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Malden Public Library Hosts Movie Nights

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If you like books and you like movies, then the library is the perfect spot for you. The Malden Public Library just recently held their monthly Movie Night on thursday october 26. The Malden Public Library usually holds movie night once a month after the school from 3-5. They have been holding movie nights for a while now.

Malden Public library hosts Movie night. Photo by Anontio Tarantino.

Although Patrick Brennan, the information librarian in charge of the young adult section and Movie Night at the Malden Public Library, couldn’t recall how long the library has been holding it, it has been a new opportunity to attract everyone and anyone from the community to the library. One reason why Brennan oversees the program is because he enjoys watching movies and films which is one way he could connect to the program.

The Malden Public Library has various movie licenses that they require in order to show movie to large groups of people in a public area. They have licenses for many genres of movies such as Disney movies and Marvel films. They have shown many movies during Movie Night such as Beauty and The Beast, Batman vs. Superman, The Hunger Games films, and many other films. The way the library is able to decide which movie should be played is based on the popularity of the particular film. The movies they choose also has to be rated appropriately, mainly PG13. It’s been noticed by Brennan that the turnout of the film is dependant on the movie they show.

Usually movies that have a popularity rate in theatres get larger audiences. Patrick Brennan notices that the usual audience for most Movie Nights is around 15 people, but with more popular movies such as Beauty and The Beast had an audience of around 40 people. Movie Night is free, so it is not held to promote the library,but to give kids from schools throughout the city an activity to attend after school once a month. He also shared “it’s one of the places in Malden where kids from different schools, especially the k-8 grades, can come to relax and hang out along with places such as the Malden YMCA”.

Movie Night at the Malden Public Library is welcome to everyone in the community especially students of Malden Public Schools. They provide refreshments for the movie as well. They plan on showing more movies in the future including an anime film that they plan on showing in the coming months.

 

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The Greek Freak Has Arrived

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35 points, 10.6 rebounds, 5.5 assists with 2 steals and a block, while shooting 63.1% from the field. No those are not video game numbers on the easiest difficulty, those are what Giannis Antetokounmpo is averaging in the first six games of the 2017-18 NBA season.

Listed as a forward for the Milwaukee Bucks, Antetokounmpo (or “the Greek Freak” as he is known as to those that struggle with the pronunciation of his name) has emerged as an early favorite for the the regular season MVP award after a historic start to the season. After a 32 point outing against the Charlotte Hornets last Monday, Antetokounmpo broke the franchise record of points scored in a four game stretch with a 147 points, breaking the record previously set in 1969 by the NBA’s all time leader in career points scored, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The craziest part is that “the Greek Freak” is only turning 23 this December.

Last season, Antetokounmpo emerged as an all-star for the first time in his career, winning the Most Improved Player award while averaging 22.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists with 1.6 steals and 1.9 blocks. Those ridiculously well rounded stats made him the first player in NBA history to finish the year among the top twenty in all major statistics. This season, he seems to have taken his game to another level. In fact, currently his Player Efficiency Rating (PER) ranks at a never before seen 36.5. To put that into perspective, according to Basketball Reference, Wilt Chamberlain had the season with the single highest recorded PER of 31.81, in the 1962-63 NBA season.

Giannis Antetokounmpo driving to the paint against the Washington Wizards. Photo from Wikimedia

As his nickname suggests, what makes Antetokounmpo the player he is is his freakish size and athleticism. Standing at 6-11, and weighing in at 220 pounds, Antetokounmpo has the size and finishing ability of a big man combined with the speed and ball handling of a guard. He utilizes his size and length to bully defenders inside the paint. However, where Antetokounmpo is most lethal is in the fast break where he is virtually unguardable and can go the length of the floor is just about two dribbles. His skill set combined with his height and speed allows him to see over the defense and either set up wide open teammates or get to the rim at will during a fast break.

As mentioned, Antetokounmpo is listed as a forward yet he can practically play and defend against all five positions on the court. He is a “do everything” player for the Bucks, as he is their primary ball handler, post-up player, as well as their best defender. In fact, Antetokounmpo is so well rounded as a player that after the 2016 All Star Break, the Bucks decided to play him at point guard for the rest of the season due to injuries at that position.

Despite his historic start to the season, there is little chance that Antetokounmpo keeps up this pace for the rest of the season. Regardless, he has come a long way since being the raw prospect who was drafted 15th overall in the 2013 draft and averaged only 6.8 points per game his rookie season.

The most remarkable aspect of him developing into a top five player in the NBA is that he has done so without even developing a consistent jump shot. In an era that has been defined by the three point shot, Antetokounmpo is the only elite wing player in the NBA with a below average three pointer as well as a below average mid range game. In fact, his career three point shooting percentage is a very underwhelming 28%.

Although an inconsistent jump shot is the one glaring weakness in Antetokounmpo’s game, the level of success he has had without a jump shot speaks volumes about  how great of a player he is already, as well as how limitless his potential is as a basketball player. Simply put, if Giannis Antetokounmpo even develops into an average NBA shooter, he will become the single most unguardable player in basketball. What is ironic is that he may already be that.    

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Black Culture Club

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Malden High School is introducing a brand new club, the Black Culture Club. The club was created to help educate students about past and present black heritage. Since the school does not have any events that acknowledge black heritage, the club members also hope to plan to have a show expressing its history and knowledge to the entire school during Black History month.

The idea of the club started about four weeks ago after the idea for the show. Christina Charles, the Vice-President of the club, used to have an event like this at their previous school to celebrate the great things those in our black history have done, which is what sparked her idea for having the club now.

The club consists of three advisers and two officers. The advisers are three teachers,  Kayla Scheitlin, Michelle Filer, and Damian Aufiero. And the officers are Gerdley Cadet (President) and Christina Charles (Vice-President). Since the club has only just begun, not all the roles for the officers have been filled yet.

Activities include a monthly representative for posters that will be hung up around the school. These posters will share information about whom the month is dedicated to and what they have done to be recognized. An example of this would be having a “Martin Luther King Jr. Month” where his picture would be shown on the posters along with a description and facts on his impact.

Black Culture Club members at the first meeting. Photo by Carolina Cuevas.

The club will also talk about what they would do to help inform the students of Malden High about their purpose and American black history. They will also talk about black heritage outside of the United States.

Meetings for the club will be held on Thursdays at 2:15pm after school in B334, Ms. Scheitlin’s classroom.

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Girls Soccer Profile: Darcy Cummings

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Sophomore Darcy Cummings, who plays in both defense and attack, has been playing soccer since the age of six. Cummings had been influenced by her whole family, and explains that growing up, she was involved in a variety of sports but, “soccer is one of the two sports [she] stuck with.” Other than being very involved with soccer, she also has experience with basketball as well, but makes it clear she enjoys soccer a greater amount.

Growing up, Cummings went to Salemwood and has always been living in Malden. Other than soccer, she enjoys school and having relations with friends as well. She mentions that “soccer is mostly [her] life,” continuing to explain that her love for soccer is what encourages her to keep playing the sport. Cummings says that “[she loves] absolutely every aspect of the sport and [she] couldn’t imagine [her] life without it.”

Cummings describes that balancing her academics and soccer at the same time can be hard at times, but having her priorities straight and “making the most out of [her] time” is a big help to balancing it out.

Cummings wants to continue to work on not bringing herself down. However, she says that her strength is “being able to work with almost anyone on the field.”

With the end of the season approaching soon, Cummings describes the accomplishments she and her team were able to achieve. She states that she “really feels that [the team has] accomplished so much, and making States was a very big goal to accomplish.” She also  expresses her hope for the team “to succeed at states and pave the way for the years to come.”

Cummings mentions that her soccer team is full of “girls that [she loves] at an unimaginable amount.” She continues to explain that soccer is big part of her life and that the girls on it make it, “such a positive part” for her.

Sophomore Emraude Bonnet, who is a teammate of Cummings, met her during their freshman year when they were both on the JV and freshman team. Bonnet describes that her relationship with Cummings as good, adding that “since [she plays] right back and [Commings] plays right center back” the two “have a really good time communicating.”

Bonnet continues to mention that they both know how to switch positions in certain situations. She describes Cummings as funny and caring.

Cummings (#19) and her teammates walking off the field after a win. Photo by Jesaias Benitez.

Cummings concludes that believing herself and not doubting herself is something that she expects to improve on throughout the season.

Overall, Cummings is beyond proud of her achievements with how far her team has come. She is looking forward to what is instore for the future and plans on completing four years of soccer during her time on the MHS team.

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Comedy is the Cure

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Everybody loves to share a good laugh—laughing is like a human reset button; it allows a person to escape into a brief moment of lightheartedness and levity before snapping back into the stoicism that is deeply embedded within our society. As I grow older and as life becomes more demanding with grades, college applications, and work shifts in tow, I am finding it increasingly difficult to find comedy in my surroundings. Thus, I turn to media such as podcasts and TV shows and even seek out live comedy to supplement this wide chasm of stress within my life. In truth, I don’t think I’m the only one who is constantly seeking to find this happy medium.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia.

There is a reason why some of the most popular shows on streaming sites and television are comedies. Shows like The Office and Parks and Recreation are entertaining because they depict seemingly normal people in the most outlandish of contexts. The writers on these shows create caricatures of ordinary people allowing their viewers to find humor in the status quo. Saturday Night Live, a household name for comedy, takes a satirical approach to often polarizing affairs in news, politics, and popular culture, making it more palatable for audiences. A program like SNL raises the notion that maybe comedy can be found in most contexts if we really look for them. 

Major cities such as Boston often have their own local comedy scenes that might only be privy to a niche group of people. Theaters such as ImprovBoston and Improv Asylum offer weekly live improv shows from prices as low as $8 and $15. The summer of my sophomore year, I attended a weeklong comedy camp at ImprovBoston upon being inspired by Whose Line Is It Anyway? An improvisational comedy show in which famous comedians partake in a series of improv games in front of a live audience. This was hands down the most refreshing and emotionally rewarding week of my life. I had pure unadulterated fun for five hours every day for a week and I was simply given the freedom and space to play, free from any inhibitions or judgement.

I wish that more people would pursue improv as a hobby, especially high school students. It teaches people how to build entire narratives out of a seed of an idea and elicits a unique sense of adrenaline with every character that is crafted and every scene that is built. Audiences likewise find a thrill in seeing ordinary people create comedy solely through communication, interaction, the appreciation of the spontaneity of life.

In a similar vein of Improv Comedy, stand-up comedy has also grown in popularity. Stand-up comics such as Aziz Ansari, Cameron Esposito, and Ali Wong have garnered critical acclaim on platforms such as Netflix and Buzzfeed and continue to reach wide audiences today. I support these comics in particular because of their ability to make comedy intersectional as it is a field that is typically dominated by a single paradigm. Comedy is effective because how true it rings to audiences. Comedy is all the more effective if it reaches a wider span of audiences, and is indicative of the diversity of society today. 

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia.

When I look at the world around me, I don’t see happy people. Everyone has become addicted to the normalities of their daily lives. We go to school, we go to work, we take care of our families. But it never really seems as if anyone is truly happy with themselves or the trajectory of their lives. Routine can be beneficial, but it becomes a problem when people fail to see outside of the parameters of their daily lives. It is human nature to build routine, but the second we fall out of them we panic and our entire day falls awry. I urge more people to take more time out of their day to engage in activities will alleviate their stress, whether it be by watching reruns of their favorite comedy, attending their first improv show with friends, or listening to a comedy-based radio show on their drive to work. Who knows, sooner or later one may find themselves introducing more laughter into their life, little by little.

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Leadership and Mentoring Club

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The Leadership and Mentoring Club is a volunteering club at Malden High School. The club members go to Malden Public Schools like Salemwood and Beebe and coordinate fun activities to do with the entire fourth and fifth grade classes.

The advisor of this program, Mei Hung said that “this program is designed to help high school students learn about themselves and discover the meaning of life”. Heng is not a faculty member at Malden High School, but she is apart of Chinese Culture Connection, a non-profit organization that is an afterschool program that also has summer camps. A Malden High school student went to Hung for help about fifteen years ago and that is when she began helping out in a community service club.

This program is also meant to help out individuals when it’s time to go to college. Being in the program gives high school students an experience of leadership skills that they will need in the near future, or if they ever start or join a club in college. Hung encourages students to “practice leadership skills here and start a club in college and be a leader, then when [they] finish college, [they] already have a dozen skills.”

President of the club, Junior Grace Dong joined her Freshman year. She plans on doing it for all four years of high school. Initially, her brother joined the club and that is when she decided to join as well. Dong talked about how she “enjoy[s] working with the kids and that [she] realized that working with them helped [her] too because now [she is] less shy.” Teaching kids affects Dong because helping others, makes her feels good.

Junior Hien Le, who is the historian of the club, says that when she first attended the club, she was nervous and didn’t know what to do. Luckily one of her best friends were there and she got a hold of herself. Le enjoys this club because she wants to “get to know the kids more and interact with the kids more.”  

Tiffany Tran, a preventionist specialist at the Mass Council and Compulsive Gambling, has become involved with the club. Tran is very passionate in helping other people, so this club was a great opportunity for her to get tuned in on the conversation. She found out about this program because of some of the “efforts being made from [her] organization where [they are] trying to reach different places that are serving the Asian American population.” She contacted Hung to see if there was any “collaboration opportunities that would allow [her] to come in and facilitate workshops on problems in gambling and how it impacts the Asian American community specifically”. She’s also working with other youth groups and learning about the work that is being done in terms of leadership and mentorship there. Tran found that the involvement fit perfectly with what she’s trying to do, and explains that “the goal is to try to educate [high school students] and also work with [them] to understand how [they] can develop themselves as young adults.”

This program is supposed to encourage people to find themselves and help others in the process. Hung continues to persist that “[you are] able to help other people individually when you find yourself first.”

Club members at a Leadership and Mentoring Club meeting. Photo by Falyn Kelley.

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Code Lyoko Review

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Code Lyoko is a French animated television series that became English dubbed when it was broadcasted on Cartoon Network. Each of the episodes are around 24 minutes long including the intro and ending credits.

Code Lyoko takes place in two different worlds. One world is the real world where the main characters live. The other world is where the characters go into to stop a coded evil named Xana. The world where they stop Xana is a virtual world. The virtual world was created by using a supercomputer made by my Aelita’s dad Franz Hopper. She got put into the virtual world by her father and then he shut down the supercomputer. The characters still do not know what had happened to Franz Hopper, the creator of the virtual world, the virtual world is called Lyoko.

The virtual world of Lyoko had five different sectors. One of the sectors name is called sector five. This sector allows them to enter different virtual worlds besides Lyoko. Sector five is also where the core of Lyoko is, which is the reason why they can go to different virtual worlds. The other four sectors are called the mountain sector, desert sector, ice sector, and the forest sector. Each of the sectors have different things in it. For example, the forest sector has lots of trees, while the ice sector has ice and chunks of ice on the ground.

Jeremy Belpois is one of the main characters who discovered where the supercomputer is and where the creator’s hideout was. He turns it on and finds Aelita Schaeffer who cannot escape the virtual world. He then discovers the computer to transport people into the virtual world and to get them out. Since the supercomputer was shut off, it lost the data for Aelita’s body. But she still has her avatar in the virtual world. They get into the virtual world by getting into pods, there are three pods for them to go to. When they go into the pod, Jeremy transfers their bodies into the virtual world.

In the virtual world they get avatars, and their avatars get special abilities and weapons. They use these weapons and abilities to help them defeat Xana’s minions. The minions defend towers that have been corrupted by Xana. Xana needs to activate these towers to grant himself power to stop the characters from stopping him. The only way to stop him is by Aelita going into the tower and resetting it. Since Aelita does not have powers, the other characters need to help her.

Jeremy then goes to school and asks people for help and sends them into the virtual world. He asked three students Yumi Ishiyama, Ulrich Stern, and Odd Della Robbia. They get sent to the world to stop Xana from causing trouble to people in the real world. When they go into the virtual world they are faster and stronger. When Yumi, Ulrich, and Odd first go into the virtual world they had a rough start. But they got used to it eventually and started to use their weapons to defeat Xana’s minions.

Xana has different kinds of minions to help him. For example, he has giant crabs, cubes, creepers, and more other creatures to help him fight or defend towers. Each of the minions have plus sides and downsides. Each of the minions has Xana’s symbol on them which is a weak point for them. The symbol is hard to hit for the characters. So the characters use their special abilities and weapons to help destroy the minions.

Yumi uses fans as weapons, and she has the special ability to control objects with her mind like telekinesis. Ulrich has a sword as a weapon and he is the fastest out of the characters. His special ability allows him to create two clones of himself to help take out minions. He also has a speed boost which he can activate to help him move faster. Odd has darts which he uses to shoot the minions from a long ranged distance. He can also use his claws as weapons to attack as well. His special ability is to climb walls and jump high similar to a cat.

Later in the series, a new character is introduced named William. He wants to help the group get Aelita out of the virtual world. William’s weapon is a big sword which he uses to take out Xana’s minions to help the group. His special ability is to be able to turn into smoke and can move around. He cannot be damaged or attack when he is using his special ability. But he gets caught by Xana and gets controlled by him and becomes his minion. His personality changes and his avatar also changes. He becomes stronger but he is forced to do Xana’s orders.

Later in the series, Aelita is able to get out of the virtual world into her old body. Jeremy was about to find a code to be able to take her out the Lyoko. When she goes back into the virtual world she is able to have powers and weapons to help her defeat Xana’s minions as well. She has these energy orbs and the longer she charges them out the more powerful it becomes. She also has the special ability to fly.

Each of them has one hundred life points, when they reach zero life points they devirtualized and get sent into the pods. They can also come back into the world by Jeremy devirtualizing them. When they get devirtualized their avatars disappears until they come back into the virtual world Lyoko.

My thoughts on the animated series is that it is really great to watch in your free time. If you like animated tv shows I highly suggest this show. It may be old, but the story and the characters are well developed and very interesting. My favorite character in the series would probably be Yumi. I think that her weapon is really cool and her special power as well. Her character is also an interesting one because it is so well developed. One of my favorite parts of the animated series is how each character helps further the plot and lets the view grow closer to the characters. It made me more invested in the story, because it made me want to help them.

 

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Online Shopping: A Blessing and a Curse

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Online shopping is a great way for one to purchase the latest fashions and styles from the comfort of their own home, from the busy office at work or during a study period in school. Instead of making the effort and time to actually go shopping at stores, online shopping allows us to shop by merely tapping on our phones or clicking on our computers. However, this easier option can have consequences to procrastinating teenagers like me.

Now that I have a job and my own money, I feel more freedom to shop as I please. But this freedom isn’t necessarily as liberating as I once thought. I find myself buying clothes online not because I need them, but because they are on sale or are on clearance. When I get these clothes in the mail, I realize that they were not as good as I had hoped, despite them being offered at such a low price. In the corner of my room, there is a laundry basket filled with clothes I’ve ordered online that I have yet to try on as well as clothes that I’ve purchased but either don’t fit or aren’t that comfortable.

A drawing of someone shopping online. Photo from Wikimedia

Not only that, but I also find minutes to hours of my time being spent scrolling through sites such as JCPenney and Old Navy. The majority of the time, I don’t even end up buying anything. At the end of the night, I end up getting stressed about everything I didn’t accomplish because what was supposed to be 20 minutes of scrolling ended up turning into an hour of pointless scrolling.

While it’s totally okay to spoil yourself once in a while to a new outfit, I think it’s important that we limit the amount of spoiling we allow ourselves to do. Especially as a high school student, it’s important for me to save some of my money for college application fees, a prom dress, college supplies and tuition.

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Field Hockey: Season Closer

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Group huddle before a game. Photo by Angelina Prum.

By Sara Zakaria and Angelina Prum

Malden High School’s Field Hockey season is coming to a close, and they are determined to maintain a positive outlook for the season. Unfortunately, the Varsity team did not pull in a victory this year. However, the scores were extremely close, which is a significant improvement from last year.

One of this year’s captains, Junior Queenie Dang states that “even though the varsity team did not win any games this season, I’m still really proud of how hard this teamed worked every practice and game”.

This season, Senior and captain Jenny Huynh says that the team improved immensely on their communication skills, and developing a connection on and off the field, saying that “as a team, [they] are so close and they are [her] second family”. Dang agrees, adding that the team “really have learned to talked to one another on and off the field”, and that the best moments for the team is when “we just get to hang out with each other and bond; like when we have our pasta parties”. Other great moments during the season, according to Huynh, was “ when JV had a wonderful game against Peabody on [her] birthday and won that game.”  

The team feels like they have a lot to work on though. “I think I need to work on challenging myself on the field and making sure I can pass with more accuracy”, Huynh says. The team also wants to focus on developing field hockey skills in middle schoolers, so when they arrive to Malden High, they already have the basics learned. Other than coaching the team, coach Kimberly Barber works on field hockey programs in Malden’s middle schools to “increase our talent in the high school.” Barber adds that “it’s hard for the freshman to come in and pick up the stick for the first time and play these tough teams. They really worked hard this year and had a good season working together and had a win or two.  We have had the middle school program going and it shows through the JV team this year; with the wins.”

The captains of the Malden Field Hockey team have accomplished many goals this year. Coach Kimberly Barber states the captains did a great job this year. Captain Jenny Huynh’s strength this year was her ability to encourage her team and be a leader. She also believes that her stick skills have greatly improved this season. Huynh believes that the greatest strength of the team this season was their communication. Captain Queenie Dang is very proud of the close bond the team had this season. Dang believes that the team has “become almost like family to one another”.

The overall season has been a blast for all teammates. They all enjoyed it with the pasta parties the captains hosted and their bonding activities. They grew and improved in the sport but also as a family. The team strives to communicate better, and they hope to help train younger players so they can play against tougher teams.

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Golf Season Ender

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As the golf season is coming towards an end, the MHS golf team is getting ready to participate in the Northeast Conference (NEC) meet, which they have been preparing for throughout this season. The MHS golf team this season was lead by Seniors Tylor West, Michael Giordano and Junior Reid Kankel and coached by Richard Malatesta.

The main goal for the golf team this season was to win as many matches as possible and to attend the NEC. They have improved their performance a lot as they have won more matches this season compared to last season. Sophomore Sean Lightbody’s goal this season was to “win a match since [he had not gotten the chance] to play a lot of matches last year”. He was able to meet his goal this season by winning multiple games.

Junior Chris Marulli swinging his club to hit the ball. Photo by Ajithaan Sathiyendra

Lightbody mentioned that a major factor for their improvement this season was having more returning members with experience because “[most players] needed to practice a lot since [they] were new and did not have a lot of experience.” Overall, the team believes that they have done a better job in performance this season compared to their previous season. “The start of the season was great” stated Senior Captain Tylor West, as they had already won a few matches at the start of this season. The team believes that they have tried their best and had done a pretty good job this season.

Sophomore Sean Lightbody getting ready to putt. Photo by Ajithaan Sathiyendra

Last year, their main obstacle was finding more players to make a team as most of their players graduated the year before. However, Lightbody believes that “there was nothing that bad” as they did not have a problem with recruiting new members this year. The team believes that they had a pretty smooth season this year compared to the past few years.

The golf team has made many achievements this season. One major achievement the team had made this season was that a player eagled the goal, which is a very difficult move to do.

Although the team has made many improvements this season, some players believe that they can still make more improvements. Lightbody’s goal for next season is to “do better on putting in general” as he believes that he can improve more on the skill.

The golf team will be departing from this season’s captains Tylor West and Michael Giordano as they will be graduating at the end of this school year.

The MHS golf team is looking forward to attending the NEC meet, which will mark the ending of their season

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Boys Cross Country: NEC League Meet Preparation

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The Boys Cross Country team has been working harder and harder every day in preparation for the North Eastern Conference League meet. The team has been training very rigorously, working toward their peak performance with every workout.  The NEC event is essentially a closing meet where every team in the league competes in a single race, to see which team has progressed the most out of the league.

Junior Christopher D’Entremont, a member of the Boys Cross Country team, feels that “[he and the team] are just about ready to go into the meet, with a few more workouts to go.” He worries that he could get injured and it would critically affect his season on the team. He also cares about the team in general and making sure they don’t get injured and can stay in the best shape possible. D’Entremont also feels that with the season ending in a few weeks “[it is] very easy to get the mentality that you [do not] need to try  since there are only a couple races left.”  However, he has ambition and hopes that the team will push through and keep a positive mentality 100% of the time. D’Entremont and the team are striving to “place pretty high during the race, seeing as [they] have definitely improved as the season progressed.” D’Entremont feels that this race is important because “[it is] a chance to show the other teams that [the team is] a force to be reckoned with, especially the teams that we have lost to in the past. It gives [the team] a chance to recover from past losses, and to reform losses into victories.”  

Sophomore Omar Asousy has been a returning member of the Boys Cross Country team for the past two years. He feels that “as the season has progressed, workouts have been progressively been getting faster and [their] jogs have gotten longer in order for [them] to get to NEC closing and states.” Asousy also feels that he has tremendously improved since the start of this season and that he is confident he will have a great performance in NEC closing. Asousy’s goal for this season is to break 18 minutes in the 5K. He stated that his biggest worry is injuries “as [he has] sprained [his] ankle multiple times during the season and injuries usually come at random. At any moment, [his] season could end because of, therefore [he tries] to do anything [he] can to avoid them such as stretching properly.” Asousy stated that at this time in the season it is about consistency and how well the team can keep up good habits. He hopes for a strong performance from himself and the team, Asousy feels that this meet is “important to the team as [they would] like to end the season on a high note and make a statement since this is [their] first cross country season in this new league.”

The Cross Country team running during a meet. Photo by DeVin Lemay

Junior Kyle O’Brien, another member of the Boys Cross Country team, feels “like [he is] at [his] strongest point in the season.” O’Brien trains for the NEC meet by “doing some speed workouts along with some endurance based workouts along with critical jogs and long runs”. He feels like [he is] at [his] strongest point in the season.” His goal for the meet is to get a time better than 18:30, to place well in the meet and for the team “to do well individually as well as place high in the meet, hopefully with a top 3 finish”.

Coach Courtney Invernizzi feels that “[The team ] right now is preparing for the league meet by making sure [they are] staying focused on the task at hand. [They are] making sure that [ they are] coming to every practice focusing on the smaller skills such as running form in their dynamic warm-ups, to more of the bigger skills such as the running workouts. [They are] very disciplined in making sure [they are] not overtraining at practice, but are putting in hard work and effort as the season is coming closer to the big races. ” Invernizzi believes that the athletes are going to perform very well in the NEC League meet. Invernizzi feels that they work “really well together to help push one another and motivate one another so if [they ] keep up the hard work anything is possible.” As a coach, Invernizzi plans to prepare them for the NEC meet by keeping, “ a positive demeanor and [making] sure [she is] always helping them improve through specific training, but most importantly [explaining] to the athletes why [ they are] doing specific workouts so that [they] can learn and be able to use what [they have ] learned in their competitions.“ Invernizzi also said that “this is the first Cross Country season in the NEC league, so this allows for Malden to show how talented and hard working its athletic program is.”

Invernizzi stated that “the final outcome that [the team hopes] for is that [they] place as one of the top teams in NEC. [She] hopes that each individual athlete gets his or her personal best time at this meet, and hopefully some of [her] athletes can even get to go to All States by the end of the season.”  

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Boys Soccer Photo Gallery

MATV Haunted House for Halloween

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Malden Access TV hosted its 12th Annual Haunted House on Halloween. The event is typically made for the younger audience, kids of the age 10 and under, but is happily opened for the general audience. The event is part of Malden’s Chamber of Commerce Trick-Or-Treating event in Malden Square, an event that the city has open between 3pm-5pm on Halloween for children to trick or treat at local businesses through Exchange and Pleasant Street.

By Malden City Hall, tables are set up with map routes and crafts for participates. There are also some police cars and firetrucks for kids to see and take pictures by. Friends of Malden Public Library even participated and had a table with free Halloween themed books for kids.

Every participating store had a sign with jack-o-lantern on it that represents that they’re business part of the event so children who were in costume could walk in and ask for candy. The Chamber Commerce Trick-or-Treat was also an event where YMCA Leaders gave their time and participated in by helping parents and children around and greeting them, wishing them a Happy Halloween.

MATV’s contribution was hosting a haunted house walk-through in their studio, where participant reactions were recorded and broadcast on their channel. The trail of the haunted house included a dark pathway with some jump scares such as hands popping out of curtains and a huge spider dropping from the ceiling. In the middle was someone who would be dressed up in front of the camera and people would step on the stage and see themselves on TV. At the end of the path, visitors were rewarded for with a piece of chocolate.. The house’s purpose wasn’t to really scare children but to just five those children who entered a spooky feel.

Many kids along with their parents enjoyed the Haunted House and the rest of the activities of the Chamber’s Trick or Treat. YMCA Leader, Jimmy Ton, who got to go see the haunted house, says “[he liked] the details they put into it,” and that he favorite part was when “[He] got to say hello to the camera.”

The haunted house, along with the rest of the event was a joyful time for family and a great time for young children

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Food Review: Crying Thaiger

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Malden’s first Thai restaurant, Crying Thaiger opened for business on October 27, located at 114 Ferry Street.

Crying Thaiger has a large variety of Thai cuisine, from Thai style grilled chicken to glass noodles and shrimp. On the day of the grand opening, they offered free Thai tea, Thai coffee, or jasmine tea which is normally priced at $3.25. The coffee had an overpowering hazelnut taste with the right amount of sweetness. The tea had a rich taste, it was sweet but not too overbearing.

Their fresh food had a great taste. I ordered the Crying Chicken, priced at $12.95. The meal included 4 pieces of grilled chicken with vegetables on the side. The dish came on a sizzling hot plate that continued to cook the food minutes after I received it. The grilled chicken was moist and flavorful. A friend of mine ordered the Glass Noodles with Shrimp. Noodles were priced at $16.95. It came in a large bowl, more than enough to satisfy one person.

The Crying Chicken meal at Crying Thaiger. Photo by Julie Yu.

The restaurant featured many modern designs, with rustic and country themed furniture. In the front was a faux moss wall with the name of the restaurant in the middle. Their tables were arranged in a pattern, some tables were yellow and some tables were a medium tone wood. Against the wall was a bar, where servers would make and serve tea, coffee, and more. A metal textured sheet against the wall of the counter added to the country theme. A combination of the furniture and designs gave off a calming and welcoming vibe.

For a restaurant that’s been open for a few days, Crying Thaiger seemed to be very on top of things, with the workers being professional and polite and making sure the customer was satisfied. The workspace was clean and tidy, and workers made sure tables and counters were clean.

Overall, I would go back again, especially for the drinks. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to a friend or anyone that like any kind of Asian cuisine.  

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Dont’a Hightower Injury

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Dont’a Hightower, #54 and linebacker for the five-time Super Bowl winning team the New England Patriots, is reportedly out for the season with a torn pectoral muscle. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia are both struck by the news and so is the rest of the team. However the Patriots, like the championship team that they are, hope to soon get back on track just in time to make it to the AFC Championship, even if it means getting there without Hightower.

Although Belichick is disappointed in losing his best linebacker and his defensive captain, the Patriots have still done well without him by defeating the San Diego Chargers, by a one touchdown lead (21-13) on Sunday, October 29, 2017. Belichick and Patricia are currently experimenting with backups such as Kyle Van Noy, and David Harris to see who can fill the role of Hightower. But Belichick is seriously leaning towards Harris as a replacement. Harris stated in an interview with ESPN, “ That’s terrible news for a guy like Hightower to go down with that injury and to be out for the year.”.Three of five linebackers really were the main players used to replace Hightower on Sunday’s game. Kyle Van Noy, Elandon Roberts, and David Harris were important in helping the Pats win against the Chargers.

New England Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia

The Patriots playing without Hightower isn’t an unusual thing as he has missed some games in both the 2014 and 2016 season but still managed to rack up a total of 65 tackles and 2.5 sacks in 2016 and 105 tackles and 6.0 sacks in the 2014 season. Pats fans are hoping that the Patriots end the season with a 14-2 record, without losing any more games.

People’s hopes that the Patriots will make it to the Super Bowl are slowly fading but true fans always stick with their team no matter what, just like what happened in Super Bowl 51 where the Pats came back with an outstanding win from being down 28-3 in the third quarter. Fans everywhere thought that Atlanta was going to walk away with a huge win but the Patriots got their act together, and both the offense, led by five-time super bowl champion quarterback, Tom Brady, and the defense, led by Dont’a Hightower worked to stop the Falcons from scoring and bounced back by putting 31 points on the scoreboard and ultimately making history as the greatest comeback in all of sports.

Although Hightower was a key defensive player during that game, David Harris could also output the same performance that Hightower did, in any game. There are mixed feelings about the Hightower Injury but Pats safety Devin McCourty states, “[The Patriots] have been out there a couple games without him, so [they] know what that is like.” The rest of Harris’ teammates hope that he will play as good as Hightower or even better.

The Patriots will play and hopefully defeat the Denver Broncos on Sunday, November 12, 2017, at Sports Authority Field in Denver, Colorado at 8:30 pm

All information from ESPN.

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Girls Volleyball Season Ender

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By Ronald Batista and Michelle Yin.

Coming to an end of the season, the MHS Girl’s volleyball team played their last game against Salem, with many wins throughout the season as well. Although the team did not make it to states, they strived through the season with their best efforts, with the goal in mind to win. The team has grown to be like a family, through the long daily practices and the many games they had.

Senior Allia Julien, one of the players on the volleyball team stated that the season was overall special, with the growth of every player individually and the team. She says that “For [her] own opinion it went really good. Because comparing [the team] to last years team [they] were much better. Because [they] accomplished a lot physically and mentally. And [they] enjoyed playing with each other.”

Senior Captain Tiffany Tortora spiking the ball during practice before a game against Methuen. Photo by Ronald Batista.

Another Senior and team member Isadora De Alpino describes her opinion about this season, saying that “[she thinks] [it is] fair to say that [the team] as a whole [did not] meet the expectation [they]had, but [they] definitely did work hard for [their] record to be what it is, because it definitely improved from last year.” De Alpino indicates that although the season could have been better, the team put in their best efforts.

The team as a whole has improved from the beginning of the season to the end. Junien also expresses that “Yes, for [the team] it feels like every game [they] have improved and [they] learned a lot every time.” besides that they think that there are areas in which the team can improve.

With this year being Julien’s last year, she mentions that she enjoyed every moment of the season the team and suggests that  next year, the team could improve their plays during games. She says that “[she feels] like if [they] play as one in the court [they] would accomplish more things [It is] good to see that [the team] can see where [their] flaws are so [they] can fix them”.

Junior and Captain Mirabella Jean Louis explains the team chemistry between the team members as excellent, adding that  “[They] all got along great, and [they] were all close friends both in and outside of the gym., explaining the team as being almost like a family not only supports one another on the court but off the court as well.

The Girls Volleyball team in a huddle before a game against Methuen. Photo by Ronald Batista.

Louis for next year as senior hopes the team will improve in more communication but also their emotions before and after a game. She expresses that “[The team wanted]  to make states this year. As a junior, [she] only has one year left. So [they are] hoping to communicate with each other on the court, and finish off [their] sets… that’s what we struggled with when it comes to the last 5 point of winning and [they are] ahead. [They] tend to get a nervous and anxious and that causes [them] to lose focus  But hopefully, next year [they will] close off every set and every game with a win”.

Louis states one of their best games was against Methuen. She recalls that “ it was amazing to play and [she] heard that it was definitely great to watch, the energy, the communication, it was amazing.”. Throughout the many games that the team played, there were definitely some that stood out more than others. Julien says that she thinks the last game was the best, “because [they] leave everything out there, [they did not] look back, [they] played the volleyball that [they] know how to play.”

Julien also adds that “[she] wanted [them] to win more games but overall it went awesome [she] actually had some great teammates.

For students or incoming students that wish to be a part of the Girl’s Volleyball team, Louis suggests that “If you want to play just come with a great attitude, and a passion to learn”.  Julien comments that “if you know you’re good and you interesting on playing volleyball go for it because when you actually playing the game everything felt different in a good way. And every time you improving on something different.”

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MPL Book Sale

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Photo by Antonio Tarantino.

The Malden Public Library Book Sale is an event held once every year where residents Malden can come together to purchase books at an incredibly low price. The event is held at the Malden Public Library on the basement floor. This way, lots of people can come search and for books and still not disturb those trying to read and work upstairs.

The Book Sale lasted for two days. The first day was on Friday, October 27th from 6pm to 9pm. This day was the “Friends Only” Preview. The preview was opened to only those of whom were “Friends” of the Malden Public Library. They consist of volunteers that help the library get supplies and organize events. Anyone can become a Friend and help support their neighborhood library.

The second day was on Saturday, October 28th from 10am to 4pm. This day was open to the General Public. During this day of the Book Sale, aisles of books and lines to the register were filled with people of all ages, from infants to the elderly. Children books cost 25¢ each, with five for $1. For young adult books, paperbacks cost 50¢ and hardcovers cost $1.

Besides books, the book sale also sold CDs (25¢), DVDs ($1), Games/Puzzles (50¢), Magazines (10¢/ 12 for $1), and Audiobooks ($1).

Even though the book sale was very busy, the organizers prepared for this ahead of time so they are ready for the huge crowd of people that first come and go. “[Organizers] are basically on [their] feet the whole time.” said by Sarah Buckley, a volunteer and Friend of the Malden Public Library.

Other than the five to six employees, there were twelve to twenty Friends helping at the book sale. The sale usually sells about 10,000 books because a lot of people buy a lot of books at once.

Once the book sale is over, the library keeps all the money they raised from all the purchases. The money then goes to the Friends Group and a fund. Every meeting, the Friends are given “Wish List Items”. And on these lists consists of supplies for events the library holds and for the library itself. Items may include computers, arts and crafts, books, and more.

The Malden Public Library receives tons of book donations all year round. They often keep what they do not have or what they have room for. What they do not keep is put into the book sale, whether it is a latest book or a book older than dirt. If there are too many copies, extras will be sold. If it is in too bad of shape to have, it is sold. Even if it has not been sold in a while, they would still put it in the book sale. The book sale relies on the donations from people in town. So if there is any books you do not want anymore and are planning to throw it out, donate it.  

The Friends of the library have been organizing the book sales since the late 1990s and plans to continue the tradition. The sale and the wine tasting are the biggest events the library holds every year. Everyone at the sale was kind to each other. No one argued about who got what book, there was no shoving and it was just such a friendly environment. Buckley says that “[The book sale is] really fun” and  “Personally, this is one of the biggest and best organized book sales.

The Malden Public Library looks forward to their next book sale in 2018.

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Malden High: The Place to Be

Boys Soccer Makes States

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Fall sports are slowly coming to an end as the MHS Boys Soccer team is going to states for the Division 1 Northeast Title. This year the team ended with an outstanding record of 14-1-3 with Seniors Patrick Pereira, Manuel Quesada-Nylen, and Joseph Costa as captains. Head coach Jeremiah Smith has been the coach for 14 seasons now and hopes for many more.

Compared to last season, this year was better in terms of  the chemistry and bond of the team, making it easier to work together. Pereira is happy his last season ended on a good note and says that going to states is a great opportunity.

The MHS boys soccer team celebrating their 14th win. Photo by Jennica Ruan.

The team made states 11 games into the season whereas last year, every game had to be a win and they were not successful in achieving that goal of making it to states. Making it so early in the season was very good for the team this year.

Junior Salim Tiken believes that the chemistry of the team is better this year and “helping the flow of [their] game, leading [them] to win more games and compete in the state tournament.”

Tiken and the rest of the team have enjoyed playing against tougher teams as it challenges them more. Pereira and Tiken both felt that even though they all did great, it could have been better if the team was more focused or if they could have improved on scoring more goals.

Next year will also be a tough challenge for the team because most of the varsity soccer boys are graduating seniors. Tiken is looking forward to seeing how the new members will play and hopefully go to the state tournament again next year.

All the hard work from the summer, bonding as a team, has paid off for everyone. The chemistry they all share is due to all the hard work leading them to the state tournament. Ending a season is always sad because the seniors will be missed. Everyone hopes for the best and the main goal will be to win an elite title and end the whole season on a high note.

The MHS Boys Soccer team will play against Framingham on Friday for the state tournament at MacDonald Stadium.

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Zombie Tag

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Zombie Tag is a live action role-playing game where students can come together and attempt to survive a simulation of the Zombie Apocalypse. The game was sponsored by the Fine Arts Club in October, in preparation for Halloween. This year’s game was on Friday, October 27, 2017 from 2:45 – 5:00 pm. The participants were required to meet in Cafeteria B to discuss the rules of the game, acquire their bandanas and socks, and “run for their lives”.

Tickets were sold during all four lunches and in

Participants of zombie tag meeting in the cafeteria before it begins. Photo by Carolina Cuevas.

Mr. Luongo’s room (H309) for $3, and $5 if purchased at the door. Limited tickets were sold.

The rules of the game are simple.

  1. Participants can only play on the second and third floors of the Boyle, Holland and Jenkins Houses. No one should be on the first or fourth floors.
  2. If hit by socks as a zombie, one must stay frozen for ten seconds before rejoining the game.
  3. If a human, one’s bandana must be worn on their arm. If a zombie, the bandana must be worn on their neck or head.
  4. Humans are turned into zombies from physical contact with a zombie, but a zombie can not be reverted into a human until the next round.
  5. No camping, in other words, no staying in one spot for a long period of time.
  6. No hiding in the classrooms, lockers, bathrooms, staircases or the library. The hallways are the only permitted zones.
  7. Zombies are forbidden from obtaining socks, for they are for human survival.

Once done reviewing the rules, the students were then sent away to search for a hiding spot. An announcement over the loudspeaker then announced the start of the game: “Attention all students. The zombies have broken out, prepare to be eaten”.

Students began to run in nearly every direction as they tried to escape the zombies, forming groups as they tried to use strategic thinking to escape from them.

The members of the Fine Arts Club monitored the game from the main office through the surveillance cameras to make sure people were following the rules. There were also members walking the halls with cameras as they took pictures of the game.

As the rounds went on, the players began to last longer as they had a better grasp on how to survive. The members of the club did not make it easy either. If there was a group of humans in one spot for a certain period of time, the members would announce their location over the loudspeaker.

The game consisted of four rounds, with each one lasting half an hour. The round would end once either the time ran out or there were no more humans left. At the end of each round, everyone would come back to the cafeteria for a short announcement and break before starting the next round. Once the game was over, the students would bring back the bandanas and socks to the members and go head home to their normal, non zombie infested lives. Everyone who participated in the game really enjoyed Zombie Tag and plans to go again next year.

If you are interested in joining the Fine Arts club you can go to H309 to find out more.

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