The Malden High’s Outdoor Track team has been successful over the past years. The team has made great strides of progress year after year. To the point where they even made states.

Sophomore Sean Tran running the 100m hurdles. Photo taken by Alysha McDevitt.

In 2012, many of the indoor track athletes stayed for outdoor track and began conditioning for the upcoming outdoor season. They continued to practice before the season to ensure a successful year.  The girls outdoor track team displayed sportsmanship each practice and took responsibility in trying to meet their goals. Their coach David Londino was determined to make them train harder. All in all they tried really hard to keep their winning streak alive. For the boys outdoor track season they recruited many freshman that year in hopes of keeping the team strong. They also practiced really hard on keeping their consistency and hard work up.

In 2013, they also had aspiration for states. They opened up the season with a great 111-25 win against Medford. They did have a devastating loss against Cambridge that season but that didn’t bring them down. In fact, it made them come back stronger than ever. The boys outdoor track team dominated in their wins finishing 3-1 in the GBLS. For the girls team the freshman really helped the team propel forward this year. There also was a great energetic vibe all around. They also finished in a impressive 3-1 win.

The boys’ and girls’ teams starting the two mile race. Photo taken by Alysha McDevitt.

The team grew even stronger physically and mentally as a family in 2014. They had impressive wins against Everett and had freshman players make it to states. Runners as well as throwers did successful jobs in their events. Coach Londino was named this year’s Division 1 coach of the year, and the team were underdogs no more. They soon were finally able to dominate states as they hoped.

Last year, the team faced disadvantages due to various meets being cancelled because of the snow. They also had difficulties to find where everyone would fit on the team. Lots of their best runners were getting injured as well. Despite this they continued to persevere. They remained optimistic and still had a large amount of strong runners running. They were all able to work together as a team as well.

The outdoor track team has had a successful season over the past years, and with the start of a new season they hope to continuously  dominate their meets as well as states.

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The Alliance for Climate Education, also known as ACE, is a Colorado based organization formed to “educate people on climate science and solutions and empower them to take action,” according to the acespace.org website. The organization takes a modern stance on raising awareness to climate change by equipping students with the necessary resources to approach environmental issues with “justice and optimism.”

A large part of their organization is their ACE Assembly, a presentation for high school students about climate science, people affected by it, and how its issues can be solved. It makes climate science engaging and current. In addition to the ACE assembly, the ACE has multiple campaigns all with common goals.

The ACE fellowship is a program that offers training that helps students hone the skills they need to be leader in the climate scene. The “We Power Forward” campaign helps students find sources of renewable energy via technological platforms. Lastly, the “Do One Thing” is a campaign in which students can actively pledge to protect the climate. Overall, the ACE organization has received numerous accolades for the working they are doing in schools and communities across the nation.

The speaker for the panel held at at here at Malden High School on Friday March 3rd was Alan Palm, the Lead Program Manager for the ACE in the Greater Boston Area. Sciences and health classes met during period 5 five to attend the assembly hosted by Palm.

According to the acespace.org website, the ACE team in the Greater Boston Area has been active for about eight years and have been in collaboration with various organizations such as Better Future Project and Mass Power Forward. Highlighted events and achievements in this region include youth represented in the Bioneers Conference, attendance at the Jobs, Justice, Climate March which included giving speeches at the state house, and the passing of the bill that cut of Massachusetts from fossil fuels. The team was also able to organize a “Youth Divestment Action Day” in which students from petitioned the Massachusetts legislature. Other members of the New England team include National Program Director Rouwenna Lamm and Brian Stilwell, The Associate Program Director.

Overall, the panel held at here provided students with an important incentive to make change as youth are in the most powerful position to foster change and growth in the environment as well as society.

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Baseball was not always worldwide nor was it always popular. It is mainly popular from the North American and Central American regions. It was during the mid 1800s during the War  where baseball clubs dropped a huge quantity and it wasn’t until after the Civil War in the 1860s,  when the sport got carried out to other parts of the country by Union Soldiers.

The most valuable artifacts were up for sale just last week, all sold for $3.26 MILLION! That’s crazy, right?! Though baseball is not, nor is it probable that will ever be more popular than professional basketball or American football, it is still a sport played throughout many regions of the world.

There has been a myth going on since the year 1907 about who the real creator of the sport really is. The legend has it that a young man named Abner Doubleday invented the sport in Cooperstown, New York during the summer of 1839. The true creator is said to be Alexander Cartwright in 1845. The first recorded baseball contest took place a year later in 1846.

In 1871, the National Association became the first professional baseball league. The first major league baseball team was Cincinnati Red Stockings, established in 1869. This team either had really good skills and strategy or they were going against the wrong people because they won sixty-seven games and lost none! The thought of paid players then caught on after this point. The oldest major league baseball team would be the Atlanta Braves from the year 1871. The first World Series was played between Pittsburgh and Boston in 1903 and Boston won with a score of 5-3.

Henry Chadwick is known as the “father of baseball” which is actually strange because so is the inventor of baseball. Henry Chadwick was an English-born American sportswriter; baseball historian. This information is quite certain but supposedly some people consider Chadick as the “father of baseball” and others consider Cartwright.

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Recently, English teachers have been encouraging their students to submit essay submissions for the chance to be in the first edition of anew Writers’ Den publication. This title for this year’s publication is My Malden, My Self , and will feature essays that students based off of their own selfies.

Photo of flyer for Writer’s Den. Photo taken by Tenzin Dorjee.

The idea to make a publication came in the beginning stages of even just the Writers Den. Part of the deal with getting the Writers’ Den funded was to make different editions of publications, apart from just having the den as a communal space.

Regarding the idea to make selfie essays the idea for this year’s publication, Larry Evans, the person responsible for running the Writers’ Den, credits MHS English teacher Sean Walsh as being the one behind the idea. Walsh proposed this because most students have written this essay as an assignment their freshman year which means that anyone could submit something if they wanted to, and it wouldn’t be something that they would have to take too much time out of their lives to work on, apart from making some revisions and meeting with Evans to see how to make it the best version of the writing.

Right now all submissions are welcome, but there isn’t a clear answer on whether everyone who submits will be featured in the publication. Evans says that it “all depends on the number of submissions [he] gets because there might not be enough space to have everyone’s essay featured if there are hundred of submissions. He says “it might end up having to be selective in order to get a good spread.” So far, though, he mentioned that he has already gotten a couple of submissions for the publication, and hopes to get more.

The designing of the publication will be a collaboration with Blue and Gold advisor and English teacher, Ryan Gallagher, and some of his students. Evans explained that “layout isn’t [his] specialty so [he] will mainly be involved in copy editing and working with students on their revisions.”

Evans hopes that this publication “gives Malden a sense of how interesting and unique every student is.” He also thinks that having this type of publication, now especially, “is really important because despite background differences, people can come together, see how similar they are, and see how they are all a part of the same community and how they should value each other.” Personally, he wants “students to feel like they are proud of themselves when seeing their work published.”

Evans sees this project “as a continuation of the Writers’ Den because it is supporting student writing and creativity.” The Writers’ Den also has other projects going on including Poetry Club and Spoken Word Club, which Evans feels have gone very well since their launch. He has enjoyed “getting to know students and takes pride and advantage in being able to teach them creative writing skills.”

If you would like to submit an essay, Evans can be found in the Writers’ Den, located in B326. You can begin looking out for the printed publication starting around mid-April.

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It is a well known fact that no generation is like the other. And while the class of 2017 is preparing to bid their farewells, the class of 2018 is introducing themselves as soon to be seniors through the annual edition of Malden High School’s Junior Varieties.

Junior Lauryn Pointdexter performing “Killing Me Softly” by Fugees. Photo taken by Leah Tramondozzi.

The 77th annual JVs show is meant to showcase different talents in the school and is held every year as the biggest class fundraiser for the junior class of that year. Students can perform any number of talents, from singing, to reciting poetry- playing an instrument, or even dancing. Friends, family, faculty, and students are encouraged to show their support to the current juniors by attending the show. This year, all the money raised will go to the class of 2018.

Last year, JVs for the graduating class of 2017 was spectacular. Senior Jesse Bouley, Vice President for the class of 2017 said that this year, he could visibly see all the hard work the juniors had put into making the show enjoyable for everyone. Since he was a part of the JVs last year as one of the hosts alongside seniors Erin Mulcahy and historian James Mac, Bouley noted that “seeing it all together with [him] not in it this year, [he] really [appreciates] all they work they do.” Which is true, especially considering the amount of practice all the staff and crew put into perfecting the show.

Everyone was hopeful that this year was going to be just as, or even more successful, as last year’s JV’s. Students worked hard for a good show to happen. The team met for up to 6 hours after school nearly daily and even on weekends, running through the show to perfect its timing and performances. MHS science teacher Katherine Haskell, advisor for the class, stated that, “[she] doesn’t think one can ever prepare for the hours that [they] had to put in.” The rehearsals, in Haskell’s opinion, was one of the toughest things about JV’s. Junior Dani Urbina, one of the crew members in charge of lights during the show, believed that the amount of work they put in “was crazy,” noting that “the latest [they have] ever been [in practice] was until 10pm, and the earliest [they have] ever gone out was 6am.”

This year, the main theme was a road trip. Titled “Away We Go: The Road to JVs”, the hosts, juniors Shania Ashley and Carla McFarlane took the audience from Miami to Malden, showing us all the amazing people and performances along the road trip in hopes of getting to JVs on time. There were 19 “stops” or acts, and the humorous hosts showed us exactly how fun, and how crazy, a road trip can be. Before the show, Ashley stated that she felt like she was going to forget her lines, emitting the same nervousness that all the other performers had before the show.

Senior Dorabela Sousa performing “Love on the Brain” by Rihanna. Photo taken by Leah Tramondozzi.

For many of the performers, this was their first time being in JV’s. Some people were involved with Dancing With the Teachers this past November and were a bit more familiar with the set up in terms of performances and practice. For Haskell, this is her first time advising an event this large. She has participated in Dancing With the Teachers and in the Lunar New Year show, though there weren’t as many acts or practice times needed. Even though this was a large performance, many people found the experience to be humbling and exciting.

For Class officers, the Road to JVs is one of the biggest fundraisers, and events that they’ll have to work on. Anna Powers, Vice President for the Class of 2018 stated, “[There is] another fundraiser called Dancing with the Teachers, which is this, but on a way smaller scale. So this took a lot of getting used to, and a lot of preparation, but it’s pretty similar to that.” The goal of JV’s is always to get a good performance, but also to raise money for the class’ senior prom. Many of the class officers had to keep track of people, ads, and a million other things.

Many performers wanted to be an act in JV’s simply to help the juniors to raise money. For the MHS Chamber Orchestra, JV’s was the perfect time to reach out and do more performances between the winter and spring concert. The group did a medley of songs including songs like “Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson, “All of Me” by John Legend, and “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen. Junior Naomi Brill explained that the orchestra “[has] been a group for 3 years now. So [they] kind of figured that [they would] do JV’s and this [has always been their] plan.”

Senior Eduarda Pereira performing “It’s a Man’s World” by James Brown. Photo by Leah Tramondozzi.

Another performer, junior Zachary Dunphy, aka Uma Hips, which is his popular drag queen persona, sang “I Am What I Am” from La Cage Aux Folles, had his first onstage debut at JV’s. For the past few years, Dunphy has seen JV’s and always thought about performing in it, until one day he decided “why not?” He wanted to offer a new unique performance that hasn’t been offered in JVs before since not many people “are going to be getting onstage in drag anytime soon.” He’s really enjoyed the experience due to “the network of people that [has supported him] every time [he got] on stage.” As the first act in the show, he set the mood happy and proud.

A group of dancers composed of juniors Megan McCoy, Sidney Rodriguez, Ruthie Bilimo and Isadora Alpino, performed to a mix of 90s and early 2000s music. Alpino wanted to be involved with JV’s after seeing MHS alum Kamila Regalado perform to a Beyonce mix her freshman year. They decided that since they did Dancing With the Teachers in the past, they might as well continue dancing now. McCoy stated that one of her favorite parts about their performance was the step part while Rodriguez noted that the transition in songs was really impressive and fun.

There were so many other performances that showed off their talents to the school. There were original songs, and traditional dances. Although sadly Ashley and McFarlane did not get to Malden on time, much of the audience cheered and enjoyed the show.

Freshman Cameron D’Etremont stated that “this was a really good show [and he] loved the liveliness of it all.” This was a sentiment that the crowd clearly echoed as the show ended both nights with huge applause, with even mayor of Malden, Gary Christenson reacting on Twitter saying how this year’s JV’s “will be one of [his] all-time faves.”

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The class of 2017 hosted a dodgeball tournament on March 2nd, from 3:30-5:30 pm. There were about six teams with ten people on each and around 80-90 spectators. All in all being a “good crowd” states senior Aigula Fitzgerald. “Our senior class [had a dodgeball tournament] two years ago and it had a really good turn out [she] didn’t get to do it that year so [she] signed up this year.” Fitzgerald states about the event.

Balls lined in the middle of the gym. Photo taken by Falyn Kelley.

The six teams with ten people on each team arrived to the event with their tickets ready for the excitement to flood throughout Malden High’s gymnasium. All profits being made to help the class of 2017, focusing on the funding of their prom.  

The general ambience of the game was “relaxed” according to Fitzgerald’s experience.

Senior class vice president and referee of the game, Jesse Bouley explains the reasoning of the game best, stating “[they] wanted to do something fun and make a little bit of money.”

Many people that came brought friends to enjoy the game with them as well, adding to the amount of onlookers and people participating in the game. Around eight balls are placed in the middle of the gym floor for both teams to share, or hoard from each other. After you have what you need, in this case being a ball, the goal of the game is to get as many people on the other teamed as possible  tagged with a ball which ends with them being called out of the game.

People on team reaching for a dodgeball. Photo taken by Falyn Kelley.

It is confidently said that everyone that attended had fun and the compensation given was greatly appreciated. “[He thinks] it’s a good idea for any class to do” states Bouley.

“[They] weren’t expecting many people to come because [they] didn’t advertise as much as [they] could have,” says Bouley. This belief causing it to be a pleasant surprise when around 80-90 people showed up to support our seniors while playing and watching their friends “fight for their lives” via the MHS gymnasium.

All in all, dodgeball has been an overall success for the class of 2017, resulting in a decent amount of money to help support the seniors’ prom. Other events are being planned by Ms.Northrop to help earn some more money to support for their prom.

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Sophomore Thomas Tran is no stranger to Malden High School boys tennis team. Having played tennis since his childhood, Tran possesses experience that is vital to the tram. This is why Tran choose to play tennis is enjoying his first year on varsity team, after playing on the junior varsity team in his freshman year.

The team ended its season last year with an overall record of 7-8 failing to made to the playoffs. This year they are hoping to improve upon last year and continue to grow as tennis players. However doing this will be difficult as explained by Tran who mention that, “the team has lost all of the key senior players from last year.” and that the team is “completely new this year with only three returning player.”

When asked about what inspired Tran to play tennis he ascribed it to his “father and watching professional tennis.” He explained that his favorite professional tennis player is Rafael Nadal who he is fascinated by because of his “stamina and consistent play.”

Sophomore Luis Gilbert had a lot to say about his fellow teammate Tran. Gilbert mention that, “Tran is very good and skillful player who is always calm.” He added, “although [they] have been friends for long time, [they] only started playing tennis together their freshmen year.” He described, “the year of playing tennis with him has been fabulous.” Gilbert did not stop there, he mentioned that, he also “[respects] the supportive and helpful nature” of Tran.

Tran describe himself as “offensive player who is always looking to attack.” Although, he did mention his hope to “be more consistent” with his play.

When asked about what he want to improve this season, he mentioned that “personally [he] is working to improve [his] serving skills so that [he avoids] fouls more often.” As a team, Tran wants to “help [his] new teammates become accustomed with tennis.” Compared to the last year, Tran stated that his, “serve and forehand slice are [his] most improved shot.”

Outside of the tennis, Tran very much also enjoys playing soccer and ping pong. In fact, he is a member of the MHS soccer team and plays ping pong regularly.  

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Dear Nedlam,

It’s nearing the end of the year and a lot of my friends are seniors so they will be graduating soon. They all matter a lot to me and I’m scared that we’ll fall out of touch or that we’ll stop talking to each other. Any ideas on how to keep that from happening?

Sincerely,

Worried Underclassman

Dear Worried Underclassman,

I think it’s awesome that you care so much about your friends and that you’re committed to being their friend for a long time. For starters, I think you first have to realize that things will be different but just because things will change, it doesn’t mean that things will change in a bad way. As connected as I hope you stay will all of your graduating friends, don’t let that limit you from being friends with those still around you and don’t let missing people spoil all the amazing moments you’re going to keep having.

However, I think it’s vital that if you want to stay connected, to make a commitment to do so. Since you’re already friends with these people I’m assuming you have ways to contact them, but you might not always think about when you do so. What I mean is, depending on where your friends go to school, you guys might not see each other as often as you’d like, so make sure to try and set up times where the both of you can talk at the same time. I know some people aren’t huge fans of talking on the phone, but talking on the phone is a lot more personal than just texting. Facetiming too is great and forces the both of you to be online at the same time when talking to each other.

Another way to keep in touch, that I know not a lot of people are fans of either, is mail. Like sending letters or packages to your friends at college. I’m not saying this is a must, but sometimes it’s really meaningful to receive something in the mail from someone, especially if it’s a letter because you know they took the time to sit down and write it for you.

I also recommend spending time together when you can, I know that some people might be farther away than others and that both of you will probably be leading busy lives, but nothing beats spending time in person. If you want them to stay part of your life then it’s your job to let them know that and you just need to keep being the great friend you’ve always been for them.

I don’t know where people’s lives will lead them, but if you want to stay connected to someone, and they care about you, then I know that no matter what you’ll always find a way to be part of each other’s lives. Hope this helps

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On March 20, a group of MHS juniors attended a special screening of the film “Hidden Figures” at the JFK Presidential Library and Museum in Boston. The screening was held in honor of Massachusetts Black History Month and Women’s History Month, which are held in February and March, respectively.

A poster for the Hidden Figures screening. Photo taken by Christina Appignani.

Prior to the screening, students were welcomed by the executive director of the Massachusetts Archives and Commonwealth Museum, J. Michael Comeau. He then invited the docent manager of the JFK Library, Katherine Gilliland, up to the podium. Gilliland explained some of the history of the time when “Hidden Figures” takes place. In 1957, The Soviet Union have just launched Sputnik 1 into space, frightening many Americans due to their lack of knowledge of the satellite. America was appalled that the Soviet Union had surpassed their space technology and that they now had the upper hand in the Nuclear Arms race. As a result, the president at the time, Dwight D. Eisenhower, sped up the U.S satellite program, resulting in the Space Race competition between the Soviet Union and the U.S.

Anne Borg, a member of the Women’s Suffrage Celebration Coalition of Massachusetts, introduced the organization “Suffrage 100 MA” to students. The organization began in 2010, when then-Attorney General Martha Coakley wanted to celebrate and commemorate the 90th Anniversary of the adoption of the 19th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution, guaranteeing women the right to vote. Aware of attorney Fredie Kay’s strong interest and passion for women’s issues, Coakley asked Fredie if she was interested in creating a commemoration. Kay then began the effort of creating the organization, inspired by her desire of sharing the largely unknown history of the women’s suffrage movement. She was also motivated by her belief that if more people understood the obstacles faced, the sacrifices made, and the physical mistreatment many women suffered in jail to achieve suffrage, the more people would appreciate and exercise their right to vote. As of 2016, more than 30 entities participate in the organization.

Hidden Figures is a biographical film, based on a nonfiction book of the same name, of the lives of three African American female mathematicians who worked at NASA during the Space Race. Katherine Globale, Mary Jackson and Dorothy Vaughan, played by Taraji P. Henson, Janelle Monáe and Octavia Spencer work in the segregated West Area Computers division of Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Globale is a mathematician who works as a “computer”, Jackson is an aspiring engineer and Vaughan is an unofficial supervisor of the West Area Computers.

Due to the increased pressure on sending American astronauts into space, Globale is assigned as the first colored woman to be apart of the Space Task Group, assisting in analytical geometry. Jackson becomes involved in the designing of the Friendship 7 capsule, which was the first American capsule to successfully orbit the earth. She decides to pursue an engineering degree and ends up attending night classes at an all white school after convincing a judge that she had every right to attend the night classes as the white men did. Vaughan prevents her co-workers from being replaced by electronic computers by teaching them Fortan, a programing language for scientific computing and numeric computation.

Despite the initial racism against them by their white colleagues, the three women make significant contributions to history for mathematics, technology, and rights for African American women. Globale’s successful calculations for the landing coordinates of the Friendship 7 capsule helped it to complete its mission. She later calculates the trajectories for the Apollo 11 and Apollo 13 missions. Jackson became NASA’s first African American engineer, who worked to make changes and highlight women and other minorities who were accomplished in science, mathematics and engineering fields. Vaughan became the first African-American supervisor of the West Area Computers

After the film, selected documents and items from the collections of the Massachusetts Archives and the JFK Library were put on display for viewing. Some of the documents displayed were a memorandums for the Vice President on overall surveys of where the U.S stood in Space, conclusions on the evaluation of the space program and a letter from John F. Kennedy to the Soviet Union expressing the satisfaction of the U.S for the safe flight of the first man into space.

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Ok so, let’s start off with a scenario.

You are in an English class with your best friends. You just finished an assignment that was an essay the week before and your teacher tells you that they graded them. You and your best friend check your grades. You received an 85 and your friend received an 95. You know you worked just as hard as your best friend did, and you still got a lower grade. Of course that starts rolling around the thoughts in your head; that you can never be as smart as your best friend and they’ve always been better than you at most things.

Do you let these thoughts take over you, or do you let them pass?

You should never live your life comparing yourselves to other people, in any situation. If anything comparing yourself is demoralizing. You should not live your life thinking that you will never amount to anything, because that is not true. You are your own person, you deal with different problems, you learn differently and you’ll never be the same as the person sitting next to you. We are all different in our own ways and we each express that differently.

We all need to learn to appreciate what we have in life. Appreciate our successes, another thing that has many different meanings for people. Looking up to someone else’s goals may tear you down, because maybe it’s just not what makes you happy and it’s not what you would want for yourself.

If you are looking for someone to compare yourself to, compare yourself to the old you. The you that you would not want to be at the moment. Think of all the improvements you’ve made and how far you’ve come. We strive to be the best version of ourselves, and seeing this change can show us that we are getting where we want to be, or that maybe we still need a little change.  

When looking for inspiration don’t turn to comparison (unless it’s to yourself). Finding inspiration without comparison may be difficult, but can be done. Look up to those who you admire and if it gets to a point where you want to compare yourself, look at it in a positive way, not so much putting yourself down. Look for some quotes that keep you motivated.

Comparison can also lead to assumption, which is definitely not everyone’s cup of tea. Saying that someone’s life is better than yours or someone else saying that your life is better than yours, does not benefit either person. You will get the wrong idea of the person. You may not know the person really well, and only know them by what is on the outside, and not on the inside. They might not be living the life you think, they could be thinking the same thing about your life and you think that your life is difficult. We create these images of what we think is perfect for other people and strive for what people want us to be, or what we think we should be.

Even if it is someone that you know, it could cause damage to the relationship you have with them. It could lead to trust issues, arguments and this image of that person created in your head of what you think this person is like.

Taking a step back, and realizing what is best for yourself can do wonders. It can boost your self confidence, knowing your different passions, and appreciating that you are different from everyone else. Do what you want to do and what is best for you. Besides taking account into what people care about you think is best for you, you should always do you think will benefit you.

From personal experience, I’ve tried not to let myself be compared to others. I know my friends are capable of things that I might not be able to do, and I think that it’s cool that they can do those things.  They can do their thing and I’m gonna do my thing and we keep going on, but I won’t be putting myself down. I’m gonna push myself to be a better version of myself, not a better version of someone else.

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The finalists in the search for a new superintendent for Malden were announced on March 16. With a mayor-appointed search committee, the four initial finalists were chosen then a fifth, added on after being excluded. John Oteri, Somerville High School’s principal, Patricia Lally, Holbrook’s superintendent, Portia Bonner, East Haven’s superintendent, as well as former Malden High School principal, Dana Brown, were all included in the initial four finalists. The current interim superintendent, Charles Grandson, was not initially included in the finalists, who would be presented to the school board. He was, however, later added as a fifth candidate for the permanent superintendent position.

The process began with a search committee, chosen by Malden Mayor Gary Christenson. With fourteen applicants, the committee had to narrow them down into eight semi-finalists. These eight applicants were interviewed by the committee and then deliberated the final four applicants. Paul Degenkolb, a french teacher at Malden High, who was on the search committee says that for the most part, the deliberations among the committee had overall consensus, for the most paty. The committee made the recommendations to the school board of two men and two women applicants, in which Grandson was soon added.

Among the four finalists is Dana Brown, the former principal of Malden High School, and the most familiar candidate, who left last year, taking a job at Bunker Hill Community College.

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Senior Germano Fidelis is leading the Malden High boys volleyball team as a captain for the third straight season. As a sophomore, Fidelis was one of the many student athletes that proposed a boys volleyball team to Malden High School. He got his wish that year, and has served as team captain since the program’s inception.

Having never played organized volleyball before the school’s program began his sophomore year, Fidelis cited his growth as a player over the past three years as something he is very proud of. He explained that personally, he has improved his game significantly through “acquiring experience of the game” and now is able to “pass on tips and tricks to [his] teammates.”  

Senior Germano Fidelis at a game against Methuen. Photo taken by Ana Kerr.

When asked what aspect of the sport he enjoyed most, Fidelis replied that “[he enjoys] the teamwork embedded in volleyball” and “how every position has its role in getting a point for the team.”

Last season the team failed to qualify for the postseason, but his year, Fidelis hopes to lead his team to a playoff berth in his final year on the team. However, doing so will be challenging as the team has lost numerous seniors from the season before who were key assets to the team. In order to succeed in this newcomers and lesser experienced players must step up and perform. In fact, it is “training the game of volleyball to the new underclassmen interested in the program” that Fidelis finds as the most challenging aspect of the season.

When asked about the locker room, Fidelis praised the team’s chemistry. He stated that the chemistry between the returning players is “stellar” and that “[they] have a bond like no other. He elaborated that his teammates “continue improve together” while also maintaining “a friendly and goofy atmosphere during the season.” He concluded that this season he is most looking forward to “getting together with my teammates and playing some competitive volleyball” while also “have a good time.”

Outside of volleyball, Fidelis is also a dedicated soccer player and plays for the high school in the fall season. Additionally he continues with soccer into the winter where he plays for a club team. Other than sports, Fidelis expressed his love for listening to music and describes it as “one of [his] favorite hobbies.”       

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Hobby Club has been a club offered here at Malden High School since around last September. In full disclosure the president and founder of the club is Blue and Gold editor-in-chief Tenzin Dorjee. The rest of the officers of the clubs are also seniors, specifically co-vice presidents Gus Brookes and Tyler Ashworth, treasurer Joseph Keohane, and secretary Jared Anderson. The club’s advisor is MHS Latin teacher Julie Snyder. The idea for this club had been thrown around by all four of them, and Dorjee was the one to give the final push and figured out how they could actually make this club a reality.

President Dorjee says he wanted to make hobby club to “allow students from Malden High school to have a place to enjoy various interests such as trading card games, board games, tabletop RPGs, etc.” At the club, students can gather and spend time with their friends outside of the traditional classroom setting. The club would be “a stress-free environment where people can have a fun time without worrying about any type of judgement for their interests.” Thus, whether one is a casual player or serious competitor, the Hobby Club would be a place where all are accepted.

Treasurer Keohane said that hobby club was created “to give everyone a space to nerd out and be themselves.” Anderson, the secretary, wanted to be a part of the club because he felt that it “would be more accepting of people who play card games,” instead of the usual “basement dweller, and ‘no life nerds’” reputation that card players normally get. He hoped to get the respect for playing and “give the same level of respect to the members of the club.”

Hobby club has committed members, with around 7-8 people coming to the meetings and gatherings that the club arranges, but it varies on what type of games they are focused on playing that day.

According to Keohane, Snyder was approached because they knew that she had a past experience in playing the type of games that they enjoy, so she was easily their “number one candidate.”

Koahane’s goals in creating this club were to “make more friends, to play more games, and to give people the experience to be a full fledged nerd.” He said that although he is the treasurer, he still feels like any other member, because in reality everyone in the club makes decisions on when to have gatherings or suggesting new things to do. He said they “do most things as an entire club” so the titles are not something to really focus on. The only thing different about being treasurer is playing sure everyone contributes when they need money for something that they have decided to try together.

To anyone who wants to join hobby club, Keohane encourages anyone to stop by Snyder’s room to “have a fun time with some fun people.” Anderson adds on to that saying that those who are interested in joining should know that “it’s an accepting place, and to not be shy about teaching the club a different game because [they] are always interested in new ones.” Anyone is welcome to join, no matter their skill level at a particular game. If you are interested in joining you can find Snyder’s room in H415 and meetings are every Thursday.

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This spring, Malden Golden Tornadoes boys tennis team was welcomed by new coach and MHS physical education teacher Mark Gagnon with new goal and high expectations. This year’s team is looking forward to getting a good record and possibly even exceeding their record from last year.

Sophomore Thomas Tran practicing. Photo by Subin Bastola.

Last season, team finished with an overall record of 7-8, unfortunately missing the playoffs. Returning player, sophomore Thomas Tran states that, “the team has lost all of the key senior players from last year,” and that the team is “completely new this year with only three returning players.” This year they are hoping to improve upon last year and continue to grow as tennis players.

Boys tennis team practicing. Photo taken by Subin Bastola.

This year boys tennis team is lead by sophomore Nathaniel Victor. He mentions that “as there are a lot of new players one of the challenges is to discipline them with cardio and workouts.” Victor was scared last year thinking  MHS was not going to have tennis season this year since bunch of players graduated last year however he was very happy that they were able to create a team and get back to the court.

When asked about what inspired Gagnon to be a tennis coach he credited to his passion of tennis and he was also a tennis player of MHS class of 1993.  When asked about the challenges of this season he stated that, “one that [the team] overcame was number of the players because the [team] wanted to make sure they have at least over ten players.”  He explains that “it’s challenging to have bunch of new players,” however he has great expectations for the three returning players.  

The Golden Tornadoes will facing its first game on April 10th against Lynn English Bulldogs  at Lynn English High.

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Although midterms have long been over, standardized tests are still relevant as ever, especially at Malden High School, where Mastery Connect is becoming more relevant. The midterms were taken via Mastery Connect, a program which replaces the scantron sheets and physical tests.

Mastery Connect logo. Photo from Mastery Connect.

Freshman Blue & Gold Member Ana Pirosca. Photo taken by Sydney Stumpf.

The switch to Mastery Connect was a decision made by the superintendent over the summer. Abbey Dick, the humanities director, noted that the job of the “directors was to make sure that every teacher had his/her test online.” This, according to Dick, was the work of two months. Although there were some glitches the first day, in which not all computers had the internet blocked, “the rest of the week went pretty smoothly.” “We anticipated that there were going to be some glitches,” says Dick. For some of the students this was the first time taking a test like this, online, but for others, this was not new. Mastery Connect will be used for grades 6-12 for both midterms and upcoming finals.

Freshman Blue & Gold member Sabrina Monteiro. Photo taken by Sydney Stumpf.

Many students had mixed feelings about the midterms and their new platform. Sophomore Santiago Portillo thought that the platform “made things harder for most people”, and called the change of platforms “unnecessary”. Seniors, who have taken midterms and finals on paper in the past years, also commented on the change. Stephen Deng, a senior, took six of his midterms online and said that they “went smoothly for the most part”, but “prefers paper and pencil.” Senior Allyson Kummins took 3 of her midterms online. Kummins believes that the midterms went “better than [she’d] thought it would”. Kummins was excited to find out about the switch, because she says she has “messy handwriting” but that was not addressed, as only the multiple-choice questions were taken online. Kummins “definitely likes paper better though.”

Like expected, there was some positive outcomes as well as some problems, that arose with the switch to an online platform. During finals, students and teachers will both see if there are the same outcomes as during the midterms.

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Malden High School student and international fencer, junior Robert Hondor, started fencing when he was quite young because his father, a former Romanian fencer and currently his fencing coach. Hondor has travelled to many different states and countries for fencing tournaments, constantly challenging himself and furthering his abilities.

In fencing, there are three types of weapons: épeé, foil, and saber. Hondor stated that he does épeé, “where you can hit your opponent anywhere on the body and there aren’t any complicated rules about how you can score, unlike the other two.”

Hondor at one of his competitions. Photo submitted by Hondor.

His father was the person who initially got Hondor into fencing, but “being able to travel to do something [he loves] with people [he] grew up with” caused fencing to become a huge part of his life. His father did fencing back in Romania before moving to the United States and opening his own shop in which they have both beginners classes as well as advanced, competitive courses and training. Practicing hours upon hours a week may seem tedious, but for Hondor it is something to look forward for, in which he can train and better his abilities.

As far as goals, Hondor has accomplished many, and set many more. He said that his last competition in Kansas City in which he took home gold in the Cadet Mens épeé was his proudest moment thus far, however, “[he wants] to go as far as [he] can.”

He also claimed that “[he wants] to fence in World Championships with the best fencers around the world, and maybe if [he] has it in [him], to qualify for the Olympics.” With the love and commitment Hondor shows for this sport, it is no wonder he is travelling around the world competing.

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From soccer to football to volleyball to every other sport Malden High School has to offer, no matter what sport it is, Malden High sports are very popular. From the traditional Malden vs. Medford football game on Thanksgiving, to the very much anticipated Malden vs. Everett basketball game, to the Powderpuff games. Whatever the sport, there is a sport for everyone, or a sport that everyone likes to watch.

MHS just recently announced an app for the school’s sports, called the Malden Golden Tornadoes. The publisher is SuperFanU, Inc. This app would include a schedule for all the sports, so that you could check your own sports schedules or check out if there are any games you want to go out and watch.

The high school mentions rewards, which you use to unlock rewards and specific offers. They’re the prize you receive when you get a certain amount of points, which you gather when you attend and check into events sponsored by MHS.

Malden Golden Tornados homepage. Photo from app.

There is an account feature which is most likely going to feature your name and athletic information as a student here at Malden High. It would be nice if your name could be put under a specific team and projected on the app if you do something helpful in a game like score a goal, assist a goal, score a lot of points, etc. The social feature is probably going to emerge from the account feature, where you can most likely interact with other students accounts from the same or different sports.

There are “Purchase” and “Offer” buttons, which would have to do with MHS sports merchandise. Before the app, it was hard to get merchandise for a sport until the end of the season, once a season. Now with the app, it should be easier to buy and obtain your sports merchandise so that you don’t have to wait until the end of the season to represent your favorite MHS sport.

Freshman track team member Nour Chouiki, thinks that the whole idea is really cool, and really likes it. She thinks it would be “easier to see when you have practices and games” which would avoid things like misunderstood practice times or switched game schedules.

Freshman track team member Batoul Chouiki, thinks that it will be a good idea “if a lot of people are interested.” She thinks it would help new athletes that are joining sports not get lost in the fast-paced schedule of most Malden High sports. “I think we should give it a try, and if it’s successful, keep it.”

Sophomore soccer player Audree Carleton, thinks it “would be so helpful, [and] would use it a lot!” It would make the school more involved, and get people more excited and in touch with the sports and games that are going on around them.

It would be great to have both boys and girls sports team on the app, and it would also be great to have access to all the schedules and merchandise, which is why people are looking forward to this app and expecting great things!

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Four participants of the Tournament, consist of freshman Brian Nguyen, freshman Rasmee Ky, sophomore Birukti Tsige and junior Carla Rosales-McFarlane. Photo submitted by Candra Cho.

 On Sunday March 18th, the students of Malden High School embarked on a journey to participate in a Debate Tournament in Needham, Massachusetts and compete with other schools from the state. The event consisted of many competitions with each focusing a specific field or skill. “There are various types of speech and debate that students can compete for, [such as] poetry reading, impromptu speech, student congress, group discussion,” says Candra Cho, the parent of freshman Rasmee Ky who was a part of the contest. The event last from late morning until late afternoon.

For freshman Matthew Mijares, joining the tournament is “an important thing to do as a member of the debate club” Said Mijares. To him, the competition is a great way to let others know that Malden High has a strong debate team.

On the other hand, some, like freshman Brian Nguyen and junior Carla Rosales-McFarlane participated in the competition partly because of a friend.  From Nguyen’s perspective, the contest is a way to “make a name for yourself and put it out there” and to “do something great for the school and yourself.” “[Her] friend talked [her] into doing it” explained Rosales-McFarlane, “the other reason for joining is [her] passion for poetry in general. [Poetry] helped [her] with speaking to a room full of audience and keep them engaged [in] a topic people would not normally be comfortable to talk about.” Additionally, her reason of being a part of the contest is because it is a chance to get to know the world out there and it is also a way for her to prove that “regardless of [one’s] background or where [one] comes from, there are opportunities out there for people to challenge themselves and those around them.”

Being in a competition also has a perk. “[Joining tournament like this] will help you, especially during college admission,” explained Mijares. In sophomore Birukti Tsige’s opinion, it is one of a kind social gathering and a great way to meet others. “It is good to get out there and see how other people interact with one another,” says Tsige “Being with other people for almost a whole day would bring us together.”

Additionally, it provided students with “public speaking as well as a way to build confidence and poise as some students don’t get exposure/opportunities for such experiences,” explains Tsige.  As she is doing poetry and has to express herself in front of a big audience, Tsige expected it to be a little bit overwhelming soon since she “had not taken in what is going to happen yet.” For Rosales-McFarlane, however, despite having to perform in front of a huge audience just like Tsige, had a different reaction as she is “excited for what could happen.”

The competition ended with Tsige being able to break through (a term used to describe when someone made it to the final); she came in fourth place for poetry reading. The others were not able to break through. Though her daughter was not able to make it through the final, Cho said that she is “very happy that [Rasmee] was willing to give it a try as she wasn’t sure if she’d like it. [It] turns out that she enjoyed the tournament very much & would like to attend as many tournaments as she’s able to next school year.”

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The ninth annual Student vs Faculty game took place on Wednesday, March 22nd at the MHS Finn Gym. The event was hosted by the MHS crew team and profits went to both the crew team and the Tornado Travelers Club. Additionally, commentating over the game was MHS business teacher James Valente, who provided some humor over the action.

MHS guidance counselor Taryn Belowsky trying to block a pass by junior Javier Regis. Photo by Leah Tramondozzi.

Participating in the game was a team of faculty members, which included MHS principal Edward Lombardi in his first year participating in the event going up against a team featuring members from the MHS junior varsity and varsity basketball teams. This year, a change was implemented to the game which allowed for lineups on the court to feature both male and female players at the same time, instead of the usual male and female exclusive line ups in the past.

This change made for an exciting matchup that went down to the wire. The game saw the students redeem their loss in last year’s event by defeating the faculty team by a final score of 44-41.  

The students started the game on a roll and asserted themselves in a hurry, while the faculty struggled to make shots, scoring a mere four points in the first quarter. The first half saw the students build a large lead for themselves as they looked to blow the faculty out, who never quite got in rhythm during the first half. The students, on the other hand, were fully embracing the exhibition game and tried to create some highlights for people in attendance. This included wild shot attempts like that of Senior Bernard Taylor, who converted on three shots from far beyond the three point line during the first half.

Athletic director Charlie Conefrey looking to pass the ball. Photo by Leah Tramondozzi.

At halftime, two students in attendance were selected at random and participated in a free throw shooting contest. The contestants each had one minute to convert as many free throws as they can, and the contestant that converted the most won a Dunkin Donuts’ giftcard.

During the second half, the staff started to mount a comeback and began to cut away at the students’ lead. Finally managing to get their offense into a rhythm, the staff converted on many of their shot attempts and got numerous defensive shots. Notable performances for the faculty team included that of athletic director Charles Conefrey as well as principal Lombardi, who was able to convert on two three-pointers in the half. The performance by the faculty gave them a chance to tie the game at 44-44. However, with two seconds left on the clock and the ball in possession of the faculty, they were unable to tie the game and send it to overtime and lost the game 44-41.  

After the game, sophomore Robens Garcia stated that despite the game being just an exhibition, the students “really wanted to win” as “[they] wanted to redeem [their] loss from last year. When asked about his experience, Garcia dubbed the game as “fun but competitive.”  

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