The Blue and Gold maldenblueandgold.com
Malden High School
Volume 107 Edition 5
77 Salem Street
March 2022
Malden School Committee Lifts Mask Mandate in Schools
New Saturday School Program for Malden High Students Lily Nguyen Reporter Mack Keating Reporter
A Illustration by Ruka Truong.
Read the story on pages 13-14.
Update On Malden City Worker Vaccination Status Daniel O'Toole Lead Reporter
D
uring the last few weeks, Massachusetts has started to ease off its mask mandate in order to open up the state again due to the decrease in COVID-19 cases and increase in vaccinated citizens. Earlier this year, to increase the safety within the city of Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu declared that all Boston city workers were required to show proof of vaccination in order to have a job in the city starting on January 15th.
The Boston Firefighters Union 718, and multiple unions under the Boston Police, were upset about this mandate and filed a lawsuit against the City of Boston on January 26th. The unions alleged that Mayor Wu had violated parts of the collective bargaining agreement made with the unions by requiring them to show proof of vaccination to be able to work for the City of Boston. In the end, the case was closed on February 15th, and Justice Sabita Singh temporarily suspended the mandate, keeping union workers from losing their jobs.
If you wish to view the case and see a more detailed timeline of it, click here: https://www.maappellatecourts.org/docket/2022J-0031 Malden is a much smaller city than Boston, with fewer city workers under its control. Nonetheless, the issue over Malden’s city workers requiring proof of vaccination in order to work for the city is an important one that can and should be elaborated on. Mayor Gary Christenson Continued on page 12.
Black Culture Club Runs Door Decorating Contest for Black History Month Hadjar Yousfi Lead Reporter
F
ebruary is Black History Month, and Malden High School is celebrating Black history and culture in various ways. “As Black people, we keep in tune with our mental health and our physical health,” Micaela Henry, copresident of the Black Culture Club, stated. Spanish teacher Claudia Romero explained how Black History Month is important to her because “it is a time to learn more about her students and colleagues.” She was
excited to hear more traditional music, taste cultural foods and attend enriching events. She feels as though it is important for Malden teachers to support Black culture as this “is an example of loving our neighbors regardless of race.” To kick off the month and involve students, the Black Culture Club decided to do a door decorating contest, with the theme of Black history and excellence. Groups of students worked with a teacher to decorate their classroom door in ways that related to the theme. The contest was set to end on the 11th and then be judged on the
18th, but the date has since been extended. Kristy Magras, the advisor of the Black Culture Club, explained that “we actually did our door decorating contest back in 2020 [and] it was a huge success.” Due to COVID, they ended up not doing it last year, so they were excited to bring it back this year. Magras hopes that this event “builds morale, exposure, and just again, to be able to share the works with the community.” She wants students to have fun hanging out Continued on page 7.
fter extended intermission, millions of students across the globe returned to the classroom this school year. However, the transition was anything but easy. With online learning not proving to be an ideal learning environment for most students, it impacted student-teacher communication and the well-being of students. The administration sought for a solution that could provide students additional academic support. Principal Christopher Mastrangelo spoke for a number of administrators, teachers and counselors when acknowledging students that “may be in need of academic acceleration... as we came back from COVID lockdown.” The solution that came to mind was Saturday School, which would “offer students additional pathways for accelerating their learning,” elaborated Erin Craven, Director of School Counseling. “When it comes to the really tumultuous and difficult last couple of years, the government wants to ensure that there are opportunities for students to ensure they are getting all the learning they need…to succeed and graduate, ” she said. Brunelli House Principal Jean Ewald Charles shared similar
Graphic by Lily Nguyen. Continued on page 9.
