The Blue and Gold http://www.maldenblueandgold.

com/
Malden High School Our 96th Year
Volume 96 Edition 3 December 2010

Juniors Trail behind Seniors in Spirit Week

Medford-Malden football game

coverage on page 19. Photo by
Lauren Benoit.

Malden High School came together before the Thanksgiving break to participate in the annual Spirit Week
before the Malden/Medford football game. Every year, MHS students look forward to showing off their
school spirit and earning points for their class. The week culminates with the pep rally held on Wednesday,
which ends the week before the game on Thanksgiving morning. Photo by Lauren Benoit. Complete story
on pages 11 and 12.

Swim Team Welcomes New Members

In This Issue:

Hipster
Apocalypse
page 4

Secularism of Chris Ware illustration of

Christmas WikiLeaks founder Julian As-
Page 5 sange. Lexington Herald-Leader
2010. MCT. More Wikileaks
coverage on page 6.
Korean
Conflict
Page 7
Freshman Bestine Cong swims the freestyle as part of the Malden High
School swim team. Photo by Sharon Lee. Article on page 22. Monthly Profile
Jamie green
Working: The Musical Page 9

Red Cross
Blackout Dance
Page 11

Spirit Week
Pages 12 - 13
Jeri Scibelli and Jimmy Malzone’s
MHS Sports
comics on pages 3 and 4.
Budget Cuts
Pages 19-21

Wrestling Opinion 2-5

Page 22 World News 6-8
The Malden High School Play Production put on its annual fall perfor- Basketball
Local News 9-15
mance, Working: The Musical, on Nov. 19 and 20, 2010. The production Pages 23 - 24 Entertainment 16-17
was led by director and English teacher Sean Walsh. Here, senior Olivia Sports 19-24
Pagliccia and junior Daniel Rendon are shown performing. Photo by
Catherine Poirier. Complete story on page 15.
2
The Blue and Gold
Editorials December 2010
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

Richard Holbrooke: 1941 - 2010

Malden High School
The Blue and Gold
77 Salem St.
Malden, MA 02148
EDITORS-IN-CHIEF
João Nascimento
Nidale Zouhir
MANAGING EDITORS
Brittany Foley
Alexandra Mathieu
HEAD COPY EDITOR
Brittany McFeeley
ONLINE EDITOR
Omar Khoshafa
HEAD LOCAL NEWS WRITER
Cristina Peters
HEAD WORLD NEWS WRITER
Dan Holmqvist
HEAD ENTERTAINMENT WRITER
Reginah Sanyu
HEAD SPORTS WRITER
Alfonse Femino
HEAD OF BUSINESS
Alexander Gennigiorgis
HEADS OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Lauren Benoit
Sharon Lee
HEAD OF SPECIAL PROJECTS
Kayla Bramante
President berculosis and Malaria). His death has taken the
B a r a c k White House by surprise, and without the glue he
Obama paid hom- provided, a shadowy vacuum hovers over the rela-
age to the “Rag- tionship between the United States and Afghanistan.
ing Bull” of di- As revered as Holbrooke may have been during
plomacy, Richard his foreign service career, it is painfully difficult to
Holbrooke, who find youth who have an idea of the impact the dip-
at age 69, died of lomat has had in the course of the United States, and
c a r d i o va s c u l a r just how tight his grip was around American policy.
complications Among his myriad of achievements, Holbrooke’s
after undergoing most remarkable qualities were his compassion and
20 hours of sur- his humanitarian inclination that guided his policy
gery to repair an decisions. As chair of the Asia Society, Holbrooke
aortic dissection. stressed the importance to reach out to the poor and
Obama labeled minority communities of the continent, all the while
Holbrooke as a preaching tolerance towards Islam, which he argued
“true giant of was a religion that, at the core, argued for cultural
American foreign understanding, compassion, and invaluable moral
policy…[and] lessons.
Richard C. Holbrooke, the Obama American foreign policy decisions are the tar-
a truly unique
administration’s special envoy for get of worldwide scrutiny and criticism, and when
figure who will
Afghanistan and Pakistan, has comparing Holbrooke’s vision to what the United
be remembered
died. He was 69. Here, Holbrooke States is usually associated with—unjust invasions,
for his tireless
is seen in this November 1999 file oil-seeking capitalistic moves, and exceptionalist
diplomacy, love
photo addressing the National international law violations—one begins to wonder
of country, and
Press Club. (Chuck Kennedy/ why such an exemplary officer would not be chosen
pursuit of peace.”
MCT) to serve as Secretary of State, or to receive the Nobel
Tireless is
Prize, or at the very least, to be recognized by the
an understatement. After he graduated from Brown
mainstream media before his death.
University in 1962, Holbrooke’s career began with a
It may be that the partisan campaign politics that
foreign service posting in Vietnam, and since then, he
reign over the nation cloud the already uninformed
served under every Democratic president: from John
population that is on its way to having less students
F. Kennedy to Obama. Holbrooke long list of distinc-
graduating from high school each year, or it may be
tions include foreign policy landmarks in Vietnam,
that Holbrooke was never used as a poster child for
Morocco, Germany, and most famously, the crafting
America’s egalitarian ideals because there existed an
of the Dayton Peace Accords, which ended the three-
incompatibility between his individual policy ideol-
year long civil war in Bosnia.
ogy and the White House’s. What is clear is that, after
Since Jan. 2009, Holbrooke was serving as spe-
Holbrooke’s death, there are some extraordinarily
cial adviser on Pakistan and Afghanistan, a loosely
large shoes to fill, and a chance for the United States
defined position in which his responsibility was
to support a new, even more just and humanitarian
to tackle the immense complexity of the problems
political agenda, one that can begin the long process
that plague both countries (on the side, he ran the
of redeeming the nation’s image overseas.
non-profit Global Business Coalition on AIDS, Tu-

COPY EDITORS
Haley DeFilippis
Catherine Poirier
João Nascimento
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Megan Kelly
Natalie Fallano
Paige Yurek Editorial Policy
Joshua Kummins
The Blue and Gold is an open forum for
student expression. It is produced by students Corrections:
REPORTERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS for the school and the community. The views
Rebecca Broomstein On the front page, Jessalynne Brown is wrongly
presented in this paper are not necessarily those
Kaela Bryan captioned as Bridget Furlong.
of the advisor or the school administration. The
Freddie DiPhillipo views presented in the editorials are those of the
Johanna Lai editors-in-chief or guests. The goal of The Blue On page 7, Chokyab’s name is mispelled in the
and Gold is to inform and entertain students as photo caption on page 7.
Kristen Leonard
Jacob Martino well as the community regarding issues that we
feel are important. On page 13, in the Marching Band article, band
Vicki Ngan
We strongly encourage readers to respond teacher Matthew Tavares’s name is spelled incor-
Amalia Quesada Nylen rectly
to material printed in the form of signed letters to
Timothee Pierre
the editors. No libelous, malicious, defamatory,
Amanda Rosatone obscene, or unsigned material will be printed. On page 14, Anita Caceda has the wrong last
Joel Stevenson The Blue and Gold reserves the right to edit the let- name in the Semi-Formal article.
Lesley Ta ters. Names may be withheld upon request. Not
all letters will be printed. On page 15, Viviane Szeto is not captioned cor-
ADVISOR Although The Blue and Gold appreciates the rectly for the Breast Cancer Awareness club
Ryan Gallagher support of advertisers, we may refuse any ad- photo.
vertisement that violates the above policy or that
Established in 1915 promotes products questionable to student use. On page 23, the Cassandra Ulwick profile was
Any correspondence concerning this publi- written by Brittany McFeeley not Haley DiFilip-
cation should be directed to Mr. Ryan Gallagher’s pis
Check out our online edition:
room in C339 or to his mailbox in the main office.
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/ On page 26, Cynthia Laurore’s and Haley De-
The Blue and Gold Filippis’s names are spelled incorrectly.
c/o Malden High School Corrections to the editor can be submitted to
77 Salem Street theblueandgold@gmail.com
Malden, MA 02148
The Blue and Gold
December 2010
United States history teacher Coryne Legare’s freshman US history
classes were asked if the American dream lives up to the ideals ex-
pressed in the Declaration of Independence. Here are some of their
responses.
Sarah Bazir
Freshman
The American Dream is a concept of
humanity instilled into the American people
by the Declaration of Independence. We
as Americans are each granted the right to
life, liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.
The Pursuit of Happiness and the American
Dream go hand in hand, and almost are in-
terchangeable in American philosophy. The
American Dream shaped this nation from its
grass roots and all through out its History.
The American Dream is the grit of America,
which drove people all around the world to
immigrate here, and gain the ability to de-
cide their future.
I am the daughter of a Moroccan im-
migrant who left an underdeveloped coun-
try in hopes that he can chase after his own
American Dream and have a better life for
himself and his posterity. My father came
from Morocco at age 24; he had not a penny
to his name, spoke not a word of English,
and knew not a single soul. He left everyone
he knew, everything that was familiar to him
back home in Casablanca in order to start a
new life, in his new home of America. He
wanted to break the rut of poverty that he
was almost bound to if he stayed in Morocco.
My father grew up impoverished. There
were times when he would walk to school
without shoes, and simple things like going
to see a film were much too much of a luxury
for him. He decided that he didn’t want his
children to live a childhood in the fashion
that he did; he didn’t want his children to
just survive, he wanted them to thrive. The
American Dream is not winning the lottery;
it’s not something achieved with luck. It is
something within each one of us, a glimmer
of hope, a chance.
Submissions have been edited for grammar and
length.
Opinion
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
Letters to the Editor
Wyler Giordani
Freshman
The American dream is defined only in
the words of those who seek it. Some people
even travel from different parts of the world
for the American Dream, but only to find more
problems. Problems such as immigration laws,
health insurance, and money are some of the
situations that lead to the American Nightmare.
People who come from other countries
hear about the American Dream, and they
seek it mostly because their country might not
have the rights that our country provides. The
Declaration of Independence states that it is a
right to have Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of
Happiness.
Freedom of speech and the right to protest
are all written in the Bill of Rights. The reason
our founding fathers created the United States
is to make everyone have equal rights with or
without money or power. We all have the right
to pursue our happiness, and we the people,
can reach the American Dream.
Marlynda Menzies
Freshman
I wasn’t aware of the American Dream. I
forgot it even existed. For some people, living
in America is no different than living in Haiti
or Chile. There is no American Dream.
The way we are treated when we come
here from another country – all of us stripped
and searched- treated like terrorists because
they fear us outsiders will bomb their pre-
cious land. This is a country revolving around
money, money that most of us just don’t have.
And now, what happens to the ones that don’t
have money? We live on the streets. We die in
the winter months because the snow storms
are harsh and no one cares.
Want to know what I thought my Ameri-
can Dream was? Want to know how I thought
I would end up after I left my country? When I
came here I thought I escaped poverty.
This wasn’t my American Dream. This
isn’t what I wanted.
3
Last issue, we commented on the Ti-
bet/China conflict and its implications
for Tibetan nationals. We encourage
submissions on all topics to promote
healthy dialogue and intellectual ca-
marderie.
Xi Gao
Senior
I would like to comment on the article
about the Tibet and China conflict in the
last issue of The Blue and Gold. The article
should have been edited so that the phrases
like “the Chinese” were changed to “the
Chinese [authorities]” so as not to insult the
people of China. It is okay to criticize the
Chinese government for their actions but
the government’s actions do not speak for
the overall population of China. The one
sided coverage of Tibet is unfair. Most of
the time, I am hesitant to speak of the Tibet
in China’s point of view, because any sid-
ing with China automatically labels me as
brainwashed by the Chinese Communist
Party or cruel. I would like to see an article
that covers China from a Chinese point-of-
view because I think that, as Americans, we
are biased against China. I would like to see
you interview people at this school who can
give us knowledge of what living in China is
actually like. Moreover the Chinese govern-
ment sends teachers to Tibet to teach them
Chinese because they want to help them
develop more in education and economy.
Learning Mandarin, the most spoken lan-
guage in the world today, can only benefit
them just like how we learn Spanish in our
school to help us interact with the rest of the
world.
Have you ever wanted to be
published? Do you disagree with
something we said? Do you like
drawing comics? Writing opinion
pieces? Submit your work to
theblueandgold@gmail.com!
4
The Blue and Gold
Opinion December 2010
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

Keep Calm and Hit F5 seem more obsessed with rings than
Brittany Foley why do Tumblr’s users value it so? this idea of minimalism, keeping the
The breakdown of Tumblr is focus on the content as opposed to Frodo ever was. Twilight-bashing is
Managing Editor about as popular as GIF-generating
simple. It is a blogging website. It’s the presentation. In fact, the page

F structure reinforces this idea, and layouts of individual blogs are pre- to these folk, and so is indirectly
acebook and Twitter likely ex-
also asserts the fact that Tumblr is made, with themes following the expressing belief in the power of the
perienced significant spikes in
meant to be only that—a blogging simplistic suit of their host site, and Polaroid and indulging in the seren-
popularity over Dec. 6 and 7 2010
website. Like most blogging sites, are available at the click of a button. dipity of screen-capturing. These are
as the increasingly popular blog-
such as Blogger and Wordpress, the With this simplicity in function the people that love the books you
ging website, Tumblr, temporarily
network allows for page customiza- and design, Tumblr is an internet have heard of but will never read and
shut down. The 24-hour crash was
tion, followers (much like subscrib- gem, unlike any other blogging love the movies you will not watch
the greatest Tumblr has ever seen,
ers to a blog), and multiform posting. network. While easily accessible to and have never heard of because
despite the simple messages of
Tumblr’s organization, however, all, however, it inarguably attracts you, like most people, probably do
“Just a minute!” and “We’ll be back
is far less complex than that of the one dominant type (or rather, ste- not enjoy subtitles, but for these in-
shortly,” that greeted users upon
standard blogging site. On your reotype): the hipster. The tumblr dividuals who prefer any language
each failed attempt to access the
dashboard, you have the option “hipster” is easily identifiable by over their own, foreign films are the
site. According to posts by Tumblr,
of posting text, photos, quotes, the content of his or her blog. Look only way to go—with the exceptions
the crash was due to “a major issue
links, conversations (referred to as out for incoherent song lyrics over of Harry Potter, Inception and the
in one of [their] database clusters.”
“chats”), audio material, or video images of outer space, Helvetica, Disney animated classics, of course.
While the Tumblr staff was eventu-
material. Each of these options floral print, evidence of expensive So, in conclusion, if you are tired of
ally able to restore the condition of
is presented by slightly differing cameras and, above all, triangles. the unnecessary complexities Zuck-
the database cluster and get all blogs
labeled icons at the very top of the Hipsters love triangles. erberg keeps weaving into Face-
back online and functioning by that
page. Users have the ability to “re- Even without these particular book, desire a new and improved
Monday afternoon, access to the
blog” posts they see that they would elements, even with the “hipster” form of procrastination, shop at
website’s “dashboard,” the homep-
like to feature on their own blogs label set aside, most Tumblr users Urban Outfitters, and have a nice
age users see similar to the idea of
and also, much like Facebook, small walk the same blogging path. The camera, Tumblr is the place for you.
Facebook’s “news feed,” was still
hearts featured on each post enable average dash consists primarily of Granted, upon joining the cult that
not completely restored until some
users to “like” a post. There are no glitter, pictures of handwritten song is this new network, you will likely
time later. Now, over a week after
advertisements, no distracting page lyrics either from an indie band conform to believing that you do not
the ordeal, users are still publishing
layouts, no unnecessary sidebars you have never heard of or a Taylor belong anywhere and will remain
jousting posts regarding the crash,
with functions users will never use. Swift song you have heard beyond forever alone. Nonetheless, if you
many referring to repeated pressing
Next to each post is a small, uniform enough of, an obnoxious amount are interested in this new hybrid
of the “F5” key, whose function is
icon of the user’s default image and of Mean Girls references, and pie system of social networking and vir-
to refresh one’s browser, suggesting
below each post barely visible tags charts whose hilarity credits to the tual self-expression, go ahead and
post-traumatic stress resulting from
relevant to content may appear, de- sad truth of the common real-life in- log on, so long as you have plenty
the crash still present within the
pending on the poster’s preference. stances they map out. Harry Potter of Christmas lights handy—they are
site’s users. And so the overwhelm-
Most individual blog pages follow fans are plentiful, as are people that just as much of a household staple
ing response surfaced the question,
as Nutella and expired film, here.

Comic by Jimmy Malzone.

The Blue and Gold
December 2010 Opinion
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
Christmas Controversies:
‘Tis the “Season for Reason?”
An atheist group has sponsored a billboard in North Bergen,
New Jersey along the approach to the Lincoln Tunnel that
calls Christmas a myth. (Tariq Zehawi/The Record/MCT)
Paige Yurek
Copy Editor
D ecember has started, which means the holiday rush has
begun: Christmas specials on TV, seasonal songs playing
on the radio stations, hundreds of sales throughout the malls,
and holiday lights are amongst many traditions in America
around this time of year. Of course, whenever this time of
year comes around, there is always some controversy over
how the holidays, particularly Christmas, are celebrated and
expressed. As children around the holiday season, eyes and
hearts light up with excitement, hope, and belief, Christmas
trees are decorated, snow falls, and there is a sense of magic
in the air. As children grow older, the magic seems to fade
as such debates over political correctness and how holidays
should be celebrated arise, none of which matters when young.
For quite a while now, tensions have risen around this
time of year, often in public places. Public schools not being
allowed to display decorations, stores and shopping malls not
being allowed to say “Merry Christmas,” nor “Happy Hanuk-
kah, and even the infamous cross-banning in Italy are some
of the anti-holiday spirit actions taken place in the past few
years, but what is the point? Are people really offended when
others express their religious beliefs, or is it just an argument
that is sought after? Are religious holiday being ‘forced’ upon
Americans? When American ancestors came to this country,
religious freedom was one of their dreams. Today, modern-
day Americans can celebrate their religions more freely than
ever, is this now too much for those who do not believe?
CNN reported about an Atheist billboard sighting in
North Bergen, New Jersey. The billboard, which bashes
Christian holiday beliefs, states, “You know it [is] a myth! This
season, celebrate reason! ‘Reasonable since 1963.” The ‘myth’
refers to the Christmas story, about how Jesus Christ, son of
God, was born of the virgin Mary in a manger in Bethlehem.
1963 was when the Atheist organization came to be.
The organization’s website, atheist.org, devotes itself to
not just unbelieving in all different stories, myths, legends,
and beliefs that are held dear to many, but the site actually
bashes these beliefs. In addition to the controversial billboard,
the site contains a ‘no God blog,’ in which members can rant
their thoughts, a countdown clock to December 21, 2012, (the
date in which, according to Mayan/Aztec culture calendars,
the world is supposed to end,) a promotional video on the
homepage, and explicit comics with content that puts down
these traditions and beliefs. It is one thing to simply not be-
lieve, and accept others’ differences, but it is another thing to
say it is wrong to publicly celebrate the holidays, and then
turn around and bash others’ beliefs. Not only is it hypocriti-
cal, but it hurts. Fortunately, not all Atheists are like this. Un-
fortunately, this organization creates a bad rap for accepting,
respectful, Atheists.
5
What do High School
Students Think?
MHS junior Christopher Li does not tradi-
tionally celebrate Christmas, but believes that
“although everyone may not celebrate the
holidays, people may use the holidays as fam-
ily bonding moments.” About the billboard,
Li stated, “It [is] an okay billboard although it
[is] promoting its organization of Atheism, I
would assume they [are] making fun of Chris-
tianity, which [is] kind of aggravating. I find
this billboard trying to start an argument not
promoting its organization. People have their
own religious freedoms and do not need others
to criticize.”
MHS senior Rita Coté does not have many
religious beliefs but does in fact celebrate
Christmas. “We celebrate Christmas because
it [is] important for everyone to get together
as a family to have a nice meal and quality
conversation...I think everyone has the right to
express what they believe. Just because most
people celebrate Christmas does [not] mean
their beliefs are more important or accurate
than someone else. If I drove by this [bill-
board] I would be glad that people are using
their voices to stand up for what they believe
in, no matter what that belief is.”
MHS junior Warda Khurram is a Muslim
who does not celebrate Christmas. When the
holiday comes around, Warda said, “I feel left
out, mostly all my friends celebrate and give
gifts to each other.” If she saw this billboard,
she stated, “I would not really care, I does not
affect me.”
York High School junior Kristina Kisthart is an Atheist, but celebrates Christmas
as well as Hanukkah. Her mother is Jewish, and father is Protestant, meaning she
grew up with a mix of religions. “Hanukkah is really fun. It [is] not like most holi-
days where it lasts for one day. You have eight days of fun. Sure, it [is] not as fancy
as Christmas is, but my family always came together around Hanukkah more than
any other holiday. I think that Christmas has become too commercial and revolves
around getting presents. Hanukkah is [about] family.” Commercial? “I think it’s
all the Christmas hype. It [is] partially the Christmas TV shows. And it [is] all the
gift giving. Christmas went from being a sacred thing to a way to boost store prof-
its, which is kind of how most holidays are getting. They are still fun though.
That Atheist billboard is really aggravating. it makes us look bad. It [is] just igno-
rant people that can [not] tolerate what others believe in.”
North East Regional Metropolitan Vocational High School junior Pablo Patino and
his family are very religious, and celebrate Christmas for the reasons the holiday
was originally created. “It brings us [my family and I] together, it [is] a time where
we say thank you to each other and in God, since we [are] very religious we do
[not] think of Christmas as Santa Claus like most Americans, we think of it as the
celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ,” adding that he found the ad “extremely
offensive, because [he] would [not] do anything like that to an Atheist, so they
should [not] do it to people like me.”
From top to bottom: Junior Christopher Li, senior Rita Cote, and sophomore Warda
Khurram. Photos by Sharon Lee, Catherine Poirier, and Amanda Rosatone
6
Wikileaks: A Storm of Controversy
A monitor showing the website of Wikileaks with published confidential dispatches of U.S. diplomats (left) and a portrait of the founder
of Wikileaks, Julian Assange (right). Photo courtesy of Jens Buettner/Abaca Press/MCT.
Kaela Bryan
Reporter
J ulian Assange has made it his
mission in life to expose top secret
documents from governments all
around the world, giving people
insight into the full extent of what
their governments want to keep un-
der wraps. Thus, Assange founded
WikiLeaks in late 2006. According
to Philip Shenon, contributor for
the Daily Beast, a news website, and
former investigative reporter for the
New York Times, the company’s
main goal is to “reveal the true na-
ture of things, and then to leave it up
to the public to take the next steps
in addressing the issue.” WikiLeaks
is meant to reveal information that
was meant to remain confidential.
Namely, secrets of our government
-- the government of the United
States of America -- have been re-
vealed.
Assange used to be a computer
hacker in Australia. Via his hacking,
Assange began to discover informa-
tion about the Australian govern-
ment that he was not allowed to be
privy to. He then decided to leak
the secrets to the Australian public.
While Assange says that he “love[s]
Australia,” his return would be
“impossible”; he has been banned
from Australia for being a mole.
If he were to return, he “would be
immediately arrested.” According
to Assange, the Australian govern-
ment “is actively working to assist
the United States government in its
attacks on myself and [the people of
WikiLeaks].” Forced out of his home
nation by his own work, Assange
came to America. Here, he contin-
ued to uncover top-secret informa-
tion just as he did in Australia.
“It took four years to build up
the face,” according to Assange, of
WikiLeaks, but now Assange has
finally made the front page. With
the alleged help of 22-year-old US
intelligence specialist, Bradley Man-
ning, Assange has leaked vital infor-
World news
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
mation about the full extent of what
the US government allegedly did in
Iraq. Again, Assange published the
private documents on the Internet
for the world to see -- this time,
American secrets were revealed.
“These 391,832 documents that were
released show that 681 Iraqi civil-
ians were killed at U.S. checkpoints,
180,000 Iraqis were arrested during
the war and 15,000 Iraqis were bur-
ied without being identified,” said
ABC News. While these numbers
are without a doubt staggering on
their own, there is no context along
with these documents; there is no
attachment about the circumstances
during which these acts apparently
took place. Therefore, who is to
say that these people died unpro-
voked, or undefended, or even by
the hands of our American troops?
Assange claims that he has divulged
the truth though, and he claims that
what he, the people of WikiLeaks
and Manning have done is that of
“an unparalleled hero,” and that it
is crucial that the public know about
what “really happened.” Yet others
strongly disagree, and the highly
heated controversy continues to
make headlines.
Pentagon Press Secretary
Geoff Morrell thinks that the leaked
documents will jeopardize future
US military action. He has that the
documents “expose secret informa-
tion that could make [American]
troops even more vulnerable to
attack in the future. Just as with
the leaked Afghan documents, we
know our enemies will examine this
information, look for insights into
how we operate, cultivate sources
and react in combat situations, even
the capability of our equipment.
This security breach could very well
get our troops and those they are
fighting with killed.” Tom Flanagan,
former senior advisor to the Cana-
dian Prime Minister has stated that
“Assange should be assassinated ...
[and that he] wouldn’t feel unhappy
if Assange were to disappear.” Also
against Assange’s company, Presi-
dent Obama has blocked those with
access to the government’s confi-
dence from having any contact with
WikiLeaks and Assange.
Yet Assange will not cease to
ascertain more information. He
claims that “the public has a right
to know” about what really goes on
within their government, and that
someone must take the initiative to
“step up and reveal secrets to the
public.” While this may be true on
some level, what about our right
to ignorance? Is this information
classified for a reason? Should the
world be privy to the secrets of the
American government and military?
Many people would answer “no” to
these questions, but Assange asserts
that whomever does this is “a leader
and is genuinely courageous.”
So it would seem that As-
sange is refusing to even concede
that there just may be something
wrong about what he is doing, that
his actions just might result in the
imperilment of vital military action
and even the life of soldiers. By leak-
ing this information, then, does it
show irresponsibility? Assange also
appears to truly believe that there
is always some great conspiracy
within the government. Does this
semi-paranoid edge reduce As-
sange’s credibility? Recently, Daniel
Domscheit-Berg, 32-year-old Ger-
man spokesman for WikiLeaks quit
the company, which he had joined at
the end of 2007, just one year after it
had been founded. In an interview
with the international news maga-
zine Der Spiegal, Somscheit-Berg
says that he “wanted to take public
responsibility” for the things he has
done during his WikiLeaks career,
rather than remaining an “unnamed
worker.” Perhaps more important,
The Blue and Gold
December 2010
though, is Somscheit-Berg’s direct
condemnation of Assange’s behav-
ior. He claims that he was “forced
to quit when it seemed that Assange
was growing more and more para-
noid.”
If Assange is paranoid to some
extent, should he be allowed to
maintain the position he currently
holds? Most of America does not
think so, and Assange was forced
to flee to Sweden. Assange was go-
ing to be facing criminal charges by
the American government, but As-
sange’s plans for escape were soon
derailed. On Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2010,
Assange was arrested and jailed in
London, England on a Swedish war-
rant and is now being held without
bail. He has been charged with the
rape of two Swedish women. Many
people have welcomed the arrest
of Assange, especially the Penta-
gon. “That sounds like good news
to me,” said US Defense Secretary
Robert Gates upon discovering the
news. However, there are those who
disagree; some people think that
Assange has been framed and that
the two women have come forward
claiming that Assange raped them
based on political motives. Ken
Loach, the film director for Assange’s
case, speaks in defense of Assange:
“it just seems like a very bizarre co-
incidence that a man who’s leading
a company which is providing some
important information about how
governments operate—which is in
the public interest—suddenly has
these charges against him.” Assange
himself says that these two women
are “attempting to smear his name.”
Nevertheless, Assange now
has Sweden, England, Australia,
and America after him for various,
yet related, charges. Now that he is
in jail, there is no chance of fleeing
again. Even if the rape case proves
to be false, Assange will still have to
stand and face the world.
The Blue and Gold
December 2010 WORLD NEWS 7
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

Kim Jong Un: Like Father, Like Son

A change in power is marked by tensions between north and south korea
Vicki Ngan the third and youngest son of North girlish, Jong Il made his favorite
Reporter Korean leader, Kim Jong Il, or “Dear son, Jong Un, his heir because
Leader”. He was appointed daejang, he resembled himself in looks

O n Nov. 23, 2010, a threatening

message was sent. It gave South
Korea a reminder of the nuclear
weapons North Korea possesses.
Firing a number of artillery
shells at South Korea island, Yeon-
pyeong, the North Korean attack
caused the death of at least four
people, including two soldiers and
two being civilians. North Korea
claimed it was a reply to the shells
fired by South Korea earlier. South
Korea defensively announced that
the earlier firings had been for their
annually held “Safeguarding the
Nation” military drill. This military
drill began because of a torpedo
shooting back in March of 2010, in
which a South Korean naval vessel
sank, killing forty-six people. These
attacks have caused military ten-
sions on the Korean Peninsula to be
at an 60 year high.
An apparent reason for North
Korea’s aggressive behavior to-
wards South Korea is for the groom-
ing of Kim Jong Un, current leader
Kim Jong Il’s heir. Also named “Bril-
liant Comrade,” the slightly pudgy
and obviously pampered Jong Un is
which is the equal of a four star
general, at the age of 27 and has a
seat on the Central Committee. Can
this be a possible explanation for the
torpedo shooting and fired shells?
In order to rise to power, Jong Un
has to build his credentials, prove
himself worthy, and to convince his
nation that he is a replication of his
grandfather, Jong Il Sung, or “Great
Leader.” Jong Il Sung had founded
the government in 1948 and is still
the head of state even though he
died in 1994. The mastermind of the
attacks on South Korea, pressure is
put on Jong Un as he gets ready for
2012, the 100th death anniversary
of Il Sung, in which by then North
Korea plans to become a “powerful
and prosperous nation”.
But why did Jong-il not give his
throne to his first two sons? His first
son, Kim Jong Nam, had spent too
much time outside the country and
was caught trying to get into Japan
on a fake ID, losing his father’s favor.
And according to I was Kim Jong-il’s
Chef by the chef under the pen name
of Kenji Fujimoto, believing that his
second son, Kim Jong Chol, was too
and ambition.
Although being feared for
its nuclear reactor and weap-
ons, and having largest mili-
tary force in the world, North
Korea still faces problems.
Even as Jong Un races to build
his credentials, time is an issue.
With an ailing father who suf-
fered a stroke in 2008 and with
2012 drawing near, Jong Un
had no political or military ex-
perience until the beginning of
2009, unlike his father and his
grandfather. Jong-il had a long
apprenticeship before inherit-
ing the power and Il Sung had
commanded a guerrilla unit,
or irregular battle troops, that
Kim Jong Un, heir to North Korea and
fought against the Japanese
third son of North Korean Leader Kim
in World War II. In addition,
Jong-il. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia.
while Jong Un was studying
abroad in Switzerland and
developed a passion for basketball class continued to enrich themselves
and skiing, he was well fed as up to as the poor dropped down to the
3,000,000 North Koreans suffered point of starvation and disease,
and died from a man-made famine. starting a man-made famine. In or-
Known for having one of the worst der to be truly accepted as the heir to
records for the treatment of their North Korea, Jong Un must face his
own citizens, North Korea’s upper problems and overcome them.

Katyn Killers Unveiled New Life Form Discovered

Johanna Lai Freddie DiPhillipo

Reporter Reporter

A 2007 commemoration of the Katyn massacre in Warsaw, Poland. Photo A team of scientists from NASA revealed that they had found a bacterium
courtesy of Wikimedia. growing California’s Mono Lake that subsists on the deadly element arse-
nic. (Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times/MCT)

O n Apr. 3, 1940, 22,000 Polish Nationals were murdered in Katyn For-

est in Russia, including approximately 8,000 military officers, doc-
tors, and lawmakers. Last November, Russia’s lower house of parliament
N ASA has discovered a new life form in California’s Lake Mono,
known as GFAJ-1. This bacteria works differently from the rest of the
organisms on the planet. This microorganism does not use phosphorous;
finally declared that former Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin was responsible
instead it uses arsenic to create its DNA blocks.
for the massacre.
This new discovery is now compelling scientists to look more at
The Katyn Massacre was under investigation by the Russian Federa-
organisms that use arsenic to create DNA blocks and at the site where
tion from 1990 to 2004. From the investigation, they were able to confirm
this recent discovery was made. Scientists are still uncertain how long
that the Soviet Union was responsible for the crime. During the investiga-
this “alien” bacteria has been around for; these bacteria might have devel-
tion of the massacre, the Soviets had lied about being involved with the
oped very recently or they could be up to a billion years old. Previously,
massacre and declared that it was the Nazis who were responsible.
scientists believed that this bacteria, based off of arsenic, was completely
MHS Junior Mary Nguyen stated,”It was very likely that someone in
impossible.
Russia caused the massacre, not Germany. However since it was a mys-
However, the way NASA has been reporting their findings has dis-
tery using Nazi soldiers from Germany was a perfect excuse.”
appointed some. Microbiologist Amy Hitchcock Camp, who works at
Andrey Klimov, the deputy head of the State Duma Foreign Affairs
Lehigh University, said, “The announcement made the science look like
Committee stated to Russia Today that “That criminal act was commit-
a disappointment. This does a great disservice to the actual findings and
ted by Stalin and his comrades… Now, in the declaration of the Russian
leaves the general public with misconceptions.”
Parliament, we share the sorrow of the Polish people about that event.”
8
DREAM Act: A Dream come
true or Dream on?
Maria Duque, 19, an illegal immigrant, is the vice president of the associated
student body at Fullerton Community College. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles
Times/MCT)
Kristen Leonard
Reporter
I t is estimated that there are be-
tween 12 and 20 million illegal im-
migrants living in the U.S. Why do
they come here? Some circumstanc-
es that cause illegal immigrants to
move to America are poverty, over
population, war, religious pros-
ecution. However, immigrants are
often drawn towards opportunities
presented to them here. Some of
these opportunities include getting
an education, getting a job, raising
a family, or simply pursuing hap-
piness. The dreams associated with
opportunities in America are called
collectively, “the American Dream.”
Americans are not the only ones who
want to live the American Dream;
people from other countries want to
move here to experience these ambi-
tions. There are some immigrants
from other countries that travel here
and try to become legal citizens, but
there are other “illegal immigrants”
who sneak into the country. This
means that they are not US citizens,
but they live here anyway. Among
these immigrants are adolescents.
These adolescents usually want an
education, but college can cost a lot
of money. As a result, a bill that ben-
efits young illegal immigrants was
created.
On Aug. 1, 2001 The Develop-
ment, Relief and Education for Alien
Minors (DREAM) Act was proposed
to the U.S Senate. The bill would
allow illegal immigrants to apply
for a chance to receive financial aid
and scholarships for college. This
bill will not hand out scholarships
to any illegal immigrant; there are
requirements. All recipients must
have proof of having arrived in the
United States before age 16; have
proof of residence in the United
States for a least five consecutive
years since their date of arrival; be
between the ages of 12 and 35 at
the time of bill enactment; have
graduated from an American high
school or obtained a GED; and be
WORLD NEWS
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
of “good moral character” (defined
by the United States Citizenship
and Immigration Services as have
not committed any crimes). The act
has been defeated numerous times,
but keeps finding a way to be voted
on again. It has been around for
nine years, but why has it not been
passed after all this time? Those in
Senate that voted for the bill felt that
it would benefit America because
the students would give back to the
country and those against the bill felt
that it would take away educational
opportunities from American citi-
zens. On Dec. 8, 2010, the House of
Representatives passed the DREAM
Act. Now the Senate will vote on the
bill and if 60 senators support it the
bill will be passed.
Not everyone opposes the
DREAM Act. There have been ads
on the radio asking people to sup-
port the DREAM Act and there is
even a website for people to support
of the bill by filling out their names
and other personal information.
Facebook users have also created a
page in support of the bill.
This bill seems like heaven for
illegal immigrants; however, not all
American citizens are not thrilled
with it. In a recent interview with
Fox News, Alabama Senator Jeff
Sessions stated that the DREAM
Act is “poorly drafted, filled with
loopholes” and says it “rewards
illegal behavior.” People are also
protesting. According to the Center
for Immigration Studies (CIS), the
DREAM act would cost taxpayers an
estimated $6.2 billion a year. It has
also been calculated that 1.03 mil-
lion illegal immigrants will enroll
in college and each receive $6,000
a year for every year of attendance
to a college. This calculation is for
tuition alone and does not include
other forms of financial aid. Will
America even be able to afford the
DREAM Act?
TSA Ramps Up Security
Measures at Airports
Timothee Pierre
Reporter
T he Transportation Security Ad-
ministrations (TSA) consists of
security officers, inspectors, direc-
tors, Air Marshals, and managers
who want to protect the nation. Since
9/11, security enforcement has been
installed everywhere that could be
hit by terrorists, mostly at airports
in the United States. The govern-
ment came up with a plan called
The Layers of the U.S. Aviation Se-
curity, which is basically what they
think would help stop any terrorist
attacks. This allows them to have a
better, stronger, and more formida-
ble system. Since regulations were
institued that banned liquids over
three ounces, the TSA has also pro-
hibited pointed-tip scissors, knives,
cork openers, and anything with a
sharp tip from being brought on a
plane.
Since 9/11, for instance, rules
regarding electronics have seen
drastic changes. Since August 4, 2007
laptops, full-sized gaming systems,
DVD players, and video cameras
have to be removed for there car-
rying cases and put under an x-ray
screening. When people are in line
to be searched they have to do three
things: show their ID or transporta-
tion pass, take out their belongings,
and take off their shoes, putting
them through a metal detector. If
the metal detector goes off they will
have to choose either to get patted
down or to go into the full body
scanner. When people are to get
patted down they have to let TSA of-
ficials search them for any thing that
should not be on them. If someone
chooses to go through the full body
A TSA screener advises a traveler on how to go through the full-body scanner
at the B-side security checkpoint at Orlando International Airport, Wednes-
day, November 24, 2010. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/MCT)
The Blue and Gold
December 2010
search he or she must enter a ma-
chine that produces detailed x-ray
pictures of your body. Many people
have objected to the implementation
of full body scanners because they
feel it is an invasion of privacy.
The reason for full body
screening is because recommenda-
tions made by the 9/11 commission.
The recommendations that the 9/11
commission has put out to improve
airline screening include pat downs
and full body searches. The TSA
has recieved new technology that
finds explosives. Greg Soule told
CNN that “Travelers will also see
more body scanners. More than 400
advanced imaging technology ma-
chines are already in place in about
70 airports, and the TSA plans to
have almost 1,000 in airports nation-
wide by the end of 2011.”
Concerns have also been raised
about international air cargo after
an incident involving a printer car-
tridge full of explosives was sent
from Yemen to the United States.
Soule added that “100 percent of
all the cargo shipped in has been or
will be checked for explosives.” In
other countries it a different story;
they do not check all their cargo for
explosives. According to CNN, only
two-thirds of international cargo is
examined. ”We’re always looking
to enhance our technology to stay
ahead of the ever-evolving threat,”
Soule stated. Despite some objec-
tions, the TSA has been upgrading
their rules and regulations for se-
curity guard at airports so that they
can keep our country safe.
The Blue and Gold
December 2010 Local News 9
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

Community Bulletin

Monthly Profile: Jamie Green, History Teacher

and good old fish and chips from New Zealand because its
Lauren Benoit back home. “just the coolest country
Head of Photography A testament to Green’s remain- in the world” He plans to
ing loyalty to the UK is his love travel there next year in

E
for rugby, which he has been play- order to attend the Rugby
ver since Malden High School
ing since the age of seven. Green World Cup. Green also
history teacher Jamie Green was
found himself unable to give up this reported that he “wants to
a young boy growing up in Suffolk,
dedication for what is an admittedly go to Australia, maybe to
England, he knew what he wanted
relatively unpopular sport in the see a kangaroo.” Surpris-
to do with his life. “[History] was
US once he reached this side of the ingly, aside from his native
my favorite class, and my favorite
pond. “My second night in America, English, Green speaks only
teachers [taught] history,” he ex-
I got myself an apartment, went Welsh, putting him among
plained.
on the internet, and signed up for one of only about 750,000
Green furthered his education
the Mystic River Rugby Club,” he who do.
at the University of Wales in the
recalled. After playing on this team Green’s favorite
United Kingdom, and then took the
for about five years, Green claimed topic to teach is the French
opportunity to study for his mas-
the rightfully-earned title of captain. Revolution because “it’s
ter’s degree at Tufts University in
His most recent injury was a broken everything you want a
Medford, Massachusetts. Green re-
eye socket, from a knee to the eye Revolution to be.” He also
ceived degrees in both international
during a game. The MRRC is ranked enjoys studying Elizabe-
politics and international history.
top five in the country, which takes than England, though he
After meeting his wife, Green
Green all across the US to play in prefers later periods of US
settled in England, because, Green
tournaments. history, mainly because
said, he wanted to “show her around
Green may just appear to be of US history I’s focus on
Europe.” Then the opportunity to
just the typical teacher, but he has topics that “bring up bad
move to the United States arose.
traveled the world; his journeys memories for England”
Green and his wife had the option
encompass not only all eight Brit- – namely the devastating
to live anywhere in the country, but
ish Isles, but also France, Andora, British loss in America.
fond memories of Tufts brought
Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Swit- Although Green lives
them to Boston. Green said that he
zerland, Estonia, Turkey, Hungary, in the US, he is still a big
“likes [Boston], [it is] a lot of fun, and
Morocco, Hong Kong, and South supporter of the Royal
[it is] only a six hour flight to home!”
Africa. Green spent so much of his Family. He supports the Jamie Green smiles at the camera. Photo by
He came here in 2005, a year he will
childhood traveling because his mil- royal engagement of Prince Megan Kelly.
never forget since it is engraved on
itary-enlisted father was stationed William and feels that Wil- Whether one is looking to
the back of his wedding band.
all over the world. Green feels that liam’s upcoming marriage to Kate learn the origin of rugby, learn about
When asked what he likes most
it is “important to travel and see Middleton will “unite England and world/United States history, or just
about the US, Green replied, “Food”
the world... language and cultures the British people.” Green predicts looking for a laugh, Green can be
without hesitation, but he also likes
are dying out and [he] wants to see that William will take his grand- found on fourth floor D-house. Lis-
that living in America is less expen-
them before they are gone,” jokingly mother’s place on the throne as the ten for a British accent and you’ve
sive than living in London. But of
adding that he would love to visit next king of Great Britain. found the right person.
course he misses his friends, family,
10
Middlesex
County Sheriff
Commits
Suicide
Photo from middlesexsherrif.
org.
Lauren Benoit
Head of Photography
T ragically, Nov. 26, 2010 will
be a date always remembered
by Middlesex County. On that
day, county sheriff James DiPaola
committed suicide at the Lafayette
Oceanfront Resort in Maine. He
was found dead with one shot to
the head by his service weapon, a
.40-caliber semi-automatic Glock
pistol, with a suicide note beside
him.
Other residents housed at
the resort claimed to not hear any
sound of a gunshot, but police tell
the public that DiPaola hushed
the sound with a pillow.
No one is to correctly say
what led DiPaola to taking his
own life, but some might make
assumptions that he was over-
whelmed about the retirement
scandal happening in Massachu-
setts.
The sheriff was supposed
to retire the Monday prior to his
death, but since re-election he de-
cided otherwise. Once back in of-
fice, DiPaola was investigated for
using campaign funds towards
his own retirement fund.
DiPaola was also allegedly
raising illegal funds to support
his re-election. Starting in Janu-
ary 2011, DiPaola was supposedly
planning to collect 100,000 dollars
annually in pension funds. There
were also allegations that DiPaola
stole cash from contributors to
his campaign and used it towards
personal matters. DiPaola’s note
was not leaked to the public; it is
instead kept in Maine at the medi-
cal examiner’s office. According
to Kent Berdeen, Sergent of Wells,
Maine, part of the note mentioned
DiPaola’s wife and three children.
The Blue and Gold
Local News December 2010
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
Candidate for Mayor
Gary Christenson
Lauren Benoit
Head of Photography
What made you want to run for mayor?
The reason I think is innate for me. I have always wanted
to give back to the community that has given so much to me.
From my first job as a paperboy to my present position as a city
councillor, Malden has helped me be the person I am. As Mayor,
I want to help Malden do the same for our future leaders.
How long have you been preparing to run, and
what were your preparations?
Some would say I have been preparing to run for Mayor
since junior year at Malden High School. That was when I knew
I wanted to serve the public. I have been planning in earnest for
several years now. I have been preparing by attending as many
events and meeting as many people as possible.
What would you like to change about the city of Malden?
I have narrowed down my campaign to four basic but important themes: Communication, Community, Com-
mitment, and Character. We need to utilize every tool available to communicate with residents because the more
they know the more we will grow as a city. I have seen the diverse groups and organizations working across the
city to make a difference and we need to include them in the process at city hall. Hard work and dedication has
and will be part of my commitment to Malden. I have e-mailed snow removal calls while on vacation, so you know
my commitment to the citizens is genuine. Finally, we need to treat people like people want to be treated and that
is part of the character trait that I plan to exhibit as mayor. If we can incorporate these tenets into the day-to-day
operation of the city I believe we will be able to reach our fullest potential.
How will you help the city develop what your website, http://www.christensonformayor.
com/issues.html, calls, “a long-term revitalization plan”?
I will spend a large part of my time selling the city to the outside world. I will also take a fresh look at
our marketing strategy. During the visioning forum a few years back, a number of residents stated that some of
Malden’s best attributes are location, location, location and great diversity. I think we need to channel our efforts
around those themes in order to give Malden a competitive edge.
How have you been active in the City of Malden in the past years?
I have been involved in as many things as humanly possible. I have supported several charitable causes and
serve as President of the Bread of Life, an organization that feeds the homeless and All Faiths Festival, a group
working to share traditions between the different houses of worship across the city.
As you were Ward 1 City Counselor for a number of years, what were some of you biggest
accomplishments in that position?
I would say the establishment of the first-ever e-mail tree which now has close to 700 residents on it. I com-
municate back and forth with residents on a daily basis about issues in the neighborhood. Also, I am very proud
of this past year’s first-ever outdoor youth basketball league held at MacArthur Park, otherwise known as Green
Street Park. Finally, I am proud of the improvements to Bell Rock Memorial Park, including the renovation of the
World War II Memorial and River’s Edge which contains a 10-acre park for the public to use and enjoy.
An article mentioned that you would like a “fresh start” in Malden, what exactly do you
mean by that?
I think we need to do more in the way of utilizing technology, i.e. e-mail trees, citywide WiFi, online forums,
working remotely in the community and I think we need to operate differently and efficiently. I also want to take
a fresh look at what options we have to address our infrastructure needs.
What will you do differently than Mayor Howard? I want to embrace all facets of communicat-
ing with the public and I will utilize technology to its fullest extent possible. I also want to look at how and why
specific areas of our government operate and whether or not we can be more efficient.
Will you continue to be President of the Bread of Life Organization if you are elected as
Mayor of Malden?
Unfortunately, I don’t think so. I believe I will need to channel all of my energy to doing the very best job I can
for the Malden community but I will still attend as many Bread of Life-related events as possible. Also, Bread of
Life and all community organizations will have an open door with the Mayor’s Office.
INTERVIEW HAS BEEN CONDENSED AND EDITED.
The Blue and Gold newspaper will interview any candidate in this election. If you or someone you
know is running for Mayor of Malden in 2011, please contact The Blue and Gold at
theblueandgold@gmail.com and we can set up an interview.
The Blue and Gold
December 2010
Malden: A Transformed School District
Cristina Peters Omar Khoshafa
Head Local News Writer Online Editor
M alden High School has grown
from a mere class of 38 stu-
dents to a baffling 1,720 students. In
1857, the student pioneers of MHS
were mostly composed of privileged
white males, not a surprising fact for
the time. More than 153 years later,
the MHS student body has indubita-
bly transformed into a more ethni-
cally diverse unit. Similarly, it is also
important to note the exceptional
diversity among our staff in terms
of both ethnicity and nationality.
In comparison to other districts
in the Boston area, Malden seems to
dominate. Based on The New York
Times immigration analysis, “Re-
made in America,” Malden ranks
number one in diversity out of the
70 cities present in the Middlesex
county. Collectively, African-
Americans, Asians, and Hispanics
compose nearly 62.5 percent of
Malden students, while both Revere
and Everett hold Caucasians as the
dominant ethnic group.
The African-American student
population has skyrocketed over the
past decade. In 2000, African-Amer-
icans made up nearly 12 percent of
the student body in Malden. In 2010,
this figure doubled to an impressive
22 percent. Hispanics also saw a
comparable rise in educational par-
ticipation. In 2000, 8 percent of Mal-
den students were Hispanic, and
now nearly 18 percent of students in
RED CROSS BLACK OUT
A member of the Red Cross dancing at the Winter
Blackout dance. Photo by Amanda Rosatone.
Amanda Rosatone
Reporter
T here was high energy and ex-
citement at Match Charter High
school on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2010
as the Blackout Dance was in full
swing. The dance entailed three
hours – from 7 to 10 p.m. – of fun, as
students enjoyed themselves, their
friends and dancing.
Although the blackout
dance served as a fundraiser for the
Red Cross Club at MHS, the dance
was hosted Youth Advisory Board
of Red Cross Mass Bay. This orga-
LOCAL news 11
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
Malden are Hispanic.
In 2009, Malden received the
“The Best Place to Raise Your Kids”
award from Bloomer Business Week,
describing Malden as a “racially di-
verse [city].” Interestingly enough,
this very diversity that has come
to represent Malden and the MHS
student body can also be seen in our
multi-ethnic teaching staff. Malden
High School has nearly 168 full-time
equivalents (FTE), which means that
on average, 168 full-time staff mem-
bers are employed at MHS. Of these
168, 12.5 percent are classified as mi-
norities (Asian, African-American,
and Hispanic).
One can analyze the data and
compare percentages between
schools and districts endlessly, yet
what is most important is the mean-
ing behind it all. MHS has risen to
be a high school with, not only the
most diverse student body in more
than sixty cities, but also a school
with one of the most diverse staff
members in comparison to the the
cities around it. Teachers from coun-
tries ranging from China to England
to Puerto Rico make up the staff of
our school and serve as one unit that
is culturally pleasing, forming a dis-
tinct relationship with the student
body.
the dance and the more money nate two villages. The club hopes to
raised will help the club accomplish complete this goal by the end of the
their set goals for the year. The Red first semester. During the second se-
Cross club at MHS has high stan-
dards for accomplishing their goals.
mester the club aims to raise money
to make gift packages for the armed
Some of the club’s goals for the year services .
are raising money to provide help “The dance was a success. [W]e
for the villages who need measles had about 30 members attend [and]
nization reached vaccines. The money raised goes to it was a great turn out and it gave
out to high school villages in Africa. 500 vaccines will the school and the club a good repu-
Red Cross Clubs be provides to one village although tation,” stated Bashllari.
and it welcomed the club aims to raise $1000 to vacci-
students in grades
nine through 12
from the Boston
and outer Boston
area –about 200
people were pres-
ent.
The Red
Cross Club is a
non-profit organi-
zation that raises
funds for various
causes. “If we
have any money
left over from donating, we use it
to start a new fundraiser and raise
more money for causes,” explained
Bashllari, president of the Red Cross
club at MHS. In regards to the pro-
ceeds from the dance, the money
gained goes to teen hunger relief ef-
forts. The teen hunger relief efforts
are sponsored by the food pantry in
Boston. This organization works to
raise money to provide food to teens
that don’t have the means to provide
for themselves. This organization
also allows teenagers to have a shel-
ter giving them a safe place to go.
The more people who attend
12
LOCAL news
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
Reginah Sanyu
Head Entertainment Writer
B efore the big Medford-
Malden Thanksgiving
Day football game, Mal-
den High School students
participated in the three
day Spirit Week, an annual
and much-loved tradition
that has the freshmen, sopho-
mores, juniors and seniors
competing for the bragging
rights of having the most spirit
during the school year.
As per usual, Spirit Week
ended with the traditional
pep rally, where everyone
cheered on MHS’s football
team and cheerleaders, who
were heading into battle
as half of one of the oldest
high school football rival-
ries in the country. As the
cheerleaders ran around
telling students to cheer
louder and the football
team had fun shoving
into each other in front of
the whole student body,
what were students in
the stands doing? They
were all cheering, but
is this whole week spent
preparing for the Thanksgiving
game the reason why
students are participat-
ing?
The three days
MHS students look
forward to the most on
a year-to-year basis are
The Blue and Gold
December 2010
Megan Kelly
Copy Editor
Brittany McFeeley
Head Copy Editor
Pajama Day, Wacky
Tacky Day and Blue
and Gold Day, where
students get to come
into school wearing
their “jammies,” tacky
clothing in clashing
colors, and MHS’s school
colors. And for those who
have not gotten the memo,
each student that dresses where Dobby
up each day earns its class the house elf (a
points, potentially earning Medford Mustangs player),
enough points to help that Severus Snape (C house princi-
class win spirit week. According pal Diane Kiblanski) and Albus
to sophomore Mary Carroza, Dumbledore (MHS principal
the three days serve primarily Dana Brown) all made guest
to create a sense of fun before appearances cheering the
the short Thanksgiving break. MHS Golden Tornadoes on in
“It’s like ‘Oh! this is going to be the Thanksgiving Quidditch
a fun week! I get to dress up and match. A trip down the rab-
have some fun to get my week bit hole landed students in the
started!’” she explained. juniors’ Nedlam Land, a play
Another major activity on the new Alice in Wonder-
during November is planning land movie, where a guillotine
and creating themed hallways, prepared to chop of the heads
sometimes even working a week of the Mustangs. The class of
in advance to create the decora-
tions. The freshmen introduced
the McKinley High School Glee
Club, with each essential and
memorable character,
such as, Sue Sylvester
in her Adidas gold
and white sweat
tracksuit. Meanwhile,
the Hogwarts Express
transported sopho-
more students into the
world of Harry Potter,
The Blue and Gold
December 2010
2011 incorporated a Sponge-
bob themed hallways, along
with all of his undersea friends
Patrick Star and Squidward
Tentacles. The hallways were a
major part of who won the the
bragging rights, and as usual
the seniors came away with the
blue ribbon, while juniors and
sophomores tied for second
and the freshmen came in with
a respectable third place.
A main factor of what in-
spires students to involve them-
selves so intensely in the games
of Spirit Week is how each class
comes together. The support is
not just going all to the foot-
ball players for the big football
game, but it is also going off to
each class and showing how
much fun it is to work together.
Senior Monika Bashllari men-
tioned that “hallway [decorat-
ing] was definitely my favorite
day of Spirit Week because
there’s about 50 students from
our class that come together
and work on the same goal, the
same project, for hours, and it
definitely brings us closer as a
LOCAL news 13
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
class. Plus [it is] a lot indicative of fun,
of fun!” New to Spirit with so much
Week, freshman Hal- time dedicated to
ey Sutera, expressed, acting freely and
“Well, at first, there dressing ridicu-
was a lot of confu- lously, dancing
sion and organizing along with our
but then once we got giant mascot
it all together it was a Nedlam to
lot of fun...I met a lot the marching
of new people and band’s award-
it definitely brought w i n n i n g
the freshman class rendition of
together.” Lady Gaga—
As usual, the majority of and maybe
students found the pep rally throwing in
and the hallway decorations a little “Beat
the most fun of the week’s ac- Medford” in for the
tivities. Junior Carolyn Lam football team’s sake.
stated her favorite part of spirit
week was “the actual Spirit
Day. I like it because [it is] what
you look forward to from the
beginning of the year.” On the
other hand, junior Christo-
pher Li believed that decorat-
ing the hallways was the best
part of Spirit Week, specifically
because it helps students real-
ize “who really tries to help the
class.”
Maybe the pep rallies of
MHS started 121 years ago to
pump up the football team to
mangle the Mustangs and to
prove who the top dog of the
area was, but the meaning has
since changed; the tradition
has now become much more
14
All Aboard the Polar Express
Lesley Ta
Reporter
F amilies were excited as the
Christmas cheer settled over
Malden. Eager-eyed children and
their excited parents anxiously wait-
ed for the day when it came to board
the commuter rail to the North Pole:
The Polar Express.
For 17 dollars, passengers
departed from Malden Station,
handing in their golden “tickets” to
the conductors before boarding the
train. The hour-long ride took them
through the scenic routes of the
communities of Malden, Reading,
and Melrose.
The yearly tradition creates a
fun filled magical experience with
storytelling, cookies, milk, and the
adventure of a lifetime. Commuters
were welcome to dress in cozy paja-
mas and slippers as they feasted on
delicious snacks and listened to vol-
unteer elves read the widely known
Christmas tale, The Polar Express,
by Chris Van Allsburg.
Passengers were greeted by
various characters from elves to the
noble Rudolf the Red-Nosed Rein-
deer, the Cat in the Hat, and Frosty
the Snowman. Dora the Explorer,
however, canceled her appear-
ance last minute due to a costume
“Food for the body… Nurture for the soul”
Volunteers in the cafeteria at MHS the day before
Thanksgiving, carving turkeys and preparing side years before. “My interest
dishes.Photos by Catherine Poirier
LOCAL news
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
malfunction. As they walked up
and down the train, the characters
would pause frequently to pose for
a picture to or give a quick high five
to small toddlers.
“This is our 17th year doing
the Polar Express. We do it as a
fundraiser to raise money for our
Maternal Child Health Program,”
stated Jeff Smith, Vice-President of
Development for the Visiting Nurse
Association of Boston. “We are the
oldest visiting nurse association in
the country. It will be our 125th year
next year. Our nurses provide home
health care to young mothers with
prematurely-born children or with
any serious illness. We also care for
adults, but this fundraiser raises
money for children,” he added with
a smile.
The Malden High School Liter- English teacher Yahaira Marquez, senior Jensine Ironuma, and senior Debbie
ary Society provides the volunteers Ly decorating the Polar Express. Photo by Lesley Ta.
for this grand event every year.
Literary Society advisers, English tape, crates of milk, and sugar cook-
teachers Nierika Nims and Yahaira ies, the MHS Volunteers loaded the
Marquez, directed all MHS students essential items onto the train, split-
to their destination. Students ar- ting the large portions until each car
rived at Malden Station in order had an equal amount.
to board the MBTA orange line to “We will do three rides today.
North Station. From there, the help- Kids from Malden High volunteer
ers unloaded the goods from a van for each ride. Malden High is the
and began to depart into the purple traditional group to decorate the
commuter rail waiting for them in cars. They come early in the morn-
lane 9. Armed with tinsel, bags of ing [before Reading or Melrose] and
Catherine Poirier
Copy Editor from their goal to help those less
fortunate. Bread of Life serves as a
4 00 turkeys reminder about what life should
later, and it is a ultimately be about on a day-to-day
Thanksgiving! Ev- basis,” explained Christenson.
ery year, the Bread of Volunteers arrived at 4 p.m. the
Life holds its annual day before Thanksgiving to help set
Thanksgiving din- up for the next day’s meals. People
ner at Malden High were unloading trucks, preparing
School. enormous turkeys in the kitchen,
T h e cooking side dishes, making center
Bread of Life pieces, and hanging up decorations
“is a volun- to make the cafeteria feel cozy. Vol-
teer-based [or- unteers ranged from ages five to 65;
ganization], the diversity in age, Christenson
currently commented, showed “that the Mal-
made up of den community cares when it comes
500 volun- to helping people in need.” Most
teers from helpers stayed until at least 7 p.m.
35 churches, that night, making sure that people
synagogues, in need received the best possible
high schools, meal they could.
and commu- On Thanksgiving Day, the
nity organi- Bread of Life provided families with
zations,” that over 400 turkeys, and delivered 350
is committed to meals to homeless families, and
serving those elderly shut-ins, which are elderly
in need of food, people who are not able to receive
stated board a meal otherwise. The Ferryway
president Gary School donated approximately 350
Christenson. pounds of cooked turkey to the
Christenson has Bread of Life for Thanksgiving, ac-
been president of cording to 20-year volunteer and
the Bread of Life sixth grade math teacher Timothy
since 2008 and Rufo. He encourages his students to
volunteered for volunteer at Bread of Life as well. “I
feel it is important for the students
in the Bread of Life stems to get involved and see how a small
The Blue and Gold
December 2010
stay the latest,” Smith stated.
To end the ride, children re-
ceived coloring books provided by
the Holiday Inn, and small goodie
bags in the shape of Santa Claus, a
reindeer, or a snowman containing
crayons, candy, and stickers. To top
it off, like in the book, The Polar Ex-
press, all kids received a silver bell
at the end of the ride.
amount of time and an act of kind-
ness can make a huge difference.
I also believe that a lot of today’s
youth really want to volunteer and
help out; they just need the guidance
where they are able to volunteer,”
Rufo stated.
The volunteer base for Bread of
Life is significant to their great suc-
cess. “I really think by looking at the
volunteers, you see that they vary in
age, economic class, education, and
ethnic background. What you see
working in the kitchen is exactly a
small model of the city of Malden,”
commented Rufo. “It’s really great to
see, all these different backgrounds
working together to help with an
important cause. It helps keep a
community strong,” he finished. All
of the hard work that these people
put in really makes a difference in
Malden, making it a better place for
many.
Thanksgiving is not the only
day these people donate their time to
the community. Bread of Life hosts
free evening dinners four nights a
week, has an emergency food pantry,
free clothing, and delivers groceries
to senior citizens in public housing.
According to their website, in 2008
they delivered over 311,000 meals to
families in need. Since 1980, Bread
of Life has been staying true to their
“mission of caring.”
The Blue and Gold
December 2010
Kayla Bramante
Head of Special Projects
W hether one is in an office be-
hind a cubical or carrying tons
of plates in your hands serving food
to ungrateful people, anyone can re-
late to the Malden High School Play
Production’s performance of Work-
ing: The Musical, a production that
serves to open the public’s eyes to
the hardships of the working class.
Junior Daniel Rendon found
himself playing vastly varied roles
in this production – do you remem-
ber the old retired Jewish man who
could only do anything to try and
keep his life up beat and interesting?
Or even the creepy office worker
who was so into his computer it
looked like any minute longer and
his eyes would pop out of his head?
How about that Spanish migrant
worker everyone felt bad for? All
were played by Rendon. “As the
cubicle worker I was able to get the
audience to laugh with the creepy
character. As the Spanish migrant
farmer, I was able to get the audi-
ence to sympathize with me, and as
Joe, I was able to get the audience to
laugh at my depressing life,” stated
Rendon. “My most memorable line
would have to be from Joe’s mono-
logue, ‘I don’t daydream at all; I just
think of something and I forget it.’ It
local news
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
was quite funny and was perfect
to my image of what the character
was,” Rendon explained.
The energetic Dolores was
played by senior Olivia Pagliccia.
This waitress was seen hitting
on her customers and cracking
jokes here and there that were not
funny to the female customers.
The audience thought otherwise,
however, as it is was in hysterics
over Dolores.
Pagliccia’s favorite character
in the play was Joe, played by
Rendon. “I loved how [Rendon]
interpreted him, and I also like
that character because he’s the
man you see everywhere from
sitting having a cup of coffee at
Dunkin Donuts to walking down
the street,” Pagliccia stated.
Sophomore Elizabeth
Fitzgerald explained that the play
“made [her] open [her] eyes to
what the working class was all
about and how they felt about dif-
ferent things. [Her] favorite part
was the traffic jam scene because
not only does it explain how it
was back then but also how it is
now.”
But the audience cannot and
will not, forget about the “behind
the scenes” technical people who
stayed in school for hours on end,
beating even the actors in hours.
Without them the production
would not have been possible.
Play Production instructor
Sean Walsh stated, “Musicals
are a lot of work. Unlike straight
plays, you have to place singing,
dancing, as well as the technical
elements along with the acting,
costumes, set design, etc. The
challenging part, but also most
beneficial, was taking many stu-
dents who have never had the
experience of singing and dancing
and working with them. It is risky
to step out of your comfort zone,
but everyone did.” Walsh also
mentioned that time was of the es-
sence, and that the students gave
up literally as much time as they
could, including weekends.
When asked if he felt the mu-
sical had an effect on the audience
and people in general, Walsh said,
“The atmosphere in the crowd.
There was a buzz throughout the
audience. The response at times
was almost [like that of Junior Va-
rieties] in nature. I even saw some
signs, though that went a bit too
far. More so, than any show I’ve
been involved with at MHS, stu-
dents came up to me and wanted
to know how they can do that --
get in the class, be on stage. Yes, it
had an effect.”
Walsh also said that he loved
this musical in particular because
everyone in the class had a role,
and it was not just a play with a
couple of leads. Everyone got
their moment to shine on stage.
Musicals have been a tradition at
MHS, “but not for a long time.”
They are “expensive and a huge
undertaking.” Walsh would not
have even attempted if it were
not for the help of Todd Cole and
many others. “Until the renova-
tion and the partnerships, [he]felt
uneasy about doing a musical and
taking it on. I knew that musicals
have the potential of unifying a
community and bringing a lot of
attention to the drama program -
so [he] wanted to do it right.”
“This is a strong, strong class.
After the renovations last year and
the performance of Metamorpho-
ses with the swimming pool, there
was a lot of energy and I think
expectations were raised expo-
nentially. The students who have
15
joined in the class bring that energy
and have risen and will continue to
rise to the high expectations,” Walsh
concluded.
Walsh also plans to have a mu-
sical once a year to bring back the
tradition, but he can not do more
than one because they all “need
sleep.” The only things the class
needs to work on are “diction and
volume. But this is [his] lifelong
struggle. Oh, and punctuality.”
Sophomore Will Lombard, who
played Mike Dillard, the iron work-
er shared, “The musical opened my
eyes to all the different jobs because
with each scene, it showed a new
job and how they contribute and
are important to society.” Lombard
also stated that his most memorable
line was “from [his] song, ‘Fathers
and Sons,’ when [he sang], “Now it
seems I always knew, why I do the
things I do and the thing I never did,
Why I work my whole damn life so I
can give a better life than the one my
dad could give me.”
The Play Production’s spring
production will be “American
Land,” which is about the different
cultures that make up America and
will be written by the Play Produc-
tion class itself.
All photos by Catherine Poirier. Lay-
out and design by Brittany Foley.
16
The Blue and Gold
Style December 2010
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

the beauty
of life on a
Budget
Reginah Sanyu
Head Entertainment Writer

It is no secret that the United States economy is not

in great shape. To many teenagers and those who are
not interested, incomprehensible Wall Street jargon can
be boring. It is unusual to get bored by MSNBC and
stock analysts trying their best to explain why most of
the graphs depicting the economy are on a downwards
slope--as if trying to stay awake in math class was not
hard enough. Still, try to resist changing the channel or
falling asleep, because there might actually be merit in
the economy coverage.
Although the economy is not as bad as it was three
years ago, it is far from being in good shape. It does not
only affect adults who have bills to pay, but younger
generations, too. “Candy is more expensive. This
makes me feel upset,” senior Jean Messeroux humor-
ously stated. “But prices went up for everything,” he
added on a more serious note.
Despite the inconvenience of rising prices, to-
day’s youth have learned an important lesson: hard
work pays off. “I’m not able to buy as much as I used to.
Now, I have to work more in order to have money,” stated senior Baydan
Mohamed. This also means that teens have started to think twice when A sketch of a shopper taking advantage of a special sale. Drawing by junior

Sal’s
they go shopping. Senior Shannon Howe comments, “When I go shopping, Nina Ho.
prices of things are really high. I can’t buy everything I want [like] I once
[could].” For those who miss their shopping habits like Howe does, hope
is still there. Although the economy does not look like it will go back to the
way it was four years ago, one can still go shopping without feeling guilty
for spending their money. The answer to shoppers’ prayers is the seem-
ingly constant stream of sales that stores have. For many, three years ago, a
simple whatever-percent-off sale was not a big deal. Today, consumers live
for the sales. Rising prices force shoppers to figure out an alternative way
to save money--which is , unarguably, not bad. Sure, those shoes at Urban
Outfitters are beautiful but the question remains: are they a necessity? If
not, it is time to hold out, count to ten and hope the manager puts that red D
sale sticker on them--and if holding out is difficult, shopping in different
stores is probably the best idea. “I started shopping at thrift stores like The
ry
Garment District in Cambridge,” stated senior Samantha Saggese.
Saving money and trying to show responsibility does not only have to Cl
be done while shopping; money can be saved every day by bringing lunch ea
ne
from home or even hanging out with friends at home instead of going out.
“Now my friends and I do things that involve less or no money, like staying
in and watching movies instead of going to the theatre every weekend.”
Howe proudly declared. rs
With seniors a few months away from entering the real world, one
wonders what their futures will be like. Lucky for them, Messeroux can tell
them about the future: “It is going to be expensive.” Does this mean that
one will have to work two jobs and still go to school? Trying times may call 914 Salem Street
for such measures.
This economic situation does not mean that one has to lose his or her Malden, MA
fashion sense. There are many different ways to be fashionistas and save at
the same time. Recycling clothes is a good idea. Recycling does not strictly
(781) 322-8098
mean that you have to turn a shirt into a skirt (although if you can, then go
for it) but passing the things we no longer wear to younger siblings. Trad-
ing clothes with friends is a great way to recycle clothes. (It also could be a
fun sleepover game, too)
This economy can be endured by compromising and changing the
way money is spent. But for how long will this compromise last? Should
people shop endlessly in attempts to boost the market or stop shopping
because of the state of our economy? Either way, the economy needs to get
better, “because being broke is a joke,” Messeroux humorously concluded.
With the holiday season here, it is the perfect time to take advantage
of the sales. Hopefully, the economy in the North Pole is better than the one
we have here, so that when Santa Claus comes, we will not have to worry
so much about finances.
The Blue and Gold
December 2010 Entertainment 17
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

Oprah Recommends Dickens

Rebecca Broomstein our lives? than the details and dull fluff that
Reporter Upon hearing the news of this we are taught is imagery.
recommendation, students may fear “Dickens’ style may be chal-

A lthough many of us students

here at Malden High School
may dread the day our English
teachers announce the beginning of
a new unit surrounding a Charles
Dickens novel, Oprah Winfrey begs
to differ with such reluctance.
After 14 years of leading her
famous book club, Winfrey has an-
nounced her newest recommenda-
tions for 2010, which include Great
Expectations and A Tale of Two Cit-
ies, by Charles Dickens, as well as
Freedom, by Jonathan Franzen.
As students who are required
to read these two Dickens’ novels,
we are entitled to the immediate
reactions of, “Why Dickens?!” As
a very influential leader, Winfrey’s
book recommendations usually
tend to float around more inspira-
tional themes and storylines relative
to real-life scenarios. “She usually
recommends more contemporary
novels, and newer writers to look
out for,” explained English teacher
Yahaira Marquez. Familiar with
Winfrey’s book club, Marquez has
noticed the contrast between this
year’s recommendations and her
recommendations from the previ-
ous year. So one wonders: Why
has she chosen these two Dickens
novels? How are they relevant to
that Dickens will be pushed further
in the English curriculum. After all,
one can only take so much of his
dolefully descriptive passages that
last pages on end with his pictur-
esque style. This Dickensian style,
so to speak, does lose its potency
after, say, the tenth page. His tedious
take on imagery mutilates the bril-
liant stories he fills each novel with,
making them irritating to read. “No-
body is going to read these books
by themselves,” proclaimed sopho-
more Jonathan Drapinski. Although
his opinion on whether teachers will
encourage the writer’s work even
more is neutral, he has no interest
in reading any of Dickens’ work
beyond what is taught, as do most
students here.
Students can already shudder
at the thought of opening up a Dick-
ens’ novel before they’ve given any
part of it a read, thanks to its lousy
reputation at MHS. Before they even
open the first page of the novel, a
great amount of freshman likely
already despise Great Expectations,
simply because of its terrible com-
ments they hear around the halls.
The same goes for A Tale of Two Cit-
ies, which is read during sophomore
year. Perhaps, one has to peel back
the poor reputation and look further
lenging for readers, but his ideas are
universal,” states Marquez. It is true
that his era may not be considered
a la mode, for time has completely
changed our lifestyles. Because of
this, finding common ground with
the characters, relationships, and
situations in his stories is difficult,
thus making them seemingly less
interesting. Still, they are of im-
measurable value. In fact, one can
likely find plenty of self-relevant
ideas and values in A Tale of Two
Cities, specifically. One of the ideas
Marquez has noticed is “allowing
a thought to take over your life,”
which is made evident by one of the
main characters, Charles Darnay.
Another value expressed is hope,
which can be seen in the character of
Sydney Carton, who spends his life
dealing with the unsatisfied desire
of marrying Darnay’s wife. Despite
the technicalities, one question
persists: Will Winfrey’s recom-
mendation spark inspiration in
young readers to give the novels
a second chance? Maybe then,
readers will see that relating
to the stories and, in turn, de-
veloping interest in them, is
possible when reading with a
fresh, open mind.

Black Swan is Near Perfect

while at the same time training with
a famous and brilliant but morally
questionable teacher (Vincent Cas-
sel), Nina struggles with the duality
of her two identities, and the battle
between good and evil—undoubt-
edly good reigned in power for most
of Nina’s life—begins to take place
internally. The audience is invited
along for Aronfsky’s symbolic por-
trayal of the physical strains and the
cut-throat competition of the danc-
ing world, as well as Nina’s tragic
descent into an obsessive quest for
perfection and fame.
But what catapulted Black
Swan beyond unusually-good-
psychological-thriller into the world
of Oscar-contenders was not its
Natalie Portman as Nina Sayers in one of many scenes depicting the torn admittedly riveting plot or its fright-
nature of her internal state. eningly realistic dialogue (courtesy
of screenwriter Mark Heyman, who
has collaborated with Aronofsky
Nidale Zouhir João Nascimento
in the past) but its spectacular act-
Co-Editor-in-Chief Co-Editor-in-Chief ing. Portman shines as the stringent
White Swan, though her best acting
ling as Nina’s mother, Erica. Winona
Ryder, famous for such classically
dark roles as Susanna Kaysen in
Girl, Interrupted and Kim in Ed-
ward Scissorhands, is tragically
underused, though her character,
Beth Macintyre, provides a chilling
visual for what Nina can become if
she succumbs to the ballet world’s
pressures.
Almost as riveting as the acting
was the score, which is composer
Clint Mansell’s fifth collaboration
with Aronofsky (with the most no-
table being the score for 2000’s Re-
quiem for a Dream, parts of which
were used in the Lord of the Rings
film saga). The score incorporated
both original pieces and pieces from
Swan Lake, which helps further the
director’s brilliant recreation of the
classic ballet.
Essentially, in a year of disap-
pointments and slow movie week-
ends, Black Swan is precisely what
audiences and cinemas have been

B lack Swan is the type of film that

any moviegoer wishes to see
again as soon as the credits begin
to roll: the perfect combination of
Clint Mansell’s score, a stellar cast,
headed by Natalie Portman’s Oscar-
worthy performance, and Darren
Aronofsky’s brilliant directing, all
work together in perfect synchrony
to the simultaneous pleasure, shock,
and horror of the audience.
The movie chronicles the story
of Nina Sayers, a naïve and extreme-
ly dedicated ballerina on the verge
of being cast as the Swan Queen,
the multi-faceted lead role in a new
adaptation of the classic Russian
ballet piece Swan Lake. This role,
however, requires the performer to
not only be serene and innocent as
the White Swan, but also to be able
to metamorphose into the Black
Swan, the dark-natured, conniving
doppelganger of the White Swan.
Living with her controlling and
obsessive mother (Barbara Hershey)
appears when she finally gives in
to the Black Swan toward the end
(an ending, by the way, that leaves
audiences reeling and unable to
get the final images of their heads).
Mila Kunis, meanwhile, is perfectly
ambiguous as the passionate but
unrefined ballerina Lily, making the
audience as confused about her mo-
tives as Portman is. Cassel is sternly
creepy as Thomas Leroy, Nina’s
teacher and idol, while Hershey is
simultaneously loving and control-
waiting for: a film that utilizes its
star-studded cast to the best of its
abilities without losing spectacular
writing and visuals. Though it has
barely begun to make back its 17
million dollar budget, Black Swan
is set up for box office gold after
Oscar nominations are released in
February, when without a doubt, it
will receive quite a few nods from
the Academy. Black Swan released
nation wide on December 22.
18
The Blue and Gold
SportS December 2010
The Blue and Gold
October 2010
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The Blue and Gold
December 2010
Malden Squashes Medford in Thanksgiving Game
Haley DeFilippis
Copy Editor
Before the annual Thanksgiv-
ing Day game began on Thursday
Nov. 25, 2010, the senior football
players and cheerleaders were ac-
companied onto the field by their
families and coaches. It was an
emotional moment for all, as flowers
and hugs were exchanged between
the teary eyed seniors and their
loved ones for their last home game
of their high school careers. For-
tunately, Malden High School was
able to defeat their long-time rival,
Medford High School, with a score
of a whopping 29 to 0, ending their
season with a record of 5 - 5.
To start off the first quarter,
junior captain Witchie Exilhomme
kicked off the ball to the Mustangs,
who returned the ball to their own
36-yard line. However, after a failed
series by Medford, they were forced
to punt on a fourth down to senior
SportS
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
Brittany McFeeley Ahove: Medford football team gangs up on Malden football team. Bottom left:
Freshman Stivia Demitri cheering at the Thanksgiving game. Photos by Brittany
Head Copy Editor McFeeley and Haley DeFilippis.
captain Frankie Dunn. After driving
down the field with many comple-
tions to Dunn and junior Austin
Teal, MHS was able to get deep into
the Mustangs red zone. A touch-
down was completed by senior
captain Aaron Samano after a hand-
off by senior Kevin Valley, sending
the crowd wild. This was Samano’s
first touchdown in his high school
career, and this is one more touch-
down than most linemen ever have.
After the intense game, with great
relief, Samano said that scoring the
touchdown was “great,” and “after
four years of blocking, I was finally
able to run the ball.”
After a few fumbles, incom-
plete passes, and penalties from both
teams, MHS was unable to score in
the second quarter of the game, end-
ing the first half of the game with
the same score of 7 to 0. However,
MHS came out strong in the third
quarter. The Mustangs kicked off
the ball, but it was a short kick,
recovered by Exilhomme. After a
quick penalty putting them at the
50 yard line, MHS recovered with
a touchdown by Dunn, and with
an extra point by St. Jean, the score
became 14 to 0. When it was Med-
ford’s turn to drive down the field,
they were stopped short by many
false starts and many great tackles
made by junior Dimas Bardales,
Exilhomme, and freshman Matt
Delaney. MHS was able to turn the
ball over when Exilhomme inter-
cepted a deflected pass, thrown by
the Medford quarterback.
As MHS drove down the
field, Valley kept the snap and
ran the ball in for another MHS
touchdown. Instead of going for
the extra point, Valley followed
through for a successful two-point
conversion pass to Dunn, raising
the score to 22 to 0.
The fourth quarter also start-
ed off strong when senior Kensley
Metellus broke through numerous
tackles for the fourth MHS touch-
down, bringing the score even
higher, to 29-0. With opportunities
to spare, coach Joe Pappagallo
made Dunn the quarter back for
the final moments of the game.
As the players were leaving
the locker room, some for the last
time, many were saddened despite
their epic win.
Senior Vernon Sainvil was
“sad” that this would be his last
game, but later mentioned he “had
fun with [his] boys.” Bardales has
high hopes for the upcoming sea-
son, simply encouraging everyone
to “commit themselves” and that
“[they will] see where [they] take
it from there.”
To sum up the season, Sa-
mano stated that the members of
the team “started as individuals
[and] ended as a family.”
19
GBL Drops
Down a
Division
Megan Kelly
Copy Editor
T
he five cities of the Greater Bos-
ton League, Malden, Medford,
Somerville, Cambridge and Everett,
have made the heavy decision of
dropping the five high school foot-
ball teams down from division 1
to 1A. The Athletic Directors--John
Dibiaso (Everett), Bob Maloney
(Medford), Maryanne Cappello
(Cambridge), Nicole Viele (Somer-
ville) and Dan Keefe (Malden)--of
each city voted on the decision to
drop down, with Dibiaso and Ma-
loney choosing to stay at division
1, while Keefe, Viele and Cappello
agreed on dropping down to divi-
sion 1A.
But what is the difference be-
tween 1 and 1A besides the extra
letter? It’s the numbers. Keefe stated
that football is, essentially, “a num-
bers game.” Division 1 is for high
schools that have a male enrollment
of 1300, creating a wider number
of students to recruit onto the team
and to ensure that the school has a
larger team. Meanwhile, schools in
1A have an enrollment of 800 males,
making the number of players
smaller. Keefe confirmed the tech-
nicalities of the contrast, explaining
that, “there’s really no difference
between 1 and 1A; it all is about the
size of schools.” While technically
only 11 players are needed to create
a football team, having more team
members allows for players to be
given a rest in between their plays.
continued on page 21
20
Powder Puff Girls
Seniors Jennifer Cuartas Cano, Cynthia Antenor, Vanesha Darla, and Kerriann Shuamn doing
warmup laps. Photo by Cristina Peters.
Alfonse Femino
Head Sports Writer
I
ntense, fast-paced, thrilling; these are all words
that can be used to describe the game that took
place on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2010. Do not be
fooled, that is no typo. It was not the Malden-
Medford Rivalry football game that attracted foot-
ball fans that afternoon, but the annual Senior vs.
Junior girls football game.
While the festivities of the day started with
walking from hall to hall to see all of the fun deco-
rations, and then were followed with the pep rally,
the real fun started at McDonald Stadium at 12:00
p.m.
There was a feeling of electricity in the air as
the junior girls and the senior girls took the field
for warm-ups and a pre-practice runthrough.
Members of both teams exchanged threatening
looks and imitating gestures before there was
even a single play.
Come game time, there was a packed crowd
of students, faculty members, and alumni ready
to watch the senior and junior girls battle it out.
The game started off with a bang as the juniors,
coached by Austin Teal and Witchie Valence-
Exilhomme, halted the charging seniors on two
straight plays until a member of the junior team
picked off a pass thrown by senior quarterback
Kyriah Marcelin.
The juniors immediately established their
presence on the field. Led by junior quarterback
Jessica Cotto, they made a forceful statement that
they had shown up to play, and that it was going
to be a long day for the senior defense and for the
senior coaching staff of Aaron Samano, Kevin Val-
ley, and Frankie Dunn, all of whom would have
to make adjustments quickly if they were going
to stay in the game. “Considering there was not
much practice time, we pulled together,” stated
junior wide receiver and The Blue and Gold staff
member Brittany McFeeley on behalf of the junior
defense.
The senior defense did not let the juniors’
high-powered offense discourage them, though.
The defense stepped up their game in a matter of
seconds, stopping the quarterback-reciever com-
bination of Cotto and McFeeley on several occa-
sions, until an interception by senior Renee Santo
turned the ball over, allowing the senior offense to
take over.
From then on, the two teams were in a virtual
shootout. The second quarter saw its share of long
sports The Blue and Gold
December 2010
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
Crew Faces
Budget Cuts
Sharon Lee
Head of Photography
B udget cuts have recently been bestowed
upon the Malden High School Athletic
Department, specifically the crew team. With
winter just around the corner, the crew team is
taking advantage of the off season to fundraise
as much as possible before pre-season training
commences.
According to the Massachusetts Inter-
scholastic Athletic Association (MIAA), crew
is not considered a varsity sport. Although it
has not been considered one on the state level,
MHS has managed to keep it alive as a club un-
like many high schools in neighboring towns;
towns like Everett, which never had a crew
team at all; Somerville, which removed its
crew team two years ago; and Medford which
removed its crew team this past year. To satisfy
the new budget, Athletic Director Dan Keefe
had to decide where the cuts would come
from and was left in a situation he described
as “[either] cutting a MIAA sanctioned sport
or a club.”
In previous years, although it was tech-
nically categorized as a club, the crew team
still received some funding from the Athletic
Department to help pay for coaching stipends
offensive drives followed by interceptions and
and for two buses each season, funds that were
fumble recoveries, leading the teams into half-
only enough to cover a portion of how much
time with a deadlock tie of 0-0.
they needed in total to fund other necessities
Both the seniors and the juniors came out in
as well. Typically the team is faced with the
the third quarter with guns a’ blazing. The senior
daunting task of raising a substantial amount
team started off the second half with a series of
of money, and now with the budget com-
short gains, until senior running back Jessica Lo-
pletely terminated, the team will be given an
pez broke through the junior defense, juking and
even larger amount of money to earn in order
dodging 70 yards to the end zone for the first score
to compete. Each season, the crew team faces
of the game, putting the seniors up 6-0.
numerous forms of expenses such as $350 to
The huge touchdown run instilled a wave
register the team with the U.S. Rowing Organi-
of refreshment into the senior team, as their de-
zation in order to participate in competitions,
fense became unstoppable throughout the third
$3000 towards equipment rental for just one
and most of the fourth quarters, with great plays
season, $300 to enter three boats for a regular
from Vanesha Darla and Cera Nolan. The offen-
race, and $50 for each person rowing in a boat
sive line also stepped up big time for the seniors.
at the Head of the Charles competition.
Some members of the line, including center Kisla
To raise enough money to support all their
Rami and guards Cassandra Ulwick and Jasmine
financial needs, the team constantly fundraises
Roach, were given the daunting task of stopping
by selling candy year round as well as hosting
a vicious defensive line led by junior Kiara Amos,
events, including wrapping Christmas gifts at
but the seniors played with grit and determination
Borders in downtown Boston, selling flowers
throughout the entire game, allowing quarterback
in the springtime, raffling Red Sox tickets, and
Marcelin enough time to connect with her favorite
having “bowl-a-thons” and “urge-a-thons”
target, Santo, as well as with runningbacks in-
in which crew team members ask people for
cluding Kerri Shuman and Mandy Liao on several
pledges that will go towards their funds.
occasions. “We played well, fair, and stuck to the
Four year member and senior captain
rules,” stated Senior Tenzin Kunsang, who also
Harout Khodaverdian said concerning the
made some important stops from her noseguard
budget cut that he was “not surprised [because
position.
funding] had been off and on between the last
The intensity of the game seemed to build
couple of years [so it had been] expected.”
with every play in the second half. Although
However, this situation may cost the crew
the seniors were dominating from the gates, the
team a successful future; potential crew team
juniors eventually struck back with an incredible
members often wonder if crew can be counted
hidden-ball trick play that ended with an unno-
in the program in which playing two sports
ticed Cotto sprinting 60 yards downfield to tie the
waives a year of gym and can one receive a
game at 6-6.
varsity credit for it. With the answer for both
The battle continued for several more pos-
questions a resounding no, this budget cut
sessions, causing the suspenseful game to come
will “definitely not make the team larger,”
down to one final, nail-biting play. With only
as stated by sophomore Dan McClenthan, a
ten seconds left, the seniors found themselves on
novice crew member who will be joining the
the 5-yard line in a must-score situation. Marce-
varsity team this spring. The crew team also
lin took the snap from Rami, turned, faked one
must worry about financing and supporting
way, and handed the ball off to an undiscovered
the team rather than just its performance. By
Lopez, who charged into the end zone to score
spending more time on fundraisers and try-
the winning touchdown. After the game, typical
ing to earn more money, a lot of time is taken
MHS good-sportsmanship was present, as girls
away from the students and not just in their
and coaches from both teams shook hands and
weekday practices or weekend races but also
said their “good games,” closing the chapter on
when they have to sell at least 20 bags of candy
another spectacular annual Powder Puff football
per season.
game.
The Blue and Gold
December 2010 sports 21
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

Retaining Their Title GBL division drop, continued from page 19

Would Everett’s win at the high

school Superbowl on Dec. 4, not say
Jacob Martino conference winning cross something about numbers having to
Reporter country team and track affect a teams ability? Agreeing with
team. Co-captain Andrew Keefe, Cappello stated, “Our enroll-

T
Terenzi, who is arguably ment has gone done over the past
he Malden High School boys
one of the fastest student couple of years, and we felt that it
track team look to repeat what
athletes at MHS, is aiming was important that we move down
they achieved last year, which was
to break the state record for to a division that we would compete
an undefeated season and a chance
the fastest time in sprints. better in. ” Maybe one team in the
to win the state title.
He and Germain look to GBLs can prove that a size 1A school
Despite many key players back
run the table in indoor could go against a larger school and
for their senior year, the team also lost
track this season. “I have win, but, as explained further by
a few impact players to other sports
no doubt in my mind that Keefe, the drop will level the play-
in the high school. For instance, ju-
well will go undefeated ing field, allowing the four other
nior Witchie Exilhomme who was a
again this year,” Germain teams to showcase their skills in the
huge part of the team last year, left
confidently stated. game. The drop was not made in
track to go try out for the school bas-
If they are able to doubt of the GBL’s skill in the game
ketball team and others have done
accomplish that goal, of football, but rather because the
the same. However the team is not
Germain and others on three ADs who voted for the change
very concerned as of right now. Co-
the team will have even a wanted their teams going against
captain David Germain said, “Last
better opportunity to go other schools their size. Keefe com-
year we had monsters on the team.
on to run track in college. pared the differences in GBL team
We had Herbens [Antenor], [David]
“That is my main goal, I sizes to those of nearby colleges,
Console, and [Brendan Provitola].
would love to run track on Senior captain David Germain hurdling at “Does Framingham State want to
Replacing them is going to be hard
a college team,” Germain practice. Photo by Sharon Lee.
but it just motivates everyone else to commented. He has already been this year is going to be the Somer-
do better.” He also added, “We just
keep adding more and more players
to the team. So, if anyone wants to
contacted by multiple schools such ville and Cambridge track teams.
as Worcester State College, Univer- They had tied with Somerville last “This
tradition of
sity of Massachusetts Amherst, and year in indoor, making Malden
win something tell them to join the Providence College. When asked if co-champions with Somerville in
track team.” football helped him in track at all, the GBL. “Both Cambridge and
With English teacher David
Londino back again as coach, the
Germain commented, “It gave me Somerville are always good,”
an edge because I was already in Germain stated. “Last year we
excellence far
team is ready to blow away the
competition. If he is able to win
better shape than most of the other just beat Cambridge in the final
members. I almost felt faster than race of the meet so it is going to be
outweighs the
enrollment
the Greater Boston League title everyone else at first.” another tough season.”
this season, he will have coached a The team’s biggest competition

Racing to the Top
Senior Jessica Vo running in the one mile
event. Photo by Lauren Benoit.
Amalia Quesada Nylen
Reporter
D ue to previous success in this
year’s cross country season, the
girls’ indoor track team is anticipat-
ing an accomplished season. “Ex-
pectations for the distance team will
be higher then they were in previous
years,” stated head coach David
Londino. The girls cross country
team had a record of two wins and
two losses this year, and they
hope to continue their success
into the indoor season and
through the outdoor season
as well.
Cross country is “strictly
distance running”, so “it is
expected that the successes
from the cross country season
should carry over,” Londino
explained. With a record of
2-2 in last year’s girls indoor
track season, the team is only
competing in four meets
against that will make or
break their road to success
to the Greater Boston League
Championship. “With the
numbers and talent we have,
we’re hoping to compete
with teams like Somerville
and Cambridge and be one
of the GBL’s top teams”, Lon-
dino praised. The excessive
amount of distance the cross
country runners cover allows
them to develop “a great mileage
base” to prepare for the indoor sea-
son, now focusing their attention on
“speed development”. “I’d really
like the girls to become GBL champs
as well as boys”, stated sophomore
Haley Dowdie.
The team lost many essential
senior members to the team last
year, such as “Thanh Nugyen, a top
shot putter,” Londino stated, “but
we have three states caliber girls in
Vanesha Darla, Alex Mathieu, and
Portia Johnson. The rest of the
team’s talent is young, so we’re in
good shape.” The team has a great
number of newcomers joining
this year, making this year’s team
“the biggest we’ve had in over a
decade,” Londino continued. In
order to accomplish their goals
this season, the team plans on
having their “experienced upper-
classmen lead the way”, allowing
them to also “play a big part in the
development of [their] freshman
athletes.” In some situations the
large amount of newcomers could
hold the team back from their full
potential, but to many of the vet-
erans this does not seem to be an
issue. “With all of the newcomers
I think it will make the team very
strong especially with the input of
their running skills,” Dowdie re-
veals. The team also “has a num-
ber of talented seniors,” Londino
states, “so this is the year to see
what they can do.” Although the
team will “be losing some really
great runners and friends”, the
girls are confident that they will
continue to accomplish their goals
and remain strong. “They will
definitely be missed,” Dowdie
finished, “but even when they
leave, we will still have a strong
team.”
factor.”
play against BC?” Though Dibiaso
stated that the size of teams did not
matter, what with the exceptional
history the GBLs has had since it
was first created in the 1890’s, elabo-
rating that “during this period, the
GBL has won more football cham-
pionships than any other league....
[the] GBL has also won the most
Division One Superbowls since the
current playoff system began ten
years ago (6).” Dibiaso also does not
see any of the teams struggling to
keep up with their competition, “If
the GBL had struggled to compete
in the recent playoffs, then of course
I could understand the rationale but
we have not.” He added that to him,
the GBL’s “tradition of excellence far
outweighs the enrollment factor.”
Though the decision to drop
down is of pure intentions, the
potential longterm effects of the
switch cannot be ignored. Everett,
a powerhouse in the GBLs for the
past several years, now has to work
harder to be apart of the Massachu-
setts high school playoffs, as do the
other four schools in the coming
years, should their teams start to im-
prove enough that they might qual-
ify. Dibiaso said in a final statement
that numbers should not be the sole
reason standards drop, and that: “I
feel this tradition of excellence far
outweighs the enrollment factor....I
don’t see any administrators com-
plaining that academic standards
should be lowered, or that MCAS
scores should be allowed to drop.”
22
Swim Team Seeks Depth
Natalie Fallano
Copy Editor
L ast season ended with disap-
pointment for Malden High
School’s Swim Team, being the first
year in ten years that they did not
win the Greater Boston League
Championship. This year’s tri-
captains, seniors Samantha Saggese,
Karl Denis, and The Blue and Gold
staff member Kaela Bryan, have new
goals and high expectations for the
upcoming season. Saggese stated,
“I want everyone to improve their
times and try [their] best to win
GBLs. It’s a foundation year.”
Unlike last year, when the team
started off the year losing a tremen-
dous amount of seniors, the exact
opposite occurred, as this season
more than half the team are seniors.
Denis exclaimed, “We’re huge this
year. So many people have joined,
including several freshmen who
have experience and are making
good progress everyday.” Freshmen
and new additions to the team, Phil-
lip West and Bestine Wong, have
prior swim experience; Cong swam
for the Melrose YMCA, and West
swam for the Mystic Valley Regional
Charter School Swim Club.
The team is looking forward to
Wrestling Team Not Ready to Tap Out
Joel Stevenson
Reporter
W ith a new season, come new
strategies. As all other sports,
Malden High School’s wrestling
teams number one strategy this year
is to work hard at what they are do-
ing, having fun, and above all win,
a feat that is going to take much
time and effort due to 13 graduating
wrestlers, and a plethora of under-
classmen.
Being a key aspect of the wres-
tling team for multiple years, senior
Andy Chao was chosen as the team’s
captain. Chao had been wrestling
for his whole high school career;
he is hoping that the team does as
well as they did last year. At the
current time, the crunch for new as
well as returning members to work
hard and learn new moves. As Chao
exclaims his anticipation of how
everything is going, he says “I am a
little nervous, it is going to be a chal-
lenge, lot to do in a week.” The team
as a whole is a bit nervous about the
first meet, but they feel that they
have a solid team this year.
As of late, the team is practic-
ing around the clock. Practicing
new moves, as well as keeping their
weight at class level. They are doing
all they can to make up for the little
time between meets, as well as as-
signing varsity spots.
With the first tri-meet on Dec.
11 against Billerica High School,
Sports
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
facing Somerville the most. Saggese
explained, “Everyone looks forward
to Somerville because we’re an even
match up.” However, before they
face Somerville, they had to swim
against their bitter rivals, Cam-
bridge, who according to Denis, “are
a tough crew.” Although Cambridge
is the their most talented opponent,
MHS still remained confident. “We
go back and forth. We beat them
half of the time and lose to them
half of the time. We’re not exactly
on friendly terms with them, either.
There’s a lot of tension from both
sides,” explained Saggese.
The team was confident about
their chances of beating Cambridge
after a former teammate decided to
rejoin the team. Senior Hao Luong,
who left the team after his freshman
year due to personal commitments,
was able to rejoin on under special
conditions by head coach Paul
DeVincentis. Before the meet, Bryan
commented excitingly, “Now I
know we will beat Cambridge. [Lu-
ong] has the potential to be a state
champion. Cambridge knows how
good he is, and will be surprised to
see him at our first meet.”
However, the team was unsuc-
cessful in their hopes of beating
Cambridge, swimming extremely
hard in the 95-75 loss. Though the
Minutemen Tech, and Shawsheen
Regional Technical High. The team
is going to have to practice hard if
they want to put themselves in the
position to be successful. As stated
by Coach Jeremiah Smith, “I am
a little nervous; it is going to be a
challenge, we have a lot to do in a
week, but I am positive we can pull
it off.” The team is a bit nervous for
the outcome of their first match, but
they are expecting to pick up the
slack, if the slack falls. “Shawsheen
is tough, but we will pull out a win
in the end, even though we do not
have as many weight classes, were
doing pretty good with what we
have” stated junior Brendon Walsh.
Varsity spots are determined
not only by talent, but also by 14 dif-
ferent weight classes. One conflict
that arises is that not all the spots
can be filled due to the difference
in weight, as stated by junior Eddie
Fisher, “we’re going be at a disad-
vantage because we aren’t able to fill
all of the weight classes.” This may
hurt the team, but the team is not
going to let this affect them, as they
are working hard to overcome any
obstacle in their way.
Some new members that have
joined the wrestling team include
junior Robert Stalker, as well as ju-
nior Eddie Fisher. They are working
hard to learn the moves, and lead the
team to victory. When asked why
they chose wrestling they all said the
same feelings. They loved contact
The Blue and Gold
December 2010
Junior Eddie Lee swims the backstroke across the Malden High School pool.
Photo by Sharon Lee.
team did not get the win, there were The team is also experiencing
some stand out individual per- some changes in coaching. Long
formances from Cong, Bryan, and time assistant coach John Parcellin
senior Jackie Tran. Head coach Paul retired and was replaced by Jessica
DeVincentis stated that Cambridge’s Beason who helped the team last
team had more “depth.” Malden is year, but not as an official instructor.
looking forward to their next home As successful as the team has
meet on Wednesday Dec. 15, 2010. been in the past, they have not lost
DiVincentis exclaimed “he wouldn’t their passion for the sport. Denis
want to be Somerville right now,” expressed, “I want to win, but to
confident about his team’s upcom- also have fun this season. It’s my last
ing match. year and I want to remember it.”
sports
a n d
have
heard
s t o -
ries,
s o
they
want-
ed to
be a
part
of the
a c -
tion.
A s
stat-
e d
by se-
nior Warren Sharpp, “[We] love the
Seniors Andy Chao and Christian
sport, it is a fair sport, there are no
Rizzo practicing wrestling tech-
favorites, and instead you wrestle
niques.. Photo by Sharon Lee.
for your spot.”
This year, the team received and never looked back. I am hoping
a pleasant unexpected surprise in to help build the new young Malden
senior Shawn Castro. Castro, who team and lead them to a hard fought
recently transferred from Lowell winning season.”
High School, had been introduced With the addition of a large
to wrestling while living in his amount of underclassmen, spe-
hometown of Lowell. Rewinding cifically freshman, not to mention
back to Castro’s in his freshman some new additions of talented
year, he exclaims, “This year he is upperclassmen, the team expects to
looking forward to having a huge build and develop talent, and pave
impact on Malden’s team and hope- the way towards having a wreck-
fully lead them to victory. “I have ing crew of a wrestling team in the
been wrestling for four years now. future. More importantly, however,
I first started freshmen year looking the team looks forward to building
for a sport to stay in shape for foot- character in each one of its members,
ball and I fell in love with the sport and have some fun doing it.
The Blue and Gold
December 2010
EXPERIENCE Helps MHS GYMNASTICS
Joshua Kummins
Copy Editor
W ith the winter season already
in full swing, the Malden
High School gymnastics team is
looking to have a strong start.
According to head coach Katie
Bowdridge, the team is ready for
what could be a very successful
season. The team will be led by co-
captains, junior Alana Casey and
Stephanie Dervishian, a senior at
Northeast Metro-Tech in Wakefield.
Casey is returning as a level nine
gymnast, due to her strong off-
season training. The team helps run
a program in conjunction with the
Partnership for Community Schools
in Malden (PCSM), therefore the
team will have more new talent to
work with this season. Bowdridge
adds that this helps the team as
they already have “basic gymnastics
knowledge,” which is different than
previous seasons when many mem-
bers had little or no experience.
One young member is fresh-
man Justine Rose, who is a level sev-
en gymnast and a six-year member
of the Melrose YMCA team. Rose
hopes that she can become a valu-
able member of the team, because of
her experience, although she new to
the MHS team. She expects to work
hard and have fun as she has had a
positive experience, despite spend-
Shooting for a Better Season
Senior Samantha Bonvie defending against senior
Melisa Cadet in a Malden High School girls basket-
ball scrimmage. Sophomore Lisa DeLacey shoots.
Photos by Haley DeFilippis.
Sports 23
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
ing less than a month with the team
to this point. Bowdridge expects
Casey and Rose to be the team’s best
cause she is used
to working indi-
vidually with the
“all-around gymnasts.” Melrose YMCA
In gymnastics, there are ten team. She is “hap-
different skill levels and the higher py to be part of
one moves up, the more advanced such a supportive
they are. Casey feels that the team team that [has]
has lost a lot of competing mem- the same love for
bers, but with hard work, the team the sport.”
could challenge to win the Greater The team
Boston League championship. “We will be hurt due
have a great group of kids who have to their lack of
shown that they are willing to work equipment and
and want to win,” Casey said. “Even a spring floor for
though our team is about hav- practice and com-
ing fun, we also push that people petitions. “Our
should be working hard to meet bars are very old
their personal [and team] goals.” and don’t adjust,”
As captain, she feels that their big- Bowdridge said.
gest strength is teamwork and that “[This] makes it
“[the team doesn’t] just think of each difficult to learn
other as teammates or friends, [but] new skills that
as a family.” require more
Casey emphasizes the true room.” Malden is
meaning of team and tries to push the only team in
other teammates to their fullest the GBL without Junior Justin Pham preparing for dismount. Photo by
potential. She feels that the newest a spring floor, Lauren Benoit.
members show a lot of potential and so the tumbling
all the members of the team take the and jumping hurt. The spring floor The team expects to overcome
sport very seriously. Rose hopes to makes tumbling better, because it the obstacles that are beyond their
“place high individually while help- causes less stress on the body and control and have a successful season
ing [the] team’s overall score.” “work more difficult tumbling in the GBL.
This could be a challenge, be- passes.”
Haley DeFilippis
Copy Editor
M alden
H i g h
School’s girl’s
new additions to the team this year,
Wayne Bartolucci has taken over
coaching. Bartolucci started right
that I have been here,” stated Bonvie
on one of her main goals, showing
the teams determination to redeem
basketball away in pushing the girls in practic- themselves. “Billerica has been good
team is looking es and scrimmages in order to have in the past, but they recently gradu-
forward to a a shot at the GBL title. Tri-captain ated some of their top players,”
turn around this and senior Samantha Bonvie stated added Bonvie.
year, improving “Coach is always positive, which has With an entirely new program
off of last year’s helped the whole team adopt that set up this season, determination
record. Even kind of attitude.” Also tri-captain and commitment have come into
though the team and senior Fillete Lovaincy noted focus. The additions of new plays
does not have how “he comes to practices dressed are “helpful” according to Lovaincy,
the numbers, one to play and interact with us.” With and will be successful if all of the
thing remains in Bartolucci on the court with the players know and execute them
the MHS girls’ players, he teaches techniques and well.
basketball pro- skills by showing and “getting into During the 2007 season, MHS
gram, which is the game.” came extremely close to winning
heart, and the As mentioned earlier, the team the GBL title. With hard work eth-
desire to win. has the goal of winning the GBL ics established through the years
Every player in- title and then the state tournament; and with the three senior captains
volved with girls however, there are some goals on Francesca Richardson, Bonvie, and
basketball, from a more personal level that some of Lovaincy leading the team through
the third line the girls would love to accomplish. good example, this year is expected
on the Junior Malden is competing in the com- to be the season when the girls grasp
Varsity team to petitive GBL, with the always strong the GBL title. The Christmas Tour-
the fourth year Medford looking as strong as ever, nament dates are scheduled for Dec.
starters, share while Cambridge has a few super- 27, 2010 and Dec. 28, 2010 at home in
the same goal; star type players. To add to the pres- the Finn Gym. The first dual meet is
win a Greater sure, the girls will have a grueling scheduled for Dec. 30, 2010 at home
Boston League title, non-league schedule. There is one versus Salem High School.
and qualify for the non-league foe that lingers on the
Massachusetts In- schedule every season. Malden is
terscholastic Athlet- scheduled to play Billerica Memori-
ic Association state al High School during the Christmas
tournament. Tournament. “I want to beat Billerica
Along with because we haven’t in the four years
24
new Gym, New Season
Alexander Gennigiorgis
Head of Business
T he Malden High School boys’
basketball team is seeking
Greater Boston League qualification,
which will be a challenging goal to
achieve since the team lost many
key players due to graduation, and
one of MHS’s best players, Robinson
Velmont, due to his recent transfer
to a prep school.
Head coach Don Nally set high
goals for the team including GBL
qualification and improvement. Im-
provement is a number one priority
because along with improvement
comes GBL qualification and pos-
sibly a GBL title. Nally states that
seniors Teddy Francois and Ryan
Donovan, both on varsity for mul-
tiple years, have what it takes to pick
up the team and lead it to success.
As a coach, Nally will make
sure the team focuses on practicing
and developing a high level of team
chemistry so that on the court, the
team will be unstoppable. All of
these set goals will be achieved over
The Blue and Gold
Sports December 2010
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
the course of the season.
Donovan, co-captain
for the team, states that this
year’s team is a completely
new team, due to the fact
that there are a lot of new
faces. Without Velmont, the
team will be able to establish
a winning season, as long as
the goals are met. Donovan
stated that where he goes
and what he does for college
will depend on this season’s
outcome. Donovan has his
eye on Cambridge University,
along with some other schools
for college. It all depends on
how this year turns out for
him. He commented on what
Nally stated about leadership
and he said, “I agree, me and
Teddy need to step up for it
to be a good season.” These
are strong words from a deter-
mined being.
Francois, the other co-
captain, says that this year
there is a lot of experience in
the team. There are members
on the team that have been
on varsity for 3+ years and
this year, the young talent is
tremendous as well. After this
year, Francois stated that if he
goes to college for basketball,
he will try to get into Mas-
sachusetts College of Liberal
Arts; otherwise he is unde-
cided.
This year, the team is
looking out for Cambridge
Ringe and Latin High School,
because “they are the power
house this season.” Usually
the team focuses on the game
against Everett but the new
Cambridge team is going to
be a game the team will be
preparing for as well as GBLs,
for most of the season. The
Malden-Everett rivalry is not
as serious in basketball as it is
in football but the game is one
of the most important games
of the season.
The team had its first
scrimmage/game (in a
scrimmage, each half is a
game) on Wednesday, Dec.
9, 2010 against Lynn Classi-
cal.
It was a pretty even
game although many Lynn
Classical players have been
on the cover of ESPN Rise
Magazine, a prestigious
honor for a high school
athlete. MHS was ready
for Lynn Classical and the
results were MHS won
one half and Lynn won the
other. Facing tough teams, From top to bottom left to right: Senior captain Ryan Donovan preparing to shoot
such as Lynn, Cambridge, the ball for a 3 pointer. Sophomore Rodney Morton dribbling the ball to their of-
and Everett, will make the fensive end in the scrimmage agaisnt Lynn Classical. Junior Hiago Desena trying
team stronger, and the Lynn to fake out a player on the oppsing team. Senior Matt Howe, Donovan, senior
scrimmage certainly gave captain Teddy Francois, and junior Witchie Exilhomme playing great offense.
MHS a good head start to a Exilhomme about to take a foul. Morton running down the court as Exilhomme
successful season. looks for an open player. Photos by Sharon Lee and Reginah Sanyu.