none of them?

Many point to the top tax bracket as the source to all the needed revenue,

but according to NBC, the top one percent of taxpayers earn an estimated $421,000 annually— a lot of money, yes, but hardly the fortune that many presume. Furthermore, what many also do not realize is that the higher tax brackets already pay a majority of the share of the U.S income tax. In fact, according to the Tax Foundation, “In 2014, the top 50 percent of all taxpayers paid 97.3 percent of all individual income taxes while the bottom 50 percent paid the remaining 2.7 percent.”

So, I return to the question of who would pay for subsidized higher education because what is proposed is nothing more than a redistribution of wealth.

College is not for everyone

What many do not realize is that higher education is not for everyone, not just because it is so expensive, but because not everyone’s skills and potential is not best utilized in college. Alternatives like trade and vocational schools can be just as monetarily beneficial for some. However, “free tuition” would boost the demand for college meaning that many would choose higher education instead of acquiring a trade, even if their skills are best suited for that instead. In addition, to meet the new found demand taxpayers would be at an even further more of a burden.

What is the incentive for students and what happens to private schools?

The cost of tuition is an incentive for students to work hard and make the best out of the opportunities they have earned. However, when tuition is not a factor, the incentive is no longer present. What’s more is that when state schools are made tuition-free, what happens to private colleges? They simply will no longer have the same level of demand, which is bad for the overall quality of our higher education. Furthermore, since the “government” is paying for colleges, are we really comfortable with them running it too?

To recap, while “free college” seems like a good idea on the surface (looking at my future prospects in college, I wished this were true), it will create further problems that will only hurt students as well as the overall economy.

The Blue and Gold October 2018

Sports

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maldenblueandgold.com

Girls Volleyball Starts the Season Determined to Improve Jemisha Syliant Head Copy Editor

A

s the new season begins, the MHS girls volleyball team have started their season 2-5.

The first win of the season was against Stoneham with a score of 3-1 followed by another win against Winthrop with a score of 3-2. Unfortunately, the team has been unable to capitalize on their strong start and has gone on to lose their next five matches.

Senior captain Mirabelle Jean Louis is looking forward to how the season will go. The team successfully won their first two matches of the season, and despite falling short on their next ones, all members of the team have assisted in putting forth their best efforts.

Junior Rodneisha Normil explained that the season was off to a great start in the beginning of the season.

Normil continues to elaborate

on how the season is “not looking as it should” but she’s not worried as she is assured her teammates will “get back on top” as she states the ultimate goal of the season is to make it to states.

Junior Julia Argueta describes how although this season still remains young and so far has not had the outcome that the team have expected, she says they “started on the right foot” despite having suffered a couple loses following that.

Argueta continues to add that their previous matches were never games that the team could not handle or “big point differences.”

She believes that their matches have always been close, in some cases just losing by a few points but they have “all been mental challenges for us all” she explains.

Normil’s goal for this season is just to make it through the season feeling “satisfied” with what she has done on the court. She states, “as long as [she] know[s] that [she’s] doing what [she’s] capable of doing, while still pushing [herself], there’s nothing [she’ll] regret.”

As for improvements, indi-

Junior Julia Argueta and Senior Cpatain Alicia Libby. Photo by Brandon Wong. vidually, Normil hopes to become a “well rounded and smart player.”

As for a team, she believes that the improvements that could be made is the level of seriousness and how well the team focuses.

Sophomore Gelila Lemma believes that the team started off very energized, and ready to play all of their games to the fullest. Although she says that there were some difficult times when they would get “hung up” on a point the team

missed, but the team would “grow from [their] mistake.”

Lemma describes that their head coach Dan Jurowski provides the teammates with tips on how she should be standing on the court and “critiques [her] on anything that [she] can improve on.”

Overall the MHS girls volleyball team hopes to bounce back and have a memorable season.

Field Hockey Team Starts the season Cristopher Correa Lead Reporter

M

alden High School’s Field Hockey team has already had a terrific start to their season. Their current record is a tremendous improvement upon last year as they have already won two of their opening five games.

This season they started off with a great opening game vs Lawrence in which Sophomore Kenny Nguyen scored all the goals in their 6-0 victory. This win helped the team not only with confidence, but it shows the team has improved and changed drastically from the previous season, a change that was brought upon by new head coach Samantha Souza.

This will be Souza’s first year coaching a Malden team and also her first year coaching a co-ed sport.

She describes the co-ed aspect of Field Hockey as a “great dynamic.”

The team this year also have finally received new shorts for all the players, which greatly boys and girls alike feel more comfortable. Kenny Nguyen described the shorts as “not only nicer, but a much better performance than the previous uniforms we wore.” Nguyen also said “The shorts [they] have now not only feel better than the skirts, they give [him] more confidence to play

which increases the quality of [his] gameplay.”

In addition Souza has also implemented a 4-3-3 formation when they play. She capitalizes on forwards such as Nguyen and Sophomore Bonnie Kuang to pressure the oppositions backline to create more scoring opportunities.

Captain’s Mei Mie Zhang and Grace Dong also both control the midfield and the defensive line respectively.

The team focuses playing wide and providing crisp passes when they gain possession.

One key component of this team is how well the players and coaches communicate with one another. Captain Zhang stresses how important communication is on and off the field. She states “[They] do need to work on communication with each other on the field because that will make us better aware of were we need to be and where we are going to score.”

Along with communication the team has also been more aggressive and “hungry” for the ball then past years. “[He thinks] it is important for a team to look and be professional, confident, and hungry. [They’re] turning up the intensity” said Souza Aggressiveness is a quality that Souza tries to installs into her players and it is felt by the way the team

Junior and midfielder Mylin Tran-Le looks to push pass the ball to a foward against the Revere Patriots. Photo by Falyn Kelley. both trains and plays, however it can still be improve on.

“Being more aggressive is also important, many of the players do not get hungry for the ball and wait for the ball to come to them instead of running up to it to get control of the ball,” stated Nguyen.

Coach Souza wants to also improve on the team’s positioning and keeping the ball out of the middle of the field when they play to make their play style more effective.

“Sometimes the team is confused on where they need to be and are often too close together, [they] need to work on positioning, where to put [themselves] so that [they] can be an option to pass to when having possession of the ball” said Nguyen.

While this team still has lots to

improve on and train, this group of players are incredibly ready to meet any challenge that may come ahead.

With the combined talents of both the players and Coach Souza this may be one of the brightest Varsity Field Hockey seasons yet and it’s been a long time coming.

“Each game [they] come away with things [they] need to improve on but also things the team has done well with,” said Souza. “[They] need to continue to work on our confidence and presence on the field. [They’re] very happy with the team and it’s awesome to coach such a great group of kids. [He is] looking forward to continuing our success and becoming a strong team! It’s time Malden Field Hockey gets on everyone’s radar.”

Sports

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The Blue and Gold October 2018

maldenblueandgold.com

Boys soccer Abhishek Rana Web and Mobile Apps Editor in Chief

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ith expectations sky-high, Malden High’s boys soccer team faces a unique challenge ahead of them. A 2-0 loss at home against Framingham in the first round of the state tournament ended their 2017 campaign. This year, after graduating 18 seniors from last season, the new look Golden Tornadoes seek to shape their own identity while continuing the run of success within Malden’s boys soccer program in recent years.

A 1-0 win against Everett on Tuesday, September 12th extended the team’s 100% start to the season and improved their record to 4-0.

However, the team remains unsatisfied and motivated to improve.

In his 14-year tenure as head coach of the varsity team, Jeremiah Smith has been in charge of many talented teams. This year is no different.

“At this point in [his] career, the goal is the same every year,” said Smith. “[The team wants] to start by winning [their] league, and then [they] need to win a North title, it is the one thing that has eluded [them] to this point [his] tenure. That’s where [they] are at, it is kind of like winning the North title or bust at this point.”

To reach their lofty ambitions, the team will have to improve rapidly and learn to play with each other.

Only two regular starters from last season are returning this year- senior midfielders Douglas Oliveira Do Nascimento and Waldier Yacsavilca.

In addition, veterans and newcomers alike will also have to step

up and be productive, as well as lead on and off the pitch.

Oliveira, who has been on the varsity team since his freshman year is taking an active leadership role and hopes to motivate his younger teammates.

“In practice and in games [he likes] to talk to and help [his] teammates,” said Oliveira, who plays as a center attacking midfielder for the team. “[He likes] to be a vocal leader on and off the pitch.”

Another senior on the team is midfielder/defender Mattheus De Oliveira Farias, who is looking forward to a more active role on the team his senior year.

“You do not need the armband to step up and be a leader,” said Farias, who is in his third year as a varsity player. “[He has] seen a lot of improvement” from the team in such a short span and hopes that they are “ready come tournament time.”

With the loss of 18 seniors from last season, the team has also lost a lot of their tall and physical players who were focal points in attack and were physical mismatches for opponents that could use their size to hold up play or battle for long balls. The team is smaller this year, but what they have lost in size, they have also gained in quickness and agility.

The team has focused on capitalizing on their quickness and technical ability by emphasizing on playing short and quick passes to break down teams and create scoring opportunities. Playing an unorthodox 3-4-3 diamond formation with a sweeping center-back behind a holding defensive midfielder, the team has scored a combined 15 goals in their opening four matches. “[They] like to play short, [they] like to play fast, and [they]

Senior Hamzah Halaissi looking for an open teammate during a throw in. Photo

by Brandon Wong.

Junior Adriana Santana dribbling towards the goal from the left wing. Photo by Brandon Wong. like to play on the ground,” explained head coach Smith. “[They] excel at the 5-7 yard passes and as long as [they] can keep the ball moving and keep it on the ground, [they will create] a number of scoring opportunities for [themselves]. [Their] skill set has changed a little bit to where [they] are smaller and faster but just as talented.”

“It is just a different approach,” concluded Smith.

Captaining the side this year is senior goalkeeper Salim Tiken, who has stepped into the position of starting goalkeeper as well captain with great pride.

Despite being an undersized goalkeeper, Tiken uses his positional awareness and quick reflexes to get his palms on the ball routinely and play the position at a high level.

As captain, Salim takes an added responsibility to be a vocal leader on the pitch and to be an example for his teammates.

“Throughout the game, [he tries] to organize [his] backline and keep them in check,” said Tiken “The whole backline is new this year and as a goalkeeper, [he has] to be a vocal leader on the pitch and organize [his] backline because

[he sees] the whole pitch from [his] position.”

Improving the team defensively is one of Tiken’s biggest goal this season. In the first four games, the team has already conceded seven goals, something Tiken hopes to improve upon greatly.

The boys did pick up their first clean sheet of the season against Everett on Tuesday, defending their slim 1-0 lead in the second half by absorbing heavy pressure from their opponents. However, Tiken still sees room for improvement defensively. “[They] gave up a lot of silly fouls,” pointed out Tiken. “[He] saw lot better communication in the back and noticed midfielders and attackers getting back on defense and playing behind the ball. [The team] also pressed [Everett] only when necessary but [they] need to work on not giving [their opponents] opportunities in dangerous areas by giving up silly fouls.”

The boys look to continue to improve collectively and eventually make a deep run in the state tournament.

From left to right, junior Kenny Cherry and Brian Souza Do Nascimento looking to win the ball. Photo by Brandon Wong.

The Blue and Gold October 2018

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maldenblueandgold.com

Girls soccer Michelle Yin Lead Reporter & Designer

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he Malden High School girls soccer team is starting off their new season with high hopes and determination for an even better year.

The varsity girls soccer team perseveres through the loss of seniors from the previous year, and aim for an exceptional season.

The team currently holds a great record for the last five games; their only loss being against Gloucester.

Even so, the team kept a relatively tight game against Gloucester until the rival team was allowed a penalty kick which ended the game with a score of one to zero.

Salma Bezzat, senior and captain of the girls soccer team who plays midfielder, has been playing soccer since she was in fourth grade.

As a captain, this year she hopes to see the team meet certain goals that she has set for them and herself.

As a student athlete, Bezzat hopes that she will be able to keep her team motivated throughout the season since she noticed that very often, the girls are “over it and they lose the ambition they had” half way through the season. However, since the team has been winning most of their games, it seems to be boosting interest in continuing that win streak.

On a different note, Bezzat is aiming for the team chemistry to be consistently good for the remainder of the season. She mentions that “[they] try to do a lot team bonding to maintain a good chemistry because soccer is all about the chemistry.” She specifically points out that “at practice [they] run together,

The team huddling up before the game. Photo by Michelle Yin.

tion. They take one game at a time, focus on the opponent team and stay aware of certain points that need improvement. Additionally, for the rest of the season they are refining their set pieces and the chemistry between each player.

As for the season so far, all positions of the varsity team has been performing smoothly throughout every game. Some teammates that are standing out to the captains include Beatriz De Oliveira Segato, who, according to Bezzat has been scoring in numerous games that they had. Another captain that was given a shout out is Jill Tramondozzi, who Soliz says, “outplayed herself each and every game, she is outstanding and really holds [their] defense down.”

end together and [they] don’t leave anyone behind.”

As of this year, the team has lost two seniors from last year: one was a team captain and the other was a starter. Although the team did not suffer too many player losses compared to other teams, and saw most of the players from last year return, they did lose an important team starter. It is hoped that the players this year are quickly able to fill the expectations of the team.

Angela Tejada-Soliz, a senior and captain that plays midfielder as well, believes that “this is good thing because [they] have learned to play well together and adjust and modify [their] team to accommodate for the tremendous amount of young talent” that permeates the field when playing.

Due to the fact that the team currently has a winning record, they remain determined and continue trying to improve to reach perfec-

Top: Senior Genevieve Murphy dribbling down the sideline.

Bottom: Senior Alyne Connick bringing the ball back in play.

Left: Connick searching for an open teammate for a throw in. Photos by Michelle Yin

Sports

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The Blue and Gold October 2018

maldenblueandgold.com

Malden Forfeits Football game to Everett Gabriel Matnog Lead Reporter

New Coach Profile: O Stephen Freker Gabriel Matnog Lead Reporter

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alden High’s football team has recently hired a new head coach this season, Stephen Freker.

Freker, who is in the Malden High Hall of Fame, and the Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, has been associated with Malden High Athletics since 1982. Freker coached “three sports [at MHS] from 1982 to 1999.” In that time span, Freker coached football, baseball, and basketball, being the head coach of baseball for 15 of those years, assistant varsity basketball coach for 10 years, and finally the assistant varsity football coach for 17 years.

After 1999, Freker took a 16 year hiatus from Malden High, then decided to return to the school. Freker also coached at Malden Catholic for 15 years. This means that Freker has coached for over 30 years all in the City of Malden.

Freker is also Malden High’s Building Safety Monitor and Communications Manager. Regarding football, Freker states, “[He] wouldn’t really compare what [they] do to past seasons as the coaching staff was different and had different intentions. [Their] goals are to teach the sport to the players and to help them develop in order to have a successful season and be competitive in every game.” Running drills and learning on and off the field has also had a big impact on the team.

Sophomore Muneer Odally is very optimistic for the rest of the season as he believes that “[Coach Freker] is an amazing coach.” Odally played last season under head coach Bill Manchester. “[Freker] is bringing his own spin to Malden Football and [Odally] likes the direction [Freker] is taking the team in.” Odally also feels that “Freker’s coaching is something new and is going to pay off in the long run.”

Sophomore Edmond Resmi, who had also played last year, mentions that “[Freker] has been a great coach so far. He has some unique qualities as a coach that

n October 16th, 2018, the Malden High Varsity Football Team forfeited their matchup against longtime rival, the Everett Crimson Tide. The game between the schools was scheduled on October 19, 2018, but safety concerns were cited by Malden as the reason for the game’s cancelation.

The season has been a really difficult one for Malden, as they have battled through numerous injuries and struggled on the field to a winless record this season.

In contrast, Everett is remains undefeated and have blown out all of their opponents.

Malden High’s Athletic Director, Charlie Conefrey, was one of the numerous people involved in the decision making. The game was cancelled due to concerns of Malden High’s student-athletes’ health and their safety. “In the weeks leading up to the scheduled game with Everett High School, our football team suffered numerous injuries (some season ending) that inhibited our ability to put a line up on the field that we felt was safe,” Conefrey explains.

Malden High was actually not the only school to forfeit their games, Conefrey states, “Three other local schools forfeited last Friday besides us, yet nothing was said about those schools forfeiting their game for the very same reason of health and safety.” Two of those schools that forfeited are Boston City Schools. He stated that the cancellation will have no effect on Malden and Everett’s 100+ year rivalry as, “Our major rival in football is Medford High School and this year’s Thanksgiving Day game will be the 131st meeting between the two schools. We are very excited to host Medford High School and continue one of the longest standing rivalries in our nation’s history.”

no other coach [Resmi] has seen, has.” Under Freker, Resmi believes that more plays have been made in 3 games this season than all of last season. He adds that “[their] practices consist of drills and plays that [they] would actually use in a game.”

Aside from coaching multiple sports, Freker was also the last Editor-In-Chief for the Malden Evening News before their dissolution in 2017. Freker is clearly well rounded, whether it’s coaching three different sports or being in two hall of fames, Freker has done it all.

While Conefrey was involved with the decision, the final say was ultimately left to Principal Chris Mastrangelo. He says that the decision required “a lot of time and thought” and was not one made lightly. The discussion on whether or not to forfeit started “a week or so before” the scheduled contest.

The factors that led to the decision were the already small numbers of players on the team, especially the 22 freshmen players, which is “a really disportionate number,” according to Mastrangelo.

There are currently 42 athletes in the football program and only about half of them actually see playing time in varsity games. In contrast to Malden, the Everett football team has 115 players, and their “depth is bigger physically.” There was a major concern about the physical contact that would have occurred, since the number one priority is safety, and Mastrangelo says that he “had to take a step back” and question if he could “guarantee that [he is] not putting [the] players in a position to be injured.”

Realizing that he could not guarantee their safety, Mastrangelo, Conferey, and the coaching staff reached out to Everett a week before the scheduled match and voiced their concerns. After seeing the number of players “dwindle down” even further due to injuries in the Peabody game, they met with Everett on the Friday and Saturday before the game to officially forfeit the game. The decision was also brought up to the superintendent, John Oteri. Mastrangelo says that he was “supportive” due to the decision being made with “the students’ safety in mind.”

Going further about the issue with the lack of players on the team, Mastrangelo says that the “depth was not there” when it came to the number of kids being able to play each position. In football, even 50 players on the team is “a little on the lower end” because the play is “eleven on eleven, times three programs (freshman, JV, varsity teams) and not every kid plays both offense and defense,” along with the “22 positions in a football game,” which require around three players a position. For a team like Everett that has 115 players, that means that there can be “up to seven kids in every position.” But, because the Malden football team only has a low number of players, that would mean “every kid has to play the entire game,” which even raised the question of safety even higher.

Usually for smaller schools

that play in lower divisions, the few number of active players is a common occurrence as many players play both sides of the ball for most of the downs in the game. However, for a team such as Malden that plays in Division I, a smaller roster is abnormal and could be a safety issue.

Regardless, many are left disappointed by this decision, especially the athletes. Junior Ishmael Sylus, who plays wide receiver on the football team, is one of many disgruntled players. “They made us look like we were soft and couldn’t handle the game, when in reality we were all ready to go play,” Sylus explained. The players had no say in the decision which only adds to their disappointment.

Sylus also points out that, “ever since the first game [Sylus] been thinking about playing Everett because that’s honestly one of the most exciting games for the year. It’s such a big deal because we’ve been playing them for so long and every year there’s still that excitement. That’s the game where everyone really leaves it all out on the (field). This goes for both sides. It’s disappointing to miss out on that this season.”

The seniors on the team have been affected by this decision the most as it was their last chance to play Everett before graduating.

Some of the Malden players have taken the decision personally and feel that they have been made to look like like they are not good enough to play Everett.

However, Mastrangelo asserts that Malden’s football players “have played hard from the beginning to the end of the game” and that he is “very proud” of the team. “They played hard, they have competed, the players and the coaching staff stayed positive, [positivity] is how you build programs,” Mastrangelo adds. He also states that head coach Stephen Freker has been “doing a great job” at “making sure they are positive and doing the right thing in school.” The good thing for next season is that the 22 freshmen on the team will “move up to the sophomore class,” along with the junior class, and that the team will be bringing in “another 30 freshmen to play,” so that the team can “start bringing those numbers up,” which will help to improve their situation next season.

Mastrangelo stresses that the forfeit is “not the end of the program, it’s just the beginning.”

Sports

The Blue and Gold October 2018

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maldenblueandgold.com

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY

Sara Zakaria Head of Sports News

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he Girls Cross Country team at Malden High are in the midst of their 2018 season, as of October 19, with a record of 4-3.

This year is marking the first year where the team has captains, which are juniors Isabella Machado, and Emane Boufaida. Despite the lack of experience due to being the first ever captains, their leadership has been well received by the other members of the team.

Sophomore Maggie Lee emphasizes that the captains have not just been “helpful” and “genuine,” but they also prioritize encouraging and motivating the team to “work harder and do better.” The captains also “always find a way to keep us going” if the team is struggling.

Captain Isabella Machado says along with trying to encourage the runners, they also try to assist the coach “as much as possible.”

The team’s goal this season, according to Machado, is to “push [themselves] as much as possible,” especially during the meets. She states that they all “personally want to improve” and the way to do that is to “show up to practice” and “encourage one another.” Lee adds that their major goal is to “win as many meets as possible” in order to go to the Northeastern Conference (NEC) League champions and stresses that everyone on the team, “even the coach [Sean Weldon]” are “trying to work as hard as they can without giving up.”

Lee joined Cross Country this year because she felt that the sport was something she could potentially do well in. She also knew the coach, Sean Weldon. She calls it a “good first sport experience,” and attributes the fun experience to Coach Weldon, saying that he “encourages everyone to do their best despite the losses [they] had.”

Her goal is to improve endurance because she plans to continue with Cross Country next year.

Machado also joined the team this year, switching from the Girls Soccer team. She joined because she wanted to work on improving her “speed and endurance” for Indoor and Outdoor Track, which she also participates in. Her other goals include achieving “as many first place wins as [she] can.”

An advantage is the willingness to help returning members on the team.

One of the disadvantages, according to Machado, is the ratio between new and old members to the team. The team lost a lot of members due to seniors graduating, which meant that the team essentially had “to start all over again.” Machado says that the

Senior captain Kyle O’Brien in the lead at the start of their lap, with junior captain Omar Asousy. Photo by David Cartledge.

David Cartledge Lead Reporter

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he Boys Cross Country team is off to a running start with coach Sean Weldon coaching the team for his first season with assistant coach Cassie Froio. Coach Weldon has coached Middle School basketball in the past, and says that he is “very excited to be coaching at the high school level.”

With the success that the Cross Country team has seen in prior seasons, one would think that the team would suffer with the loss of seniors.

However, the team seems to be on a pretty good streak so far this season, and Weldon seems to know why.

Weldon stated that “this team has benefitted from the experience of veteran runners like [Omar Asousy], [Kyle O’Brien] ,and [Christopher D’Entremont] that have really helped [their] new members find their groove running at the high school level.”

It has not just been the great leadership on the team that has helped the team succeed so far this season, with Weldon saying “the loss of seniors has not impacted [them], as due to heavy recruiting [they] have had a great turnout of freshmen and sophomores.”

The start of a new season also

team does not have “as many strong runners” compared to other schools.

She adds that the team consists of “mostly underclassmen” who are new to Cross Country, with some lacking in experience in running long distances.

Despite this, Machado asserts that the team has “managed to pull through” for the season, with the team members always “cheering each other on” and “pushing each other to do their best” at every race.

brings new leadership to the team, the captains being Senior Kyle O’Brien, Senior Chris D’Entremont, and Junior Omar Asousy.

Weldon says that “all captains have demonstrated great leadership helping new members get into workout and recovery routines, while also performing exceptionally well in our meets so far this season.”

With the introduction of so many new runners to the team, there are bound to be a few that have stood out so far.

So far, the veteran runners seem to be performing exceptionally well this season, with Coach Weldon commenting that “[their] captains have been excellent, putting in top four finishes in [their] meets to date, including Omar finishing first.”

This new season has brought both strengths and weaknesses to light, showing that there is stuff the team needs to work on, while also showing that there are strengths they can utilize.

Something Weldon feels the team excels at is “putting in the work to improve, while also staying loose and having a good time.” and went on to say that “above all else, it is important for the athletes to want to be there.”

With the exceptional performance of the team this season, there does not seem to be any weaknesses.

One issue that O’Brien feels could be better is that “[he] feels like the only problem [they] could have would relate with people being serious at practice, but [he] [does not] think that it would affect [them] in a harsh way, due to the fact that [their] team is strong and connected.”

O’Brien also stated that “[he] feels everyone is always doing their best and giving 100% since [they] are 2 and 0” but went on to say that “[they] could practice harder and get in better shape.”

The team came away with a victornerves with a fun bus ride consisting of the “cross country Lit Playlist” created by Maggie Lee to get [them] pumped up,” said Weldon.

Captain O’Brien also feels they were able to come on top because “the other younger guys stepped up and placed well which really contributed to the team score overall.”

Overall, the team is doing extremely well, and all the members seem to be very happy and proud.

Captain O’Brien mentioned that “[he] just wants to say that [he is] extremely happy and proud of [their] team and everyone stepping up” and he is “looking forward to seeing [all of them] improve as the season progresses, and to win as many meets as possible.”

Chris D’Entremont, Kyle O’Brien, and Omar Asousy starting their lap. Photo by David Cartledge.

Sports

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The Blue and Gold October 2018

maldenblueandgold.com

Malden Athletics Department Introduces New Middle School Cross Country Program Sara Zakaria Head of Sports

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fter years of having a successful Cross Country program at Malden High School, the athletic department, along with the assistance of Malden Recreation, created an extended program at the Malden middle schools, with students from sixth to eighth grade being eligible to sign up to join. The program, similar to the high school’s, is free of charge to students, a contrast to the rest of the sports clubs made available for middle schoolers.

Cross Country was chosen because there is already a middle school Cross Country league in the Northeast Conference. Athletic director Charlie Conferey says that if the athletic department wanted to start, for example, a “middle school soccer team,” it would not go over well, because of the “huge Malden

Youth program” that “already play[s] other cities and towns within their league.” There are no competitive leagues other than Cross Country for middle schoolers, which made it easier to create the program in the Malden Middle Schools.

However, there are plans for more athletic programs to be created in the middle schools. “The more, the better--that is our belief at the high school and the athletic department,” Conefrey says. The next two programs that will possibly be created is a middle school football team, expected in the fall of 2019, and a middle school baseball team as well.

While the high school Cross Country members have to complete a 5k run in their meets, the length for the middle school is condensed, being just 1.7k. Practices are also changed from everyday to only twice a week, with a meet every week. The cutbacks on difficulty was made by taking to account the “lack of physical maturity” in middle schoolers compared to high school students, but is designed to

give the middle schoolers “a good idea of what happens.”

The coach for the team is Michael Nicholson, who is also the new health teacher at the Ferryway School, and the assistant coach of Malden High’s Gymnastics team.

Conefrey praises Nicholson, saying how he has been “absolutely fantastic,” adding how it was not easy to find someone “that is willing” to be the coach, but Nicholson has been “stellar” at his job so far.

The purpose of the creation of the program is to get students who are involved in physical activity interested in the sports programs at Malden High, according to Conefrey. When the time comes for eighth graders to make their decision to where they would like to attend high school, Malden High School will “hopefully” be both the parents and the students’ “number one choice.”

He states that the more active and involved the athletic department is in the five middle schools, Forestdale, Salemwood, Ferryway, Linden S.T.E.A.M academy, and Beebe, the more chance they have to “meet the

kids, build rapport, and let them know what we offer.” He states that they are a lot of choices other than Malden High for male and female students now, such as Mystic Valley or Malden Catholic, who just created a new wing for female students, making it more “competitive.”

Junior Omar Asousy, current member of Malden High’s Cross Country team, says that adjusting to Cross Country during his freshman year was “pretty difficult.” He says that before high school, he would go home or “hang out with friends” after school, but joining a sports team made it difficult for him to manage his time. Adjusting to the sport itself was “equally challenging” due to “no prior experience when it came to running,” making it “extremely tiring.” Asousy believes that “had there been a Cross Country middle school program when [he] was in middle school, [he] would have been able to adjust better to the sport and could’ve been a much better runner in [his] first season.”

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maldenblueandgold.com Malden High School Volume 104 Edition 1 October 2018

Malden High School Fall Sports. Collage done Ana Pirosca