See Images

‘Swine Flu’ Senior One Acts

of the Blue Coverage Steal the MHS
& Gold Art Spotlight on
GAllery on
page 5 page 14
pages 10 and 11
TRACK profiles: David
Freni and Joseph
Manuoshka Kenizan, Collage
Cirnigliaro
Page 18

The Blue and Gold http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/

Malden High School Our 94th Year

Volume 94 Edition 7 May 2009

SPRING SPORTS SEASON

Update on
Renovations

An Holmqvist
Copy Editor

Ayoub Kourikchi
SPRING SPORTS Head Copy Editor
Page 17-20

M ALDEN HIGH SCHOOL

is preparing for a complete
makeover. The URS Corpora-
tion, Flansburg Architects, and
Gilbane Co. – the same team that
did the K-8 elementary schools
in 1999 – will be designing and
creating a brand new look for the
high school over the course of the
next few years through the spring
of 2012. The design will feature
Parker’sWorld Page 4 new safety measures, a restora-
tion of the Jenkins Auditorium,
and new programs meant to en-
hance the learning process on all
WORLD NEWS Page 5 kinds of levels.
LOCAL NEWS Page 8 As part of the City of
ENTERTAINMENT Page 14 Malden’s campaign to rebuild
its schools, the high school’s
SPORTS Page 17 renovation will cost a total of $77
Malden versus Lynnfield, top: Angela Han, bottom: Marina Kem
million, of which the Massachu-
Photos by L. Tran

faculty follies
setts School Building Author-
ity (MSBA) will be covering 90%.
The city will be spending a total
of $7.7 million to the project.

FUNNY AS ALWAYS Tech-savvy Malden

Along with construction,

Brittany Foley
Mr. Sean Walsh with the mic the team is planning to update
Copy Editor the school’s classrooms with
Photo by E. Chiavelli

F OR THE SECOND YEAR in a state-of-the-art technology. Now,

row, partying principals and
singing staff brought echoes of
laughs to MHS with the 2009 Fac-
ulty Follies. The Follies, a fundrais-
ing comedy show starring members
of the MHS faculty, was hosted by
and benefited the Trip to Costa Rica
club. The event was held at 7 p.m. in
the Jenkins Auditorium on Friday,
May 1, 2009.
Last year the Faculty Fol-
lies were held in the fall, but were
moved to the spring season this
year for reasons involving time and
preparation. Even now, time and
preparation appeared to be a slight
issue, but the show still went on.
“Even though it was kind of rushed,
everything came together,” sopho-
more and Costa Rica club member
Andrew Terenzi explained.
The funds raised by the event
will be used to help the 20 or so
students involved in the Costa Rica
trip, during which they will spend
time at a turtle preserve in Costa
Rica as well as a day with the native
Bri Bri Tribe. Kristen Kirby and
Debra Kumar, who ran the entire
scene, made this year’s Follies a like-
ly success, with the help of health
teacher, Arlene Ceppetelli and para-
professional Paul Famiglietti and, of
course, the students going to Costa
Rica next April.
The crowd was immediately
continued page 15
more than ever, teachers will be
equipped with new quality tools
to use in the classroom, including
new computer and science labs,
projectors, more laptop comput-
ers, and a new fiber optics system
for the school’s computers. To
the chagrin of some students, a
new security system involving
keycard identification will also
be implemented in order to keep
students and the construction
staff safe.
continued on page 12
2 Editorials The Blue and Gold
May 2009
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/

Malden High School The Social Networking Phenomenon

The Blue and Gold
77 Salem St.
Malden, MA 02148 T he other day I was going through my Face-
book inbox, cleaning out the overwhelming
amount of messages I’d never gotten around to
young social networking site Twitter is to make
a legendary surpass of Facebook, nearly identical
to that Facebook made of Myspace.
deleting. I’d never realized the extent to which Searching “Technology Timeline” revealed
my brother and I communicate via Facebook. I that the foundations for the spontaneous prog-
EDITORS-IN-CHIEF also never realized that, despite the fact that we ress in technologies spurred off in the 1990s —
Nicole Dhruv formerly lived in the same house for 14 years and beginning with the stimulation of modern mobile
Malisa Saksua that we presently have a 576 mile radius between
us, my brother and I communicate more frequent-
MANAGING EDITOR ly now than we ever have before. Baffled on why
Cynthia Rodriguez it wasn’t the other way around, I posed a query:
how is it possible to be incredibly connected and
HEAD NEWS WRITER communicative with someone despite the utmost
David Riemer distance of separation?
The conclusion I drew from the question
HEAD ENTERTAINMENT/ OPINION wasn’t quite as ridiculous and ironic as what I
Ashley Ngo originally thought it would be; it actually turned
out to be a unique revelation (and oddly enough,
HEAD SPORTS WRITER the answer I found was firmly steeped in the
Paul Collins scheme of today’s generation).
Let me clarify—
ASSISTANT SPORTS WRITER Initially, I referred back to the starting point of
Alfonse Femino the query to begin my research: Facebook. Search-
ing for “Facebook articles” on Google introduced
HEAD COPY EDITORS me to an entirely new perspective pertaining to
Tzivia Halperin the social aspects of the internet: Facebook, like
Ayoub Kourikchi some other moderately known social networking
websites, originally began for social networking
COPY EDITORS certain demographics (in Facebook’s case, the net-
An Holmqvist working of college students).
Brittany Foley Over time however, Facebook “hit it big”
Nidale Zouhir when it became more like other popular social phones in 1991 and the subsequent launch of
networking sites, such as Myspace, when it be- the worldwide web in 1992, advances in phones,
HEAD PHOTOGRAPHER came accessible to anyone who wants to use it. computers, and other significant technologies be-
Emily Chiavelli Although statistics show that Myspace’s gan to boom at incredible rates that still continue
popularity has gone unmatched in the last five now.
ASSISTANT PHOTOGRAPHER years and Facebook has been said to have “bad My shocked state was replaced abruptly by
Lynn Tran public relations,” complete.com claims that the an epiphany; like the technologies’ foundations,
latter “jumped the shark” this year and took the 1991 marked the beginning of my very own foun-
HEAD OF BUSINESS place of world’s number one social networking dations of living. Because technologies nearly
Kimberly Lombard site (as measured by visits per unique visitor and boomed at the same occasion as those of us born
time on site). in the 1990s, we’re essentially a “tech savvy”
BUSINESS TEAM “Technologies really are emergent nowa- generation; we have grown up in the presence
Brandon Knight days,” I thought to myself, still appalled at the fast of these maturing technologies as we mature
Cera Nolan and spontaneous progress Facebook has attained ourselves. We were born when the foundation of
in the past five years. Furthermore, my research these advanced technologies were constructed, so
ONLINE EDITORS suggests that history may repeat itself; statistics these technologies are literally rooted in every oc-
Kimberly Lombard from ZDNet News & Blog show that soon, the currence we’ve ever experienced. And due to the
Brandon Knight fact that nowadays, most of the world is already

REPORTERS
Editorial Policy so rooted in the idea of a world based on expo-
nentially growing technologies, not even a 576
Haley DeFilippis The Blue and Gold is an open forum for
student expression. It is produced by students mile radius between two people can interrupt the
Michael DiGregorio regularity of how communicative they are.
for the school and the community. The views
Jacquelyn Dillon
presented in this paper are not necessarily those
Alexander Gennigiorgis
Dan Holmqvist
of the advisor or the school administration. The
views presented in the editorials are those of the Nicole Dhruv
Shannon Howe editors-in-chief or guests. The goal of The Blue
Barbara Jerome-Athis and Gold is to inform and entertain students as
Omar Khoshafa well as the community regarding issues that we
Erica Marangos feel are important.
We strongly encourage readers to respond
Corrections
Alexandra Mathieu
Patti McClenthen to material printed in the form of signed letters to The author of ‘Rodriguez Strikes Out’ article on page
Brittany McFeeley the editors. No libelous, malicious, defamatory, 19 was written by Alexander Gennigiogis, not Alfonse
obscene, or unsigned material will be printed. Femino.
Paul McWhinnie
The Blue and Gold reserves the right to edit the let-
Joan Morabito ters. Names may be withheld upon request. Not
Linda Nguyen Several pictures were credited to Emily Chiavelli
all letters will be printed.
Paula Suarez Salamanca though they were actually taken by Lynn Tran.
Although The Blue and Gold appreciates the
support of advertisers, we may refuse any ad-
ADVISOR vertisement that violates the above policy or that Some of the Sports’ Schedules were wrong/or miss-
Ryan Gallagher promotes products questionable to student use. ing games.
Any correspondence concerning this publi-
Established in 1915 cation should be directed to Mr. Ryan Gallagher’s In the wrestling article Craig Ramsey actually placed
room in C333 or to his mailbox in the main of- 8th.
fice.
Check out our online edition:
The Blue and Gold The Noam Chomsky image was taken by Matt Hol-
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/ c/o Malden High School mqvist.
77 Salem Street
Malden, MA 02148
The Blue and Gold
May 2009
murder
madness
have people become
desensitized to
these shootings,
or are they out of
touch with their
reality?
Nidale Zouhir
Copy Editor
M ARCH 10, in Samson, Ala-
bama, a gunman shot and
killed ten people before taking his
own life; police believe he was up-
set about not finding work. March
22, in Oakland, California, a gun-
man shot and killed four officers
before taking his own life; relatives
say he was upset about not finding
work. March 29, in Santa Clara,
California, a gunman shot and
killed his two children and three
other relatives before taking his
own life; police do not yet know
what his motive was. In Carthage,
North Carolina, a gunman shot
and killed seven nursing home
residents; investigators say he was
angry at his wife. April 3, 2009, in
Binghamton, New York, a gunman
shot and killed 13 people before
These stories share a
common theme: not
only is the troubling
state of the economy
causing people to
lose money, it is also
seemingly leading to
the complete demise
of certain members
of the American
workforce and their
families.
taking his own life; police say he
was upset about losing his job and
the abuse he received because of
his broken English. April 4, 2009,
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a gun-
man shot and killed three police
officers; police say he was upset
about losing his job. In Graham,
Washington, a man shot and killed
his five children before taking his
own life; police do not yet know
what his motive was.
These stories share a common
theme: not only is the troubling
state of the economy causing
people to lose money, it is also
seemingly leading to the com-
plete demise of certain members
of the American workforce and
their families. As people lose their
continued pg 4
Opinion
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/
H1N1: Pandemic or
Mass Hysteria?
Alexandra Mathieu
Reporter
W ITH ITS FIRST US outbreak
since it took the life of a Wis-
consin woman in 1998, the H1N1
flu, more commonly known as the
“swine flu”, seems to have stretched
its influence throughout the US. As
of May 3, 2009 there have been 245
reported and confirmed reports of
the flu in the states and one reported
death. With the death toll so low it
makes one consider the following
question: How serious is this swine
flu?
Prior to the swine flu outbreak,
the most notable influenza out-
breaks are the Russian Flu (1889-90),
Spanish Influenza (1918-20), Asian
Flu (1957-8), and the Hong Kong
Flu (1968-69). Pandemics are rated
on a Pandemic Severity index which
ranges from one to five. Besides the
Spanish Flu, which was considered
a category five pandemic, these flues
were category 2 and managed to kill
at least one million people. The 2009
swine flu, although still in its be-
ginning stages, has only one death
to its name and that of a 23-month
old child visiting from Mexico,
the outbreak’s place of origin. In
comparison to flues of the past, the
2009 Swine Flu is clearly lacking in
strength.
The World Health Organiza-
tion (WHO) has begun considering
the infectious disease a “global pan-
demic”. Taking a look at one of the
many “Swine Flu Outbreak” maps
that are rapidly popping up on the
net, it is clear to see that the flu is
spreading. 18 countries are claim-
DESIGN CONTEST
for new bike racks @ MHS
Malden High will be getting brand
new bike racks funded by MHS stu-
dents next year.
But the racks need a plaque. If
you’re interested in submitting a
design, please contact the MHS
Graphic Design Team or
An Holmqvist at
an.holmqvist@gmail.com
for more details.
Submission due by: May 15, 2009
3
ing that the infectious disease has forget that the swine flu is, in fact,
hit their soil, infecting almost 900 the flu, and not something as serious
people in the rest of the world, but
no deaths have been declared any-
as cancer or HIV/AIDS.
This swine flu hysteria is not
where except in Mexico as of today. exclusive to the US in the least.
However, one should not blow a Mexicans that arrive to China are
gasket over this declaration made by first asked to identify their national-
WHO; all it means is that the swine ity and will be isolated from the rest
flu is widespread, not severely of the travelers .The Chinese gov-
deadly. The Center for Disease Con- ernment has quarantined 113 pas-
trol and Prevention (CDC) indicates
on its website that there are antiviral
medicines that can ease and even
sengers and 13 crew members who
were on last Thursday's Mexico City
to Shanghai flight, due to fear of
prevent the symptoms from occur- the flu spreading. "Mexican citizens
ring. Therefore, mass panic is un- showing no signs at all of being ill
called for since the flu can easily be have been isolated under unaccept-
prevented with the right treatment. able conditions,” said the Mexican
So why are schools closing at Foreign Minister, Patricia Espinosa
rapid speed across the US? If the in an interview with guardian.co.uk.
swine flu can be treated by antiviral Espinosa is right to show some con-
medicines and there has been only cern; these people who are not even
one reported death, why do Ameri- infected are being isolated and dis-
cans seem almost terrified of this criminated against over the flu.
flu? The best answer is that people Despite the growing global
are in hysterics. Hysteria itself is hysteria, many Malden High School
like a disease: it is contagious and it students are becoming disillusioned
spreads rapidly from person to per- with the swine flu. Sophmore Ha-
son. Try this: Begin to scratch your- rout Khodaverdian states, “Swine
self and complain about being itchy flu is all scare tactics,” expressing
in a room of people. Chances are the his apprehensiveness over the infec-
people around you will begin doing tious disease. Junior Keith Newman
the same, claiming that they are feel- shares Khodaverdian’s sentiment. “I
ing itchy as well. This phenomenon think it’s stupid. People get so scared
is called the spread of hysteria and it by the flu which we all get.”
seems to have affected the US popu- Many people would say that it
lation. Yes, younger children are is better to be overcautious than not
more prone to sickness due to their cautious enough considering any
weaker immune systems; however, situation, but looking at all of the
that does not mean that all of them facts, Americans are just overreact-
are going to catch the flu. Even so, ing. Take the proper measurements
millions of Americans each year are in order to not get sick and then get
subject to a strain of the flu and they over it. After all, what does not kill
come out of it alive. People seem to you will only make you stronger.
Top Ten Movies of April
and May 2009
courtesy of
boxofficemojo.com
X-men Origins:Wolverine
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
Obsessed
17 Again
Monsters v. Aliens
The Soloist
Earth (2009)
Fighting
Hannah Montana The Movie
State of Play
4 Opinion
Saving the Earth, One Hour At a Time
Omar Koshafa
The number of people participating in earth day
Reporter reaches one billion.
I T WAS DARK, desolate, and ter-
rifying. There is no TV, no PS3,
not even an iPhone 3G that was left
on. These experiences are common
for the average teenager participat-
ing in Earth Hour. From 8:30 to 9:30
p.m. on March 28th, 2009, millions
of people worldwide turned off all
of the electricity in their homes for
about an hour. Although this one,
lonely hour seems microscopic out
of the 8760 in a year, it is the sacri-
fices people make and the global
effort is what really matters.
“The true power of Earth Hour
can be seen in the tremendous op-
portunity for individuals, commu-
nities, businesses and governments
around the world to unite for a com-
mon purpose, against a common
threat which affects us all,” stated
the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
President, Carter Roberts. This com-
mon threat is global warming, and it
is injuring our earth, day after day.
April 22, 2009 was Earth Day,
a chance to make up for those who
did not turn off their lights. Earth
Day originated in 1970 to help in-
crease awareness and appreciation
for our home planet. US Senator
Nelson presented the idea with “en-
vironmental teach-ins,” and since
then this day officially marked the
launch of the modern environmen-
tal awareness movement. The first
parker’s world
The Blue and Gold
May 2009
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/
shootings cont.
from page 3
jobs, they become more and more
desperate; this desperation seems
Earth Day had
“only” 20 mil-
lion partici-
to lead to something almost like
insanity.
The obvious statement is,
pants. Today, the economy is a factor of these
the number shootings and more importantly
is about one the community does not offer
billion people, support, but perspective.
about 50 times At first, news stations dis-
the original. cussed the stories, asking ques-
On Earth Day, tions about gun control. People
people are felt bad for the families of the
encouraged dead Now, however, many of
to engage in these stories are barely touched
earth-friendly upon on local news channels, and
activities, such are avoided in order to discuss
as recycling more important breaking news,
Earth imprinted on light bulbs. such as Bristol Palin’s break up
and planting new trees.
www.international.kent.gov.uk with her boyfriend. None of them
These “green” events intended
to establish environmental aware- have received nearly the amount
ness on global warming, which is tion, whether it is at home or at of attention as 1999’s Columbine
now a serious threat, not only to school. One can do this by turning High School massacre or the 2007
animals and to our environment but off electronics that are not in use. Virginia Tech massacre, yet it is
also to humans, and it is imperative MHS teacher Jamie Green suggested quite obvious we are beginning
that people begin to realize this. The that “we need to use more florescent to have a dangerous trend on our
recurring heat waves, hurricanes, light bulbs.” Additionally, recycling hands.
famine, and wildfires are only a few is another path we could take. If you 53 people have died from
forewarnings of global warming. look at it, there is an infinite number
Unfortunately, at Malden High ways an individual could aid this ...Americans are
School, “students are aware of earth in the battle against global
global warming but are not trying warming. Ultimately, it depends on attracted to fresh
to reduce it,” stated Environmental the amount of effort every individ- news stories; to
Club member Patricia Aguinaldo. ual puts in, and when individuals
There are many measures that stu- come together as one, united com- prevent people
dents, as individuals, can take to
help decrease global warming. One
munity, it is then we can change to
overcome any challenge, even this
from saying, “Oh,
is by decreasing energy consump- threat to our Earth. another shooting?
I’ve heard all this
before...”
shootings the recent past. 14
people died during the Colum-
bine massacre; 33 died during the
V-Tech massacre. So why did they
receive so much more publicity?
Is it because the crimes were com-
mitted by students and not grown
men? Or is it because they seemed
like such new news stories that
Americans just had to pay atten-
tion to them?
As with new electronics,
movies, and music, Americans are
attracted to fresh news stories; to
prevent people from saying, “Oh,
another shooting? I’ve heard all
this before,” and changing the
channel (or, horror of horrors,
switching off the television), lo-
cal news stations must keep their
stories fresh. Discussing mass
shootings at length on a weekly
(or, sometimes, daily) basis would
quickly get boring for viewers,
terrible as that may seem.
Therefore, Americans con-
tinue to enjoy the local news every
night, despite its tendency to avoid
some topics to keep its lineup
fresh. Meanwhile, the economy
drives people to insanity, leaving
dozens of people dead. Unfortu-
nately, with the foreseeable future
looking just as bleak as the past
few months, this likely will not
Parker Stallworth change any time soon.
The Blue and Gold
May 2009
WHEN PIGS FLY
A correspondent’s
account of his
experience with the
Swine Flu breakout in
Mexico City.
T HURSDAY NIGHT. I was
studying for my math exam
when my grandmother called me.
She said there wouldn't be classes
on Friday. I did not believe her. I
told her that that would not apply
to my school since its system is dif-
ferent from every other school in
this country. She said the president
had said that so that got me con-
fused. I got on MSN, asked some
people, and yes there would not
be classes in any school on Friday:
swine flu was attacking the city.
I was happy about it until I
started listening to the news: lots
of people infected, and lots of
people killed... I realized it was
not a situation to celebrate after all.
The situation got more serious the
next day. More than 1 million vac-
cines against influenza had been
applied and there were none left.
Then I went to the pharmacy to
buy a mask, but they were sold out.
The streets were not full of people
but at least there were some people
still walking on them. Sunday we
went to Wal-Mart. It was shocking
and amazing to see the place full of
people wearing masks, with their
carts full, all in a rush to get food
and water as if they were prepar-
ing for quarantine. Fortunately
that day we had some friends that
came over to have a good time to-
gether. That night in the news the
images were about how empty the
city was, just like a ghost town.
On Monday while I was
having breakfast I watched the
news report. Suddenly there was
a tremor that shook the entire
city and some other parts of the
country. We certainly have no luck.
It was like if we were being pun-
ished. That day I got out too, and
this time I almost cried, everything
was so different, so empty, people
all wearing masks... it feels like be-
ing in a movie, like “Blindness” or
“Resident Evil.”
Many people around me,
friends, family, and neighbors
are scared about getting infected
or someone close to them getting
the infection as well. Some are so
frightened about this that they do
not even step out of their homes.
I am concerned about the
situation, but not scared because
I believe there has been a good
response from all the population
to the government’ warnings and
thus this will end soon. Life at this
moment is quite different and bor-
ing, especially when one is forced
to take this “vacation”. Hopefully
the cure will be given to those that
need it and we will all go back to
normal life.
Alberto Montero, Estado De
Mexico, Mexico
World news 5
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/
H1N1
Sweeps The
Nation
Swine flu strikes mexico and
Shannon Howe
spreads across the globe Reporter
T HE WORLD’S FIRST FLU
pandemic since 1968 may
be declared. The first confirmed
death from swine flu was a
23-month-old baby in Texas. The
World Health Organization clas-
sifies this virus as a Phase Five
pandemic. Swine flu is spreading
rapidly, and the state is in a cur-
rent alert. The virus has sickened
at least 257 people in 11 countries,
including Mexico, the U.S., New
Zealand, Canada and the U.K.
Several more cases are suspected
to occur around the countries.
Swine flu is a virus that
infects pigs; there are many dif-
ferent types of flu’s that have the
ability to exchange genes with
Otelio Cerda, right, and Gerardo Vega disinfect items at Universal Academy one another. Swine flu was start-
in Irving, Texas, Wednesday, April 29, 2009 after the Texas charter school was ed like any other cold, but neither
closed. (G.J. McCarthy/The Dallas Morning News/MCT)
World map
Swine flu is a virus
that infects pigs; ...but
locating re-
cent swine flu neither contact with
outbreaks and pigs nor eating pork
confirmed and
suspected cases. has been linked to the
MCT 2009 spread of the flu.
Major contact with pigs nor eating pork
Countries has been linked to the spread
Affected: of the flu. In 1976 there was an
outbreak but it was not declared
- Mexico
- United States a pandemic and it did not cause
- Canada any deaths.
- Spain President Barack Obama
- United said Monday that the swine flu
Kingdom outbreak is a "cause for concern
- Germany and requires a heightened state
- New Zealand of alert," but is not a "cause for
alarm." The European Union's
health commissioner reported
that people should avoid travel-
ing to Mexico or the United States
Malden High School Students because they could be the main
sources of the outbreak. As the
React to the Swine Flu Outbreak virus passes and started growing
larger nearly 300 schools scat-
H1N1 influenza–more commonly known simply as “swine flu”–reached Lowell, tered around the country have
Massachusetts after two students from the Immaculate Conception School went been closed. People have been
on a trip to Mexico. Later, five more Massachusetts residents were confirmed asked not to travel or leave their
to have the virus. Despite this, MHS students feel that the pandemic has been houses if it’s suspected that they
blown out of proportion. could be infected.
There is not a vaccine proven
Nidale Zouhir
to care swine flu but scientists are
Copy Editor
fate doing it’s checks and balances.” working to find that key ingredi-
“I think the swine flu is serious in some -Sophomore Melisa Cadet ent. The symptoms to the swine
cases, but everyone is making a way bigger flu are much like the common flu
deal about it than they should be. I mean, “I think they are overreacting about the virus; it consists of a fever, leth-
it has spread, but it’s not that hard to keep swine flu - people die from the flu every argy, and lack of appetite, cough-
washing your hands and covering your year. What is so different about this one? “ ing, runny nose, sore throat, nau-
mouth when you cough... The swine flu is -Susan Smith, parent of sophomore Deanna sea, vomiting and diarrhea. Like
just another way to get America all worked Smith most viruses this one spreads
up.”- when a person infected with
-Sophomore Kristina Katz “At first I thought that everyone was blow- the swine flu coughs or sneezes
ing it way out of proportion. I mean, it’s around someone else, another
“Swine flu is all scare tactics.” just the flu. But when I found out that possible way to become infected
-Junior Keith Newman people were dying, I got a little frightened. is by touching something with
At work, there were hand sanitizers put in the flu virus and then coming in
“It was just another matter of time before everywhere.” contact with your mouth, eyes or
another pandemic came up again. I think it’s -Senior Katie Lopes-Raftery nose.
6 World news The Blue and Gold
May 2009
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/

national gm bailout denied

bank crisis Joan Morabito General motors unsuccessfully appeals
update Reporter for more bailout moneyObama commented during
interview with CBS's "Face the Na-
an

G ENERAL MOTORS again hybrids. These hybrids are much tion" broadcast.
Dan Holmqvist asked for a bailout to keep more popular than larger vehicles As Wagoner's successor, Fritz
Reporter the automotive company from such as trucks and SUVs. They are Henderson will have to resolve
going out of business. Unlike safer for the environment and are some critical problems within the

W HEN PRESIDENT Barack
Obama named his cabinet
about a month ago, Treasury Secre-
tary Timothy Geithner was the man
given the job of “fixing the econo-
my” during the United States' worst
economic recession in decades. Over
the next couple of months, America
will see whether or not he will be
able to do just that.
The root of America's bank
problems lie with the subprime
mortgage crisis. The problem
started when banks began to give
out enormous loans to Americans
who weren't able to afford them.
These mortgages, unfortunately for
some, were bundled up together
and sold to other banks. However,
now American homeowners are
defaulting on their mortgages in
record numbers because the value
of their homes are plummeting.
This creates major problem for these
banks because the assets that consist
of these bundled home mortgages
have essentially lost their value.
the company's previous request,
which former President Bush
permitted, President Barack
Obama declined. This resulted
in the president requesting CEO
Rick Wagner to step down from
his position in March of 2009.
In November of 2008, former
President Bush loaned GM $9.4
billion and $4 billion to Chysler.
This year they were asking for
another bailout, this time being
$26 billion.
Rick Wagoner with his 30
years experience with GM, eight
of them as chief executive officer,
was requested to leave his posi-
tion by the current president for
specific reasons. Those reasons
mostly related to his poor deci-
sion making for the company.
Wagner is responsible for con-
centrating on the company's
costly truck and SUV models, in-
stead of the more contemporary
more gas efficient. In addition, the
president made this decision to
prevent the bailout request from
becoming a much larger problem
than it already is. Otherwise, noth-
ing would have changed for GM,
eventually going completely bank-
rupt.
This pattern could produce a
problem as it seems when they ask
for a bailout and receive one, they
fall back into the same hole. This
time, however, President Barack
Obama showed that he has the
power to step into a business like
GM and reassign a new CEO.
It is inevitable that this com-
pany will have to sacrifice a great
deal, along with countless people
who will be affected by it. "Ev-
erybody's going to have to come
to the table and say it's important
for us to take serious restructuring
steps now in order to preserve a
brighter future down the road,"
company. Of GM's 244,000 em-
ployees, in order for the business
to have a chance to stay afloat,
the new CEO has planned to cut
47,000 employees. Henderson
reported five of the GM factories
would have to be shut down and
possibly claim bankruptcy to try to
start up again.
GM's vehicles include Buick,
Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Hum-
mer, Pontiac, Saab, and Saturn.
Until the future reveals, the fate of
these car makers are undecided.
However, to get back on track they
are planning to make the right de-
cisions now to fix their difficulties
in order to to put their negatives
behind them, excel in the future,
and break the pattern of repeat-
edly running out of money.

G20 discusses ailing

What the government is trying to
do is buy these "toxic assets", so that North korea
these banks can once again return to
pushes forth
business as usual.
Now details of Geithner's new economy missile agenda
"Financial Stability Plans" have been
made public. The original plan, Paul Collins
devised by former Secretary of the Head Sports Writer Paul Collins
Treasury Henry Paulson, proposed
Head Sports Writer
buying toxic assets from major fi-
nancial institutions like Citigroup
and JP Morgan with taxpayer
money. Geithner’s plan, however, T HE GROUP OF
20 (G20) hosted
its most recent con-
N ORTH KOREA, according
to South Korea and Japan,
is violating the United Nations
proposes pairing up with a select
ference on April 2, resolutions if the nation attempt-
group of private investors to buy the
2009, in London, ed to launch a satellite into space,
toxic assets. The hope is that banks
England, to discuss which occured several days
will be able to start lending again
after these toxic assets are bought. the economic recov- Members of the G20 lined up for a photo before North Korea planned a
ery of the world’s rocket launch, in which South Ko-
Many economists have heav-
business and trading population. The group decided to meet during or rea and Japan both see the rocket
ily criticized this new plan. Joseph
at a time period where financial edifice of the world trade is effectively as a disguised missile test.
Stiglitz, an economist from Co-
stationary. One main goal of the meeting is to find a way to help stabi- Three nations consisting
lumbia University, claims that the
lize the financial markets, and to restart economic growth. of the United States, Japan, and
government is “socializing losses
The G20 was founded on Aug. 20, 2003, during a meeting in Can- South Korea do not approve of
and privatizing gains.” He explains
cun, Mexico, of the World Trade Organization. The G20’s goal when the launch of the satellite because
that the government is essentially
it was first instituted was to fight tariffs on their nation’s agricultural they feel there is not a difference
loaning money to private investors
products. However, today they still anticipate to lower barriers of in- between a satellite and a mis-
and in the event that these toxic as-
ternational trade sile launch because both employ
sets are worth nothing, these inves-
Several nations were present at the meeting including Brazil, a long-range rocket, the Ta-
tors will not have to pay back the
Canada, the People’s Republic of China, the United Kingdom, and the epodong-2, which was created to
government. In the event that these
United States. At the meeting, the nations discussed a plan to use about carry a warhead as far as Alaska.
assets are worth something, the gov-
1 trillion dollars in new spending through the course of the Interna- The United States is very
ernment will split the profit with the
tional Monetary fund. concerned about the whole satel-
investors. He says, "This isn't really
At the meeting, it was unanimous that at least 100 billion dollars lite ordeal that their spy planes
about letting markets work. It's just
is to be pumped into the World Bank, and others associated with it, regularly fly in South Korea’s
an indirect, disguised way to subsi-
like African Development Bank, according to the online The Wall Street airspace near the border to keep
dize purchases of bad assets."
Journal. an eye on North Korea’s troop
Geithner, however, seems to
World Bank President, Robert Zoellick stated (according to The movement.
believe that his plan, so far, has
Wall Street Journal, online) that the 50 billion dollars will be bestowed North Korea also made an
produced mixed results. In order to
upon the Global Trade Liquidity Program, which will, “provide trade intimidating statement, saying
achieve economic prosperity once
finance to support businesses across the developing markets.” that if any nation against the sat-
again, Geithner stated that he need-
On another note, France’s Finance Prime Minister Christine La- ellite launch attempted to shoot
ed “to make sure that the system as
garde, and President Nicolas Sarkozy hinted at leaving the G20 meet- down the satellite, it would be
a whole, has the ability to provide
ing, if no advancement was made on the subject of global financial seen as an act of war.
the credit that recovery requires.”
regulations.
The Blue and Gold
May 2009 world news 7
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/

Obama’s Cabinet- Who are they? U.s Reacts

Patti McClenthen
President Barack Obama and his administration have finally finished
their first hundred days in the white house. In his Cabinet are some
to Threat
Reporter very impressive profiles; here is the low-down on who they are and
what they do for our country. From
Vice President of the United States
Joseph R. Biden- Biden was a U.S senator in Delaware from January of 1973 until January of 2009. He was also Pakistan
a chairman in the Foreign Relations Committee, and provided great assistance during the Bosnian War. Later, he was a
chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, dealing with issues such as drugs, civil liberties, and domestic abuse. Biden Jacqui Dillon
has run for Presidency twice, in 1988 and in 2009, and dropped out early both times. Obama picked Biden as Vice Presi- Reporter
dent because the President wanted someone with experience in foreign relations, as well as national security.

Department of State
Hilary R. Clinton- Clinton was a U.S senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. She is also the wife of
O N THURSDAY, March 26,
2009, the United States
drone, or unmanned aircraft sys-
former President Bill Clinton, and therefore was first lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001. She had run
tem, fired missiles into Islambad,
for President in 2008, and was runner-up. When Obama had offered her the Secretary of State position, she was
Pakistan, days after Taliban chief
wary, saying that she was reluctant to leave the Senate. However, she eventually accepted. Her approval rates sky-
Baitullah Mehsud threatened to
rocketed to 65 percent, which was higher than it had been in years.
attack the White House.
The US drone fired two mis-
Department of Defense siles at the alleged hide-out of one
Robert M. Gates- Previous to being head of the Department of Defense, Gates was involved heavily in the of his commanders on Thursday,
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as well as the National Security Council. He also served as Director of Central in a remote area of northwest
Intelligence for President George H.W. Bush. Gates has said that he would not be Obama’s head of the Department of Pakistan near the Afghan border,
Defense for his whole first term. leaving at least 12 people dead,
Department of the Treasury including seven policemen.
Timothy F. Geithner- Geithner, before being head of the Department of Treasury, was head of the Mehsud poses one of the
Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Much of Geithner’s job is to direct the nation when it comes to the eco- greatest threats to President
nomic crisis. There was controversy when Obama first nominated Geithner, because the nominee had been Barack Obama's plan to stem
accused of cheating on taxes. When Geithner’s name was finally cleared, however, Congress voted him as Pakistan’s slide toward instabil-
head of the department. ity and turn around the war in
Afghanistan. For years, the US
Department of Justice considered him a minor threat
General Eric H. Holder, Jr.- Holder is the first African American to hold this position, and was previously a compared to other members of
judge on the Supreme Court of the District of Colombia. He was actually selected by Vice President Joseph Biden. He the Pakistani Taliban, Afghan
had also been a senior advisor on Obama’s Presidential Campaign. counterparts and Al-Qaida, due
to the focus of his attacks.
Eric Rosenbach, a terrorism
Secretary of Health and Human Services
expert at Harvard's Kennedy
With over 20 years worth of government experience, Kathleen Sebelius now leads the Department
School, believes "Mehsud poses
of Health and Human Services. She will presumably be pressing and coordinating the President’s new but
a very real threat to stability and
crucial effort to implement universal healthcare coverage in the U.S.
security in Pakistan and Afghani-
stan.” The Federal Bureau of
White House Chief-of-Staff Investigation (FBI) claimed that
Former House Representative of Illinois Rahm Emanuel has one of the toughest and most influential jobs in the the organization was not aware
administration. After having taken numerous government positions, Emanuel is uniquely suited to his job, leading the of any imminent or specific threat
White House as their Chief-of-Staff. to Washington, and that Mehsud
has not carried any attacks out-
Photos from www.whitehouse.gov side the region.
MHS junior Heba Khurram,

dolphins play hide and seek although born in America, has

family living in Pakistan. Despite
the attacks, she believes “Paki-
Alexandra Mathieu stanis in America aren't as wor-
Irrawaddy dolphins discovered in bangladesh
Reporter ried as they should be because
they all have faith in Obama.”

A LMOST 6,000 Irrawaddy dol-

phins were found in the Sun-
darban mangrove forests of Bangla-
desh, a tremendous discovery since
the Irrawaddies are considered the
world's rarest species of freshwater
dolphins. Prior to the find, conser-
vationists and environmentalists
had believed that the Irrawaddy
population had decreased to about
450.
The New York-based Wildlife
Conservation Society (WCS) is ex-
cited by the find because of the pos-
sibilities it presents. “Our best esti-
mate, given the science, is that there
are 6,000. It sounds [like] a lot, but
the Sundarbans cover a huge area,”
said Howard Rosenbaum, the direc-
tor of WCS's Ocean Giants Cetacean
program, in an interview with a
British newspaper. “When you look
at the areas that have been surveyed
before the populations are low as
they are in areas impacted by hu-
man development. But this area had
never before been surveyed.” This
An Irrawaddy dolphin found near Bangladesh. Photo from panda.org
increases the chance of WCS mem-
bers discovering more Irrawaddies
in the surrounding area.
After discovering the dolphins,
the WCS plans on ensuring the Ir-
rawaddies’ survival in Bangladesh.
In 2008, the Irrawaddy dolphin was
becoming increasingly endangered
as the population in known envi-
ronments declined; today, fishing
nets threaten the dolphins along
with dams that decrease freshwater
flow to many areas in Bangladesh.
Also, rising sea levels due to climate
change is a danger to the freshwater
mammals.
The New England Aquarium
in Boston, MA has a conservation
team dedicated to the protection of
endangered animals. Although the
team is not focused on the Irrawad-
dy dolphin, it has already designed
alarms for rare dolphin species
called Hector's dolphin to prevent
entanglement in fishing nets. Envi-
ronmentalists dealing with Irrawad-
dies are following suit, cooperating
with the Bangladesh government to
create a protected area for the dol-
phins.
Her parents were born and raised
in Sialkot and Gujranwala in
Pakistan. Along with many oth-
ers, she believes that “America’s
attempt to ‘aid’ Pakistan is only
making the lives of Pakistanis
worse, and taking innocent lives.”
Police officials suspect
Mehsud of continuing the covert
war run by the Central Intel-
ligence Agency inside Pakistan
since Obama took office in Jan.,
2009. More than a dozen young
men from Sora Rogha have killed
themselves in suicide attacks
against targets inside Pakistan in
the last two years, causing more
violent outbreaks within the cit-
ies.
Since the attack and the
threats, security officials have
stepped up to make sure citizens
both here, and in Pakistan, stay
safe from danger, such as offering
a $5 million reward for Meshud.
8 Local news The Blue and Gold
May 2009
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/

Gates opens Gates for

laps for leslie MHS senior
MHS continues to internships
Senior change lives
Kimberly Lombard
Head of Business
Angela
T
Patti McClenthen HERE HAVE BEEN a significant
Han Reporter number of absences from the
Tzivia Halperin senior class since the start of fourth

O N MAY 12TH, hundreds of people will show quarter at Malden High School.
Head Copy Editor their support for the Laps for Leslie event, These absences are not due to dozens
where students, teachers, and other members of of cases of the flu, malaria, or even
THE PRESTIGIOUS Gates Millennium Scholarship (GMS),
the Malden community walk around the track in senioritis; 122 seniors have broken
given to only 1,000 of 20,000 finalists, of which thousands more
MacDonald Stadium in order to raise money for out of MHS and found themselves
apply, made a ripple at Malden High School when it was awarded
a scholarship that will be given to Malden High in the real world.
to senior Angela Han this past April.
School senior girl at the end of the year. In its third year at MHS, the
The Gates Scholarship “support[s] the cost of education
This is the fourth annual Laps for Leslie senior internship program is once
by covering unmet need and self-help” according to the GMS
fundraiser, and the school is overall optimistic again providing students with the
website, which is renewable each year of the student’s schooling.
that it will have a great turnout. “Upwards of opportunity to work alongside
For Han, this means close to $10,000 covered yearly at North-
300 people have participated each year,” says professionals at various locations
eastern University, where she will be attending next fall, for
MHS teacher Karen Razzino, “it’s always been throughout Massachusetts. 65 or-
anything from tuition to books to room and board.
a beautiful day.” For the many loyal attendees ganizations are helping seniors find
Han had been familiar with the scholarship from a
of the event, however, rain would hardly be an their calling and everyone from the
young age, as her parents frequently “lectured” her “on how
obstacle. Middlesex Sheriff’s Office to the
great it was,” according to Han through a web interview. Having
Laps for Leslie was created by Razzino after Boston Opera Company have been
fit the qualifications of financial need, minority nationality, and
her daughter, Leslie, died of cancer shortly after showing these seniors the ropes of
USA residence, Han opted to apply for the scholarship although
graduating high school. Razzino knows that the the work environment. In addition,
she remained realistic, commenting, “I decided to give it a shot
event had touched the hearts of many when it multiple MHS teachers have been
although I really didn’t think I’d get it.”
first started, but will be harder to continue due volunteering their time to serve as
The application process proved to be more arduous
to the fact that the majority of MHS students to- student mentors throughout their
than initially anticipated, consisting of multiple sections and
day didn’t know Leslie. “I would like to keep the internship.
upwards of eight essays, in hopes of unearthing what precisely
event active as long as possible,” says Razzino. Despite a commitment to AP or
made the applicant a Gates Scholar. Topics of discussion included
“It’s harder, but even though kids did not know performing arts courses, senior in-
discrimination, leadership roles, strongest and weakest subjects,
her, I hope that they will still stay interested.” ternship coordinator Michele Mag-
extracurricular activities, background, and academics, among
This event was created in order to benefit ner was “pleasantly shocked” by
many others. For her part, Han opted to focus on her own
senior girls at MHS through a scholarship. The the amount of students who still de-
personal growth, especially how her actions have allowed her to
recipient will be chosen if she has a genuine cided to pursue the program. Those
“improve” herself.
love for track and poetry, like Leslie had. “Les- students who did decide to leave
However such efforts did not prove in vain and when
lie loved track. She loved everything about it,” high school behind have been tak-
Han finally received the jubilant news, she could only describe
remembers Razzino. She believes that the schol- ing the workforce by storm, show-
her reaction as a rush of “relief.” After finding out that a friend
arship was the best choice when it came to the ing everyone that they are ready to
of a friend had received the scholarship in Maryland, Han knew
money that the walkers would raise. “It is a way graduate and capable of working.
the news, either good or ill, had arrived and was simply waiting
to give back to many people who have not had Senior Stephanie Grossi, who
in her mailbox. Unfortunately, “my dad took the mail when I
the opportunities that they might need. [The has been interning at the Forestdale
got home and I couldn’t find my cell phone so I had to wait until
scholarship] touched many people, and keeps School as a second grade teacher’s
my family got back from the restaurant so I was feeling really
the event close to home, in Malden.” aid, claims that she “is learning
anxious. [Naturally], I was so relieved when I found out I got it.”
Razzino knows that Laps for Leslie has so much from this experience.”
Receiving the scholarship quickly presented a release from stress
touched the hearts of many in Malden, and will Although 30 hours a week is a big
and worriment, both in terms of finally knowing the status of
continue to do so, because of the people here commitment and the internship is
her application and more notably, having security in her college
that keep Leslie’s memory alive. “It is wonderful unpaid, she easily found the silver
tuition.
to see the care that the people at Malden High lining and shared how beneficial the
Not all were so reserved by the news of Han’s great
School show. They give time and get sponsors internship program has truly been.
success. Her family was described as being “ecstatic” and close
for something that they can relate to.” “The internship is a great opportu-
friend, senior Daniel Pimentel commented, “I was honestly
Do not miss the event on May 12th, at Mac- nity; I think every senior should just
blown away when she became a finalist...I’m just really proud of
Donald stadium. do it if they have any idea what they
her.”
want to do when they’re older- or
even if they don’t know what they

MHS Band Boasts Bronze at MICCA Festival

want to do. It is such a great way
to see if a career [choice] is right for
you.”
Some seniors have been lucky
Brandon Knight enough to find themselves right at
Reporter ring to this merit award as the “Best res, deserves many thanks for their home at their internships. Seniors
Bus Award,” for the fun and exciting achievement. Ringdahl said, “Mr. T Stephanie Tran and Nicole Dhruv

M ALDEN HIGH SCHOOL took

home the bronze medal this
year, despite last year’s score. The
MHS concert band attended the 33rd
annual Massachusetts Instrumental
and Choral Conductors Association
(MICCA) Festival on April 3, 2009.
Last year, the concert band at-
tended the event hosted at Lexing-
ton High School. They performed
three songs, in hopes of getting a
high score from the judges; unfor-
tunately, they only received a medal
of merit for their participation in the
competition. Although this was not
exactly what they expected to ob-
tain, they remained positive, refer-
time they had on the bus ride back
from the festival.
Still optimistic and eager for a
higher award, the MHS concert band
returned to the MICCA Festival this
year at Hopkinton High School. The
band played three different songs;
“Ride,” a very fast and upbeat song;
“An American Elegy,” a slow song
with smooth notes; and “Brighton
Beach”, a fun cheerful march. Al-
though they were striving to win the
gold medal, they were still proud to
earn the bronze.
MHS concert band member,
sophomore Julie Ringdahl, believes
that their teacher, Matthew Tava-
is confident in us…he tells us over,
and over that we deserve the gold
medal.” She also believes that the
band’s amount of practices and de-
termination is a big reason why they
were able to come in third place. The
band practiced in the auditorium
every day during periods six and
seven, and accumulated hours after
school between 6-8 p.m. Overall,
Ringdahl is happy with the band’s
teamwork and ability to work to-
gether. Ringdahl stated, “The whole
experience is exciting. [I enjoyed]
getting to work as a team, playing
as best as we can, and having that
feeling of confidence.”
are interning at the Red Cross or-
ganization and Community Serv-
ings respectively, and are extremely
pleased with the experience they
have been getting. The two seem
to have found their passion in such
non-profit organizations
Other interning seniors, such
as Nicholina Gioiosa, are not sure
if they see a suitable future at their
locations, but are still glad they are
part of the internship program.
These interning seniors will
be showcasing all that they accom-
plished on May 21, 2009 in the Finn
Gym from 9:00-12:00.
The Blue and Gold
May 2009
End the Word
Nidale Zouhir mhs joins movement to “spread
Copy Editor the word to end the word”
“Retard” is a very commonly
used word in the United States.
People use this word literally hun-
dreds of times a day without ever
considering how hurtful it might
be—which is why Special Olym-
pics, Incorporated runs a worldwide
campaign, whose goal (and name)
is to “Spread the Word to End the
Word.” Special Olympics Inc. trav-
eled internationally on March 31,
2009; one of its locations was Mal-
den High School.
In MHS’s Jenkins Audito-
rium, representatives from Special
Olympics Massachusetts (SOMA)
spent an hour explaining the cam-
paign to MHS students. The assem-
bly began with MHS principal Dana
Brown professing words like the “r-
word” hurt him because of the pain
that they cause others. He explained
to the diverse group of students—
mainly athletes and students with
mental disabilities—that words like
these are demeaning and unaccept-
able, despite the nonchalant manner
in which they are spoken. Brown,
along with SOMA, urged MHS
students to pledge to stop using
the r-word and asking them to help
change the world “one person at a
Local news
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/
Students Jessica Debassio and Anna Kuznetsova. Photo by E. Chiavelli
time.” speaking, Tyler is an athlete with
The Special Olympics’ motto, a passion for track and basketball
“Let me win, and if I can’t win, let who can golf 18 holes with a score
me be brave in the attempt,” is a of 79 on a points system. Tyler has
rule that they hope to apply to the won twenty Special Olympics med-
campaign. This was expressed in als so far, fifteen of which have been
perhaps the most moving moments gold. Diagnosed with autism when
of the presentation, particularly dur- he was three years old, Tyler resents
ing the speech of a young man intro- the label that mentally handicapped
duced as “Tyler.” Trained in public people are given. He refuses to al-
low himself to be called “autistic,”
stating that “I am a person who just
happens to have autism. There are
many more aspects to my personal-
ity.”
The audience was rapt with
attention as Tyler expressed his
disgust over use of the ‘r-word’. He
declared that “using the ‘r-word’ is
just plain wrong...and quite frankly,
ignorant...[it] shows a complete
lack of respect.” Tyler later added
that people with mental disabilities
“have souls, just like every [other]
human being.”
Tyler concluded with some of
John Lennon’s most memorable lyr-
ics: “You may say that I’m a dreamer,
but I’m not the only one,” he said.
“Barriers can be overcome.”
SOMA hoped to use this as a
“town meeting” to both convince
the audience not to use the r-word
and to discuss ways to stop others
from using it. This worked, albeit
with a few awkward silences; the
question-and-answer session gath-
ered powerful responses such as
“People shouldn’t be categorized,”
from senior Annie Wilcox. Hoping
to spread this message to all of MHS
and, later, the world, SOMA Vice
President for Programs Terry Keilty
urged the audience to “always take
advantage of trying to educate
someone.” Keilty, along with the
rest of SOMA, emphasized the abil-
ity of students to make an impact.
Find out more and pledge
online to stop people from using the
“r-word” at www.r-word.org.
9
nhs serves
community
Paul McWhinnie
Reporter
Cera Nolan
Reporter
I N THE WORLD TODAY, a star-
tling abundance of problems
confronts us, but each small act
could help solve them one step at
a time, which is exactly what the
National Honor Society (NHS)
has set out to do. NHS members
at Malden High School created
projects to help touch or inspire
others. With each service project,
members of NHS do their part to
help out the community, which
could positively affect the world
as a whole.
Each service project is com-
prised of a few NHS members.
There are a handful of different
projects, and all are very helpful
to the community in their own
way.
As the world is very much
aware, global climate change is
a serious issue, but with the ser-
vice project Reuse, Reduce, and
Recycle, seniors Maggie Leung,
Kari Phan, and sophomore Alison
Nguyen are encouraging stu-
dents to do their part in saving
the planet. The project involves
Leung, Phan, and Nguyen going
to Ferryway School and informing
the younger students about how
serious global climate change is
and why taking care of our planet
is so important.
The purpose of these efforts
is to show that every single person
can make a difference. “This year’s
projects go far and above the call
of duty. It never ceases to amaze
me just how much effort the NHS
students put into everything that
they do,” explained NHS advisor,
Paul Marques.
The service project “Food
for Friends,” organized by senior
Jennifer Delacey, collects food
and helps feed the hungry. Every
Thursday, Delacey goes to Panera
Bread in Everett and picks up the
extra bread, rolls, and bagels left-
over, which usually fills up seven
large bags. She then gives half of
the food to the Bread of Life in
Malden, and the other half to the
shelter Pine Street Inn in East Bos-
ton.
These two meaningful proj-
ects are among many others that
serve a purpose within Malden.
“It is impressive to see people that
I am in class with on a day-to-day
basis demonstrate the care they
have for the community,” stated
NHS president, Kevin Vasquez.
“People have taken on projects
that have great potential to aspire
serious change in our commu-
nity,” he concluded.
10 local news The Blue and Gold
May 2009
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/

Nina Ho,
Acrylic

Ngoc Doan, Cubism

Raul Villanueva, Still Life

Thayotha
Yogendran,
Pen and Ink

Maryann Seager and Sidney

Smith enjoy the show

Jessica Ma, Pencil Drawing

Photos by E. Chiavelli and L. Tran

Page design by L. Tran
Huy Nguyen and Sean Benson admire the art
The Blue and Gold
May 2009
&
Clarissa Rippy, Pastel
Barbara Jerome Athis
Reporter
“To imagine is everything,”
was the theme given by the Fine
Arts Club for the 10th annual exhi-
bition of student artwork presented
by the Fine Arts Department on
April 15, 2009. FAC advisors, and
Malden High School studio teacher
Mary Ann Seager thought that this
theme was appropriate for this gal-
lery as she said, “imagination is the
key to all human progress.” This
event took place at a lobby owned
by John Preotle on 350 Main Street,
Malden near the Bank of America
and started at 6 p.m.
The Blue and Gold Gallery
started 10 years ago when students
from the fine arts department want-
ed to make the celebration for the
City of Malden’s 350th anniversary
special and memorable. The group
also wanted to thank Rosalie Sidoti,
who was the former art department
advisor, for everything she had
done.
Students from Malden High
School’s Studio I–III and AP port-
folio classes exhibited their original
artwork for everyone to come and
view them. The purpose of the event
was to showcase the talents of MHS
students in the Art Department.
Helping themselves to appetizers
and sweets, visitors walked through
the halls observing the wonderful
work of each student, taking pic-
tures left and right.
This year the art department
made the students work with oil
painting, a more time-consuming
To See a Slideshow of the images, check out our web-
site:
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/
local news 11
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/
Gallery
Yulin Wu, Pastel
All photos by L. Tran
technique. Throughout the whole
year, students worked on their Rose Nguyen, Self Portrait
paintings for this event, and the
The crowd at
FAC also had to work on the gal-
the gallery
lery before the opening. The club
had to bring all of the paintings to
get frames, make the brochures, and
the flyers. “That night might seem
easy and simple because everything
is nicely set up, but it takes a lot of
preparations,” stated Seager.
Around 6:45 p.m. there was
an award ceremony where all stu-
dents from the AP Portfolio classes
received awards for their incredible
paintings. Everyone who exhibited
received an award. Raul Villanueva
received the Best of Show ribbon
for his portrait, Long Ma received
the Artist Choice award which is
picked by the studio students, and
senior Jessica Ma received the Spe-
cial Award ribbon for her painting
of Costa Rica.
After this event, the artwork
will remain in the lobby for one
month. Afterward, some of the piec-
es go to the mayor’s office for the
summer and the students get them
back at the beginning of school. The
students hope that this year they
will be able to display them in the
library.
The Blue and Gold Gallery im-
proves every year as the FAC learns
more. The club would like to thank
Preotle who allowed this gallery to
happen by letting the students dis-
play their artwork.
Raul Villanueva,
winner of the
Mayor’s Choice
Award
12 local news The Blue and Gold
May 2009
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/

Renovations Soon a Reality at Malden High

STARTING THIS SUMMER THROUGH SPRING 2012, A CONSTRUCTION TEAM WILL BE BUILD-
continued from Page 1 ING MALDEN HIGH SCHOOL INTO THE “NEW HOME FOR EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE.”

NEW TECHNOLOGY

- Fiber Optics
- New Projectors and Computers per Classroom
- Improved Sound System (Jenkins Auditorium
- New Fire Alarm and Security Keycard System
- Further Replenishing of Teaching Tools

The Make-over
EXTERIOR/INTE-
There is no doubt that Malden RIOR
High School will look different after RETOUCHES
the summer. The bridges and the
school corridors are going to be re- - New Windows
designed and repainted. The Salem - New Holden St.
and Holden Street entrances will Entrance
be redone; a handicap ramp will be -New Salem St En-
installed on Holden. Classes will trance
be moved temporarily out of C and -New Ferry St Entrance Front view vision of the renovated bridge between the Brunelli and Boyle houses.
D house to make room for an im- -Complete renovation
proved house system. There is also a of Jenkins Auditorium NEW FEATURES
plan to redesign the courtyard. -Renovation of the Finn
Inside, the Jenkins Auditorium Gym - Updated Science Labs
and the Finn Gym will be com- -Remodeling and Ad- - State-of-the-art Computer
pletely renovated. The Jenkins will dtion of: Labs
feature a new sound system and oLocker rooms - New Equipment Throughout
more will be invested in the Fine oBathrooms the School
Arts Program. New and improved oClassrooms - Expanded Programs (such as
elevators and handicap ramps will oOffices Engineering and Biotechnology)
be implemented with accordance to oMeeting rooms - New Security and Fire Alarm
the Americans’ with Disabilities Act. -ADA standard editions Systems
oElevators - New Roof
Student Reactions oRamps - Restoration of Jenkins Audi- Vision of MHS’ lobby.
oHandicap accesible torium
Unlike the middle schools, the technology - New and Improved Layout of
high school will undergo construc- the “House” System
tion on the spot throughout the To See a Slideshow
school year. Many may wonder
whether this can work for the stu-
of the Ready, Set,
Images from Malden High homepage.
dents. Even so, the construction Rock event, check
team has assured that construction
at the school will be minimally dis-
out our website:
ruptive. http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/
“People need to concentrate
and it is not going to be helpful when mhs/
someone is taking a math test and
there is drilling going on outside,”
expressed junior Laura Botero.
Additionally, MHS principal GOT BOOKS?
Dana Brown confirms that during If you have any used books
the 2009-2010 school year classrooms that you would like to donate,
will be constantly moving.
Although some students are please drop them off at Mr.
apprehensive about the upcoming Gallagher’s room (C333).
renovation graduating senior Sean Thank you for supporting
Michael Benson feels that “if [he] Cynthia, Jenny, and Tzivia’s
were in the school next year it is Before and After images of hte Jenkins Audiotorium National Honor Society Service
something that [he] would person-
Project.
ally want;” ultimately it will “bridge
the gap between C and A house.”
In the years to come, will we all
look back on the school with pride
swelling in our hearts? Will we still ALAMO
be able to identify with the MHS Roast Beef & Sea Food
we knew before the changes were
made? This extension of the city’s 21 Salem Street
ambitious 1990s new school agenda Medford, MA 02155
has some great things in store for
the future. Should the construction (781) 396-2434
run smoothly, perhaps Malden High 4.5/5 Stars!!!
School will rise to become one of the
finest high schools in the region.
Overview of MHS following renovations.
The Blue and Gold
May 2009
MHS
Bulletin
May 6 - Choral Concert
May 7 - Malden Special Olympic Day
Games
May 11 - Late-entry
May 12 - Laps for Leslie, Supplementary
folders open
May 13 - NHS Ceremony, Rotary Book
Awards
May 14 - MHS Retirement Party
May 15 - AP exams end, Supplementary
folders close
May 18 - Ask the Principal Evening
May 19 - MCAS-Math
May 20 - MCAS-Math
May 21 - Drama Production
May 22 - Senior Internship Exhibition,
Drama Production
May 25 - Memorial Day-No School
May 27 - MCAS-History
May 28 - MCAS-History
May 29 - Senior Prom at Park Plaza
June 2 - Awards Night
June 4 - Science MCAS, Senior Assem-
bly and Barbecue
June 5 - Science MCAS, Graduation
Rehearsal
June 6 - SAT at Malden High School
June 7 - Graduation
June 8 - Rain Date for graduation
June 9 - 4th quarter attendance ends,
Rotation 7,1,2,3,4,5,6
June 10 - Finals Periods 1 and 2, Grad-
ing folders open
June 11 - Finals Periods 3 and 4
June 12- Finals Periods 5 and 6
June 13 - ACT at MHS
June 15 – Finals Period 7 and make-ups
June 16 - Grades due
June 17 – Last Day
Ready, Set, Rock!! rocks mhs
Nidale Zouhir
Copy Editor
O N MAY 2, 2009, the sound
of drums and the scent of
steamed hot dogs filled the air as the
American Red Cross Club’s first ever
Ready, Set, Rock!! concert exposed
Malden High School students to
local musicians Casey Sullivan and
Fourth Wall Fiction, along with Cali-
fornia native and YouTube celebrity
AJ Rafael accompanied by Andrew
Rhim. Profits went to the American
Red Cross Disaster Services.
The Ready, Set, Rock!! concert
was a collaborative effort; it was
sponsored by MHS’s Red Cross
Club, along with that of Saugus
High School. It was also the Nation-
al Honor Society project of seniors
Danny Pimentel, Stephanie Tran,
and Angel Han. “The Red Cross
Club is relatively new to MHS; it’s
great that we’ve been able to sup-
port independent musicians and
collaborate with other schools this
early on,” explained advisor Kristen
Kirby.
Casey Sullivan opened the
show with a cover of Outkast’s “Hey
Ya” in her mellow, folksy voice,
causing slight confusion among the
audience. Whispers of, “Wait, what
local news
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/
Living under $20 at MHS
Brittany Foley in the midst of a financial crisis, two brave
Copy Editor
mhs students try living off of a bare $20 a week
Nidale Zouhir
Copy Editor
D
ESPITE THE WORLD'S mis-
erable economic state, one
generation continues to splurge on
everything from clothing to lunch—
American adolescents. Two Malden
High School students proved this
statement true when they attempted
to stick to a strict $20 budget for a
five-day school-week.
After carefully planning out
the week's expenses, sophomores
Brittany Foley and Nidale Zouhir
proceeded to almost go over budget
on the first day. Their most expen-
sive purchases? Food. For Foley,
late-entry Monday morning began
with a breakfast outing that cost
her approxiamately $12, followed
by a $3 school lunch. Zouhir bought
$5 worth of coffee and $6 worth of
lunch before remembering the bud-
get she was supposed to be follow-
ing.
Total Spent So Far:
Nidale: $11; Brittany: $15
On Tuesday, both Zouhir and
Foley were more economic. Zouhir
mooched off friends for lunch and
chose to buy a small coffee instead
of a medium, while Foley tried to
stick to her budget by making tea
at home rather than paying for a
morning caffeine boost, and spent
only about $4 on lunch.
song is that?” traveled through the
crowd until the chorus. Sullivan
continued on, playing three original
songs before continuing to a cover
of Bright Eyes’ “Landlocked Blues”
featuring Fourth Wall Fiction’s Mark
Damon. Following this, Sullivan
played a memorable cover of Britney
Spears’ “Gimme More” that drew
disgusted faces from MHS principal
Dana Brown and D-House principal
Thomas Mahoney. In response to
this, Damon announced, “They can
try to kick us out, but we ain’t going
nowhere,” drawing laughter from
the audience. Sullivan finished her
set with a chillingly beautiful song
entitled “The Smallest Matter.”
Sullivan was loved by many;
MHS sophomore Geneva Decobert
called her “amazing,” going on to
state that she was “glad that the peo-
ple here got to experience such great
music. It was also really cool that
MHS got to support local bands.”
Following Sullivan, MHS alum-
ni Fourth Wall Fiction took the stage;
they began by ordering the audience
to stand for their entire set. Despite
technical difficulties involving their
microphones, they then progressed
to play several new songs, along
with old favorites “The Invitation,”
“Leaving Home,” and “Lost Cause.”
Total Spent So Far:
Nidale: $12.50; Brittany: $19
By Wednesday, Foley realized
that her breaking her budget was
inevitable. On Starbucks alone,
Foley spent about $15. In addition,
she spent $3 at lunch; Wednesday's
purchases effectively brought Foley
over the budget. Zouhir, mean-
while, was still hoping to stay under
$20, convincing her mother to buy
her lunch and paying for only an ice
cream cone on her own. She resisted
the urge to buy a set of greeting
cards at the Blue & Gold art gallery,
but allowed herself a large cup of
coffee from Dunkin Donuts.
Total Spent So Far:
Nidale: $16.50; Brittany: $37
Foley’s Thursday was slightly
more economic. She made a sincere
attempt to spend as little as pos-
sible, downsizing food orders and
passing up sales, in preparation for
a not-so-wallet-friendly-Friday. She
only spent about $5. Zouhir likewise
started to grow apprehensive about
her Friday night, which promised
to be relatively mundane due to
the amount of money she could
not spend. She drank an extra cup
of coffee at home to save herself the
necessity of buying it at Dunkin Do-
nuts later and made herself lunch at
home, buying only a bottle of water
MHS alumni Kenny McKeen plays guitar Photo L. Tran
They managed to keep the set bal-
anced, playing the somber “Keep
Smiling” before a tongue-in-cheek
cover of Sean Kingston’s “Beautiful
Girls.”
Once Fourth Wall Fiction’s
performance was over, the much-
anticipated Rafael (jokingly dubbed
“Asian Mraz” by MHS junior Keith
Newman) and his friend/guitarist
Andrew Rhim arrived, instantly
drawing screams from those who
had been eagerly anticipating them.
They started their set with two
original songs, called “Showstop-
per,” and “Scarlet Night,” before
progressing to a Disney medley. He
continued to dedicate a song called
13
during the day.
Total Spent So Far: Nidale:
$17.50; Brittany: $42
Friday, which was sure to be
the day Zouhir went over her bud-
get and Foley tripled the initial limit
of $20, was almost unbearably long,
as most Fridays are. Trying ever-so-
hard to observe the budget, Zouhir
bought only a cup of coffee and
spent her night playing Monopoly
and Wii Tennis. Meanwhile, Foley
almost quintupled the original bud-
get; coming to terms with her lack of
money-saving ability, she spent the
most money on Friday, paying $20
in movie rentals with friends, $13 at
Fudruckers, and another $20 on new
shoes.
Total Money Spent:
Nidale: $19.50; Brittany: $95
As Zouhir singlehandedly
keeps the Malden Square Dunkin
Donuts franchise on its feet and
Foley spends money on everything
imaginable, it seems that between
food and senseless spending, teen-
agers in the twenty-first century are
likely one of the economy's stron-
gest crutches.
Do you think you could do bet-
ter at the $20 budget than Foley? Try
it out; it's harder than you think!
“Strong as a Soldier” to a fan of his
whom recently underwent the third
open-heart surgery ever done in
Germany.
The show ended with a song
created by the audience; for one dol-
lar, people could buy one line of a
song that Fourth Wall Fiction, Casey
Sullivan, and AJ Rafael improvised
at the end. This drew laughter from
everyone, including Kirby, to whom
a line was dedicated.
The show attracted dozens of
people, but not as many as were
originally anticipated. “If we’d had
a bigger turn-out, it would’ve been
great, but we still had lots of fun,”
explained senior Danny Pimentel.
14
SeNior one Acts Exhibit excellence
Various acts from the night featur-
ing (clockwise from far left to right,
top to bottom): Patrick Keough, Rita
Cote, Thanh Nguyen, Keith Newman,
David Barrows, Bahar Baharloo, Tayla
Damon, Barrows, Richard Wood, An-
thony Cuscuna, Newman, Baharloo,
Taf Kahn, and Newman.
Photos by M. Saksua
(To the right)
Casey Mc-
Coughlin and
Sam Warton
Ashley Ngo
Head Entertainment Writer
T HE ANNUAL Malden High
School Senior One Acts added
several more acts to its traditional
regime, but no one was complaining
on the night of the performances.
The brilliant show that took place on
Apr. 9, 2009, consisted of nine stu-
dent directed plays, four of which
were written by MHS students
themselves.
Senior One Acts gave MHS
students an opportunity to see their
hard work displayed for audiences
and to be celebrated for their efforts.
The process of putting on and writ-
ing the acts proved to be difficult,
but rewarding. “It was a neat expe-
rience; I originally wrote it for a ten
minute play festival for The Boston
Playwrights’ Theater…so the day
before the Senior-Directed One Acts
I had seen the cold read,” said junior
Keith Newman who had a part in
two of the nine plays, “but in the
cold read, the actors didn’t know
the twist ending and so it was re-
ally interesting seeing the different
interpretations of the show back to
back.”
The highlights of the night were
“An Actor’s Nightmare”, “Beneath
the Beauty”, and “Dear Mom”;
equally superb acts were “Solomon:
a Life “ by Shawn O’Malley, which
featured senior Casey McLaughlin
and junior Sam Warton, directed by
senior Tainara Candido; “F.B. High”
written by Warton and directed by
Entertainment The Blue and Gold
May 2009
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/
senior David Barrows, including ju-
nior Anthony Cuscuna and seniors
Barrows and Richard Wood; “Break-
adult Rachel, who is seen writing a
letter to her mother, remembering
both the bad and good times they
ing Up” by Newman, with juniors had together. Sophomore Rita Cote
Martin Doan and Tracy Martocchio; portrays Rachel through her stages
“The Decision” by sophomore Jenna of growing up and with junior
Delaney, with junior Samantha Pow- Thanh Nguyen as her mother, they
er and senior Nicole Fowler; “Bye, interpret the struggles the mother
Bye Boss” written by Warton and and daughter had with Rachel’s
presented by sophomores Geneva drug use, her father’s death, and
Decobert and Maya Rogers and Eu- the strained relationship between
logy for Archibald Kugel, written the two. The act builds up to Rachel artist Vince (Rogers) in a coffee
by English teacher Sean Walsh, di- leaving her mother and living alone shop. Loni soon after visits Vince’s
rected by Candido and performed with her boyfriend and woefully gallery where a hideous sculpture
by sophomore Patrick Keough. dies down to the adult Rachel mail- is displayed; it is perceived that
“An Actor’s Nightmare” was ing the letter to her mother’s grave. the sculpture is Vince’s portrayal of
written by Christopher Durang, “It was cool that I got to work with Loni. He explained that because of
who also wrote “Dentity Crisis,“ Rita,” Ricci stated. his disability, he sculpts things as
which the play production class “Beneath the Beauty” is based he hears and feels them. Loni is dis-
put on last year. The play revolves off of a story written by Rogers, turbed by this depiction and isolates
around an actor who was hast- directed by Power and Fowler. herself from her peers.
ily thrown around into “Hamlet”, The dramatic reading focused on The Senior One Acts were a
“Private Lives”, and “Checkmate.” conceited woman, Loni (Candido), bittersweet almost-farewell to the
He unfortunately does not know his who by chance bumps into a blind seniors in the Play Production class.
lines and is trying to figure out what
is happening just to endure through
each play. “[Durang] usually writes
confusing crazy things like that, I
personally can’t even write or act in
straight comedies anymore. Walsh
has sort of subliminally trained us
to like his crazy plays,” stated New-
man.
“Dear Mom” by Stephanie
Heckle was directed by seniors
Andrea Kelly and Jessica Melan-
son. The tragic story starts off with
sophomore Charlene Ricci as an
The Blue and Gold
May 2009
Faculty Follies Bring Springtime Sillies to MHS
cont. from page 1
fired up by the first performance by
the pseudo-band, Iron Vanilli. With
Evan Mauser as lead guitarist, Sean
Walsh on the keyboard, Bernice Diaz
on drums, and Christine Grillon
playing rhythm guitar, their MHS-
stop on the “OMG It’s Iron Vanilli
Tour” got the audience pumped for
the show, not to mention incredibly
amused. After Vanilli’s intriguing
concert was a less-exciting, but still
funny performance. David Hol-
land shared with the audience a
“dramatic reading” of Katy Perry’s
“Hot ‘N Cold.” Between his peculiar
interpretation of the song and his
wizard costume, what would have
been figured to be inferior to its
preceding performance turned out
to be enjoyable nonetheless.
Jen Eby and Dawn Frim stole
the stage next with “Freby Razzle
Dazzles You,” impressing the audi-
ence with their tap-dancing and
baton-twirling skills. The audience
inarguably got greater amusement
from the following performance,
though, starring three figures of
authority that gave out just as many
cases of laughter as they did warn-
ings. MHS Principal Dana Brown
belted out Ricky Nelson’s “I Will
Follow You” alongside Fred Feld-
man and Thomas Mahoney, alter-
ing the lyrics on occasion to better
fit the focus of their many students
entertainment
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/
in attendance. Ever-popular, Fami-
glietti took a break from working
the controls offstage to get front and
center with a few of MHS’s seniors
in “Fam’s World.” This fraction of
the Follies featured a cute rendition
of an average day in C-House study,
and an unexpected twist involving
Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
A 20-minute intermission ensued,
during which those attending could
purchase affordable refreshments,
which, like the show’s $7 admission
fee, went to benefit the Costa Rica
club.
Act Two, like Act One, began
with a most entertaining routine.
Shauna Campbell, Jason Asciola,
and Paul Marques’ live reenactment
of Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” music
video was undoubtedly one of the
most popular parts of the show. The
throwing of Ring-Pops© into the
crowd, cleverly pertaining to the
song’s line, “If you like it then you
should’ve put a ring on it,” only
made the routine more popular.
Following was “Poppin’ Stompas,”
including Diaz, Eby, and Grillon, as
well as Amanda Alpert, Hava Dan-
iels, Alicia Fine, and Beth Kershner.
The idea of the skit/dance was an
American Idol-style Junior Varieties
Audition. Viewers did not seem as
enthused with the performance as
they did with certain others, but the
performance did not seem to receive
a trace of negative feedback. “Two
Pink and Fabulous,” returning
from last year’s Faculty Follies, was
another that did not gain quite as
much of a reaction. However, with
Nancy Martin, Victoria Munoz-
Lepore, Karen Razzino, Maryann
Seager, Cathy Strum, and Veronica
Janowicz, like the previous perfor-
mance, the crowd still seemed to
have a good time.
It was not long before another
crowd-pleaser hit the stage. “Teach-
er Party” featured a great medley
of faculty members, including
previous performers Daniels, Eby,
Fine, Kershner, Marques, Mauser,
and Walsh, as well as newcomers
to the stage Shannon Votaw and
Paul Degenkolb, among others. The
humorous teacher-meeting-turned-
dance-party skit mocked the lives
of teachers until Walsh appeared, in
attempts to save the teachers from
being “lame.” Another not-as-thrill-
ing “Professor Ferris Von Bueller”
dramatic reading came afterwards.
Even though Holland switched to
a clown wig this time, the perfor-
mance was not as entertaining to the
audience.
The Follies closed with a bang,
though, when Principal Brown
returned to the stage and began a
musical performance of Bill With-
ers “Lean On Me.” Before the tune’s
end, he was joined by the entire cast
15
in a most enjoyable finale.
Although there were some
mixed opinions of this year’s Fac-
ulty Follies, the entire audience
seemed to take pleasure in the
performances. Even those involved
with the show had a splendid time
with the fundraiser. Sophomore Rita
Coté shared that she felt the show
was “a lot of fun” for everyone, and
was filled with “lots of surprises and
laughs.”
A very enthusiastic specta-
tor, sophomore Kevin Joyce, even
made a sign supporting the show,
primarily Walsh. Walsh showed
support, too, proudly stating how
the students of the Costa Rica club
involved “were always resourceful,
helpful, kind, and obedient.”
What makes the Faculty Fol-
lies such an MHS favorite? “The
teachers” was the common answer
amongst the many students who
watched the show. “I think it’s fun
for the kids to see the teachers in a
different light,” elaborated Kumar.
Without doubt, the not-so-common
fun-loving behavior of MHS staff
exhibited mixed with the hard work
all of the students involved put in
makes the Faculty Follies like noth-
ing else.
“I thoroughly enjoyed the spirit
of our staff and the enthusiasm of
the students,” Principal Brown ex-
pressed. “What a show!”
16
LILY ALLEN Performs in boston
Kimberly Lombard
Head of Business
E VER SINCE BOSTON’S House of
Blues reopened with its new lo-
cation on Lansdowne St, their stage
has been blessed with appearances
by very impressive artists; everyone
from Lady Gaga to New Found
Glory has performed for loyal fans
from the New England area, and
have wowed audiences consistently.
April 19 progressed this new
tradition of excellence when British
pop sensation Lily Allen charmed
the audience with her witty, well-
performed songs from her latest
album It’s Not Me, It’s You.
She began the show in a
fashionable red onesie, a Red Sox
hat, and red knee highs, which
she referred to as her “Red Sox.”
She immediately connected with
the Boston audience and held that
connection throughout the night
with her sarcastic remarks, sweet
voice, and meaningful lyrics that
often point out imperfections in the
world. At one point, she complained
her “Red Sox” would not stay up
and had them duct taped to her legs;
Miley Cyrus “Climbs” to
the Big Screen
Brandon Knight
Reporter
M
ILEY STEWART (Miley Cyrus)
and her alter ego, Hannah
Montana, left sitcom life and took
a leap into theaters on Friday, April
10, 2009. The Stewart family left their
Californian Disney set and filmed
on location in both Los Angeles,
California and Columbia, Tennes-
see. This film adaptation of Disney’s
“Hannah Montana” revives the
roles of already known characters
from the show, but also introduces
new characters and songs.
Stewart attempts to embody
the famous life and a normal life cre-
ating her alter-ego of Hannah Mon-
tana. As Hannah, Stewart has fame,
but she lets it get to her head. After
entertainment
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/
later on in the show she had a bean
eating competition between two
members of the audience, attribut-
ing a favorite Boston cuisine. Her
antics revealed a goofy personality
that charmed the audience all night
and left them wanting more.
Not only did Allen charm the
audience with her sarcastic sense
of humor, more importantly she
did an amazing job performing her
forgetting about her brother, Jackson
(Jason Earles), humiliating her best
friend Lilly (Emily Osment) at her
own party and getting into a brawl
with Tyra Banks over a size six and
a half pair of pumps, she decides to
go back home for her grandmother’s
birthday party. Her father Robby
Ray (Billy Ray Cyrus) tricks her into
going back home to Tennessee, and
Miley, who thought she was on her
way to New York, gets angry with
her father. He feels that her time as
Hannah is up, but Miley reminds
him that, “Hannah is everything
to [her],” and that he cannot keep
her from being Hannah. Ray wants
his daughter to once again become
acquainted with country life and
give the fame a break and tells her
that she cannot be Hannah for two
weeks. Miley pretends to enjoy the
country in order to get back to her
fast-paced life, but ultimately real-
izes she truly does love it there.
Her time on the farm takes a
turn when Miley’s childhood friend
and newfound crush Travis (Lu-
cas Hill) tells the town that Miley
is friends with Hannah Montana
and that she may be able to stage a
concert in order to raise money for
their town which is in debt. Lilly,
new album. In addition to
the lineup of songs from
It’s Not Me, It’s You, she
also performed “Every-
thing’s Just Wonderful”
and “Smile” from her first
album Alright, Still.
In between songs,
Allen was sure to give a
background story so that
the audience could relate to
the lyrics more. For exam-
ple, her song “Who’d Have
Known” was attributed to
“all the new lovers in the
audience,” Allen said. As
she went on, her sarcastic,
witty personality shone
through, when explaining
that “this song is about that
beginning stage when you
still like each other- that
won’t last very long.”
Allen exposed her more sensi-
tive side with her song “Chinese.”
She told the audience how much
touring makes her miss her mother,
and went on to dedicate the song to
her. This background story touched
the audience, with lyrics such as,
“You wipe the tears from my eye/
And you say that all that it takes is
a phone call/I cry at the thought of
disguised as Han-
nah, arrives to see
Miley in order
to help out with
the complicated
situation. For the
most part, Miley
is able to fool the
people of Crowley
Corners, but inad-
vertently reveals
her identity when
Lilly rips her wig
off in public. Tra-
vis immediately
breaks up with Miley, for he feels
that she was lying to him, but despite
this burden, she still performs at the
concert in order to raise money. In
the middle of her performance, she
gets overwhelmed with guilt and
does the unthinkable.
Although the movie differs
from its series on the Disney Chan-
nel, it still stays close to its roots
when necessary. One thing that did
not change were the antics that the
characters go through, like Lilly and
Miley stealing a security cart along
with various other crazy acts.
During its first opening week-
end, Hannah Montana: The Movie
made over $34 million, and earned
The Blue and Gold
May 2009
being alone and then/I wonder how
long it will take till I'm home again.”
At the end of the show, she did
an encore performance and showed
her Boston spirit when she came on
stage dolled up in a lobster dress.
She performed her two biggest hits
“Smile” from Alright, Still and “The
Fear” from It’s Not Me, It’s You. She
pleasantly shocked the audience
by closing the show with a cover of
Britney Spears’ “Womanizer,” the
perfect, fun ending for a perfect, fun
night.
Allen certainly gave Boston’s
House of Blues a night to remember.
E moment of her insults toward
society, world leaders, and everyone
in between not only entertained the
audience, but gave them some food
for thought, showing everyone that
the world is going crazy over mate-
rial objects and that no one should
have to be anything that they are
not. As she says in “Everything’s
Just Wonderful”, “Do you think ev-
erything, everyone is going mental/
It seems to me that it’s spiraling out
of control and/ It’s inevitable…Don’t
you want something else, something
new than what we’ve got here?”
Miley Cyrus as Hannah Montana in
her new film now in theaters
the spot as the number one movie for
the weekend. This movie is a great
film for all ages and holds true to a
great message: follow your dreams,
but keep your feet on the ground.
Since the television show started,
this story evolved greatly and has
a more mature edge, but unlike the
show where the biggest burden Mi-
ley faces are trivial, Miley has real
problems that people can actually
relate to. Famous or not, everybody
ultimately deals with who they are
and who they want to be.
The Blue and Gold
May 2009
TENNIS TRYOUTS
Lynn Tran
Photographer
T ENNIS IS NOT another sport
dominated by seniors. When
tryouts began, more people than
ever showed up and tried out.
Shockingly, equal numbers of un-
derclassmen made the cut which
becomes a detriment to the girls and
gives the boys a chance.
The boys and girls tennis teams
have been doing well this spring
season with a record of 5-5 for the
Varisty Tennis Players Lily Pham
and David Riemer
Boys Lacrosse checks in
as official varsity sport
Haley DeFilippis
Reporter
T HE JUMP FROM being a club to
becoming known as a sport for
the first time at Malden High School
, the boys’ lacrosse team is facing
difficult opponents.
Although most rules and gen-
eral ideas remained the same from
being a club to varsity sport, the
team takes the game more serious
in order to learn and improve their
techniques. They now face strictly
varsity teams such as of St. Mary’s
High School, Saugus High School,
and Cambridge Rindge and Latin
High School .
In prior seasons, boys’ lacrosse
mainly versed junior varsity high
Sports
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boys, and 6-2 for the girls. Captains
on the girls’ side include seniors,
Tayla Damon, Jennifer Delacy,
and Jessica Ma. The captain on the
boys’ side is senior Jason Hu. The
newcomers of the team perform as
well as the veterans, like freshman
Wilson Hu who won his first match.
The boy’s tennis team is not afraid
of underclassman playing, and win-
ning, where it seems to be the case in
other sports.
Although the freshmen girls on
school teams along with one or two
varsity games. With a current re-
cord of 0-10, the team’s been off to a
rough start, however, it’s becoming
clear that the players have begun to
improve based off of mistakes. It is
in the players favor to have Coach
DePlacido, who’s very experienced
when it comes to coaching lacrosse.
Junior Xavier Leo stated, “I’m
sure I speak for the team when I say
his efforts are appreciated.” This
years’ 2009 team is the first to play at
a full-time varsity level, concluding
that they are setting the foundation
for the more successful teams of the
future.
17
Junior Linda Nguyen hits ball
the team lack experience, the team “there is always room for improve-
is still performing well as evident ment,” and that is why he “wants to
by their record. Sophomore Huy
Le, does not think that age matters,
a good tennis player is “calm under
go to practice everyday.” He knows
he has a lot of improve on, but is
glad of the opportunity to be on the
pressure, and plays well.” Boys’ team, and others would agree when
Coach Joshua Titcomb must believe he says he would play tennis in the
the same, for putting a fair amount rain anytime. The enthusiasm and
of freshmen, sophomores, juniors, actual talent of the underclassmen
and seniors on the team. There is and upperclassmen, gives the boys’
no seniority. Le says that in tennis team hope.
2009 Varisty Lacrosse Team
All photos by L. Tran
Girls lacrosse Update
An Holmqvist
Copy Editor
Teamwork is really what counts. On more than one occasion, the
players on the Malden girls’ lacrosse team have said that their efforts
to unite the team have paid off immensely. With their joint efforts, this
season has been one of their most rewarding ones so far.
The team has progressed well through their first league switch,
with a record of 4-7. Among their most intense competitors are Wake-
field, Cambridge, Lynnfield, and Matignon. Pulling together their of-
fensive and strengthening their defense has been their main objective.
As the year draws to a close, the girls are glad to finish their season
well, especially for the eleven seniors who will be graduating and leav-
ing in just over a month. “This is definitely the best season we’ve had
so far,” explains an excited Caitlin Abber, who is also team captain. “It’s
only such a shame that the seniors will be leaving so soon after all of the
hard work we have done so far.”
Despite the fact that many are leaving this year, some underclass-
men stand out as great players such as freshman Commie Ayuk and
sophomore Patricia Aguinaldo. Both senior captains Stephanie Tran
and Caitlin Abber praised the team’s progress and have high hopes for
next year’s team.
18
freni
JOE RUNS TO SUCCESS
tackles
Emily Chiavelli
Head Photographer
S TANDING 6'1 TALL and
weighing 195 pounds, senior
football co-captain David Freni
has been one of Malden's most
notable student athletes through-
out his high school career.
Freni took to the sport when
he started playing Pop Warner
over ten years ago; not only did
his talent show immediately, but
he gained a lot of support from his
family. "Me and my dad always
talk about whatever game I've
had. I just remember him keeping
me up, keeping me wanting to
play," Freni told The Boston Globe
in a recent interview.
Freni has been recognized
countless times by local business-
es, newspapers, and organiza-
tions for his success both on and
off the football field. Freni was
even named "player of the week”
by The Boston Globe in October of
2008, for a game in which he ran
221 yards and scored three touch-
downs.
If Freni's achievements in
football do not speak highly
enough of him, his academic
achievements certainly do. Freni
has managed to maintain a spot on
the high honor roll for four years,
and has always pushed himself to
enroll in honors classes. This year,
he is taking Advanced Placement
Biology and Calculus and honors
English. Wesleyan University
honored Freni with a full scholar-
ship for his first year at the school,
providing he joins their Division
III football team.
Freni's dedication to the
sport extends into his personal
life even after the season ends; he
continues to excercise on a regu-
lar basis off-season, doing weight
training and cardio workouts,
and even joined the track team to
stay in shape.
Also indicative of his love for
football is Freni's Facebook page;
the only thing written for his
personal information is "football"
under the area allotted for his in-
terests.
The Rowing Continues
MHS Crew team is back for another season
Alex Gennigiorgis
Reporter
R OWING THEIR WAY TO an-
other successful season, the
Malden High School’s crew team
has been working diligently to have
a spring season, with a victorious
Sports The Blue and Gold
May 2009
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/
Tzivia Halperin
Head Copy Editor
W EIGHING IN at an unassuming 164
lbs for his 6-foot frame, senior
owes much of its success to the team cama-
raderie that has developed this past year.
Joseph Cirnigliaro compensates with
his commanding presence on the
2009 boys’ track team. Serving as
Since Cirnigliaro’s freshman year, the
team splintered into specific groups, i.e.
the sprinters would cloister with the
co-captain along with senior Huy sprinters, the throwers with the throw-
Nguyen and junior Malik Blue, ers and so on. In fostering greater in-
Cirnigliaro has been running on teraction between track’s subgroups
the track team since his freshman this year, the team has become much
year of high school. Initially joining to “stay more unified.
in shape” for soccer, Cirnigliaro had few “I remember the last race I was
intentions initially of remaining on the team in,” began Cirnigliaro after being questioned
or even becoming as dedicated as he did. about the track’s level of teamwork, “I was at
Cirnigliaro’s dedication to the team grew the last mark, 200 meters, and I could hear
proportionally with his skills- as he garnered the words of support from Ayoub [Kourik-
faster times and became more competitive, his chi] and Lena [Nguyen], screaming from
stake in the team intensified. the sidelines. When you feel people believ-
Beyond that however, Cirnigliaro also noted ing in you, you push yourself harder and
that the sheer “physical challenge” of the sport was faster.” For Cirnigliaro, track is the cohesion
a significant factor in his remaining on the team. between team and personal goals and team
“It’s the only sport where I can be satisfied after my and personal successes.
performance. Running allows me to push myself to Despite the little recognition that track
the point of collapsing, that is the indication that receives, Cirnigliaro stressed its greater physi-
I raced as hard as I could,” Cirnigliaro noted in a cal exertion over the other sports. “So many
phone interview. And physical challenge it is- the people join track thinking it’s easy” commented
track team runs everyday according to Cirnigliaro, Cirnigliaro; but it is apparent that many just can
varying between rigorous speedwork, weight not hack track and quit the first week. Members
lifting, and frequent 200-meter runs. quickly learn that track is in fact a “real sport,” or
With a current record of 3-1, the track team drown in the undertow.
Anna McGuire runs the 1 mile, Alesandra
Pham with the baton, and Andrew Terenzi in 1
All photos by L. Tran
mile, and Craig Ramsey sprinting
ending. Led by coaches and MHS ing, and running to keep in shape. the place of our leaving seniors,”
science teacher, Shauna Campbell, Returning Crew member Sa- Power commented on the subject
and MHS math teacher Sarah Jones, mantha Power stated upon question- of team goals for the spring 2009
along with senior co-captains Kris- ing about their fall season, that the season. The team is short players,
ten Tran, and David Barrows, the
team strives to work their hardest,
so they can be eligible to participate
“fall season doesn’t really affect the
spring season, now the difference
is that we row with two other cities
so anybody that would like to sign
up for the crew team (no experience
necessary), should go to Jones’ room
in the competitions that transpire in the fall.” “This year, our goals at C224.
in the late spring. Practices are held include medaling in States, and
five days a week, and consist of row- raising a great novice team to take
The Blue and Gold
May 2009
Getting Back Into the
Swing of Things
Brittany McFeeley
Reporter
Freshman Brad Applin pitches the
ball
Photo by J. Valente
T
HE MALDEN HIGH School
Varsity baseball team opened
up their season with a loss against
Lawrence on Wednesday, April 08,
2009. The Varsity team is making
progress with a current record of 2-5
with plenty more games to go.
This year on varsity, there are
four freshmen on the team. Adam
Lucey, Austin Teal, Bradley Applin,
March Madness
Paula Suarez
The march madness college basketball tournament finishes
Reporter with north carolina as their 2009 state champion
E
VERY YEAR 65 college teams
competed in a tournament that
grips America throughout the na-
tion from the first week of March
through the first week of April. This
College Basketball Tournament is
known as March Madness, though
the tension continues in April. The
term was not always used to de-
scribe this tournament but another
basketball tournament (the annual
Illinois High School association
Tournament) until in 1939 when
Henry V. Porter came up with the
phrase in his article for the Illinois
Interscholastic magazine. It was not
until 1982, when Brent Musburger, a
CBS reporter used the term during
the telecast of a tournament game
that the phrase has been used ever
since by college basketball fans and
the media.
As mentioned before, the ex-
citement of the tournament begins
in March and finishes in April. The
teams go through a series of games
before they make it to the cham-
pionship game. The first game is
considered as the 1st round and is
continued with the 2nd round, the
Sweet 16, the Elite Eight, the Final
Four, and finally the Champion. For
the Men’s tournament the 1st round
was played in March 19-20, the 2nd
round was played in March 21-22,
Sports
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/
MHS Baseball Team Off To A Slow
Start But Hopes To Make States
Senior Lucas Ingemi turning a double-play.
and Ricardo Mendez have earned
their spot on the team for their hard
work and determination. The up-
perclassmen have been good sports
and have been encouraging the
freshmen to do well. Second base-
man Adam Lucey stated, “The up-
perclassmen were supportive.”
the Sweet 16 was played in March
26-27, the Elite Eight was played
in March 28-29, the Final Four was
played in April 4, and the cham-
pion was played April 6. For the
Women’s tournament the 1st round
was played in March 21-22, the 2nd
round was played in March 23-24,
the Sweet 16 was played in March
28-29, the Elite Eight was played
in March 28-20, the Final Four was
played in April 5, and the Champion
was played in April 7.
Once a team reaches the Final
Four, they have a high chance of
making it to the championship and
possibly become the national cham-
pions. A team that reaches this point
in the tournament is already envi-
sioning the hanging of the national
championship banner from the
rafters of its home arena, which is a
common tradition. All the team has
to do to receive that banner is win
two more games. Although the Final
Four games are played in April they
are still full of the March syndrome.
Typically the men’s semifinal games
are played on the first Saturday of
April, and the women’s are played
on the first Sunday of April. The
winners of those games then move
on to face each other in their respec-
tive championship games which are
played on the first Monday of April.
Photo by J. Valente
The freshmen have really
stepped up to the plate, contribut-
ing to the baseball team. “Every
freshmen on the team has a lot to do
with how the team’s doing,” stated
Lucey. They are proving themselves
to be just as determined and focused
as the upperclassmen.
Michigan State, Connecticut,
Villanova, and North Carolina were
the final four teams for the men’s
tournament. In the Michigan State
vs. Connecticut game the score was
82-73 and Connecticut had to leave
the tournament. In the Villanova
vs. North Carolina game the score
was 69-83, and Villanova had to
leave the tournament as well. The
Monday championship game with
Michigan State against North Caro-
lina ended with a result of 72-89,
and North Carolina became the 2009
Champion.
Connecticut, Stanford, Louis-
ville, and Oklahoma were the final
four teams for the women’s tourna-
ment. In the Connecticut vs. Stan-
ford game the score was 83-64, and
Stanford left the tournament. In the
Louisville vs. Oklahoma game the
score was 61-59, and Oklahoma also
left the tournament. The Monday
championship game with Connecti-
cut against Louisville ended with a
result of 76-4 and Connecticut was
the 2009 Champion.
Although the tournament may
be over, for the fans it still continues.
Until next year they will be watch-
ing their favorite team play in other
games and hope that they can have
a successful tournament such as
North Carolina and Connecticut.
19
Prices
Rising
For
the Sox
Alfonse Femino
Reporter
T HE GREEN MONSTER
rising up in left field, the
smell of Fenway Franks filling
the air, “Sweet Caroline” blar-
ing through the system during
the seventh inning stretch…
these are a few things that
come to mind when thinking
about the Red Sox and their
historical Fenway Park. How-
ever, due to astonishing price
increases for tickets, parking,
souvenirs, etc., many people
won’t be able to experience the
thrill of watching their beloved
Red Sox play.
Since major renovations
took place at Fenway Park
in 2003, tickets have nearly
doubled in cost. During the
2002 season, a bleacher ticket
for a game was around $20-
30, while a bleacher ticket to
a game now is a whopping
$50, which is if you can grab
the ticket from the box office
weeks in advance.
When compared to the
cost of tickets at other major
league ball clubs across the
country, it is obvious that Red
Sox tickets are extremely ex-
pensive. For example, a single
ticket for a seat at a Florida
Marlins game is about $33,
while a ticket for a seat by the
dug out at Fenway can range
anywhere from $120-180, not
including the overpriced park-
ing, or $8 sausages that can be
found on Yawkey Way.
The team’s high prices are
mainly due to their success in
previous seasons. It is evident
throughout the MLB that the
more success a team has, the
higher the price of a ticket will
be. The Chicago Cubs are a
very popular team that plays
at Wrigley Field, which is just
as historical as any other park,
and, not surprisingly, ticket
prices there are eerily similar
to Fenway.
Even though the econo-
my is plummeting, while the
cost of pretty much everything
else is increasing, faithful fans
of Red Sox nation always seem
to deal with the heavy prices.
Unfortunately, it is getting to
the point where the average
family has to ask, is it really
worth it to spend nearly $300
to see a game?
20
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/
Sophmore Renee Santo hits the ball
Junior Casey Willcox
on third base
From top to bottom (left to right): Freshman Com-
mie Ayuk goes for the lacrosse ball, Junior David
Riemer celebrates his win, Senior Huy Nguyen
starts the 1 mile, Hurdlers David Verdieu, Simon
Chu, andHenry Wong,
sports The Blue and Gold
May 2009
Girls’ Softball
Showing No Signs
of Letting UP
Alfonse Femino
Reporter
T HIS YEAR, THE GIRL’S softball
team is off to an incredible start
of 10-2. The team is sitting in a famil-
iar spot at the top of the Greater Bos-
ton League, and is way out ahead
of any competition as second place
Medford High School has a record
of 3-6, showing Malden’s domina-
tion over the league.
Much of the team’s success is
due to their hard work and determi-
nation on the practice field, as well
as a good mixture of veteran players
as well as some great new talent.
Freshman pitcher Kiara Amos has
played a pivotal role for the team,
throwing two no-hitters, and play-
Sophmore Jenna Delaney batters up ing hard every game. Also, the lead-
ership of Captain Jen Tamindzija
All photos by L. Tran and coach Richard Cullen has been
an important factor in the team’s ac-
complishments.
Although the team has played
nearly perfect this far, they know
that they still have much hard work
in front of them, especially come
playoff time, however, each member
of the team is more than willing to
put the sacrifice and effort in to win
a state title.
MHS
VARSITY
SPORTS