Spoiler Warning for Hoboken, New Jersey.

On March 23rd, Malden High School’s Play Production held their second play of the school year: Hoboken, New Jersey. The play was focused on the individual relationships at the wedding reception of Dwight, a white guy, and Ani, a Brazilian woman who moved to America for college.

At the wedding, Ani’s sister informs her other sister as well as her father about her moving to America. Neither are happy about it, although their mother, Rosa, is pretty positive about the move. Their father is against the idea of his daughters assimilating into American culture, and he sees that at the wedding with the Americanized food, drink, and music.

Senior Nic Acuna as Cesar embracing Nathalia Sousa as Luisa. Photo by Leah Tramondozzi.

The caterers are a husband and wife duo. The husband buys tickets to the Philippines, and the wife does not want to leave her children and her catering business. The wife, who is from the Philippines, speaks in her native language throughout the play, creating more depth to the already diverse production.  

Two of the couples’ college friends are in a state between having a relationship and not, as she is doing humanitarian work, and he is staying in America.

A self-scripted play, Hoboken, New Jersey, has a lot of romance, drama, comedy; “it’s the total package,” says sophomore Michayla Moody, who plays Angelica, the flower girl at the wedding. Describing her character, Moody notes Angelica as a “symbol of coming of age within the female community,” as her character, a young girl, gets her period for the first time during the wedding reception.

Sophomore, Dexter Farren Haag plays a college friend of the couple, Bentley. Bentley and Nora, another friend of the couple played by Gabriella Onessimo, are the “stereotypical […] social justice warriors,” and throughout the play patronize other characters for eating meat, while Nora comforts Angelica as she goes through this coming of age moment.

Senior Karina Matos as Ani and junior Harrison Zeiberg as Dwight. Photo by Leah Tramondozzi.

One of the main characters, Ani, is played by senior Karina Matos, who describes her character as “very energetic and happy.” Playing Ani’s mother is sophomore Leticia Sidney. Rosa tries to spend the time with her family at her daughter’s wedding, as she traveled from Brazil, but is also trying to “help her husband come to terms with everything: helping him to let go and accept the reality of what is happening,” as he is not as accepting of the marriage.

As for the process of writing the play, it was “very long” but “so much fun,” says Moody. Beginning with a quote from Bob Dylan’s My Back Pages, “Ah, but I was so much older then I’m younger than that now” in December, and improv-ing off of that quote, “once [they] had [their] characters and setting, it didn’t take long for things to fall together.” Because the play was largely based off of improvisation done prior, it was pretty easy to memorize their lines, many of the actors note. “After establishing that [their] play was going to be at the end of a wedding, we just built characters and stories,” says Sidney. Farren Haag says that as the group scripted, the props, set, and costumes came along. Matos notes how the improvisation aspect of creating the show “meant that [they] were constantly making changes to it up to about a week before we performed it.”

PlayPro teacher Miranda Libkin notes the many ideas being thrown around before the idea of wedding was chosen. Libkin says after the wedding was the chosen scene, “there were even more ideas, like who’s there how are they connected to each other, how are they not connected, and what happens at a wedding.”

The show was part of Drama Festivals, in which Malden High’s theater production department went to Weston and Wellesley to perform their self-scripted play. About eight schools put on their shows at a host school, says Farren Haag. Hoboken was first performed at Weston. At these performances judges critique the shows and the actors get awards. “A lot of people came up to [them] after and said it really resonated with them and they could relate to the characters and events a lot,” says Farren Haag on the performances done at Weston and Wellesley.

Before performing the play at Malden, Moody thought the audience was going to “adore it,” as it would “really pull on the heartstrings.” Overall, Moody says, “there’s a lot of amazing moments, whether they are funny or romantic, or intense.”

Sidney was hopeful that the audience was going to enjoy seeing the “variety of people [and cultures] represented.” As Hoboken, Sidney states, is a very political show, she believed that the audience would form some sort of opinion on the topics and issues addressed. However, Sidney hoped that “they see the sweeter side of it, with the relationships within the families and the more comedic parts.”

Farren Haag thought the production’s addressment of political issues was “more underlying.” He thought that the play was “representative of current events in a subtle way.” In Weston, where the group first performed Hoboken, Matos notes how it was performed in front of “a bunch of other actors and two judges,” and how the group “received a really positive response from that.” At the performance done at Malden High, Matos states how the “performance was good, but [they] got less feedback about what people thought about the play.” At the final performance in Wellesley, there were new judges who “also really loved the play.”

The first time performing the play “was the most exhilarating,” says Matos, “since not only was it the first performance but it was also in front of other actors and judges.” The performance at Wellesley, the last one, really “impacted [Matos], because [she’s] a senior and it was [her] last Drama Festival and the last time [they] would perform this play.”

Libkin says that creating the play was “a little bit stressful”, as she is not “used to creating”. However, she does believe that the rewards is greater. There is lots of “relief and excitement afterwards.”

Moody added that they “really put so much work into this show” and that she’s “super proud of this production.”

Sidney says that after performing the play “all the hard work is definitely worth it”. Farren haag notes the “blood, sweat, and tears” that was put into this production.

As a senior, Karina Matos “will never forget the experience [she has] had with these people, and being part of this play as well as Play Production.” Matos “might never get to be Ani again, but [she] loved being a part of her life for a bit, and [she knows] that the fake family [she] acted with will always be a real family to [her] no matter what.”

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The 14th annual Anime Boston convention was held at the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center in Boston. The convention lasted 3 days, from Friday to Sunday, under the supervision of the New England Anime Society, whose focus is to celebrate and promote Japanese animation, comics and pop culture.

Cosplayers at Anime Boston. Photo from Wikimedia.

Since 2003, the convention has experienced unprecedented growth. It became so huge that it outgrew its original space in the Boston Park Plaza Hotel and moved to the Hynes Convention Center in 2005. The first convention in 2003 had 4,000 people in attendance, and by 2012, over 22,000 people attended throughout the weekend. The Anime Boston website states that the Hynes Convention Center, along with the Sheraton Hotel in Boston, has “allowed [Anime Boston] to grow in ways [they] could not have imagined since the idea was first conceived.”

While the main focus of Anime Boston has always been Japanese animation and comics, they have expanded to include other aspects of Japanese pop culture, such as J-Pop, J-Rock and live action Japanese media. The convention also explores Japanese history and traditional culture. As the convention’s popularity grows, it has even begun to incorporate popular non-Japanese animations/shows such as those from Marvel and DC comics and cartoons like Steven Universe.

Over 350 staff members and volunteers, who are all fans of Japanese culture, work to make Anime Boston a success each year. They work year-round to prepare for each convention. The Anime Boston website states that “the hard work and dedication of [their] staff members ensures that [they] put on the best show possible.”

Throughout the weekend, Anime Boston presented popular events including a masquerade, an anime music video contest, video programming rooms, an artist’s alley and art show, karaoke, game shows, video games, dances and much more. The convention also had some special guests and industry representatives. Many people that attended the convention showed up in cosplay of characters from anime, manga, and pop culture in general.

Outside of Anime Boston, the New England Anime Society has also participated in First Night Boston. At First Night, they take the opportunity to reach out to the public and introduce them to Japanese animation and pop-culture. The society is also a part of Geek Central, which is a group of geeky organizations and businesses that get together to run events all through Central Square in Cambridge. They host events such as anime screenings, gaming events and card tournaments. From 2012-2013, NEAS was also a part of Arisia, which is New England’s Largest, Most Diverse Sci-Fi and Fantasy Convention.

The next Anime Boston is scheduled to be from March 30 2018 to April 1 2018.

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As the outdoor track season begins, coaches and athletes alike have established common goals for the season: to win a majority of their meets this season, as well as grow as a team. They intend to start the season off strong in the new league.

Coach Londino hopes to go into the North Eastern Conference with a winning streak. Londino is “excited for the new league” and how it will bring more competitive meets to the team as well as gain even more state qualifiers. Londino will find this league different because there are sixteen leagues in the Conference and out of those sixteen leagues, Malden will compete with eight of them. Each meet will be more competitive and harder. He also thinks that the new runners that they have are really talented and a few will be able to make it to varsity. 

Juniors Adeline Ocean and Jasmine Gray running the two mile race. Photo by Alysha McDevitt.

Athletes on the team include Taymise Sanders, Rachel Loreus, Lisa Ringdahl, and Adela Dzaferagic. They all have high hopes for the season which is to make it to all states. They are excited for the new league as well, since it will bring tougher competition. Sanders states that the team is “very hard-working and even practice in the rain.” Since they lost some runners last year, they will have to build up their underclassmen. Sanders also believes that the new runners will do great this season because the freshmen in indoor track were talented runners. Ringdahl states the she “is sad about losing runners from last year but it won’t really hurt them because they have new freshman they can train.”

Dzaferagic states they have many goals this season which includes “going for 4-0 for the beginning of this season, and knocking down as many meets as they can.” She also believes that they will face a lot of challenges this season. The team will be facing a lot of new teams that have strong runners, and because of that Dzaferagic believes that the team has to “work on their depth”. She also mentions that the distance runners will be putting more work into their practices because a lot of the schools they’ve been facing have a lot of feeder programs that train runners in middle school. Since Malden doesn’t have that, they will have be conditioned more. Loreus believes that in regards of the boys and girls sprinters they have to build up their stamina and speed.

All in all, as the season starts, the outdoor track team  has very high expectations for this season and plan to hit the ground running.

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Originally established by former Malden High School student, Tri Pham, the ping pong club was founded about two years ago. Now, it is lead by Malden High senior Brandon Li. The club is made up of between ten to fifteen members that are all Malden High School students, who are extremely passionate about ping pong. They meet everyday after school to practice and compete against each other in the Malden High School Cafe B until about 5:30 pm, and they have their meetings on Fridays. Senior Danny Mai, an active member of the ping pong club, explained that a lot of the members who are, “really dedicated come by to play almost everyday,” but if given the chance, “[they would] stay longer.”

Members senior Danny Mai and junior Richard Du. Photo by Rebecca Oliveira.

Practices for the members of the ping pong club are very informal, where they mostly practice by competing against each other. Members learn how to play by practicing and competing against each other, since they don’t do drills like other sports, “[The members] usually just have regular games,” and depending on a member’s experience, the more senior members of the club try to, “give each other pointers,” like on serves and spiking in ping pong, Mai explained. It doesn’t matter whether you’re experienced in the art of ping pong, since the members help teach newcomers the basics in ping pong. You just need to know enough not to break any of the ping pong balls and paddles, because they pay for their own equipment.

Several of the club members enjoy the competitive aspect of ping pong that comes with scoring a lot of points. Junior Richard Du, another member of the club believes that, “ping pong is like a sport that anyone can pick up,” making it a relatively easy and simple sport to play. One of the most important aspects of ping pong is that it requires patience and precision. Du explains that he understands how a lot of people “might want to respond and hit the ball really hard,” as it comes at them, but he says it’s not a good idea since the ball is very sensitive. Just touching the ball can cause it to go flying through the air, potentially hitting someone in the face or the ball could go out of bounds.

Last year in November, the Ping Pong Club had a tournament in the Malden High School gym that was held by the Asian Culture Club. Different ping pong clubs from Boston came to compete with skilled players of all ages, young and old, came to play and Mai described the atmosphere of the competition as, “really competitive.” The vast majority of the clubs won in the big event, with the MHS club competing against the youth portion of the event due to the inexperience of a lot of the club members. Mai said that they played, “against [the] eight-year-olds and seven-year-olds,” and due to the younger clubs’ prowess, the youth ended up beating them.

Even though the club was formed fairly recently, it is doing very well. There are a lot of dedicated members meeting almost everyday after school to practice, and Du explains that even though, “the ping pong club is like on the come up right now,” he believes that there are “good things coming for the coming future.”

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BY KAYLA SOUSA AND ALYSHA MCDEVIT

On April 3,2017, John Oteri was chosen as the superintendent finalist by the school committee  at the Malden senior center at 6:30 pm. The assembly began with the pledge of allegiance, a moment of silence for those who have served the country and attendance for all the school committee members.

Mayor Gary Christenson then started the meeting by thanking all 13 candidates that ran for the superintendent position, consisting of the 5 finalists including former principal Mr. Dana Brown, headmaster of Somerville High School John Oteri, East Haven superintendent Portia Bonner, interim superintendent Grandson and Holbrook superintendent Patricia Lally.

Superintendent assembly closing. Photo by Kayla Sousa.

After a substantial number of interviews, the finalist was chosen among school chair members John Froio, Leonard Lovino, Jerry Leone, Lawrence Silverman, Michael Drummey, Tara Beardsley, Emmanuel Marsh and Catherine Bordonaro and Mayor Gary Christenson.

A discussion was soon brought up amongst Tara Beardsley and Catherine Bordonaro on why

former Malden High School principal Mr. Dana Brown was the better candidate. They claimed that due to his experience in Malden, his innovative way of thinking and his connection with Malden families he was the best candidate running, although it was a very close race and all were worthy of their consideration. Mayor Gary Christenson also spoke in support of Brown.

Candidate John Oteri, Headmaster of Somerville High School, was then brought up in conversation by Lawrence Silverman who stated that he didn’t agree with the Mayor.

They then cast a vote of whether each chair member wanted John Oteri as superintendent and the vote passed 6 to 3 with Tara Beardsley, Catherine Bordonaro and Major Christenson against the motion and everyone else in accord. The outcome being that John Oteri would be offered  next superintendent if he takes the position.

After this motion the public and school committee members discussed some programs going on throughout the schools in Malden and the assembly came to a close.

If John Oteri accepts the position and signs the contract he will be the next superintendent of Malden.

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Over the weeks, a lot has been going on with Malden High School’s spring sports. Like most of the other teams, the school’s crew team has been working endlessly to prepare themselves not only for a great season, but also to set the bar higher for their first meet. Setting the bar higher will inform their competitors that while they might not have a joint team, the extra hours and sweat put into every practice has made them better. This years captains are seniors Vivian Nguyen, Jonathan Dong, and Jacob-Bisset Taylor. Several teammates shared the captains significant role while at practice or during meets, whether it’s take attendance for their coaches, running drills at practices, or helping returning and new members.

Left to Right: James Mac, Brandon Li, Henry Nguyen, Paul Araiza, Jesse Bouley, Max Weng. Photo by Meghan Yip.

The first week of tryouts, new and returning members got the opportunity to get a feeling of the environment in which the team holds practices whether the weather permits them. They were also able to get to know the coaches and new members got to know the returning members. As for the returning members, they have a couple of days to get back into the swing of things. A typical practice consists of cardio or erging in which can be done for two hours with a little break in between. Since the team consists of 45 members, there isn’t enough machines for each person. The team is divided into two separate groups and there are different sessions for practice based on each group. Both sessions are similar, just held at different times. It’s a similar situation when it comes to determining who is in which canoe;  it depends on whether the individual is on varsity or novice which is the same as junior varsity. This is so no rower is put into a position where others around them possess different abilities whether it’s faster or slower, and to keep things fair.

Since tryouts, the coaches have been able to establish a team of 45. Sophomore Sebastian Romani stated that the new members have been doing great. “Hopefully get several wins this year” due to their carisma. No matter what’s it looking like outside, the team hopes to get outside and practice whether it’s at the boathouse or taking a quick warm up jog around the school. Since there are a handful of new members, a new drill they are using is a term called tanking. Tanking is when four individuals row on water inside their canoe while the other half is on the dock holding onto the boat. This way, they are more comfortable when it comes to competing.

Sophomore Santiago Portillo shared, “the triathlon was competitive and challenging [because as an individual] you have to do three things.” These three things are referred to approximately having to row and run five kilometers and five-thousand meters on the erg. This makes it challenging because each member has to push themselves more than they ever have. Depending on each person’s time, you are placed with others similar to your score.

No matter what the scores are, there is always space for opportunity. With their triathlon a success, the team now begins to prepare themselves for their first meet of the season on Saturday, April 8 2017 which includes teams like joint-team Somerville and Everett. Portillo looks to set the bar high on Saturday because “[he has] worked and gave it [his] all every day at practice.” When it comes to captains, Romani and Portillo said they are always leading the team, whether it’s doing warmups before practice or simply leading the team, encouraging the team before an important meet. Romani also added that “[he’s] excited how [his] teammates do since it is the first meet of the season to get a feel of how everything is going” and see how they are able to integrate themselves as a cohesive team, whether if it’s cheering each other off or beating their times.

Although they are getting ready to compete, the coaches haven’t set anything in stone for arrangements when it comes to placing everyone on canoes with their similar assets and skills. Throughout the season, Romani and Portillo are eager to see not only see what the season is in store for them,but also the team. Romani stated this includes “more wins…and more memories.” The team is constantly building on their relationships with each other and helping each other.

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Senior Rachel Loreus is a varsity sprinter on the outdoor track team.  She participates in the 100 and 200 meter, long jump, and triple jump. Loreus used to do the high jump and 4 by 1. She has been running for outdoor track since her freshman year while also running for indoor track during her junior and senior year.

Loreus decided to pursue track her freshman year because she was influenced by her older brother,  who graduated last year as a varsity runner and who ran since his freshman year. What Loreus enjoys about running is the adrenaline she gets at the beginning and end of meets. She states that the feeling between that “is the best thing ever.” Loreus does plan on running in college and is already trying to get on a team.

Loreus has a lot of personal goals set this year, which includes to beat her “personal record of 13-4  and make it to states.”, while also aiming to improve her endurance. Loreus finds herself feeling winded after doing a 200 meter and hopes to improve on that. With the 100 meter, Loreus won’t find herself as winded and can run it fine. Her strengths include her speed, and well as her performance in the long jump and triple jump.  

Loreus also expects to face many challenges this year. She, as well as the rest of the team, will be going against many new teams she has never seen before, so she isn’t aware about how good they will be. Loreus finds her most memorable meet to be an indoor meet against their rivals Somerville. They team beat them again for the 4th time and became GBL champions.

Loreus has a lot of goals set for the upcoming season. She also hopes that many of her expectations are met as well.  

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BY SABRINA MONTEIRO & JOSANDY JEUNE

Due to bad weather, the outdoor track team moved practices to the Malden High School weight room. In the weight room, the athletes were given the chance to exercise their muscles through the use of the various machines that MHS’ weight room offers, further strengthening their muscles to help condition them for further meets.

All photos by Sabrina Moneteiro and Josandy Jeune.

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On Friday, March 31, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders spoke in a rally at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston.

The theatre doors opened at about five in the evening although the event did not formally start until seven. Throughout the passing hours, a few different bands performed original songs as well as commonly known songs, such as This Land is Your Land, albeit with slight lyric changes from the original, such as “this land was made for you and me” being changed to “this land was made for refugees,” to address the current state of affairs in the United States, After a few performances and sing alongs, the rally began.

A number of activist groups spoke at the opening about their cause and the importance of a united Democratic party, and how when everyone stands up for one cause, change happens. Among these groups were Jobs Not Jails and Neighbor to Neighbor, all of which are advocate groups for voices that are not being heard. Many volunteers passed out flyers inviting attendees to upcoming marches and events around the state.

After these groups spoke, Senator Warren was introduced. As she walked out, the crowd cheered and clapped until she began to speak. She told the story of how her and Senator Sanders met and became allies at a dinner in Washington D.C. a while back; Warren and Sanders began “going back and forth [in conversation] like there was no one else in the room.”

She then began talking about the Republicans’ loss via the rejection of their long promised health care plan, which was rejected even by their own party and accredited this loss largely to the Democratic party and all the activists who acted against this plan that provided minimal care for anyone who needed it.

She also discussed the Women’s March back in January and how she saw a little girl holding a sign covered in horses and rainbows that read “I fight like a girl”; Warren applauded this little girl and went on to say that she too fights like a girl, which got a massive uproar from the audience. Warren mentioned a number of things going on in our government at the moment, from healthcare to public schools to student debt. She introduced Senator Sanders at about eight o’clock.

As Senator Sanders walked on to the stage, the crowd cheered, clapped, and chanted his name. He began to talk about Warren and the same issues she had discussed, however he made a few announcements. He stated that he would be proposing two acts, one of which he made a statement about to NowThis on Monday, April 3, 2017, stating that “if we are to succeed in a highly competitive global economy, public colleges and universities must become tuition-free for working families and we must substantially reduce student debt.”

He highlighted on the importance of a government that works for everyone, “working people, people in the middle class, young people, old people, black and white and latino,” not just the rich. He reiterated that “[they were going to] have trade policies that benefit workers and not just the wealthy.” Students should not be struggling to get an education because of financial issues, and there is no reason why public universities should be as expensive as they are, which is why Sanders believes that public institutions should be tuition free.

At a rally like this, it is impossible to not have strong opinions on everything; once inside, you are surrounded by people that are truly passionate about politics and the world and are there because they believe in change. Often times in life, it can feel like nobody’s voice can be heard, but being surrounded by a group of people that are all standing together for one common belief is incredible; one person may not be heard, but a mass of people will move mountains.

This collective support of ideas is one of the things most emphasized by both Senators who claim that movements are the ways of a revolution- fighting will pay off and change will common if people push for it. As said many times by Senator Sanders: “when we stand together, we will always win.

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With the start of a new season, the Malden High School baseball team is working their hardest to make it to the State Tournament this year. Varsity team senior captain, Matt Geer believes that this year’s team has the talent to make it.

Geer has been playing baseball since he was five years old and has continuously been playing up to senior year. Baseball has always been his favorite sport because “there are so many little things everyone can do to contribute to the game itself.” He enjoys the slow pace of the game because it is a game of strategy. Geer pitches and plays first base. Geer is excited for this year because even though it is his last as a student at MHS, he is “excited to bond with the team, and enjoy [his] last year with a squad that [he] feels is made up of good people and talented players.” Personally, Geer wants to be able to be a good “leader this year and [he] hopes to pitch well so that [he] may help the team win.”

Junior captain Jared Martino running around the bases. Photo by Sabrina Monteiro. 

    Geer mentions that one of the challenges that they face is the variety in a relatively young team. This is why this year it’ll be a necessity to have people take on more leadership roles and responsibility. Everyone seems to agree that the most memorable game was last year’s big win over Medford, one of their “division rivals.” He says that they “were able to dominate them going into the game as underdogs.”

Geer stated that last year, the team struggled with hitting, and that the team has worked harder in the offseason than any other season since Geer has attended MHS. The team anticipates on improving on this so that it is no longer considered the team’s weakness, but as the team’s strength.

Junior team captain, Jared Martino agrees that this year’s team goal is to make it in the State Tournament. Martino has been playing baseball ever since he could walk. “It’s something that is a second nature to [him].” Martino is excited for the new coaching staff and says coach Steve Freker and his staff have done a great job working with the team and making them better. He says the team’s greatest strength is pitchers Matt Geer, sophomore Reid Kankel and senior  Kyle Twomey. He also adds that the team’s biggest weakness is getting used to the new coaching staff. Martino says that “they’re great coaches,” but the team is having a hard time adapting to the new ways they coach because they’re so used to the old system. He mentions that learning the “new terminology  and new ways of doing things can sometimes be a struggle.” Martino’s personal goal is to just be “the best teammate and player [he] can be.”

Baseball team warming up before their scrimmage. Photo by Sabrina Monteiro.

Martino’s biggest influence for playing baseball is his father. His father has “always been there for [him], whether [he] has a great game or a bad one. Whenever [he] struggles with something on the field, [his] father always knows right away and helps to fix it.”

Sophomore, Reid Kankel has been playing baseball since he was three years old. His father influenced him to play baseball and was the person to place Kankel on his first baseball team. Kankel also adds that Derek Jeter, a former professional baseball player for the New York Yankees, has also made an influence on Kankel and looks up to him as a baseball role model.

Kankel also agrees that this year’s goal is to make it to the State Tournament. Kankel also says that last year they fell short, but that this year they have the “talent and coaching staff to make it happen.” His personal goal is to make less than ten errors and to play shortstop for the team. Kankel is excited about the new coaching staff that has taken over because they seem to be very dedicated to the team.

The team’s strengths this season include “depth, skill, and defense” says Kankel. “[They] have more than one person that is very good at each position, especially pitcher. [Their] defense is outstanding and [they] make a small amount of errors.” The team’s weakness is hitting, and they constantly struggle with it. He also mentions that the weather has been a challenge for the baseball team because it restricts the team from getting good practices outside.

The boys are ready to have a successful season this year.

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Malden High School’s boys volleyball team faces a challenging season ahead, as they look to make a formidable impression in their first year in the Northeast Conference.

Junior Arthur Kossoski serving the ball. Photo submitted by Bryan Burgees.

Originally established as a team in 2015, the program is in just its third year having played its first two seasons in the Greater Boston League. After struggling to win many games their first two years, the team hopes to finally string together a memorable season in which they are competitive and win.

Dan Jurkowski returns for his second year as head coach and hopes for the team to improve from his first year in charge, when they failed to qualify for the state tournament. Also returning are senior captains Germano Fidelis and Anthony Woo, who have been members of the team since the program’s inception. In fact, in his sophomore year, Fidelis was one of the key members of the group of student athletes that proposed a boys volleyball team for MHS.

However, the captains are two of the only six returning players on the team this season as the rest of the team consists of all newcomers, most of whom are playing organized volleyball for the very first time. One of the many newcomers to the team is sophomore Ryoma Yonetani, who hopes that the newcomers “get accustomed to the game and to playing with each other.” Yonetani continued, saying how doing so “will be challenging,” but that they are getting help from veterans that are “reliable and helpful,” as well as “players that the newcomers can look up to.”

One of the six returning players is junior Brandon Nguyen, who praised this season’s team as a “lot better” team than last season, citing the team’s communicates and increased experience as the reason why. When asked about his goal for the season, Nguyen stated that that he hopes the team can “improve on their record from last year.” In order to accomplish this, Nguyen mentioned that the team “needs to stay focused” and “commit to winning and putting in the effort required.”

When asked about what he thinks about the newcomers on the team Nguyen explained that “they are all very inexperienced,” so they need to “learn the game quickly in order to contribute this season.” He further explained that because of their inexperience “the first few games will be difficult” and that “[they] need build their chemistry” during these games.

Junior Arthur Kossoski blocking the ball. Photo submitted by Bryan Bourgees.

Yonetani reiterated the same goals as his teammate Nguyen, however, he also mentioned that the team’s long term goal is to “attract more students to play volleyball next season” in order to “create large enough rosters to have a junior varsity team.”

The boys began their campaign with a home opener against the O’Bryant Tornadoes on April 5th. An intense affair, unfortunately did not go the Tornadoes way as they lost to Tigers in three sets. However the team looks to bounce back on April 10th, when they host Pope John XXIII at the MHS Finn Gym.

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 Malden High´s National History Club are currently in the process of creating volume 2 of the academic journal titled The Optimist, which will consist of different genres of writings from students such as poetry, art, essays even research papers and lab reports from science. Overall, it´s an opportunity for them to showcase what they felt was their best work from this year. Club advisor Damian Aufiero describe it as a space for students ¨ to showcase a more creative side¨ of them with their best educational writing. For last year´s publication, he along with other students reviewed about 10 to 12 submissions and only about 6 made the publication.

  The inspiration behind creating the journal came from reading the Blue and Gold Magazine on an article about The Oracle, which happened to be another journal that was competing with the other literary society in the school. Many conflicts arise since these societies had different beliefs and there was a rumor of some discrimination against certain groups of people. So, over a course of a semester both the Optimist and Oracle decided to band as one.

  A publication date will be set around May or on Civics day. Along with the holiday, an exhibition that will showcase of student’s work from the Malden Public School districts. This year they are hoping more students will submit their work and for more readers to engaged so the journal can expand more attention. If you know anyone or yourself have an piece of work that you like, you can contact Aufiero through email at daufiero@maldenps.org.

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A look at the Rotindi field of the Howard Park which was named after a former Malden mayor. Photo taken by Man Nguyen.

 Right next to Malden Catholic High School is the Howard park which was named after Malden’s former mayor Richard C. Howard. Initially, the park was called South Broadway Park but after the renovation, its name becomes Howard park. According to Wicked Local Malden news, the park and the Rotindi Field “received a $7.6 million facelift over three years before a ribbon-cutting ceremony in October 2015”.

Recently, there had been an issue arising as the park’s gate “was locked during the winter” said Bob Rotindi whom the baseball field was named after”. Based on the Boston Globe, residents were “dismayed about locked gates at Malden’s newly renovated Howard Park”. Similar to the residents, Rotindi commented that “[the park] should be available to the people that use it” because “it is a public park. Additionally, “the park belongs to the people who pay the taxes” and so, “when they want to use [the park], it should be open” Said Rontindi.

Though he advocated for the park to be more open to the residents, Rotindi also believed the fact that the park being locked had an explanation for  it. “During the winter, nobody uses it,” Said Rotindi. He went on to explain that the councilman Neil Kinnon who is in charge of taking care of the park, “locked the gate because he did not want any vendor or graffiti within the park”. In Rotindi’s opinion, councilman Kinnon did a great job at tending the park properly. “The only issues caused by this problem were that people could not use [the park] when [the weather] warmed up a little back in February when there were a few warm days.” Said Rotindi. He mentioned how some could have taken advantage of the warm weather and use the field but could not due to the fact that it was locked.

Rotindi then expressed what he felt could have done better regarding the closing of the park to the public. He said that the park should not be closed by the month as there might be some warm days during those months, that the residents could have used to park.

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The 23rd anniversary of iconic musician Kurt Cobain of Nirvana’s early death from suicide happened on April 5, 2017. Additionally, the 15th anniversary of front man of Alice in Chains Layne Staley’s death also occurred on April 5, 2017. Not only were both musicians extremely talented and greatly missed by fans all over the world, but both were icons of the grunge genre and movement of the nineties.

Grunge, dubbed “the Seattle Sound” by some because of its origins, was a sub genre of rock music that came into light during the early nineties. The genre’s rise mostly took place in Seattle, Washington, although many bands started from other cities. The movement was first underground, starting in the late 80s, a decade defined by phony, hair-metal bands decked out in outrageous outfits and an unnecessary rampant sexualization of women. The movement seemed to be a response to that, a direct opposite of rock bands at the time. The genre included elements of punk and heavy metal, and was a type of alternative rock, characterized by distorted guitar and introspective, personal lyrics, which were also called “nihilistic” and “angsty”.

Although no one knows exactly who was the “first” grunge band, there were many bands who were in the mid to late 80s who are categorized as “grunge”, like Green River, Mother Love Bone, the Melvins, Mudhoney, and Screaming Trees. There were many albums that were released before the 90s, like Bleach by Nirvana, Superfuzz Bigmuff by the Melvins, Mudhoney by Mudhoney, Clairvoyance by Screaming Trees, etc.

However, the 90s proved to be the decade where grunge broke out into the mainstream, particularly in the year 1991, where several grunge bands released albums that were definitely great and some being iconic. Examples are Soundgarden with Badmotorfinger and Pearl Jam with their debut album Ten. However, probably the most iconic grunge, and even alternative rock album of all time, was Nirvana’s Nevermind, which changed the course of rock music and definitely brought grunge into the mainstream. Other albums that were released in the 90s were Live Through This by Hole, Dirt by Alice in Chains, Superunknown by Soundgarden, In Utero by Nirvana, and Vs. by Pearl Jam.

As the genre progressed, the four bands who were on the top of the grunge movement, nicknamed “the Big Four of Grunge” were Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains. Nirvana had members Kurt Cobain, singer and guitarist, Dave Grohl, drummer, and Krist Novoselic, bassist. Pearl Jam consisted of members Eddie Vedder, singer, Mike McCready, lead guitarist, Stone Gossard, rhythm guitarist, Jeff Ament, bassist, and Dave Abbruzzese, the drummer at the time when their first three albums were released. Soundgarden was backed singer Chris Cornell, guitarist Kim Thayil, bassist Ben Shepherd, and drummer Matt Cameron. Alice in Chains had singer Layne Staley, guitarist Jerry Cantrell, bassist Mike Starr and drummer Sean Kinney.

Kurt Cobain recording in Hilversum Studios, playing Takamine acoustic guitar. Photo from Flickr. 

All of these bands came from Washington; Nirvana originally came from Aberdeen, Pearl Jam started out in Seattle, so did Soundgarden and Alice in Chains. Not only did these bands have a similar location, they also had a lot of connections between them, especially Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament were in a band called Mother Love Bone, which lived from 1988 to 1990. The talented Andrew Wood was the lead singer, and unfortunately passed away from a drug overdose on March 19, 1990. This prompted Gossard and Ament to form a new band, searching for a singer and another guitarist, however, they were approached by Chris Cornell, who used to be Wood’s friend and roommate. They created a project, a band called Temple of the Dog, and they released their self-titled album Temple of the Dog, which was a tribute album to Andrew Wood. Other than Gossard, Ament and Cornell, the band also has Eddie Vedder and Mike McCready, who would later team up with Gossard and Ament to create Pearl Jam.

While grunge’s wave of popularity did last the early 90s, by the time the mid 90s were coming around, the movement declined. Many “grunge” bands became disgruntled at their sudden fame and started to resent it. Bands even hated the term “grunge”, because technically the bands belonging to the “grunge” movement all had distinct sounds, and the term grouped them all into one category. Other factors came into play, like Kurt Cobain’s suicide on April 5, 1994, Pearl Jam’s battle with Ticketmaster over rising ticket prices, which lead to them cancelling their summer tour, and bands struggling with drug addictions.

Grunge did leave an impact and inspired other bands as well. Bands like Silverchair, Bush, Candlebox, and Foo Fighters were described as post-grunge, since they emulated the grunge sound, while becoming more mainstream. The movement even spurred a reaction back in the UK, and that movement became “Britpop”, lead by bands like Blur, Oasis, Elastica, Pulp and Suede. A song created by Oasis called Live Forever was a response to Nirvana’s song I Hate Myself and I Want to Die, because Noel Gallagher, guitarist of Oasis, did not like grunge’s pessimistic lyrics. Damon Albarn of Blur even said that “if punk was about getting rid of hippies, then I’m getting rid of grunge.” Popular grunge bands still live on today. Pearl Jam are still widely successful and acclaimed, releasing several albums in the 2000s and 2010s, and are even getting inducted into the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2017. Soundgarden reformed in 2010, and Alice in Chains also reformed, recruiting William DuVall as their lead singer due to Staley’s death.
In summary, grunge was a revolutionary movement in rock history, that was applauded by the mainstream media but was also hated by bands themselves, who preferred to be underground instead of facing sudden fame and success. Although sadly short lived, grunge managed to impact music and cause waves in alternative music history.

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Joshua Andrews playing in a lacrosse game against Everett. Photo submitted by Joshua Andrews.

• What grade are you in? 

I am in the 12th grade.

• How long were you on the boys LAX team? How long were you playing lacrosse in general?

 I have been on the boys lacrosse team for 3 years and started playing lacrosse in general my sophomore year when I began playing for Malden High.

• What made you want to play lacrosse?

What made me want to play lacrosse was physically involved the sport is, however it also looked like a lot of fun so I thought I would try it out.

• What are your goals for this season?

My goals for this season are to stay healthy and try to avoid injury and personally get more points in games than last year.

• What do you believe are your advantages? What are your disadvantages?

My advantages are that I have a very strong left hand, which most people don’t. Ironically, my disadvantages are that I can play only with my left hand, when I should be strong with both my right hand and my left hand.

• In what way do you want to improve for this season?

I want to improve this season by getting a better record than we had last year.

• What’s your relationship like with the team? With your coach?

Our team is like one big family and we all always have each other’s backs.

• What responsibilities do you have as a captain?

My responsibilities as a captain are to keep the team on track and focused but also to keep the morale up and push them to give all that they have.

• Do you plan to play lacrosse after high school?

Yes, I definitely plan to play lacrosse after high school.

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Malden High School’s Figure Skating team had their final competition of the season on April 2, 2017, for the Silver Streaks High School Challenge Cup, hosted by the James McVann-Louis O’Keefe ice rink in Peabody. Senior Allyson Kummins medaled first in her freestyle program, Junior Alyssa Ardai medaled second in her freestyle program, and they medaled second in their team maneuver. They competed against skating teams from different cities throughout Massachusetts, such as Lexington, Burlington, Winchester, Ducksbury, and the Boxboro area.

Elizabeth Gibbons, MHS math teacher and coach of the figure skating team, was really proud of the way the girls skated in the competition. Regarding the girls’ performance at the competition, she said it was, “really good,” and that “[she] was really proud of them.” Gibbons explained that, “[She] think[s] probably one of the most exciting parts of the day was [that] they gave out a school spirit award to the team with the most spirit and [the] Malden [team] won.” Also, she feels that the team was able to “get some good feedback on our school spirit.” One of the reasons why this competition was particularly special to the team was that it was Kummins’s last competition, since it’s her senior year and she’d be leaving the team once she graduates this June.

Malden High School Figure Skating Club members. Photo by Elizabeth Gibbons. Retrieved from Malden HS Sports.

Allyson Kummins had her preliminary free-skating program at 2:35 pm on Sunday afternoon, coming in first for her event with her routine to the song “I Love You Always Forever” covered by Betty Who (originally sung by Donna Lewis). She felt, “really proud of the way [she] performed overall,” despite the fact that there was minor technical mistake in her program, but she “came back from it really well and was able to finish strong.” Kummins believes that her confidence had really improved this year, which had helped with her, “overall ability to perform,” and her routines had been, “getting a lot stronger.” Kummins explained that, “This year was a lot more sentimental for me because it’s my senior year,” and, “The other girls have time left to enjoy High School Skating.” She definitely wants to continue skating at Babson College after she graduates from Malden High School, and she’s really excited to start skating there since they, “have a beautiful rink on campus.” Allyson explains that even though, “They don’t have a skating team yet, [she’s] hoping that [she] can start one just like we did here at MHS. Even if [she] can’t start a team [she] will definitely continue skating on their open sessions and [she] plan[s] to get certified to teach Learn to Skate Classes over the summer.”

At 2:30 pm, Alyssa Ardai did a showcase number to the musical “New York, New York” with a cane and hat in hand, placing first in one of her events. Ardai explains that for both her solo and pre-preliminary pieces her routines were the same as the ones before, and she placed second. She feels as though, “the best [performance] was “New York, New York” because I’ve been practicing it for this show we had in March,” Although she feels like she didn’t do as well on her “You Raise Me Up” performance, due to the technical difficulties at the time where the wrong song was played twice. Each time they played the wrong song, Alyssa had started doing her routine and get about halfway through it before they realized it was still the wrong song, and by the third try they played the right song. Unfortunately by that time, Ardai had already gotten really tired by that point and so, she wasn’t able to put as much effort into it as she would’ve liked to. Ardai feels that she’s, “improved a lot in this year, because [she] was able to learn new skills and almost landing on [her] axle and starting [her] double jumps, starting flying spins…[she’s] more consistent in [her] jumps and spins.”

After the competition, the figure skating team was able to celebrate their exceptional performance with a team dinner at the Tulip Lounge, a hibachi restaurant in Stoneham, with all of the skaters and their families, bringing a close to the figure skating season.

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The Pop Culture Club is a student run club which focuses on entertainment throughout the world. Every Thursday after school, the club watches movies and participate in student run discussions.

From left to right freshmen Rodge Neima Joseph, Sabrina Monteiro, Julian Munoz, Thao- Mi Nguyen bottom left to right Lana Giha, Bernice Cortez, Ruth Perez. Photo by Josandy Jeune.

The club was founded by the president and co president freshman Rodge Neima Joseph and freshman Lana Giha. The advisor of the club is Jessica Sullivan, a science teacher at Malden High School. Sullivan decided to advise the club because she wanted to get involved as a new teacher to the school. She thought it would be fun to help run the club since she knew the students very well. Sullivan stated that the club members “mostly have been planning what the club is supposed to be like since they have just started.” From her understanding, she explains that the club members wanted this club to be more relaxed from the other clubs at the school. The members of the club wanted a place where they could break away from the more serious clubs and commitments. Other clubs were more serious with their goals and they just wanted to be more laid back.

The president of the club Neima Joseph decided to start the club because she wanted to begin a club that is different from others that are around the school. Neima Joseph wanted a place where students can come and talk about anything going on in the world. So far Neima Joseph stated that “[they] have mostly planned on watching movies.” What she enjoys about the club is that it is a safe space where the club members can feel comfortable around each other. Neima Joseph likes how “it’s not awkward at all.” and encourages people to join the club.

Giha decided to participate in this club because she wanted to talk about what was going on in the world as well as ‘teen things’ like celebrities. She enjoys that this club enables them to have group discussions and watch movies while gathered in all one space. Freshman Thao-Mi Nguyen is a fellow member of the club who decided to join because she needed something to do after school. Nguyen enjoys this club because she likes how the club members will get to watch movies and have fun together. The Pop Culture Club is soon to be hosting a movie night this Thursday April 13th where they will be watching the movie ‘10 Things I Hate About You.’

Vice president of the club is freshman and Blue and Gold member Sabrina Monteiro.. Neima Joseph came to Monteiro with the idea of the club and influenced her to join. Since then, Monteiro has really enjoyed the club. Monteiro as well as Neima Joseph finds this club to be a very comfortable place where they can bond over movies they like and other things they have in common. Monteiro also hopes to get more boys to join since so far only there has only been girls coming.

The Pop Culture Club is a great way to meet new people and make new friends. It’s a club that isn’t a big commitment, but is also very fun. To join, swing by Ms. Sullivan’s room in B435 on Thursdays after school.

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Spring is (supposed to be) here! Which means that it’s time to plant flowers and plants!

Now, knowing most Maldonian houses, some of us have an actual garden with space to start gardening. Some of us, not so much. People who live in apartments or in houses that are closer to other houses, who don’t have access to a little green plot of land, and that is okay! During your spring vacation, here are some things you can do to make your little apartment greener!

A Geranium maderense. Photo from Flickr.

Step 1: Picking a plant

Do you want to grow flowers? Or herbs? Maybe just plants in general? Be careful though, you might not be able to accommodate to all of the things your plant needs. You’ll need to figure out whether you have proper lighting, a good room temperature, and motivation.

Not all plants enjoy the same thing. An orchid for instance requires direct lighting and ⅓ cup of water in the form of ice cubes, and they’re moderately easy to take care of especially considering they’re indoor plants. An Anthurium needs bright light constantly, and moderate watering- one mistake, and your plant’s dead!

If you want to keep your plant indoors, year round, you’ll need an indoor plant. Here are some ideas by level of easiness to take care of:

Jasmine flowers. Photo from Flickr.

Super easy:

-African Violet

-Geranium

-Wandering Jew

-Cape Primrose

-Peace Lily

Moderate:

A Begonia flower. Photo from Flickr.

-Hibiscus

-Ponderosa Lemon (yes they make actual lemons)

-Jasmine

-Phalaenopsis Orchid

-Begonia

Hard:

-Anthurium

-Azaleas

-Basil

Step 2: Planning Your Garden

A Spathiphyllum Cochlearispathum. Photo from Flickr.

Since this step varies from person to person based on the living conditions and space try to consider as many options as possible.

Do you want a clay pot? A tin container? Glass? How much space are you going to dedicate for your plants? Is there enough lighting? Is it in a stable area? Figure it out!

Step 3: Getting it All Together

You can get plants from almost anywhere. Your grandma, a flower shop, Home Depot, a park… literally anywhere (just don’t steal plants that are obviously not yours). Pot your plant according to the instructions of your plant. You might need to do some research. Again, every plant is different.

Step 4: Enjoy

Nothing is better than waking up to find your nice healthy plant basking in the shine. Drink your coffee or tea and breathe in the clean air. Enjoy it!

Photo of plants. Photo from Flickr.

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Crossing Lines is a realistic fiction novel which explores around the topic of bullying, taking a stand against it and finding your true identity all occurring during high school.

Written by critically acclaimed author Paul Volponi, the novel takes place at Central High School. The main character Adonis is the stereotypical senior/jock who´s on the football team along with his other friends who are not necessarily the wisest group of guys. Now, Adonis has everything good going for him along with a strong reputation among his high school peers and smart girlfriend.

Crossing Lines book cover. Photo from Amazon.

On the other hand, Alan(a) is a newly transferred student who is openly gay and feminine. Of course the students, but notably the football team are bothered by him because they obviously don’t see Alan(a) as a normal person and don’t even consider him a real guy, but this doesn´t stop Alan(a) from expressing himself by wearing dresses, putting on makeup whatsoever from the bullying which he was my favorite character throughout the novel.

As the novel unravels, Adonis becomes indecisive on where he should stand on whether standing for Alan(a) from the abuse or staying silent among his peers as the torture continues. It gets even worse as the team come with a plan to humiliate/embarrass Alan(a) at a local school fashion show which forces Adonis to do a quick action.

Influencing factors for his decisions to stand by Alan is his girlfriend and sister Jeannie since they are apart of the school fashion club with Alan(a) and have expressed their anger on how he is treated at school. Another influence would definitely be the his friends which makes sense because if he does stand up to them, he will lose his manly reputation from not only them, but also the school.

To be honest, I think the story would’ve been a bit better if it was told Alan(a)´s perspective/point of view because I think he has a bigger impact in the novel then what Adonis has. Also, it would be more intriguing to see his outlook on the taunting he gets from the students daily and how he would overcome it rather than Adonis who just mostly talks about football and girls.

Overall, I would recommend this book I feel like many young people still go through these issues while in high school whether they’re being affected by bullying,witnessing someone go through it or just trying to find themselves. While reading, I came to realized that Malden High is a great school where every student can express and embrace their culture without judgement.        

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 A community project offers a wide range of benefits to those that it targets. For instance, the pie throwing event, a community project led and managed by juniors Alicia Tan and Hong Li Zheng, helps improve the lives of Cambodian kids while also giving those who participate a great time. Zheng explained the project saying that “the money will go to the Cambodian Children Organization to provide the kids a better life with more food and more clean water.” Tan stated that “it is a fundraising event for the Cambodian Children’s Fund which is an amazing foundation made by a hollywood director Scott Neeson, who saw the families and children picking through and living in the Steung Meanchey garbage dump and wanted to give the children access to support, education, and community development programs”.

    Through this project, Tan wishes to convey the message “that no matter where you are in the world all people need basic necessities such as food,shelter and water and there are people who have been deprived of those things and so if you have the ability to help no matter how small it may seem, it can mean the world [to them]”.

    This was not the only time the event had been put together. Tan explained how Paul Marques told her about a group who did it awhile back, which is where she got the idea to do it from. In order for the event to come to life, much effort from different people were put in. Marques, and other volunteers were also involved in the preparation for the occasion.

Jessica Sullivan. Photo by Megan Downer.

The project team “[had] trouble getting the whipped cream” because, according to Zheng, not many stores sold the amount of whipped cream that they needed. However, the group was clearly able to overcome these problems and made the event the best it could be. Tan commented that “if [she] could do anything differently it would probably be on how rushed everything was”, showing how she would want to work on her group’s time management.

   The students were not the only ones who were involved. Teachers from different departments like English, Biology, Mathematics and more came to support the cause and helped to raise money. For Jessica Sullivan, a biology teacher, her reason for participating was because “[her] students [convinced] her to”. She mentions that “Hong Li and Alicia Tan asked [her] to do it and they are really good students so, [she] agreed to it”.

    Brian Wong, a teacher from the English department, had also participated, stating that “[he] sincerely wanted to raise the money for the organization”. Similarly, math teacher, Elizabeth Gibbons participated in the event for “a great cause and great students.”

    As the event took place and the teachers came up one by one, there was a common reaction among both the audience and the teachers. History teacher, Michelle Filer “was really surprised because [she] did not expect [that] many people to be [there].” Sullivan also added that she “expected [the event] to be a lot of fun” because of “all the eager faces”. Gibbons mentions that she was “a little nervous and terrified” because she did not expect that many people to come. She commented that the event “look[ed] like it will be messy”, so she brought goggles with her to be prepared.

  The students, on the other hand, were surprised for another reason. Freshman Rocio Mejia “ thought it was gonna be boring at first but it was more interesting than [she] had expected it to be”. Freshman Matt Mijares, says that he was excited to “see people getting pied in the face.” Senior Danny Mai, on the other hand, was present at the occasion because he “wanted revenge on the teachers.” Others like Mejia and junior Milton Lemus also had positive reaction toward the event. Lem

us explained that the only thing that could have made the event even better was to “include the principal in it.”

     For the students like freshman Ali Hounain and Mejia, seeing the teachers getting pied in the face was an exciting thing to watch. “It is not an everyday thing” explained Hounain, adding that “[she felt] very entertained.”

The pie throwing contest ended up being very successful and entertaining for anyone who participated or even just attended. Zheng comments on that saying that she “liked how a lot of people came and seemed to have a lot of fun”. Tan’s reaction was one of pure excitement, saying that she “ was so happy that [she] shed a tear  because everything worked out in the end”. She mentions that she had been “ terrified that no one was going to come, and was worried that [she’d] be all alone in cafe with $70 worth of whipped cream and ponchos, but [adds that] thankfully a bunch a people came to support a great cause and have a fun time”.

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