The Blue and Gold

Opinion 2-5
World News 6-8
Local News 9 - 16
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/ Entertainment 17 - 18
Malden High School Our 96th Year Sports 19 - 24
Volume 96 Edition 7 April 2011

71st Annual Junior Varieties

T he Junior Varieties is a Malden
High School tradition; the junior
class puts up a talent show that raises
funds for the class after several long
weeks of tedious tryouts, practices,
and dress rehearsals. Mar. 24 and 25
showcased the 72nd annual Junior
Varieties in the Jenkins Auditorium
by the Class of 2012. Despite the fact
that JVs are usually on Friday and
Saturday night, people filled the
auditorium both nights, anticipation
filling the minds of the attendees.
The theme of the show was
originally intended to be “YouTube”
but it had to be changed to Saturday
Night Live (SNL), resulting in even
more hours of work that the junior
class had to put into the show. Co-
advisor of the junior class, MHS art
teacher MaryAnn Seager noted that
the YouTube theme was “a little too
static [because] it was complicated
to integrate the storyline into [such
a] theme, making SNL a better op-
tion as it had many characters and
more humor.” As the show went theme, managing a relevancy to it the production weeks was that, due homework or other responsibilities.
on, it was evident that the junior throughout all of the acts. to the change of dates, many people “Having the show on a Thursday was
class prevailed in delivering such a The biggest worry throughout would not show up because of continued on page 12

PlayPro Makes History Aiming for the Win

F or the first time in all of Mal-

den High School history, Play
Production has moved on from
the Preliminary round to the
Finals of the annual Drama Fest
competition, which was held at
the John Hancock Hall Back Bay
Events Center on April 1st. While
performed very well, and while
something fresh and insightful
was certainly brought to the com-
petition, American Land did not
progress from the final round.
Nevertheless, Play Production and
all involved are extremely proud
of their hard work, and they are
excited to have made MHS history.
While the play has been
changed a little at each stage of
this process, few modifications
were made to the play for Finals.
Junior Sarah Fraas’ monologue
was tweaked a tad, transitions and
continued on page 11
A s any team knows, a great
foundation leads to great suc-
cess. A foundation that the girls
lacrosse team has put into full ef-
fect in the pursuit to build back up
their reputation.
This year the team kicked
off with qualifying tryouts, held
on Mar. 21, 2011, but the truth
is this actually was not the first
day of practice. The team started
in earlier that month by having
captain’s practices to get the team
back in shape. During the prac-
tices, the players worked on pass-
ing drills and skills they needed to
improve on from last year so that
they could excel in them when the
season started. As stated by, junior
Amanda Tan, “This year we have
played so much better and came
together as a team...compared to
last year [in which] we only won
a few games here and there. Also,
continued on page 23

Middle East Updates - page 6 Blue & Gold Art Gallery - pages 14 & 15 Outdoor Track - page 22
2
Editorials
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
Why You Shouldn’t Buy Water Bottles
P eople think that I am bothering or harassing them
when I suggest that, instead of buying plastic
water bottles from companies like Poland Spring
Malden High School
and Dasani, they buy a reusable bottle. Their eye-
roll, infuriated glance, or dismissive laughter is often
The Blue and Gold followed by questions like, “What difference is my
77 Salem St. water bottle going to make?” or “Why should I be the
Malden, MA 02148 one to change?” Their misinformation, coupled with
the nonchalant attitude I sense, unfortunately mir-
rors several aspects of the environmentalist struggle
in America.
EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Since the 2008 financial meltdown, Democrats
João Nascimento have been fiercely criticized for their lack of back-
Nidale Zouhir bone in Washington. In Massachusetts, where 35 per-
cent of voters are Democrats and around 50 percent
MANAGING EDITORS are independents (who mostly lean Democrat), even
Brittany Foley managed to elect Republican Scott Brown to finish the
Alexandra Mathieu quintessential Democratic term of Edward Kennedy
in 2010 in hopes of mollifying the state of the econo-
HEAD COPY EDITOR my. The situation becomes increasingly complicated
Brittany McFeeley when one takes a look at the discourse surrounding
the Republican response to the national debt, and the
ONLINE EDITOR ineffective outcry of the idle Democratic population
Omar Khoshafa who deeply opposes the Republican approach of cut-
ting out social programs like Planned Parenthood.
HEAD LOCAL NEWS WRITER I cannot help but see a parallel between our ac-
Cristina Peters tions (or lack thereof) as students and residents of
the state of Massachusetts in connection to energy
HEAD WORLD NEWS WRITER and environmental conservation, and the lack of
Dan Holmqvist backbone Democrats exhibit in Washington. Just as
Democrats are preaching that Republicans are at-
HEAD ENTERTAINMENT WRITER tempting to send us back into the dark ages—which
Reginah Sanyu is possible only because of their inaction as policy
makers, which led to the loss of the public’s trust—
HEAD SPORTS WRITER we remain idle, not attempting to change our attitude
Alfonse Femino towards environmental conservation.
It is surprising that so many students meet me
HEAD OF BUSINESS with skepticism when I state that the water bottle
Alexander Gennigiorgis industry is so harmful to the environment. The issue
has been brought to light in A History of the World
HEADS OF PHOTOGRAPHY in Six Glasses (mandatory summer reading for AP
Lauren Benoit World History) and was well covered in AP Environ-
Sharon Lee mental Science. Aside from being taught in two of the
most popular AP courses at school, Malden itself has
HEAD OF SPECIAL PROJECTS faced issues with drinking water earlier in 2010.
Kayla Bramante According to a study conducted by The New
York Times, to meet the American demand for water
COPY EDITORS bottles, 1.5 million barrels of oil are used each year.
Haley DeFilippis This figure is enough to fuel 100,000 cars a year. We
Catherine Poirier
Megan Kelly
have the privilege of living in a state where running
water is abundant, and to drink the daily recom-
Natalie Fallano
Paige Yurek Editorial Policy
Joshua Kummins
The Blue and Gold is an open forum for
student expression. It is produced by students
REPORTERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS for the school and the community. The views
Rebecca Broomstein presented in this paper are not necessarily those
Kaela Bryan
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
and Gold is to inform and entertain students as
Kristen Leonard
Jacob Martino well as the community regarding issues that we
Vicki Ngan feel are important.
We strongly encourage readers to respond
Amalia Quesada Nylen
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.
Joel Stevenson The Blue and Gold reserves the right to edit the let-
Lesley Ta ters. Names may be withheld upon request. Not
all letters will be printed.
ADVISOR Although The Blue and Gold appreciates the
Ryan Gallagher support of advertisers, we may refuse any ad-
vertisement that violates the above policy or that
Established in 1915 promotes products questionable to student use.
Any correspondence concerning this publi-
Check out our online edition:
cation should be directed to Mr. Ryan Gallagher’s
room in C339 or to his mailbox in the main office.
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
The Blue and Gold
c/o Malden High School
77 Salem Street
Malden, MA 02148
The Blue and Gold
April 2011
mended amount of water using the water that conve-
niently comes out of your faucet costs around 59 cents
a year, as opposed to the $1500 water bottles would
cost. The most startling statistic is that it is reported
that 40 percent of all bottled water in the market is
simple tap water, which makes sense, considering
that 90 percent of the running water across the United
States meets or exceeds requirements EPA standards
for drinking water.
Reveling in the luxury American consumerism
provides is perhaps one of the biggest obstacles our
generation has to overcome. It is the greatest force
holding back the green movement, and it is even
more powerful than the catastrophic consequences
global climate change has proven to have in store for
humanity. In the name of convenience, we choose to
buy water bottles and sustain an industry that com-
moditizes a natural human right. We also increase
America’s role in the global chain of environmental
transgressions, while Republicans argue that America
is unjustly criticized by other nations due to its emis-
sions and waste generation.
So, maybe, the blame should not be placed en-
tirely on the Democrats in Washington, but instead
this blame should be shared with the rest of us. We
are, everyday, seemingly incapable of doing our part,
of acting as responsible citizens, even when living in
a socioeconomically blessed state like Massachusetts.
Even more problematic is the fact that our symptoms
of disillusionment transcend the environmental
sphere: abysmal young voter turnouts and dramatic,
primeval legislature being enacted are grave effects of
our complacency.
A part of why the “change” President Barack
Obama promised (and some of this change had a
deep emphasis on renewable energy research) has
not been able to manifest itself throughout America is
because, as citizens, we, for some reason, feel power-
less. I, however, choose to feel a mixture of bafflement
and outrage when someone tells me that it is more
convenient to go through several thousand water
bottles throughout their lifetime and to generate so
much useless waste and energy as opposed to simply
buying a reusable one. Not buying one seems to me
a blatantly selfish or uneducated decision, and even
more gravely, a symbolic forfeit in the fight against
today’s most pressing issue, when we are one of the
few who have the power to turn the gears of progress.
João Nascimento
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Corrections:
Page 5 - The caption for the photo-
graph should read, “A representation
of America’s constant fight with forc-
es of evil. Photos from Wikimedia.
Graphic designed by Megan Kelly.
Page 8 - The dates should be March
9, 2011, and March 10, 2011, not March
9, 2010 and March 10, 2010.
Page 11 - Chemistry teacher
Meaghann Galdos’ first name is
spelled incorrectly.
Page 11 - The photo credit for the Just
Dance photo belongs to Catherine
Poirier, not Joel Stevenson.
Page 20 - On the boys tennis team ar-
ticle, head coach Berenice Diaz’s first
name is spelled incorrectly.
Corrections to the editor can be submit-
ted to theblueandgold@gmail.com
The Blue and Gold
April 2011
An Apple A Day Keeps the Bad Grades Away
Lauren Benoit
Head of Photography
W ould it not be awesome if you
did not have carry around
your math book? Or even lug around
that 700 page history book? I would
rather not even have to worry about
carrying any books. Those books
can easily be replaced with up to
date technology. Yes it would be a
pricey project for the city of Malden
to take on, but it would all pay off
for the future generations.
Just this year MHS bought Net-
books to be used in certain classes
around the school. They have been
a big hit. I use one everyday during
period seven in my AP United States
History Class. Having Internet ac-
cess in school broadens my educa-
tional horizon and gives me the op-
tion to explore deeper into the topics
we are learning. Within minutes any
student is able to access their online
notebook, create an online GLOG (a
virtual poster), construct a google
presentation, and explore many
more options of learning. Only if the
Internet is working and up to speed
of course. Internet lets the students
read beyond their textbooks and to
analyze much more than the maps
and the minuscule pictures in their
books. But what if the computers
did expand out of the boundaries
of the history classrooms? Why not
have laptops in every class? Why
are we the students being taught in
the fashion of the older teaching tra-
ditions? Or better yet, why not put a
laptop in the hands of every student
for themselves. It’s all for the better
of our education after all.
When the seniors graduate
and become exposed to college life
learning, they will be awed at the
level of technology schools are at.
Colleges are slowly abandoning the
old fashion way of teaching. Almost
every student in a lecture hall has a
laptop propped up open in front of
them. They do not use the laptops as
Opinion
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another accessory. It is more efficient
in taking notes, and any student can
explore new topics within seconds.
Sure one might be thinking: Well,
yea but in high school there are not
daily lectures therefore no reason
for laptops. True, but in high school
there are AP exams whose topics
exceed the information given in
the book. Imagine the barriers that
would be broken if MHS followed
this trend.
The first school in Massachu-
setts teaching in the twenty first cen-
tury is Burlington High School. BHS
received a grant this to purchase as
many IPads as there are students.
It is all inclusive with Internet. The
only restriction is that the student
must bring the IPAD to school ev-
eryday. Its importance is equivalent
to MHS’s agenda book or ID policy.
To make matters even more
alluring updating the technology
would save money, and save the
earth. Moving towards visual note-
books, the school would then not
need to pay for paper. This price
package includes Internet service,
a replacement warranty, and all the
APPs a student could need. Need a
T-89 calculator? Do not spend $90 in
stores, there’s an APP for that. Want
to download Romeo and Juliet by
William Shakespeare? There’s an
APP for that. Need to mark up the
test for English class and do not
have sticky notes? There’s an APP
for that. A problem clearly seen
around school is the lack of paper.
Practically all the teachers have a
limited amount that must last them
throughout 180 days of school. W.B.
Mason is making millions off of
MHS. As they are benefiting from
our in bulk purchases, the earth is
taking its toll. The need for paper in
the school is higher than ever, and at
this point in time mother nature can
not afford to have another one of
her trees to be cut down. Using the
newer technology like the IPAD can
allow students to type their essays
directly on the super light device.
3
Compared to
laptops the IPAD has
a longer lasting battery
life. Given the his-
tory of APPLE, there
is almost a guarantee
that none of the IPADS
would get a virus. An-
other perk of purchas-
ing IPads is that they
cost basically half the
amount of one laptop.
If MHS is spending
double the money on
older laptops, why
not buy two updated
pieces of technology
for the same price?
Being in English
class long block with
an IPAD might be a
little distracting. But
the students would be
distracted with hav-
ing a laptop too. With
an IPAD there is no
screen to block what
Image of a first-generation iPad. Taken from Wiki-
the student is doing.
media.
This device is simply
laying on the desk already been said, one might think
resembling a notebook. The teacher that I am ungrateful, or ranting
can easily see whether a student is about getting an IPAD for each
on task or not. Having more up- student at MHS. But in reality, I am
dated technology rather than the very grateful for the laptops that
traditional pen to paper would be have been bought for the students
more interactive and interesting in use. It drastically helped me and
my perspective. It would also limit I’m sure many other students edu-
my doodling. cational experiences. With the tech-
IPADS have been placed in nology today, everything changes
schools all over the country and very quickly. Quite frankly the use
outstanding results have come back. of textbooks is out of date and very
In West Prairie South Elementary in expensive to get a hold of and keep
Colchester, Il the IPAD is helping replacing for that matter.
autistic students gain confidence in Investing in newer technology
their penmanship. Eleven year old for the students of Malden would
Ray Hart has an IPAD to be used be a great achievement. It would
in school. During one school day mark a milestone in the technology
he traced a lower case “t” on the advancements in the city. After all,
screen. Correctly traced, the IPAD to retain the title of the “Best City
let out celebratory sounds showing to Raise Your Family”, the Malden
recognition to Hart. This is just what government officials should keep
students need. The technology to education their top priority and up-
bring confidence in their own work. date the educational system for the
Now after reading what has younger generations.
4
Looking Forward to “Battleground 2012”
Dan Holmqvist
Head World News Writer
A t first glance, it seems like
Barack Obama has had a tough
couple of months as an incumbent
president. Since the beginning of
this year, there has been a shift in
power in the House of Representa-
tives, talks of a federal budget shut-
down, unrest in the Middle East
and, of course, stagnant economic
growth in addition to stubbornly
high unemployment rates.
However, just as Barack
Obama launches his reelection bid
for 2012, the president has several
reasons why he should be feeling
good about his chances in the next
election cycle.
For one, demographic changes,
most notably a dramatic increase
in the Hispanic populations in
swing states like New Mexico, Ne-
vada, and Colorado, seem to favor
Obama. Hispanics, who now num-
ber 50.5 million in the United States,
traditionally vote for Democrats
in part because many of them feel
alienated by strict Republican im-
migration policy. For instance, Re-
publicans in Arizona, who passed
some of the strictest immigration
policies in the nation, have seen
severe backlash from the Hispanic
community.
Also, the Republican Party has
yet to field a candidate that has a
realistic chance of beating Obama.
Several names have surfaced, but
each one of the candidates has their
The Blue and Gold
Opinion April 2011
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own flaws. Obama, and his team
One candidate, Mitt Romney, of advisers, including
former governor of Massachusetts, David Plouffe, also
has taken a lot of criticism from con- have had experience
servatives over the health care plan
he helped institute in Massachusetts,
running a successful
campaign 2008; any
which was used loosely as a model Republican challeng-
for the highly divisive “Obamacare” ers will have real
health care plan. Another potential trouble mounting a
candidate, Newt Gingrich, who campaign of similar
served as Speaker of the House in caliber.
the 1990s, is said to be too old and At this point in
too white. And Sarah Palin has yet time, no matter how
to fully cast off her reputation of be- you slice it, the chips
ing, to some extent, incompetent. are falling in favor
Tea Party member and US of Barack Obama
Representative Michele Bachmann in terms of the 2012
is also considered a potential 2012 elections; despite
candidate. Still, US voters may ques- the hardships he has
tion the legitimacy of a presidential faced and will con-
candidate who cannot correctly tinue to face in office.
name the state that the American Without a Republican
Revolution began in (which, by the candidate that can
way, is Massachusetts, not New tame the Tea Party,
Hampshire). appeal to a variety of
To further complicate matters different demograph-
for Republicans, the Tea Party, the ic groups, and mount
movement that helped to galvanize a campaign that can
Republican support in the 2010 mid- compete with Barack
term elections, is putting pressure Obama, it seems as
on more moderate conservatives to though the incum-
become more radical. It is still un- bent presidential will
clear how these internal divisions in continue to hold
the Republican party will affect the onto his office until Series of four scenarios of how the 2012 presidential
2012 election. 2016. election may breakdown for President Barack Obama,
And, finally, no matter what Still, forces that based on the electoral college. Los Angeles Times/
you think of Obama as an admin- politicians cannot MCT 2011
istrator, it is undeniable that he necessarily control
a downward spiral similar what
is a fantastic public speaker, and are often huge factors in determin-
happened in 2007, it is a completely
has an uncanny ability to connect ing presidential elections. If, for
different ballgame in Washington.
with his audience during speeches. instance, the US economy goes into
The Blue and Gold
April 2011
2010 Census Reveals Multiracial America
Lesley Ta
Reporter
A ccording to the United States
2010 census, 308.7 million
people live in the nation. The popu-
lation is still growing, and it has not
shown any indication of stopping
anytime soon. In a span of two
decades, the United States has had
a significant increase in it’s popula-
tion. After the 13.2 percent increase
from 1990-2000, one might expect
that in the coming decade the Unit-
ed States would see an even greater
increase in population. However,
the 2010 Census revealed that there
was only a 9.7 percent increase.
Massachusetts had a 3.1 per-
cent increase in its population, hav-
ing 198,532 people immigrate to the
state. New York, in contrast, had
only had a 2.1 percent increase in its
population.
Perhaps bipolar New England
weather has driven citizens to the
West. California, Arizona, and Tex-
as all are located in the Southwest
and have been reported to have a
10.0 percent to 24.9 percent increase
in population. Nevada, however is
the only state reported in 2010 to
have an increase of more than 25.0
percent in population, an increase
12 times larger than New York.
When the 2010 Census data is
What America Can Learn From Russia
Megan Kelly
Copy Editor
P olitics does not always fit the
stereotypical mold that is often
associated with it. Corrupt govern-
ments have commonly spawned
from oppressive regimes, a fact
that is true to human’s very fallible
nature. Some mistakes the world
has earned from in the last century
is that when we allow power to be
taken by force, illegitimately, the
transition of power will come with
dreadful consequences. In reality
communism, historically, has not
had a great track record within the
country it reigns. Just to point out,
these are not lessons that America
has learned from first hand, these
are all mistakes that our Cold War
comrade Russia has taught us.
Meet Vladimir Putin, the sec-
ond democratically elected Presi-
dent of Russia since the demise of
the Soviet Union in 1991. The Saint
Petersbur’s born billionaire en-
tered the scene of Russian politics
originally as a head of a relations
committee and mayor of Saint Pe-
tersburg. Unfortunately, only a year
later he was investigated for abus-
ing aid that was allegedly sent to the
city. Even with this “small” blip on
his record, Putin continued to be of-
fered highly ranked political offices,
gradually working his way to suc-
ceeding former Russian President
Boris Yeltsin’s prime minister. And
Opinion 5
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Chart showing the change in population by state over the past 30 years, using data from each census.
Graph courtesy of 2010.census.gov
released in the following years, it in Malden made up 72.1 percent of sponsibility of the United States
is predicted that the United States the community. Other races, such as on his shoulders again? Gener-
will become an even more racially Asians, Hispanics, or Black made up ally, Americans with a Hispanic or
diverse country; by 2019, white than less than 14 percent of citizens African-American heritage tend to
children are expected to be a minor- each within Malden. When the re- lean more towards the Democratic
ity. As reported in the 2000 Census, sults of last year’s census crawl in, party in political elections. As re-
Massachusetts had a total of 3.8 Malden’s share of non-white citizens ported to MSNBC, the populations
percent Asian citizens and a total is expected to surge, just like the mi- of Latinos in Nevada, Virginia, and
of 6.8 percent citizens of Hispanic nority population in the rest of the North Carolina have doubled; all of
or Latino origin. These figures are United States. Already you can see these states gave Obama their sup-
expected to rise in the coming years. the change within the community, port in the 2008 elections. Thus, the
Malden has claimed to be one judging by the diversity of Malden results of the census have suggested
of the most racially and culturally High School students. that the power in the White House
diverse communities in Massachu- With the presidential elec- may be affected the rising Hispanic
setts. According to the data from the tion upcoming 2012, will President population in 2012.
2000 census, 11 years ago, whites Obama have the weight and re-
mir Milov have joined together
create Russia’s newest political
party. Their creative and con-
troversial name, the Russian
Opposition Party, entered the
world on March 28, 2011 with
their first report named “Pu-
tin. Corruption.” The booklet
reveals how many of Russia’s
current billionaires (Russian
natives or not) have used their
connections to Putin to expand
their businesses. The Associated
Press has stated that “The report
says a handful of Putin’s friends
and relatives — all relatively
obscure until the 2000s — have
accumulated fortunes with the
help of state companies.”
Former Russian President Vladimir Putin meeting with Boris Nemstov December The three leaders of the
5 2000. the meeting took place in the reported time that Putin and other Russian anti-corruption crusade in De-
Government Officials apparently took part in stealing public money. Attributed to cember 2010 (Nemtsov, Milov,
www.kremlin.ru. and Wikimedia Foundation. and Ryzhkov) filed a lawsuit
against Putin after he had de-
until being appointed to the level took his power too far he handed the clared over national television that
of prime minister, the public had presidential scepter to his beloved they had also participated in similar
not even heard of the blonde-haired Prime Minister Putin. Bright-eyed forms of corruption that during
and blue-eyed politician. So how and bushy tailed, Putin’s first act as the 1990’s. Their lawsuit later was
did this seemingly unknown man Russian president was to clear Yelt- conveniently silenced in the com-
become the president of the largest sin and his buddies of all the charges plicated Russian court system,. As
country on earth? they had been accused of. So would for the UN’s concern, there is none;
Yeltsin had run Russia as an someone agree that maybe this first they are just happy that they have
the central oligarch, which meant if act and his history hinted at being at finally turned Russia mainstream.
a citizen of Russia was on the good the President being a little unfair? The lack of concern over the issue is
side of these select few, they could To several former Putin loyal- disconcerting; if this could happen
earn special benefits, and get out of ists, Putin was not a better change; in a “reformed” government, what
investigations that questioned how former First Deputy Prime Minister could happen with one that is fight-
they earned their money and how Boris Nemtsov, former State Duma ing over whether to give the rich tax
they got and possibly cover up il- Deputy Vladimir Ryzhkov, and for- breaks or to keep the government
legal activity. Though when Yeltsin mer Deputy Energy Minister Vladi- from going into debt?
6
panic in the Middle East
Above: Rebels blow up a tank abandoned by loyalist forces as the rebels retreat from Port
Brega, Libya, on Wednesday, March 30, 2011. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times/MCT)
March 29, 2011. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times/MCT) Right: Rebel fighters gather at
the front lines near Port Brega, Libya, on Saturday, April 2, 2011. (Luis Sinco/Los Ange-
les Times/MCT). Rebel fighters swarm around a vehicle ridden by General Abdul Fatah
Yunis, who made an unannounced visit to the front lines near Port Brega, Libya, on
Friday, April 1, 2011. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times/MCT)
Catherine Poirier
Copy Editor
T he revolutionary domino effect
has taken over the Middle East.
The entire area is blazing (literally
and figuratively– Rebel, Mohamed
Bouazizi set himself on fire in Tu-
nisia to spark these protests) with
revolutions coming from the people.
The common goal of these people is
to create better and more just gov-
ernments. Countries such as Egypt,
Tunisia, and Yemen have been going
through these processes recently.
Inspired by these protests and just
added to the mixing bowl is Libya - a
North African country who is along
with the other revolting nations,
and has a leader who is taking ad-
vantage of his powers. For 42 years,
Moammar Gadhafi has ruled Libya
with immoral punishments and a
cruel heart. Even before Gadhafi
took office in 1979, he took part in
the government of Libya, serving as
the Secretary General of the General
People’s Congress, Prime Minister
of Libya, Chairman of the Revo-
lutionary Command Council, and
Chairperson of the African Union.
The most ironic of the titles
held by the ruler would be his posi-
tion as Chairman of the Revolution-
ary Command Council of Libya.
Gadhafi, like Egyptian ruler Hosni
Mubarak, took part in the overturn-
ing of the government before him.
Also know as Colonel Gadhafi, he
was a leader in the revolution that
pushed King Idris out of power in
September 1969. The socialist took
over the government shortly after
the king left. As soon as Gadhafi
took power, Libya was in a state of
terror, and from 1970 to 1980, Libya
was considered to be in a pariah
state due to the internal acts of ter-
rorism. Gadhafi was also starting to
acquire a hefty amount of money in
favor of his family, adding up to his
multi-billion dollar fortune today.
The country continued like this for
years: Gadhafi continued to kill any-
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one who opposed or posed a threat
to his rule.
Despite these actions, Libya
was in theory a representative de-
mocracy. There were local councils
throughout the country, elected by
the people. Above these councils
was the General People’s Congress.
Sounds appealing, right? However,
Gadhafi was actually the Secretary
General of the “people’s” congress;
corruption at it’s finest.
Fast forward to 2011; in Febru-
ary, peaceful protests and demon-
strations started in Libya. Within
the span of one week, the entire
country was protesting the Gadhafi
administration. Before the blink of
an eye, Libya was occupied by a
full on civil war. The opposition an-
nounced their official establishment
as the National Transitional Council
on Mar. 5, 2011 in opposition strong-
hold city of Benghazi. Organizing to
liberate all of Libya, the rebels are
luckily not alone in their fight.
Countries from all over the
world are doing what they can to
aid the opposition to Gadhafi. The
United Nations Security Council
met on Mar. 17, 2011, and passed
resolution 1973. The resolution or-
dered members to take all necessary
measures to ensure the safety of the
civilians amd also demanded an
immediate ceasefire in Libya. Also
under the resolution is the estab-
lishment of a no-fly-zone in Libya;
this rule excludes aircraft meant for
humanitarian aid. The North Atlan-
tic Treaty Organization has taken
control of the military operations in-
volved under the resolution. NATO
instituted Operation Unified Protec-
tor in order to fulfill what resolu-
tion 1973 was going to do – protect
civilians. The UN Security Council
claimed their Resolution applies to
all sides and that NATO is impartial.
Recently, NATO started bomb-
ing Libya. Along with the air raid,
NATO has what they call “eyes in
the sky,” or air surveillance of the
entire country. They are issuing and
enforcing an arms embargo and
ships are
s t a -
tioned
a l l
around
t h e
Mediter-
ranean
making
sure no
arms are
brought
into the
country.
On April
6, 2011
Gadhafi
wrote to
President Obama, begging him to
stop the NATO bombing his coun-
try. He claims that those who oppose
him are members of al-Qaeda; Gad-
hafi stated “We have been hurt more
morally than physically because of
what had happened against us in
both deeds and words by you… You
are a man who has enough cour-
age to annul a wrong and mistaken
action.” The administration is not
taking his claims seriously because
the leader neglected to mention any
sort of compromise or resolution to
the problem. Secretary of State Hill-
ary Clinton said the NATO strikes
will only stop when Gadhafi steps
down. Despite Clinton’s notions,
NATO is supposed to remain partial
in the situation and focus on saving
civilian lives; not the overthrow of
Gadhafi. Their bombing of Brega on
April 7, 2011 however went terribly
wrong and left 13 Libyan civilians
dead.
The rebel forces were going
strong until they hit stalemate in
Misrata, Libya. Loyalists pushed the
front line back, despite the short-
age in goods due to the cut off from
forces surrounding the country. The
opposition is saying that NATO is
doing more harm than good for the
cause. General Abdul Fatah Younis,
the rebel’s top general told CNN “I
The Blue and Gold
April 2011
am extremely sorry to say this, but
NATO truly disappointed us. If
NATO wanted to free Misrata, they
could have done that a few days ago.”
On April 4, 2011 four people were
killed, and 24 injured. The death toll
is at over 1,000 now. Is it worth it for
the United States to stay involved in
a country, where they are not mak-
ing any progress? President Obama
is considering these factors now;
Obama announced that on the week
of April 4, 2011 the United States
would be slowly pulling away their
forces from Libya. He promised the
US would still provide information
that was unique to them, but would
be much less directly involved.
On April 11, 2011 the African
Union created a resolution accepted
by Gadhafi but not the oppositional
forces. The agreement would make
Gadhafi – in principle – stop hostili-
ties in Libya. Rebels are once again
saying they will settle for nothing
less than the permanent removal
of the Gadhafi family from power,
even though this time the ruler as
signed a statement considering “the
aspirations of the Libyan people for
democracy, political reform, justice,
peace and security, as well as social
... development.”
The Blue and Gold
April 2011
Haiti Hopeful After Elections
Kayla Bramante
Head of Special Projects
F ourteen months after the dev-
astating earthquake that struck
Port-au-Prince, Haiti, came the
January elections that were marred
with allegations of voter fraud and
corruption.
The two candidates running
were 70 year old Mirlande Manigat
and 50 year old Michel Martelly.
Mangiat, who served as a former
senator in 1988, was aiming to be
Haiti’s first female elected leader.
Martelly ran his campaign on the
premise that he would help to re-
form the Haitian government.
The first election was filled
with corruption and rigging. It
was said that only 23 percent of
voters actually put their votes into
the system. This election was cha-
otic, considering several people got
shot by supporting the candidates.
Three supporters of Mangiat were
murdered as they were holding
up a candidate poster. A Martelly
supported, Wyclef Jean, was also
shot a couple days later. This news
was pounced upon by the media,
but fortunately, the music legend
only had a wound on his hand that
would not even keep him hospi-
talized. Nobody knows the story
Koran Burning Sparks Protests
Amanda Rosatone
Reporter
R ecent news of protests have
been appearing in the news and
the majority of people can’t help
but wonder, “Why would all these
innocent people be causing such an
uproar in their community?” The
answer is simple, but at the same
time, controversial.
The trouble all started on March
20, when Terry Jones, a pastor of a
tiny Florida church, declared Islam’s
holy book to be “guilty of crimes
against humanity” and ordered it
to be set on fire set in a portable fire
pit. This led to widespread protests
in Afghanistan, who saw this action
as an insult to their faith.
People continue to die and get
severely injured over this controver-
sy. As of April 1, 2011, The Indepen-
dent reported that nine people died
in Kandahar, and three in attempted
suicide attacks in Kabul.
People continued to protest.
On April 2, 2011, Muslim protesters
forced their way into a UN mission
and killed seven foreign staff, be-
heading two of them.
The leader of the US church
which burnt the Koran and trig-
gered the violence said that he felt
he had nothing to apologize for.
Terry Jones, who runs a furniture
business as well as the Dove World
Outreach Center in Florida, com-
mented: “I think it does prove that
WORLD NEWS 7
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
behind the shooting or if it
was even intended to hit this
innocent Martelly supporter.
Also, during a rally, Martelly
supporters were seen throw-
ing rocks at the opposing
candidate, Mangiat.
For the second election,
which was held on March
20, 2011, there was an enor-
mous crowd just waiting to
cast their votes. Some even
showed up as early as six in
the morning when the bal-
lots opened. Nevertheless,
this election ran a lot more
smoothly. People were yelling
and screaming names for the
candidate they were voting Kim Woong Ki, second from right, visits the site of his future factory in northeast Haiti
for but everything still was (Jacqueline Charles/Miami Herald/MCT)
kept under control. However,
the results were not released for an lit and people holding banners and earthquake was searching for ways
extended period of time and the signs were running through the to make the country better for the
people of Haiti were in for a long streets. Haiti was satisfied. country itself and the people living
wait. Aside from running for presi- there.
Finally on April 5, 2011 the re- dent, Martelly also created the Rose Overall, enduring a cha-
sults were in and the wait was over. et Blanc Foundation in 2008 to sup- otic mishap of shootings and a long
Mangiat took in a mere 31.5 percent port the Haitians and help disen- wait, Haiti knew who they wanted
of the votes while the Martelly en- franchised people. He used his own in presidency and they got the
thusiastically won the election, com- families’ money to create the foun- new representative they expected.
ing in with a thrilling 69.6 percent dation; more information can be Whether or not Martelly will follow
of the vote. When it was announced found on frebhaiti.org. Even before though with what he has promised
that Martelly had won the election Martelly was running for president is still unclear, however, and the
the streets of Haiti were filled with he was still found helping out his world will only find out as it hap-
joy and excitement. Fireworks were country and people. Before the 2010 pens.
there is a radical element of Islam.”
Jones threatened to burn the
Koran last year but president Barack
Obama talked him out of it. This
only convinced Jones for a short
while; last month the book went
“on trial” because it was guilty of
“crimes against humanity.” The
trial ended up with the verdict being
decided as charged guilty, meaning
that everyone who participated in
the “trial” agreed with Jones’s point
of view.
When asked what his motiva-
tion was in wanting to burn the
Koran, Jones answered that his mo-
tivation came as a form of protest
against the construction of a Muslim
worshiping place two blocks away
from the ground zero site in New
York City. Jones also declared in an
email to a Florida newspaper that A modern Arabic Quran with Persian translation in Iran. Photo courtesy of
“Islam is not a religion of peace. It is Wikimedia.com.
time we call these people to account- into a UN mission and killed seven problem worldwide but also many
ability.” foreign staff member’s, beheading Malden High School students who
This statement brought up two of them. Due to all the com- are Muslims have taken offence.
many issues amongst the Islamic motion that has been caused by the Suzanne Hismeh, a junior from
community and people began to recent protests, President Barack Malden High School stated that,
protest. “Such sacrilegious acts go Obama tried to condemn the situ- ”I’m not sure what they think it will
against the very concept of inter- ation by stating that,”Attack[ing] accomplish... Wherever they burn
faith harmony,” Hina Rabban Kahr, and kill[ing] innocent people in books they will also, in the end,
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs response [to the Koran burning] burn humans.” Abdu Adlouni, who
in Pakistan’s history stated. “There is outrageous, and an affront to graduated from MHS last year, had
could be no justification for such human decency and dignity. No a slightly different view. He was
acts. This has deeply hurt the feel- religion tolerates the slaughter and indifferent to the Koran burnings
ings of the people of Pakistan and beheading of innocent people, and explaining that, “I could careless; its
Muslims all over the world.” Pro- there is no justification for such a not about the book but more of the
tests continue and on the same day dishonourable and deplorable act.” meaning it holds.”
Muslim protesters forced their way Not only has this issue been a
8
Nuclear confusion
JSDF and USAF prepare piping connections to enable international pump compatibility at Fukushima complex
Photo Courtsey of Wikimedia.
Natalie Fallano
Copy Editor
F irst an earthquake. Then a tsuna-
mi. And finally, a nuclear crisis
This disaster struck Japan on March
11, 2011, about a month ago, yet it
continues to be a top news story.
One may ask, why is this?
This is due to the earthquake
and tsunami causing serious dam-
age to the Fukushima I Nuclear
Power Plant which is one of the
most highly depended upon energy
sources in Japan, as well as one of
the largest nuclear power plants in
the world. Because nuclear energy
must be kept cool at all times, the
power plants must be stationed on
the coastal lines so that the pipes can
be kept underwater. Unfortunately
Japan is an island located in a high
risk tsunami and earthquake region.
These two natural disasters caused
high radiation water to leak into the
ocean as well as the automatic shut-
down of three of the reactors. Usual-
ly there would be external electrical
supply to power cooling and control
systems, but the earthquake caused
damage to the main power grid and
the backup generators as well.
Apparently the 9.0 earthquake
that struck the coast of Japan on
March 11, 2011 was not enough. On
April 11, 2011, the Japanese coast ex-
perienced another aftershock struck
the island with a magnitude of 7.4.
This aftershock took place a month
after the earthquake and experts say
that serious aftershocks like this one,
could continue for several months.
Monday’s earthquake is only one of
hundreds that have occurred since
March 11. It caused more damage
to the Fukushima plant, including a
fire that almost reached reactor six,
which could have ended severely if
World News
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
it had not been stopped. If the after-
shocks continue at this high level.
Japan could soon be considered as
serious as the Chernobyl accident
25 years ago, the the worst atomic
power disaster in history.
Without the reactors being
cooled a nuclear explosion would
occur which is why millions of tons
of water must be manually poured
in to keep the nuclear rods cool.
There have been explosions within
reactors one, two, and three. These
explosions, just like a nuclear weap-
on, send off deadly radiation which
can be harmful to humans within
the area. Many Japanese citizens
had to be evacuated who live near
Fukishima, due to the risk.
The international reaction has
caused many countries to rethink
whether using nuclear energy is
safe and worth it. Anti-nuclear en-
ergy organizations have existed for
years, and the Fukushima disaster
is an example of why they believe
that nuclear energy come available
with too many risks. Nuclear en-
ergy was initially created in order
to cause destruction. Ironically, the
first nuclear attack took place in Ja-
pan during WW2, when the United
States dropped two atomic bombs
on the cities of Hiroshima and Na-
gasaki. Because of these past events,
the people are well aware of the
damage nuclear energy can cause.
The debate over the use of nuclear
energy has even reached Malden,
MA. Nowadays, they are not only
used in weapons but for electricity.
There are currently 104 nuclear reac-
tors spread out across the coasts of
the United States and 55 in Japan.
House of Representative
Edward Markey of Malden was one
of many taken aback by the Japan
crisis and who is taking action to
make sure nothing similar can hap-
pen here in the United States. He
introduced a new bill that calls for
new safeguards and back up plans
in case of an emergency within
power plants. According to ABC
News Markey stated that “We
should not wait for an American
meltdown to beef up American
nuclear safety measures. We must
heed the lessons to be learned from
the nuclear meltdown in Japan
and ensure nuclear safety here in
America.” Along with the bill, he is
encouraging the Obama adminis-
tration to provide potassium iodide
for children within a 20 mile radius
radius of the Fukushima plant. This
will help prevent radiation cancer
and other future sicknesses.
Despite the tragic happenings
in Japan, the Obama administration
still supports nuclear energy growth
in the United States, as long as the
new safety precautions are taken.
But the public currently possesses a
different view. According to a poll
taken by the New York Times, only
43% of Americans would approve
building new power plants in the
US after the Fukushima incident.
Another poll taken by Fox News re-
veals that 83% of Americans believe
that a nuclear disaster similar to
the one in Japan could occur in the
US. Because of the Japan disaster,
several countries all over the world
have been hesitant about their fu-
ture with nuclear energy. Currently
Asia, including Japan and China
are in the process of building more
reactors and may these may soon
outnumber the reactors in the US.
Many hope that they will take the
same precautions as the US, when it
comes to safety, because in the end,
a nuclear disaster on the other side
of the world, in the long run, can
harm everyone.
The Blue and Gold
April 2011
Government Shut-
down Averted
Freddie DiPhillipo
Reporter
T he congressional budget has
been a hot topic for a while now.
There have been arguments and de-
bates on how this budget and future
budgets should be structured. Some
people believe that there should be
no cuts made to the federal budget
in a time of slow economic growth
while other people believe that the
budget should undergo drastic cuts
in order to cut down on American
debt. The Democratic party believes
that the budget should not undergo
any further cuts, and the Repub-
licans, bolstered by the Tea Party,
wanted to make more dramatic cuts
in the federal budget.
This causes some issues. If
Congress makes deep cuts into the
congressional budget, this will cause
some problems and affect several
things. For example, there would be
a lot less money going towards sev-
eral federal departments including
the departments of Transportation,
Commerce, Labor and Health and
Human Services, and Housing and
Urban Development. This would
have lead to several lay-offs in these
work fields.
On Friday, April 9, 2011, Demo-
crats, Republicans, and Obama were
able to get a federal budget deal
approved, averting a government
shutdown. The plan is to cut about
38 and a half billion dollars in budget
cuts; these cuts target government
activities like highway funding, and
agriculture spending.
However, the Democratic
Party, believes that by cutting back
on spending, is unfair. They believe
that it is mostly unfair to the poor,
and it will cause problems on the
discretionary programs which in-
cludes military spending. However
this is just for the fiscal year which
ends on September 30, 2011. On
Wednesday, April 13, 2011, Presi-
dent, Barrack Obama will start to lay
out his plan for long term deficit re-
duction, which has been demanded
by the conservative party.
Senior Robert Egan, comment-
ing on the newly passed federal
budget, claims that “With the Re-
publicans wanting to save more
money, from cutting back on man-
datory spending, this should help us
get out of dept, and help us out with
owing money to China.” Overall,
Egan believes this budget is the first
step forward in getting the United
States on the right fiscal path.
Still, the fight over the federal
budget is not over. Now, the debate
has shifted towards other spending
battles, including determining the
fiscal budget for the year after this
one, raising the current debt ceiling,
planning tax increase increase, and
tackling entitlement programs like
Medicare.
The Blue and Gold
April 2011
Monthly Profile: Rick Tivnan
Johanna Lai
Reporter
B ack when Richard Tivnan was
in elementary school, he said
he “struggled with school.” Tivnan
was suffering from dyslexia and
he had to go to Special Education
classes. Tivnan was born and raised
in Framingham, Massachusetts,
went to the Framingham North
High School, and graduated in 1990.
He has been a United States History
and Justice and Government teacher
at Malden High School for six years.
After graduating from high
school, Tivnan did not go to college
right away. He claims that he “wasn’t
doing very well in high school due
to [his] reading issues.” He was also
unsure about what he wanted to do
in college and with his life, so instead
of going right away, he worked in a
security base as a security guard.
Later he moved to California for a
year, and then moved back to Fram-
ingham. After moving back to his
hometown, Tivnan worked retail
stores and waited tables.
After a few years of working in
many different types of jobs, Tivnan,
then 27 years old, decided to go to
Northeastern University to major
in criminal justice in 2000. Despite
some difficulties that were bound to
arise due to having been out of high
school for 10 years, Tivnan gradu-
ated the top of the program in 2003
Local News 9
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal
Justice. He was also awarded a Dear
Citation Honor.
Tivnan then attended UMass
Boston and earned his Master’s
degree in Education in 2006 with
a focus in history and the political
sciences. Once he got the masters,
Tivnan decided to teach at MHS and
has been teaching here since 2005.
As sophomore Jean Sylvain states,
“Tivnan has a great personality, is
an outgoing person, and is a teacher
who is determined to make sure that
you are learning history the right
way.”
Tivnan has also been a co-
advisor of the Mock Trial team for
the past two years along with co-
advisor and history teacher Ann
Pember. Pember stated, “As a coach
of the Mock Trial team, Tivnan is
an excellent coach and is very pas-
sionate about the subject. And he re- History teacher Richard Tivnan teaching his period three United States His-
ally cares about the team. He is very tory class. Photo by Johanna Lai.
funny, very smart, very friendly, and
very personable. “
During his free time, Tivnan about American history, or anything meaning he often volunteers within
likes to go to Cape Cod. “I love the that is historical fiction. A couple of the department, and he writes the
beach, and I always go there every his favorite books are His Excellen- curriculum based on what we are
week over the summer,” he stated. cy: George Washington by Joseph teaching in that subject. Tivnan as-
He also takes care of his two chil- J. Ellis and Trinity, by Leon Uris. sessed our mid-term exams and also
dren, Jimmy and Eddie. Jimmy just “Trinity,” Tivnan expressed, “is a took part in the Mock Trial team. As
turned four in March, and his broth- book that describes the Irish back in a person, he is collegial, he is out-
er Eddie will become a one-year-old the 18th century and their fight for going, and he is friendly. He has a
this month, on April 28th. Tivnan independence from England.” wry sense of humor, and is a caring
also loves to listen to music, and he History teacher Kevin Kilbride father. I enjoy working with him.“
listens to any type except for Opera. stated, “Mr.Tivnan is an active mem-
Tivnan also loves to read books ber of the social sciences department,
10
Local News
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
New Classes Coming
to MHS
Paige Yurek
Copy Editor
Beginning next school year with the graduat-
ing class of 2012, new classes will be available for
the taking in Malden High School, in about every
department, including English, science, math, and
electives. The addition of these classes will create
a wider variety of choice for the students, as well
as more options for approaching different careers
students may be interested in taking on in the fu-
ture.
In the English department, new classes that
will replace regular English 12 honors include
“The Mystery of the Mystery,” Dramatic Literature,
“Who Am I? An Exploration of the Alienated,”
and Literature in the Future. Each of these classes
involve a specific genre of literature that will be
read and studied year long, and can be chosen
by the student based on what they prefer to read.
“The Mystery of the Mystery,” revolves around, of
course, mystery novels, stories, and poems. For
students who enjoy pieces of literature that leave
the reader on the edge of their seat wondering
what will happen next, this class may be directed
towards their interests. Students who enjoy read-
ing and participating in Shakespearean, Ancient
Greek, or even modern plays, then the Dramatic
Literature course is for them, where this material
will be covered.
For Catcher in the Rye fans, or anyone who
enjoys reading literature of unique, alienated, iso-
lated, or independent individuals, these students
may enjoy taking “Who Am I? An Exploration of
the Alienated,” in which writings will consist of
people who do not quite fit into society, but are
nevertheless interesting, or lead interesting lives.
Lastly, Literature in the future involves stories that
are taken place, where else, in the future. For stu-
dents who find themselves curious and fascinated
about futuristic literature pieces, this class is for
them.
In addition to all these new English classes,
Advanced Prep (AP) Literature and AP Language
will still be available. The additions are electives
open to seniors, and “these classes are ways to keep
seniors engaged and prepared for college,” stated
English teacher Jennifer Clapp. Alternate English
Language Art (ELA) elective courses including but
not limited to technical theatre and stage produc-
tion, media classes, and of course, Play production
will also be available.
According to MHS principal Dana Brown
and Head of the Guidance Department Manjula
Karamcheti, these classes offer “New Opportuni-
ties for students based on their interests.”
“By trying at least one AP class in high
school,” stated Karamcheti, “students get a taste
of college before college with this exposure to it in
High school.”
Some classes which were previously limited
to Virtual High School (VHS) classes, such as Psy-
chology AP, will soon be available for a student to
take as a regular class in school. The choice, is up
to the student. VHS classes may not be for every-
body, but for students who are interested, these
classes are entirely technologically based classes
online. These classes can be in addition to, or built
into the students’ schedule, and offer a different
flexibility, but give the same credits.
A list of all courses that can be taken, includ-
ing new courses, can be found on the Malden
website, www.malden.mec.edu by clicking on the
Malden High School page link. The link can also
be found on the Blue and Gold website, www.mal-
denblueandgold.com
The Blue and Gold
April 2011
Rocking
From
left
to right:
seniors Kevin
Joyce, Kyra
Salvidas, Joshua
Jerome, Anna De
Santana, Jasmine Roach,
cultural, 80s vintage to formal evening ap-
Haley DeFilippis
parel.
Copy Editor This year is also the first year the Senior
Fashion Show was held in the new Jenkins
Megan Kelly auditorium. Senior class President Kerri Shu-
man stated that they “decided to have the
Copy Editor
fashion show at MHS to bring back the old
S
tradition, and resume the fashion show in the
creams: That is what you would remember
auditorium as it use to be. We figured it would
from that March 31st night. The Malden
be nice to be the first class to have the fashion
High School’s Jenkins auditorium seemed to
show in the newly renovated auditorium since
be screaming. No, Justin Bieber did not make
we were also the first class to do so with junior
a surprise appearance for Malden’s tween
varieties. Also, by having it in the auditorium
girl population. These screams were of pure
we figured we could charge less and attract
excitement over Malden High School’s an-
more of an audience.”
nual Senior Fashion show, which of course
The night began with hosts Jennifer Cu-
starred the class’s fashion
artas and Dayana Donisca who introduced
styles and Ber-
models from “Working for the Weekend.”
nardo’s hair
The two read brief descriptions on each of the
flip. Mal-
models, who unveiled their fashions under a
den High
blue and gold balloon arch on the stage in the
Schools’ se-
Jenkins auditorium. Seniors Brithney Joseph,
nior
Alisha Hines, Shanshan Chen, Moline Lau-
rent, Nirmala Lochmenar, Cera Nolan, Gabby
class
Melo-Moore, Natalie Clerger, Saraphinah
of 2011
Charles, and Andrea Depina all took turns
present-
strolling down the aisles and up a small plat-
ed an
form to the stage. The female styles consisted
exquisite
of black blazers, cardigans, pencil skirts, flats,
Senior
knee-high boots, tights, and stylish earrings.
Fashion
Paired with a few select females were Kevin
S h o w
Joyce, Jeff Blanc, Jeff Duong, and Joshua Je-
held in
rome who modeled classy jeans, dress shoes,
M H S ’
and loafers. Jerome stated “Modeling for the
Jenkins
casual section also gave [him] the opportunity
auditori-
to demonstrate that a blazer and loafers are in
um. The
fact casual, in spite of the fact that many people
n i g h t
have come to denote them with ‘dressing up’”.
included
After the business attire was presented,
several
co-hosts Portia Johnson and Melo-Moore took
types of
the stage to introduce several athletic models
fashion
in “The Sporting Life.” First up was Jessica Lo-
from busi-
pez and senior class President Kerri Shuman,
ness, casu-
who sported soccer outfits. The pair stretched
al, sports
and warmed up walking down the aisles while
wear,
tossing a soccer ball back in forth. After came
The Blue and Gold
April 2011
the Runway
Frankie
Dunn,
Kevin Val-
ley, and Cera
Nolan model dif-
ferent types of fash-
ion. Photos by Megan
Kelly and Haley DeFilippis.
Barbara Finamore, dressed as a volleyball
player with Matt Howe by her side, dressed
in an MHS baseball uniform. To conclude the
scene, Frankie Dunn, Nolan, and Kevin Valley
strut football, basketball, and baseball attire
down the runways.
Next, beautiful cultural attire was pre-
sented in “Traditions.” Co-hosts Vanesha
Darla, dressed in a typical outfit from Haiti,
and Baydan Mohamed, dressed in a Somalia
dress, presented eight MHS females model-
ing clothing from their ethnicities. Stunning
dresses varied from culture to culture, such
as Tenzin Kunsang’s dress from Tibet, Barbara
Finamore’s Italian apparel, and Indian saris
modeled by Nikita Chauhun and Nirmala
Lachmenar. Other models included Nadege
Seppou, Jasmine Roach, Moline Laurent and
Andrea Depina who all showed off their cul-
ture to MHS.
After a short break, fashion continued in
“Remember When.” Brithney Joseph, Darla,
and Mohamed introduced models in 1980s
vintage apparel. Bernado Miranda obtained
screams from the audience when walking
down the runways due to his hair flip that
stirred up the audience. Midori Dowdie, Cuar-
tas, and Joyce were just a few who rocked the
audience with their scandalous outfits. Other
models sporting the classic looks were from
Natalie Clerger, Chauhan, Rym Soltani, Hines,
Kisla Rami, Roache, Anna DeSantana, Blanc,
Tra’Kiya England, Kerri Shuman, Briany Wy-
lie, Deanna Smith, and Huy Le.
With the night coming to a close, Andy
Lam, Kyra Savlidis, Johnson, and Jerome
hosted the final scene of the night titled “An
Enchanted Evening.” The audience, however,
was more than enchanted with the gorgeous
dresses and tuxedos modeled by the MHS
seniors. The females modeled dresses ranging
from short and black such as Rami’s, to ani-
mal-printed such as DeSantana’s, to long and
elegant such as Savlidis’. The MHS boys struck
the audience with their classy tuxedos and
received numerous cheers when each of them
LOCAL news 11
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
MHS Play Production
Kaela Bryan
Reporter
continued from front page
some pieces of dialogue were reworked a little,
and minor alterations were made to the projection
screen. In general, however, there was no drastic
rewriting done to the show.
The cast and crew were understandably on
edge before it was their turn, though no one was
unusually nervous. For the most part, they were
“anxious and ready to go,” said Sean Walsh, direc-
tor of American Land. “We tried our best to keep
the energy up. We even did an impromptu perfor-
mance the morning of [the final round].”
Previously, the play evoked a variety of
reactions from multiple audiences, including ex-
citement and astonishment, sprinkled with some
laughter and even a little abhorrence here and
there. At Finals, the audience seemed less accept-
ing of the play as it was performed, however in
the end the play was received well.
“We could sense some unease in the audience
with the subject matter, but overall, the effect was
positive,” said Walsh. “Other students and direc-
tors enjoyed the piece and the response was strong
and powerful. There was a bit of disappointment
[when our play was not chosen to move on], but
there was also some sense of relief. We have been
working on this show since December, and with
the public support and support from the com-
munity, we had already felt we had achieved so
much.”
pulled a single rose from their tuxedo for who
Interestingly, part of the reason that Ameri-
the female they were paired with. All models
can Land was not chosen to move forward was
included Shakira Young, Dunn, Saraphinah
because of a certain critique from the judges. “The
Charles, Steve Shiwala, Wylie, Blanc, Ashley
judges did have some very valid moments of praise
Powers, Valley, Hope, Miranda, Soltani, Cha-
and some insightful criticism on our ensemble
bre, Johnson, Jerome, Rami, Velez, Donisca,
work and acting,” asserted Walsh. “However, one
Lam, Mohamed, Maurose, and Howe.
judge noted, and I am paraphrasing, that the fence
To conclude the successful night, Presi-
scene was too difficult for the audience to handle,
dent Shuman lend a big thank you to class ad-
and that the final moments were too emotional.
visor and health teacher Arlene Ceppetelli for
… There was also a note about the not being able
her dedication, as well as several other teach-
to understand the Spanish. These are frustrating
ers who helped make the class shine on stage.
comments because the intensity, the use of foreign
Shuman stated “I could not be more proud
language, and the rawness of the piece were all of
of how it all turned out and [the students]
our intentions. These are trademarks of the type of
made me feel very proud to be the leader of
theater we were hoping to achieve.”
their class.” The end of the night also brought
Certainly, these notes are unsettling, especial-
a sentimental feeling to the seniors with the
ly for our multicultural community. Is it possible
realization that the fashion show was their last
that perhaps the judges were uncomfortable with
major event at MHS. Jerome stat- e d
how true and diverse the play was? There is no
“[These] moments [are the ones]
doubt that this question was running through the
that I’ll remem- b e r
minds of American Land’s cast and crew. Walsh,
forever, and they
however, was quick to dispel any ideas that the
only serve to
notes were discriminatory or racist. He stated that
accentuate the
“these judges simply had a divergent aesthetic.”In
camaraderie
other words, it just so happened that the judges
that was
that day had different artistic values. “I think
estab-
three judges on three different days would have
lished
selected three different shows.”
b e -
“I tell them,” declared Walsh, “that I am
tween
proud of them all of the time – and I am. But the
us over
one thing I think I want them to know is that
the past
they will not realize the magnitude of this play
four years;
for many years. One day, they will be in a college
a camara-
dorm or at a coffee shop talking to someone about
derie that
high school theater, and the other person will say,
ultimately
‘So, what kind of shows did you do high school?’
allowed us
And they will start talking about American Land:
to become
the music, the percussion, the stories, the scene
the class of
with the fence, the slide projections. And then
2011.”
maybe, in talking about it, they will realize that
for a few months in 2011 they were involved in
and created a production that sought to make the
world a little bit better, and – more importantly –
that they did.”
12
LOCAL news
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
JUNIOR
VARIETIES
LIVE Reginah Sanyu
Head Entertainment Writer
Brittany McFeeley
Head Copy Editor
continued from front page
awkward because we had school the
next day,” senior Donald Ha stated.
Seager commented, “The switch in
dates was a last minute change that
occurred due to the advancement
of the Play Production class in their
Drama Fest competition, affecting
the Junior Variety timing because al-
most half of the cast was in the Play
Production class.
Yet in the end, Thursday
worked out great.” Sophomore
Christy Ringdahl captured the senti-
ments of the cast best when she said,
“[We] expected less people to come
because it was on a Thursday but
the audience was a big crowd.”
The show opened with a hu-
morous video clip made by junior
Kiara Amos, who was inspired by
the idea by introducing all of the
Junior Variety members just as that
of the cast of SNL. Ranging from
cute smiles for the camera to suspi-
ciously fishing for props, with small
humorous scenes such as principle
Dana Brown catching junior Sher-
ley Jules riding in the elevator, the
video was a great way to begin the
traditional show.
The junior class president and
vice-president, Nina Ho and Harris
Zhao, then spoke about what was
to come, leaving audience members
excited for the acts that followed.
The first set of host and hostesses
consisted of juniors Kiara Amos,
Roxana Chavez and Andres Torres,
who were constantly cracking jokes
and subtly using the title of the next
act in their script. At some point, it
seemed like a debate was going on.
It focused on such topics such as
why boys decide not to call or text
back, as well as problems within a
relationship such as that between
Chavez and Torres, who portrayed
a couple which kept on breaking up
and getting back together. This was
a clever idea because it kept the au-
dience engaged and on the edge of
their seats for the next performance,
as many of the students in the crowd
felt as though they could relate.
Some of the acts in the first
half of the show included Airbound
which featured juniors Valentine
Banor, Michelle Le, Justin Pham,
Andrew Phu and Kieshwan Rot-
tana and a dual performance of the
popular song “Hey Soul Siister” by
Train sung by sophomores Crystal
Araiza and Christy Ringdahl. Fol-
lowing this was a skit inspired by
the film Black Swan.
In this skit, junior Nesline Exil
was dressed in all black and clearly
emphasized that she was “Not the
The Blue and Gold
April 2011
black swan, but a black duck!” The
humours skit had the audience
laughing and cheering as she danced
and pranced around the stage bois-
terously. Other acts included a per-
formance of the song “Hero” origi-
nally performed by Mariah Carey,
sung by junior Quennie Jean, and a
performance of Frankie J’s hit song
“Don’t Want to Try” by senior Jackie
Tran who was escorted by his fellow
senior friends, Tuan Phan and junior
Andy Fang (Pok).
A memorable solo act was
performed by junior Carli Bellmer,
who sang Katy Perry’s popular
song “Firework”. With the help of
Paul Famiglietti and the new tech-
nology recently established in the
auditorium, her performance lit up
the stage behind her as projected
fireworks exploded and filled the
stage. “It was fun and I benefited a
lot,” Bellmer stated.
Junior Jeffriel Litchenburg
brought some of his rapping talents
to the stage with his version of “Col-
lide” by Howie Day. “I loved the
experience; I am a teen rapper so
my songs should relate to how I am
feeling.” He also added that “[he]
connected reality with the beat and
the words just flew to [his] head.”
Bellmer and Litchenburg
brought their talents together with
a dual performance of “Love the
Way You Lie Part 2” by Rihanna and
Eminem. “Working with Carli was
great,” Litchenburg said. The first
half of the show ended with one of
The Blue and Gold
April 2011
the most powerful acts of the night,
as the famous single “Imagine”
by John Lennon was spectacularly
performed by sophomore Hannah
Calderone, bringing together all of
the members of the cast around her
on stage. “ It was really powerful,”
stated senior class president Kerri
Shuman.
After a short fifteen minute in-
termission, the crowd rushed back to
their seats to see the rest of the acts.
The second part of the show was
hosted by juniors Tamisha Claude,
Nesline Exil, and Jules. The local
MHS band Super Fast Jellyfish, SFJF,
returned after having performed in
the show last year, and opened as
the first performance of the second
part of the show.
They performed their version
of “Umbrella” by Rihanna, adding
a rock edge to the hit single. The
band consists of juniors Dylan Sad-
owski and Franky Miranda playing
the guitar, junior Mathew Weldai,
playing the keyboard, senior Bruce
Palmer playing the drums, and lead
singer senior Nick DiLeo, who all
put on a great performance as even
the crowd sang along.
“The song was better than the
original idea we had, [which was]
to sing ‘Tik Tok’ by Woe is Me,”
DiLeo stated. “I think we did pretty
well, the crowd seemed to enjoy
it,” commented Sadowski, adding
how it was unfortunately their last
band performance due to DiLeo’s
and Palmer’s graduation this year.
LOCAL news
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
DiLeo mentioned that the ending of
the group is “sad, but growing up is
a part of life” and that they “had fun
while [they] could and took advan-
tage of every minute.”
Similarly, it was also possibly
the last show of Replay, a dance
group consisting of seniors Patricia
Aguinaldo, Ivy Bui, Andrew Chen,
Jonathan Sit, Donald Ha, and Jackie
Tran along with junior Danielle
Aguinaldo. Another act consisted
of siblings freshman Cori Malone
and senior Patrick Malone who per-
formed “Fifteen” by Taylor Swift.
Patrick Malone commented, “Being
on stage was really fun; I enjoyed
it because I liked entertaining the
crowd,” adding that “[he] would
love to do it again.”
Shuman,after watching the
performance stated, “Patrick and
his sister were so cute. She really did
look like Taylor Swift.” Some of the
other acts in the second half includ-
ed: “I Need You Bad” by Jazmine
Sullivan performed by senior Ke-
mira Jones and “For Good” from the
famous musical Wicked, performed
by sophomores Elizabeth Fitzgerald
and Marissa Wofsey. Another act
included sophomores Crystal Ara-
iza, Jonathan Drapinski, and junior
Weldai who performed a skit called
Four Chords which poked fun at the
music industry and how a major-
ity of pop hits are created from the
same four chords. “I found the four
chords act to be very funny,” junior
Edmund Fisher commented.
13
Junior Matteo Pocobene also
enjoyed this performance stating
that, “It was a really innovative
act and it brought attention to the
flaws of mainstream music today.”
Sophisticated Fly Steppers, or SFS,
was a group of girls who performed
a self-choreographed step routine.
“[We] got together because [we]
love to step and in the process, made
strong bonds and relationships with
one another just because of the com-
mon interest that we all had,” senior
Britney Joseph stated. She also
added that “the name was a group
effort, [as it showed] characteristics
and qualities that we all carry.”
As the weekend winded down
and students of all grades continued
to talk within the halls, it was clear
that the junior class had delivered
a great show, keeping the tradition
of Junior Varieties being a night of
great performances.
“They had a good show, [and]
the hosts were great, as they were
funny,” proudly stated MHS princi-
pal Dana Brown. “Despite the sched-
uling and snow days, the show was
amazing. MHS kids got grit!” Sea-
ger commented joyously. The Junior
Varieties show each year, either on a
school night or a weekend, is a guar-
anteed time for students and faculty
to have fun and unwind during the
performances, put on by their fellow
peers and students at MHS.
Photos by Catherine Poirier and Lau-
ren Benoit. Collage by Brittany Foley.
14
The Blue and Gold
LOCAL news April 2011
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

Malden High School Fine

Above: A self portrait done on a piece

Above: A self portrait created by using dif- of newspaper print. Artist Ekatelina
ferent art techniques. Artist Crystal Araiza. Taunora.

Above: A photograph of a bicycle cap-

turing different uses of lines. Artist
Anthony Amaral.
Above: A creation of paper and pens on a sim-
ple sheet of paper. Artist Thupten Jigme.
The Blue and Gold
April 2011 LOCAL news 15
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

Arts Department presents:

Above: A portrait using light and dark

shades of the color blue. Artist Alison Above: A group of origami paper cranes
Nguyen. arranged in a sunburst. Artist Lung
Yang.

Above: A realistic drawing of a crinkled

toothpaste bottle. Artist Thupten Jigme

Above: A drawing of donuts by using

different medias. Artist Angela Lozada.
16
mhs band and choir earns silver medals
Vicki Ngan Amanda Rosatone
Reporter Reporter
E nergy levels were high on April
8, 2011 at the Massachusetts In-
strumental and Choral Conductors
Association Competition. During
the competition, the Malden High
School chorus and concert band per-
formed at various locations across
Massachusetts.
The day started at 7:30 in the
morning as members of the chorus
were eagerly waiting to get on the
bus that would take them to the
Coakley Middle School in Norwood.
On the clock and timed, the chorus
group had repeatedly warmed up
once they reached their destination,
hitting some low and high notes.
They were able to rehearse each of
their songs one last time before go-
ing up on stage.
The stage was set and the chorus
was granted their silent atmosphere
and observing judges. Dawned in
formal black and walking in with
pride, they were anxious and excited
as they competed against different
schools from across the state with
chorus instructor Todd Cole guiding
them. Performing in two groups, the
concert choir and the madrigals, the
MHS chorus won two awards. The
talented MHS concert choir won
their silver medal with Rest by Tim-
othy Jon Tharaldson, Last Words of
David by Randall Thompson, and
Prsi Prsi by Miroslav Hronek. The
madrigals, who went on later in the
afternoon, entered the stage with
determination and won themselves
a bronze medal with Flora Gave Me
The Blue and Gold
Local News April 2011
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
Fairest Flowers by John Wilby, Weep
Oh My Eyes by John Bennett, and
Montona Mia Cara by Orlando di
Lasso.
“I thought concert choir didn’t
perform as well as we could have,
but, in the end, we got a silver medal
and Cole couldn’t have been more
proud of us,” stated concert choir
member and MHS junior Daniel
Glynn. Though pleasantly surprised
by the concert choir’s success, presi-
dent of concert choir Kevin Joyce
was “upset by the madrigals [not
meeting expectations].”
In addition to the chorus, the
MHS band, who performed their
percussion ensemble during the
winter in the New England Scho-
lastic Band Association and won a
high score, took part in the MICCA
competition as well.
The MHS concert band per-
formed at Foxborough High School
in Foxborough, MA. In preparation
of this day, the group went through
countless hours of practice and had
a high determination to do well.
Grinding in after-school practices
and personal self improvement,
band instructor Matthew Tavares
stressed its importance. Building
up to their big day, this gave them
the motivation and confidence they
needed to bring their all to the stage
and produce their harmonious clas-
sical pieces. Tavares expected noth- Top photo: MHS concert choir sings on stage in Coakley Middle School in
ing from them, save to “just play Norwoord. Bottom Photo: MHS conductor Tavares leads the band during
well.” With these words of inspira- MICCA competition. Photo by Vicki Ngan and Amanda Rosatone
tion the group went on stage to pre-
form three of their best played songs, and Abram’s Pursuit by David Hols- far from perfect but we did well to
being Brighton’s Beach by William inger. After the judge’s deliberation, achieve MICCA’s silver ‘excellent
P. Latham, On a Hymm Song of the MHS band left the competition performance’ medal,” band member
Philip Bliss by David Holsinger, winning the silver medal, which is junior Kevin Chan explained.
their first in band history. “We were
The Blue and Gold
April 2011 Style 17
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
FASHION FROM A BOY’S VIEW:
THE SHOE ADDICTION

Reginah Sanyu Photos taken by Reginah Sanyu

specific moments in their lives. If
Head Entertainment Writer there is a party to attend, a girl will Girls are stereotyped into hav- about their shoes that one scratch,
buy a pair. If one just won an award, ing a better appreciation of fashion; one smudge, can send them over the

I t is not a secret that the female

gender tends to love fashion more
than the male gender. From shoes,
to dresses, jewelry, to make-up, to
shoes and back to shoes, girls tend to
love them all. While the boys, well,
they have video games and sneak-
ers. Girls understand that an outfit
is only complete with the perfect
pair of shoes. For instance, when
one is planning their prom dress to
be green, the shoes will not be just a
random color like orange. However,
guys too know about fashion; they
just have their own way of looking
at it, especially when it comes to
shoes.
Before boys go on and accuse
girls of being obsessed with shoes,
they need to understand that girls
are emotionally attached to their
shoes; How else would prince
charming have found Cinderella if it
was not for her glass slipper? Girls
associate their shoes with events,
buying not just at random but at
she might celebrate with shoes. If a
girl’s boyfriend breaks up with her,
she will over indulge and buy her-
self an array of pumps and heels.
Guys, on the other hand, look
at shoes differently. “Boys like one
general type like Jordans and Nikes
but girls just like shoes,” stated se-
nior Kensley Metellus. “Girls like
shoes because of the stylist. Guys
just buy shoes.” Senior Joshua Je-
rome supported guys by saying,
“As a man, it is important to note
that our options are vastly limited
when compared to women’s and yet
opportunity to excel stylistically is
nonetheless available.” “But design-
ers are introducing shoes for men in
various colors and styles,” he con-
cluded. “I love soccer shoes because
I have been playing soccer since I
was a kid,” stated senior Michael
Rincon. “If I was to choose between
shoes and a girl, it would be close
although the shoes would probably
win.” Rincon humorously added.
however the boys take their shoe
game seriously as well. For exam-
ple, guys are willing to spend a ton
of money on just a pair of sneakers
that they will only wear with just
one shirt because it matches with
the shoes. “I have been collecting
sneakers since I was 11 years old.
My highest collection was eighty-
five pairs but I sold most of them,
leaving me with about twenty pairs
now,” stated recovering shoe addict
senior Frankie Wong. The sad truth
is that this does not make Wong
crazy since it is normal for a guy to
have that many shoes, each with a
cost well over $100. Although the
vintage shoes are very fashionable,
it is the rare, hard to find, custom
designed sneakers that build excite-
ment. “The best shoes are not found
in the mall. This makes them more
appealing,” commented senior
Marco Jean. “If I had the budget, I
would be buying shoes until my feet
fall off.” These guys are so serious
edge.
Does this mean that there
will be more boys refusing to walk
because of terror of dirtying their
shoes? What is even the point of
buying shoes that you don’t want to
wear? This is the major difference
between the girls’ and guys’ obses-
sion with shoes: girls are not afraid
to make their shoes dirty while the
boys “treat their shoes better than
they treat girls”. How far should
this and will this obsession go? “It
is alright to splurge and get shoes if
you wish. Men love shoes too,” af-
firmed Jerome.
If the fashion constitution (that
has yet to be written even if the
world desperately needs it to exist)
had an article on shoes it would cer-
tainly need to not only incorporate
a girl’s view but a guy’s one as well.
Clearly, when it comes to shoes,
guys are just as passionate, and
perhaps even more careful, as their
female counterparts.

Flower prints bloom spring trends

Rebecca Broomstein
Reporter

T his past summer, something

spectacular happened to the
fashion world that had changed the
way we look at floral prints.
It all began with the skirts.
Skirts have been a cute and feminine
trend for years now, and recently,
they have introduced an even more
universal style craze. Up until re-
cently, people have tended to stray
away from this print. It was seen as
more of an old-fashioned fashion;
grandmother-esque, if you will.
We see a flowery print, we think of
wallpaper, or your mother’s apron,
or that quilt you’ve been keeping in
your closet ever since you changed
your bedroom when you were nine.
Last summer transformed the
print’s outdated reputation into a
new appealing, antiquated design.
After the skirt, came the dress. Soon
enough, everything was floral. From
shirts, to scarves, to cardigans, shoes
and anything else that is wearable.
At first, people were very hesi-
tant to approach this style. It was
bold and new, just as any passing
trend. It was just like the return of
the 70’s fashion. Although fashion
tends to be about being bold and
going to the extreme, take Lady
Gaga for example. It is really not
very easy to wear even just a plain
white t-shirt without having any
muse. That is why the prints had to
hit the runway because let us face it,
when something is being worn on
the runway; it is then all of a sud-
den a fashion must have. Not long
after this, floral prints bloomed
into all the stores in different colors
and designs. This only meant one
thing, anything floral was a must
have, even if it meant having just a
floral pair of socks. People quickly
learned how effortless wearing this
beautiful pattern is. They come in
all styles, making the trend easily
attainable while looking chic at the
same time.
Springtime is a very fresh and
light season; while the weather,
the trees and flowers blossom back
from a very long cold winter, this
also makes it the perfect time to
lighten up our wardrobes while get-
ting inspiration from the beautiful
weather. It is that time of year, again,
to pack away those lovely heavy
winter coats and break out skirts
and billowing dresses, celebrating
the season with a gorgeous flower
pattern.
Thank this spring season for
introducing a new way to incorpo- Photo caption: Sophomores Michelle Dang and Crystal Araiza show off
rate prints into everyday style. their trendy style. Photos by Rebecca Broomstein.
18
THE EASTER BUNNY HOPS
Jacob Martino
Reporter
INTO HOLLYWOOD
U niversal Pictures’ new animat-
ed movie “Hop” was released
across the United States on April
1, 2011. Hop was directed by Tim
Hill who directed Alvin and the
Chipmunks. The movie is rated as
a PG movie because of some mild
and rude humor. Hop is about the
son of the Easter Bunny, E.B who
was voiced by comedian and actor
Russell Brand, and his pursuit to
become a world famous drummer.
Right before E.B’s father was going
to give him the title of the Easter
bunny, he decided to run away to
Hollywood to chase his dream be-
cause bunnies have dreams of mak-
ing it big in Hollywood.
E.B simply did not want to be
the Easter bunny because of how
perfect the Easter bunny had to be.
He meets Fred played by James
Marsden; who is a no caring slacker
still living with his parents because
he has not found the job that is per-
fect for him. Fred decides to take
him in after he accidentally injures
E.B on his way to house sit his sis-
ter’s boss house. Although E.B and
Fred do not hit off well because he
thought that talking to a bunny is a
ALBUM REVIEW: VICES & VIRTUES
Rebecca Broomstein
Reporter
P anic! at the Disco’s highly-antici-
pated album, Vices & Virtues, hit
music vendors, including iTunes, all
over the country, on Mar. 22, 2011.
After Vices & Virtues’ single,
The Ballad of Mona Lisa, had teased
fans with an early iTunes debut, on
Feb. 1, 2011, many were left craving
more of the gothic, yet vivacious,
beats that were bound to bless the
rest of the album. The song im-
mediately claimed #1 on iTunes’
“Top Alternative Songs” chart, and
remained in the top 10 for weeks,
afterward. Its music video had re-
ceived even greater success, retain-
ing the #1 title on iTunes’ “Top Alter-
native Music Videos,” and getting
over 120,000 streams on MTV.com,
within a week. By Mar. 10, 2011,
the video had been granted around
3,000,000 views on the band’s record
label, Fueled By Ramen’s official
Youtube channel.
Despite the tease, the album’s
release was definitely worth the
agonizing wait. The album arrived,
surprising audiences with its fresh
and animated quality. Following
the band’s second album, Pretty.
Odd., gives Vices & Virtues imme-
diate props, for that album did not
receive much attention. It’s organic
and melodious tone did not catch
the ears of many original fans.
They were more attracted
The Blue and Gold
Entertainment April 2011
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
little bit insane which it is, Fred later
realizes that the magic of the Easter
bunny is real after he remembers
seemed to enjoy it. Es-
pecially the part when
Fred’s sister played by
seeing the Easter bunny hiding eggs Kaley Cuoco mistakes
when he was a little boy. E.B’s droppings for
Back where E.B is from, Eas- jelly beans which the
ter Island there is a power craving audience found very
chicken Carlos voiced by Hank Az- funny. The movie was
aria who wants to take over Easter. quite successful in the
Carlos is just tired of always being Box Office making
number two after the Easter bunny. $37,543,710 in the first
He was always angry because he weekend release, and
thought that he loved and respected making $21.7 million
Easter more than E.B. So there is no the second weekend
more Easter bunny and it’s the Eas- keeping those at the
ter Chick. It was more like the chick number one spot for
revolution. As the movie progresses, the second week in a
E.B starts to realize that he is not row. The movie is a 1
meant to be a drummer, but his real hour and 35 minutes
calling is to take his father’s spot as of pure family fun.
the Easter bunny. Now E.B and Fred Hop portrayed
have to get back to Easter Island in the importance of
a race against the clock attempt and dreaming and pur-
save Easter from all the chickens in suing dreams, even
an epic battle. though one is a talking
From start to finish the bunny who “poops”
movie had the audience into the candy. With Easter
movie, it was a great family movie around the corner,
for anyone to see. Although some hop reminded us the
parts may have been a little racy magic of Easter while doing well in
for a PG movie, the audience really the box office.
to their clas-
sic spirited
and energetic
music of their
first
A Fever You
Can’t
album,
Sweat
Out. This was
their most suc-
cessful, so far,
receiving dou-
ble platinum
certification
by the Record-
ing Industry
Association of
America. Its hit
single, “I Write
Sins, Not Trag-
edies” reached
#13 on the U.S.
Billboard 200.
Along with
reaching #13 on
the charts, the
song remained
on the charts
for six weeks,
perfectly. ativity without the lyrics of fellow
an incredible accomplishment in
Although the band has seen its member, Ryan Ross. Although Ross
itself.
share of success, their journey is not never returned to the band, Bren-
One thing the band decided to
easy in any stretch of the word, as don Urie, lead vocalist, and Spencer
bring back is the exclamation point
they have faced adversity at many Smith , drummer, were able to find
in their name. It was omitted for
different times. For example, July of a creative balance in their song writ-
their Pretty. Odd. album, most likely
2009, the band broke up because of ing, and produce the music that is
because the excitement and hyper
artistic differences. After the break- still reaching top charts to this day.
tone that follows said punctuation
up, the band could not produce mu-
was irrelevant to that calmer album.
sic of the same caliber, as it was seen Above: Panic! at the Disco mem-
The beloved exclamation point cer-
by most as generic, and simply not bers Spencer Smith, drummer, and
tainly does Vices & Virtues justice,
the same. This generic style of music Brendon Urie, vocalist.
for it fits the original, up-beat music
was largely due to the lack of cre-
The Blue and Gold
April 2011
“the Greatest 0-6 team ever”
Natalie Fallano
Copy Editor
S o far it does not look like a good
season for Red Sox Nation to buy
anything from Jordan’s Furniture,
the way the season is currently go-
ing. With their worst start since
1945, they are currently 2-8, the op-
posite of what everyone expected at
the beginning of the season.
Excitement and eagerness
gripped Sox fans from the early
trades of the off season to the start
of Spring Training in Fort Myers.
Since early December, Sox fans
throughout New England have been
eagerly watching the newest up-
dates of sports center, seeing which
big name ball club just threw down
twenty million dollars in which big
name first basemen or high sought
after rookie. With new additions as
well as healthy returning players,
the Sox seemed to be in a perfect po-
sition to make a historic run at their
first World Series in three years.
The Sox were one of those
teams, acquiring new players like
the well known speedster and left
fielder Carl Crawford, a four time
All Star and four time Stolen Base
Champion. With a healthy Jacoby
Ellsbury in center field alongside
Crawford, the entire outfield should
be covered from the left field foul
pole to the right. Another new play-
er, first baseman Adrian Gonzalez,
a three time all star and two time
golden glove winner hopes to make
an impact to the team this season.
He is expected to provide strong
defense, as well as a strong bat.
Although the team got off to
a very shaky start, their worst one
since 2001 to be more precise, there
is still very little doubt that the
team will not be major competitors
on the American league, and all of
the money the Red Sox dropped on
high profile players will prove to be
useful acquisitions. With names like
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Jon Lester,
Clay Buchholz, Crawford, and Gon-
zalez, let alone the legend knuckle-
baller Tim Wakefield now in the
in the bullpen line-up, it is nearly
Sports 19
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
impossible to imagine
a ball club bringing
their early season jit-
ters into the important
months of September
and December.
The team’s fist
road trip of the season
did not go to well, but
the Sox hope to make
an impact when thy
returned home to
Fenway. There oppo-
nent on opening day
was no other then the
New York Yankees,
who they share the
most historic rivalry
in sports history. The
Yankees and Sox are
both in the American
League East which is
considered to be the
toughest division in
the major leagues due
to their being so many
strong team. Almost
always does an AL east
team achieve the wild-
card to make it into the
playoffs.
The 99th opening
day took place on April
9, 2011, in the afternoon
with the usual ceremony
including the national
anthem, F-16 s zoom-
ing over the field and
Red Sox legend Johnny
Pesky announcing,
“Let’s play ball.” There
were the usual boos by boston
fans when unpopular play-
ers like Alex Rodriguez and
Derek Jeter were introduced .
The sox offense hit it up early,
with second basemen Dustin
Pedroia hammered a homer
over the Green Monster in the
first inning, igniting the spak
the team was in deep need
of. Pedroia would go 3-for- 5
with three RBIs), Gonzalez
went 2-for-5 scoring two runs
and David Ortiz went 2-for-4.
veteran John Lackey started
the game but only lasted 5 in-
nings, not one
his best per-
formances.
He was out-
shined by the The next night was not as suc- striking out powerhouse Mark Tex-
bullpen of Alfredo cessful. Clay Buchholz started the iera in the ninth inning, lifting the
Aceves, Bobby Jen- game, who started and ended shaky. hopes of Boston players and fans
ks, Daniel Bard and Since his no-hitter in 2007, he hasn’t alike.
Jonathan Papelbon made much of an impact during the The Sox hope to change history
who combined to last three seaosns. Red Sox pitching this year since no team to start a sea-
pitch four shutout gave up four homers, losing 9-4 Yan- son 0-6 has ever gone to the World
innings. The Sox kees. Sunday night, the last game of Series. They have a good chance at
came out with a the series, Sox ace Josh Beckett was doing this since they may just be
9-6 victory over the on the mound and pitched eight ”the greatest 0-6 team ever” with a
Yankees, and were impressive shutout innings. Closer lineup and bullpen like theirs.
ecstatic about it. Jonathon Papelbon ended the night
”I’ve never seen a
Top right Dustin Pedroia tags out a Texas player trying to steal a bas. Middle
team so happy to
catecher Jarrod Saltalamacchia dives forward to catch a pop up behind the
be 1-6,” explained
plate. Bottom baserunner Jacoby Ellsbury called out after trying to steal a
manager Terry
base against Texas. Bottom left Jon Lester in his wind up. Photo Courtesy of
Francona, accord-
MCT Campus.
ing to mlb.com.
20
The Blue and Gold
Sports April 2011
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

Crew Rows to Success NFL Lock Out

Alfonse Femino
Lauren Benoit
Head Sports Writer
Head of Photography

T his year’s crew

team starts off
S unday afternoon, sitting back
in the recliner with a bowl of
nachos, some popcorn, and some
strong with a power- soda, and flipping through televi-
ful training base to sion channels on to re-runs of jer-
spring them into the sey shore, or even worse, a soccer
new season. This game. Now that the National Foot-
season, however, did ball League has entered an official
not start on March lock-out, this horrible, unforeseen
21, 2011 like most imagination could very well be
spring sports, as the a cruel reality in just a few short
dedicated members months. Unless either the players
of the team started union of the NFL can reach a col-
their training back in lective bargaining agreement, or
fall. Their pre-season the billionaire team owners can re-
exercises focused alize that a few more billion dollars
on building their in their bank account will hardly
strength and endur- make an effect on them.
ance months before The main reason for the
they even had the lockout is that after the 2010 sea-
opportunity to feel an The crew team practicing their rowing out on the Malden River. Photos by Rebecca Broom- son, team owners throughout the
oar flowing through thestein. league decided that it would be in
water, or the cool breeze their pockets’ best interest to extend
of the Malden river blowing into by the members. Though it is not an has faced was the budget funding the normal 16 game seasons to 18
their faces. actual verb, whenever it is raining cuts. The crew team is no longer games. With the extra two games
The rigorous practices the outside the team travels to Somer- considered by the Massachusetts on the schedule, the team owners
members of the team take part in ville to the erghouse. An erghouse Interscholastic Athletic Association, would profit enormously, because
include running on land, running is a room full of erg machines that or Malden High School as a varsity with two more games comes two
up and down stairs, thoroughly simulate the movements of rowing sport, but as a club sport instead. more opportunities to fill thirty
keeping their bodies conditioned, when one is not able to get out on Luckily the members of the crew thousand plus stadiums with eager
“erging”, and when the weather is the water. It is the movement of the team are treated as though they are fans. With these extra two games
responsive, regular rowing prac- legs and arms combined to mirror on a varsity sport, as they receive a in the regular season schedule, the
tices out on the Mystic River. Unlike the strenuous workout one endures varsity credit, and other privileges of players would not receive any ex-
other schools, the crew team trains while rowing out on the water. being on a varsity sport, including a tra extensions on their checks.
and practices in multiple differ- One setback of being on a crew gym waver. Due to the recent health NFL has seen its share of
ent locations, each facility having team in New England is that the changes at MHS, candy sales are no schedule changes. In 1978, for ex-
a specific skill to develop. MHS weather is often not steady enough longer allowed to occur during the ample, the normal 14-game sched-
biology teacher and coach Shauna to row one day, and the next the school day. The candy sales was the ule was increased to 16 games.
Campbell, along with members of water will be perfectly calm. This biggest fundraiser for the club, and However in this settlement the
the team, often go to gyms to work inconsistency often sets the training now the crew team as well as many players saw an increase in their
with weights, training their muscles, back for the crew team. However, other of MHS sports and clubs will salaries, so the process went much
and build strength. Also, the team the members do not let this adver- have to seek alternatives to fundrais- more smoothly, and did not esca-
spends countless hours working on sity slow them down, as they work ing. late into a lockout.
bikes, thus building their stamina, to on conditioning, and doing rowing Despite the setbacks because of Some players feel as though
withstand the long, strenuous work exercises when they can’t be on the the inclement weather and the lack they are entitled to more money
that goes into competitive rowing. water inside rather than out. As the of funding, the team refuses to allow with the extra two games, while
Also, the most challenging of season gets further into spring, the this lack of acknowledgement to others, including New England Pa-
all, the crew teams training schedule members look forward to being able interfere with their work ethic, and triots quarterback Tom Brady, and
often consists of running up and to row every single day, without desire to earn medals, and prove Indianapolis Colts quarterback
down the steps of Harvard Stadium, the worry rain, or even snow some- themselves as a worth crew team. Peyton Manning feel that the extra
an exercise that can truly separate times, causing choppy waters, and They keep their spirits up, and their games will take too much of a toll
the boys and girls from the men and forcing the team indoors where they oars rowing towards another suc- on the body.
women, and the average athletes must work on simulation exercises, cessful season. Their great strides of This is an extremely legitimate
from the dedicated crew athletes. rather than get the actual experience ambition will hopefully lead them excuse against the 18-game sched-
“Erging” is a word commonly used of rowing on the water. to great success and victory in the ule, because by about week 14
Some of the setbacks the team future. players are at their wits end from
a season of smashing heads and
weightlifting, and adding eight
more quarters could have serious
consequences physically.
At this point in time, the fu-
ture of the NFL is just about at its
bleakest stage since the one-month
lockout of 1987, or of course until
officials basically told linebackers
not to hit so as to prevent concus-
sions back in October.
Whichever way the collective
bargaining agreement turns, there
is one thing that will remain cer-
tain. America is a country that is
struggling with the economy and
multiple wars, and in a country that
does not have much to get excited
about, those three hours on Sunday
afternoons are not something that
we as a country can afford to lose.
The Blue and Gold
April 2011 Sports 21
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

Testing Their Skills

is a significant purpose of why a season
Vicki Ngan
person would join a sport, and sub- on a
Reporter sequently, this purpose remains im- g o o d
portant when a person wants to win note,”

T he Malden High School boys

tennis team is hyped up with
high expectations about this season
with their returning talents. Only
one game away from the Greater
Boston League title last year, they
are anxious for their results this sea-
son. If the team wins GBLs this year,
this will be the first time in more
than 50 years.
Since the team consists primar-
ily of seniors and well seasoned
juniors and sophomores, it is well
rounded and strong. Adjusting
to modifications and the rainy
weather, the team is off with a
fresh start with a new coach after
the departure of English teacher
Joshua Titcomb, MHS math teacher
Berenice Diaz and senior captains
Andrew DeLacey and Jackie Tran.
Ambitious and nervous about the
upcoming games, Diaz loves tennis
herself, and her desire to spread the
love of tennis to other people has
brought her to the boys tennis team.
She is able to share this feeling with
members on the team already, many
of whom have loved tennis from
when they were younger. “When
I’m playing tennis, it feels like I’m in
another world, driven and ready to
compete,” explained Tran.
To maintain a healthy, fit body
as well. Understanding this value, a
priority in their practice schedule is
conditioning, which will help them
“physically get to where [they] need
to be,” explained Diaz. By training
the team with lots of extensive run-
ning and drills, “she’s doing a good
job preparing us for the seasons
ahead,” senior co-captain DeLacey
stated.
In addition to getting physi-
cally ready, honing their skills is
important as well. They plan for the
battles ahead by holding spirited
challenge matches among their large
team. The competitions between
each player are intense, thus there
are talented players in varsity spots.
“I think we’re pretty good,” Diaz
stated confidently. And although
it has been raining for the last few
days before their game, their mind-
set is as strong as ever as the team
practiced indoors before their first
of many matches.
Up against North Reading
High School on April 8, 2011, their
first away game, the team optimisti-
cally looked forward to their match.
“In previous years, North Reading
has been a tough match, but this
year we’re feeling confident about
the line-up and hope to start off the
DeLac-
ey clari-
fied. On
the day
of their
match,
t h e
t e a m
walked
on the
playing
ground
w i t h
deter-
mina-
The boys tennis team with Coach Berenice Diaz strategizing
tion. As
t h e i rbefore practice. Photo by Omar Khoshafa.
game rolled by, the team won, 3-2, Rindge and Boston Latin High
making their current record 1-0. School teams, which have always
They scored with their first two sin- had capable players in the past. Im-
gles and their second double. “I was proving themselves along the way,
impressed by their level of support “double players have to keep each
and enthusiasm with each other,” other motivated and single players
beamed Diaz. Moral support is a have to stay mentally tough,” Tran
is a major factor in tennis, whether commented. The team will have to
you play singles or doubles, and work on their first serves and hav-
Diaz was amazed by how the team ing control over their points as well.
cheered each other on and asked Their next game will be on April 12,
about how each other was doing. 2011, against Boston Latin Academy.
The team has achieved their Anticipating a great season
first victory of the season, but they this year, MHS boys tennis team
agreed that their major challenges continues to practice diligently and
will most likely be the Cambridge eagerly for the future matches.

Serving Success on the Court

tinues to show her
dedication in joining
senior captains Dani-
elle Ton, Ivy Bui, and
Nguyen in captain’s
practices, which are
mainly focused on
conditioning the
team for the season.
The girls workeded
on foot work, serves,
volley, strokes, and
created strategies.
Due to the
weather, this year
the conditions of
the court were not
suitable for the team
to practice. Unfor- From left to right: sophomore Lisa DeLacey returning a serve to her opponent dur-
tunately, this means ing their first match agaisnt North Reading. Senior Ivy Bui and freshman Christine Le
the team will have to warming up before their match. Photos by Vicki Ngan.
work on condition- first match.” turning underclassmen like juniors
ing and footwork rather than Unfortunately the team faced Tse and Viviane Le, and sophomores
spending time hitting on the a tough loss to North Reading but Lisa DeLacey, and The Blue and
Sharon Lee court. Although the team is “learned the importance of happy Gold copy editor Natalie Fallano.
Head of Photography experiencing an uncontrollable set- feet,” stated junior Wendy Tse: A major strength that has
back, they are very determined to “happy feet” is a skill where players developed amongst the girls that

T ennis is “a physical game of
hitting the ball, rallying, and
serving, but also a mind game of
figuring out what type of shot to
hit, planning where to hit the ball
to beat your opponent, and over-
coming emotional stress and anger
during a match,” described senior
and Captain Alison Nguyen. For
the Malden High School girls tennis
team, it is life.
Each member of the team con-
work even harder this season. must keep their feet constantly in “[they are] there for each other,
Prior to their first match against motion. Likewise, Bui has set high [and] I like the fact that we’re able to
North Reading on April 8, captain expectations for this year, stating bond with each other easily,” stated
Nguyen stated how she was “a little that she wants “the team to give Ton. Not only do the girls cherish
bit anxious for the first match since all [their effort] and play their best their strong bond but also look for-
North Reading is a tough team, [and games. And [I want] my girls to im- ward to the annual double header
due to] the rainy weather, I am not prove their skills, but [I also want] against Everett where it is the only
too sure whether the girls have had them to have fun,” added Ton. match that both the Malden boys
enough hitting time.” However, Guiding the team to success, and girls tennis teams get a chance
looking on the bright side, she add- Coach Maggie Pettit has reinforced to play together on the same courts.
ed, “hopefully everyone will gain confidence to develop the skills of
useful game experience from this many upperclassmen as well as re-
22
Chasing Gold
Sophomore Tyler Williams clears a hurdle at outdoor track practice. Photo by Alexander Gen- the weather often
nigiorgis.
Timothee Pierre
Reporter
F rom observing the way they
practice, it seems like the boys
track team consistently puts forward
that 100 percent effort. The boys
track team wants to get their game
on and take down the other teams
in the GBL. If they go for gold again,
then this will be one of the greatest
Running The Extra Mile
Alexander Gennigiorgis
Head of Business
T his season, the Malden High
School Girls track team is fo-
cused on repeating the success they
had last season. All of the athletes
on the team are not afraid to push
forward to improve by practicing
hard every chance they get—they
are willing even to do extra lunges.
At practice, the athletes seem
to be able to withstand the difficul-
ties that may arise in track and field.
These challenges include building
endurance and stamina, in addi-
tion to maintaining what is needed
to perform well at every meet with
proper form. In fact, the team put
up their best effort in a challenging
fight during their first meet on April
The Blue and Gold
Sports April 2011
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
marily about running at more of a risk.” Despite this, the
as best as possible, boys track team will still put all its
with the hope being effort into going for gold.
that the team goes un- All the athletes have dealt with
defeated for an entire the pressure of being on the team.
season. Londino expressed that “To be good
“During indoor at any event, running or otherwise,
we had the talent but takes dedication to learning. Any-
Somerville wanted it one can have speed, endurance, or
more. I think our guys strength, but without understand-
learned a lot from that ing technique and strategy even the
close loss and hopeful- most gifted athlete will fail to excel
ly they’ll apply what in track and field.” The boys track
they learned to every is planning on being the best out
meet this season.” there, taking out the competition,
Unfortunately, these and working as a family to achieve
hopes were dashed on its goals.
their first meet of the
season against Cam-
bridge when the boys
team lost.
For the team,
becomes an obstacle
years for track and field in MHS during meets
history. When it comes to practice, and practices.
the athletes work themselves to be According to
great.
Coach David Londino stated,
Londino, “The
elements affect
every event dif-
“Our only expectation is 100 percent
effort. If an athlete gives 100 percent, ferently. Run-
[then] he or she will grow as a per- ners can run in
son and as an athlete, and the wins the rain, but hur-
will come [on their own].” dlers, jumpers,
For Londino, this season is pri- and throwers are
11, losing to the Cambridge High
School track team by only one point.
On April 11, the team traveled
to Cambridge, where they were
neck and neck with the other team
throughout the entire meet, only to
come up short by a single point in
the end. The loss was crucial for the
Malden track team because it was
the first loss to Cambridge since last
year—the MHS cross country team
as well as the indoor track team
defeated Cambridge this school
year. However, strong performances
came from several individuals in
select events, such as sophomore
Jacqueline Bouley who placed first
Left: freshman Julia Ly runs at practice. Above: freshman Jacqueline Bou-
in the 400 meter event, sophomore ley high jumps at track practice. Photo by Alexander Gennigiorgis.
Haley Dowdie and junior and The
Blue and Gold member Haley De- scholastic Athletic Association State high school career. Coach Mitch Ab-
Filippis taking first and second in meet in both discus and shot put. batessa encourages that underclass-
the mile, as well as senior captain Such a close score at the first meet men join the team as well as athletes
and The Blue and Gold member in addition to such qualifications by who want to join because “the more
Alexandra Mathieu placing first top members of the team certainly the merrier.”
in the discus with sophomore Kim is setting the stage for a successful
Nguyen following right behind. season.
In addition, the girls 4x400 meter For
relay team, consisting of Bouley, any aspir-
sophomore Norma Bourque, junior ing track
Carolyn Lam, and sophomore and athlete,
The Blue and Gold member Lauren starting
Benoit, crushed the Cambridge re- the sport
lay team. Despite the close and dis- would
appointing loss, Malden is planning not be
to move forward and improve upon easy if
their faults. he or she
Furthermore, even this early began at a
in the season, there have been late stage
high-level qualifications: Mathieu is in their
eligible for the Massachusetts Inter-
The Blue and Gold
April 2011 Sports 23
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

Girls Compete to Win

Sophomore Anita Caceda drives for a goal. Photo by Catherine Poirier.
Joel Stevenson
Reporter
contined from front page
seeing that the season just started
with 3 games that have been played
already, we won 2 out of the 3 games
we had, which is very good.”
Last year being a difficult year,
the team came close to making it to
tournaments, but they were lacking
the scores that they were desper-
ately hoping for. Senior captain Pa-
tricia Aguinaldo commented, “We
fell 3-4 games short of qualifying in
the tournaments.” With returning
members as well as new protégés
the team is working hard for a better
year.
This year the team
sity athletes. By the end their game,
is being led by seniors
the score was 11-4. Individual goals
Mandy Lao and Agui-
were scored by juniors Amanda Tan
naldo who play mid-
andCatherine Porier and sopho-
attack and home attack
mores Lynn Nguyen, and Joyce Ly.
respectively. “My other
Tan, who had been hit in the head by
half is Mandy Liao,”
a stick, fought through the pain and
Aguinaldo said. “She’s
went on to score a goal. As stated by
an awesome captain
Tan in reflection to one of her goals,
and together we’re
“As a member of the JV team I feel
great.” Both are ex-
like we all have been playing much
tremely excited about
better compared to the other years,
the new season and
seeing that we are undefeated so far,
are hoping to make the
and I already scored 2 goals.”
best out of it since it is
With only a few weeks into the
their last year.
season it is still anyone’s game. The
The team under-
team is going to work even harderso
went their first game
that they can qualify for the state
against Cambridge on
tournament, a feat that is going to be
Mar. 31, 2011. This be-
difficult, but not impossible. Think-
ing the first game of
ing about the oncoming season,
the season, the team
sophomore Anita Ronaldo said, “We
was in high spirits for
had a great start to the season and
a win. As the game be-
went through some tough losses,
gan they worked as a
but from those losses, we have the
single unit. Play by play they caught
chance to get better. So, success this
ground balls as well as worked as
year is based off working together
a team to work their way down the
on and off the field and practicing
field and get the upper hand over
hard because how hard we practice
Cambridge. After four quarters of
is how hard we play. We are a group
driving hard, the success had paid
of young talented players, and its
off and the girls won.
our time to shine.”
Unfortunately, the varsity
team had lost their game against
North Reading on Apr. 4, 2011. The
team’s lost does not cover up the
continuous success of the junior var-

Boys Lax Focuses on Improving

Amalia Quesada Nylen the course of the season. “A lot of kids
that wouldn’t get the chance to play in a
Reporter
varsity game are improving a lot faster

T he Malden High School boys and learning how the game works,”
lacrosse team has had a rough senior captain and The Blue and Gold
start of the season, finding disap- member Alfonse Femino praised. The
pointment in its first four games. boys have found good out of the four
The boys have so far played games although they have not been vic-
Cambridge, North Reading, Salem, torious. With the incredible improve-
and Wakefield, leaving them so far ment in the JV team and the varsity
with a record of 0-4. The newly cre- team implementing some of its skills
ated junior varsity team this year has during practice into games, the boys
also been struggling, with a record of remain optimistic and look forward to
0-4 for this season as well. Although a win this season. “We’re just going to
the boys are disappointed with the keep working hard in practice and give
start of the season, they plan to find 100% in games, and let the wins and
success later in the season and make losses take care of themselves,” Femino
a comeback. finished.
The division of the JV and
varsity teams has benefited the
boys, because they are now able
to play with players more at their
skill level, rather than being mixed
together. This allows both teams to
play to their potential without being
held back or too challenged. This also
allows the junior varsity players to
develop their skills before joining the
varsity lacrosse team.
“It’s better to make mistakes
on the field and learn from them
after, than to make the one mistake
of sitting on the sidelines the entire
season,” stated sophomore Paul Ki-
ernan.
The JV players also have the op-
Above: Junior Shaun Carlson in a game against Wakefield. Below: portunity to have more playing time,
Sophomore Corey French prior to a game. Right: Lacrosse team show- which will serve as practice in and of
ing team spirit. itself so that they may improve over
24
The Blue and Gold
Sports April 2011
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

Softball Struggles with Schedule

Senior captain Ashley Powers
describes the girls as “very deter-
mined and a great team.” Senior
captain Renee Santo stated, “They
have a lot of potential, a lot of expe-
rience, and the right mindset.”
This year’s team is made up
of the three senior captains Santo,
Richardson, and Powers; juniors Ki-
ara Amos, Emily Hoffman, Rebecca
Krigman, and The Blue and Gold
head copy editor Brittany McFeeley;
and sophomores Bridget Furlong,
Melissa Light, Jessalyn Brown,
Marissa Lally, Emily Moran, and
Hannah Calderone. Bridget Furlong
stated that she is “looking for a big
year out of all of them.”
Last year, the team did very
well, with a record of 14-6, gaining
yet another Greater Boston League
title. “I think we have a very good
chance at winning another GBL title,
Junior Kiara Amos prepares to bat a softball. Photo by Kristen Leonard. but we will have to beat some very
improved teams. A lot of teams will
Kristen Leonard focused on the task at hand, which
be gunning for us since Malden has
is one game at a time.”
Reporter won the last three GBL titles,” stated
As with all MHS sports, the
Furlong.
in the GBL” will also be a challenge.
The team’s first game was
against Billerica High School on
April 7. The girls headed to the game
eager with a determined mindset.
The hard work of the team paid off.
MHS defeated Billerica 12-6. At first,
MHS started out with only a few
runs, but then the team started to
pull ahead and hold the lead. Junior
Kiara Amos pitched a great game
throughout all seven innings. Over-
all, the team had an amazing game.
According to Powers, there is
a “very good chance of winning.” If
the softball team wins the GBL title,
the team can go onto the state tour-
nament. Last year, they were de-
feated in this tournament by Central
Catholic High, but this year, they
hope to make it through to the end.
The chances of success seem
realistic this year with captains
Powers, Santo, and Richardson
leading the team. With the obvious
goal of any team being to win, the
three captains also have personal
goals of their own. “I hope to make

T he Malden High School girls team practices every day, striving

softball team fully demonstrates
the age-old proverb of practice
makes perfect. These girls are hard
at work preparing for their upcom-
ing games.
Head Coach John Furlong
stated that the team is preparing
by “staying healthy and just being
In any sport there are challeng- and win the state championships,”
for improvement. Playing the field,
es. When asked what challenges this states Powers. Richardson stated
batting, running, and pitching, the
season will bring Bridget Furlong that she wants “to help [her] team
things that softball composes of
stated, “We play a very tough sched- succeed in the season, to be a good
are experienced at every practice.
ule. Just about every team we play leader as a captain, and to make it
“These girls are a very solid bunch,
will be in the state tournament, so I to states.” Santo’s goals are “to win
they work hard to improve their
would say all the teams we play are GBL’s, make it to states and have a
skills,” Furlong stated, compliment-
tough.” Powers added that “playing little more fun because it’s [her] last
ing the girls.
a bunch of new teams [that are] not year.”

Rocky Start, High Aspirations

Joshua Kummins cox will be playing his first varsity
Copy Editor season and Gibson is a returning
sophomore, who helped the team as

T he Malden High School baseball a pitcher and infielder last season.

team has kicked off the 2011
spring season and several scrim-
mages in late March and early April
got the season going, preparing
the team to make a run to the Mas-
sachusetts Interscholastic Athletic
Association state tournament again
this season.
The team hopes that the scrim-
mages that were played in the early
going will help to improve their
skills and get ready for the regular
season. These extra games serve as
a valuable tool to get a jump-start
on the new season with hopes of
rebounding from last season’s first-
round loss in the tournament to
Lowell High School.
Head coach Kevin Carpenito,
who is entering his 12th season
at MHS, hopes that his team can
achieve its annual goal of going .500
to qualify for the state tournament.
In 2010, the team exceeded their
goal by going 11-9, but the team is
looking for more.
According to Carpenito, “win-
ning the Greater Boston League
[championship] would be an extra
incentive this season” with so many
young players that are expected to
contribute regularly to the team’s
success.
Among the team’s key under-
classmen are sophomores Johnny
Wilcox and Chuckie Gibson. Wil-
The team may be young, but
has three senior captains to lead
things in shortstop Kevin Valley,
first baseman Matt Howe, and
catcher Marc Woodman. Those
three players will be the veteran ex-
perience that the team needs to back
the otherwise-young squad.
When Valley, Wood, and Howe
graduate, Carpenito says that a
solid junior varsity roster is “always
working to improve and eventually
help out the varsity team” when-
ever that may be.
Pitching is the team’s strength
this season as the position holds
solid depth this season with three
returning juniors coming back on
the mound. Junior Bradley Applin is
the team’s top starter for the second
straight year and appears to be the
first in line to take the ball. Juniors
Dakota Pelligrini and Ricardo Men-
dez return to the mound, along with
Gibson rounding out the rotation.
The season has not started ac-
cording to plan as Malden lost its
opening game in Lawrence on Apr.
8 by a close 1-0 score, before com-
ing back home and falling to Salem Junior Austin Teal prepares to field a ground ball. Photo by Joshua
9-4 the next day. After the first two Kummins.
games, Carpenito praised the play
win at Boston English on Apr. 11. tions for the rest of the season, and
of Applin and Woodman, despite
Valley earned the victory as pitcher says that the team is very close and
the down result.
and junior Eliezer Hernandez hit a competitive, and that they work
Following losses in the first
grand slam in the first inning. hard to enjoy success.
two games, MHS earned a big 21-7
Carpenito has high expecta-