Don’t be sad, be rad. And since it’s Flashback Friday let’s hit some throw back songs that defined the past few years and get to singing and dancing.

1. Everytime We Touch- Cascada

   Carly Rae Jepsen performing at the 2012 Burlington Sound of Music Festival. Photo from Wikimedia.

2. Mr. Brightside- The Killers
3. Love Song – Sara Bareilles
4. Not Afraid- Eminem
5. We Are Young – FUN
6. Rolling in the Deep – Adele
7. Miss Independent- Ne-Yo
8. Somebody That I Used to Know- Gotye featuring Kimbra
9. Call Me Maybe- Carly Rae Jepsen
10. Grenade- Bruno Mars

    Bruno Mars performing in Houston, Texas on November 24, 2010. Photo from Wikimedia.

11. Mirrors – Justin Timberlake
12. I Gotta Feeling- Black Eyed Peas
13. Hips Don’t Lie- Shakira
14. Best I Ever Had- Drake
15. Stereo Hearts- Gym Class Heros
16. Whatcha Say- Jason Derulo
17. Beautiful Soul- Jesse McCartney
18. Down- Jay Sean
19. SuperBass- Nicki Minaj
20. Single Ladies- Beyonce
21. Stay- Rihanna and Mikky Ekko
22. Baby- Justin Bieber
23. Party Rock- LMFAO
24. Shake It Off- Taylor Swift
25. Get Your Head in the Game- High School Musical

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BY ABHISHEK RANA & SUBIN BASTOLA 

The season has come to an end for the Malden High School Boys Basketball team as they finish with an overall record of 16-6. An impressive season for the team concluded on Friday, February 28th after a loss in first round of the playoff against the Somerville High Highlanders.   

Coached by Don Nally, and captained by seniors Nathaniel Ilebode and Bernard Taylor, the team had an excellent final season in the Greater Boston League. The team hopes to continue its winning ways next season, as they move to the Northeast Conference.

Junior Fern Berard and Senior Bernard Taylor defending the ball. Photo taken by Abhishek Rana.

Last season the team finished with an overall record of 8-11, and this year looked to go above .500 and make the playoffs. Before the season began coach Nally described the team as “battle tested” and expressed his goal for the season as “getting a home game in the state tournament.” The boys did just that, improving their regular season record to 16-5, as they qualified for the state tournament and hosted a home playoff game at the MHS Finn Gym for the first time in eight years.

The Tornadoes started the season on a roll, winning their first five games including four wins by a comfortable margin. Games against Tewksbury Memorial, Greater Lawrence Tech, Milford, and Woburn Memorial were all won by a margin of at least 17 points. A dominant start to the season with the boys playing great offense and stifling defense, gave the team tremendous momentum heading into the next stretch of the season.      

Looking to continue its undefeated start to the season, the Tornadoes hosted the Revere High Patriots in a back and forth affair. Down by three points and with seconds left to play, senior captain Bernard Taylor converted a buzzer beating three pointer to send the game into overtime. The back and forth game continued into overtime, but unfortunately, the Tornadoes came up short by a single point and lost the game by a final score of 72-71.

Junior Fern Berard defending the ball. Photo taken by Abhishek Rana.

After the heartbreaking lost against Revere High, the Tornadoes lost two more games in similar style. The team’s record fell to 5-3 after losses against Pope John XXIII and Sommerville with a scoreline of 51-47 and 48-47 respectively.

Looking to redeem themselves after a three game losing streak, the Tornadoes played Pope John XXIII for the second time this season. This time however, the team defeated Pope John by a comfortable scoreline of 67-52 and went back to winning ways. Following this, the boys won six of their next seven games and were in the driver seat for securing a playoff spot, with a record of 12-4.

After a tough loss against Everett High of February 11th, the team once again bounced back and won their four remaining games in the regular season. A regular season record of 16-5 helped the Tornadoes secure the number seven seed in the Division 1 MIAA boys basketball state tournament. This meant that with the seventh seed, the Tornadoes got the right to host the ninth seeded Somerville High Highlanders at home.  

The game started out with the Highlanders on a roll, dominating play on both sides of the court. After the first quarter Somerville high lead 17-8 and seemed in route to a comfortable win. However, the Tornadoes slowly chipped away at the Highlander lead in the second and third quarter. At the end of the third, had cut their deficit to only one point and were looking to complete the comeback.

Unfortunately however, the comeback feel short as Somerville regained control of the game and ultimately defeated the higher seeded Malden, 45-37.   

After the game, junior center Malik Bissett stated that “turnovers and [them missing] easy shots” in fourth quarter cost them them the game. He further elaborated that “[the team] didn’t get comfortable  enough and rushed some shots as well.”

When asked about his thoughts in the overall season, Bisset stated that “[he] looks back at it as a success.” He explained that making the postseason this year “was a big step” moving forward and that they want to “make more noise” next season.            

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We live in a world of colors and labels, lots of them.  A world where our eyes only see the colors but never bother to look at what is on the inside of a person. We live in a world where we can somehow speak color, and act color. “You talk white”“You act black” they say.  It is ridiculous.

We live in a world of colors, a world where colors define what we are and the way we will be treated. Our eyes are bound to the colors that our skin bears and somehow, we let our minds be chained to the concept of skin colors and what we think they represent. Men and women are being judged and discriminated for the color that they bear, for something that is not in their control. We are bound to the colors of our skin, and it is something that we can never change, something we have no control over.

Prejudice creates a loop where hatred is followed by hatred. When we hurt each other, we keep on hurting because we always want to be the one with the last words or actions. We let our grudges be thrown back and forth and we are not the only one who is affected.  It is a chain of pain, of hurt and segregation. I see this cycle of hatred and the thing is I cannot stop it. Not alone. This cycle goes on and on and how many more lives will be sacrificed at the hand of prejudice and injustice before we realize that it is time to take actions?

Discrimination does not have a limit. A single difference can lead to segregation and bias.

Buddha once said “with our thoughts we make the world”. What one sees and feels creates the world around them. For some, the brownness of one’s skin indicates violence, that whoever bears such color could only cause troubles for others. What do you see when you look at  the black color on one’s skin? Do you see crime and malice? Or do you see the richness in it and embrace that beauty to your heart? The point is you have total control over what you see and it is up to you to make your world surrounded with beauties by realizing the prettiness in everything. Or, by looking for the irrational malice in these colors, make the world a nasty and dangerous place. If you can surround yourself with beauty, why choose ugliness?

Do not discriminate and do not hate without basis because if you let your mind be clouded with all those assumptions based on just the color of their skin, you will never be able to see the beauty that they possess, you will never be able to see them for what they are. To make it short, if you look at these people by just glancing at the shade of their skin, you will never truly see them. Our thoughts are the lenses through which our eyes and mind perceive the world. For instance, a color is just a color, nothing more and nothing less, but to a racist, they thought that it means something, no, everything but a color. It means superiority or inadequacy. It means whether they should be nice or brutally rude without a care in the world for others’ feelings. It is everything to them. It should not be. It should never be. Now, time for the truth. These people are us.

We are the ones who make colors define everything a person is. We are the ones to create these concept of colors and we make it more than they should be, making ourselves comfortable in our own skins and criticizing people with different shades than ours.

Why do we do that? Are we not aware that these ways of thinking could affect the way we treat others and the way others feel? Do we not realize that these thoughts could kill someone if we allow them to become actions? Maybe we don’t. Maybe we do but we choose to ignore because it is easier to hate and make other feel bad about themselves through the method of racism and discrimination. After all, how much can these small little thing possibly do? It can kill and it did. Men and women of colors fall one after another because of something they did not have any control over, because of our concepts of colors, because we choose hatred over love and understanding, because we choose to ignore the consequences of clinging onto the meaning and importance of colors, that we make up in our mind.

Race is not the only problem here. Gender is also an issue that we should address.

According to a research, one out of twelve transgender are murdered.  A small number? I don’t think so. These numbers mean that a transgender person would have to walk around, that they could end up being the one in those twelve, that today might be their last day because the people around them insist them to be their body to be how someone with their body should be, to trap themselves inside, to hold all the hurt and all the pain of not being able to be themselves inside. To those people who hurt these men and women, they are humans They know of pain. They know of suffering. We all do because guess what, at the end of the day, we are humans. We hate pain and we want happiness. So why hurt someone just like you? Someone who just wants to smile and for all the scars to go away? What could be the reason that justifies your action of insulting and hurting and taking away someone’s happiness, the very same thing that you need everyday? What could be the reason that makes it okay to steal these people’s smiles, to take love away from them?

Though it is in human nature to be angry and mad, it does not justify the fact that we risk the possibility that someone will get hurt by our discrimination against people with the skin like them, the chance that we will treat someone unfairly not because of the person that they are but the skin colors that they have. It is important that we realize the impact of our thoughts. Our thinking influences the way we behave and our action does not just affect ourselves but others as well. Our actions have an impact, whether large or small. A single word of kindness can save someone’s life just as a small act of malice can lead to someone ending their own life.

There is a way to put an end to all of this. It all starts with our understanding toward pain. Understanding pain allows us to be more sympathetic and loving toward people.

Pain is a powerful thing. It could change the way we are and the people around us. It is the one thing we all have in common. As humans, we just want to be happy and work our way toward our definitions of blithe. When we are not happy, we feel pain, an emotion of discomfort that we just want it to stop as soon as possible. We don’t want to get hurt. We hate it, so much that many would rather end their own lives than live through the pain. Then, why? Why would we go and hurt someone and discriminate them and cause them pain? Why would we go ahead and inflict all these hurts we are also trying to run from to other people? Do we not realize our need for happiness and distaste for pain? Do we not know that these people are just the same? We feel pain. Yet we still choose to inflict in on others.

Why love a stranger? Because they are just humans like you, beings that just wants to smile and for the pain to stop.

Look. Learn how to really look. Look with your eyes closed because as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the author of the famous novel The Little Prince, once wrote in that very same book “and now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye,” it is not the outside that we should trust. It is the inside of ourselves that is vital. It is what behind those colors that matters. The point is we let our eyes be the only thing that looks around and appearance is more often than not, deceiving. So, instead of the eyes, let your mind do the looking. And this time, look deeper and realize that behind those colors, we are humans. Beings who feel hurt. Beings that just want to be happy. Who are we to take away those joy from them just because of something as simple as their color skin?

Discrimination knows no boundaries. A single difference can lead to a chain of hatred that seems to never rest. It is important that we put an end to this chain of discrimination, to stop the pain that it is causing, and to ensure that everybody will be treated as human rather than the color on their skin.

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BY JOSANDY JEUNE & SABRINA MONTEIRO

As the wrestling season comes to an end juniors Wisly Pericles Jr. and  Carlos Parada Araujo were able to make it to states. Even though they didn’t place in states it was still a major feat for not only the two wrestlers, but the wrestling team.

Pericles has been wrestling for three years. He said that he felt “very excited” on being eligible for states. Araujo says it was his first time advancing to states and that it was a very different experience. With this new experience, came anxiety but luckily nothing nerve wracking. Araujo says “States was much more competitive than Sectionals and any other tournament [he] had been to.” 

Junior Carlos Parado Araujo wrestling against ??? team member. Photo taken by Sabrina Monteiro.

Coach Rin Van believed that “it was inevitable” on Pericles going to states. “He had a good shot at Wakefield against sectional opponents,” Van says. Van admits that he was actually quite surprised when Carlos made it to states. This is because Carlos has only been wrestling for two years and has already “improved in leaps and bounds.”

Gandy Louisne a junior on the wrestling team finds Pericles going to states “pretty interesting and comforting to say that a teammate went to states and is able to  put the city and themselves on the map.” Louisne also says “[Araujo is] a hard worker and as a captain he put himself at a big stage to represent the school. He met the expectations to succeed.”

Araujo “wasn’t too surprised on Pericles making States.” Pericles had a knee injury going into sectionals, and had sprained his knee during sectionals so it didn’t look to good for Pericles. States is super competitive so because of the injury Pericles didn’t come out with wins. Araujo also states that Pericles is a strong wrestler. “He can have his moments where he is super aggressive.” Araujo also believes that Pericles can make states again.

Pericles says Araujo is a “good friend in and out of the wrestling room.” Pericles also believes that Araujo “pushes [him] to pass [his] limits. As a teammate and captain of the team he shows you that he cares.” “[Araujo] was really determined to go to States,” says Pericles and with only two years in experience, making States was shocking.

All in all, despite the injury Pericles and Araujo were still able to pull through. Even though he didn’t place in states he still put up a great fight. They have improved so much over the year and there is still so much left to learn. In order to get more people to join wrestling next year, it will be by offseason practice and lifting which is key to success.

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Each year, the International Women’s Day falls on March 8th, which is a celebration of women for their hard-working attributes in different aspects of fields such as politics, economy, and in overall society. Throughout the years, this movement has given women a platform to overcome challenges and unifying together.

International Women’s Day Logo. Photo from internationalwomensday.com.

This specific celebration has a rich history with the first observation of the holiday taking place in the United States of the year 1909 (National Women’s Day). The Socialist Party of America created it to honor the worker’s strike the year before. Along with the Women’s Suffrage Movement, they marched in union in order to receive their voting rights and fight against the harsh conditions while working in factories. Charlotte Perkins Gilman addressed a speech saying that while a woman’s job is in the home in which that “should mean the whole country and not be confined to three or four rooms of a city or a state.”  Today, IWD is celebrated in more than 100 countries such as Armenia, China, Nepal and of course, the United States.

This year’s theme is “Women In the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030”, which explores the increasing rate of the informality in labour, the income equality and humanitarian crises of women in the workforce. Studies have shown that the majority of them would rather work in jobs that have low wages, lower skill occupations and little to no social protection. The United Nations Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said that they want young girls to “be exposed to a broad range of careers, and encouraged to make choices that lead beyond the traditional service and care options to jobs in industry, art, public service, modern agriculture and science.”  It is believed that in order to have a good sustainable/economic development, there must be equality among the genders.

One of the graphics used for A Day Without A Woman. Photo from womensmarch.com.

The UN will have an observance on March 8th, working alongside with the Step It Up for Gender Equality to discuss the Planet 50-50 plan in which the workforces will be applicable to all women by the year of 2030. From March 13 – 24, the 61st session of the Commission on the Status of Women will be held at the UN headquarters to not only discuss the issues around the workforce but also “removing the barriers of discrimination and investing in women’s access to digital and green economics.”

The Women’s March also took part with a movement called “A Day Without A Woman” to recognize women from different backgrounds for their efforts in the social/economic system and bringing justice between genders. In order for protesters to participate, they can take the day off from labor, avoid shopping for a day and wearing the color red in solidarity without protesting.  

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Everything Club is a new, recently formed club here at Malden High. It was formed by sophomores, Sarah Marinho, Samantha Duragano, and Blue and Gold member Neden Bernardin, with its advisor being an English teacher, Pasquale DiBenedetto. Every week the club focuses on a different topic or theme which they discuss or do activities based around the topic during the meeting.

When asked how the club club was created Marinho said that she has had “the idea to create a club since [her] freshman year.” She decided on Everything Club because she thought that “mixing all [her] favorite topics, along with her co-presidents would be a great idea.” When she came up with the idea they immediately got the ten signatures needed to start a club, and gave them to Mr. Lombardi. She also mentions that Durango, Bernardin, and her wanted to create this club because they wanted to “be in charge of something that could eventually have a good impact on the school.”

Marinho said that they wanted to approach DeBenedetto to be the advisor because of how he is “a respected teacher” and because she felt that he would “understand the importance of this club the same way [she] and her friends do.” She adds that he is “not only a great teacher, but also a great advisor.”

When asked, DiBenedetto described the club as being about “anything and everything.” He says that the club “incorporates stress relief activities, political rants, and team building activities.” DiBenedetto says that when he was approached about the club he “was so impressed by Marinho’s, Durango’s, and Bernardin’s enthusiasm and vision as it pertained to the club.” So much so that that he immediately agreed to be the advisor because of how “well organized” the plan for the club was.

So far the club seems like it is going to be a success with Marinho mentioning that they were all “excited to see over 20 people come to the first meeting.” During the first meeting they introduced themselves and played games. He mentions that they “welcome all  in our club in everything [they] do” and that new members are always free to come.

The member’s goals for Everything Club are “to have great activities planned for each of our themes” and “to create a safe haven for students to be able to voice their opinions and nurture one another’s perspectives.” For the next meeting, they are thinking about discussing American politics.

If you are interested in joining everything club, meetings will be every Thursday at 2:30 p.m in DiBenedetto’s room, J487.

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As spring sports are right around the corner, the crew team has taken on the season early. On March 1st the team held their first tryout for the season. It consisted of several new members as well as returning members. One of the returning members, sophomore Santiago Portillo has been on the team since his freshman year. In rowing there are several different positions on the boat from left to right, and Portillo sits to the starboard.

Sophomore Santiago Portillo. Photo by Ryan Hames.

As the season begins, Portillo is “hoping for improvement,” “everything in crew is measured by a test called a 2k test” in which tests their abilities within two meters. Portillo also shared that he is “very excited to verse Somerville and Everett” because both cities have come together and formed one team. Having prior knowledge from past meets, he is aware of the other team’s abilities.

On the other hand, Portillo possesses attributes that help support the team like being “able to simultaneously follow what the other teammates are doing in order to get the boat moving at a fast paced. He has no doubt in being able to work along with his teammates to get a lead on their opponents. Crew is a sport that is, “more of a passion,”  as Portillo says. He enjoys so much that he even does “fall crew for a club” as well as continuing to do crew each and every year. Throughout the season, he hopes to improve on his time for 2k and his form.

The season comes and goes, since last year compared to this year, there has been a lot of exponential growth which includes more new members as well as improving relationships with each other. Beginning the season with tryouts, the coaches tend to really set high expectations which raise the bar higher in order to allow each individual to work hard and practice. The most iconic part of crew are the blisters! Portillo was able to share his experience with blisters and how they achieve them from rowing.

“If you know any rowers, you are able to know if they have any blisters on their hands because they are pulling a lot,” Portillo says. Rowing looks easy but, in reality each and every day, these rowers pulling a lot of weight in which makes the skin worn out, resulting in blisters. Mostly for the returning members, they have already experienced this process,but for “new members, they first get blisters which then turn into calluses because they aren’t use to the rowing and intensity the sport consists of.”

With the start of the new season, returning members and new members like Santiago Portillo are eager to get in the water and begin rowing. Although the team will be losing several seniors this year, they are excited to see what the new members bring to the table in order to raise the bar higher with the help of the coaches.

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Outdoor track is a sport that holds contests between athletes that establish who can run the fastest, throw the longest, and jump the highest. It originated around 776 BC. from the Olympic Games. Koroibos, a cook, won the stadium race and a foot race 600 feet long. According to literary traditions, this was the only athletic event for the first 13 Olympic festivals. From then on, the games were held in Olympia every four years for almost twelve centuries. Soon additional events were added.

The three main events are the running, jumping and throwing events. The running event includes sprints, hurdles, middle distance, long distance, and relay races. Sprints are races over short distance where athletes try to reach their quickest running speed. The three distances for sprints are 100 meters, 200 meters, and 400 meters.  Sprinters begin the race in a crouching position at the starting blocks. Then, they lean forward and move in an upright position and begin to run when signaled. The middle distance event is when athletes stand along a curved line and begin to race when signaled.  The most common middle distance runs are the 800 metres, 1500 metres, and the mile run. These runs mostly test endurance, and speed.

Next is long distance, which tests stamina and pacing. The common long distance runs are 3000 metres, 5000 metres and 10,000 metres. Long distance became more popular in the 1920s after the achievements of Paavo Nurmi. Next is the relay races, where runners compete head to head with the other teams. Each runner must hand off the baton to the next runner on their team. If a teammate drops the baton, makes an improper baton pass, has a false start, prevents another competitor from passing, or interferes with another competitor, the team can be disqualified from the relay race. Lastly is hurdling, which became popular in the 19th century in England.  In the event, runners jump over the hurdle, landing both feet in a forward position. To be disqualified in a hurdle race, one would be unable to jump over a hurdle by passing under or intentionally knocking over hurdles.

The second main event jumping includes the long jump, triple jump, and high jump. In the long jump, athletes would run up an area of dug up earth and jump. The winner is the individual who managed to jump the farthest. Triple jump, also known as the hop step jump, takes place in a sandpit. The triple jump is similar to the long jump, but has a different approach. Next, is the high jump, where athletes jump over a horizontal bar and fall on a cushion. The highest jumper is the winner.

The third event is throwing, which includes the shot put, discus throw, javelin throw, and hammer throw. In the shot put, competitors throw the heavy metal ball in the legal throwing area. Similar to the shot put is the discus throw. The competitor throws a round metal shaped disc and the athlete throws the discus in the proper direction. The one that throws it the farthest then wins. After is the javelin throw, which is where the athlete runs down a track gaining momentum and then throws a javelin before crossing the line. The athlete cannot go over the line until the javelin lands. Lastly, is the hammer throw, where athletes throw a heavy ball attached to a handle with a long chain. They spin multiple times to gain momentum before releasing the hammer.

In conclusion, outdoor track is a unique sport that is very intense and works on all parts of the body. It helps players stay in shape and provide enjoyment for those who play.

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The Malden High School’s baseball team has been successful over the years. The team progresses year by year hoping to get closer and closer to more success as the seasons go by.  

In 2012, MHS’s baseball team had an uneasy season, but with the hard work accomplished throughout the season, the team had the opportunity of qualifying for states. Unfortunately, their loss against Westford Academy with a score of 4-2 led to a minor chance of making it to states. The season had been difficult but the team had hope for improvements next year.

In 2013, the team was extremely motivated for the season. They were ready for the new season to start kicking off. This particular year seemed as though teamwork was a huge deal. Of course, teamwork is what every sport needs in order to be successful, but this season was powered up with encouragement and motivation for every player on the team. Players from the Malden Catholic were also members of the baseball team at MHS. There were rough moments throughout the season but with that also came success. Two incredible and memorable wins were against Melrose with a score of 9-1 and against East Boston with a score of 12-3. The team successfully obtained a place in the State Tournament.

In 2014, the baseball team was standing at a record of 5-13. Unfortunately, the team fell short only needing three more wins to make it to the State Tournament. One of their best games was against Melrose High because even though MHS lost with a score of 7-0, the team was strong and determined. The team ended the season with the feeling of excitement knowing that although the season could’ve gone better, their effort was what mattered and winning the two last games of the season against Pope John and Somerville High School.

In 2015, the team had a difficult season. It took a couple loses to get to their first win of the season against East Boston. Starting off with a score of 0-4, which was two of MHS’s five wins last season. Hitting two balls out of the park, knocking in three runs and throwing six strikeouts lead to their first win of the season. MHS won their second game against O’Bryant with a final score of 6-3. Their game against Somerville started off with 0-1 and came out with their third win of the season with a score of 10-2.

Last year, 2016, was a bit rough. The team began the new season with high hopes of winning, if not all the games then most of them. However, no matter the outcome, the team stayed together and held strong. The boys were able to make positive improvements from the previous season, as they ended the season with two more wins. They won against Newton South, O’Bryant, Somerville, Haverhill, East Boston twice and against Medford, with that one being their most exhilarating win with a score of 9-1. Unfortunately, the team did not advance into the tournament but are continuing with their efforts and working to make comebacks for the next season.

With the start of a new season, the baseball team is working hard for another successful season!

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The Malden Water Department has reported lead in the water of Malden residents. Around every six months, the Malden Water department tests water for any lead levels.When testing for lead in December of 2016, two of the sites tested did find higher levels of lead.

Lead is very dangerous to pregnant women and younger children, but it is also dangerous for people of any age. Once lead enters your body, your body mistakes it for a safe mineral, in actuality it does more harm than good. Although lead is vulnerable towards anyone, younger children and unborn babies have a higher risk for health problems. Lead can act like a poison if it is swallowed, inhaled, or even touched by children. Being exposed to lead over a long period of time leads to chronic toxicity. It can also interfere with blood cells and calcium that is needed for the body to grow and stay healthy.

On February 1, 2017 the City of Malden Water Department sent a letter to residents, regarding the potential for elevated lead levels in drinking water. The letter was sent after testing was conducted at 15 sites around the city in December. In the letter, The Water Department said that roughly 25% of all pipes delivering water to properties in Malden are made with lead. The letter also states the health effects and sources of lead in water, how to reduce lead exposure, and more. It says, “We are writing to you because our records indicate that you may have a lead water service line pipe on your property that carries water from the public water line into your home. Because lead at certain concentrations is believed to adversely affect health, especially in young children, you may want to consider replacing this pipe.”

Overall, Malden’s plan for lead removal in water has been aggressive. Malden is under a Department of Environmental Protection Consent Order which requires that the city replace 200 lead water service lines per year.

Aside from the lead found in the homes of Malden, there have been many reports of lead in school water as well. According to the Boston Globe, the state-initiated testing, which includes 940 schools, is scheduled to conclude at the end of the month. Recent reports from the department of energy and environmental affairs have concluded that lead levels are over the recommended amount.

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On Tuesday March 7th, you might have noticed a man standing outside the cafeterias, next to a bulletin board, talking about going to the woods. If you missed him or didn’t really pay attention, here’s another opportunity for you. Checking out this club could really benefit you and enhance your connection with the real world, considering most teenagers these days are more involved in the digital world.

The organization Students of the Fells and the Friends of the Fells is a non-profit club that do activities that have to do with the Fells, which is the Middlesex Fells Reservation. The Fells is a beautiful environment filled with all types of plants and animals, and includes things like hiking trails, dog parks, horseback riding areas, fishing, and much more. There is so much to the place and the reason for this organization is so teenagers like Malden High students can enjoy and explore the place while really connecting nature instead of their phones.

Seniors McKenzie Vo and Duy Nguyen from Malden High participating in a Students of the Fells activity. Photo submitted by the Students of the Fells Organization.

The Students of the Fells Organization do many things there, from adventure and exploration, natural history/conservation, and recreation/team building. All these things are focused on nature and to help improve teen’s connection with the environment around them for all situations, whether it’s for fun or in case they were ever in nature and needed help.

The organization is mainly stationed at Medford High, because that’s where the club originated from, but has branched out and has made contact with schools like Stoneham High, Malden High, and Melrose High. The man that visited Malden High on Tuesday was promoting their most recent trip – Fauna of the Fells. This trip out to the fells focused on the fauna (the animals) of the Middlesex Fells Reservation. The trip included the observation of the animals, tracking them, stalking them, trap building, and exploring their habitats.

Not only does the organization explore the Fells, but they also have the opportunity to branch out. In March, the organization did the Fauna of the Fells activity, a Ski Trip, and there is going to be a day of service later this month.. In April, they’ll be back in the Fells working on friction fire and wild foraging and an adventure/exploration type of day. They’ll also have a day where they give service to the park. In May, they’ll have a mountain biking and trail adventure run, and also a canoe trip in the Mystic River.

If any of these things seem fun to you, you should try out the organization! Even if it doesn’t you should try it out anyways because you never know the connection you have with nature until you go deep into it and explore it. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/findyourfells

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The Malden community hosted their Malden Reads book discussion in the library at the Perle Fine: Exhibit Abstract. There were new members and ones that have been a part of Malden Reads since it began. For this discussion, they decided to read the book  “A Man Called Love” by Fredrik Backman. This book was written in many different languages such as Swedish and Dutch.

Questions that were asked in the meeting had to do with what people thought of this years book choice and what people’s favorite and least favorite parts of the story were. They also explored the idea of whether life should be ruled by routine or by stepping out of one’s comfort zone. Although not everyone finished reading the story, the people there had all had around the same opinions.

People commented on how much they loved the book and how interesting it gets as they story goes on. Some of the themes that they came up with were about intergenerational ideals and how the technology in the book was laid back and not as modern. They also talked about the importance of having a job because they think that even if people go into denial and into their job, they would not commit much harm to themselves.
The author of the book  also received many compliments from the group, as people mentioned how they liked how the author was slowly fitting the pieces of the novel together..They also praised the author for using many vivid characterization that enabled readers to imagine the characters.

The Malden Reads community also wanted to recommend the book to different age groups such as teens because they believe that the morals of the book would be quite teachable to younger age groups. They know that the book has a big amount of negativity such as a suicide attempt,  but it is still recommended. The book also has a movie related to it, that will be shown at Malden High School April 27, 2017 from 3:00 to 4:00.

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Alex Coninck is a senior player of Malden High School’s boys lacrosse team. Coninck has been on the lacrosse team for three years; one year on junior varsity, and two years on varsity. In total, he has been playing lacrosse for a solid four years.

The reason why he chose to play lacrosse is because he wanted to learn a new sport. He states that he “like[s] that there are many things you can do to open up the game and that there is always a way for a come back.” Coninck states that his personal goal is to “score more goals than [he has] last year and keep up with the lead goal scorer (Andy Tham).” Fellow teammate Andy Tham says “Alex is a starting attackman and he can definitely put goals in the net.” Tham adds, “last season he was struggling to keep up with [him] but [he doesn’t] think [he] can say the same thing about this season. This one is to be more of a competition.” On his work ethic, Tham says that Coninck’s stick skills and athleticism on the field has “definitely improved.”

Like every other player in a sport, Coninck has some expectations of how the season will go. However, this season is different than any other season they had, because they are not in the Greater Boston League this year. Coninck expects this season to be different from all. Coninck is going to make sure that the team is “going to practice harder and give it [their] all in every game. If [they] have the mentality that [they] can win, [they] might just have a chance and win more games [than they] have in the past.”

Coninck says his favorite thing about lacrosse in general, is that he “get[s] to play a fast paced sport, with a team full of great people that care about the game just as much as [he does].”

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BY KAYLA SOUSA & REBECA PEREIRA 

State competition for swim were held at Boston University for all the swimmers who exceeded expectations on the local level during the winter swim season. From breaking school records to breaking personal records the swimmers are genuinely impressed with their team’s performance as well as their own. After ending the season as the champions of the Greater Boston League, Malden High School’s swimmers were determined to make an impression.

MHS swimmers that swam at states include freshmen Haoxi Wang and Myo Theingi, sophomores Kevin Ochoa and Joanne Ho, juniors Pete Jinapin and Dylan Ha, and seniors Kevin Luu, Vivian Nguyen, and Felicia Lombardi.

Leading up to the state competition, the MHS swim team competed successfully in six meets, winning all of them and placing as GBL champs for the last time. Next season they will be entering the Northeastern Conference.

Swim coach Jessica Bisson commented that “[they] usually see [their] ‘top’ swimmers [make States] in most of the events, but it was really nice to see some new [fresh faces for States] this year.” Freshmen Haoxi Wang and Myo Theingi went to states. Wang says of his 1:40.21 record time in the 200 yard Medley that “it was a lifetime experience for me personally to break a school record as a freshman”.

Sophomore Kevin Ochoa placed 10th at states among 58 teams. He swam in the 200 free breaking the school record with a time of 1.50.71. Going into states, Ochoa explained how he was “very calm as [he] knew if [he] let anxiety build up [he] was going to underperform.” Kevin saw that prep schools like “Saint John’s Prep, Westford Academy were among the toughest opponents considering Malden High has only 5 representatives and they easily outnumbered [them] by a large gap” However, Ochoa stated that “ [they] didn’t let that get to [their] heads and instead used the underdog role as motivation to beat [their] opponents and make their city proud.” Ochoa also competed in states last year as a freshman.

Despite a victorious season, expectations of the swimmers were still high. Coach Bisson explained that “with Malden entering a new league next year [they] will have a lot of work ahead of [them] as it will be extremely important for everyone on the team to push themselves to try new events. [They] will need everyone from the most veteran to the newest swimmer to make sure [they] are competitive with all the new teams [they] will face next year.”

From a technical standpoint, there is always room for improvements but it doesn’t cancel out the pride MHS swimmers feel in their accomplishments so far. Senior captain Vivian Nguyen stated that she believes there is “no improvement needed. [They] performed great considering four girls made up the girls team and five boys made up the boys team” for states.

Nguyen explains that her last year differed mentally from her last few saying that “it’s sad to leave before [getting a chance to be in] the new league,” but the performances the swim team gave during the season and at states prove the team is ready to face the new league. She concluded that she’s extremely proud of the team because “the underclassmen and freshmen who qualified stepped up their game and helped us score.”

The girl’s team placed 8th out of 37 teams and the boy’s team placed 10th out of 40 teams. Senior Felicia Lombardi and junior Pete Jinapin also beat their personal records. Needless to say, the swim team’s state competition run was a success.

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BY NEDEN BERNADIN & REBECA PEREIRA 

The Malden Field of Dreams is an ongoing project to revitalize the empty field by the MBTA station that is currently owned by National Grid.

The project was originally proposed to establish an Independent League team, but it was decided to establish an affiliated team with the Minor Leagues instead for various reasons. One of the reasons was that a lot of players in an independent league tend to leave and join the major leagues, whereas with a minor league team players have contracts with the independent leagues to supply them with managers, coaches, prospects, and other benefits for the minor leagues.

As of recently, both Eastern Bank and East Boston Savings Bank are strongly interested in providing funding for the new ballpark in Malden. Mayor Christenson explained that approximately eighty million dollars is being put into the project to bring it to life. The park will be located between Charles Street, Commercial Street, Route 60 and Canal Street. He also added that Malden was the ideal location for this major advancement due to the “accessibility to public transportation, diversity, and the right amount acreage needed to accommodate the project.”

Founder and CEO of the Boston Baseball Field of Dreams, Alexander Bok was given a sixty-day deadline to prepare an official proposal on the Malden Field of Dreams project for this March by the city council, otherwise the project would have to be discontinued. Bok has chosen Turner Sports Construction as the contractors for the stadium. For the past ten years, their firm has been the source for the construction of several fields for both minor and major leagues across the country, such as the new Yankee Stadium, Nationals Park in Washington D.C., and Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio. Mayor Christenson hopes that once certain issues have been resolved, construction can begin this summer, so that the field can be done by 2019.

Before any plans could be put into action, Bok had to secure permission from the Minor League Baseball president, Pat O’Connor, for his development team to explore bringing a club that would be willing to play in Malden. After obtaining said permission, Bok and his team had to negotiate with the many individual teams of Major League Baseball in order to find a club that’d be open to the idea of having a minor league associate with Malden. The Boston City Football Club–a Division 4 soccer team–has agreed to play ten-fourteen of their home-games at the stadium mostly on Sunday evenings, and they plan to have their youth programs training there as well. Aside from this, Bok cannot release any other public statements or comments to the public without permission from the Minor League Baseball at the moment.

There has been many concerns among the residential neighborhoods about the noise volume/impacts from the stadium, but the team is certain that there won’t be an issue since they will be contacting with a acoustics/noise consultant. The ballpark will be designed with the seats being aligned in the south and east direction. Since the Edgemont neighborhood is located on the west part, the residents will be at a fair distance from the noise impacts with the open sides of the stands being positioned away from the area. The Bell Rock neighborhood won’t be affected as well, so the noise will not carry on to the commercial properties and roadways along the site. Mark Rosenshein of the Architectural group was chosen as the interior designer for the project. For more than 44 years, the firm have developed different types of designs for range of building types and programs such as senior housings, healthcare facilities etc.

Minor League night games will run for about three and a half hours, with the games usually starting at 7:00pm. If the team is able to get a permit to showcase fireworks from the city, then a post-game show would take place on a Friday or Saturday for only an hour. For concerts events, it will usually start at 8:00pm and end no later than 11pm. Selling concessions will take place in-house because it controls provides affordable prices for residents and controls a better range of options.

Mayor Gary Christenson believes that this project has potential to add “a whole new dynamic for Malden,” especially since it can bring affordable entertainment for families and residents. He says that one of the benefits that will come of this field is that it will be, “home to the Malden High School Golden Tornadoes Varsity Baseball team.” Another benefit Mayor Christenson explains that, “[the field] brings a significant level of investment, jobs, affordable entertainment, and environmental benefits through the cleanup of a contaminated site.”  The new field has the potential to host other forms of entertainment, such as concerts and movie nights as well. He revealed as of right now, there are still agreements pending with the lessor, National Grid must be secured and there’s still negotiation among the remaining properties. Many benefits will come into play for local residents, as there are over 100 part time jobs during the future baseball seasons once the project is finished.

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It’s March. We just had not one, but two snow days! Although it is very likely we will not be seeing another snow day anytime this school year, here are some things that you can do on a snow day, or any day off from school.

Snowflakes in a window. Photo from Wikimedia.

1. Sleep! It may sound unnecessary to say, but believe it or not, I know people who, on snow days, wake up at 7 AM, for no reason other than just to get up. If you’re anything like me and get very few hours of sleep when we do have school, you know that sleeping in on a snow day is the best feeling ever. It may not be so great when your sleep schedule is off, but sometimes you just need sleep, especially as a high school student.
2. Read. Okay, so I am absolutely awful at picking up a book and reading for hours on end.  I used to be able to read three books a week and feel great about it, but now I am struggling to find the time to pick up a book and relax. Although I didn’t read much these snow days (except from an APUSH textbook), I did have intentions of reading. With school and  an abundance of homework each night, it can be difficult to find the time to read, if it’s not for school. Snow days are a perfect time to sit and relax, if you’re not shoveling, with a good book. Some of my favorite books are The Great Gatsby and Perks of Being a Wallflower, and are perfect for those days when you have the time to read.
3. Color?!? A recent craze over adult coloring books and the relaxation that comes along with it made me really excited. I bought coloring books, and new pens and pencils to sit down and relax with a coloring book. The thing is, if you’re a perfectionist like me, it’s really difficult to sit down and color without the fear of coloring outside the lines, or coloring something the wrong color. I still can’t sit down and color, but I know a lot of people find it relaxing. For all of you that aren’t perfectionists, coloring may be for you, since it’s not just for kids anymore. Adult coloring books are available for under five dollars at five below, or under twenty  at Barnes and Noble.
4. Homework?! Studying?! Yes! I feel so relaxed during the snow days that I have no problem doing homework and studying. When I didn’t have an abundance of stress from a long day at school, I felt like I could actually sit down and get some of my homework done. Taking school out of the equation for the day really motivated me to do something other than sit down all day watching Law and Order (always a good snow-day activity). If you don’t feel like doing homework on a snow day, it might be beneficial to do so anyways. You have so much time and can easily make time to do homework instead of leaving it to the last minute and feeling like you need five coffees just to get you through the day.
5. That thing that you really want to do but never have the time for. Catching the first bus after school and going straight home is usually the highlight of my days. If I’m not asleep by 3:00 each day, it’s a miracle. Showering, eating, and doing homework account for the rest of my day, like many other people I know. School doesn’t just end at 2:15. It lasts until you go to sleep, when you’re done with homework. Most of the things we do after school hours, is because of school. With so much time taken up, it makes it hard to do the things you like to do-like reading, or watching a movie. A few snow days ago, I made one of melted crayon art things, and it was actually really fun. It was something I wanted to do for so long, but never felt up to doing after school. Everybody has at least that one thing that they haven’t got the chance to do because so much of their time was taken up, or school left them wanting to binge-watch Gilmore Girls and sleep, instead of wanting to do something productive or meaningful (not that watching Gilmore Girls is not meaningful, because it really is).

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New music is being published left and right. As a self-described music fanatic, a short list of some new albums seemed absolutely essential to start off an unruffled week filled with good vibes. Without further ado, here are some of my personal picks.

1. Hot Thoughts by Spoon
2. In Mind by Real Estate
3. Pulled Apart by Horses by The Haze
4. Spirit by Depeche Mode

   Depeche Mode Logo. Photo from Wikimedia.

5. Heartworms by The Shins
6. Different Creatures by Circa Waves
7. Digging a Tunnel by Sir Was
8. Yours Conditionally by Tennis
9. Look at the Powerful People by Formation
10. 50 Song Memoir by The Magnetic Fields

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One may walk by one or two homeless people a day, but thousands of people pass by a single homeless person on a daily basis. And very few people ever stop to spare some change. People are taught to have a have an expectation and belief that the one person sitting alone against a building holding a sign doesn’t deserve help because they probably do drugs.

“[People could be] very well could be right, but [they] could be wrong. That person could just be a person who’s down on their luck and they’re mortified to ask for money, but they need to live. Who are we to make that assumption?” asked Paul Hammersley, President and founder of Malden Overcoming Addiction.

Stigmatizing is the action of judging someone, based on how they look, or their condition. It’s associated with shame, dishonor, and humiliation.

Last year marked the first ever Malden Stop the Stigma Day. In this, schools vow to abolish making assumptions and judgement towards people that might need help. On April 12th, all the schools will celebrate a judgement free day and show support with the iconic turquoise ribbon pinned to their chest yet again.

Schools were also asked to create a banner and pose for a selfie for #maldenstopthestigmaday, and post it on social media. Paul Hammersley will visit all of the schools, show them a video, and take a selfie himself with the students.

The theory is, being able to cover such an important topic using social media, will not only reach this generation of kids, but also people around the world. Last year, Hammersley expected around 3,000-5,000 people to watch the video, visit the Facebook page, and take a selfie.

Students who participated in Stop the Stigma Day in 2016. Photo submited by Paul Hammersly.

“[The MOA team] assumed if [they] can touch 6,000 kids, or people in the city” that would be good enough, but the real shock came when they ”touched 6,000 kids by 8 o’clock, and by the end of the day, it was 200,000 people. There were even troops in Kuwait [taking selfies],” Hammersley explained. The success of last year’s Stop the Stigma Day was phenomenal to Malden Overcoming Addiction, and an important step into battling addiction.

Hammersley is hoping that being able to explain what stigma is, and how to prevent it with younger students will raise to a generation that help people without judgement. Stigma affects everyone, whether people know it or not. It surrounds people with addiction, or mental illness, or people considered ‘different.’ Due to this, people with diseases such as addiction are more are likely to not survive due to stigma blocking their ability to ask for help.

Recently, students from the Malden High School have been asked to create the video that will be released on Stigma Day. Senior Marisa Vasquez is leading this troupe to create a video in hopes to touch everyone. With visual and filming production done by Hammersley himself, all that is needed are students that want to take a stand alongside them. Vasquez stated that she understands how bad stigma is, and “[knows] the struggle families and people face coming from facing a loved one’s addiction.” She believes that as a student who has faced addiction within her personal life, it is her duty to make a difference in her school, people’s lives, her community, and “hopefully, the world.”

Though this is only the 2nd year that Malden Stop the Stigma Day will have been in place, massive strides towards reaching the fundamental goal have already been made. Besides Stop the Stigma Day, there were other events such as “Let’s Celebrate Sober,” a New Year’s Eve party that brought in the new year free of addiction. During the summer, Malden Overcoming Addiction hosted “Malden Overcomes Day,” meant for everyone to enjoy and bring the community closer, and a few vigils for those lost to drug use.

Soon to be joining our community are Recovery Coaches, who will be available to talk to anyone who needs help, or struggles to get the help they need. Besides this, there’s hope for a Recovery Clinic that would benefit Malden and surrounding cities. “Stigma is crippling,” Hammersley stated, who also had faced struggles against stigma when he was younger.

“[He] was a kids who grew up a little bit overweight, [he] had a disfigurement, and people would pick on [him], and [he] would hide that because [he] didn’t want anyone to see it,” Hammersley recounted. Hopefully, having these things available to people will help reduce the amount of fatalities, and problems caused by addiction.

There’s a month until Stop the Stigma Day hits, and Malden Overcoming Addiction wants people to get involved and join the fight against addiction, and stigma. As the Malden Overcoming Addiction website states, “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.”

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Jasmine Gray is a junior at Malden High School. She has been part of outdoor track season since her freshman year. She participates in the 800 meters, the 800 relay, and the 1 mile. She was influenced to join the sport since she already participated in cross country and indoor track. So she decided to pursue outdoor track in addition.

Gray enjoys running because she likes the feeling of running for a long period of times. She finds it calming when she feels the wind in her hair. Gray also enjoys the sport because she likes the size of the track and how the size of the team attracts people. Out of all the running seasons she admits that cross country is her favorite because “when you run for a long period of time without stopping, it makes you feel really good about yourself.”

Since joining outdoor track Gray has improved individually in more ways than one. She has been able to push herself at times when she feels like giving up and is still able to persevere. Outdoor  has also helped her mental strength grow. In addition, Gray also believed that outdoor track has made her a better person as well.

Gray has many expectations for this season. These include “to win most of the meets, and qualify for states.” Above all she expects to try new things. Gray believes that this season will be a new experience for not only new members but returning members as well since they will be participating in a new league.

All in all, Gray believes that this year’s season will be very interesting as well as exciting. It will be a new experience.

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