Sophomore Caitlyn Leonard up at bat. Photo by Tatyanna Cabral.

Meet sophomore Caitlyn Leonard, number 13 on the field, who is on the varsity softball team. She has played softball ever since she was little and her favorite thing about it is “the overall experience of fielding, hitting and being a part of a team.” Leonard believes that the most important thing about being on a team is “keeping everyone up if they make a mistake and cheering everyone on.” Watch Leonard play at the next home game on May 16, 2015.

Juniors Jasper Haag and Kaitlyn Gibson pose for a picture. Photo by Julie Lam.

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation is a competitive academic program that recognizes high school students and award scholarships since 1955. High school students are entered into the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT or National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. PSAT/NMSQT is a test that is required for all high school students to take, approximately 1.5 million students enter each year for the scholarship.

In order for students to enter into the National Merit Scholarship Program, students must take the PSAT/NMSQT no later than the third year of  high school, be enrolled as a high school student, and be a citizen in the United States. Students’ PSAT/NMSQT results determine whether they meet the requirement score to participate in the National Merit Scholarship Program.

This year two MHS students, juniors Jasper Haag and Kaitlyn Gibson, received national merit commendations for their outstanding scores in the PSAT/NMSQT. Gibson discovered the news through MHS principal Dana Brown and passed on the exciting news to Haag. Haag was ecstatic and did not “expect to be awarded anything” due to the high score requirement in Massachusetts.

Gibson believed that the test was “pretty easy” and was therefore “confident that [she] would score pretty well.” Similarly, Haag felt fairly “confident on the whole” test. Second guessing and lack of confidence “can be fatal” according to Haag, therefore being confident is a very important factor in taking the PSAT/NMSQT test or any test for that matter. Gibson revealed that she did not study for the PSAT, to support her reasoning Haag expressed that the PSAT tests “what you have already been taught at school” therefore studying was not a high concern for them.

After receiving their recognition, Gibson and Haag mentioned that this gave them a large confidence boost for their future standardized tests. It is quite an accomplishment by Haag and Gibson to be acknowledged by the National Merit Scholarship Program out of thousands of students. Through their achievement, Haag and Gibson represented MHS as a school with high excellence.  

Here are updates for the week of May 11 on current events in Malden.

This is information pulled from morning announcements and the Tornado Times.

• On May 11 at 10:45 AM, Year Up will be coming to speak with interested Juniors and Seniors in B337. They are involved with a focus on finance/technology career opportunities.
• Advanced Placement Exams begin again on May 11, and are taking place through the week.
• The boys soccer team is looking to sell 3X3 “I support” stickers for $3 in order to raise money for championship jackets. Contact Mr. Smith in room B236 if you are interested.

• On Saturday, May 16, the class of 2017 will be hosting a fundraiser with a car wash.

• Multicultural Week is starting on May 18, and the 4th annual celebration will be held on May 22.

• On May 17, the crew team is hosting their fifth annual Moose On The Malden Regatta from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

• The Laps For Leslie Foundation will not be hosting the walk this year. For those interested in donating, there will be a donations box in the athletic office until May 15.
• The Starr Center is open every Monday & Wednesday for all of your health needs and questions! Located in the nurse’s office, the Starr Center has a doctor and health counselor available at no cost to you.

A poster for the 2015 Moose on the Malden Regatta. Created by Joseph Luongo.

Along with its wide variety of cultures, the unity at Malden High School is unique in another sense. The school has a program known as PACE, which is for students with special needs and mental disabilities, hindering them from being able to attend regular classes. From the outside in, many people may think that there would be a very clear division between the “regular” high school students from the PACE students, but in fact, there is no division. MHS students are always eating lunch with the PACE kids, spending their free periods with them, and participating in Unified Sports, a gym class for the special needs kids where volunteers from the high school help run the class.

Principal Dana Brown and Mayor Gary Christenson posing with student Kamisha Heriveaux. Photo by Cassandra Reyes.

Administrative assistant Barbara Scibelli has been working towards forming a natural integration between the two groups of MHS, and she has been successful. Along with running Unified Sports on a daily basis, Scibelli coordinates Special Olympics every year. This is a day-long outdoor event dedicated to students with disabilities from all of the Malden Public Schools and many other schools around the Malden area such as Melrose, Wakefield and others.

At Special Olympics, the participants are buddied with a group of MHS volunteers and they get to spend the day with one another, while the special needs students have the opportunity to either get their face painted, run the 200 meter dash and more. Senior Kaitlyn Weng expressed that her “favorite part about [Special Olympics] is being able to see all the kids smile and laugh and have fun.”

Participants running towards the finish line at the Special Olympics. Photo by Lucia Quesada Nylen.

Many of the volunteers participate in the Unified Sports program at the school. Senior Monique Knight Bailey mentioned that her experience in Unified Sports inspired her to participate in the event, and explained that “even though [this year as an MHS student] was [her] last, [she] hopes and plans to come back to help with Special Olympics in the next years.” Junior Jacqueline Smith explained that “seeing the kids laugh and finding a friend in [the volunteers] makes them feel supported.”

A day prior to the event, Scibelli rounded up her team of MHS students that volunteered the next morning to set up MacDonald Stadium with banners and flags in order to give the participants vibes that they are there to have fun and win medals, leaving with a sense of accomplishment and honor. The volunteers arrived at the stadium around 7 am the next morning to set up the tents and the activities while awaiting the kids to arrive around 9 am.

Ronan Clancy from Wakefield posing for a picture at Special Olympics. Photo by Lucia Quesada Nylen.

Special Olympics is an event that many people in the Malden community look forward to, such as Principal Dana Brown who stated that “Special Olympics is [his] favorite day of the year”. Throughout the day long event that includes activities like running races, long jump, tennis ball and baseball throw, and others like face painting, Brown enjoys the “level of respect that everyone has for one another.” He explained that the diverse atmosphere did not make  a difference in the event, “[that] even though there [were] able bodied students and disabled students” it did not matter during the day. Brown exclaimed that the event is one that enables people to see everyone as “one school, [and] one team.” Special Olympics brings the Malden community together year after year for a day of fun, sports, and camaraderie.

 The 3rd Annual Leaders Corps Dance put on by the YMCA, the theme of 2015’s dance was “Fire and Ice,” with 10% of the proceeds having been donated to charity.

Photos of the event can be found here:

On Friday, May 1, 2015 Malden High School’s Alumni Association held its second annual Hall of Fame to celebrate exceptional accomplishments of alumni and contributions by alumni and others.

Alumni became eligible for nomination ten years after graduation in categories such as arts, business, community service, education, government, media, military service and the sciences. The day started off with a Luncheon to commemorate the Inductees and socializing between the Alumni classes along with the current student officers and continued into the auditorium for a grand question and answer presentation for the senior class of the inductees. Each individual shared their own journeys and hurdles they overcame to reach the positions they are in now.

Inducted in 2014, the first of the MHSAA Hall of Fame were Boston Globe columnist Kevin Cullen (1977), international war crimes judge Phillip Weiner (1972), television news anchor Heather Kahn Braver (1985), linguist James Matisoff (1954), rock singer and songwriter Gary Cherone (1979), cartoonist Keith Knight Jr. (1984), and pioneer women’s rights advocate Judge Emma Fall Schofield (1902).

Right to left: Bobby Sager, Dr. George Holland, Daniel DiSano, Kevin Jarvis, Paula Sneed, Barbara Durgin, Marie Colantuoni Coyle, and Principal Dana Brown sit before an audience in Malden High School’s Jenkins auditorium.

This year, eight new members have been inducted into the MHSAA Hall of Fame in ceremonies honoring their outstanding career achievements, regardless of the adversity and challenges they faced along the way. The inductees include a plumber, a high tech facilitator, a wealthy visionary, a survivor who battled an incurable disease, a doctor who advanced the science of anesthesiology, an educator’s educator, a woman who triumphed over racial and gender discrimination, and an Army Air Corps pilot killed in WWII.

Barbara Durgin accepted the Hall of Fame award for her father, Hollis Durgin (1940), a plumbing and heating businessman honored for his community service.

Dr. George Holland (1955) is a former school superintendent for the city of Malden. Holland accepted his award in the field of education. He owes his success to the people who supported him and helped him through his challenges, and he believes success comes from working in a team, not alone.

Dr. Stanton Shernan (1977), despite not being able to attend, was honored in the field of medicine for advancing the science of cardiac anesthesiology. Shernan is recognized worldwide as an expert on the use of three-dimensional ultrasound technology in heart surgery.

Hall of Fame inductee Marie Colantuoni Coyle during an interview. Photo by Maria DaSilva.

Marie Colantuoni Coyle (1949) was honored in the field of sciences. Coyle faced her own adversity when diagnosed when she was twelve years old with scleroderma, “the disease that turns you to stone” that was once untreatable and a life-threatening disease. At the age of 12, Coyle was told by her doctors that she only had five years to live, and later at the age of 18, she went onto create a foundation for the burden that fell onto her. Through her scleroderma foundation, she raised millions of dollars to research and treat the autoimmune disease.

Hall of Fame inductee Paula Sneed during an interview. Photo by Maria DaSilva.

Paula Sneed (1965) was inducted in the field of business based on her success overcoming numerous obstacles as a black woman, including racism and gender discrimination. Sneed rose through the “glass ceilings” to top positions in the corporate world. She uses her experience to inspire others to “follow [their passions],” regardless of the adversity that falls upon them.

Robert “Bobby” Sager (1972) is a philanthropist

Hall of Fame inductee Bobby Sager during an interview. Photo by Maria DaSilva.

and photographer, who attained a fortune in the business world and then after retiring, proceeded to traveling with his wife, son and daughter, through his foundation Sager Family Traveling Foundation and Roadshow, to troubled places in the world where he uses his money and personality to help others, taking photos along the way and writing books about those he sees in need. Instead of just paying a visit and doing community service, he and his family live in these places, which has caused them to learn how to be “a thankful human being,” and “seeing the humanity through [others’] eyes.” “It does not matter how much money you made,” Sager stated. Rather, “it is how much you give away.”

Kevin Jarvis (1974) is the director of veterans services in the city of Malden. Jarvis accepted the award for Lt. Richard Vaughn Dargie (1939). Dargie was killed when shot down over France in World War II. Jarvis stated that Dargie was selected to represent all those MHS students who went off to serve their country in the military during the war. He told the audience that awarding the Hall of Fame honor to Dargie was meant to represent all who served, and over two hundred men who died during the conflict.

For more information on the mentioned alumni, go on the official MHS Alumni website at maldenhighalumni.com.

To read profiles about alumni click here or here. 

Q: What was it like playing softball at MHS?

A: Playing softball was the best experience at MHS. My love for the sport grew and I had the time of my life

Q: How long have you played softball?

A: I’ve been playing softball since I was 4 years old

Q:What is your favorite thing about the softball?

A: My favorite thing about the sport is the friendships that are made. I think we will be really good this season, we work really well together.

Q: What are your plans after high school?

A: I am going to Framingham State University and I am majoring in early childhood.

Q: What advice would you give the underclassmen on the team?

A: Advice I would give the underclassmen is to do what you love and have fun doing it, no matter what that sport is.

Q: What will you miss about MHS?

A: I will miss the friendships I’ve made at MHS as well as the teachers.

Q: Would you play softball in college?

A: Maybe club softball!

Jasmine Kelly Q: How do you view Powers as a player?

A: I think she is a really talented as well as a good team player. I can always count on her to feel welcome and help me with anything I need help on and off the field

Coach Timmons Q: What advice  would you give Powers for the future?

A:I would tell her to follow her dreams and focus on her studies! To cherish every moment because the four years fly by very fast and to not take any moment for granted! Tell her to give her 110% effort into whatever she does! To continue to be a caring and trusting friend as well as a teammate if she chooses to continue to play softball at Framingham State university!

Here are updates for the week of May 18 on current events in Malden.

This is information pulled from morning announcements and the Tornado Times.

• On May 15 & 16, Play Production will be hosting Just A Bunch Of Stuff, a collection of ten-minute plays written by students. Tickets are $5 at the door.

• On May 19 & 20, MCAS Math begins for the class of 2017.
• The boys soccer team is looking to sell 3X3 “I support” stickers for $3 in order to raise money for championship jackets. Contact Mr. Smith in room B236 if you are interested.

• On May 20, the band will be performing their Spring Concert at 7:00.

• On Saturday, May 23, the class of 2017 will be hosting a fundraiser with a car wash (previously May 16).

• On May 21, the seniors have a Memorial Day Assembly at 1:30.

• Multicultural Week is starting on May 18, and the 4th annual celebration will be held on May 22.

• The Starr Center is open every Monday & Wednesday for all of your health needs and questions! Located in the nurse’s office, the Starr Center has a doctor and health counselor available at no cost to you.

As the 2016 presidential election has already begun to dominate headlines nationwide, the nation has turned its attention towards the woman who appears to be the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination: Hillary Clinton, former First Lady, Secretary of State and New York senator.

While multiple Republican candidates have announced their campaigns during public speaking engagements and transitioned into very public personas, meeting with potential voters and making various appearances, the leading female face of the Democratic Party remained silent, announcing her intention to run on Apr. 12 with a bizarre viral video in which she only appears in the final few seconds.

With overwhelming support from several voter demographics that will prove crucial to winning the November 2016 election, Clinton, whose 2008 campaign ended after being unceremoniously booted from the hearts of the Democratic Party by Barack Obama’s explosive emergence onto the national scene.

Graphic showing Hillary Clintons unfavorable score is on the rise

After a first half of the year characterized by evidence heavily suggestive of severe misconduct regarding a secret Internet server installed in the Clinton home during her time as Secretary of State, some have argued in Clinton’s favor, saying that the reason she has been lying low is to allow the public’s anger to recede from the email scandal, I don’t think this is really necessary.

Hillary Clinton has been at the center of scandal after scandal after scandal in her long political career, and the public has time and again quickly forgotten, forgiving her where any other’s political career would be in ruins. Between the 2012 Benghazi attacks, this recent email controversy, and allegations regarding suspicious foreign donations to the Clinton Foundation, the public very well may have permanently lost their trust in Hillary Clinton like I have.

The House Select Committee on Benghazi will not release their report on the 2012 attacks that took the lives of four Americans until next year, but if you ask the average American, they would most likely tell you that the blame lies directly on the inadequacies of then-Secretary of State Clinton. The same goes with the email controversy; Clinton’s decision to delete emails from her private server before handing it over to the federal authorities indicates she either has something to hide or is not very intelligent, and I happen to think that Hillary Clinton is not an unintelligent woman.

As much as I once was a supporter of hers, and still believe that, at the end of the day, she has good intentions and a good heart, I can’t in good conscience promote a presidential candidate with so many suspicious incidents on her record. I was willing to forgive her for Benghazi three years ago, but I don’t think I can forgive everything else that has happened in recent months.

It should be noted that incompetent female representation is a problem in the Republican Party, as well. The two names that come to mind when I think of Republican women are Sarah Palin, former governor of Alaska and vice presidential candidate, and Michele Bachmann, former representative for the state of Minnesota. Both women have been heavily criticized and mocked by major media outlets and ostracized from the most powerful members of their party, as well as the general public, due to their extremely right-wing views and a number of disastrous media appearances.

So, who are Democratic women supposed to turn to in November 2016, if not Hillary Clinton? Locally, we have Senator Elizabeth Warren, who has generated huge amounts of support from the Democratic Party both in the state of Massachusetts and nationally. Elected in November 2012 on a platform almost exclusively reliant on education reform, condonment of rising student loan debt and the ever-increasing cost of higher education, Warren has drawn criticism from members of both parties due to her six-figure Harvard professor salary.

According to a 2012 financial report released by her campaign for senate, Warren received over $700,000 over a two-year period teaching a single class at Harvard Law School. While this is not a surprising salary for a law school professor, to me it seems hypocritical of a woman whose entire campaign platform was based on righting the wrongs of our higher education system to have been employed by an institution and paid a salary that represents everything she says she is against.

There are some other noteable women active in the Democratic Party: Rep. Katherine Clark, who represents Malden’s district in the House of Representatives; Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxar, D-Ca.; and Senator Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH. Unfortunately, none of these women have expressed interest in running for president in 2016.

The Republican takeover of the House following the 2015 elections cost female Democrats several key roles: the nine women who led committees in in the Democrat-controlled Senate last year has been reduced to two Republican senators from Maine and Alaska. “You cannot deny that women were in a more powerful position in the United States Senate when the Democrats were in control,” Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, was quoted as saying in a Feb. 2015 New York Times article.

Personally, I think I know who the best candidate will be in 2016: Britney Spears. Britney might not be the typical candidate, but she has support: several write-in ballots with her name on them were submitted in the 2012 presidential election. She has overcome greedy corporations in the form of manipulative music labels, a debilitating mental illness, and has experience with foreign relations due to her years touring the globe as a pop singer. She’s also a single, working mother of two young children, and has expressed empathy towards the plight of women of all racial and socioeconomic backgrounds through her music.

On the sunny morning of May 2, 2015, Prince William and his wife, Duchess Catherine of Cambridge, welcomed their second child to the world, Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. The new baby is fourth in line to the British throne, behind her grandfather, Prince Charles; her father; and her older brother, Prince George, born in summer 2013.

The Princess’ name follows William and Kate’s inclination to honor stringent royal traditions, as well as more modern family ones. Charlotte is a reference to William’s father, Charles, and Kate’s sister, Pippa Charlotte Middleton; Elizabeth, from the current Queen and both Kate and her mother’s middle names; and Diana, in homage to William’s late mother, Princess Diana, the People’s Princess. British supporters of the royal family had been betting on baby names for months when the new Princess was born: the general consensus placed Charlotte, Diana, Elizabeth, and Victoria just behind the public’s favorite, Alice.

Prince William The Duke of Cambridge and Kate Middleton The Duchess of Cambridge show off their new arrival the Princess of Cambridge on May 3, 2015, to the world outside the Lindo Wing of St. Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London. (Paul Treadway/UPPA/Zuma Press/TNS)

Once Kate entered the hospital, large crowds of fans gathered outside the entrance awaiting word on the new baby, holding signs of encouragement and praise and giving interviews to the many news crews that joined them until the baby was born, but allowed the royal couple their space for the most part. Amy Thompson, 14, told yahoonews.com in an article published Apr. 29 that she had been camping for eight days: “Some people camp out for iPhones and concert tickets. I do this.”

William and Kate showed their appreciation to their fans by sending coffee and breakfast pastries out to them a few days before the baby was born. The gift was sent by a police officer, who told the crowd, “The Duke and Duchess saw reports of you all camped out and wanted you to know they were thinking of you,” and arrived with in a basket tied in a pink ribbon, which some believed was the royal couple’s way of announcing they were expecting a girl.

The Princess’ birth has been celebrated by the world throughout gifts and promotions by various companies: a pair of special edition organic nail polish has been released by Nublar Nails: a pink, glittery polish called “Royal Charlotte Pink,” and a blue glittery polish to match, “Royal George Blue.” Several thousand dollars worth of donations have also been made in the Princess’ name, both by esteemed politicians and dignitaries and the general public.

The new baby, whose official title was later announced as Her Royal Highness Charlotte of Cambridge, slept through her first public appearance, made less than 10 hours after her birth on the family’s way out of St. Mary’s Hospital in London; the royal family departed London for their home in rural Norfolk. Her maternal grandparents, Carole and Michael Middleton, will reside with the royal couple for the first few months of the baby’s life to lend a helping hand, just as they did to after the birth of their grandson, Prince George. Less than a month into Princess Charlotte’s life, however, reports are already circulating regarding Queen Elizabeth’s resentment of the Middleton family’s involvement in her great-grandchildren’s lives.

1) What do you love about track?

I love the fact that when attending practice or attending a track meet I can always challenge my capabilities every time I run, I set different goals for myself and run ten times harder than my previous track meet or my previous track practice. Track has become beyond a sport to me, and now is more of a habit!

2) What made you join?

In 8th grade during field day we had a relay race and I ran the fastest I could, ever since then I was inspired to do a sport involving speed. So when I joined track and realized how fast I was, I began to just love it and realized that I can be an amazing runner and make it into the Olympics one day.

3) How does it feel to be in your final year of track and high school in general?

To be in my final year in track honestly is very despairing, especially because of the amazing coaches that have only helped me improve and become greater at what I do. Being in my final year of high school has taught me a lot about myself and my surroundings. It feels great to have made it this far, just to know that I’m moving on to reach my goals.

4) What will you miss about MHS?

As tedious as I find homework to be, I will always miss the little push from teachers to do my homework and how it will get me to be far in life.

5) What will be memorable track and MHS memories?

My best memories of track is being able to make it to states all 4 years of my high school life. Best memories of high school is just when thinking everything could go wrong finding different ways of bringing yourself back up & ten times stronger.

6) Any advice for underclassmen who do track or want to do track?

Give it a chance, a majority of people quit track because of the intensity. But without intensity, how do you plan on becoming superior? Hell yeah you’ll die, but you’ll have the best rebirth.

7) What are your plans or goals for after you graduate MHS?

After high school, I plan on continuing to run track. Also, to be in the Olympics is a goal. I’m not sure 100% what I want to major in yet.

Sophomore Manel Soltani

8) What kind of person is AmaLika during track?

She is a very hardworking and dedicated runner who cares not only about the advancements of herself, but the team as a whole.

Coach David Londino

9) What advice do you have for AmaLika as she moves on from MHS and its track team?

If she is able to apply the effort that she has put in track at MHS, then she will definitely excel at the next level academically, and in track, if she chooses to run in college.

An image of yen used by Japan. Photo taken from rt.com.

Recently, Japan broke records on government debt. The government is so over leveraged, owing over 1.053 quadrillion yen, which equates to over 8.78 trillion American dollars. This statement was released by Japan’s Finance Ministry at the end of March 2015                             

The Finance Ministry is currently headed by Tarō Asō, who was once the Prime Minister of Japan from Sep. 24, 2008 to Sep. 16, 2009. Although he was not re-elected, Asō also doubles as the Deputy Prime Minister. The incumbent Prime Minister of Japan is Shinzō Abe.

As high as the debt may seem now, it has already been unfortunately forecasted that it will most likely rise to a monumental 1.167 quadrillion yen, or 9.555 trillion American dollars by the end of their 2015 fiscal year, which is next March in 2016. Japan’s fiscal year, otherwise known as their financial year is always from Apr. 1 to Mar. 31 of the next year. The reasoning for this prediction is due to Japan’s rapidly aging population, as the number of elderly people grows, social security cost grow exponentially.

Before Asō, the previous financial administration had set a debt cap, or debt ceiling, of 44 trillion yen, which is about 513 billion dollars in U.S. money. When Asō became the financial minister, he instantly got rid of the limit, as a way to help Japan’s struggling economy at the times. Prime Minister Abe’s and Asō’s main financial goal when they began their tenure was to defeat deflation.

The reason for the debt exceeding 1 quadrillion yen is a combination of different    

expensive debts. 881.5 trillion yen of the debt is due to Japanese government bonds; 55 trillion yen is from borrowing money, usually from financial institutions, and 116.9 trillion yen in financing bills.

As of Apr. 1, 2015, the Japanese population was said to be about 126.9 million people. Thus, if each person contributed equally to the debt, it would cost each person about 8.3 million yen, or about 69,000 U.S. dollars. This is the per capita debt for Japan.

Among all the majorly developed countries in the world, Japan has the worst fiscal health among them all. Japan’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is at 475.7 trillion yen or about 5.96 trillion American dollars, which is 3rd in the world. GDP is what economists use to gauge the health of country. America is currently number 1 with a GDP of 16.77 trillion dollars and China is 2nd with 9.24 trillion dollars. While it may sound like Japan is doing well as its GDP is 3rd in the world, 475 trillion yen barely puts a dent in a debt that is over 1 quadrillion yen and growing.

Japan is doing all it can to revive its economy and repair it. If it is unable to slow its increasing debt, it will be very difficult to say how Japan will fare in the future.

Senior Brianna Duffy posing for a picture. Photo by Anna Powers.

What position do you play?

I play offense.  

How long have you been playing lacrosse?

I started playing before high school for the youth league, and really started taking it seriously once I got into high school.  

What made you want to play lacrosse?

The sport seemed so new and different to me so I thought it would be something cool to try out.

What is your favorite thing about being on the MHS lacrosse team?

The team. A lot of my best friends I met and became close with through playing lacrosse and in general the team just gets along really well together. There’s hardly ever any drama and we all just get along really well.

Any advice for underclassmen on the team?

To keep working hard. For our team to get better and get to the next level, everyone just has to give it their best effort and not give up.

Do you plan to continue playing lacrosse in the future?

Unfortunately the college I’m going to doesn’t have a team but I hope to maybe join a club team just to play for fun.

What college are you going to?

Suffolk University.

What was your favorite memory at Malden High?

Probably doing JV’s my junior year. It really brought the class together and it was a lot of fun.

What is the thing that you will miss most about Malden High?

Definitely all the friendships that I made, especially through lacrosse.

What are you most looking forward to next year?

Being more independent. I’m super excited about going to school in the city and getting to experience new things.

What is something that you have learned about yourself during your 4 years of high school?

I would say I learned that if I just really set my mind to something and work hard for it that I’m able to do it.  

What Coach Jessica Prickett has to say about Brianna Duffy:

Brianna is the epitome of what coaches love about athletes.  She works hard, uses the coaching that she receives to get better, and helps to spread a good work ethic to her teammates. Brianna has been a leader on this team before she was a captain.  She is someone I and her teammates can count on without a doubt.

Meagan Sullivan reported, filmed, and photographed this story and was also a student in the marine biology class. 

On May 13, 2015 the marine biology class took a field trip to the Boston Harbor to study marine life aboard the “Tiago” boat. The students started out by taking a train to Faneuil Hall to get lunch, then made their way to the New England Aquarium’s student learning center where they were informed about the history about the Boston Harbor and  equipment used on the research boat.

After hearing the rules, the students made their way  over to the research boat, the “Tiago.” They met the deck hand, first mate, captain, and marine biologist who were on board the vessel. The boat went roughly three miles out to sea which took about twenty minutes, and the first thing they did was drop a camera attached to a rope into the water. This allowed the students to see on a monitor what was at the bottom of the water as they sailed around.

After they looked at the monitor, they went back above deck where they then pulled the camera up and dropped a net in to catch animals such as crabs and starfish from the bottom. Students examined these marine animals and then observed them using a microscope which was also hooked up to the monitor.

A plankton net was later placed in the water to catch jellyfish and smaller animals in their plankton stages. Finally, students tested and predicted the salt content and temperature of the water at different depths and then made their way back to the dock. The opportunity to see marine biologists at work greatly enhanced the class experience in a real world setting. It added a dimension to the material learned that would not have occurred simply from reading and doing class work.

It was highly anticipated that at least four of the 12 stadiums that Brazil built to host the 2014 World Cup would quickly become something of white elephants after the tournament ended. Still, the scale of at least four of the stadiums’ neglect less than a year after the World Cup ended should be a staggering warning to countries that pay loads of money to host these events.

According to NPR’s Lourdes Garcia Navarro, the four most controversial stadiums Brazil built for the World Cup are struggling to attract enough income to keep them stable. The stadiums in Natal and Manaus, both built in part with public funding, are up for sale to private companies because they haven’t brought in enough money. In Cuiaba, the site of a $250 million venue, the stadium has been shut down over safety issues. But the most shocking example of Brazil’s World Cup problems is in the capital city of Brasilia, where the most expensive of the country’s stadiums is now serving as a parking lot for public buses.

A photo of the Mane Garrincha Stadium in Brazil. Photo from MCT Campus.

These problems were inevitable even before the tournament began, with such prices of construction. However, the simple idea of Brasilia’s Estadio Nacional serving as a bus lot is striking: an increase in transportation fares was one of the triggers for protests all across the country as it got closer to the World Cup. Brazilians took to the streets, asking why the country was spending so much money — a total of $3 billion on the sports stadiums — while raising some prices and neglecting public services.

Brasilia itself is indicative of this problem: most schools in Brazil lack adequate facilities. Now, the stadiums are again showing those same problems, as a declining economy has led to budget cuts and upcoming tax increases while four venues sit empty and barely used less than a year later.

The problems around the four stadiums are even more noticeable next to the other unfulfilled promises of Brazil. The government promised that it would invest heavily into long-term infrastructure projects such as airports, roads, light-rail systems and so on, that would leave a lasting legacy aside from the soccer stadiums. However,  a released government report said that Brazil overspent on stadiums by $1 billion while also failing to complete most of the projects. Of 35 proposals, only five were complete by the beginning of the tournament. The legacy of Brazil’s World Cup, it seems, is a disaster of consequences that  its own people saw coming.

Brazil is now rapidly preparing to host the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, and its planned $10.6 billion in the budget for that event includes another $2 billion on sporting venues, according to proposals. The government report insisted that the infrastructure projects will eventually be completed, and there will be more planned around the Olympics. Although there is pressure to complete Olympic construction on time, along with the budget cuts and the failures around the World Cup period of time. These past failures have raised obvious concerns that the long-term projects with wider public benefits will continue to suffer.

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Cowritten by Leila Greige and Megan Downer

Ah, the Chromebook, soon to be a necessity to the daily life at Malden High School. MHS’s freshman class of 2018 was administered Google ‘Chromebooks’ on Mar. 31, 2015 and Apr. 1, 2015.

The Google 1:1 Chromebook Initiative was created with good intentions: to supply students with the resources to have easy and fast access to information and unlock a set of creative opportunities. But, largely due to the fact that our world is expanding completely into a technology-based system of interaction, some students and faculty members think the opportunity to receive these Chromebooks is a bad thing.

As technology grows to accommodate students and their education, it takes away time from interaction between the teachers and mainly between each other. Albert Einstein once said “[he fears] the day that technology will surpass our human interaction and the world will have a generation of idiots.” This fear is becoming closer to our reality.

The whole purpose of the initiative is to provide students with a device to help further their learning and technological explorations. One of the issues with this initiative is that students are only offered to utilize the Chromebooks during the school year. During the school year is when students need access to these devices most; however, they have fewer opportunities to utilize such devices during the summer when they also need access to computers to complete summer assignments. The initiative states that it works to help students have more access to necessary resources, but if a student does not have a computer of their own at home then what leads anyone to believe they would actually have internet connectivity?

Also, the Chromebook is a small device that is quite fragile. The laptop is lightweight, but it can be easily broken. As you should with all devices, students must walk with extra care. The hallways are already hard to navigate through, add in the factor of costly devices that could break and everyone must concentrate more on their hallway navigations. The capability to have access to devices such as these is wonderful, technology can help the world tremendously. With technology also comes problems because technology is not a hundred percent reliable. Problems such as connectivity issues, keyboard response and touchpad issues, etc.

In addition, the use of a mandatory laptop restricts the personal rights and freedoms of the individual, as some may prefer to do things by hand or find technology difficult to navigate. To see education be bound by the heavy chains of technology is a most regrettable event for the future in which humans become replaced with artificiality is not far off; this is evident in our community with these required Chromebooks.

It is a gift to have these tools, but at the same time it does not mean we must use them and be bound by them constantly. Let the students have a say in how we learn, because in the end it is the student who understands how he learns best, and for some of us, we do not want the Chromebooks, as the screen tires our eyes, the connectivity issues pounding away at our brains overwhelmed with headaches from the constant staring of this intense light, and this is in some parts a distraction.

Our human generation lives consumed in the idea that technology solves all of our problems. Classes now have freshman constantly looking down at a screen. The students have to carry the Chromebooks in school bags, which can easily be damaged as they accidently put their bag down too rough. Slowly, Google is working to destroy our interaction between the one another. Resources now rely greatly on the internet rather than teachers and students. Also, students can easily use the Chromebooks during class for other things that are not school related at all. Only certain things can be downloaded on the Chromebooks with the permission of a teacher in charge.  

Certain websites are banned from students use and the laptops itself, being so small, are extremely fragile, so students have a huge responsibility to take precautions of everything around them when using the computers. I wouldn’t call the Chromebook useless, but they are inconvenient to our school. Many freshmen do not use the Chromebooks unless they are required to. Replacement and damage funds can cost the students a lot.

The Chromebooks will have influence on other schools and before you know it, the classic number 2 pencils and lined paper will be entirely forgotten.

Watch a day in the life of ceramics class with art teacher Julie Mullane. 

The freshman class answers questions about freshman year and Malden High School.

A group constructed from cooperation and endurance, the Malden High School Crew team is starting off this season with a headstrong attitude and the determination to get them far. The varsity team is led by coaches science teacher Shauna Campbell and math teacher Sarah Jones, along with junior captains Samantha Forestier and Stephen LaFauci, and senior captains, including Blue and Gold member Julie Lam, Devon Laudadio, Isadora Coleho and Long Nguyen. This year’s varsity coxswains are junior Austin Giang, sophomore James Mac, as well as Lam.

Left to Right: James Mac, Brandon Li, Henry Nguyen, Paul Araiza, Jesse Bouley, Max Weng, Andrew Cogliano, Waymond Szeto, and Dylan Ha. Photo by Meghan Yip.

With the bitter New England spring weather, the team has sometimes found themselves practicing indoors more often than outdoors. This set the team back, but every member always managed to make time for the sport. A typical practice for the crew team is about three hours long every single day, consisting of different drills and techniques, with a consistent amount of feedback from the coaches following them along on the water.

Nguyen stated that “the most challenging thing about crew is the hectic schedule that goes on during the season.” He also explained that “after April break, crew takes place seven days a week, with practice on weekdays and back to back races on weekends. It’s easy to burn out knowing that your weekends are spent from 9 AM to 6 PM in races, leaving no time for anything other than crew.”

Left to Right: James Mac, Brandon Li, Henry Nguyen, Paul Araiza, Jesse Bouley, Max Weng, Andrew Cogliano, Waymond Szeto, and Dylan Ha. Photo by Meghan Yip.

An important factor of the crew team is the togetherness that constantly surrounds them.  Nguyen adds that he “strongly believe[s] that the crew team shows the most teamwork among any other sport team at Malden High.” Being a member since his freshman year, he expressed that “[they] have to match each other’s movements as closely as possible in the boat. This requires the entire boat to share a single mindset since all eight have to work together in unison.”

Sophomore Ariel Gutowski stated that “the crew team is like a family. Our butts and legs and arms may hurt, but we get through it. It’s a miracle we’re still in one piece.” Gustowski, along with senior Ayutha Basuseto, junior Gabrielle Casaletto sophomore Vivian Nguyen, and Giang  who leads them, were named State Champions last year for their Girls Novice Four boat. Gustowski, who initially planned to do outdoor track for the Spring season at MHS, wanted to “try something out of [her comfort zone]” and eventually became interested in crew through mutual friends and upperclassmen.

She was especially interested in the team aspect of crew, as track was a more “independent sport”. Many people agree with this notion, as does freshman Jimmy Tran. He adds that “it honestly doesn’t matter if someone is significantly stronger or significantly weaker,” because “when [we are] on the boat, [we] have to synchronize every single stroke because it moves the boat faster, so if teamwork and cooperation isn’t incorporated, there really is no point in trying.” He also expresses that  “[The crew team] is probably the most team-based sport at Malden High. All of the older members are extremely helpful and they work to improve the newer members a lot.”

Left to Right: Austin Giang, Vivian Nguyen, Gabrielle Casaletto, Samantha Forestier, and Ariel Gutoski as they compete in the Moose On The Malden Regatta. Photo by Meghan Yip.

“If I had to describe the coaches in one word, it would be strict.” Tran said. “But they’re only strict because they want [the team] to strive for greatness. They really push us to be the best we can be.”

The fifth annual Moose On The Malden Regatta was held on May 17th at the boathouse on Commercial Street. Local vendors and volunteers served food and sold merchandise. The teams that competed were Cambridge Rindge and Latin, Holyoke, MacDuffie, Malden, Medford, Megunticook Rowing, Milton, Mystic Valley, Nauset Tech, Pioneer Valley Riverfront Club, Row Boston, Somerville/Everett, Springfield, Waynflete, and Yarmouth.

Malden’s top performing boats were the Boys Novice Four boat with a first place medal, the Boys Novice Eight boat with a third place medal, Girls Varsity Four boat with a third place medal, the Boys Varsity Eight boat in fourth place, and the Boys Varsity Four boat in fourth place.

Seniors Angelica Carberry and Nick Hames presenting their poster for their internship. Photo by Tatyanna Cabral.

On the morning of May 27, 2015,seniors who had departed the school for internship returned to teach others the value of the programs that they had been interning for. With more than 100 students who partook in internships, there was a variety of internships for underclassmen to consider.

The seniors displayed pictures and explanations of their experience and talked with staff and students about their fond memories and encounters with their possible future careers. From working in schools with children, to working in nursing homes with seniors and elderly the seniors immersed themselves in the community and broadened their education.

Senior Samantha French showing her internship poster. Photo by Tatyanna Cabral.

Senior Samantha French, who helped out with recruiting youth to join the US Marine Corps after completing high school, expressed that her favorite part of her internship was being at the schools. French explained that she answered questions the the children had and was happy that she managed to interest a couple students to consider joining the Marine Corps.

Senior Christine Fang worked in Mayor Gary Christenson’s office for her internship. She explained that she learned about the job responsibilities and necessities for handling, patience being an important quality. Fang expressed that she wants to pursue a career in marketing and her internship helped her learn

Senior Christine Fang with her internship poster. Photo by Tatyanna Cabral.

better communication skills that will help her later on.

From working in salons to working with music, there was also a variety of students who pursued interests within entertainment. There are not many opportunities where students can be an intern related to music or styling outside of college. With this program, these seniors have managed to experience this work before finally deciding that this path is the career they want to take.

What makes the senior internship program such a success is the variety that the students have available to them. The underclassmen see this variety when they look at the final projects, and it can show not only the interns, but also other students what a career can be like, and introduces the jobs that many do not pursue. All internships that seniors take on is an incredible learning experience as they leave the milestone of Malden High School.

The seniors have said goodbye to their high school years, and will be starting a new chapter in their lives. The senior internship program is a way to help these students make a huge decision at this pivotal point of their lives. Many students at the exhibition were happy and confident that their internship experience helped them realize that they are on the right path, and that success is in their future.