Senior Edward Huang. Photo submitted by Edward Huang

After 18 years in Malden, senior Edward Huang leaves behind his city and Malden High School, in pursuit of a higher education at Babson College in Wellesley, MA, where he will study finance. His hard work during the past four years has earned him a seat among the Top Ten of the class of 2017.

Over the course of four years, Huang has built up his resume, participating in a plethora of extracurriculars that helped mold and shape him into the person he is today. Through these, Huang was able to forge closer bonds to classmates and teammates. Huang was a member of the MHS crew team for three years, saying how, although he did not participate this year, it will still be “one of the most memorable parts of high school [for him], because it helped [him] and his friends grow closer [and he] learned the true definition of teamwork” thanks to it.

Huang was not just an athlete, but also enjoyed volunteering as a member of both the Red Cross Club, and the YMCA Leadership Club, of which he has been a four-year member of both. Huang said that being in those was really fun because of how he was able to “[feel] great [by] helping those in need [and by] giving back to the community.”

Business is second nature to Huang, to which MHS business teacher Charles Bowers can attest to. Under Bowers’ tutelage, Huang has been able to learn accounting and about economics. Through these classes, Bowers has had the opportunity to learn who Huang was as a student, and as through Huang’s School-to-Career with Bowers, he has been able to see who Huang was as person.

To Bowers, Huang was a “self-motivated student, who was thirsty to learn about as much about business as he could.” Huang, according to Bowers, has a “high integrity” that really set him a part from his other students, especially since in every class Bowers has had with him, Huang “established himself as a leader,” who was “always on the top of his game.”

Huang has been interested in the subject of business and finance for a long time. He cited the source of his interest to “[growing] up seeing the green and red graphs of a volatile stock market. These drew [his] attention and pulled [him] into a subject far more complex than just numbers and lines.”  After Babson, Huang “[looks] forward to trading stocks as an investment banker and maybe one day make it to Wall Street.”

Huang will not only miss the extracurriculars he has participated in and the people he met through them, but also just being able to “[go] to class everyday with friends that I grew up with and teachers that I have bonded with over the years at MHS.”

For Huang. The four years truly flew by, as he still remembers how during freshman year, he felt at first it “was difficult because of the adjustments [he] had to make from middle school.”

As a word of advice to underclassmen, Huang suggested to “start building [their] resume early [and] to make the most of [their] time here at MHS. Find a teacher [one] can bond with because they can give guidance and advice from their own experiences.”

Although there will many things Huang will miss about Malden and MHS, he is excited “to meet new people and open a new chapter.

The post Top Ten Profile: Edward Huang appeared first on The Blue and Gold.

Senior Yan Zheng. Photo submitted by Yan Zheng

Senior Yan Zheng is leaving Malden High School to attend the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the fall. While this Top Ten student is still undecided in her major, she immersed herself in many extracurriculars during her time at MHS that she’s still passionate about like running, art, and being a member of the Asian Culture Club.

Zheng is a former professional dancer who began traditional dancing in China from where she moved to the United States, first residing in Philadelphia and Alabama before moving to Massachusetts. Dance, which she currently pursues recreationally, has allowed her to gain many friends throughout the years. Zheng said that “she learned that “there are certain things that [she] loves and wants to pursue, and there are certain things that she wants to keep as a hobby”.

Zheng believes that college experience can give a person a new “outlook on life”and is a “unique experience” that not everyone is exposed to. She chose to attend UMASS Amherst because of the large range of majors for her to select from and the financial package she received from the school. She is mostly looking forward to meeting new people at college because “high school is so much smaller”.

To Zheng, there will have to be a “transition period from [a] teenager to adulthood” as she describes that she was mostly sheltered by her parents. Despite being sheltered, she finds that she didn’t receive copious amounts of academic pressure from her family and that she mostly pressures and motivates herself. Zheng feels that “[she] needs to make [her parents] proud” because of the sacrifices they made to leave China and come to America. Starting in the fall, she will use college as the vehicle to not only further her education, but take advantage of the opportunities that were not available to her parents but are now available to her.

Zheng explained that she will miss the staff, especially guidance counselor Erin Craven whom she is a Student-to-Career for. She received a lot of help with the college application process from Ms. Craven and that those going through the process should not worry too much due to the resources available here at MHS. She also credits Craven’s help in allowing he to become “more comfortable with speaking in front of the class and sharing [her] own opinion”. She adds that in the past she become nervous during class presentations but now she has “a better understanding of what [she] is capable of”.

The advice she would give to underclassmen is to not be too worried about grades and not take too many AP classes. Zheng believes that it is more important for students to “choose the right classes for [them]” so they can be “able to balance [them] out” as well as take classes with topics that they are interested in.

The post Top Ten Profile: Yan Zheng appeared first on The Blue and Gold.

Senior Don Nguyen leaves Malden High School after a successful academic career geared towards robotics and computer science. Nguyen is excited to continue his journey in these fields in college. Nguyen is graduating with the class of 2017 as the second ranked member of his class.

Outside of computer sciences, Nguyen was also involved with the Malden YMCA and the Leaders Core. Nguyen stated that at first he only involved himself in the events and activities as a member but eventually began to help the officers create spreadsheets and work on the management aspect of the club.

Nguyen had also participated in track for a bit and stated he thinks fondly of making memories with the new friends he had made from that team.

Nguyen is thankful to computer science teacher Paul Marques for “providing [them] with a bunch of opportunities [in their field].”

Marques praised Nguyen for “[his] commitment, devotion to the subject matter, and [his] personality overall.”’ Additionally, Marques expressed his admiration for “Nguyen’s uncanny ability to figure out the nitty-gritty.” Marques also stated he believes that Nguyen will do “excellent” in his future endeavors.

Nguyen’s background in computer science drew him to the Robotics Club, which he has been a part of for his junior and senior years. Reflecting on their past tournaments Nguyen commented that last year’s competition did not go as well as they had hoped, however this year they “got first place, which was nice.”

Robotics is one of the hobbies that Nguyen hopes to explore even further in college. Nguyen also stated he looks forward to “look[ing] around to see what is available” in the college community.

As many seniors approach the end of high school, they experience feelings of anxiety for the future. Nguyen is not immune to these worries but he prefers to ponder over how his college transition will work out. He anticipates his newfound sense of responsibility as he will have to find his own balance in life during his freshman year. Nguyen will miss having “relatively less responsibility since we are just kids.”

Nguyen plans on attending Northeastern University in the fall, majoring in Computer Science and is considering adding a minor as well. He is uncertain of what he would minor in. Nguyen enjoys computer science because “it is procedural and basically just solving puzzles.” Nguyen will be dorming at Northeastern come this Fall, as the university requires all of the incoming freshmen to dorm with the school.

While undergoing the transition to college, Nguyen stated that he is going to miss the teachers he had for many years including Julie Snyder, who he had for three years, and Marques, who he has had all four years.

Nguyen will also miss his friends from high school and all other teachers and staff members influential to him throughout his time here at Malden High.

Senior Don Nguyen. Photo submitted by Don Nguyen

The post Top Ten Profile: Salutatorian Don Nguyen appeared first on The Blue and Gold.

Ready for a fresh start in her life, senior Cleverina Cong will be graduating as the top ranked student for the class of 2017. Cong will be starting this new chapter in her life at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, her “dream school.” She will be majoring in computer science and minoring in management. Computer science has always been her favorite subject in high school, she “[finds] the aspects of logic and problem-solving fun — writing a program is essentially like solving a puzzle, where you have to figure out what pieces go where and what pieces connect to each other.”

Along with a heavy schedule, Cong was also involved in many clubs and sports. She has been a part of the soccer team, swim team and outdoor track team and she does plan on trying out for the MIT soccer team. Clubs that Cong has taken part in are National Honors Society and the Robotics team. Cong also has a passion for music and can play the piano and flute. “[She has] also been trying to teach [herself] how to [play] the guitar and ukulele.” Throughout high school, she often struggled with maintaining a healthy sleep schedule, “balancing multiple AP classes, high school sports, club sports, and trying to maintain a social life was pretty difficult, especially because [she’s] both a perfectionist and a serious procrastinator.”

Reflecting on freshman year, Cong has seen that she has changed throughout the years. Her freshman year she “was super shy, socially awkward, and emotionally inarticulate.” “ [She has] learned to be more open and less wary of judgment. [She has] not only grown a lot more comfortable with others, but also with [herself]. [She’s] not afraid to stand up and speak in front of a room full of people anymore.”

The highlight of Cong’s high school career was winning the Botball New England Regional Tournament. She stated that, “it felt amazing to come in as underdogs, and come out on top, undefeated. What made this even more special was that [she] was able to experience this alongside [her] best friends.”

One thing that Cong will miss about MHS is the atmosphere. “The student body is super diverse and accepting,” and “[she] can literally walk down the hall dabbing without being questioned.” She will also miss computer science teacher Paul Marques and physics teacher Brian Morrison. She explained that their, “unconventional, yet effective approaches to teaching made learning something to look forward to, rather than dreading, because they kept [her] interested with their energetic personalities and entertaining stories.” Morrison will miss “her ability to work hard, her commitment and her personality,” and he hopes that she “will make every moment count.”

Coming to the end of her high school career, Cong “[knows] that transitioning from high school to an academically rigorous college like MIT won’t be easy, but there’s an aspect of excitement to challenges.” She has gotten a “taste of the life and culture there,” and is ready to start and make her mark.

She advises underclassmen to “take calculated risks that make sense” and to not “be afraid to stand out, and don’t let fear of failure hold you back.”

Senior Cleverina Cong. Photo submitted by Cleverina Cong

The post Top Ten Profile: Valedictorian Cleverina Cong appeared first on The Blue and Gold.

Senior Rachel Tran. Photo submitted by Rachel Tran

Graduating Malden High School as one of the top ten students in her class, Rachel Tran is ready to face her future with the skills that Malden High has given to her.

In the fall, Tran plans on attending UMass Amherst and will be majoring in Biology. She explained that “[she] has always had this interest in the sciences and taking AP Biology this year really directed [her] towards the major.” She is not sure of what she will be minoring in yet, but she is interested in minoring in Chinese because it is her native language and recalls that “when [she] was younger, [she] took Chinese classes but stopped taking them due to her busy schedule”. Tran will also be participating in the Commonwealth Honors College, which is a diverse community of academically talented students that are provided with extensive opportunities for analysis, research, leadership development and international experience through smaller classes.

During her freshmen year, Tran participated in Crew while participating in indoor and outdoor Cross-Country during her sophomore year. She stopped playing sports after her sophomore year because “[she] wasn’t the most athletic person.”. However, she reflected that it was a great experience since she met most of her friends that she still has today through Crew and Cross-Country. Although Tran didn’t commit a full four years to a particular sport, she believes that trying out for a sport during the beginning of your high school experience will “definitely help you along the way”. Since it is usually difficult to meet and hang out with friends during class, Tran said that “doing a sport is a great way to meet friends and to have a positive experience”.

From freshman year to now, Tran has experienced a lot of change as a person. When she was a freshman, she was still finding her way around the school and figuring out who her friends were and should be. She has discovered that “friends are the people who help you discover yourself at a younger age. As a freshman, you are really still transitioning from middle school to high school, and the people who help you through that transition are usually the ones that will stick with you”.

Tran’s mindset has also changed during her high school years. She described that “different things have become more important to [her] now than what was important to [her] then. When [she] was a freshman, academics were definitely important to [her] but [she] wasn’t  sure why it was important to [her].” Throughout the years, Tran has learned that “Although every subject is [her] favorite, every class [she] took in high school really impacted my mindset towards life.”

History, in particular, greatly impacted Tran because “we learn history in a different way than we learn science and math, since science and math is fact-based, but in history we learn about the past and current events that have occurred in their world.” Taking U.S History and Modern World History has helped Tran “wrap [her] head around what the world is and understand what [she] may be going into in the future.”

High school comes with its challenges, and Tran has had to overcome some of them. One of the challenges she had to face early on in high school was making new friends and losing old ones. She thinks that “as a whole, this helped [her] evolve as a person. [She] had drifted away from some of [her] middle school friends during her freshmen and sophomore year , and this was a challenge because they were so close to [her].”

Academically, one of Tran’s biggest challenges was staying focused and reminding herself of why she should be working her hard. Her parents and her friends helped her overcome this challenge since “[she] saw them continuously working hard and that was a motivator for me. Although the people around [her] were stressed out, they still worked hard, and that was influential to [her].”

On the end of her high school career, Tran is very excited to embrace her future. She says that “[she] feels very good about high school ending, although it is bittersweet, because [she] has definitely grew as a person during high school and [she thinks] that [she] is ready to move onto a new experience that is bigger than what MHS has to offer. [She] is also excited to offer something to the world.”

The advice that Tran would give to underclassmen is to “stay as focused as possible because school is so important. When it comes to your junior or senior year, and you start to look at colleges, you’ll release that your freshmen and sophomore year will definitely impact you more than you think it will. She also suggests underclassmen to “participate in clubs, sports and to stay involved”. Above all else, Tran believes that it is important to “not forget about yourself and to get enough sleep, all while challenging yourself, both academically and athletically.”

The post Top Ten Profile: Rachel Tran appeared first on The Blue and Gold.

The year is coming to an end, and for many Malden High students, this is not just the end of a year, but of an era. For the seniors, high school is over, and they are rapidly approaching the unknown world of adulthood. Many people say that the four years of high school are the years that form the person you will grow to be, so showing your true colors and remaining focused is vital. While at the moment it seems very stressful, it pays off in time.

One example of hard work and dedication is Malden High senior Karen Luo who has been ranked in the top ten of her graduating class. Not only did she manage to excel academically, but she also was involved in extracurriculars such as lacrosse and volunteering events. When asked, Luo claimed that high school was the first time she had gotten involved in any kind of extracurriculars to which “[she] kept [her]self on track and learned to balance school and extracurricular activities.”

Luo played lacrosse all four years of high school, and became one of the three captains this past season. She stated that she had been concerned that she could not balance leading the team as well as managing the workload of her more rigorous classes, AP Calculus, French, and Physics. While “in the beginning it was all very overwhelming, [she] took a breath and found ways to manage [her] time, putting [her] studies to use and getting as much work done [as possible] before it was time to get on the field.” Malden High chemistry teacher, Martin Berryman, had only good things to say about Luo, claiming that “[she] is one of the most honest and responsible students [he has] known. She has a tremendous work ethic and generous heart.”

Luo said that since freshman year she has been looking forward to graduating and “remember[s] telling [her] friends that [she] can not wait until these next four years come to an end” however, “after every year, it seemed as if the days flew by faster and faster.”

Luo will be attending Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) to study pharmacology and toxicology, claiming that “[she has] always been intrigued by the way medicine works within our bodies and [has always been] fascinated by medical research.” Now that she is graduating, she “wish[es] that [she] spent more time enjoying the time before taking a step into being an adult.

There have been many ups and down throughout these four years, but each has been a learning experience.” The hard work and dedication she has displayed in the past four years is evident, and she will achieve all the great things she may set her mind to.

Senior Karen Luo. Photo submitted by Karen Luo

The post Top Ten Profile: Karen Luo appeared first on The Blue and Gold.

Senior Caitlyn Leonard going to catch the ball on third base. Photo by Jemisha Syliant

Check out the rest of the photos here.

The post Softball Photo Gallery appeared first on The Blue and Gold.

Despite all of the ups and downs, Malden High School’s Girls Tennis team had an overall formidable season this year. New heach coach, Cheryl Camassa, led the girls to an impressive first season in the Northeastern Conference (NEC).

For the past few years, all sports teams at Malden High have been playing in the Greater Boston League (GBL), which included Medford, Everett, Somerville as well as Malden High. This season was the team’s first season in a new conference, the NEC. Even though the girls ended the 2017 spring season with only four wins, this change in conference raised the bar of competition to a higher level for the team. However, by the end of the season, they got accustomed to the new competition and continued to work on certain things to make sure that they are prepared for next season.

According to the team, this season was really fun. Nikita Puri, a sophomore on the varsity team, says that she felt like the season was great and felt really welcomed on the team.

Even though the team didn’t produce as many wins as they would have liked, the season was still phenomenal because “it went better than [Puri’s] expectations.” The girls feel like they grew significantly as tennis players this season. Puri stated that “some of the girls are really good and getting to practice with them made [her] a better player”. She continued to say that she’s “always been a competition driven person, and [was] really set on wanting to do better every day not just for [herself] but also for the team.” The season might’ve contained losses, but the girls were looking on improving their game and skills, not just winning every single match.

The losses have taught the girls that “you can’t always have the victory right under the belt, you have to work extra hard for it which [they] did.” They don’t feel bad about losing a few games, because they know that they’ve given it their all and put all their effort into it. They have learned the mindset that if you win, you win; if you lose, you lose.

Sophomore Nikita Puri begins a match with a strong serve. Photo by Emraude Bonnet.

She talks about how “the games have been a lesson and an experience that have made [her] a better player physically and morally, because [they have taught her that she has] to be a competitive player”. She says that  “you have to have the clear mindset in which you know your goal and you fight for it until the end. She “truly believe[s] that towards the end of the season, [she] was able to become that, which is an indication of how much [she’s] grown through the season.”

Personal goals Puri had for this season included becoming a more strategic player, noticing what the players have accomplished and what they have to improve on. For example, Puri has become “smarter about where to hit the ball and how to make [her] opponent run more to get it.” She’s also learned how to hit the ball more powerfully. Puri noticed that her serve isn’t the best, and that is something she can improve on.

The team’s overall goal this season was to win as many games as possible. Although they didn’t win a lot, they believe that each and every single one of them got their personal goals met. Therefore, there is a growth for each player, which is a growth for the whole team.

Junior Hong-Li Zheng in practice. Photo by Emraude Bonnet

They’ve all mostly achieved their wins mostly by getting to know one another and by getting to play with one another. Puri talks about how “in the end, it’s always been about having fun on the court.”

Most of the games the team has played this season were very close ones. To win a whole game, the team has to win at least three out of five matches. Even in the matches they lost, it was as close as 2-3. The one difference cost the team a whole game. “Although it can be bitter to lose, [they] all realize that it’s a learning experience and [they] can only get better from it.

This season, the whole team was really good at helping and supporting one another. They are all very good at motivating each other, which is something that can make or break a team.

Next season, Puri believes that they should all have more rigorous practices. She says that they will “all going to be better players only if [they’re] pushed to [their] limits. [They] should work harder and train harder because achieving goals doesn’t come easily. Each team member needs to learn how to absolutely push themselves and work very hard.”

The girls tennis team had a good season despite the amount of ups and downs, and will hopefully continue that with even more wins next season.

The post Girls Tennis: The Season Concludes appeared first on The Blue and Gold.

A majority of Americans in the U.S spend their time watching television. On average the total use of television is a ration of 5:11 hours. The percentage of households that own at least one television is 99%. Out of about 300 million people, about 64% are white, 16% are Hispanic or Latino, 12% are black, 5% are Asian, 2% are two or more races, .7% are either American Indian or Alaska Native, .2% are some other race, and .15% are Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander. The U.S is a very diverse country compared to other countries, with people of all races living here. So shouldn’t that mean that television would accurately represent its population?

Well that isn’t always the case. In Hollywood television, some films and tv series seem to mostly consist of white, straight leads. Some films even go as far as casting a white actor or actress in the place of a person of color. This is so unfair and damaging to not only people of color actors and actresses, but to viewers as well. As a young child, when I watched television and saw mostly white actresses on the screen, I felt really excluded because whether you like to admit it or not, it’s nice to look at a screen and see people who look like you. I know a lot of girls and heard about a bunch of different experiences on how long it took black girls to be able to be comfortable in the skin in they are in. I firmly believe that television is a factor in that. If you grow up feeling excluded, even if it is something like not seeing people like yourself on television, it’s really damaging.

Another thing about television that shows that it doesn’t really promote diversity is when they do cast people of color, they pertain to a certain stereotype. Asians will be deemed as ‘nerdy’, while black actors while be pertained as ‘ghetto’. There have even been accounts of actors/ actresses talking about their experience on how they’ve gotten cut from a movie because they weren’t ‘ghetto’ enough. They should provide actors with more roles other than their stereotypes. Also, when there is a role made out for a character that is suppose to be a person of color, sometimes white actresses take the lead. An example being is when the manga ‘Ghost in the Shell’ was adapted into a movie the main character Major Motoko Kusanagi is Japanese. Directors decided to cast Scarlett Johansson who isn’t Japanese. Their are so many Japanese actresses out there that would’ve done justice to the role. Lastly, a something a lot of directors say when it comes to the topic of diversity is that ‘diversity doesn’t sell’. That just isn’t true; “Get Out”, a movie with a diverse cast, made 241 million dollars in box office with a 4.5 million dollar budget.

I’m not saying that all film series and tv shows aren’t diverse and are making huge mistakes when it comes to casting people of color as their characters. What I am saying is that there needs to be a change made because it’s not fair to those making a living out of this career who are looking for opportunities and for the viewers as well.

The post Is Television Diverse? appeared first on The Blue and Gold.

After a successful four years at Malden High, Felicia Lombardi has become a very accomplished athlete and student. Lombardi, who is third in her class, will be leaving Malden High with great experiences and memories as a four year athlete in both soccer and swim, member of the National Honors Society, Chemistry and History Club, as well as a captain’s council member. This fall, after she attends boot camp, Lombardi will be attending the United States Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut and is extremely excited to receive a higher educational experience that emphasizes leadership, physical fitness and professional development. Lombardi stated that the Academy is not a traditional college in the sense that there are military obligations and members who attend the guard school emphasize “everyone being one team and one family” which is a “huge aspect” of the school. Lombardi’s sister Alexandra who currently attends USCGA will be there to “show her the ropes,” which Lombardi finds very “comical”.

Although recalling a specific favorite memory from high school is tough, due to the fact that she has experienced so much during her four years, Lombardi said “[she] would say [her] best memories at Malden High were getting involved with the sports teams that [she] was a part of, competing for the school, and joining clubs.”

As Lombardi is a Greater Boston League (GBL) all-star for both soccer and swim, as well as having participated in both sports long before, her love for athletics qualified enough to get recruited to play soccer and swim at USCGA. Lombardi stated that “[she] will be continuing both [sports] which may be a lot but they are big parts of who [she is] and [she has] been doing them since [she] was three years old.” Lombardi mentioned that these sports have taught her a lot about who she is and she is most definitely looking forward to continuing them in the future. In addition, becoming involved in both soccer and swim have brought forth strong friendships along with inspiration from her coaches which has been very “impactful” because she has learned a lot from them. She stated that “each [coach] has kind of seen something different in [her] at a different point in [her] life.” Outside of school, athletics takes up a lot of her time despite doing a two sport season for the high school and clubs for both year round, but also enjoys spending a lot of time with her family. “We have a really close bond… I really enjoy their company,” she states.

In spite of Lombardi’s belief that there are multiple things to miss about Malden High, one thing she will miss the most is the Malden High community itself. “There are so many different people with different interests that come together and that’s really showed [her] a lot and opened [her] mind up to a lot of things that [she] never thought [she’d] be interested in” said Lombardi. This includes the Fine Arts Department and media coverage. “This is stuff that interests [her] and [she] was never part of it [herself],” mentions Lombardi. Meeting and talking to people that are apart of such things can expand your mind to many different things.

One teacher that Lombardi believes has been impactful throughout her four years is one of Malden High’s English teachers, Yahaira Marquez. Up until Lombardi took AP Language her sophomore year, she admitted that “school came easy for [her].” Her academic level advanced as she was getting really good grades and did all her work. “She’s the first teacher that really forced me to work and really pushed me. I love the challenge that she brought forth to me and I think it translated to everything else.” Lombardi has a love for all the history and english classes that she has taken in high school as well as humanities based classes. “I love the discussion involved,” she stated. Lombardi also appreciates the engagement from all of the teachers that are a part of the history department.

From her freshman year, Lombardi has come to understand that “[her] values have stayed the same throughout [her] entire high school career, but [she’s] grown in the sense that [she] now understands a lot more about enjoying the simple things.” Going through high school, Lombardi admits that her mindset was very straightforward. “I had my goals and I was going to do everything I could to achieve them,” says Lombardi. This involves making specific decisions as far as her studies as well as athletics.

Because of this, she has acknowledged that she tended to deprive herself through high school and that’s something she now understands. “You can plan your life all you want, but it doesn’t have any meaning if you’re not enjoying it,” she says. Although attending any high school can be stressful at some point, Lombardi reminds younger students that you come across a lot of great memories. “It’s a time in your life where you have a lot of freedom, but no freedom at the same time. You don’t have all the responsibility of adulthood, yet you don’t have all the restraints of being a kid.”

Malden High admires Lombardi for what she has brought forth with her athletic abilities, honorable work, and commitment to helping the Malden community. 

Senior Felicia Lombardi. Photo submitted by Felicia Lombardi.

The post Top Ten Profile: Felicia Lombardi appeared first on The Blue and Gold.

Freshman, Tenzin Shakya is one of the up and coming bright starts on the boys volleyball team. Alongside fellow freshman Zenhong Deng, Shakya is one of the only two newcomers on the team this year that have worked their way into the starting line up.

Despite this season being his first season playing organized volleyball, Shakya has always had a strong passion for the game. When asked about what made him join the volleyball team, Shakya referred to his middle school days as the reason why. He mentioned that in middle school, he “always stood out playing volleyball in gym class” and “overtime [his] interest grew” because of it.

Freshman Tenzin Shakya preparing to serve. Photo by Abhishek Rana.

Although the season did not prove to be as successful results wise as the team would have wanted, Shakya still views the season a positive one. When asked about his takeaway from the season, Shakya replied by saying that they “improved a lot throughout the season” and that they have to continue to “work harder and improve individually and together as a team” because their future “looks immensely bright.”

Individually for Shakya, this season also proved to be a season of growth for him as a volleyball player. When asked to elaborate about his growth as a volleyball player, Shakya replied by saying that his “biggest growth was becoming more of a team player.” He continued that in the beginning of the season his “communication skills with the team was not strong enough” and was “lacking.” However, Shakya added that by the end of the season he “progressed and developed a strong relationship with [his] teammates and coach” which “gave [him] the confidence to communicate better during the games.”

Shakya’s continuous improvement as a volleyball player was recognized by his head coach Dan Jurkowski, who rewarded Shakya by inputting him to starting role by the end of the season. When asked about his promotion to a starter, Shakya expressed gratitude towards his coach and teammates, for their “trust in [him].” He explained that starting “means a lot to [him]” because of how “tough” it is to “earn that sort of trust.”

Shakya now hopes that his individual growth and success translates into more victories for the team in the future. His team goal moving forward remains to qualify for the state tournament and he believes that despite this being the last season for many key senior players, the team also  has “many talented young players” that have the potential to flourish into “outstanding volleyball players.” Another goal of Shakya and the team is also to  encourage other hidden talents to join the program” so that the program can “soon be more acknowledged.”   

Outside of volleyball, Shakya also plays soccer for Malden High and was the captain of the Freshman soccer team last fall. He also is an active volunteer in the community and is the class of 2019 president.

The post Boys Volleyball Profile: Tenzin Shakya appeared first on The Blue and Gold.

The post Prom 2017 appeared first on The Blue and Gold.

Every year at the end of the summer the Office Depot and Staples commercials seem endless while millions of children of all different age groups embark on a new year of school. Parents and kids are convinced every year to buy the newest and trendiest school supplies resulting in parents spending an average of 100 dollars on each child. Many times, parents buy more than their kids need, or buy materials they already have for the purpose of having something ‘new.’ We often think of how much money is wasted in these situations, but what about the amount of materials wasted? What is the impact that wasteful and careless spending on school supplies has on our planet?

The two materials that most school supplies contain are plastic and paper. Here at Malden High School, typically students will buy a notebook or binder full of loose leaf paper for each class. According to Ecology.com, each person in America uses roughly 700 pounds of paper each year. Let’s face it: most of us buy way more paper than we need. When you are standing there in the office supplies store in front of towering stacks of college ruled paper and spiral notebooks, your first thought may be to buy as much paper as you can so that you don’t have to worry about it later, but later you’ll have more paper than you need. Many people throw this away or forget about it, and buy more paper next year in the fall.

On the other hand, if you use a lot of paper and find yourself running out quickly, then maybe it’s time to start using the back of the paper or to take your work to your Google Docs (if possible). As reported by Ecology.com, nearly 4 billion trees are cut down every year just for making paper, but we could decrease this number by recycling and buying recycled paper and notebooks.

What a lot of people don’t realize is that cutting down trees and not recycling paper isn’t the only threat paper has on the environment. According to the Worldwatch Institute, pollutants like toluene, methanol, chlorine dioxide, and hydrochloric acid are emitted into the air and water from papermaking plants. Many of these chemicals take an effect on the organisms and ecosystems nearby, and can be harmful to humans.

Like paper, plastic has also become a material students are dependent on whether they are aware of it or not. If you walk around MHS, like any other high school, you will see multiple students carrying around a plastic Nalgene or Camelback waterbottle. Despite common belief, plastic reusable water bottles aren’t as environmentally sustainable as we think they are. Many people end up having to throw their water bottles away and buy a new one as the school year goes on if it breaks or if bacteria and dirt get trapped in the mouth pieces of the bottle. Buying a stainless steel bottle will prevent you from buying extra plastic. If we all showed water bottle companies that we want less plastic produced and more steel and glass, we could make a difference and reduce the amount of plastic produced and thrown away.

If you take lunch to school, chances are you most likely have some variation of tupperware, aluminum paper, and plastic wrap/sandwich bags. On top of that, you most likely buy at least one pack of pens, possibly one or a few spiral notebooks with a plastic cover, and many more supplies that contain/are made of plastic. It all adds up and we don’t even realize it. By reusing materials like lunch bags, pens, pencil cases, binders, notebooks, etc. you could reduce your yearly consumption of plastic products tremendously. The less plastic school related items you buy the less plastic gets made, processed in factories, transported, and thrown away.

Driving to and from school may seem like a harmless task, but carbon dioxide emissions from your car is increasing your carbon footprint, the amount of carbon dioxide and carbon compounds that are emitted into the atmosphere due to your consumption of fossil fuels. Most kids in middle school and high school are able to walk home and/or to school. If you are a student you can ask permission from your parents to walk or bike to school, or you could take public transportation. If you are not able to walk to school or don’t have a bike, taking the MBTA bus to school reduces the amount of individuals driving/being driven to school everyday.

As a last resort depending on if you’re willing, buying a portion or all of your clothes from thrift shops makes a huge difference on your carbon imprint. A lot of clothing materials like polyester, nylon, acrylic, cottons finished with formaldehyde, etc. are all made from petroleum oil. By decreasing the amount of new clothes you buy and by donating your old clothes to thrift shops, you will reduce the amount of petroleum used to make these products, the electricity and oil that is used to run clothing factories, the transporting of clothes from factories to stores, etc.

A common thought that most people have is that they will not be able to help the environment or make a difference by reducing their use of consumable products because they are just one individual out of 7 billion. What people don’t realize is that cutting back or reusing one thing in their life is just a start, and that if they have perseverance through the journey of living a more sustainable lifestyle, they will eventually reduce the use of more and more products that are harmful for the environment. Your actions could influence your friends and family to take similar actions as long as you are vocal about environmental justice, and you can show the people around you how much they consume and produce waste. Many people think that living more sustainably will cost them more, but buying the amount of things we actually need and not buying extra products that we don’t really need.

Reducing the amount of school supplies you buy every year may be hard, but it will make you more aware of how much you waste and how much money you could save by reusing. School is expensive for everyone at any age, so reducing the cost even by a little bit is always a good thing to do and will make you feel better. Remember that there are only positive consequences for reusing, reducing, and recycling.

The post Erase The Waste appeared first on The Blue and Gold.

The season has ended with Malden High’s Boys Lacrosse team accomplishing an incredible achievement. The team finished the year with an overall record of 7-10, the highest win total in team history. 

The team was lead by longtime coach Brenden Maney, who states that the team has played many good games and played some bad ones this year. 

Maney states that one of their best games was actually their loss against Winthrop. The team played with “tremendous discipline” and nearly won against Winthrop’s Boys LAX team, a team that had beaten them by 12 earlier in the season. He continued to say that he is “sure that the team would like a second chance to play some of the games this year, however that is one of the many lessons that is provided through sports. You are asked to put forth the effort needed on a daily basis and when you don’t it is hard to hide.” 

To Andy Tham, senior captain captain of the team their best game this year was “between either their second game versing Winthrop, or their match against Revere”. He believes that the boys lacrosse team never had a worst game, “because [they] always play [their] hearts out on the field”. He continued to say that “the score does not dictate [their] hearts.” 

The members on the team who shined the most this year, according to Maney, are juniors Hasnat Moughal and Joey Costa, as well as seniors Steven Sexton, Andy Tham, and sophomore Zachary Rufo. There have been many surprises this year. Maney explained that Moughal “stepped into play goalie this year after never having played before and has done an amazing job.” He continued to say that Sexton and Tham “have been leaders as captains all year” and   “they never missed a chance to work harder and make their teammates better”. Maney then praised Joey Costa and Zachary Rufo who according to him, have also been “leaders as well this year.” 

When asked what they could have improved on, Maney stated that there has never been a perfect player, and that although this year presented the team many great problems, the team would “put themselves in new positions that would require [him] to help them overcome a new obstacle.” 

Tham answered that “there’s always something to improve upon, not in a bad way, because we’re student athletes.” However, the team did improve tremendously this year, and they were able to do things that were not accomplished years past. 

He explained that “[They] play much more as a 10 man unit than as individuals, and work together toward a common goal.” Tham also pointed to the team’s record now compared to season’s before, which according to him “speaks for itself” and shows the team’s progression.

When asked how this season could shape the seasons to come, Maney mentioned that the team will graduate with a very successful and accomplished senior class. He continued that “they have scored more points than any other team, and the underclassman are well positioned to step into the void that will be created.”  

He further explained that “the seniors leadership will last well into next year and has pushed the program further than it has ever been”, stating that they “have set the bar higher than it was.” 

For Tham, this season was also “bittersweet”, because it’s his last year playing lacrosse for Malden High. He stated that being a captain did have it’s challenges, but that it was ultimately rewarding. 

He explained that “everyone knew the vision and they put [him] in the position to lead them to where [they] are now”. Tham continued to say that he “[appreciates his] teammates for all the corporation and the fun memories [they] have made as a team on and off the field.”

The post Boys lacrosse: Season Ender appeared first on The Blue and Gold.

As the school year comes to an end, so does this year’s spring season for the Malden High Girls Lacrosse team. The team this year continued to persevere through the last stretch of their season with constant determination throughout every practice and game. The girls have gained many experiences and created a bond that has been stronger than past years. 

The team made prominent improvements from their first game to the last game. The varsity coach, Jessica Leggett, said that “[they] were much more competitive this season than last, and [the] program continues to grow as the sport is growing in Malden. Many freshmen don’t know what lacrosse is, or state that it’s not “their sport” since they don’t have the exposure and experience.” Leggett also mentions that this year, the team got new freshmen and sophomore players that were able to work hard and move up to fill critical roles on the varsity team. “[Our] JV team had some wins that showed some promise for [their] future! [She] hopes that growing the game through the middle and elementary schools continue to help [the] program grow and thrive so that [their] record reflects [their] progress.” The team has said to have amazing communications and connections with one another, and each day it has improved drastically. This season has been very productive, according to senior captain René Spadafora. “The team is so funny, everyday is something new and we’re always laughing and having fun,” she states.

Along with the communication, the lacrosse team had other several qualities that not every team encounters. Leggett proudly expressed that the team has improved on many of their skills.“Some standout players this season were senior Gianna Giuliano who came to us as a Junior and is now our leading goal scorer, seniors René Spadafora and Athena Goon who led our team on defense, and freshman Angie Nguyen and sophomore Jill Tramondozzi who both started playing lacrosse this year and worked their way up to being strong forces on varsity in the midfield for us.” 

Lacrosse is sticking to it’s reputation for dedicated players, both on and off the field. They had some strong competition this year, with close games against Winthrop and Saugus as well as making a huge improvement when they faced Gloucester. 

With the seniors leaving from the team, Leggett stated that “each one of them has unique talents that [they] will miss.” She expresses that this group of seniors has helped to mold the program to be stronger and more competitive. “It’s always bittersweet to lose girls that you’ve grown close to and that you count on everyday, but you know they’re going onto big things!” She even mentions that a couple of them are continuing their lacrosse careers in college.

Though the spring season is over, it didn’t affect the morale of the team. They were truly dedicated, and continued to put forth all the effort possible. With a team who has a universal mindset like this, they proudly finished the year off strong. “Each player had individual goals that they’ve worked to meet and re-set, and [our] team has accomplished many goals like running a new offense and plays, and learning and implementing new and more complex lacrosse strategies,” states Leggett.

The post Girls Lacrosse: Season Ender appeared first on The Blue and Gold.

James Calo, Senior here at Malden High has been playing baseball since he was six year’s old. He does not remember much of who/what influenced him to play baseball, but says he has always loved baseball “more than anything.” Calo plays positions first base and designated hitter. This year, he’s excited for the “change in the coaching staff we’ve has this year, I think it’s served us well and the coaches have done a really good job putting us in the best possible position to win.” The immediate goal for the team this year is to make the state tournament (since they did not make it last year) and “once [we] get there, [we] hope to continue on as far as [we] can.” Calo just hopes to help the team win and that is the main thing on his mind.

Calo’s strengths are being a “decent hitter and fielder” and says “[he’s] a grit guy, that’s a big part of [his] motivation.” His biggest weakness is his “arm strength.” The most memorable game this year was beating Everett in Calo’s opinion and says “it’s always nice to beat Everett.” The team’s toughest challenge was learning how to “bounce back” after losing games [they] know [they] had a good chance of winning.

Calo started off as a second baseman and it is his first year as a fielder. Senior Matt Geer says Calo “is a good fielder at first base, but his mechanics aren’t very smooth because it is his first year playing the position.” Geer also says that Calo “cares more about the sport than probably any guy on the team, and has improved at hitting the ball a lot over his high school career.” As a friend and teammate, he is a “real goofy, fun-loving kid who cares more about getting a win at the end of the day, than a personal performance.”

It is most mentioned that Calo tends to be really hard on himself. “One of his weaknesses” says Geer. Adding on to this, Senior James Pandolfo, a close friend of Calo’s,  agrees and says “his biggest weakness would probably be that he gets down on himself too quickly sometimes.” Senior Nasiah Turner, another close friend of Calo’s, mentions that sometimes he gets “down on himself when he makes a mistake, but it’s only because he knows he can do better. Don’t let that fool you though, he is really good at putting the team before him by letting it go, going out  and making the next play.”

Pandolfo has known Calo since they were ten year’s old and his biggest strength is his hitting. “I know that he is a hard worker who loves the game. He’s smart on the field, has a lot of grit.” Pandolfo also says he’s the “first guy on the field, and the last guy off.”

Turner has known Calo since freshmen year in high school. “James is an all around athlete like myself. Not only do we both play baseball, but also basketball and football as well. He is a good athlete, but a better team player.” Turner also says that Calo brings a “great sense of humor to the team” and that they are both alike in many ways. “[Me] and Calo are often underestimated but [we] go out there and battle every day at practice for the opportunity to beat the odds and prove everyone wrong.” Turner strongly believe Calo is going places “no matter what he does in life. James Calo, remember that name.”

Overall, the Malden Varsity Baseball Team is a very well rounded team, filled with plenty of good friends and hard working student athletes.

The post Baseball Profile: James Calo appeared first on The Blue and Gold.

Malden High School is an incredibly diverse school. It is one of the most diverse schools in Massachusetts, which comes with many different cultures and religions. Different cultures can also mean different taste in style. Everyone has their own unique way of expressing their inner beauty, whether that is wearing something to represent your culture/religion like a hijab, or to wear a hat backwards because you find it cool.

These are some tips/suggestions that I believe will help you get back into style. However these aren’t meant for anyone to take offense to because I don’t want to make anyone self-conscious or to feel the need to be like everyone else.

#1: Let’s just make one thing clear. You can put a hat on the right way or backwards and it will still look good, but to wear a hat on the side is a don’t! It’s not attractive to me and I will never like it.                                

#2: Now let’s go on to clothing! Starting with color scheme. Wearing mismatched clothing is not cute and neither is wearing the same color in just one outfit! Unless you’re going to an event where you are all purposely supposed to wear that type of clothing, then I would suggest that you do not do that. These are my biggest nightmares! I don’t understand how people wear different pattern clothing all in one outfit!                   

#3: Next, seasonal clothing is definitely a do! Color coding your clothing with the weather is definitely a good look. For example during winter wearing dark colors is so stylish, and so is wearing bright colors in the summer!                                     

#4: Having your pants sag is definitely a don’t. Guys find it so cool to have their pants sagging all the way down to their feet. This is unacceptable! If anything it’s one of the dumbest things I’ve ever seen. If girls can’t wear shorts or tank tops to school, then why should guys be allowed to have their pants sagging down showing their boxers? A fix for this can be easily dealt with by putting a belt on.                      

#5: The color pink is not only for women! Pink looks good on both women and men.

The post Fashion Tips appeared first on The Blue and Gold.

It’s June, which means soon enough, the Class of 2017 have left Malden High, the Class of 2018 will be moving up to the top of the school, and the class of 2020 will no longer be “the annoying freshmen”.

Being one of the “annoying freshmen” myself, I’m glad that my freshman year is over, and that I am soon going to be a sophomore. One step more in getting through high school, one step closer to graduating, and one step closer to college.

The 2016-2017 year, being my first year of high school, was interesting. In one view, it was everything I expected and more. Everything I didn’t expect came coming my way. I learned many things this year, that all freshmen probably learn their freshmen year.

You are more independent.

This year, I learned that you are way more independent than you ever could be in middle school. You’re responsible for yourself – you have to get yourself to class to your own class on time, you’re not travelling with the same group of people to every class anymore. I realized you’re not forced to stay in the lunchroom during lunch, you can go outside, you can walk around, you can stay with a teacher, there is way more independence than middle school, which I didn’t really think was going to be the case.

You have to use your time well.

From left to right: freshmen Cameron Ryan, Haoxi Wang, Brenda Freitas, Sean Lightbody, Olivia Santengelo, Schekina Pericles, Allison Mallet, Ezra Kruckenberg. Photo taken by Emraude Bonnet.

All throughout middle school, I had the same rotation of teachers who planned out their assignments together, and assigned certain amount of homework in accordance to each other, and planned test days together. In high school, there are so many teachers and such a different arrangement and selection of classes that of course, you get the amount of homework each teacher feels like assigning, which I knew coming into high school, but didn’t really realize until I ended up getting loads of homework from each teacher in the middle of the year. I realized that when I started to wait for the day before it’s due to do an assignment, that I would have that assignment added on to many assignments I received that day. This first year of high school made me really realize how much I had to manage my time and assignments.

Your friend circle will definitely change.

High school is a time of new experiences and people, and the group of people you came from middle school with, definitely aren’t the ones you finish the year with. Personally, I used to think all those people saying that “your friends change, and won’t be your friends by the end of the year” were over-exaggerating. But they were right, and I didn’t realize that until it happened to me and my friends. A tip to incoming freshmen is: don’t think you’re going to finish the year with every single friend you came into high school with, because all people, your friends and even yourself, change when it gets to high school.

Trust yourself, and make good decisions

In one year of high school, I’ve heard and seen way more things than all my middle school years combined. There are a lot of things in high school that can drag you down in life that many people here try to encourage you to do and try. I would say stick to yourself and what you think is right for you. I thought about it as, would my parents be okay with me doing this? And if the answer was no, or I don’t know, I would just walk away from it.

There are many other things I’ve learned this freshman year of high school, but these are the most important that the incoming freshman should realize. Good luck to all incoming freshmen!

The post How Freshman Year Went appeared first on The Blue and Gold.

The NBA finals consisted of the Cleveland Cavaliers representing the Eastern conference and the Golden State Warriors representing the western conference team.

The Warriors won game one with a final score of 113, while Cavaliers scored only 91 points. This lead the Warriors to be up by one game. Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant combined for 66 points, 14 rebounds, and 18 assists, and Klay Thompson and Draymond green provided much needed defense despite Thompson shooting just three of 16 from the field, and going 0-5 from downtown.

Game one consisted of great performances from LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love, but the Warrior’s defense helped override the rest of the Cavaliers’ role players. Although Golden State had a few turnovers, the powerful duo of Durant and Curry were able to continue on the offensive end and manage to pull through with a 21 point lead by the end of third quarter.

According to nba.com, “Cleveland’s 20 turnovers were tied for the most they’ve committed in 55 playoff games over the last three years.”

Golden State Warriors won game two as well, once again blowing out the cavs 132-113.

A close victory in game three put the Warriors up 3-0 in the series with a potential sweep seeming likely. The final score of 118-113, was the only competitive and back and forth game in the finals up to that point. The Warriors were able to lead the Cavaliers 3-0 after another big performance from Kevin Durant making great plays throughout the whole game. The Warriors also set a new NBA finals record with nine 3-pointers in the first quarter. The previous record was only seven.

Facing elimination, as well as the potential of getting swept at home court, the Cavaliers were able to pull through and manage to win game four with a score of 137-116. It took a historic offensive performance from the Cavaliers to finally defeat the Warriors in the playoffs, snatching away their 15 game winning streak in the playoffs and preventing them from going a perfect 16-0 in the playoffs.  

The final score of game five was 129-120, making Golden State the Nba Champions. Durant scored a total of 39 points, had seven rebounds, and five assists with his counterpart, LeBron James also scoring a 41 points, and dishing out eight assists, with 13 rebounds With only 10:14 remaining in the second, Warriors were resilient and eventually were able to take a lead of 45-43.

Durant who was named finals MVP, helped lead the way with scoring 39 points, having seven rebounds, and five assists.

Curry, Thompson, Andre Iguodala, and Draymond Green have now won two championships, but Durant was able to get his first ring.

After the Golden State Warriors were not able to finish off the Cleveland Cavaliers during last year’s Nba finals, blowing away a 3-1 lead in the series, they were able to come back strong and redeem themselves defeating Cleveland Cavaliers.

The post The Golden State Warriors Win the NBA Finals appeared first on The Blue and Gold.

Written by Sydney Stumpf and Rebeca Pereira

Malden Catholic, an all boys, private, Catholic school, has long experienced a demand for the inclusion of female students. After many deliberations the school board voted to create a girls’ division, which is planned to be fully functional by September of 2018.

It is important to note, however, Malden Catholic High School is not becoming co-ed, which would mean both boys and girls share classes on a daily basis, but co-divisional, in which boy and girls attend separate classes from one another. For the most part, also, girls and boys will attend separate masses, though they may come together once or twice a year for a mass inclusive of both divisions.

Activities such as sports, clubs, and other extracurricular activities will also be separated by gender. The school board is currently deliberating which sports will be offered to girls in the initial years. Depending on the club, girls may be included in the already standing boys’ clubs as well as separate clubs for inclusively girls.

Girls Catholic, which opened its doors in 1908, operated in close connection with Malden Catholic, formerly known as Boys Catholic. Once Girls Catholic closed in 1992, families seeking same-sex, private, Catholic education for girls found that there were very few available schools in the Malden area. As the demand increased, the idea of possibly introducing female students arose on many occasions.

Plans were approved to turn Malden Catholic into a co-divisional school which, as opposed to co-educational, will provide “a structured single-gender academic environment during the school day” while allowing students of both genders to share some facilities, clubs, and extracurricular opportunities.

The final plan, which was announced by Headmaster Thomas Doherty at the 11th Annual Benefit Gala, introduced former Director of Specialized Learning Lisa Cenca as the principal of the Girls Division. The gala raised more than $400,000 which, according to the Malden Catholic website, “benefit academic and co-curricular programs, financial aid and athletics”, will now include the construction of a separate wing for the Girls Division featuring “top grade classrooms and technology”.

The gala, which was held on April 27th, 2017, recognized the Lifetime Achievement Award and Brother Robert Sullivan, C.F.X. ’45 Medal Recipients. In attendance was the Mayor of Malden, Gary Christenson, who commented that he was “thrilled with the opportunity that the Malden community will be able to further build on its strong educational foundation with Malden Catholic’s expansion”.

Malden Catholic has also acquired property near the school’s campus as it plans to expand in the future. While it is still unclear whether or not this new purchase will be used to house Girls Division’s facilities, the school is already going ahead with the plan.

On Wednesday, June 8th, the school held an information night for families of girls who are currently seventh graders, who will comprise the first inaugural class of only 50-75 students. The event was advertised as one where interested families would meet Principal Cenca, see the new school design, and learn the application process. Soon after the event was announced, registration had closed, maintaining that the event had reached its full capacity.

Girls and boys will be admitted to the school based on the same application process which begins online, providing academic transcripts, taking the placement test, and attending personal interviews with Malden Catholic faculty. The school urges interested families to begin inquiring about the application process soon.

To learn more about the new girls’ division at Malden Catholic, go to the Malden Catholic High School website here.

The post Malden Catholic Creates Girls’ Division appeared first on The Blue and Gold.