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Stigma: A mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person.

Malden is working on overcoming addiction with the hashtag Malden Stop the Stigma. According to Maldenovercomingaddiction.com, is states that #MaldenStopTheStigma is about the power of Malden’s community to bring attention to the stigma surrounding addiction. The website also mentions that, “Stopping the stigma is something we can all do to see healing and recovery sweep through Malden and beyond.”

Maldenovercomingaddiction.com also says that “on April 13, 2017 over 200,000 people all over the country were part of the movement to raise awareness to the disease of addiction in Malden.”

Senior Marissa Vasquez who is highly involved in this movement explains that Malden Overcoming Addiction is an organization that spreads awareness of addiction and abusing drug substances and alcohol. Vasquez states, “this organization in our city Malden aims to cease the stigma in which people view addicts, wants to see change in our city, and aims to offer help to those addicted and affected by this disease.”

Malden High School students taking a group photo in order to raise awareness for Malden Stop the Stigma day. Photo from Maldenovercomingaddiction.com

Vasquez explains how she got involved in this program. She got involved in this movement by the previous principal, Dana Brown. Brown knew Marissa personally and was aware that her own family may be suffering from addiction in which they may have affected her. She explains that Brown thought that by her being in this organization and having the experience of being involved in a support group called Alateen would benefit her. She also mentions how being in this organization as a high school student could help Malden by using her story and her experience with the organization to cultivate her peers.

Vasquez describes how important this organization is to her and how much it really means to her to be apart of it. She says that it’s important to her “not only because [she has] such a big role in this, but because [she has] seen great change in this organization, Malden schools and overall Malden.”

She also mentions that it makes her such a proud resident and also makes her proud that her city offers support to those who have or face addiction. She states, “[she] also [has] many family members who are or were addicts themselves in which they highly affected me, so I never would’ve thought my background and my story would help others. [She has] found [herself] and learned so much about me personally to use this big heart that [she has] to want to offer support and compassion to peers.”

Vasquez also says that many students should get involved in this organization because it is needed and beneficial to all. Vasquez mentions how she sees many kids struggle with their own problems, whether it is family problems or has to do with their own personal problems that they are dealing with. She goes on to further explain what students may be facing. Vasquez states that “many kids themselves are abusing the use of drugs and alcohol and fail to realize the harm they are causing to themselves and their health not just physically, but also emotionally.”

She then explains that she personally has her own friends that are going through stressed moments who turn to drugs and alcohol thinking that it’ll solve their problems that they may be struggling with. She further explains that the more she has been involved with this movement, the more that she has been able to find herself and MOA started to become like family to her.

Vasquez mentions that Malden Overcoming Addiction is currently thinking about being bigger than Malden. She explains that Malden is currently working with neighboring cities to fight against the addiction together. She also says that this big accomplishment made Fox25 news. Vasquez also includes that there is much more to come within the next two years.

Talk to mvasquez17@maldenps.org for more information about Alateen or becoming a member

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Left to Right: Batoul Chouiki and Nour Chouiki. Photo by Josandy Jeune.

Freshmen Nour and Batoul Chouiki are both members of the varsity outdoor track team. Nour and Batoul both have had a very successful indoor track season and are continuing to prosper in outdoor track as well.

Nour and her sister, Batoul both participate in the 400 meter dash while Batoul also specializes in the 800 meter. Batoul decided to join track in hopes of getting faster and because she enjoys running. Nour decided to join the sport because she wanted to not only get faster for soccer, but overall be a much faster runner. They both have been running since they were twelve because they play soccer, but just started outdoor track this year. What Nour enjoys about the sport is her team and fellow teammates. Batoul describes that “when [they] win it’s a really great feeling.”

The twins both have very similar goals this year which include making it to all-states. What motivates both Nour and Batoul to become even better competitors is the competition that they face and when an opponent defeats them; That pushes them to train harder. The twins find their weaknesses to be the nervousness they get before a meet. Nour and Batoul both “really enjoy the competition [and] like to race.” Both twins hope on playing track in college.

Their coach David Londino finds both Nour and Batoul great competitors that like to chase down their opponents. Londino states that “[they] like to race and that’s a great quality in new runners.” Londino finds the twins weaknesses to be the nervousness they get during meets and races that most freshman get and thinks that’s something they should work on. He finds their strengths to be their competitiveness and combination of endurance and speed.

Londino mentions that they both bring unique aspects to the team, providing “really great personalities and are nice people that provide strength to the relays, joining some of the upperclassmen and providing state success in the relays.” He states that from the beginning of the season they have gained more confidence in their abilities and the more people they race the more they are able to realize that they are good runners. Batoul has transferred to the 800 meters and has been doing a good job with the half a mile.  

The twins have had great success as freshmen. They both look forward to the next three years,contributing to the team,and the success they will have as athletes.

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Despite the small turnout, Principal Ted Lombardi offered an abundance of information to parents of Malden High School students and of other schools in Malden on ‘Ask the Principal Night’ held on May 9th at the Jenkins Auditorium. The main focus points for this discussion were the newly proposed bell schedule and the change in the structure of the math curriculum. Some tertiary topics included an overview of the Tornado Travelers Club, details about current STEM classes in MHS, the future of the Parent Information Center, advancements in the Chromebook initiative, as well as inconsistencies in X2 and iBoss.  

Principal Lombardi had prepared a presentation for those in attendance and proceeded to elaborate on all of the information he had provided to the parents that were present. In one portion of the presentation, he went into great detail about the block scheduling recently proposed by a group of teachers. He spoke about the results of the student survey that was emailed to MHS students regarding whether or not they would be open to transitioning into the new schedule or keeping the current one. Out of the 1119 students that were surveyed, 512 were in favor of the new schedule while 507 were in favor of the current one. Lombardi voiced that personally, he “liked longer blocks” because “they’re functional for kids.”

After Lombardi finished his presentation, he opened up the floor for parents to bring up questions but before that, Shauna Campbell, science teacher and Advisor if the Tornado Traveler’s Club, gave a quick run down of the what the club offered and discussed how incoming 9th graders could sign up for trips. Campbell also explained that there would fundraising events for the all upcoming travel opportunities in order to makes these trips as accessible to as many students as possible.

When the floor was opened up for questions to Lombardi, one mother of an incoming MHS student and a graduating senior wondered if there were plans to redo the student survey as incoming ninth graders could not participate in it and the graduating seniors “may or may not [have] [cared]” about the impact they had on the results. Lombardi responded by saying that he “wanted to get a broad sense of where everyone was at” and that this survey was conducted mostly for the purpose of seeing how polarized students felt in regards to either option. Considering the students felt quite evenly split between the two standing options, Lombardi is “curious to hear more parent input” regarding the changing of the school day. He will be meeting with a student committee to further discuss the implications of transitioning to a new schedule or keeping the current one. Also, he added that eighth graders may not be not be informed about high school schedules, justifying why only MHS students in grades 9-12 were surveyed.

One potential benefit that of the new schedule may be that students would have less homework. This is because they would be able to focus on their four theoretical classes as opposed to the current six. Lombardi explained that there would also be guidelines regarding when assignments could be due and when grades would be put into X2. He believes that this schedule will pose as a benefit to students who are involved with multiple extracurricular activities and experience a “rinse and repeat cycle that [makes] [it] difficult for them” to perform well in school without being physically drained and fatigued.

A major issue with the current schedule is homeroom because it renders the government mandated school time for students arbitrary. With the new schedule, advisory, “a formal way to personalize education for students” would replace homeroom. During it, an advisor would keep tabs of a student, their grades, and their performance throughout high school. Lombardi viewed it as  “opportunity [for] [teachers] to make real connections to kids”. It would potentially include a weekly student newscast that pose as an opportunity to see highlights from sports games and performances; it would essentially be an elongated version of the current student announcements that happen during homeroom each morning.

One parent next brought up the question of whether or not study halls would pose as a detriment to students if the new schedule was instituted. Lombardi responded by saying that study halls were “certainly a drawback” but that “the idea is that [they] don’t want to have teachers out”. Ultimately, Lombardi believed that “there is no perfect schedule” but that he and various teachers throughout MHS are approaching this situation by pinpointing the concepts they “like enough to fix the problems” within the current schedule.  

Aside from the new schedule, changes to the STEM department within the school were discussed as well. Some parents were concerned over how the new 9th grade math curriculum which would begin with Math 1 and be followed by Math 2 and Math 3, would affect eighth graders in their current math classes. Parents also inquired on what role the current Summer Math Enrichment Program would the classes their students would be in. be STEM teachers including Kathryn Bizier, Cara Joyce, and Shereen Escovitz are currently meeting in teams to ensure that the math summer “enrichment [will] match the curriculum in the school.” Joyce also added that this new model “aligns with the real world” and will also enable math teachers to place students from other countries more accurately in math classes as well.

Parents also asked about how the current engineer classes would change as the current engineer teacher is retiring and why a honors engineer class was not being offered. Math teacher Escovitz explained how the reason why there was no distinction between the course was due to the boxed curriculum called Amatrol curriculum which is currently being utilized by the school.

Lombardi also spoke  about the Parent Information Center with various parent attendees. He explained how Malden is a difficult district to run a Parent Information Center in due to “the amount of languages that come through the door”. He added that finding staff for the Center was the main issue but parents did pose the option of whether or not volunteers would be accepted. Further developments are yet to be made with Center.

Next, developments and current issues with technology in the school were discussed as well. One parent brought up the issue of the iBoss application in Chromebooks, explaining how the app only received a one and a half star rating and costs $30,000- an “absurd amount of money to pay for something that doesn’t work”. This parent inquired where the funding for iBoss was coming from and Lombardi responded by saying that the information technology from city to city in has merged over the past year; “it [didn’t] matter who [was] in control of it if it [didn’t] work”. There is a current update on the funding status of chromebooks and a “clear commitment to continuing the one-to-one endeavor” said Lombardi. He added that there are plans to outfit the incoming ninth graders with a new device; “something different…studier than the current Chromebook.” The funding for this would come out of “the local budget and or potentially grant funding”.

Lastly, parents asked if there would be a Back to School night for parents and ninth graders next year as well as the opportunity to start college planning earlier than junior and senior year. Lombardi said that he was speaking to guidance counselors about including a sophomore college planning session for next year and that he hopes for their to be opportunities to provide parents more resources regarding the school such as giving parents the training to be able to navigate X2.

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On Monday, May 9th, the Malden Varsity Baseball Team had a game against Gloucester at Pine Banks Park. The score was 5-0 Gloucester. The Malden Baseball Team has won four games and lost nine, out of thirteen games total. So far, they’ve beaten Revere, Medford, Everett and Somerville.

Junior Michael Goroshko going up to bat. Photo by Sabrina Monteiro.

The team hopes to make more improvements before the baseball season ends and is encouraged to make a few more wins in order to make it to the State Tournament. This is the team’s top priority and are continuously working their hardest to make it happen. The new coaching staff, Coach Freker telling his team that their “catches are strong” and motivating the players in every way to keep going through half of the game when the Malden team were still at zero points. At this point, the team began to lose some confidence but with the help from the coach, they made more effort to keep their head in the game and try their best.

Senior James Calo said “the only thing [they] could’ve done is just hit the ball. Gilligan pitched really well and [they] played well defensively, [they] just didn’t hit the ball. Credit to the opposing pitcher but we can’t let that happen.”

Baseball team in a huddle. Photo by Sabrina Monteiro.

Sophomore Reid Kankel said “[their] infield was a real lockdown, James (Jimmy) Pandolfo hit a double.” Pandolfo made it to second base with ease “and was excellent with the glove. Jared Martino was remarkable behind the dish, [mound].” The outfield was hungry, they didn’t allow a ball to touch the outfield grass.”

Though the game wasn’t as successful as the team might’ve hoped for, the team tried their hardest and to the best of their ability. Not only individually, but as a whole team.

The team’s strongest weakness would be trying to get back up after a team loss. This is one of the most important things that a sports team must learn because without it, people begin to lose confidence and start thinking every game they have will always be a loss. The team is still working on their consistency but with this, when the baseball team accomplishes this goal, it’ll be a great advantage for them to beat the opponents.

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Last week, the Fine Arts club put together its last Zombie Tag for the year, where the students ran for their lives away from the coming zombies from 2:45 pm to 5 pm. They sold tickets throughout the week of May 8th for five dollars, and they continued to sell the tickets after school on the day of the event. About thirty to forty people showed up to last Friday’s zombie tag.

Before MHS teacher and Fine Arts club advisor, Joseph Luongo, joined the MHS community five years ago, he said that all of the proceeds went out to, “various charities to fund the Fine Arts Club.” Approximately two hundred dollars was made from last week’s zombie tag. All of the money raised from selling the tickets goes to the Malden High School’s art department.

Students who helped monitor the events also helped enforce, and explain a lot of the rules of the game for first time players. The humans had to throw socks at the zombies, which would then freeze them for ten seconds if they couldn’t dodge the attack in time. To make things harder for the humans, they were limited to the second and third floors of the entire school, and they were prohibited from hiding in the stairwells. Also, humans couldn’t hide out in any of the rooms throughout the hallways reserved for the game.

After planning the event during a handful of officer meetings and obtaining permission for setting a date for Zombie tag, the Fine Arts Club spent a lot of time promoting Zombie tag through ticket sellings during lunch. Aside from holding officer meetings, the officers of the Fine Arts Club also communicated with each other through Facebook’s Messenger group chats.

Zhao Malisha, a junior at MHS, and one of the coordinators of the Zombie tag event, said that one of the obstacles the Fine Arts club faces with promoting the Zombie tag events is that, “many of the people just buy the ticket on the day of the event so [the Fine Arts club] can’t really predict how many people will show up,” which is an important factor in assigning the zombie positions for the event.

She explains that they also ask around for people who will be available to volunteer and help monitor on the day of the event. Also, some of the officers had to make announcements to remind the players of the rules to the game, and how much time is left before they do a headcount of whose left for humans and zombies. Luongo said that preparing and carrying out the zombie tag events are “[a] group effort,” comprised of both Fine Arts club members and of people volunteering to help. The level of teamwork between the Fine Arts Club members and the cooperation of the participants to these school events is what helps make zombie tag happen and more enjoyable for everyone involved.

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A change is being made to next year’s school curriculum surrounding math and science. The proposed idea is going to change the prospect of having separate categories of math, and instead, having integrated diverse math classes, divided up by Math 1, Math 2, and Math 3. Science classes will also push biology up to an only 9th grade honors class and a requirement by sophomore year.

The new math classes aren’t an entirely new concept, as other cities have been integrating math classes this way since 2014. Places such as Lexington and Newton have had it since, and have seen an increase in Math MCAS scores.

It is reported by the Journal for Research in Mathematics that students who learned a blend of math, often outperformed those who learned the topics individually. This is due to the brain’s ability to foster connections, and being able to revisit topics instead of using-then-losing it. The brain that is associated with memory often forgets concepts that are not continuously used, which is a reason many parents want their children to receive extra learning during the summer, so as to not forget. With the new curriculum, students will be learning a little bit of Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2 every year therefore, they would not be able to forget.

Principal Edward Lombardi hopes to see an increase in test scores adding that it’s a “more sensible way to go through the curriculum.” He has seen such results in his time at Lawrence as well.

The biology changes would only affect CP classes. Instead of attending a biology CP class, many freshmen might be referred to an environmental science class so as to be “caught up” with the prerequisites for biology. Lombardi said that there is a “huge maturity leap from ninth to tenth grade” and an environmental class would be beneficial to those who need it.

With this, the Biology MCAS will be pushed back for sophomores.

Many other schools in Massachusetts have been doing this as well. Carlisle has been using this system for a while, and as students enter high school to this new curriculum, there has been definite increases in MCAS scores.

Continuing on, Lombardi may promote a more productive system to teach students at MHS, tailored to fit the incoming students. The future of MHS’s education may more resemble schools such as Lexington, and Newton, and other well populated areas known for their quality of education.

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National Honors Society, an organization created to “recognize outstanding high school students”  inducted new members into it’s John W. Hutchins chapter on Wednesday, May 10th in the Jenkins Auditorium with its 90th annual induction ceremony.

The induction ceremony began at seven o’clock and featured a walk through of all members, candle lighting service, ceremonial transfer of club officers, senior tributes, and mentor and teacher of the year honorees. The night concluded with a showcase of senior service projects in the cafeteria.

NHS encourages its students to further their understanding and active participation in the Four Pillars of Society: scholarship, service, leadership, and character. Each year, students who either apply or are recommended by a NHS Faculty Board Member receives an application to be filled out in which they personally detail their in and out of school commitments which include but are not limited to clubs, sports, community service, and volunteering. This process assesses the students’ qualities of service and leadership. Scholarship is reflected in the requirement of an 88 (B+) average and character is reflected in a clean disciplinary record. The acceptance process is thorough and the requirements are rigid to ensure that National Honor Society members reflect the best each school and chapter have to offer.

Mayor Gary Christenson giving his opening remarks. Photo by Rebeca Pereira.

Senior Lizley Bertolini, a newly inducted member, recalls that MHS’s chapter advisor, computer science teacher Paul Marques, often describes his members as “conduits of society” for they not only should exemplify and live up to the Four Pillars of Society but, through these pillars, should contribute to the betterment of their communities.

Bertolini, who will be attending the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, recognizes that not only is NHS allowing students to help their communities but is also helping students present themselves to the world. She says that “ [she has] always wanted to be a doctor, so [she] could help others and make a difference” and that she believes “being a part of NHS has opened so many doors for [her] and [she’s] sure it had a lot of weight in my admission into the amazing pre-med program at UMass Amherst.”

Bertolini, as a senior, was given given the chance to tribute one important person in her life. She chose her mom to honor and concluded with a well known quote she believes embodies her relationship with her mother “Here’s to strong women everywhere. May we know them, may we be them, may we raise them.”

The senior tributes took up much of the latter half of the night but the first half was comprised of many smaller speeches, pledges, and acknowledgements.

Despite being a new member and one of the only five sophomores to be accepted, Salma Bezzat describes her favorite part of NHS as being “surrounded by some of the brightest and most inspiring students at MHS.”

Bezzat believes in the importance of the induction ceremony because, not only does it formally introduce new members, but it passes on a tradition that, in acknowledging the hard work of all the upperclassmen, introduces the underclassmen to the idea that “the more [she sees] them take action the more [she’ll] follow in their footsteps”.

The opening of the ceremony was led by Paul Marques and Stephen Deng, the now former president of NHS, with greetings from the School Department and the City of Malden with Mayor Gary Christenson sharing a few words directly with the NHS members and inductees. HIs parting message was of Malden pride and a call to action saying “now to whom much is given, much will be required.”

The induction of new members followed, composed of three main parts, the first being a candle lighting service. Senior students who exemplified through their merits one of the Four Pillars of Society were chosen to speak of their experience with that pillar and light a candle symbolizing that pillar. Felicia Lombardi lit the candle of leadership, Cleverina Cong lit the candle of scholarship, Grace Melo lit the candle of service, and Maria Ramos lit the candle of character.

Members of NHS taking the National Honors Society Pledge. Photo by Rebeca Pereira.

After the candle lighting ceremony, all new members stood up and took the National Honor Society Pledge which reads as follows:

“I pledge myself to uphold the high purpose of the National Honor Society to which I have been selected, striving in every way, by word and deed, to make its ideals the ideals of my life. I pledge to maintain my high scholastic standing, to endeavor intelligently and courageously, to be a leader, to give myself freely in service to others, and to hold as fundamental and worthy an untarnished character. In doing so, I shall prove myself worthy of a place in the National Honor Society.”

To end the induction portion of the ceremony, new members were presented with their certificates, cards, books, and pins by MHS Principal Edward Lombardi and Marques.

The induction portion was followed by the installation of new officers which include a transfer from senior President Deng to junior President Isabelle Maraschi, senior Vice President Phuong Nguyen to sophomore Vice President Birkuti Tsige, junior Secretary Manny Quesada Nylen maintaining his post, and from senior Treasurer Gabe Oliveira to junior Treasurer Patrick Pereira.

The presentation of plaques, books, and sashes to senior members and their tributes were followed by the “Teacher of the year” and “Mentor of the year” awards which were awarded to English teacher Yahaira Marquez and Barbara Scibelli respectively.

The event came to a close after the awards were handed out with Principal Lombardi and Marques delivering closing comments and a final farewell from former president Deng.

With those final words, the ceremony ended and members and spectators alike were invited to the cafeteria to enjoy snacks and refreshments as they observed the senior service projects.

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Recently, the United States History 1 classes have been taking on Generation Citizen. One group, coming from Michelle Filer’s period 5 class wanted to spread awareness of their project by including it in the school newspaper.

The class debated between many different topics, before finally choosing the Fair Share Amendment to be the focus of their project. Their other ideas included immigration issues, drug use, and the school schedule.

Freshman Debora De Souza, explains the Fair Share Amendment that if it was passed it “would raise taxes on those who make over [millions of dollars] and put that money into important funds”. Freshman Tenzin Shakya, adds that “the money from it would go towards funds for education and transportation”.

Michelle Filer’s period 5 class presented thier generation citizen project with Mayor Christenson . Photo submitted by Tenzin Shakya.

De Souza says that they decided to focus on this amendment because it is “something that concerns all students”, explaining that “everyone has the option to go to college, and whether someone wants to go or not everyone thinks about it because it’s so deeply rooted into all high schoolers”.

When asked why they wanted to have this be a part of the newspaper, Shakya says that they “want[ed] to raise awareness [amongst] the upperclassmen, so that they will vote for it when they have the chance”.

Their group has been working on many strategies to get their goal accomplished. Their main strategy is to contact people in higher positions of power and have them as supporters. They have also tried to get into contact with the Malden Observer to try and spread awareness through them as well.

They already have gained support for the amendment to pass from Senator Jason Lewis. He has been a supporter for a while,  and voted in a past election for it to be passed. Mayor Gary Christenson has also gotten behind the act, and told De Souza and Shakya that he will support them by posting things on social media, and that he would like to get involved to help contribute to the cause.

De Souza talks about how they recognize that there could be drawbacks if the amendment isn’t passed,but she feels “that people should be willing to take the risk”. Some of the drawbacks that were mentioned could come with the fair share amendment are that it could lead the wealthy to move out of Massachusetts, and that since there is not a lot of trust in the government, people don’t believe that that the money will go directly where it’s intended to go.

Despite that De Souza explains that “the outcome would be worth it because [it] has more positives than it does negatives, and it will help a lot because everyone should have the opportunity to go to college, and it would help those who do not have a lot of money”.

De Souza also says that while this might just seem like part of a class, they “will do as much as [they] can while [they] are so focused on it, since it will be reality later on”. Shakya adds that while they might have to lose some focus on it when they finish generation citizen in class, they “can look back on it, and keep working on gaining support for it throughout high school”.

Finally, De Souza urges everyone “to stay informed and educated, and to not think that it doesn’t affect you”. Shakya also says that “everyone should stay focused on this because it will be important”.

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On Tuesday, May 16th, the Malden High boys tennis team defeated the visiting Triton Hawks. Coming into the game Malden had an overall record of 1 win and 7 loss and had been on four losing streaks.  

The Tornadoes started the game aggressively in first singles, as captain Victor Teague dominate Triton Hawks’ players with consistent serve and powerful return. The boys had defeated the Hawks just a week prior and were confident that they would do the same again. Throughout the rest of the first set Teague continues to play restraining defense as well as an offense as he capitalized on every opponent weak return. The closest Triton ever got was 3-3 on the second set but Teague was able to pick up his pace and never looked back. As captain Teague mentioned his “killer first serve” was clearly one of his strengths. The first singles ended with MHS win over Triton (2-6) and (4-6).

Captain Victor Teague shooting a strong flat serve in the game against Triton Hawks at Amerige Park. Photo by Subin Bastola.

On second singles, sophomore Thomas Tran was also determined to defeat Triton. Tran’s consistent play and calm nature was understandably his strength. Even though some of the serves hit the net Tran was able to turn many of the return into good shots causing an opponent to move back and forth.  Tran got off to good start by breaking opponent’s serve in the second game of the match. Tran’s beautiful crosscourt volley surprises the Triton player forcing him to miss the return.  Throughout the rest of the second set Tran skills of “looking for the attack”  made his defense more intense as well as his strong forehand and groundstroke make his offense robust. The second singles also ended dominating Hawks (2-6) and (2-5).

The third single was one of the entertaining matches of the day. Sophomore Luis Gilbert was also looking forward to winning the second match against the Triton. From the beginning of the game, Gilbert was in the attack. His flat serve was one of his strengths. Gilbert and his opponent had a competitive evening since they both were tenacious to get a win. Despite starting the set with the points Gilbert had a hard time maintaining the winning streak. Gilbert lost the first set (6-4) and won the second set with distant margin (6-2) leading the game to the tiebreaker.  Unfortunately, tiebreaker could not go as Gilbert thought and he have to satisfy with another lost 6-4.

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During the summer, us teenagers are still hard at work. Whether it’s having a summer job, going to driving school, or struggling to get through summer homework, our time off becomes very limited. However, a lot of us don’t get the time to read during the school year because our everyday busy schedules that revolve around academics and extracurricular activities. In the summer, contemporary novels are one of the best types of novels to read because they are often short and easy to fly through. Whether it’s a novel of realism, cute romance, psychological thrillers or an advocate of social issues are breezy reads that you can fly through. whether it’s at the beach or in your air-conditioned living room.

• Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
  

  Everything, Everything cover. Photo from Wikimedia.

This story follows 18 year old Madeline Whittier, whose immune system cannot tolerate the outdoors, confining her indoors for the majority of her life. The only two people she has ever known in her life is her mother and her nurse, Carla. That is, until Olly, a boy who wears all black and practices parkour, moves next door. After instant messaging, writing each other messages on their windows and secret visits, the two begin to fall in love. Maddy decides to risk everything, including but not limited to her life,  in order to truly be with Olly and the rest of the world. Soon to be a major motion picture, “Everything Everything” is an adorable story that will make you laugh and cry, all while emphasizing that love doesn’t kill you; it’s the fear of it that does.

• Geekerella by Ashley Poston
  

  Geekerella cover. Photo from Wikimedia.

This novel is a Cinderella re-telling, but with a nerdy twist and is told from a dual pr. Seventeen year old Elle Wittimer is enamored by the tv show Starfield, a Star-Trek type of show. The show itself along with its fandom is her only escape from her horrific stepmother and stepsisters. Hollywood is making a movie reboot of Starfield, and the male lead who is playing Federation Prince Carmindor is actor Darien Freeman, our other narrator. While Darien struggles with doing justice to the Starfield fans who consider him just another heartthrob, Elle is trying to get tickets to a con where she can enter a cosplay contest and win not only a cash prize, but an invitation to the Cosplay Ball and the chance to meet Freeman. An adorable romance story, Geekerella is a love letter to anyone who believes in the magic of fandom.

• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed. Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

(taken from Amazon.com)

• The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
  

  The Sun is Also a Star cover. Photo from Wikimedia.

It is Natasha’s last day in New York City, where she has lived for 10 years. Her family, living as undocumented immigrants in a small Brooklyn apartment, are being deported to Jamaica after her father’s arrest for drunk driving. Natasha is scouring the city for a chance to stay in the United States legally. She wants the normal teen existence of her peers. Meanwhile, poetic Daniel is on his way to an interview as part of his application process to Yale. He is under great pressure to get in because his parents (who emigrated from South Korea) are adamant that he become a doctor. Events slowly conspire to bring the two leads together. When Daniel and Natasha finally meet, he falls in love immediately and convinces her to join him for the day. They tell their stories in alternating chapters. Additional voices are integrated into the book as characters interact with them. Both relatable and profound, the bittersweet ending conveys a sense of hopefulness that will resonate with teens. VERDICT This wistful love story will be adored by fans of Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor & Park.

(From School Library Journal)

• To all The Boys I’ve Loved Before Series by Jenny Han

What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them…all at once? Sixteen-year-old Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren’t love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she’s written. One for every boy she’s ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control.

(From Amazon.com)

• The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Sal begins his senior year with an unfamiliar fire burning inside him. He’s always been a good kid, firmly enfolded in the love of his gay adoptive father, their extended family, and his best friend Samantha. But suddenly, every cut and insult sends him into a violent rage. The more fights he gets into, the more he wonders about the source of these impulses. He worries that some terrible gene he inherited from his unknown biological father is taking hold of him.
As the year progresses, Sal struggles with his identity, flailing around in relationships that have been the steady heartbeat of his life — until now. Sudden tragedies force Sal and his loved ones to pull together when it would be easier to drift apart, leaving them to come to terms with loss, hope, and acceptance.

Sáenz tackles issues of race, queerness, feminism, and poverty with a deft and gentle hand, wrapping up the things that could have made this into an “issue” book into a journey of self-discovery and acceptance. These characters feel like fully realized people, and Sáenz gives us a window into a brutal and beautiful year in their lives.

(Taken from npr.org)

• The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love. No matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly can’t stomach the idea of rejection. So she’s careful. Fat girls always have to be careful. Then a cute new girl enters Cassie’s orbit, and for the first time ever, Molly’s cynical twin is a lovesick mess. Meanwhile, Molly’s totally not dying of loneliness—except for the part where she is. Luckily, Cassie’s new girlfriend comes with a cute hipster-boy sidekick. If Molly can win him over, she’ll get her first kiss and she’ll get her twin back.
There’s only one problem: Molly’s coworker, Reid. He’s a chubby Tolkien superfan with a season pass to the Ren Faire, and there’s absolutely no way Molly could fall for him.

(Taken from amazon.com)

• The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr
  

  The Memory of Flora Banks cover. Photo from Wikimedia.

Seventeen-year-old Flora Banks has no short-term memory. Her mind resets itself several times a day, and has since the age of ten, when the tumor that was removed from Flora’s brain took with it her ability to make new memories. That is, until she kisses Drake, her best friend’s boyfriend, the night before he leaves town. Miraculously, this one memory breaks through Flora’s fractured mind, and sticks. Flora is convinced that Drake is responsible for restoring her memory and making her whole again. So, when an encouraging email from Drake suggests she meet him on the other side of the world—in Svalbard, Norway—Flora knows with certainty that this is the first step toward reclaiming her life. But will following Drake be the key to unlocking Flora’s memory? Or will the journey reveal that nothing is quite as it seems?

Already a bestselling debut in the UK, this unforgettable novel is Memento meets We Were Liars and will have you racing through the pages to unravel the truth.

(Taken from amazon.com)

• Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth

Fans of Star Wars and Divergent will revel in internationally bestselling author Veronica Roth’s stunning new science-fiction fantasy series.

On a planet where violence and vengeance rule, in a galaxy where some are favored by fate, everyone develops a currentgift, a unique power meant to shape the future. While most benefit from their currentgifts, Akos and Cyra do not—their gifts make them vulnerable to others’ control. Can they reclaim their gifts, their fates, and their lives, and reset the balance of power in this world?
Cyra is the sister of the brutal tyrant who rules the Shotet people. Cyra’s currentgift gives her pain and power—something her brother exploits, using her to torture his enemies. But Cyra is much more than just a blade in her brother’s hand: she is resilient, quick on her feet, and smarter than he knows.Akos is from the peace-loving nation of Thuvhe, and his loyalty to his family is limitless. Though protected by his unusual currentgift, once Akos and his brother are captured by enemy Shotet soldiers, Akos is desperate to get his brother out alive—no matter what the cost. When Akos is thrust into Cyra’s world, the enmity between their countries and families seems insurmountable. They must decide to help each other to survive—or to destroy one another.

(Taken from harpercollins.com)

• Holding Up The Universe by Jennifer Niven

Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout, the girl once dubbed “America’s Fattest Teen.” But no one’s taken the time to look past her weight to get to know who she really is. Following her mom’s death, she’s been picking up the pieces in the privacy of her home, dealing with her heartbroken father and her own grief. Now, Libby’s ready: for high school, for new friends, for love, and for EVERY POSSIBILITY LIFE HAS TO OFFER

Everyone thinks they know Jack Masselin, too. Yes, he’s got swagger, but he’s also mastered the impossible art of giving people what they want, of fitting in. What no one knows is that Jack has a newly acquired secret: he can’t recognize faces. Even his own brothers are strangers to him. He’s the guy who can re-engineer and rebuild anything in new and bad-ass ways, but he can’t understand what’s going on with the inner workings of his brain. So he tells himself to play it cool: Be charming. Be hilarious. Don’t get too close to anyone.

Until he meets Libby. When the two get tangled up in a cruel high school game — which lands them in group counseling and community service — Libby and Jack are both pissed, and then surprised. Because the more time they spend together, the less alone they feel. . . . Because sometimes when you meet someone, it changes the world, theirs and yours.

Jennifer Niven delivers another poignant, exhilarating love story about finding that person who sees you for who you are — and seeing them right back.

(Taken from jenniferniven.com)

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Zachary Rufo is a sophomore at Malden High, and is one of the members of our Boys Lacrosse team. Rufo started playing lacrosse with the high school’s team last year as a part of the JV team, however, he moved up to varsity this year, and is definitely one of the star players. He only started playing lacrosse as a sport three years ago, as a eighth grader. The reason why he started playing lacrosse is because “[his] brother played lacrosse, and [he] decided to give it a try.”

On his relationship with his teammates, he states that his relationship with them is close, and that “[he loves] [his] teammates like family, and [he] would do anything for them.”With his coaches, he says that they taught him a lot in the last two years, and “[he is]  extremely thankful to have three of them as coaches, because [he] would not be the lacrosse player [he is] without them.”

When it comes to his lacrosse skills, Rufo feels that his speed and handling is “advantageous”, however, “[he needs to] work on [his] shots, and also improve on shooting with [his] left hand, even though [he thinks] [he has] come far with [his] left hand.” Senior Andy Tham says that Rufo is one of the most memorable players on the team. “Although he isn’t a captain, he does help lead the team” He also added that he “puts in the work and he never loses sight of the vision.”

Rufo feels like the team’s best performance was “definitely against Winthrop because [they] showed skill and heart and that’s what [their] coach wants.” For the future, he hopes to play lacrosse all throughout high school, and maybe even in college.

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On June 10th of this year, the Malden High School band is hosting its very own Coachella event for the first time. It will be hosted at the Salemwood middle school field from 1pm until 9pm. Tickets will be on sale for $5 all throughout lunch block, and if you have some free time during the day you can buy a ticket at the band room in H216. The tickets will be $7 at the door. All proceeds from Coachella will be dedicated for the music departments in Malden.

There will be plenty of music from the thirteen different people performing instrumental pieces, including performances from the Malden High School Jazz band, the Malden Ukulele group, and senior Megan Melanson on the saxophone. In addition to the instrumental groups that will perform at Coachella, there will also be several sensational vocal performances by Christopher Giordano’s Acapella group (the Fermata Town), by our very own former MHS graduate Sarah Viera, Jerry Under Fed, Don Dzy, Dj Nicc, Soul Pilgrims, the Woo Factor, the MHS Choir, and many more performances from around the district of Malden!

Poster for the Coachella Event. Photo by Megan Downer.

MHS band teacher and Coachella Coordinator, Erin O’Brien Mazza, is so excited that, “[Coachella] keeps [her] up at night [because] [she keeps] thinking about it,” and she has very high expectations for the music festival, this is for “everyone to have fun, and for everyone’s eyes just to be opened to how important music and art is in the school. [Because] [she thinks] a lot of times they’re taken for granted. A lot of times people actually don’t think we need them. So, [she’s] really excited and [she’s] expecting that after [they] have the festival that people will realize how vitally important they are to our community and to the schools.” In this way, she also hopes to unite the community with the power of music.

Many of the performers are just as enthusiastic about Coachella as Mazza is. Jerry Under Fed is “very excited” about the music festival, and he believes that it’ll be “a great experience,” especially since, “[this is] the first time something like [Coachella] is happening in Malden, so [he] really can’t wait to perform.” He plans on playing a lot of the things that are on his SoundCloud, so his fans should definitely show up to support him especially if they want to hear some new material Jerry Under Fed has been working on. He expects to see, “all types of people there, all ages, all backgrounds [to] just come together and have a fun time [at Coachella].” He gives a “shout out to Ms. Mazza for putting [Coachella] together,” and he urges people to “make sure [they] get [their] tickets to Coachella.”

MHS senior band member, Megan Melanson, is performing in the jazz band is “really excited,” and she believes “[the music festival is] gonna be a lot of fun, and [she] feel[s] like it’s gonna be really beneficial to the music and arts departments,” since it’ll raise awareness and encourage students to join the different areas in the music department. She explains that the Jazz Band will be performing, “a couple songs, one is Chameleon, another one is Everybody Needs Somebody to Love, [they’re] also doing Shut Up & Dance and a couple other ones.”

Even though Coachella is a music festival, there will be plenty of other activities going on at the Salemwood field, such as yard games, flower crowns, face paintings and flash tattoos done by the skilled hands of members from the MHS art program. Mazza explains that the yard games will include, “can-jam and spike ball, [they] have jump ropes and hula hoops for the little kids,” which will definitely keep children on their toes and occupied throughout the event. Let’s not forget that this will be an all-day event, so there will be plenty of food provided by 4 different food trucks and an ice cream, and a lot of dj-ing. So buy your tickets as soon as possible and come support the MHS band members who will be performing.

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Samrawit Eshetu, Stephanie Chu, Carla Rosales-McFarlane, Bingyi Chen, Joanna Tang, and Vanessa Vu. Photo by Paul Marques.

On Saturday, May 13th, Malden High School’s Technovation Team went to the Wentworth Institute for a worldwide competition between girls in technology called the Technovation Challenge. The girls have been developing their app, “Treedom”, for months.
At the competition, the Technovation Club entered with Treedom. Junior, and member of the club, Vanessa Vu spoke about the app and explained that “Treedom targets a middle school audience, and encourages them to develop eco-friendly habits with games, recipes, and crafts”.
The decided to do this app because for this year’s Technovation Challenge every group from each different school was required to create an app that helps the world in some way. They decided that the way that they would choose to help the world was to start by targeting the environment.
Paul Marques is the advisor for MHS’s Technovation Team, and Vu mentioned that he worked well with them, she explained that “he gave [them] advice throughout the process and made sure that [they] were always on track”.
The idea for the Treedom app was actually the first idea that was brought up by one of the group members. All of the group agreed that it was a good idea, and they all decided to roll with it, showing that it was not difficult for the group to start up their project.
Vu mentioned that the main challenge that came across while creating the app was the time commitment. She said that “there [was] a lot of time and effort that [needed] to go into the process and it was difficult to manage, especially with all of [her] other priorities”.
When asked how she thought how the group worked with each other she said that she thought that she and her “group mates all worked well together and made [their] contributions in some way, whether it was a contribution in coding or in working on the business plan”.
The Technovation members divided up their responsibilities by splitting their team up into two different subgroups. Vu explained that “there were some who focused on coding the app itself and others, including [herself], who worked on the business plan of the app”.
When asked how Vu thought how the app turned out she said that she “was satisfied with the completed app considering [their] limited time”, but she did add that she felt like there was still some room for improvement on it.
Vu spoke about the competition saying that it was a “great learning experience”. She said that “[their] group pitched [their] app to many people and got great feedback”.
Vu added that she also learned a lot at the competition explaining that it “taught [her] what work is really like in the real world, and it also taught [her] how to write a business plan”.
Although the club didn’t win the competition, it is clear that a lot of hard work was put into the app, and that the competition was a positive experience for them.

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Film club meets every Thursday to deeply analyze different films and ideas in a different perspective to discuss what the director did and why. In film club, you will learn how simple things like lighting and tone can drastically change a film. The club began in October of 2016, and starting getting a lot more organized towards the end of December.

Officers, Matheus Pereira, Antonio Tarantino, Edward Murray, and Jacquay Spradley put their shared passion for film together to share their ideas on how a director can change the entire plot of the film with a camera and some lighting. Film club officer, Matheus Pereira, created the club early this year because of his passion for directing and photography and he decided it’d be best to put the two together into an after school activity. “[Pereira] wanted a group of people to make films with and work on stuff that you typically can’t do in a classroom” states Murray. Another goal of the club was to “provide people with an alternative to the class [Media Production] if they don’t have room in their schedule.” Murray states.

Most of the meetings are filled with an hour long discussion about the different aspects of film, along with discussing future short films and ideas. Members are currently discussing ideas of an upcoming short film in the future. In meetings, they look deeply into scenes in popular films that some of the members enjoy to interpret what the director did and why. These points and strategies are then brought up into later discussions and are added into their own short films.

Around ten people come into the club each week and have very rare newcomers, most of the members have stuck around since around the time that the club has been made.  

“We discuss multiple elements of the filmmaking process” states Murray.

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Every Tuesday in room BR486, Psychology Club meets after school to talk about habits of the mind and how psychology is used every day.

Psychology Club was brought back this year by Freshman Dahlia Sharleon, and Senior Marisa Vasquez who both love psychology but noticed that the club never met or had any active leaders. This was because the previous team leaders were all seniors so when they graduated, the club had basically just disappeared.

Around December, Sharleon inquired MHS’s AP Psychology teacher, Anne Pember, to ask her where the club was held. Pember replied that it hadn’t met for a few years and offered to reach out to a few of her psychology students to see if they would want to take on a leadership role in the club. Then, Sharleon and Vasquez met and decided to host Psychology club’s first post-hiatus meeting before December vacation.

Sharleon actually took on one of the leadership positions of the club. She spoke about how she didn’t think she’d become a leader within it, and explained that she wanted to “be a part of psychology club because [she] believed that it was interesting”.

Though she was glad to have brought it back, it wasn’t easy for the club to stay afloat.

Recently, due to Vasquez’s absence to go do senior internship, and her graduation, the club has been looking for someone else to fill her spot, and offer guidance for future meetings.

Vasques wasn’t the only person absent. Pember also went on maternity leave soon after their first meetings. However, Rachel Shapiro took over, as she was Pember’s substitutes in March.

At the club, students find themselves learning about psychology in a fun and engaging way. As many of the club members are AP Psychology students, there is a lot of material that the club covers that the class doesn’t. Many of the students who attend are interested in how psychology works and want to learn more than what the college board demands, or are people who had been interested in the class but never got the chance to take it.

The first time Shapiro was introduced to the club, they talked about sleep, and created a presentation on how it affects students. Shapiro spoke about it and said that she believes that “it was very relevant to high school students” which is also what helped to make the club so interesting. “That’s been a major goal of the club,” Shapiro stated, “to do things that are connected to psychology but also are connected to the students”.

The club also hosted a smaller event where they invited students to make stress balls right before midterms. This produced one of the largest crowds that they had seen attend the club and encouraged them plan to host more events like that in the future.

One of the issues Sharleon expressed was that the meetings haven’t been consistent because of snow days, vacations, or lack of staff to ensure that a meeting would be held. Sharleon hopes that “in the future the club will be more consistent”, and that they will eventually have a bigger turnout.

Before the seniors leave once and for all, Sharleon hopes to have one more stress ball or play dough activity to unite the leaving seniors and the rest of the club members who have been together from the start. Hopefully this will bring more people into the club, and help relax students who have yet to take finals!

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Ramadan is the holiest month for Muslims everywhere, and our first month of fasting starts on May 27, 2017. Now, every year, there’s always a plethora of questions someone who does not practice Islam might have, and as a Muslim, I will happily answer the majority of these questions for you.

What exactly is Ramadan? What do you do?

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and during Ramadan, we fast from sunrise, to sunset. But we do not just fast, we have to abstain from sexual activities, profanity, and any kind of sinful speech and behavior. Before sunrise, we prepare for fasting with suhur, which is basically a pre-meal, and after sunset we finally break our fast, which is called iftar.

What is the point of Ramadan?

The purpose is spiritual, teaching submission to God. It also teaches self control and discipline, and cleansing the soul. It’s actually quite beautiful.

OMG, not even water?!?!

Yes, we abstain from food AND water. Gum also counts. The first few days can be a little difficult, especially if you are in school or at work, however, you get quickly used to it.

What can I, a non-Muslim do to help?

I honestly think it varies on who you ask, but I would just say not to exaggerate what we go through, be mindful of your language, and not to be disrespectful about it. Just let us be, and I think it’s okay.

What do you eat?

Again, it really depends who you ask. Not every Muslim is from the same place, and contrary to popular belief, not all Muslims are Arab. In my family, common things we have are croissants, bread, coffee, msemen, a iconic Moroccan staple, and harira, a Moroccan soup.

Can you just not eat instead? What happens if you eat?

Well, there are people who physically cannot fast. Young children, people with health issues, the elderly, pregnant women and breastfeeding women do not have to fast. People who get periods also have to refrain from fast during their period. Once you are fit to fast again, you can make up those missing days. If you can’t make up those days because you are still unfit to fast, you have to feed one poor person a night during Ramadan. If you eat while you are fit to, it is sort of a bad thing, since fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam. You also face society looking down on you, since most Muslims fast, regardless if they are highly religious or not. In my opinion, I really don’t care whether or not you fast. I do, and that’s me, so you do you.

Do you lose or gain weight during Ramadan?

I don’t know about anyone else, but I gain weight. I eat a big meal before sunrise, fast, and eat a big meal after sunset. I do not watch my diet during Ramadan, even though I should, so I gain a few pounds. Do not do this with the intention of losing weight, that can lead to unhealthy weight loss.

These questions are simply just common questions we hear every year. I hope I have covered the basics! Ramadan mubarak!

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Reverence, time, and remembrance were the main themes of the Memorial Day assembly, which commemorated the “men and women who have fought for our freedom and sacrificed their lives in service to our great country”.

The assembly, which took place on Friday afternoon at 1:30 pm, was led by Senior Nic Acuna and included choral performances from the MHS Choral Arts Society, a trumpet solo by Alicia Devereaux, a poetry recitation by Junior Ariana Teixeira, speeches from dignitaries, Kevin Jarvis and Sergeant Major Paul Ronan, as well as addresses given by Mayor Gary Christenson and Principal Ted Lombardi. Acuna led various readings, one of which was The Gettysburg Address written by Abraham Lincoln. This particular text was described as one of two “important literary works that [reflected] the significance of Memorial Day”. The second work was In Flanders Field written by John McCrae, performed by Teixeira.

Christenson’s opening remarks reminded audience members of the significance of Memorial Day. He began with a quote from Franklin D. Roosevelt which stated: “those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time [those] [who] have died to win them”. Christenson stated the significance of the community that was built in commemorating the veterans who fought in defense of our country. He concluded by saying that “it [was] important to not only recognize their service but to also honor their devotion to duty and make certain that the purpose for which they fought [would] not be forgotten”.

Next, the Choral Arts Society performed two verse of the Star Spangled Banner written by Francis Scott Key and the Pledge of Allegiance was recited to punctuate the commencement of the assembly.

Following this, Jarvis, Director of Veteran Services for the City of Malden, gave a brief speech about his experience in the Marine Corps and his current profession in Veteran Services and recounted this history of the United States Military and World War I, the “war to end all wars”. The message in Jarvis’ prose was to encourage the audience to “remember the tremendous lost [soldiers] providing freedom…for us today”. He mentioned the names of veterans of Malden who have passed away to show the local impact that combat still has on the city of Malden.

Another speech was given by Sergeant Major Paul Ronan who was described as having an “unwavering commitment to continuing the legacy of those who have served before” by Lombardi, whom he formerly worked alongside by at Lawrence High School. The crux of Ronan’s speech was to shed light on the invaluableness of time, “the most valuable commodity…throughout [one’s] life”. He urged those in attendance to utilize their time to reflect on the importance of the Memorial Day holiday at the apex of the following week.

Subsequently, there was a ringing of bells which was symbolic of the midnight watch and represented “the soul awakening and the start of a glorious day”. The bell was rung by Acuna four times in two rhythmic beats creating “a sense of hope for a better tomorrow” and “reminding listeners of the importance of the call to peace”.

Following the ringing of the bells was the laying of the wreath. This showed a “similar and simple gesture” as the commemoration performed at the Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia performed every half hour at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This ceremony was led by Captain Mark Capansky of the United States Marine Corps joined by representatives of the JROTC program of Lawrence High School.

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Students of Matènwa Community Learning Center. Photo submitted by Paul Degenkolb.

Malden High School has been collecting donations for the Matènwa Community Learning Center in Haiti, for some time now, hosting different donation drives for different items needed by the school, and the surrounding communities. This year, Malden High School’s Haitian Club has collected first aid supplies, school supplies, and basic toiletries after Hurricane Matthew in October. These donations have had a “big positive effect”, says Haitian Club advisor, Paul Degenkolb.

The school supplies collected earlier this year have been distributed to twenty-five different schools, and the nurses office at the Lekòl Kominote Matènwa (LKM), or Matenwa Community Learning Center, is fully stocked. The children in attendance of “highest economic need” were given toiletry kits, as well.

This year’s final donation drive is for books for a resource library in Grann Sous, a larger, neighboring village to Matènwa. The library, however, will serve several different villages in the area. Haitian Club is looking for books in good condition, in either English or Spanish. Children’s books, novels, as well as ESL books that are “geared toward language” are all good donations.

As of May 25, five individuals have donated 40% of the initial goal. Degenkolb and the Haitian Club hope to ship the books to Grann Sous by May 31.

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After spending four years here at MHS and about nine years in America, Ka Wing Cheung is graduating from Malden High School in the top ten of the class of 2017. Cheung is leaving MHS behind and is heading to University of Massachusetts Amherst in the fall.

Cheung, originally from Hong Kong, expressed that she was very surprised by her ability to adapt to her surroundings in America because she didn’t expect it to be “similar to Hong Kong.” She explained that in Hong Kong, she “was used to seeing people of different races and colors,” and that it was always comfortable interacting with people different from her.” She lived in Washington when she first came here, and moved to Massachusetts shortly after that. Overall, “coming to America it wasn’t hard for [her],” and seeing a lot of diversity was normal for her.

Many students who come to America feel anxious about the language barrier, but Cheung explains that this wasn’t as much of a problem for her because, “[she learned] a lot of  English in the Hong Kong, so learning English here was far from different for her.

During her time at MHS, Cheung became gradually more and more involved within the school. One of the key parts of her high school career was her time spent being a part of the Asian Culture Club, which is a club she joined freshman year. During her freshmen year when she did not know a lot of people and was transitioning from middle school to high school, the club was able to, “[give her] a sense of belonging.” Although the club only has a few events per year, Cheung expressed that, “it does still get the community to come together” and it is “nice to see people learn about [Asian] cultures.”

She explained that although her volunteer time and clubs she joined were very significant, she wishes that “[she] would have gotten involved sooner,” in more areas of the school during her freshman year.

She also became involved in her community through volunteering at the Malden Public Library. During her first years being in America, Cheung felt that the library was always there to help her and “make [her] feel safe”. It was “[relaxed] compared to the busy nature of school work,” so she decided to go back and help the library. While volunteering, she carried out tasks such as organizing books.

One of the interests that Cheung had discovered she wanted to become more serious about during high school was art. Before she moved to America, she expressed that paint was very expensive in China, and the first time she ever painted was when she started taking classes here at MHS. When she started painting, “[she was] so surprised that [she] could actually paint well and that people actually enjoyed [her] work.” She explained that a moment that made her confident in her artwork was when her friend told her that a woman at the Blue and Gold Art Gallery expressed how she “liked [Cheung’s painting]” and that it was significant to her because, “it wasn’t just a teacher or [her peers] saying something nice about her for a change.”

Mary Ann Seager, an art teacher here at MHS, has worked closely with Cheung for the last four years and had her as a student in her Studio 4 class this year, and describes her as “very hardworking and creative.” Seager also explained that Cheung, “always wants to help. She helps other students while still being able to work on her own projects.”

Seager also expressed that she, “wishes for [her] to choose the right people to be around” and that she is going to, “make a good path for her future.” She also explained that she feels that, “[Cheung] will be happy with whatever she finally decides she wants to do” as a career.

Brad Gelling, a math teacher at MHS who has Cheung as a student for AP Calculus, describes Cheung as, “intelligent, kind, patient, and well spoken.” He explained that he got to know her when she was a, “peer tutor in the summer enrichment program,” at MHS. Gelling expressed that he is not sure what he sees as a career for Cheung, but he, “[wishes] for her to best she is a very talented math student to pursue what she loves.”

When she heads to school this fall, Cheung will be majoring in math for her first year at UMass Amherst. She explained that  the major is, “just a test because [she is] not sure yet, but [she does] want to minor in history.” Cheung feels that history is something that is “the world shares the same history, even if individual history is different,” and that she likes how, “nothing is new and we can learn from history because it often repeats itself.” She explains that math always came easier to her because, “English is [her] second language, and math is the only thing [she] had in China that [she has] here.” Math is also what she describes as, “universal and is the same for everyone around the world.”

Senior Ka Wing Cheung. Photo submitted by Ka Wing Cheung

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