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The Blue and Gold

Winners of the
Posse Scholarship
pages 10-11

http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/ Profile of the

Month
Malden High School Our 95th Year page 12
Volume 95 Edition 4 January 2010

Malden High School Band

and Choir Winter Concert
Sharon Lee
Reporter

“ Just hear those sleigh bells jin-

gling. Ring ting tingling too,” are
A Decade
in Review
the cheerful words of “Sleigh Ride,”
sang by the combined choirs while
accompanied by the Concert Band
and alumni from Malden High
School’s Choral Arts Society on the
night of Dec. 22, 2009. That night
was especially significant because 10. Iran Protests
about 150 people crowded Malden
High School’s Finn Gymnasium
9. Torture in Iraq
to watch, listen, and support the 8. Swine Flu
Marching and Concert bands as well
as all three choirs.
Mr. Tavares, the Malden high school band director, giving a speech.
Photo by Sharon Lee
Pandemic
Due to renovations through-
out the school, the annual Winter Concert Band, says “[It is a] tiny bit show was about to begin. The eve-
7. Election
Concert had to be held somewhere of inconvenience but we can make it ning started out with a performance Controversy 2000
else which is how they ended up in work,” and Denis was not wrong at titled “Stuff.” When the Marching
the gym. However, the change in all. Band was first given this piece of 6. Barack Obama
scenery and acoustics were not at all
a problem for this year’s perform-
“This is my first show and I
don’t know what to expect,” Ru-
music, which is a collaboration of
two songs called “Uninvited” and
5. Global Economy
ers. Karl Denis, the president of the pinder Bola says anxiously as the “Ghost Love Score”, it was just titled Shot Down
continues on page 13 4. Iraq Invasion
2003
3. Tsunami
Frozen Fenway: A Crowd-Freezer Devastates
East Asia
Joshua Kummins 2. Katrina
Reporter
Washes Away
New Orleans
1. 9-11-2001
T he Hockey East Association
(HEA) took over Fenway Park
on Friday, Jan. 8, 2010 for Sun Life
Terror Attacks
Financial Frozen Fenway. The event
was a men’s and women’s college
hockey doubleheader, which fea- More information on
tured two storied rivalries. pages 5-7
The experience was once-in-
a-lifetime for all involved. “It’s a
remarkable experience to go out on
the ice and look around,” said Bos-
ton College head coach Jerry York
in a press conference on Thursday
night. “It’s a hard feeling to describe
The snow falling down at Fenway Park. Photo by Joshua Kummins
but there’s a rink there and its just
amazing.” York’s feelings were not Opinion p.3
unique, however, as many others Gryba. “We seemed like a bunch Northeastern Huskies. To make the World p. 5
had similar thoughts about partici- of 12 year olds out there playing event even more special, the open-
hockey again.” ing game of the event was the first- Local p.9
pating in the games.
“Just being outside in this at- The women’s game was ever outdoor game in the history of Entertainment p.13
mosphere has everyone having a played at 4 pm and featured two women’s college hockey. Lifestyle p.14
of the sports’ pioneer schools, the The men’s game began at 7:45
lot of fun playing out there,” said Sports p.15
Boston University co-captain Eric New Hampshire Wildcats and the p.m. and featured one of the greatest
Travel p. 18
continues on page 20
2 Editorials The Blue and Gold
January 2010
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

The Value of Student Voice

Malden High School

The Blue and Gold I n a school comprised of students who are

mostly underage and therefore deprived
of several privileges, it is fair to say that ani-
some instances represent solutions that the
nation currently faces.
However, the majority of the time stu-
77 Salem St. mals have more rights then we do. Although dents begin to feel ostracized from the decision
Malden, MA 02148 students are the majority within the school making processes and feel a lack of platform
they continue to serve as the minority when it where they can voice their concerns. Luck-
comes to critical decisions that directly affect ily, in an age where technology has intensely
them. transformed different forms of communica-
EDITORS-IN-CHIEF
Students have been able to find alternate tion as well the rate in which it is exchanged,
David Riemer
means to problems that have plagued our students turn to Facebook, Twitter and online
Ayoub Kourikchi
school. Their voices have been essential to the blogs.Unfortunately, these methods of self-
multiple accomplishments achieved through- expression have become pervasive due to the
MANAGING AND DESIGN EDITOR
out the history of the school. Project 540, a stu- implausible mess they display.
Lynn Tran
dent run civic action organization, convinced In the midst of this disarray, there exists
the Malden School Committee to purchase our monthly school publication, The Blue and
COPY EDITING DIRECTOR
new clocks for each classroom throughout the Gold, that stands apart from this chaos as a
An Holmqvist
school, as well introduced the schoolwide off forum that encourages thoughtful insight and
campus lunch program that continues to this questions that range from a broad spectrum
ONLINE EDITOR
day. Additionally, this past year, a group of se- of ideas. In addition to being a platform for
Alexandra Mathieu
niors and juniors met throughout the vacation self expression, print journalism also teaches
to organize a freshmen orientation program students to feel empowered and engaged
HEAD LOCAL NEWS WRITER
that ran during the first day of school and with their community and in turn become
Nidale Zouhir
garnered praise from new students and teach- respectful of opposing views through editori-
ers alike. Also, the inspiring service projects als, opinion pieces, and letters to editors. As
HEAD ENTERTAINMENT/ OPINION
conducted by the members of the National some would consider the final frontier of stu-
Brittany Foley
Honors Society, have inspired and touched dent expression, newspapers are protected by
numerous members of the community. the U.S. constitution because of several cases
HEAD SPORTS WRITER
Our counterparts have been a catalyst to that include Tinker v. Des Moines Independent
Alfonse Femino
positive change during previous generations. Community School District which permitted
The nationwide anti-war protests during the students to wear armbands that protested the
HEAD OF BUSINESS
1970s that was spurred by youthful rebellion Vietnam War in 1965.
Haley DeFilippis
and more recently the 2008 campaign that Ultimately, students should feel empow-
landed President Barack Obama in the oval of- ered to articulate their opinions and make
COPY EDITORS
fice, transpired because of the 135 percent leap assertions regardless of public outcry, because
Dan Holmqvist
in under 25 voters. eventually we will inherit a position of author-
Omar Khoshafa
It is clear that our propositions have ity that will enable us to determine the road
Xavier Leo
been an indication of change arising from the our nation will take.
Brittany McFeeley
bottom up. It begins with furtive whispers
Joao Nascimento
and exuberant demonstrations that ricochet
REPORTERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS
through crowded hallways and busy streets Ayoub Kourikchi
containing point of views, criticisms and judg- Co-Editor-in-Chief
Amanda Adams
ments about various topics concerning world-
Lauren Benoit
ly events as well as daily problems which in
Kayla Bramante
Christopher Brown
Freddie DiPhillipo
Natalie Fallano
Alexander Gennigiorgis Corrections:
Megan Kelly
Joshua Kummins Editorial Policy • On the cover page, the
Johanna Lai volume number should be 95, not
The Blue and Gold is an open forum for
Sharon Lee student expression. It is produced by students 94. Likewise, the year should be
Cristina Peters for the school and the community. The views “95th” not “94th” in the caption
Catherine Poirier presented in this paper are not necessarily those “Our 94th Year”.
Brendan Provitola of the advisor or the school administration. The • In the Table of Contents
Reginah Sanyu views presented in the editorials are those of the on the cover page, Local news
Joel Stevenson editors-in-chief or guests. The goal of The Blue
begins on pg. 9 and ends on pg.
Alicia Young and Gold is to inform and entertain students as
well as the community regarding issues that we
15. Accordingly, Entertainment
Paige Yurek begins on pg. 16, not 15.
feel are important.
We strongly encourage readers to respond • On every page, excluding
ADVISOR the cover, the date should read
to material printed in the form of signed letters to
Ryan Gallagher the editors. No libelous, malicious, defamatory, “December 2009” not “November-
obscene, or unsigned material will be printed. December 2009”.
Established in 1915 The Blue and Gold reserves the right to edit the let- • On page 3 in the gray box,
ters. Names may be withheld upon request. Not the concert should be called
Check out our online edition: all letters will be printed. “The Chorus and Concert Band
Although The Blue and Gold appreciates the
Holiday Concert”
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/ support of advertisers, we may refuse any ad-
vertisement that violates the above policy or that
• All photos on pages 13 and
promotes products questionable to student use. 14 were taken by Lynn Tran.
Any correspondence concerning this publi- • Swim team photos on page
cation should be directed to Mr. Ryan Gallagher’s 18 were taken by Sharon Lee.
room in A103 or to his mailbox in the main office. • The name of Tiger Woods’s
wife on page 19 should be Elin
The Blue and Gold not Erin Nordegren.
c/o Malden High School
77 Salem Street Corrections to the editor can be submitted to
Malden, MA 02148 theblueandgold@gmail.com
The Blue and Gold
January 2010 Opinion 3
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

Where’s the Letters to the Editors

“Real” in By Terri Tusapelosi and Cheryl Maguire of the Malden High School Cafeteria Staff
Reality
Television?
I feel I must respond to the Letter to the Editor that
ran in the opinion section of The Blue and Gold
last month. This opinion really hurt the feelings
any foods at all and use many low fat prod-
ucts. We really care about the health of our
children and students. This kitchen is open
Joao Nascimento
of the staff that work so hard to bring your meals to any or all students or staff that has any
Copy Editor to you everyday. I wish we had been included concerns or questions. We welcome you to
in this and we could have shown you not only come and spend a day with us to see what

E xisting since the dawn of television the hard work that goes into this program, but we do and how hard we work. We have
in the form of game shows, “real- that we purchase top quality foods including enclosed our own survey. On December 18,
ity TV” programs now account for a fresh fruits and vegetables. We were first of many 2009 1060 students ate lunch, 904 students
large chunk of what is broadcasted on schools when it came to whole grains and healthy participated and the results are as follows:
TV. This profitable form of entertain- vending machine juice and snacks. We do not fry
ment multiplied like a virus and is
now watched in almost every home in
America.
The premise of winning a cash
prize after answering a series of ques-
tions has evolved and morphed into
several subgenres. After “Big Brother”
revolutionized what could be shown
on TV in 1999 in the Netherlands, the
US and almost 70 countries around the
world adopted the “godfather of real-
ity shows.” The premise of Big Brother
was simple: people living together in
a house surrounded by cameras, com-
pletely isolated from the outside world.
What appeared to be a fascinating
study on human behavior, although
borderline unethical triggered what
today’s TV programming is all about:
watching ordinary people interacting
in an unorthodox environment.
Aware of the fact that people liv-
ing together harmonically in a house
would not garner many viewers,
producers of “Big Brother” upped the
stakes and promised to award the last
one standing in the house a cash prize
A response to the Pleasant Street Fires on
equivalent to $1 million. Every week, Saturday, Jan. 9, 2010 in Malden
the housemates had the grueling task
of voting each other out, and with the
million dollar prize in sight, they were As you probably heard over the weekend, an apartment complex here in Malden—near the Beebe School—suffered a ter-
willing to be conniving and cruel to rible fire. There were seven victims that were taken to the hospital, and all other 50 residents were evacuated to a nearby
save their own skin. The entire world shelter. Among some of our Malden High School students who were affected by this incident, other Malden Public Schools
was entranced by the downward spiral students and families from our community were also affected. This incident brings back memories from when I suffered
the housemates got in, they quickly from a terrible house fire two years ago, in which I lost everything I owned. I know what these families are going through
transitioned from friends on the first and it is only fair that I give back to the community that helped me when I needed it the most. I will be starting to collect
day to bitter enemies along their quest food, clothing and money starting tomorrow (in my room D435) and will personally take the time to deliver the items col-
to be the last one standing. Watching lected the different locations that are collecting these donations for the Malden fire victims. I will be making weekly trips
“Big Brother” was like watching a to these locations. I am reaching out to all of you to help our community.
lighthearted version of Lord of the Flies
unveil itself on a TV set, and may I Food Donations
add that the only reason a rock has not -Non perishable items
crashed any of the contestants yet is -Sort by cans and boxes
because most of the reality shows come
with one universal rule: no physical Clothes
aggression is allowed. -Sort your clothing: shirts, pants, coats, etc
Producers have come a long way
since “Big Brother.” Today they are Furniture
able to cleverly mask reality shows -Salvation Army will be taking furniture donations, but they have not given me a date and time when they will start. I?ll let
with nonsensical premises, advertise you know more when I find out.
them, and still gather millions of view-
ers due to violent subtleties. A fine ex- Money
ample is Oxygen’s highest rated show, -Two places are taking money donations:
“Bad Girls Club,” which is now on its -Red Cross: Make checks payable to Red Cross and WRITE: Malden Fire Victims on MEMO.
fourth season. The premise is to have - Salvation Army: Make checks payable to Salvation Army and WRITE: Malden Fire Victims on MEMO.
six girls with behavioral issues and -If you don?t want to write a check, they also take CASH and Money orders. I will be personally delivering all the items,
violent tendencies to live together in a so don?t worry about money being lost in the mail.
house and try to “better each other.” Of
course, in its course, several girls have Thank you so much for your time and I hope I see some of you throughout the week with some donations.
been expulsed due to fighting and ~Berenice Diaz
enough furniture was broken. Mathematics Department
Reality TV does not only meet a Math Team Advisor
person’s instinct to see others being hu- Freshmen Girls Volleyball Coach
miliated, but it also offers a glimpse of Malden High School
the privileged. MTV reportedly pays bdiaz@malden.mec.edu
Heidi Montag $1.25 million a year to
continued on page 4
4 Opinion The Blue and Gold
January 2010
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
continued from page 3

have cameras follow her around

Los Angeles in the hit show “The
AVATAR REVOLUTIONIZES CINEMA
Hills.” That is a substantial amount
of money to star in a show that David Riemer in controlling his Avatar body, and destroying the giant tree in which
consists of ephemeral dialogues Co-Editor-In-Chief quickly moves up the ranks in the they live.
and picturesque views of the Cali- program. During one field-mission, Friendly pilot Trudy Chacon
fornian city. “The Hills” is one of however, Sully becomes separated (Michelle Rodriguez) rescues the
Grossing an unheard-of
the many reality shows accused of from the rest of the group, flee- group from their prison and flies
$232,180,000 in its opening weekend
being scripted, and is it really that ing from a fearsome and preda- them and their Avatar link-pods to
alone, Avatar opened on Dec. 18, 2009,
hard to believe that after all the ed- tory “thanator” and must spend the a safe locale away from the human
selling out movie theaters across the
iting, producers will allow viewers night in the forest. That night, he is base where they can rally the Na’vi
world—and for good reason. Utiliz-
to see what really went on? attacked by the local wildlife and to war and drive off the human in-
ing revolutionary breakthroughs in
As 2010 approaches, the frivo- is saved by a Na’vi female named vaders.
three-dimensional and stereoscopic
lous premises of the reality shows Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), who upon With its unheard-of visual clar-
filmaking technologies, director
become even more based on the receiving an omen from her de- ity and striking three-dimensional
and writer James Cameron’s dream,
most unethical, almost grotesque ity Eywa brings Sully to her clan’s depth, Avatar’s scenery alone holds
manifested nearly 15 years ago, was
elements. “Conveyor Belt of Love” home. While the Na’vi are at first audience members captivated in
finally realized after three years of
is ABC’s most appalling endeavor skeptical of Sully’s intentions, they every setting. Breathtaking aerial
hard work. Although the project
yet, as it portrays women simply assign a reluctant Neytiri to teach scenes and stunningly beautiful
was initially intended to be released
picking out men they are interest- him the ways of their culture. forests almost make the viewer feel
in 1999, Cameron halted production
ed in as they pass by on a conveyor Sully’s accomplishment at- as though the movie could be real—
on the movie until 2006, feeling that
belt. TLC, the network responsible tracts the interest of Quaritch and even if it is too good to be true.
technology “needed to catch up”
for making women who give birth Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi), Aside from mind-blowing
in order to create the experience he
to a frightening number of children the leader of the RDA’s operations. visuals, however, the script is hard-
intended. In theaters everywhere,
a celebrity, shocks viewers with “I The two appeal to Sully to gather pressed to attain the same level
audience members appreciated the
Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant.” In information about the Na’vi’s home, of futuristic brilliance. While the
wait with wide eyes and open jaws
one episode, the freak show por- a giant tree located in the depths of dialogue never falls entirely short of
as they stared, amazed at the film’s
trayed a woman not knowing how the forests, under which lays the the emotions trying to be conveyed,
breathtaking computer-generated
to differentiate between releasing greatest deposit of unobtanium on it is sometimes slightly shallow and
verdant and fantastic world.
herself and giving birth to her the planet. Sully agrees to the task leaves a little to be desired. From
The story begins on a futur-
baby. True to the title, the woman time to time the audience gave a
istic planet Earth, as paralyzed
claimed to be oblivious to her laugh at the occasional subtle hu-
protagonist ex-Marine Jake Sully
pregnancy. mor presented in the film, but for
(Sam Worthington) accepts a po-
According to an AP- TV Guide the most part the movie retains a
sition in the “Avatar Program,”
survey, four out of five Americans somewhat serious view.
an extensive scientific and diplo-
say they are tired of reality shows, In terms of plot, Avatar
matic experiment being carried
and 82 percent of the people inter- is unfortunately clichéd, as an
out on a far-off moon of Pandora
viewed said “reality” is a misnomer unwilling hero has a change of
where a private company has
because they believe the shows to heart, gets the girl, goes to war,
endeavored to mine a precious
be “totally made up” or “mostly and for the most part the loose
mineral. Six years later, Sully
distorted.” Yet, ratings rise and ends come together in relative
wakes up from a cryo-sleep, as
reality TV becomes more promi- happily-ever-after. Even though
his transport shuttle has finally
nent every year. Understandable, at times the storyline was a bit
arrived on the far-flung moon in
it takes a few episodes for one to lacking in originality, the contex-
another solar system.
realize that seeing contestants have tual depth of the movie was en-
Once landed in the Resource
“A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila” tirely sufficient. “I was expecting
Development Administration’s
is not really worth it. that it was going to take forever
(RDA) main base, he is debriefed
Tila Tequila is one of many in- to learn about the mission, the
by commanding Colonel Miles
stant celebrities that have spawned planet, and the culture, but I was
Quaritch (Stephen Lang) on the
out of the reality industry. Today, surprised to find that it was all
great dangers of the planet, in-
the fame a reality show promises done quickly and in a way that
cluding a blue humanoid indig-
is so appealing to some that a man was easy to understand,” stated
enous race called the Na’vi who
in Colorado had the country be- a particularly enthused Arling-
inhabit the moon’s extensive
lieving his son was trapped in a ton High School sophomore,
rainforest. Later, Sully meets
floating air balloon. His wife later Tom Jantz. Indeed, the Na’vi
Norm Spellman (Joel David Moore)
admitted that they hoped to gain a of trying to get the Na’vi to relocate culture was simple to comprehend,
a fellow Avatar Program member,
reality show deal from it. within three months. but was also rich in context and lore;
and proceeds to become acquainted
The 2007-2008 Writers Guild Once privy to the colonel’s Cameron went all out in his script to
with the other scientists of the pro-
of America Strike hinted on TV’s plans, Augustine relocates the team provide the viewer with a inclusive
gram, including Grace Augustine
impending doom. As writers to a remote position in the iconic experience focused on delivering
(Sigourney Weaver), the seasoned
halted producing new material floating Pandoran mountains. Dur- the sense that the audience was in
leader of the operation under the
for scripted TV shows, networks ing his stay there, Neytiri teaches fact joining Sully in his journey to
RDA.
appealed to reality TV to fill the him the customs of her people. As learn more about the planet.
Completely ignorant of the re-
vacant time slots. The American Sully trains further, he begins to see Straight out of what could only
searchers’ mission, Spellman helps
population grew accustomed and the greater meaning of the harmony, be described as the dreams of a
Sully to become familiar with the
continues to endorse the inferior connection, and flow of energy in ecological idealist comes Cameron’s
basic objectives of the program.
programming, slowly killing its the forest, and eventually is accept- film-shaping premise of the Na’vi’s
“Avatars” are hybrid human-Na’vi
own tradition of producing quality ed into the clan as one of their own. ability to connect with nearly every
bodies, genetically engineered by
art in the form of TV and movies. Trouble stirs, however, when other living creature on the planet
humans to be remotely controlled
The US is the largest exporter Sully’s three months are up and he via a biological appendage found
by scientists so as to ease tension
of media in the world, but as our must divulge the original purpose at the end of a long natural braid
between the native inhabitants and
standards decline, so does the in communicating with the Na’vi. of hair. With this tool, the Na’vi
the invasive and crude mercenary
country’s reputation and image. Unsuccessful in prompting the can “bond” with many of the other
forces of the humans. From a scien-
As our entertainment becomes in- clan’s relocation, the humans begin organisms allowing for cooperative
tific perspective, Augustine and her
creasingly more devoid of artistic to mobilize a force to destroy the and symbiotic interaction in contrast
team aim to gain more knowledge
merit, we reinforce the general Eu- Na’vi’s home. Forcefully removed to typical human subjugation.
on the Na’vi’s culture and the eco-
ropean view that has been stated from their Avatar bodies and As a whole, Cameron’s film
system of the Pandoran moon.
all along: America is a cultureless charged with treason for standing tackles a host of issues, ranging from
Sully, who had lost the use of
society. against the RDA, Sully, Augustine, natural conservatism, to corporate
his legs in an accident back on Earth,
and Spellman are detained while greed, ethnocentrism, racial tension,
finds a great freedom and prowess
the humans devastate the Na’vi by war, technology, science, politics,
continued on page 5
The Blue and Gold
January 2010 opinion 5
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
continued from page 3

and religion, making for a thought-

provoking and unique message. “I
know there was one message that
stood out the most,” Jantz stated;
“Don’t cut down trees.” While this
sentiment has been echoed by critics
as extreme environmentalist lobby-
ing, that is the least of the criticism
floating around. Some politicians
have called the film “Anti-Ameri-
can,” feeling that it claimed that the
military was a corrupt, ruthless, and
destructive force without morals.
Portraying the military in a violent
light is by no means a new concept,
and in some instances such a picture
has garnered respect, so why then,
is it so horrible for a movie such as
Avatar to have done just the same?
The answer is simple: the humans
lose, and Americans do not like to
lose. In Avatar however, the mes-
sage extends beyond winning and
losing, and to limit that message to
a petty accusation of anti-patriotism
is to greatly discredit Cameron and
his work which will most certainly
revolutionize cinematic processes
worldwide in the decades to come.
To establish such a pointed
dichotomy between a movie with
an unmistakably peaceful and just
message and American values only
goes to say just what those American
values ought to be. If anything, this
film contained commentary on what
the ideals of those values might be—
Community Bulletin
Malden High School is pleased to announce the upcoming visit of Please join us on one or more
of the following dates, when our varsity
Nobel Laureate Dudley Herschback, a Nobel winner in Chemistry.
basketball teams will be hosting games
The Laureate’s visit will take place on Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 to benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast
at 10:30 am. Mr. Hershback will visit with Malden High School stu- Cancer Foundation.
dents and then participate in a question and answer forum with stu- By hosting a PINK OUT
dents and staff. A small reception will follow. NIGHT, we are hoping to promote
breast cancer awareness and raise some
$ for the foundation. We are fortunate
at Malden High School to have a Breast
Midterm Schedule Cancer Awareness Club. They will be
running a 50/50 raffle, bake table and
selling pizza. They will also be selling
Date Exam Block 1 Exam Block 2 L Exam Block 3 pink ribbons to hang on the gymnasium
wall to honor a loved one, all to ben-
Tuesday 8:00-9:30 am 9:45–11:15 am
Period 5
u 12:30-2:00 pm efit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer
Jan. 19 Period 4 Period 6
n Foundation.
Players, coaches and fans are
c encouraged to wear PINK to spread
awareness.
h Tuesday, January 12 - Everett vs Malden
... Boys
Wednes- 8:00-9:30 am 9:45 –11:15 am 12:30-2:00 pm Tuesday, January 19 - Medford vs Mal-
day Jan. Make-ups Period 7 Period 1 den ... Boys
20 B Friday, January 29 - Everett vs Malden
... Girls
l Friday, February 5 - Medford vs Malden
o ... Girls
THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING
Thurs- 8:00-9:30 am 9:45–11:15 am c 12:30-2:00 pm
MALDEN ATHLETICS!

day Jan. Make-ups Period 2 Period 3

connection, tolerance, and unison.
21 k

A DECADE IN REVIEW
An Holmqvist Xavier Leo Joao Nascimento Omar Khoshafa Paige Yurek
Copy Editing Director Copy Editor Copy Editor Copy Editor Reporter

TOP TEN NEWS ITEMS OF THE 2000s

Say hello to a new decade! The first decade of the twenty first century has now passed. Now it is time to
reflect upon the remarkable occurrences of humankind’s start to the new millennium. In the United States, the
decade started with the twisted controversy over George W. Bush’s election. Times changed forevermore for
the world with the tragic strike on the twin towers in New York, September 11, 2001. Then came the rest; a war
invasion, a tsunami, a stock market crash; what could possibly come next? For a start to the millennium, these
ten years have really been the ultimate roller coaster ride. These are our top ten:

10. Iran Protests

In the 2009 Iran presidential election, Iranians throughout their country were furi-
ous with the results. Thousands of students and working classcitizens stormed into the streets
and protested against alleged electoral fraud. The world consensus was that democracy in Iran
had been completely overlooked and the government put in who they wanted to. The uproar
was cause for concern across the Western World, especially when the presiding government’s
security forces took action with attacking the public with batons and paint ball guns leaving 9
people dead. The cause for the claim was that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was re-elected for his
second term in the presidential office without full electoral support. Under his poor leadership,
the country of Iran was left in tatters after the economic crisis of 2008. The fed-up Iranian pro-
testers are generally in support of the popular reformist leader Mir-Hossein Mousavi - also the
opposing candidate. They feel that Mousavi could have made the poor economy of Iran better
or at least more stable. When Ahmadinejad was put in office yet again, these young Iranians felt
betrayed, that their opinion did not count, and are in fear for the future. They are finding it hard
to live under Ahmadinejad’s strict government.
Iranian protesters cause an uproar in the heart of Tehran in
Dec. 2009, lighting automobiles on fire and leaving the streets
in disarray. Source: www.wikimedia.org
6 world news The Blue and Gold
January 2010
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

A DECADE IN REVIEW
9. torture in Iraq
The “Baghdad correctional facility” in Iraq did more than just “correct” its prisoners; it tortured
and abused them to a point beyond any sane human’s imagination. In 2004, the Taguba Report, a criminal
investigation by the US Army revealed that US soldiers in the Abu Ghraib prison had violated the Uniform
Code of Military Justice by physically, psychologically, and sexually abusing the prisoners held at this
prison. As a result, 17 US military officials were removed and 11 others were charged with offenses to the
military law.
The acts commited at this torture facility violated the terms of the Geneva Convention, yet the
soldiers at this facility were not the only ones to blame. US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfield also
took a share of the blame in this “scandal.” Rumsfield stated in his address to the Senate Armed Service
Committee, “I take full responsibility. It is my obligation to evaluate what happened, to make sure those This famous image was spread across the Internet back
who have committed wrongdoing are brought to justice, and to make changes as needed to see that it in 2003, showing an untried war captive tortured recklessly
doesn’t happen again. I feel terrible about what happened to these Iraqi detainees. They are human beings. and inhumanely by American soldiers Source: www.wiki-
They were in U.S. custody. ..To those Iraqis who were mistreated by members of U.S. armed forces, I offer media.org
my deepest apology. It was un-American. And it was inconsistent with the values of our nation.” Although
this apology was heartfelt, the media continued condemn Rumsfield for his lack of action. 8. Swine Flu Pandemic
Around Thanksgiving 2005 a teenage boy helped his brother-in-law butcher 31 pigs at a local Wisconsin slaughterhouse, and a week later the
17-year-old pinned down another pig while it was gutted. On Dec. 7, the teenager came down with the flu, suffering an illness that lasted three days. He
visited a local clinic, then fully recovered.
This incident would hardly seem worth mentioning except that the influenza virus that infected the Wisconsin lad was unlike any previously seen.
It appeared to be a mosaic of a wild-bird form of flu, a human type and a strain found in pigs. It was an H1N1 swine influenza. Largely ignored at the time,
the Wisconsin virus was a step along the evolutionary tree, leading to a virus that four years later would stun the world.
Flash-forward to 2009, and modern medical advancements have taken the nation by storm with the newly released H1N1 vaccine. Infection
numbers are significantly down, and what was once a tumultuous nation overwhelmed with fear, is settling back down to a more calm and rational state of
mind.

Researcher at the Center for Disease Control (CDC) examines a

sample of the 1918 Flu Virus. Source: www.wikimedia.org 7. Election Controversy 2000
A hot political topic in late 2000 that was on everyone’s mind was the November presidential
election. This is when United States citizens would have to elect the 43rd president. The candidates
running were republican George W. Bush, democrat Al Gore, and independent candidate Ralph Nader,
but the real contest here was between Bush and Gore, because of how close the number of votes
they obtained was. Among the candidates, Gore at this time had won the popular vote at a massive
51,003,926 votes, (48.38 percent of votes) while Bush had only 50,460,110 popular votes, (47.87
percent of votes.) These numbers were so close; the final vote had to be decided through electoral
votes. Finally, Bush, with a number of 271 electoral votes scarcely beat Gore’s 266 electoral votes, by
5 few votes. This would make the number of electoral votes the closest it has ever been for president in
the US, beating a previous record of 57 votes between Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford in 1976.

American voters in Florida, stunned by the sudden deadlock in the 6. Barack Obama
2000 election angrily request a recall vote by claiming voter fraud.
Source: www.wikimedia.org

After 219 years, the racial barriers that gripped the United States presidential office were torn down in Barack Obama’s
desicive victory in the 2008 Presidental Election. By overcoming Republican presidential nominee John McCain, Barack Obama
became the first African-American president in US history.
On Jan. 20, 2009, President Obama took the oath of office in front of not only the million present on Capitol Hill, but also
before the billions watching him worldwide as the world acknowledged this remarkable event.
In his inauguration, President Obama recognized the challenges that awaited him and this country as he stepped into office,
stating, “Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in
a short span of time. But know this America: They will be met.” The challenges President Obama refered to in his speech are plenty,
with the examples of the current economic crisis and the global threat of terrorism. Nevertheless, these optimistic words brought joy
and ignited sparks of hope in the hearts of the American people. The American people were promised that these challenges will be
overcome, and now it is hopefully only a matter of time before these promises are truly fulfilled.

5. Global Economy Shot Down

The United States was not the only country
hurting after the Crash of ‘08 Pictured here,
Icelanders protest in panic while their bank-
ing system crashes into oblivion. Source:
www.wikimedia.org
In 2008 and 2009, Washington strove to save the economy. In 2010,
Americans will get a clearer picture of how Washington has changed the
Barack Obama’s campaign poster.
economy
Source: www.wikimedia.org
Only as the recession recedes will it become fully evident how
permanently the state’s role has expanded and whether, as a consequence, a
new, hybrid strain of American capitalism is emerging.
One thing is clear: The government is a much bigger force in today’s US economy than it was before the financial crisis.
“The frontier between the state and market has shifted,” says Daniel Yergin, whose 1998 book “Commanding Heights”
chronicled the ascent of free-market forces starting in the 1980s. “The realm of the state has been enlarged.”
It bailed out two of the three U auto makers. It lent billions trying to jump-start commercial-real-estate, small-business
and credit-card lending. In two February stimulus packages enacted a year apart ,the government committed $955 billion to
rouse the economy.
The bailouts “were designed to be, and have proved to be, temporary,” Lawrence Summers, chief economic advisor to
President Obama says. “There is no aspiration of any kind to change the private-sector basis of our economy.”
The Blue and Gold
January 2010 world news 7
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

TOP TEN NEWS ITEMS OF THE 2000s

4. Iraq Invasion 2003
An American soldier watches in awe as the statue of Saddam
Hussein falls in Baghdad, Iraq, marking the final downfall of
the former dictator. Source: www.wikimedia.org
According to then President of the United States, George W. Bush, the invasion
of Iraq in 2003 had a clear purpose: “to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruc-
tion, to end Saddam Hussein’s support for terrorism, and to free the Iraqi people.”
Though numerous countries disapproved of the invasion, the United Kingdom and
several other nations jumped on board with the United States. On March 19, 2003,
the US conducted an air strike on the Iraq presidential palace that initiated a seven
year old war which has resulted in over 1,120,000 deaths. In April 2003, three weeks
into the invasion, the US toppled over the infamous statue of Saddam Hussein and
subsequently captured the city of Baghdad.
As Bush’s image was tarnished all over the globe and support for the war
gradually declined, the US and Iraq started to make deals to leave the country. After
President Barack Obama was elected, one of his first decisions was to draft a plan
that will bring American troops home by the end of 2011.

3. Tsunami Devastates East Asia

On Dec. 26, 2004, an undersea earthquake struck Sumatra, Indonesia. The earth-
quake triggered several tsunamis that devastated communities bordering the Indian
Ocean.
The colossal destruction included 100 feet high inundation in certain cities in Sri
Lanka, Indonesia, and Thailand. An estimated 230,000 people were killed in 14 coun-
tries. The tsunamis are collectively considered to be one of the biggest natural disasters
in history. The earthquake reached 9.3 in magnitude, the second largest earthquake ever
recorded in history.
Within a period of 10 minutes, the earthquake was able to vibrate the entire Earth
as much as one centimeter, and triggered smaller earthquakes in California.
Shocked by the overwhelming destruction, the worldwide community promptly
Island residents scramble after the arrival of the gar-
aided the most affected countries donating almost $7 billion dollars.
gantuan tsunami on Christmas Eve 2004. Source: www.
wikimedia.org

2. Katrina Washes Away New Orleans

1. 9-11-2001 Terror Attacks
Taking the number one spot on the countdown is the
September 11 attacks. On that morning, 19 al-Qaeda terrorists
hijacked four commercial airline jets from Newark, NJ, Boston,
MA, and Washington, DC. Two of the planes hit the Twin Towers
of the World Trace Center in New York City, then considered one
of the many symbols of American power and the tallest buildings
on earth. The third plane crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington,
Virginia and the fourth crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. All
the hijackers and passengers died.
2,973 people, mostly civilians, were victims of the attacks.
When considering the physical and social aspects of the destruc-
tion, the damage left by al-Qaeda exceeded $100 billion.
With George W. Bush in office, the US launched the War
on Terror and invaded Afghanistan with the goal to depose the
Taliban and find al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden. The airplane
hijackings forever changed airport customs, and imbedded fear
in every American’s mind.
Seldom does a single event shape a state’s geographic, demographic,
political, health, welfare, education and political direction.
But that’s exactly what Hurricane Katrina, followed soon afterward
by Hurricane Rita, did to Louisiana. Katrina’s aftermath was deemed the
most influential event of the decade by sources around the state.
“Katrina changed Louisiana forever,” said demographer Elliot
Stonecipher of Shreveport. “No matter how important other things might
seem, the election of the first woman and the first Indian-American governors
and other developments, there’s not anything that even comes close.”
The storms reshaped the coastline, wiping away land like a giant
eraser hovering over a map. Homes, schools, businesses and public buildings
were destroyed, and some places became uninhabitable, forcing communities
to relocate. Demands for social services skyrocketed. Massive shifts in
population will result in new election districts to be drawn after the 2010
Census.
Stonecipher said state and federal officials apparently didn’t learn
much from Katrina because it has turned into “a story about what we did
wrong and never fixed.”
Thousands of people lost their jobs and were forced to move to other
cities. Oil production and refining operations shut down for weeks. Gasoline
prices soared, along with other energy prices. Close to 2.3 million people
were left without power. The ramifications of Katrina were felt nationally.

Satellite Images of the 2005 Hurrican Katrina showed the third

largest tropical storm ever to hit Baton Rouge. Source: www.
Source: www.wikimedia.org wikimedia.org
8 world news
Attempted Christmas Day Bombing
Dan Holmqvist United States to Reconsider Foreign Policy
Copy Editor
On Christmas Day of last year,
a Nigerian man boarded a plane
heading from the Netherlands to
Detroit, Michigan with the intention
of committing an act of terror - how-
ever, the only thing that al-Qaeda
operative Umar Farouk Abdulmu-
tallab succeeding in doing was
burning himself with explosives
sewn into his underwear.
Nonetheless, this breach of
security has caused widespread
embarrassment for the Obama
administration. The question be-
ing asked is how could a man who
had been identified by the Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the
National Security Agency (NSA) as
a possible terror threat; get through
security checkpoints at a major in-
ternational airport while concealing
explosives. The answer, according
to the Obama administration, was
that the attempted bombing hap-
pened as a result of miscommunica-
tion between agencies within the US
government.
Days after Homeland Secu-
rity Secretary Janet Napolitano pro-
claimed that “the system worked,”
Barack Obama stepped forward and
instead conceded that “a mix of hu-
man and systemic failures” allowed
the bombing to progress to the stage
SARAH PALIN MAKES HER RIDE AFTER RESIGNATION
Johanna Lai
Reporter
S arah Palin, former governor of
Alaska and the republican can-
didate partner of John McCain had
written her first book Going Rogue.
The book has been released on Nov.
17, 2009. Going Rogue is a memoir
based on Sarah Palin’s life, her run
for the candidacy and her previous
experiences as governor of Alaska.
The memoir begins with the Alaska
States Fair on Aug. of 2009 when she
was talking about her daily routine
before that event occurred and how
she got the call to be the candidate
running mate of McCain. In the sec-
ond chapter, Palin talks about how
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
it did. “Had this critical information
been shared... the suspect would
never have been allowed to board
that plane to America.”
The US government is now
starting to mandate extra secu-
rity measures. Full-body scanners, a
controversial security tool, will soon
be installed in many airports includ-
ing Logan Airport in Boston in addi-
tion to those that are already in use
at 19 airports in the US. Senior Keith
Newman evaluated the use of full-
body scanners by reasoning, “It has
the potential to slow things down
and be an inconvenience to people...
but at the same time it could have
solved a problem. So can the gov-
ernment really sit back and not do
something that could save lives?”
There will also be pat-downs
and strict searches of people board-
ing US-bound flights if they are from
one of fourteen different countries
deemed by the US to be state spon-
sors of terrorism.
Tighter security and a height-
ened sense of alertness in the af-
termath of Abdulmutallab’s failed
plot has already caused delays
throughout many airports in the
US. For instance, Newark Airport in
New Jersey, which will be receiving
new full-body scanners, evacuated a
she got into Wasilla city politics. She
also begins her chapter with a quote
that Palin said after she got married
to her childhood sweetheart Todd
Palin and had her kids Bristol, Wil-
low, and Track that it was because
of Nick Carney the president of the
Wasilla Chamber of Commerce at
that time . This is how her political
career started in 1992 when Car-
ney was running for Seat F of the
six-member Wasilla City council.
He recruited her to run for Seat E.
During their campaigns, Carney
stated to her in pg 64 that “The city
would do well to have you serve.”
At first, both Palin and Carney has
thought that they both were allies
but they had conflicts which Palin’s
anger has shown in pg 66 when she
named Carney as “de facto leader of
the council.”
In the third chapter, Palin’s
story continued with the quote from
John Wooden. Wooden stated “Our
land is everything to us…. I will tell
you one of the things we remem-
ber on our land. We remember our
grandfathers paid for it --- with
their lives.” The chapter begins
with Palin talking about Andreé the
Galdfly who is running for mayor in
Anchorage as they previously ran a
campaign which she lost very badly.
In the middle of the book
which has the longest chapter began
with Palin talking about being John
McCain ‘s running mate during her
interview with Katie Couric and The
The Blue and Gold
January 2010
A Personal
Account of
terminal on January 3rd, as authori-
Yemen
ties searched for a man who had
apparently bypassed a checkpoint
without being searched.
Al-Qaeda’s latest plot has also
highlighted a new ‘hotbed’ of ter-
rorism in the Middle East - Yemen.
Abdulmutallab has told the Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that
he spent time in Yemen with an
American-born Islamic religious
leader that had ties to the Fort Hood
shooter, who killed thirteen Ameri-
cans this November.
And now, as more focus is Junior Omar Khoshafa.
shifted towards Yemen, which is Photo by Sharon Lee
dealing with its own sectarian prob-
lems, increasing instability lead the
US and the UK to temporarily shut Omar Khoshafa
down their embassies in the country,
Copy Editor
which is on the brink of becoming a
failed state.
T
Malden resident Abdul Kho- he Yemeni people are a race
shafa, who is from Yemen, warns that are armed to the teeth. Ac-
that military intervention from cording to modern statistics, there
the US could continue to disrupt are 60 million handguns spread
an already precarious situation. among the 21 million that live
Instead, he believes the US should in Yemen. It is also known that
help “strengthen democratic institu- almost every adult male wields a
tions, increase human development large, curved Junbiah (knife) that
to help fight poverty, hold the Ye- is attached to a sheath on their
meni government accountable, and chest.
provide aid to non-profit organiza- The descriptions mentioned
tions.” are what we currently hear in our
western media today. Through
first-person experience, I per-
sonally agree with accuracy of
the facts, but also I believe that
currently, these facts are often
CBS network. In pg 243, when she
warped and used in an inaccurate
stated I love those “hockey moms.”
context. It may be true that the
Palin has also stated You know
Yemeni government holds a weak
what they say, what is the difference
firearm policy and that handguns
between a hockey mom and a pit
are very common in the average
bull... lipstick!” She had also talked
household, we must also realize
about the election and the debates.
that, despite all this, Yemen still
On page 281 her box of cards stated
holds one of the lowest crime rates
on the front of the card “What is the
in the world. According to a study
America’s role in the world when
taken by the Geneva Declaration
it comes to the global security?” In
on Armed Violence and Devel-
the back of the card, she answered,
opment in 2004, Yemen has only
“Senator McCain and I are opti-
about 4 deaths per 100,000 due to
mists. We love our country, and John
intentional homicide, comparing
has proven that more than any other
to the global average of 7.6 deaths
leader in America.”
per 100,000. One might wonder
In the very last few chapters
why this would be so. Why would
of the book, Palin talked about she
a country that retains three hand-
had talk about her resignation from
guns for every civilian hold a con-
the position of governor and her
siderably low homicide rate, and
rumors in the media. An example of
the answer to that lies deep within
that was in pg 352 when the rumor
the Yemeni culture, a frontier that
came out to see if Palin was going
our media today has failed to ex-
to divorce her husband or not. And
plore.
Palin thought Dang, divorced Todd?
In my personal trip to Ye-
Have you seen Todd?
men, I immediately knew that the
Students from MHS had their
Yemeni people, like any other na-
opinion on this book. Historian of
tion, were not without fault. They
the freshman class William Lom-
had a very high illiteracy rate, the
bard stated, “I am not going to read
country was in the beginning of a
the book. Why would I read a book
civil war, and the worldwide eco-
about a person who is trying to be-
nomic crisis had just hit the coun-
come the female George Bush?”
try. Still, the people of the country
remain as hospitable as ever. One
morning, my mother and I walked
continued on page 9
The Blue and Gold
January 2010
local news 9
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

Teens on terrorism
continued from page 8

down one of the narrow street

sof the neighborhood, and as we
passed nearby houses, we were
offered to join in for breakfast by
many households. Unfortunately, Malden high school students get a special
we had to refuse since we were in
a hurry to reach my aunt’s house, history lesson on terrorism
but these great acts of generosity
will forever hold a place in the
memories of this poverty-stricken
country.
The Yemeni culture is a very
sophisticated one, being influ-
enced by the religion of Islam and
by Yemen’s previous cultural ide-
als and values. Yemen embraced
Islam late in the 7th century, and
overtime saw the blend of its own
historic culture with this new re-
ligion. Unfortunately, the Yemeni
culture still preserves some of its
past, century-old ideals. One is
the idea of male chauvinism and
pride, which is a dominant part of
Yemen’s culture today. The reason
why Yemen holds a high firearm
rate and a low homicide rate is
the combination of weak firearm
policy and this male chauvinism.
Yemeni males, more than any
others, feel socially elevated (and
obviously safe) when possessing
a weapon; and in obtaining all of
these weapons, they usually only
intend to use them for self-defense Dr. John Harrison explains the densities of terrorist groups in Afghanistan, showing which regions are at
purposes. Also, the fact that most risk for more terrorism vulnerability. Photo by Alexandra Mathieu.
Yemeni males wield a decorative
knife must be taken into cultural Alexandra Mathieu
context. This junbiah, or decora- terrorist hot spot. recruitment schools.
Online Editor
tive knife, has been a symbol of He explained how that region After his lecture, Harrison
Yemeni tradition for many centu-
ries and is never used for violent
purposes. As a matter of fact, the
T errorist activity lives fresh in the
minds of many Americans due
to the events of Sept. 11th and the
is notorious for terrorist groups and
their training. Indonesia also located
in southeast Asia, has the largest
opened the seminar to questions.
This opportunity was utilized by
both students and teachers such
knife is removed from its sheath “War on Terror” the US has been Muslim community in the world, as Cherise Hope, Kristina Katz,
only during ceremonial dances; engaged in since 2001. This applies Harrison noted, and therefore has a Joshua Jermoe, and history teachers
otherwise it is illegal to even re- to Malden High School faculty and strong connection with the Muslim Jamie Green and Rick Tivnan. In
move it from its case. students as well. On Dec. 22, 2009, community in Iraq and Afghanistan. answering a question on the radical
What I am trying to get at many MHS history students attend- Pictures were shown in an accompa- Islamic group the Taliban, Harrison
here is that we, as intellectual and ed a terrorist seminar at the Malden nying slideshow of groups of young suggested that if key regions in the
knowledgeable people, should Senior Center called “Terrorism & men wielding weapons and wearing country were not controlled, then
not always develop permanent Extremism: A Primer” presented by shirts with known terrorist Osama the Taliban could not be defeated.
assumptions of other nations or Dr. John Harrison, brother to MHS Bin Laden’s face printed on them. Informative and effective, the
societies in our global community teacher Anne Pember. Harrison also clarified the mea- seminar, particularly the question
based on what one source tells us. Harrison is a leading special- sures that not only the US, but the portion, exemplifies a point that
We should always investigate for ist in air travel security as well as a Singapore government is doing to most adults overlook: teens are just
ourselves and learn about the oth- published author. He is frequently battle terrorism and its radicals. To as worried about current situations
er side of a one-sided story. Only quoted by the media on his specialty the 5,600 terrorism websites, there as they are. As young adults, they
then will we be able to acquire our and has worked with US security in are at least 200 counter websites, are concerned because it effects
very own personal opinions of Tikrit, Iraq. When not giving semi- a number that is still growing. In them as well. Perhaps seminars on
what is “going on” in the world, nars, Harrison is normally stationed Singapore, the president is gaining the economy or even the nation’s
and not just mimic the opinions in Singapore, an island off the coast awareness of the recruiting of mem- health care bill will lead to a new set
given to us by others. of Malaysia in southeast Asia, an bers to terrorist groups in schools of questions, surprising many with
area Harrison pointed out to be a as his own son goes to one of the the views and ideas teenagers have.

MALDEN HIGH SCHOOL FORENSICS TEAM STRIKES BACK

Joel Stevenson
Reporter lic Forum Debates (PFD) are two on to reciting a personal written speech to competitors who compete well

T he Malden High School fo-

rensic team is moving up. The
common misconception is that the
forensic team is all about forensic
science, the tasks performed in
television shows such as CSI, but as
sophomore Daniel Rendon states,
“Nothing can be further from the
truth.” The club specializes in pub-
lic speaking, speeches, debates and
competitive acting. Debates come in
the form of Public Forum Debates
and Lincoln Douglas debates. Pub-
two debates. LD (Lincoln Douglas)
is a one on one debate. Competitive
acting consists of events in which
one person acts out a whole play,
two act out a play, or five or more
act out a play. The trick is that there
are neither props to be handled nor
costumes to be worn. It is just the ac-
tors and their perception.
Students are allowed to par-
ticipate in more than one event, such
as Rendon. He stated, “The speech
events vary from reciting a speech
to the event that I do. That is group
discussion, which is a group of 6
people trying to reach a consensus
on a certain topic.”
This year the team is hav-
ing more success than in previous
years. Sophomores Dan Holmqvist
and Rendon have already qualified
for the state tournament, for group
discussion. Senior Xavier Leo, and
sophomores Sam Zeiberg and Omar
Khoshafa are one “bid” away from
qualifying for states. A bid is given
enough to finish in the top thirty
percent of their respective events.
The president of the club, senior
Keith Newman, and performance
partener freshman Crystal Araiza
are also having success in “Duo,”
and have one bid and a trophy for
fourth place. Holmqvist already has
two trophies in group discussion.
With only about half the year gone,
and so much success already accom-
plished, the only way to go is up.
10
The Posse
Foundation
Alvaro Peters
Cristina Peters
Reporter
A fter over 20 years of selecting
public high school students
with exceptional educational as
well as leadership skills, the Posse
Foundation is still awarding a select
number of students with a four year
f u l l - tuition scholarship. Posse
Scholars who receive this scholar-
ship attend one of twenty-seven
different colleges partnered with
Posse, ranging from Massachusetts
to California.
Every fall, students are recom-
mended by high schools by teachers,
principals, and guidance counselors
who believe in those individuals’
potential based off of their leader-
ship and scholarly qualities. Ten
students become Posse Scholars
from the participating schools in At-
lanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles,
Miami, New York and Washington,
D.C., each year.
After being nominated for the
Posse scholarship by Malden High
School guidance counselor Erin
Craven, senior Alvaro Peters will be
making his way up to Schenectady,
NY in September of 2010 to begin
attending Union College.
For Peters, becoming a Posse
Scholar seemed like a long-shot. To
receive the Posse scholarship, the
process of interviewing
the nominees was
intense and nail-
biting, as it was
something that
each senior go-
ing through the
DAP aspired
local news
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
for. When asked how he learned
about the Posse Foundation and
the scholarship, Peters stated, “Ms.
Craven told me about it. After tell-
ing me about the scholarship and
how great it was, I looked at it as
an opportunity worth taking. Why
not try out to win a scholarship that
pays for you to go to college for four
years?”
Once Craven informed Peters
about the scholarship, it was all he
needed to take initiative and embark
on this new endeavor. “Ms. Craven
kept telling me to think Posse, BE
Posse,” said Peters bemusedly, “so
that’s what I did.”
Peters described the afternoon
that he received a phone call from
Posse telling him that he had won
the scholarship to Union College
as an one of the most exceptionally
exciting days for him throughout
his high school career. Having been
awarded “best all-around person,”
it is assuring that he has a bright fu-
ture ahead, as the scholarship helps
to ensure.
The Posse Foundation’s goal is
to assist schools in identifying and
recruiting exceptional groups of
diverse students which was clearly
accomplished at MHS. Along with
Peters, seniors Elaine Tam,
Laila Abdul Nabi, Sarah
Cesar also were selected
to receive the Posse four
year scholarships, a se-
lect group that truly
represents the diver-
sity of MHS.
All Photos By Catherine Poirier
Elaine Tam
Dan Holmqvist
Copy Editor
M alden High School Senior
Elaine Tam will not have to
pay a cent for tuition over the next
four years of her education at Ham-
ilton College thanks to the scholar-
ship money provided by the Posse
Foundation. The Posse Foundation,
begun in 1989, aims to “identify
public high school students with
extraordinary academic and leader-
ship potential” and provide them
with “four-year, full-tuition leader-
ship scholarships.”
Tam’s rationale behind ap-
plying for the Posse scholarship
was simple; she believed it was
“an amazing program and scholar-
ship.” She reinforced this belief by
stating, “I don’t know many other
scholarships are willing to have you
and nine other members train and
become a close-knit family so you’ll
have a second family and support
system.”
But to be provided with this
opportunity, Tam, along with hun-
dreds of students across Massachu-
setts, had to take part in extensive
interviews. According to Tam,
however, these interviews were like
slightly unorthodox: “[The Posse]
interviews weren’t like any other
interviews I’ve ever been to or par-
ticipated in. These interviews were
about who we are inside and
outside of the classroom.”
She even went as far as
saying that her favor-
ite part of the admis-
sions process was
her first interview
because of the re-
laxed atmosphere -
“all we did was run
The Blue and Gold
January 2010
around screaming, play games, and
have Socratic seminars about rich
topics like political views, ethics,
and values.”
What is unique about the Posse
program is that it helps create a sup-
port group that students can rely on
later on in college. Tam is convinced
that her support group “clicks” very
well and can converse over a variety
of topics.
Former Blue and Gold staff
member and MHS graduate Cynthia
Rodriguez, who is currently attend-
ing Hamilton College, was a Posse
scholar last year. She wishes the best
for Tam: “I’m proud of Elaine and
excited to have her up on the hill
with us. Posse is a great opportunity
and I’m sure that she is going to love
Hamilton.”
Tam cites MHS guidance
counselor Erin Craven as the most
supportive staff member during the
application process. Tam had noth-
ing but praise for Craven - “I have
absolutely no clue what I would’ve
done without her. She literally made
Posse a possibility and helped me
more than words can explain.” Cra-
ven reciprocated these sentiments
by saying, “[Elaine] is charismatic,
hard-working, studiousness, and al-
ways works diligently to make Mal-
den High School a better place.”
Before Tam embarks on her 4
year long journey in New
York, she, along with
other POSSE scholars,
will meet once a week
as part of a pre-colle-
giate program that
leads up to her col-
lege orientation.
The Blue and Gold
January 2010 local news 11
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

For the past 20 years, the Posse Foundation has awarded 2,600 public high school stu-
dents from Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, D.C.
over $260 million in scholarship money. Posse focuses on students from diverse eco-
nomic, academic, religious, political, or geographic backgrounds who show leadership
qualities, such as being school president or working to help support one’s family. Posse
works with colleges such as Bryn Mawr College, Hamilton College, Centre College,
and Union College. In order to become a Posse scholar, a student must undergo a rigor-
ous acceptance process that includes an application, personal interviews, group inter-
views, and a review of academic achievement and community involvement.

Sarah Cesar
Nidale Zouhir
Head of Local News

N ominated by her sister, previ-

ous Posse scholar Gina Cesar,
and Malden High School guidance
counselor Erin Craven, MHS senior
Sarah Cesar will be attending Ken-
tucky’s Centre College in the fall.
informed me of the great news,”
Cesar explained.
Laila Abdul-Nabi
Cesar, who takes Advanced Megan Kelly
Placement Biology, French, and
Italian, looks forward to attending Reporter
Centre College. She and her Posse

For Cesar, the entire Posse
process was riveting; after her nomi-
nation, she attended Posse’s first
unorthodox group interview, dur-
ing which nominees played games;
Cesar calls this her “favorite part of
the process...it was fun and [she] just
enjoyed [herself] to the fullest.”
Next, semi-finalists were sub-
jected to a formal personal inter-
view, where they presented their
transcripts, writing samples, and
talents. Posse finalists then attended
a final group interview, where they
interacted with other finalists and
the Dean of Admissions of their pro-
spective colleges; Cesar called the
wait time after this interview “the
most nerve-wracking part of the
process,” along with “knowing that
out of 20 finalists, they could only
pick 10 scholars.”
Finally, scholars were notified
of their success by phone; “the most
exciting part of the
process for me was
getting that phone
call, it changed
my life, it was
the highlight of
my night, the
highlight of
2009; I cried
of joy when
the Dean of
Admission
called me
person-
a l l y
and
– a “multicultural team made up of
10 students” that “acts as a support
system to ensure that each Posse
Scholar succeeds and graduates
from college,” according to the Posse
Foundation’s website – have already
become “a big family; we are a team,
hence [the term] Posse.” However,
she “will miss [her] friends, [her]
teachers, and the people that have
been there for [her] throughout
[her] high school experience.” She
names chemistry teacher Phuong
Ho, business teacher Karen Razzino,
Italian teacher Teresa Murano, and
librarian Lucia Musilli as her most
supportive teachers throughout the
Posse process.
Despite the bittersweetness
that Cesar’s departure from Massa-
chusetts creates in the hearts of her
friends, they remain proud and sup-
portive; senior Ketsia Fevrin stated
that she was “very happy and ex-
cited for Sarah’s Posse win; she’s
a very smart girl with a bright
future, [although] I am
a bit sad that she will
be going so far away.
Senior Karen Benavides
echoed this sentiment,
stating, “Sarah is a
great person... She is
not just a friend, but
a sister and I’m proud
that all her hard work
paid off.”
O
ut of 1,300 candidates, one Mal-
den High School senior made
it as one of the Bryn Mawr Posse
Scholars. Laila Abdul-Nabi will be
attending Bryn Mawr on a four year
scholarship that was awarded to her
and four other MHS seniors through
the Posse Foundation.
At first, Abdul-Nabi had not
expected to get beyond the finalist
round; she stated, “I had considered
myself fortunate enough to be one
of the finalists out of all those 1,300
hundred candidates.” In the early
rounds of the interviewing process
Abdul-Nabi and other scholarship
hopefuls played games and then
where given a personal interview.
When she was asked about her in-
terview, Abdul-Nabi said that she
looked around at her fellow candi-
dates who she felt that they were
equally deserving of the scholar-
ship; “I had lost all my hopes be-
cause compared to them
I was nothing, I felt.”
However, her feel-
ings have changed
since her interview
and describes the
feeling of win-
ning one of the
ten scholar-
ships “incredible and astonishing.”
For Abdul-Nabi, one of Bryn
Mawr’s most exciting qualities is
that she starts school with the other
Posse winners is that her life will
take a new turn from both the chal-
lenging academics and living on
the Pennsylvanian campus. While
attending college she plans to major
in the medical field and afterwards,
become a doctor. She takes inspira-
tion for her career choice from her
heritage and her lifelong dream of
becoming a doctor: “Coming from
a country where people haven’t ac-
complished anything but hardships,
challenges and abuses, I would like
to become a doctor so that I can go
back and help out the people of not
just my country but every other
country where the people face ob-
stacles and hardships.”
Winning Posse is not just win-
ning a scholarship for Laila; it is the
chance for her to accom-
plish her dreams.
12 local news The Blue and Gold
January 2010
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

Monthly Profile: Arlene Ceppetelli

As part of a new effort to showcase the dedication of the faculty members
at Malden High School, The Blue and Gold has begun to publish profiles of
noteworthy individuals on a monthly basis, beginning with health teacher
Arlene Ceppetelli.

she affectionally calls “her kids”); what I am teaching them, working

Cepptelli with her students in her classroom. Photo by Sharon Lee
Nidale Zouhir from Malden High,” she stated.
“When I got the job [here], it was
Head of Local News
like being home again for me.”
Cristina Peters Currently, Ceppetelli is a
Reporter health teacher, although in the past
she has taught biology, a parenting
she allows for makeup tests, helps
them get tutored, and generally
supports them in their academic
endeavors, explaining that she has
“always believed that [she] should
be available for [her] students to
listen, guide, and to advise them.”
Ceppetelli – fondly referred to
as “Ms. Cepp” by many students –
has never taught “for an extended
time” at another high school; how-
ever, in the past she has taught
Adapted Physical Education in
Brighton and in a special program
that involved all levels of students
at Boston University.
Having been advisor to nu-
merous programs over the years,
Ceppetelli thinks she has been
“truly blessed and lucky to be here
with wonderful people throughout
my career, and having the opportu-
nity to work with and get to know
many of the kids here at MHS.”
Fellow health teacher Kathy
Devito has known Ceppetelli since
high school, describing her as a
“hard-working” woman who “cares
so deeply for the kids and works
tirelessly, putting in an unbeliev-
ably amount of work for her kids.”
Devito stated that Ceppetelli’s pas-
sion for health education helps her
teach her students to be happy,
healthy adults. Junior Deanna Smith
confirmed this, stating, “In my three
years of high school, Ms. Cepp and
I have become very close; she is like
a third parent to me, always there
when I need to talk. I love her so

A rlene Ceppetelli – advisor of

the class of 2011, creator and
advisor to the freshman mentoring
program, and advisor to the Breast
Cancer Awareness Club, as well
as coordinator of the peer tutoring
program – has been teaching in
Malden for a startling 34 years. “I
grew up in Malden and graduated
course, and an adolescent issues
course; teaching has long been
her way to “be a good role model
for the kids, teach them to love
to learn, and help them become
productive, happy, and healthy
adults,” she stated. Ceppetelli’s
nurturing nature is evident in her
treatment of her students (whom
all these years,” which she stated
“afforded [her] the opportunity to
learn much from [her] kids,” al-
lowing her to “get to know many
of [them] at a different level than
classroom teacher.” Ceppetelli ex-
pressed that “the highlights of [her]
career have been watching [her]
kids’ faces when they connect with
much and am thankful that I met
her.”
Of her job, Ceppetelli ex-
pressed, “I have always tried to
be involved and love what I do as
much today as when I first started
teaching...I wouldn’t change my ex-
periences here for anything else in
the world.”

LOCAL NEWS BRIEFS

Students and Potter Fans
Staff Strive for Rejoice
New Sport Harry Potter Exhibition at
the Museum of Science
Alexander Gennigiorgis Alicia Young
Reporter Reporter

T he Malden High School Athletic Department is

working to add yet another sport to the already
wide variety of athletics offered in the school. Math
teacher Andrea So, along with some ambitious students
and Athletic Director Dan Keefe are currently working
to create a competitive co-ed Badminton team.
Badminton, for those who do not know, is a sport
where each game is played to 21 points. A point is
earned if the shuttlecock (birdie) is hit over a six foot,
six inch net and lands on the floor within the boundar-
ies of the opposing team’s court. It is quite similar to
tennis except that a badminton serve must be hit below
the waist and the racquet must point downwards. Also,
the birdie is not allowed to bounce in badminton, and
players must stay inside their service courts, unlike ten-
nis.
The team is “currently contacting other schools
and trying to find schools that have badminton teams,”
stated So, which will allow the team to begin actual
competition next year. This will give the team an op-
portunity for improvement as they face different op-
ponents.
Coach So seems to be just the right person to lead
the team due to her extensive experience in the sport.
So stated that in Hong Kong, she played and competed
for two years and she hopes that her “background in
badminton and youth work will help students at MHS
enjoy the sport as well as develop leadership skills.”
F rom Oct. 25, 2009, to Feb. 21, 2010, Boston’s own
Museum of Science will be housing Harry Pot-
ter™: The Exhibition for those in love with the J.K.
Rowling series and entertaining movie saga.
So far, the exhibit has gathered a very pleasing
response. Freshman Amanda Goncalves called the
exhibit “a fun and exciting way to really experience
the actual movie.” Goncalves went on to say how
she would be ecstatic to go back at any time.
Throughout the exhibit are 200 actual movie
props and artifacts, such as Harry’s famous glasses
and wand. It is no wonder that Malden High School
freshman Natalia Llorca was “so happy to see the
exhibit. I really loved the movies, and it may be
weird but I don’t care, [the movie] Harry Potter is
awesome especially in real life!” Eddie Newquist,
President of Exhibit Group/Giltspur Branded En-
tertainment called it a “one-of-a-kind exhibition.”
The Live Animal Presentation, which shows
how animals such as an owl like those used in the
movie adapt and behave in its environment., and
the Science Magic show go in-depth about just how
the movies were made.
Looking to experience the magical world of
Hogwarts first hand? The Museum of Science is the
place to be. Tickets are available at www.mos.org
and they promise a fun day.
MHS introduces new Biology teacher
Katheryn Bizier to the Science De-
partment.
Brendan Provitola
Reporter
M alden High School has recently
added another teacher to the
science department. Katheryn Bizier
took this role after seeking a job as a
biology teacher for quite some time.
As a graduate from Colby college and
graduate school at Boston College,
Bizier is ready to teach both biology
and a section of chemistry to MHS
sophomores and juniors. After being
asked the question of how she got the
job, Bizier said, “It went really well
when I tried to get this job. I believe
Mr. Brown and Doctor Perito really
believe I am a great fit for this job.” It
is clear that Bizier has made a good
first impression with her knowledge of
science. With only half a year to teach
the Malden High students, she will try
to keep her new classes on track.
The Blue and Gold
January 2010
Entertainment 13
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

Malden High School Band and Choir

Sharon Lee
Reporter
together in perfect harmony
continues from page 1

“Stuff” because at that time they at least one year of

were not sure of the direction of experience with be-
the show, but they still kept the title ing involved in the
“Stuff” even now. Tavares felt that it Choral Art Society.
would make the song more mysteri- These 13 madrigal
ous and that’s what it needed since singers performed a
it is not just an ordinary song and series of five songs
has been arranged by their instruc- which included
tor Matthew Tavares. Next was “O Occhi, Manza
the Mixed Chorus consisting of 95 Mia,” “April is in
singers who performed four songs, my Mistress’ Face,”
“My Favorite Things”, “Bidi Bom”, “Coventry Carol,”
“Scarborough Fair”, and “Believe” “When Allen-A-
from The Polar Express. Just before Dale Went A-Haul-
the intermission the Concert Band ing,” and “Carol
presented the audience with four of the Bells.” Up
holiday songs which were “Amaz- next was “Amazing
ing Grace,” “Chanukah is Here,” Grace” which just
“A Canadian Brass Christmas,” and so happens that
“Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” Tavares choose to
During their performance of “A Ca- perform the same The Malden High school Choir singing at the holiday concert. Photo by SharonLee
nadian Brass Christmas” there were piece earlier that
four solos performed by Denis, An- night. Besides being
thony Nguyen, Michael Meneses, played by the Concert Band it was ing concert through the eyes of the considered a class and that it takes
and Amanda LaFauci who all hap- also sang by the Concert Choir to performers themselves but also to away from other things, but maybe
pen to be trumpeters. start them off. Then they continued everyone else that was in the Finn because they have not seen the won-
After a quick intermission, the with “Lo V’Chayil,” “Al Hanissim,” Gymnasium on that Tuesday night; ders the MHS chorus and band could
audience returned to their seats and “One Day More,” and “Mary’s Little whether it is a student, staff mem- create. Even before the concert was
was ready to enjoy more fabulous Boy Child.” In order for the Concert ber, or parent. By the end of the scheduled to start, Daniel Rendon, a
music. The next performance was by Choir to perform these songs, they show, Bola satisfyingly said “This tubist, proudly stated “This is where
the Madrigal Singers which consists had to study foreign vocabulary that was my first time ever seeing the all our work pays off,” and strongly
of two sopranos, three altos, four was present in the lyrics, that were chorus and band together and they agreed that the Winter Concert of
tenors, three bass singers and one from other languages like Hebrew. were amazing, I am sure to return to 2009 was just another example of
singer by the name of Kristin Crui- This must have been a challenge but these events.” how much they can accomplish.
kshank who is both a soprano and in the end all their work paid off. Unfortunately some feel that
alto singer. Each of these singers has Not only was this an amaz- band and chorus should not be

SHERLOCK HOLMES DOESN’T HIT HOME

Set in late 19th century
London, Holmes follows its mys-
tery-solving title character (played
by Ironman’s Robert Downey Jr.)
through a case unlike any he has
seen before; after beginning the film
dramatically by preventing a hu-
man sacrifice ritual and arresting the
man responsible – the cryptic Lord
Blackwood (played by Endgame’s
Mark Strong) – Sherlock Holmes
and his partner, Dr. John Watson
(Jude Law), await his execution.
Soon, however, it becomes evident
that something is not quite right,
as Blackwood promptly arises from
the dead, thus adding the unex-
pected element of black magic to the
story. Interestingly, Holmes, with
his Spock-esque logic and rational-
Nidale Zouhir ity, does not comprehend the possi-
Head of Local News bility of magic’s existence; similarly,
it is often difficult for the audience
interesting parts of the film are the
more traditional mystery-solving
scenes watching Holmes figure out
the secret to Blackwood’s “dark arts”
is much more gripping than watch-
ing him in a random boxing match
– which, although it does call back
to the original character of Holmes,
is entirely irrelevant to film.
Holmes’ character, however,
is fascinating; his emotional handi-
caps and trademark pretentious
intelligence, along with his slightly
homoerotic relationship with Wat-
son, make him simultaneously
more realistic and more compelling.
Adding to this is Holmes’ mutually
abusive relationship with criminal
Irene Adler (The Time Traveler’s
Wife’s Rachel McAdams); however,
Adler seems out of place as one
of the few American accents in a
primarily British-accent-led film.
are some of the most interesting of
the film.
Meanwhile, Blackwood is a
suitable enough villain; his skill at
hoodwinking and manipulating
those around him is his only real
weapon, although his desire to
remake the world into a place that
follows his rules along with his
tendency to murder all who stand
in his way makes him seem slightly
crazed.
The film’s CGI tends to be obvi-
ous at times, reflecting its $90 mil-
lion budget, especially when com-
pared with the $237 million Avatar
or the $250 million Harry Potter and
the Half-Blood Prince; however, the
lighting is flattering for essentially
everybody in the film.
At times, Holmes seems to
have too many plot lines for its 134
minutes; in fact, one of the most

B ased off Sir Arthur Conan

Doyle’s original characters and
a story by Lionel Wigram (executive
producer of 2009’s Harry Potter and
the Half-Blood Prince), Guy Ritchie’s
Sherlock Holmes is a somewhat cap-
tivating film despite its contrived
ending.
to suspend its own disbelief for the
black magic plot line.
Ritchie’s attempts to splice
action with mystery often fall short;
many of the fight scenes are either
unintentionally humorous or com-
pletely irrelevant. In fact, the most
Watson, meanwhile, is one of the
real highlights of the movie; his
relationships, both his engagement
with fiancée Mary Morstan (Me
and Orson Welles’ Kelly Reilly) and
his bromance with his parter/best
friend/roommate Sherlock Holmes,
confusing, involving love interest
Adler and a faceless caped man
called Professor Moriarty (rumored
to be played by Brad Pitt) is never
resolved, making the already forced
ending clearly sequel-ready.
14 lifestyle The Blue and Gold
January 2010
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

2009: Year of the Conformists? The Top

Ten of
The Year In Review 2010
Brittany Foley All Photos by Brittany Foley
Head of Entertainment/Opinion
Reginah Sanyu tween a skirt and pants, and can individual style through countless
very easily look ridiculous. If these variations of maxi dresses, sandals,
Reporter pants were worn in a wrong way or over-the-hair headbands and head
with a wrong accessory,the fashion wraps, boho jewelery and earthy
Fashion is more than the style police might be alerted. However, and fire tones.
and custom popular at a given when assembled in a chic outfit and Denim, forever in style, made
time; it is a manner of expression, its statement of superior-
a representation of individu- ity this year through skinny
ality. Recently, the meaning jeans—available in the entire
behind this term has trans- color spectrum, three cheers
formed. Fashion now exists as for eccentricity—and the later-
a figure of conformity. Rather popular jeggings (jeans with
than taking a staple and mak- a leggings texture). Destroyed
ing it their own, too many are denim, however, came in first in
buying whatever is “in” and the popularity contest.
are accepted as fashionable The ‘it bags’ became very
because they are following the common around 2005, and
latest trend. Today, society is have not stepped down yet.
in desperate need of a fashion It seemed this year more than
legislature. ever, everyone needed a bag Ayoub Kourikchi, of The Blue
This year, Ugg boots from Chanel or Coach, or any and Gold, modeling a take on a
and Crocs represent fashion other top designer that every- rocker-inspired look, a trend sus-
treason. Although these shoes one wanted to carry around. pected to be popular this year.
were made for those seeking, Far from affordable, these bags
they became two of the years were often worn redundantly,
greatest conformist necessities. 1. The Rebellious,
even when they completely
This accusation of conformity Rocker Look
clashed with one’s outfit. Then
is undeniable: although either Wear It: Studs,
came the monstrosity bags,
brand carries a variety of prod- where the motto “the bigger the black, leather, ripped
ucts, everyone had to have better” could fit purse prefer- denim
those classic beige Uggs. Al- Paige Yurek and Megan Kelly of The Blue ence perfectly. Abnormally large
though comfort was the main and Gold modeling some of the top trends bags screamed posh, while smaller 2. Boy Meets Girl
objective for an individual’s of 2009: Ugg boots, scarves, big bags, and handbags seemed tacky. Wear It: Boyfriend-
purchase of such footwear, skinny jeans. What about the time when the style jeans, oversized
everyone walking around only fashionable coats and tees, messenger-style
in the same type of shoe hats were made from fur?
confirms the lack of per-
bags, ties
PETA (People for the Ethi-
sonality they inspired. cal Treatment of Animals)
In 2009 conformity 3. Unusual Pairings
will not have to forgive the
such as this, however, Wear It: Bold
fashion-forward for the re-
affected us from head turn of the trend. Although patterns and prints,
to toe—literally. While wearing your pet has unusual color choices,
Ugg boots took over the regained popularity, this layers
country’s feet, the vintage luxurious style is widely
look of RayBan Wayfar- available in faux furs and 4. Transparent
ers and Aviators became skins. Pearls became rather Wear It: Sheer fab-
the essential accessory well-liked as well, further rics, cool tones, tights,
for above. The desire for reflecting the classic style
this classic look coincided
mesh, lace
of luxury and glamour.
with the geek-chic craze Boots of all sorts took
that consumed younger 5. Whimsically Edgy
the world by storm this
generations, and soon, Wear It: Bright
year. Whether they went
people were so desper- to the ankles, reached the colors, uncommon fab-
ate to take part in the fad Catherine Poirier modeling a Coach bag, one of calves, or were the over- rics, straight-cut hem-
that they popped out the the most popular accessories of 2009. the-knee style, boots were the year’s lines, feisty accessories,
lenses of glasses given out choice footwear. Western, rocker, extreme hair pieces
at 3D movies and paraded biker, and—of course—Ugg boots
around with them as if they were paired with confidence, this staple all made an appearance in window
actual specs. Perhaps these were proved to be a rather refreshing fronts throughout the entirety of
worn for a more sophisticated, in- look. 2009. Converse All-Star sneakers
tellectual look; looks like the joke is Scarves and belts have always and gladiator sandals were also in-
on the bullies. been top accessories, and that much creasingly popular.
Not all trends are straight- has not changed. These ornaments, As conformity and individual-
forward conformity, emphasizing though seen constantly, were worn ity continue to coexist in the world
how it is not what you wear, but in such broad varieties this year that of fashion, we anticipate how we
how you wear it. The more ad- hope for individuality in style is not will be able to stand on either side of
venturous of the fashion-forward lost. the fine line drawn between the two
donned Harlem pants, commonly Although the 60’s have been this coming year.
known as “hammer pants,” which gone for forty or so years, dress-
originated from India but were ing like a hippie proved popular Biker boots will be a key state-
made popular by MC Hammer. this year. Thankfully, the bohemian ment in 2010’s new top look.
These pants are a crossover be- look was often morphed to fit one’s
The Blue and Gold
January 2010 sports 15
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

Girls Track Strives to Beat History

Chris Brown
Reporter

T he Malden High School girls

indoor track team started a new
season with a loss at a home meet
against Somerville on December 16,
2009. Despite the new season start-
ing off rough, the team strongly
believes that they will do well.
Assistant Coach Jamie Green has
these feelings even though the team
“historically struggles in the GBL
(Greater Boston League), we’ve got
a good team with new talent and
old, established athletes.”
Green wasn’t surprised by the
loss to Somerville either, saying that
Somerville is historically “the best in
the GBL. Our goal is to compete at
the same level as Somerville so we
can possibly beat them someday.”
Green specifically coaches hurdles,
which is a dash that requires the
runners to jump over elevated ob-
stacles. “Hurdles is probably the
best and most intense track event,”
stated Green.
Green also mentioned that the
team received great instructions
from MHS alumni, Jonathan Brito,
who is now attending Harvard
University and competes in hurdles
at the collegiate level. Green hopes
that new and old talents, as well as a
Harvard-educated guest instructor
will be enough for the team to do
well this season.
Coach Mitch Abbatessa also
has great predictions for the team.
“The girls team this season could be
a force in the GBL. The throwers and
sprinters look very strong this year.
Last year we had only a few bright
spots during our season. This year
however we are looking to change
things and earn back some more re-
spect for the track team,” explained
Abbatessa.
Abbatessa believes the strength
in the team this season will come
from the varsity athletes, who, as
he said, have “worked harder in the
weight room and at the track more
than any season I can remember.”
The varsity athletes, he believes,
won’t settle for second best any-
more; they want to be number one..
The team will face cities such as
Everett, Arlington, Cambridge and
Malden’s rival, Medford before the
GBL Championship meet in Febru-
ary.

Junior Patrick Keough gains

first place in the boys’ two mile
race.
Photo by Lynn Tran

Junior Anthony Nguyen

gains second place in the
boys’ 600 meter race.
Photo by Lynn Tran

New Hope For Track

Freddie DiPhillipo
Reporter

T he boys indoor varsity track

team began the 2009 season
with a tie against Somerville High
School on Dec. 16, 2009. The team
has been practicing at the Salem-
wood School gym, preparing for
their next meets. Only this time,
players and coaches are expecting a
victory. Players of both the boys and
girls indoor track teams have been
doing a lot of preseason work. For
example, some members of the team
had to workout in the weight room
before the season began.After ask-
ing Junior Andrew Terenzi how it
feels to have more people at practice
he replied, “It is messed up because
a lot of them quit. It can also be an-
noying how it changes the amount
of rest you get in between workouts
at practice.”
As mentioned in previous edi-
tions of the Blue and Gold Newspa-
per, the Greater Boston League has
decreased in the amount of teams
competing. Two of the teams no
longer in the league are Waltham
and Peabody . Also, now that there
are less teams competing to become
the GBL champions, the boys track
team has a better chance to become
the GBL champions. One of the
team’s upcoming meets before the
GBL championship will be against
Everett High School, which will
be held in Everett on Jan. 13, 2010
at 6:30PM. Another meet will be
against Arlington at home on Jan.
20, at 3:30PM. They will also be fac-
ing Cambridge at home at 3:30PM
on Jan. 27, and away at Medford
on Feb. 3, also at 3:30PM. The GBL
championship meet will be held at
the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston
on February 13th at 3:00PM.
If a few members of the track
team do as well as expected at the
GBL championship meet, then they
will go on to the Division 1 State
Meet and possibly on to the All State
Meet. All three of these meets will be
held at the Reggie Lewis Center in
Roxbury. The Division 1 State Meet
will be held on Saturday, Feb. 20,
2010 at 9:00AM. And the All State
Meet will be held on Friday, Feb. 26
at 4:30PM.
16 Sports The Blue and Gold
January 2010
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

Boys Basketball Shoots for Another NHL’s Winter

Classic Expected
Great Season to Reach New
Heights
Brittany McFeeley
Copy Editor
Alfonse Femino

The Malden High School basketball team is currently 2-4 with Head Sports Writer
plenty more games left to go in the 09 -10 season.
With the loss of seven key players due to graduation and
the loss of junior Egi Gjikondi, the MHS team strives to fill in the
empty holes on the roster. Leading the team this year are Senior
F rom Pittsburgh center Sydney
Crosby’s goal at Ralph Wilson
stadium in New York, to Detroit
Co-Captains Ramon Viches and Nathan Freni, two of the four se- Red Wing Goaltender Ty Conclin’s
niors on the team. The other two seniors are Ernst LaRochel and incredible performance, the annual
Shakurus Semexant. The team is mainly composed of juniors and Winter Classic has seen incredible
a few sophomores, which will greatly benefit the team in the next excitement, and attracted monstrous
few seasons to come. numbers of fans along with millions
Viches stated, “Our goal is to make the state tournament,” at home watching.
which seems to be the theme goal this year. The team is working The Winter Classic is a hockey
hard to keep their streak going of making it to the tournament, game played with two National
if they make it this year, it will be the third year in a row. Since Hockey League teams on the first
the varsity team is rebuilding their roster, co-captain Freni stated, day of the year, however, the teams
“Last year’s team was very good because we all played together do not play in a Fleet Center or
for a long time. This season we are all still getting used to each Madison Square Garden setting, but
others skills and abilities but I think we will be able to make the on a synthetic strip of ice built on a
tournament again.” Major League Baseball field.
The lack of seniors on the basketball team does not stop The tradition instantly became
them, Freni mentioned, “we have a lot of juniors that play key a classic in 2008’s intense matchup
roles.” Senior Semexant also commented, “I think the team will between the Pitssburgh Penguins
perform well with only four seniors because we have some under- and Buffalo Sabers, drawing a re-
classmen with a lot of heart.” cord breaking 71,000 fans to home
The team is looking forward to playing against ranked of the Buffalo Bills Ralph Wilson
teams and Everett High School. Freni mentioned that he would be Stadium located in Orchard Park
looking forward to a basketball game against one of MHS’ popular New York. Both teams featured old
rivals, EHS. time hockey jerseys in an exciting
Even though the team has suffered some major losses from matchup, ending with an overtime
last year, that does not stop this team from putting their heart and shootout game winning goal from
soul into the 09 – 10 basketball season. Sophmore Billy Bonnet tries to shoot the Captain Sydney Crosby. "[the win-
ball. Photo by Catherine Poirier. ter classic] is a wonderful exeriance
that we are all blessed to be part of,"
stated Crosby in an interview with
girls basketball Stays Motivated the press after the game.
The 2009 matchup between two
of the NHL’s Original Six teams, De-
Amanda Adams troit Red Wings and Chicago Black-
Bridgette Furlong,on offense, dribbling the ball down the court. hawks, at the historical home of the
Reporter
Photo by Brittany McFeeley Cubs, Wrigley Field in Chicago did
not fail to bring the same excitement.
During the snowy January first day,

T he basketball game for the girls var-

sity was held on Jan. 5th in the Finn
Gym. It was Malden v. Cambridge. The
the two teams also featured old time
jerseys in an equally intense 6-4 Red
Wings win. The game somewhat
game started with the national anthem matched the original game in num-
and a moment of silence. “We started bers, filling the stadium well beyond
out good. We played hard defense and its capacity with eager hockey fans.
strong offense and by the end of the Though all teams involved in
first quarter the score was close.” Kiara the wonderful event received, in
Amos a sophomore on the varsity team simpler woods, a financial boost, the
stated. effects went much further. For ex-
By the second quarter, things were ample, attendance at the struggling
getting intense. Fouling happened Buffalo sabers steadily increased in
multiple times. Most of the points the second half of the season, while
Cambridge received. By half-time, the both the Penguins and Red Wings
score was 20 to 7, Cambridge. competed against each other in the
During the 3rd and the 4th quar- Stanley Cup, meaning that the in-
ters, there were a lot of fouls. The tensity picked up after playing in
teams had also faced wrong calls by the winter classic. Irony? I think not.
the referees, but they certainly did fight The 2010 decade marking
through it. The final score was 20-45, winter classic will be hosted by the
Cambridge. Commie Ayuk, a varsity hometown Boston Bruins against
player affirmed, “Our offensive plays rival Philadelphia Flyers, in what
to make shot opportunities and play- may be one of the most anticipated
ing strong defense were the strategies professional sporting events of all
we used.” time at the American Icon Fenway
Ayuk stated,” [After the game] Park In Back Bay, Boston. Tickets
all I could think of is that was a tough at the box office for the game were
battle but I know we have the poten- all sold within mere days after be-
tial to get them the next time we play ing released, and even the usually
them!” Amos declared, “Yes, we were packed craigslist/ebay ticket forums
disappointed but it just motivated us to are empty, clearly showing the
practice more and work harder.” excitemant for the history making
event.
The Blue and Gold
January 2010
Kayla Bramante
Reporter
Malden High School’s Gymnas-
tics team meets have long since been
known as crowd-pleasing events.
Although the team did not win their
Jan. 5, 2010 meet vs. rival Medford,
which they lost by three points, they
exhibited an outstanding amount
of effort in the form of their cohe-
sivenss as a team. Even though the
team has not been together all that
long, they have shown that they are
very cooperative and willing to learn
from one another for the betterment
of the team as a whole. Their team
spirit definitely shines through their
performances and their energetic
Swim team Laps The Competition
Malden is well on
Natalie Fallano their way to another
Reporter GBl title.
T he Malden High School swim
team is midway through the
season with a 3-1 record hoping to
be Greater Boston League (GBL)
champions once again, having won
in both 2007 and 2008.
On Wednesday Dec. 29, 2009
MHS had a meet against Malden
Catholic High school. Malden
Catholic is an all boys team and
MHS is co-ed, both boys and girls.
It would be interesting to see the re-
sult of the meet that faced girls and
boys against each other but would
be fair enough considering MHS’s
swimming history. Also considering
the rivalry of MHS and MC who are
cross town rivals who have always
been competitive with each other
even though they are in different
conferences, were excited to verse
each other.
It was a cold morning, only a
few days after Christmas when both
teams arrived an hour before the
meet ready to get into the cold chlo-
rine filled water and start warming
up for the meet. First in the water
was MHS wanting to get back into
a winning streak after losing to
Sports 17
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
Gymnastics
teamates on the junior varsity level
cheering them on.
Alana Casey and Kristin
Cruikshank, are said to be some of
the best at the floor and beam events.
Cruikshank, a senior who has been
practicing gymnastics for all four of
her years at MHS and is one of the
other team captains also performed
team’s three captains, puts a great during the Jan. 5th meet. Coach
well. “The boys on the team are
deal of effort into all of her perfor- Katie Bowdridge exclaims that “the
definitely something we have over
mances and had a particularly suc- teams wonderful, they work very
other schools and it really helps out
cessful day against Medford doing a hard and there are always adding
the team. They are a great addition
double back handspring back-tuck, new additions!” Needless to say she
and I think I can speak for all of
the culmination of nearly two years seems very happy about the way the
us when I say that I love that I can
of preparation. Jessica Katherine team is performing, even if they are
work with them in such a fun sport”
and Stephanie Dervishian, the two not undefeated.
stated freshman Jasmine Coutinho
Cambridge, followed by
MC, who now warmed up
together on opposite sides
of the pool. The girls of the
MHS did not look even close
to intimidated of a team of
35 guys. On the MHS team,
girls outnumber the guys
and were just excited as the
boys to get the meet started.
MHS also has two girl cap-
tains, Christina Valente and
Kristina Dyer, who cheered
their team out throughout
the meet when they were
not swimming. The swim team practices swimming. Photo by Kayla Bramante.
Not only were the girls
not intimidated but they was excited about the win, especial- was a great win but also assistant
made a big impact in MHS’s win. ly the girls of the team. Some were coach John Parcellin. He stated “It
MHS junior, Jackie Tran placed first glad to get back into the winning was an excellent meet and very
in the 100 breast stroke and fresh- circle after the loss to Cambridge, competitive. It was great to face our
man Caitlin Cala placed second like freshmen Michele Dang. She cross town rivals: Malden Catholic."
in the 100 fly passing to MC boys stated “It was a great win after we Parcellin also pointed out “Our girls
unexpectedly with only a few more lost to Cambridge.” Others such as are just as competitive as our guys.”
strokes left to the finish. Cala ex- Catherine Poirier were glad to say With just half the season left, both
claimed, “The meet was exhilarating they beat an all guys team, who ex- the boys and girls want to keep
because I came out of nowhere and pressed cheerfully, “It feels good to winning and hope to continue their
beat two guys in the 100 fly!” be able to say we beat a team of 35 reign as GBL champs for another
The meet ended with a total guys.” year.
score of 89 to 73 MHS and everyone Not only did the team think it
18 travel The Blue and Gold
January 2010
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

SKI TRIP 2010

Lauren Benoit
Lauren Benoit’s Journal:
Reporter
An experienced Skier

The Chondola up to the top of North Peak Moun-
tain.
Photo Credit by: Lauren Benoit
DAY 1: The day could not go by fast enough. I was counting down the minutes till
1:30. Finally, it was time to walk down and load the bus. Once the bus was loaded it now oc-
curred to me that I was on my first ski trip. I was nervous because I never skied without my
aunt who had taught me, and extremely excited because it is the ski trip I have been looking
forward to since 8th grade.
Being on a bus for five hours with people you hardly know can be boring. To pass time
“Transformers” was playing, but the movie only lasted so long. On that bus ride to other than
watching the movie I slept, ate tons of food, and talked with the people sitting around me.
At about 7:00 p.m. we arrived at the Snow Cap Dorms which is where we were staying
and the boys unloaded the bus. After room assignments and unpacking, is when the fun
began. Since Malden only had 30 students on the trip, all of us shared one wing—about six
to a room. Upstairs were the 150 Peabody students. Along with their rooms there was a ping-
pong table, four flat screen televisions, and a box of games.
Some brave souls from Malden actually brought televisions and gaming systems to
play during the free time. The popular game was called Just Dance. It seemed like everyone
had to play it at least once, and if you played it once you just had to play it again.
The doors to the rooms were wide open all the time with different sounds of music and
singing filling the hallway. If no one was in their room they were either in someone else’s or
dancing to music in the hallway. I wished that night would never end, but lights went out at
eleven.

DAY 2: The sound of phone alarms woke me up at 6:00 a.m. the next morning. Snoozing was a must until about 6:30 a.m.. After breakfast I geared
up and went out for a full day of skiing.
Within three hours of being on the mountain my mountain buddy and I accidentally managed to make it to the other side of the mountain. Unfor-
tunately we got lost, and our “one last run until we go in” turned into a one and a half hour hunt back to the main lodge.
At the end of a trail I collapsed. My eyes were blacking out and I was dizzy. My stomach was turning and I felt like I was going to throw up. I stood
up and went as fast as I could to the main lodge trails away. The moment when I saw South Ridge (the main lodge), was a sense of relief. I came in at lunch
time and finding an empty table to rest at was a challenge but I eventually found a table next to an elderly couple. My vision was coming and going. My
legs were shaking, I could not stand up without falling. That is when I turned around to the couple sitting behind me and asked the man if he could get
me water because I was not feeling well. As he was getting my water his wife stayed and comforted me. I was in terrible condition so they called ski patrol.
I was on the verge of unconsciousness. The only thing I wanted to do was sleep, I was exhausted. Once ski patrol came and they me to the medical room.
After asking some questions the conclusion came about that I was very dehydrated. This could be easily cured with each sip I take.
Once I got released to go back up to the lodge I was starving. The meals there were not appetizing to me. I felt like I could not bear to hold anything
down, but my stomach disagreed. I had to get energy into my body.
The rest of the day skiing conditions were horrible. It was windy and the slopes were icy. During lunch I bought new gloves to wear the second
half of the day. I was not going to let a little cold or my foolishness to forget to drink water get in my way of still skiing the remaining valuable three hours.
My last run of the day I rode alone. I wanted to end well, so I went down a blue trail called “3D”. A little ways down the mountain I discovered
that moguls covered the trail. I have not done those in years and since I refused to walk up the mountain I had to go down.
Ahead was a mound of snow for jumps. I went towards the mound at full speed. Too late to turn the other way I darted up the mound. Never did I
go off a jump before, and to do it for the first time alone was terrifying. I was at least four feet off the ground. Surprisingly I landed it. Even though I was
alone I still cheered at my victorious run. Then I skid the way back to the lodge and headed back toward the dorms.
Once I was showered it was just about dinner time. The food here was not very popular, so some people ordered their own food from a local pizza
shop.
Almost repeating the previous night Just Dance was the main attraction. Eventually one of the chaperones came into the room turned off the
television and made every single Malden student get out and dance. It took a while for people to start dancing but once it got started, it was fun! Popular
dancing songs such as “Party in the U.S.A” and “TiK Tok”, Lady Gaga were played. After the dance and a round of limbo there was an eating contest. It
was not just an ordinary eating contest, where the goal is to eat as much as you can; this contest was to guess what you are eating. The expressions on the
contestant’s faces were not pleasant whatsoever.
After the dance, continued more dancing on the Wii, but after a few songs everyone was all danced out so we moved to the hallway and ended the
night listening to some quality music.

DAY 3: Before leaving, everyone’s rooms had to be cleaned out. I thought it would take forever, but surprisingly my dorm room was one of the
first to get to the mountain.
Within the first couple runs I lost my skiing buddy. But luckily I ran into some other Malden people and began to ski with them.
After eating lunch I went back out to finish the day off with a couple good runs. Then came the decision to either take the easy way down the
mountain, or take a black diamond down. I kept telling myself that whole weekend that I wanted a challenge and that the blue slopes were becoming too
easy for me. So I decided to go down. I was with a more advanced skier so he had to go down first just to demonstrate that it was not impossible for me
to overcome. If I had to go first I would have backed out. After finishing that trail I felt so accomplished and that I could do anything. Up to the top again
we go!
Feeling proud of landing jump from the day before, I decided to go off another on a steeper more advanced trail. I got a few feet off the ground, but
without even a hesitation I dashed up another hill. Usually the mound goes gradually up then down, but not this one. Since I was not ready for the jump
I didn’t stand up in time. I darted off the mound flew into the air and came crashing down on my face then rolling over to land on my left side. My arms
were numb and both of my skis fell off. Reassuring that I was okay, one of my friends helped me put my skis back on. When I finished that mountain all
I could say was “How high did I go? Did you see that? I didn’t fall the first one, but the second was huge and unexpected!”
On the lift back up to the top of the mountain I was told that the trail I completely wiped out on was a black diamond. It does not matter to me that
I fell, or that my back and nose still hurts to this day; all that matters is that I did not do any irreparable damage to myself, and I had a blast.
Once we got back to South Ridge we were half hour ahead of schedule, so I decided to go up and down a few times nearby. The runs were nice
and easy, but extremely icy to the point where all I heard was the sound of my skis scratching against the cold, hard surface of ice.
My group started to head back to the dorms at around two. Once we got back I changed and relaxed until we left and started heading towards home.
Half hour into the ride we made a quick stop at McDonalds. I was not very hungry so I just got a drink and sat with my sister and her friends.
The rest of the ride home consisted of watching “Up”, sleeping, and listening to music.

GO TO THE ONLINE WEBSITE TO VIEW VIDEOS OF “JUST DANCE”

The Blue and Gold
January 2010 TRAVEL 19
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

Catherine Poirier’s Journal: A First Time Skier

Catherine Poirier
Reporter

Every year, Malden

and peabody come
together for two
full days of skiing
and excitement.
These are Lauren
and Catherine’s
accounts of the
winter
adventure.
From left to right, Catherine Poirier, Becky Broomstein, and Lauren
Benoit boogie it down in the dorm corridor. Malden’s two-day trip was combined
DAY 1: During school, I was counting down until we could leave for the Ski Trip. When
with Peabody High School, whose an-
nual trip has been running for 25 years.
the clock hit 1:45, and we left the school, it felt great to able to have a weekend full of fun ahead.
Pictured here: one student’s lift pass, a
Before we could venture on this four-hour bus ride, we had to stop at Peabody High School to
skier’s lifeline. Photo: Lauren Benoit
pick up the rest of our group. After their group was settled on the buses, we got on the road. The
bus ride was full of singing, laughing, and Transformers. After the bus ride, we pulled up to our
dorms, got our room assignments, and were free to do whatever we wanted in the dorm until 11 5 Fun Places to
p.m. Naturally we decided to have a dance party in the hallway of our rooms. Although, the party
did have to stop for a few minutes so we could go get some delicious ice cream sundaes. After a Ski/Snowboard
day of traveling, and having some fun, it felt great to rest up for a full day of skiing on Saturday.
An Holmqvist
Copy Editing Director
DAY 2: Usually on Saturdays, I sleep in, but not this week, our wake-up call was at 6:45 Source: www.sundayriver.com
a.m. Just to be safe all of set our alarm clocks on our phones for a little bit earlier. At about 6:15,
we awoke to the first alarm, and then the next, and the next. Our room was filled with the sounds
of Bad Romance, Tik Tok, and others. We all dragged ourselves out of bed, and got to go eat SUNDAY RIVER SKI RESORT
breakfast. After breakfast, we got our snow gear on, and took the shuttle up to the mountain. My
located in Bethel, Maine
stomach was turning, because it was my first time skiing. Once we got to the mountain, all of the
people who were taking a lesson had to go to the Discovery Center, to get our skis and wait for our Fun Fact: Widest terrrain in
lesson. All of the people in my group were just as nervous as I was. Just as we got to the smallest all of the Northeast with 132
slope for our lesson, we saw these small kids flying down the slopes. However, they made it look trails across 8 different peaks
much easier than it is. After a while, we all got the hang of it, we got to go down on our first trail.
Our instructor made it easy for us, by having us stop at certain places, and then go down some
Source: www.cannonmt.com
more. By the time our lesson was over, it was time for lunch. The warmth of the lodge certainly
helped our freezing bodies. After eating French fries, and having a nice cup of hot chocolate, it was
time for us to attempt a trail on our own. STOWE MOUNTAIN RESORT
That run was, at the least, an interesting one. Things just kept going wrong. At first, while located in Stowe, VT
getting on the ski lift, my pole fell, so I bent down to pick it up, and fell off the ski lift. I could feel
Fun Fact: More mile-long lifts
all of my friends laughing, and I was even laughing for doing such an idiotic thing. After finally
reaching the trail, I took a massive wipeout, and to my luck, my skis wouldn’t go back on,a nd
than any other ski resort in
I had to walk down the mountain. The next time around, was somewhat less eventful. Getting the East
off the ski lift, one of the girls in our groups somehow managed to make all four of us fall down. Source: www.stowe.com
Most of the girls in our group were inexperienced skiers, so it was good for us to stay together,
that why we could all be scared together. After a long day skiing, we all headed back to the dorms
to have some dinner, and relax before the dance. After dinner, we had an intense match of some KILLINGTON SKI RESORT
dance game on the Wii. Then all 150 plus teens there had to fit into the main room for the dance,
located in Killington, VT
which was a way for the groups to bond, and to celebrate the Patriots’ playoff game the next day.
Fun Fact: Largest Ski Area in
Our group definitely made the most of night, dancing away to the music, dance contests, Limbo,
and eating contests. the East, serving as many as
17,000 skiers a day

DAY 3: The weekend flew by, and sadly, it was already the last day of the trip. Getting Source: www.cannonmt.com
up in the morning was even harder for our group this morning, even the 6 alarms could not get
us up. After breakfast, we had to clean out our room, which was a complete disaster, the floor was
covered in clothes, and bags of our food. Finally, our room was inspected, and we could head up
to the mountain for our final day of skiing. I was much more nervous for this day, than I was for CANNON MOUNTAIN RESORT
our lessons on Saturday, because this time, we were on our own for the whole day. Our first run located in Franconia, NH
was terrible, all of us forgot what we had learned the previous day, but after another time down Fun Fact: Home of the largest
the mountain, we were back in the swing of things. Haley DeFilippis, fellow Blue and Gold staff Gondola in the New England
member, and I decided to go find a different trail. After a little searching, we found one, and went
area and the highest vertical
down. As soon as we reached the bottom, we realized that we had no idea where we were, but
drop in New Hampshire
we did see a ski lift that said it lead you to a Green colored trail, which is the easiest one, so we
decided to take this one up. Little did we know that this lift would take us all the way to the peak Source: www.sugarloaf.com
of the mountain, and to a trail that was terrifying. Although, we were scared to go down this new
trail, we did, and we now we have a funny story to tell. After we got to the bottom, we decided
to go on some more difficult trails, which were a great way to end our trip. At around 2 p.m., we SUGARLOAF MOUNTAIN RESORT
headed back to our dorms to change and get ready for the bus ride home. No one wanted to leave located in Franklin County, ME
Sunday River after having that much fun, but unfortunately, we all had to. Fun Fact: Second highest peak
in Maine at 4250 ft
20
Frozen Fenway: A Crowd-Freezer
Joshua Kummins
Reporter
continues from page 1
rivalries in college sports, the Boston
College Eagles and the Boston Uni-
versity Terriers.
Fans were treated to two ex-
citing games at ‘America’s Most
Beloved Ballpark.’ UNH beat North-
eastern, 5-3, in the women’s game.
Both teams are now tied for second
place in the Women’s Hockey East
standings, behind Boston College,
and have been fighting for a chance
to host the conference tournament
in March.
Northeastern scored the first
two goals of the game less than
three minutes into the first period,
but UNH responded by scoring five
of the last six goals, including three
in the third period and two by fresh-
man Kristina Lavoie.
On the men’s side, the Terriers
won their second straight game, 3-2,
against the Eagles, who have now
lost three games in a row. Coming
into the New Year, BC was riding
high near the top of the standings,
while BU sat out of playoff conten-
tion. Now, it looks like fates have
Wrestling Team Wins The GBLS
Haley Defilippis
Head of Business
With only half the amount of
matches this season, Malden High
School’s wrestling team is just
grateful for having the opportunity
to participate in a season that was
originally scheduled to be cut last
summer.
Despite the lack of assistant
coaches, the team is undefeated at
home; the team holds a record of
2-2. Among the team are 14 dedicat-
ed senior wrestlers that have been
training together since sophomore
year, along with reliable underclass-
men.
Junior Mandy Liao is the first
female to join-and stick to-the wres-
tling team for several years.
“At first it was kind of hard
because everyone is expecting you
to drop out like the rest of the girls
in the past or they don’t know how
to react when they have to wrestle
Sports The Blue and Gold
January 2010
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
been turned.
BC scored the final two goals,
but it was too little too late, as BU
had scored the first three. Wade
Meagan scored the game-winning
goal halfway through the second pe-
riod to propel the Terriers to victory.
David Warsofsky scored BU’s
first goal in his first game back from
helping Team USA win a gold medal
in the World Junior Championships
(WJC). The WJC is the arguably the
best annual amateur hockey tourna-
ment for players under 20 years old. The crowd at Fenway. Photo by Joshua Kummins
Warsofsky is not the only
player on the Fenway ice that has
participated in a major interna-
tional competition. Northeastern
goaltender Florence Schelling was
the starting goaltender for her na-
tive Switzerland in the 2006 Winter
Olympics in Italy. Schelling will
leave her Huskies team this Febru-
ary to compete in her second Olym-
pics in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Unfortunately for the partici-
pating teams, the event was short-
lived, as they will return to action
indoors for the rest of the season.
The ice rink. Photo by Joshua Kummins
Junior Mandy Liao and Senior Jimmy Vo wrestling.
Photo by Lynn Tran
you but now, I don’t even notice that last year. Kwan believes the
I’m the only girl on the team, I just major reason people do not
feel like I’m one of them and I don’t try the sport is because of
get treated different anymore.” She having to maintain weight.
also learned that “the best things “People at my lunch table
[about wrestling] are you improve think that I have eating
everyday, and you never know what disorders because I eat
to expect when you’re wrestling just 2 slices of bread, let-
somebody new, so it’s different all tuce, and an orange. It is
the time.” difficult to keep away
Liao explained her first match from Twinkies, but at Captains Alan Kw
an and Rich
versus a Cambridge boy that she had the end of the day I’m Haley Defilippis ard Basile. P
hoto by
“mixed feelings, like most of the day glad I didn’t eat that
I was nervous for it, like I’d be for a last bite.”
track meet, but I thought I was only Senior Matt Rizzo explains his All senior wrestlers
wrestling a JV match. Then people diet, “I eat until I’m hungry, as op- agree to take advantage of their last
would tell me not to be nervous or posed to when I’m full.” season. Rizzo explains that “wres-
I’d lose.” Despite her edginess about Kwan explains that the team tling is different from most sports
the match, he succeeded and cur- is doing a lot better compared to in which when you’re done with
rently holds a personal record of 1-0. previous years in which “we are it, either in high school or college,
Senior captain Alan Kwan, with actually winning as a team and not you will never do it again. Like
a personal record of 5-2, agrees that just individually.” Rizzo adds that basketball players can shoot hoops
the team is looking great this year the team can push you to work hard, whenever. Runners can go out and
with 90 percent of the team seniors, but it comes down to “how you do run. You can’t just have like a pick-
consisting of returning starters from yourself.” up game of wrestling.”