Junior Franshesly Correa wearing an ugly Christmas sweater. Photo by Kristy Yang.

Check out the gallery here for the rest of the ugly Christmas sweaters.

In this new year many of us have set resolutions whether it may be to eat healthier, help others, or be more academically focused. But how many of us actually follow through and accomplish our goals? Eight percent, that is according to research from the University of Scranton (Pavini). 

In an effort to help myself as well as others to successfully achieve New Year’s resolutions, here are some tips with hopes of aiding us in our endeavors. 

1. Set realistic and reasonable resolutions. 

Setting high reaching goals for yourself is great but may be too ambitious and fail to yield desired results. Instead, opt for making short term goals that have long term effects (Pavini). It is much easier to chip away at smaller goals than to attempt accomplishing bigger goals all at once. When achieving small victories make sure to celebrate them in some way because they are important in some way if only to you. 

2. Make time for your goals (Pavini).

How can you expect to reach your goals if you don’t have time for them? Designate time during the week to work towards affecting change for your desired outcome. 

3. Share your goals with others (Pavini).  

By stating your goals aloud, you become more accountable for them. “People who explicitly state their goals are more likely to keep them” (Pavini). If no one knows your resolutions you are less liable to fulfill them and avoid failure, but in turn you also avoid potential success. So tell your friends, family, teachers, anyone at all your goals and they may check in to see your progress and help to motivate you. 

4. Change your goals.

It’s okay to amend your resolutions to make them more tangible. Also, New Years isn’t the only time to set goals for yourself so don’t be afraid to add new goals to your list. 

5. Have faith in yourself.

We make goals. We try to achieve them. We fail. But don’t give up on yourself. Stay positive and try multiple times and different ways to meet your goals. If you’re not able to reach your resolutions, don’t worry because there’s always next year!

On Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015 Malden High School’s girls indoor track team had their first meet of the season against Everett at the Salemwood School gym. With support from fellow MHS students, many of the team members were cheered on by friends. With a strong score of 66-20, the girls’ indoor track team earns its first victory of the season.

Sophomore Imane Quachryni “think[s] [they] did well [but] could’ve done better, fortunately [they] won.” “Though Everett put up a strong [fight] against Malden, [she is] glad [they] were able to win,” added freshmen Birukti Tsige. The track team has just begun their season but already they are proving themselves GBL champ material.

On Monday, Jan. 4, 2016, the 2016 Inaugural Ceremonies for the City of Malden took place at Malden High School in the Jenkins Auditorium. Mayor Gary Christenson and new members of the City Council and School Committee were sworn in while outgoing members were congratulated for their duty in their former positions.

State Representative Steve Ultrino, along with Adam Weldai, former Vice Chairman of the School Committee, opened up the night as the masters of ceremonies. Malden’s City Messenger, Jerry Foley, admitted the honorable city elect into the convention. As the officers of the Malden Police Department filed in, the City Council elect, and finally the School Committee elect followed behind.

Proceeding their admission, Christenson, who has served as mayor of Malden since 2012 and will continue to for the next four years, was admitted to the convention by Foley. His niece and nephew, Cassandra and Nicholas Israelson, were present on stage as his guests to assist him in reading the oath.

The Malden Girl Scouts Troop then led the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by Malden High School junior Maya Hayes who sang the national anthem. The youth of Malden were heavily involved in this year’s inauguration, including performances by the Wah Lum Kung Fu & Tai Chi Academy, Elisha Lebeau from the Salemwood School, the Malden Golden Tornadoes Band led by Erin O’Brien-Mazza, and the MHS Choral Arts Society led by Todd Cole. Weldai commented on the “talent that comes out of this system,” describing it as “truly remarkable.”

Pastor Dan Ko of the Seven Mile Road Church in Malden offered a prayer before Christenson was sworn in for the people of Malden. He asked “God to … bind the hearts of the many diverse people in this city” and to “bind our hearts together to pursue the greatness of all.” Immediately after his prayer, Christenson was sworn in, pledging his allegiance to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Christenson then swore in all of the elect of the City Council and School Committee.

Christenson began his speech reflecting on his life in Malden. “Four years ago, [he] stood in front of [the people], a humbled and honored MHS graduate about to fulfill his dream of becoming mayor,” and “four years later, [he is] still that same MHS grad.” He is “grateful … to the thousands of residents across [the] city, for believing not in [him], but rather believing in this city’s potential.” Accomplishments Christenson touched on included the demolition of the City Hall site and reconnection of Pleasant Street, the new Malden Police Station on Eastern Avenue, the opening of the Malden Teen Enrichment Center, a seven percent decrease in crime, and many more. Now, “not only are we realizing our potential, but others are as well.”

As Christenson concluded his speech, he reminded the elected officials that “[they] have the ability to make a difference in the lives of those [they] serve. [They] will not always agree, but [their] differences will only serve to challenge [them], and to ensure that [they] arrive at the best possible solutions.” He again thanked the people of Malden with his “deepest gratitude” for their “support and commitment to our city that has [him] waking up every day, seven days a week, and wanting to do everything [he] humanly can to help Malden be a better place for all.”  

To conclude the ceremonies, the outgoing officials were recognized. Many of them spoke of their time spent in office, all commenting on their shared pride for the accomplishments made as a team. Principal Dana Brown was also recognized for his work and on his retirement from the audience. The ceremonies ended with all officials sworn in, Christenson in office for four years, and all other officials for two. Congratulations to all of the new and returning officials on their election.

Malden defending against a Lynn Classical player. Photo by Alexis Brown

Check out the rest of the gallery here.

The girls played against the Triton Vikings at the Roy Finn Gymnasium on Dec. 21, 2015. It was a tight game but the Vikings won with a final score of 40-55. Despite the loss, the girls displayed a tremendous amount of effort and teamwork and support from the crowd. This game drives the girls to continue practicing and improving on their skills.

Triton took the ball in the first quarter and scored two points in the first eight minutes of the game. Soon after, they scored another basket. Sophomore Tiffany Tortora scored the first points for Malden on free throws followed by sophomore Mackenzie Furlong scoring a big three pointer.

The girls had some difficulty with passing at the start but at the end of the first quarter, Malden improved their communication and only trailed by four points with a score of 8-12.

During the second quarter, Malden’s defense strengthened and the accuracy of their passes also improved. By the end of the quarter the score was still close at 23-30.

Before the start of the third quarter, the girls went to the locker room to be given feedback by their coach, Lydia Coverdale. At the start of the quarter, Furlong made an impressive two pointer basket with junior Caitlyn Leonard the scoring an outstanding three pointer. Going into the fourth quarter, the score was 34-44.

Triton gained more control on the court during the fourth quarter. Malden fought hard but was unable to pull out the win. Despite Triton taking the victory, Coverdale thought the girls displayed a lot of patience and cooperation. She added that each week their focus will be “to get stronger defensively and become more cohesive as a unit.” Coverdale also looks to improve their focus and discipline that is required during practices and games. Overall, Coverdale is proud of the team for their efforts and perseverance and expects great things to come in future games.

Senior Bianca Alves has started this gymnastics season with high expectations for the team and a positive attitude. With a supportive and talented team as well as an encouraging coach, Alves believes the team will go far this season.

Alves was first introduced to gymnastics when she was in middle school and later joined Malden High School’s gymnastics team during her sophomore year. “Gymnastics seemed interesting to [her], especially the events on the floor and beam,” stated Alves. She was also inspired to start the sport after watching the Summer Olympics when she was younger. She then decided to try out for the sport and “has been in love with it ever since,” Alves explained.

Although Alves greatly enjoys gymnastics she mentioned that that it is a complicated sport. “Some may believe it is simple and does not require much work, but it is all about concentration on what you are doing and how much you believe in yourself” stated Alves. Despite the challenge, Alves’ supportive team helps her and drives her to continue improving on her technique. “[Her] teammates are always supporting and encouraging one another.” “Without each other’s support, [they] wouldn’t get as far as [they] do as a whole team,” explained Alves.

Alves enjoys watching her teammates improve and succeed alongside with her. During tryouts she remembers “people who barely knew anything about gymnastics walking in and ended up succeeding throughout the whole season.”

Gymnastics is about taking chances and follows the motto “you never know unless you try.” Alves encourages other to try things that scare them and make them uncomfortable “because you’ll never know [how things will turn out] unless you try.” She refers back to the motto to motivate her and hopes others follow the encouraging words as well.

Alves described her coach Vanessa James to be “extremely helpful to her and to the rest of the team.” She expressed that “[James] always sees the potential in people and makes them work hard to achieve what they want. [She] gives everyone a chance to shine.”

With her drive and support from her team, there are great expectations for Alves this season and the gymnastics team as a whole.  

New things are happening here at MHS, the latest being an after-school ELL tutoring program. The program offers ELL students access to help in subjects ranging from history, computer literacy, ELA, to biology. Their first week was a success and the students look forward to continuing in the program.

This club has been offered in previous years as well and the advisers, Christine Day and Jessica Haralson, took brief time off from meeting last year due to other commitments but they have recently started up again.

Teachers are able to refer their students for this program by completing a referral sheet online and submitting it for consideration. Students can even drop in without a referral, but it is easier to determine the best way to help them through a referral sheet with a written understanding of their problem areas.

There is a variety of MHS teachers available to help those in need from Tuesday to Friday every week. Sessions begin directly after school for any ELL student, whether they are current or former. After teachers fill out the form to refer their student they are contacted by a tutor to schedule a time with the student.

Paired with the ELL tutoring program is the ESL Club which meets on Tuesdays after school in co-adviser Haralson’s room (BR490). Haralson expressed that the goal of ESL club is “to provide a safe, welcoming space for English language learners to meet, practice English, and organize social activities outside of school. Generally, their meetings are “relatively informal,” explained Haralson.

The club plans various fun activities to experience together inside and outside of school. Members can propose any ideas they have and the club will make decisions as a team, voting for the events they wish to partake in. Their plans can vary from activities such as a movie night to a day of ice skating at Frog Pond in the Boston Commons. After they do their planning, students are welcome to stay for extra help on homework. They are also able to stay and play board games and simply socialize with friends in a “safe environment,” as described by Haralson.

Both Day and Haralson have share a great passion for “giving students authentic opportunities to practice English and strengthen their ties to Malden High School with supportive mentors who understand the unique challenges of learning a new language,” stated Haralson.

The ESL Club and the ELL tutoring program are helpful groups for ELL students to join as a way to involve themselves in the community. Teachers with ELL students should contact Day or Haralson in order to recommend their student for tutoring help.

With a strong start of two wins and zero losses against Milton and Somerville, Malden High School’s swim team is off to nothing but a great start. The members of the swim team are all excited to see what the rest of the season has in store for them.

Malden swimmers dive into the pool with support from teammates behind the boards. Photo by Ana Kerr.

MHS’ swim team is one of the largest teams at MHS. Freshman Kevin Ochoa expressed, “If [he was] to talk about the diversity of our team, [he’d] say it’s quite vast. [His] team comes from all different backgrounds ranging across the world.” He added that “[their] diversity really makes [his] team special.”

Three words to describe MHS’ swim team would be united, resilient and humble.

Senior captain Ryan Luu explained that “[they] don’t look at [them]selves as any greater when [they] come out with a win.” Rather, “[they] just want to improve and move onto the next meet.” They are resilient because no matter what happens, the team comes back twice as strong as before. Junior Kevin Luu added, “Malden is a city that not many people know about and every year [they] find ways to make a name for [them]selves. Somehow [they] string together undefeated season after undefeated season.” Nothing can stop the swim team from a successful season.

Malden swimmer dives into the pool over the returning swimmer. Photo by Ana Kerr.

This season has will be one that the team will not forget with the various memories and moments that have been shared between the members. Junior Brynn Kankel stated that one her favorite memories was when “one day after practice some of the team stayed after and had a diving contest in the pool. It was so funny and people were really getting into it and showing off their dives.” Being part of a team does not only bring a lifetime of memories but also a loving group of people to consider as second family.

As college applications are being wrapped up, many students feel like they have finished the biggest task of senior year. But when acceptances come and decisions are being made, one final component becomes extremely significant: cost. Too many students are finding their dreams dashed by huge price-tags and less than ideal financial aid, and while loans are often unavoidable, they can be minimized. The key to this is scholarships.

With essays and paperwork reminiscent of the college application process, the task may seem arduous and unnecessary, but the money that is gained by casting a wide net can mean the difference between attending your top choice and your financial safety. While Malden High School does encourage seniors to start looking for scholarships closer to the end of the year, that is by no means the earliest that the process can begin. Scholarships are available all throughout the year, and are often even open to underclassmen who take the initiative to send in an essay and fill out the forms. This means that with mindful planning, any student can begin preparing for the cost of higher education.

In the past, those interested in scholarships would have to look at the local library, or other similar sources, for binders full of available scholarships. But with the advent of the internet, that is no longer the case. Websites such as Fastweb allow students to customize their profile so that only scholarships that they are qualified for will appear in their queue. This allows families to choose which scholarships seem most sensible to apply for, and also exposes students to scholarships that may have been lost in the research process due to their particularity or small size.

So don’t stop before you reach the finish line; go out, search for scholarships, and ensure that you’ll be able to afford the education that you’ve already worked so hard to prepare for.

Have you ever seen a car with its wheels slanted outwards? Don’t worry, it’s not broken; the car was actually purposely built like that. People spend countless hours perfecting their stance builds. Stance is when car-owners “drop” or lower their cars, so low that almost the whole car is touching the ground. Along with dropping the car, creative owners add their own special touches, making every stanced car it’s own unique work of art.

One of the biggest promoters of stance cars is Stancenation. Stancenation was founded in 2010 by Elvis Skender. Stancenation travels along the Western United States, Japan, and Europe hosting car meets and shows for all car-lovers to attend.

‘Customization’ is a very familiar word with stanced car owners. The amount of personal touches that exist are endless. However, there are some modifications and customizations that have become quite popular in the stance community. One of, if not the most popular mods is negative camber. Negative camber is the outwards slant of tires, resulting in increased lateral grip and traction. The amount of negative camber, or how diagonal the tires slant, just depends on the owner’s preference. While some people may like their tires at almost 180 degrees, others may not want negative camber at all.

Along with negative camber comes wheel spacing and stretched tires. Stretching tires is the process of fitting a narrower tire on wider rims. The sidewalls stretch from the lip to the tread. Stretching tires does not have negative effects on a car’s performance, and can prevent the tire from rubbing against the fenders.

Wheel spacing, on the other hand, can cause tires to rub against fenders. Wheel spacing, or using wheel spacers, push the wheel further away from the car, resulting in a wider look. The way this is done is by installing wheel spacers on before the wheel itself.  

Another modification that is highly popular is also one of the most expensive. Bagging is the safest, most apt, and overall best way to drop a car. Bagging gets its name from the air bags installed into the struts of the car. These air bags replace the coils in the suspension. These bags allow car owners to personally raise and lower their car. Some people have remotes, switches, or even apps to control their ride height. Bagging is effective for stancing cars in states like Massachusetts where there are harsh winters with a lot of snow. Driving a lowered car in snow is highly dangerous, and very difficult. Bagging may be expensive, but overall, it is a necessary modification if looking for a lowered car.    

It is common for people to question why some car owners choose to stance their cars. There is no real answer for this question, but stancing is just a way people customize cars to get them exactly how one likes. Creativity drives owners to make their cars their own art piece, to show off during every drive.  

Exciting changes are happening in Malden as city hall will be relocating to a number of locations throughout the city. The plans have been in action since 2014 when the city hall was sold for $9.8 million, but the changes have only recently started to become apparent. Mayor Gary Christenson expressed that he firmly believes that the city will benefit from this move for a variety of reasons.

The current city hall is large and dark with an ineffective layout and limited parking. The new buildings will look similar to those located at Assembly Square in Somerville. There will be multiple buildings rather than just one, leaving room for parking and allowing traffic to flow with ease. However, these buildings will be more than just the 42,000 square feet of governmental offices. There will be 26,000 square feet of retail space available as well as 234 apartments and a large parking lot of 276 available spaces.

With the upcoming changes, traffic in the area would improve with Pleasant Street opened once again. This would connect Malden Square, a central part of the city, to Malden Station. The city has tried to find efficient ways to revamp the city, and this seems to be a promising method.

When asked, many of MHS’ students reacted positively when asked their opinion on the new building. They agreed that the new building be more eye appealing and will greatly improve Malden. However, there were concerns that these changes will “take years” and “be very expensive,” which might take a toll on Malden’s community.

Malden’s police station will also be moving. In replacement of the old station, one is being built on Eastern Avenue. If all goes as planned, the station should be open before next winter. The new station is very centralized in the city, and will benefit the community in the sense that the police will be more able to reach locations and will be closer to most places.

It takes a great deal of vision to plan a project like this. Malden is taking advantage of the opportunity to have one of the first city halls to be incorporated in a mixed function facility. All of these changes are very exciting and will greatly impact the Malden community for the better.

On Dec. 18, 2015 students in the Hospitality and Tourism class participated in a cook-off in the cafeteria. Each team had to design their own panini with a description of their sandwich, a poster, and campaign for themselves. Beth Horwitz, the Hospitality and Tourism teacher, ran the grill-off.

Six Side with freshmen Queenie Dang, Davy Van, sophomores Huntar Riordan, Fern Berard, junior Bridget Murphy-Courteau, seniors Luckenberg Petit-de, and Kani Ashley Merrifield and special guest Mayor Gary Christenson handing out paninis. Photo by Ailin Toro.

The teams had to name themselves and decided on Six Side and SLACMS. SLACMS is an abbreviation for all the participants on their team including, freshmen Sophie Czerepica, Melina Clarke, Aden Geray, and Shataeya Smith, and seniors Lyndsey Martin, and Blue and Gold member Chaimae El Adlouni.

The students had prep time in the morning from 8:00 to 10:45 to get the paninis ready. They were then served in the Chef Production Line. Chefs Ryan Hurley and Omar Hernandez assisted the students in preparing and pressing the paninis. During all four lunches the paninis were given out along with a ticket to vote for one’s preferred panini.

The two paninis were named ‘The Holiday Spirit Panini’ from SLACMS and ‘The Million Dollar Sandwich’ from Six Side.  The Holiday Spirit Panini was made with grilled chicken, melted mozzarella, lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, and topped with chipotle mayo in between two slices of America’s sourdough bread. As for Six Side’, the Million Dollar Sandwich consisted of melted provolone on ciabatta bread. They then added turkey along with roasted peppers, caramelized onions, and tomato. Both sandwiches were served with a side of fries.

Mayor Gary Christenson made a special appearance and cheered on the teams while they passed out the paninis.

The SLACMS team with freshmen Sophie Czerepica, Melina Clarke, Aden Geray, and Shataeya Smith, and seniors Lyndsey Martin, and Blue and Gold member Chaimae El Adlouni preparing paninis. Photo by Ailin Toro.

Smith from the SLACMS team she said that she loved this project. She continued, saying that although it was fun “the process was still overwhelming because [the students] had to make over 200 paninis” during their prep time. In the end though Smith was left satisfied because she knew that there were dozens of people who had enjoyed the food that she had made with her team.

In the end SLACMS came out victorious with the most amount of tickets voting towards their team. Smith said it felt amazing to win after all the hard work she had put in.

The Holiday Spirit Panini is available in the Chef Production Line all this month.

Senior Kenia Maldonado poses for a picture. Photo by Megan Downer.

What inspired you to apply for this scholarship?

“I knew that I wanted to keep my options open so I decided to give this scholarship a try since my guidance counselor really encouraged me to do so.”

How did you react when learning that you received the scholarship?

“When I found out that I had received the Progressive Scholarship I was ecstatic, I couldn’t believe that out of everyone who applied I was one of those chosen.”

What excites you about going off to college?

“Going into college I’m excited about learning to become self sufficient and independent. The new environment I will be in is also very exciting since I will have the opportunity to learn new things.”

Are there any clubs, sports or activities you plan on joining in college?

“I still haven’t decided if I want to start playing soccer again in college but i’m definitely thinking about it.”

Are you nervous about being away from family?

“I am definitely a little nervous about being away from family but if I do end up choosing Colby-Sawyer I would only be 2 hours away.”

Do you have any friends attending college here too?

“I know some people that attended Malden High last year that go to Colby-Sawyer now.”

What inspired you to consider attending this college?

“I’m not entirely sure that I will be choosing this school but it’s a very high possibility. The campus is beautiful and they have a lot of great and fun activities to do there.”

Although the Gymnastics team has only had one meet so far this season, they have demonstrated great ability. Despite their limited season last year due to the poor weather conditions, coach Vanessa James expressed that “ the team’s spirit remains the same as last years; with great attitudes and dedication to accomplishing their goals in [every] the meet.”

In gymnastics, there are four events: vault, balance beam, uneven bars, and floor exercise. Six gymnasts compete in each event. The four highest scores are added together to accumulate the final score. The four events only last about ninety seconds and only six gymnasts can compete at each meet. Each gymnast must perform a different routine than the gymnast before or after him. If one or more skills are put together, it increases the value of the routine. James mentioned that “[the team] has been practicing really hard this year to combine skills as much as possible. [They] have been practicing several times a week to perfect their routines as well as giving each other their opinions of each other’s routines.”

Last season, the gymnastics team was not able to attend many meets because of the frequent snowstorms that occurred during their season, which takes place in January and February. It was difficult for the team to reschedule their meets, but they remained hopeful nevertheless. Senior Bianca Alves stated that “[Coach James] really encouraged [the team] to not be let down by the shorter season. So [the team] carried that spirit over with [them] this season, and so far it’s proven to be helpful to all of [them].”

Although the team had lost their first meet, Alves commented that “[the team] did really well and [they] came really close to winning.” She acknowledges this because most of the members of the gymnastics team, both boys and girls, have never had any sort of experience with gymnastics until this season. Alves added that “practices have been really productive because everyone works their hardest and are always trying new things.”

Coach James’s goal for this season is to make sure that “[team members] leave the season as a better gymnasts and athletes than they were at the beginning of the season, whether if it’s that they gained a new skill or a better attitude.” Alves hopes to “have a great season, since this is [her] last season on the MHS gymnastics team.” Sophomore Max Weng’s goal for this season is “to not let the team down and to aim for the GBL championship”.  

By Neden Bernadin and Alexis Brown

The girls varsity basketball team currently stands with a record of 1-8, but between all the ups and downs so far this season, it is evident that the team’s dedication has helped to keep their hopes high for the remainder of the season. The girls are still trying to adjust to a new team and as for the newcomers, they are adjusting to the varsity level of competition. Despite their losses, the girls keep a positive attitude as they continue to practice and improve their skills. From Saugus to Triton, the girls have put up a fight in every matchup that came their way.

Junior captain Caitlyn Leonard putting the ball into play. Photo by Neden Bernadin.

One main skill the girls are focusing on during practice to apply during games is communication. “[They] are trying hard to communicate on the court,” stated junior captain Caitlyn Leonard. The communication improves their chemistry on the court and better enables the girls to come together and work as a team. “When [they] all work together [they] can achieve great things” added Leonard. Coach Lydia Coverdale mentioned that another skill the girls are trying to perfect is defense so that they are more aggressive on the court and play more offensively when they are trying to minimize turnovers.

Basketball is a very team oriented sport and luckily for the girls team, each individual player has something unique to contribute to the team. Their individual skills combine together on the court and create something great. This combination of skills along with their positive attitudes has pushed the team to work harder. “[They have] had to learn to never give up no matter what the outcome of the previous game was,” expressed senior captain Tishida Stroud. They are able to take their mistakes from previous games and learn from them.  

Senior LaDaveya Moise shooting a free throw. Photo by Neden Bernadin.

As the season progresses, the girls are now excited to have begun their Greater Boston League games as they will try and compete for the GBL title. Practice has paid off as the girls acquired their first victory against the Somerville Highlanders on Jan. 8, 2016. Though it was a close match, Malden won with a final score of 50 points and Somerville was off by just two points. Sophomore Tiffany Tortora scored the last two points for Malden from free throws during the fourth quarter. The girls showed a tremendous amount of improvement both defensively and offensively.

Leonard and Stroud look to encourage the girls to help each other out on and off the court. Leonard believes that they have the ability to become an all around well rounded team. The girls continue to persevere and are holding themselves accountable for their mistakes but only to fix them. Overall, the team is static to start their new GBL season.

Come 2018, General Electric Co. will be fully established at its new home in the Seaport District of Boston. Originally located in Fairfield, Connecticut since 1974, GE decided to make the move to Boston “after being offered a massive package of tax breaks and incentives.” The company had been looking to move locations for the past three years. They experienced higher taxes in Connecticut and after the “state budget raised taxes on corporations” in 2015, GE was even more inclined to move their headquarters. 

Many cities were in competition with Boston to acquire the “$130 billion global industrial giant” but the financial support and shared aspirations between GE and the Boston area convinced the company to settle with Massachusetts. The deal “included $120 million from the state through grants and other programs, and up to $25 million in property tax relief from the city, according to a joint statement from Gov. Charlie Baker and Mayor Marty Walsh’s offices.” The “diverse” and “technologically fluent workforce” in the state of Massachusetts also attracted GE as it “spends more on research and development than any other region in the world.”

The convenience of Logan International Airport also “offered [GE] ‘connections with the world’ through its nonstop flights to important cities across the world which was not available at its location in Connecticut. 

The “upbeat” economy of Boston as described in the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book along with its “young, well-educated workers” makes Boston a promising home for GE to further advance its successful company (Geewax). 

To read more about GE click here. 

Senior Terrica Dang who will represent Malden High School on Student Government Day poses for a picture. Photo by Emma Ceplinskas.

On Jan. 8, 2015, Student Government Day elections were held at Malden High School. The Student Government Day program was first introduced in 1947 and is run by the Massachusetts State Government. The election is held to determine who will sit in with our state government and meet with government officials to represent Malden High School on Student Government Day. One representative and an alternative, the runner-up, are elected.

The elections were held in homeroom as the candidates read their statements on the morning announcements. Four students ran against each other to represent Malden High School including: seniors Terrica Dang, Efran Himal, juniors Tori Macdonald, and Gaudenz Brookes.

The representative for Malden High School voted for was Dang. The runner-up, who will serve as an alternate for Dang, is Macdonald. In the spring, Dang will represent MHS at the State House where she will participate in a simulation to debate a proposed bill that will potentially be passed. Dang “believe[s] that winning this election will help [her] learn more about our government and help [her] with AP Governemnt.” Dang added that “[she] think[s] spending the day meeting real government officials and other students just as passionate about the government as [she is] will give [her] a lot of insight [into the way the government works] from all different perspectives.”

Lead history teacher Gregory Hurley is in charge of the election and thanked the students for voting. He stated that “every time you vote you make your community stronger, so keep voting!”

Dang also thanked those who participated in the election everyone for taking part in the election. She explained that “voting is such an important part of our society and doing it in something as small as this election, makes a difference.” Dang added, “It’s good practice for our upcoming mock primary election in February.”

To learn more about Massachusetts Student Government Day click here.

By Gabriella Onessimo and Tatum Skiffington

Since the start of the winter season, Malden High School’s boys indoor track team has tenaciously applied their adept athleticism and complete concentration to achieve shared and personal victories.

Members of the boys indoor track running around the course. Photo by Gabriella Onessimo.

For the first half of the season the team has encountered both wins and losses. With a current record of 1-1, the team has had an overall excellent performance streak, but they still have a common objective to continue improving. Additionally, girls indoor track has been performing exceptionally well with state-qualifying scores. The boys recent loss to Somerville has not hindered their abilities. To the track team, there are always more opportunities to succeed.

Coach David Londino is satisfied with the consistent success and the progress of the team. Reflecting on the season thus far, he said that “the season is going well.” “[They] opened with a strong win over Everett and had a number of athletes qualify for states at the GBL open.”

Junior runner Sam Pettigrew and senior shot putter Allen Liang have displayed great skill this season. Pettigrew has placed first at meets to propel the team forward and Liang’s throw of 48′ 3.25″ is one of the best throws in shot put this season.

Juniors Pedro Lugo, David Jean, Bryan Delphonse, and senior Blue and Gold member Abdul Ali posing for a photo after the meet. Photo by Gabriella Onessimo.

Londino also expressed the fact that when the team had their first loss in three years, the team demonstrated “great maturity in defeat.” He added that “the boys look to improve, reach personal bests, and qualify for the Division 1 state meet on Feb. 14.”

Junior Gus Brookes is one of the many track members who demonstrated perseverance that will help the team reach their goals. Brookes is fueled with optimism and purposefulness to follow up with last year’s undefeated season. Brookes described the great effort invested in enhancing the team’s performance. “[They] only want to be the best [they] can be, which means never giving up,” he stated. He believes that if one has already established themselves as a great athlete, there is still room to train and improve. With this philosophy, Brookes believes that there is no limit to the team’s capabilities.

This season, junior Pedro Lugo has faced physical obstacles that have hindered his full performance, but he hopes he will reach his goals due to his steadfast determination to recover. Regardless of the setbacks he has faced with his injury, Lugo is “very pleased with the team’s performance” as everyone is “giving all they got in every race”. He believes there is always room for improvement and thinks the team can improve the way the team starts and finishes a meet as it often determines the outcome of the race. Lugo’s goals for the rest of the season include getting healthy and “coming back with a fire to really improve [himself], and start to build a momentum for the team to win more.” Although Lugo finds areas where boys track can improve, he and the team have confidence in their abilities.

The team has demonstrated their talent and skill since the start of the winter season. With the combination of teamwork, devotion, and focus, the team is sure to go far. They have managed to stick together, continuing to persevere through the ongoing season.