The Blue and Gold http://www.maldenblueandgold.
com/
Malden High School
Volume 96 Edition 5
Malden High School Swim Team
Sophomore and The Blue and Gold reporter Amalia Quesada Nylen swims in a meet. Full article on page
19. Photo by Sharon Lee.
Revolutions in the Middle East
Catherine Poirier
Copy Editor
A s of late, the Arab Republic of
Egypt has been in complete
chaos. Starting Jan. 25, 2011, protest-
ers started demanding that Presi-
dent Hosni Mubarak step down
from his title, and the people got
what they wanted three weeks later.
In 1952, the Egyptian people,
with the help of the military, over-
threw the ruling monarch. After do-
ing so, the new government created
the Constitution of the Arab Repub-
lic of Egypt. Under Article 75 of their
constitution, the president “must
be an Egyptian born to Egyptian
parents and enjoy civil and politi-
cal rights. His age must not be less
Green and
In This Issue:
MBT-C+ at Best
Paul Marques
Charity Dance
than 40 Gregorian years.” Mubarak
falls under all of these rules, so why
are the people protesting his presi-
dency? Boston Globe
The 82 year old president is a
former commander of the Egyptian
Air Force, and served as Vice Presi-
dent for six years before assuming
the Presidency on Oct. 14, 1981.
Mubarak was the longest running
Egyptian President; he was in com-
mand for 30 years. Egyptian democ-
racy has been far from perfect during
the 30 years Mubarak has reigned.
He has only kept the presidency this
long mainly due to corruption and
continued on page 6.
Our 96th Year
February 2011 Yellow
Brittany McFeeley
Head Copy Editor
O n Feb. 6, 2011, one did not have
to watch ESPN highlights to find
out the winner of Superbowl XLV;
plastered all over Facebook and Twit-
ter were the recurring statuses an-
nouncing the Green Bay Packers’ win
over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Weeks before the biggest game
of the NFL season, experts announced
their predictions on who would walk
away with the Vince Lombardi Su-
perbowl trophy, and out of the ten
Page 4 experts that voted, half were in favor
of Green Bay, the other five leaning
towards Pittsburgh.
Somali
After five-time Grammy award
Pirates winner Christina Aguilera fumbled
Page 8 the National Anthem, players from
both teams were ready to play one
Republican of the most important games of their
Congress football careers.
About half way into the first
Page 9 half, Packers quarterback Aaron Rod-
gers connected with Jordy Nelson
Monthly to put Green Bay on the board first;
Profile after the extra kick by Mike Crosby,
Green Bay was up by seven. With less
than four minutes in the first quarter,
Page 12
Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roeth-
lisberger threw the first interception
Pink Out of the game. The pass, intended for
Mike Wallace, was picked off by Nick
Page 13 Collins, who ran it for 37 yards into
the end zone. After another extra
kick, Green Bay was on top 14 to 0 by
the end of the first quarter.
Art Awards continued on page 24
Page 15
Boys Track
Page 21 Opinion 2-5
World News 6-9
Australian
Local News 10-15
Open
page 24 Entertainment 16-18
Sports 19-24
2
Editorials
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
Learning from Egypt
Malden High School
F eb. 2, 2011: President Barack Obama praised
Egyptians who used “their creativity, talent and
technology to call for a government that represented
their hopes and not their fears.” Protestors in Egypt
The Blue and Gold had just coerced President Hosni Mubarak into step-
ping down from his 30-year presidential role, hope-
77 Salem St.
fully ending an autocratic regime defined by its poor
Malden, MA 02148
economy, corruption, and limited speech.
The Egyptian population was indeed crafty
when it came to mobilization: three years ago, activ-
EDITORS-IN-CHIEF ists had already created several pages on Facebook
João Nascimento to gather support and coordinate protests against
Nidale Zouhir Mubarak’s regime. One can see why Obama would
find this a particularly ingenious route to revolution,
MANAGING EDITORS for the President himself made heavy use of social
Brittany Foley networking websites like YouTube, Twitter, and Face-
Alexandra Mathieu book to capture the 2008 presidential campaign.
If the internet, particularly social networking
HEAD COPY EDITOR websites, has the power to galvanize entire masses
Brittany McFeeley into action and have their feats be ingrained in the
pages of history books, I wonder why, as a student in
ONLINE EDITOR a high school where resources are so plentiful, I do
Omar Khoshafa not have full access to such tools.
There are several reasons why I argue for the
HEAD LOCAL NEWS WRITER complete liberation of internet use on campus, and
Cristina Peters all of them have as foundation the ideas that the
internet’s irrefutable necessity in our daily lives has
HEAD WORLD NEWS WRITER deemed access to the Web a right—not a privilege—
Dan Holmqvist and that technology is inherently beneficial to learn-
ing, provides greater resources to both teachers and
HEAD ENTERTAINMENT WRITER students, and if used efficiently, can better prepare
Reginah Sanyu the individual for our increasingly electronic future
and even benefit the environment.
HEAD SPORTS WRITER My Advanced Placement World History class
Alfonse Femino runs almost entirely on laptops, which allows us to
write at a faster pace, and thus cover more of the
HEAD OF BUSINESS never-ending AP curriculum before the test in May.
Alexander Gennigiorgis Using the Internet in class also allows us to not only
conduct research for history projects but also gives
HEADS OF PHOTOGRAPHY enough time to be involved with the Model UN
Lauren Benoit initiative AP World History classes are currently
Sharon Lee involved in. It proved difficult, however, to research
the impact of HIV and AIDS in Cape Verde when
HEAD OF SPECIAL PROJECTS every URL with the word “sex” in it was blocked: in
Kayla Bramante school, I was unable to access any website that spoke
of sex education in Cape Verde, and more tragically,
COPY EDITORS I could access few websites that spoke of sex educa-
Haley DeFilippis tion in general. When the internet has such strong
Catherine Poirier limitations on campus, both students and teachers
Megan Kelly suffer from the censorship. In this case, although my
Natalie Fallano
Paige Yurek Editorial Policy
Joshua Kummins
The Blue and Gold is an open forum for
student expression. It is produced by students
REPORTERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS for the school and the community. The views
Rebecca Broomstein presented in this paper are not necessarily those
Kaela Bryan of the advisor or the school administration. The
Freddie DiPhillipo
views presented in the editorials are those of the
Johanna Lai editors-in-chief or guests. The goal of The Blue
Kristen Leonard and Gold is to inform and entertain students as
well as the community regarding issues that we
Jacob Martino
Vicki Ngan feel are important.
Amalia Quesada Nylen We strongly encourage readers to respond
to material printed in the form of signed letters to
Timothee Pierre
the editors. No libelous, malicious, defamatory,
Amanda Rosatone obscene, or unsigned material will be printed.
Joel Stevenson The Blue and Gold reserves the right to edit the let-
Lesley Ta ters. Names may be withheld upon request. Not
all letters will be printed.
ADVISOR Although The Blue and Gold appreciates the
Ryan Gallagher support of advertisers, we may refuse any ad-
vertisement that violates the above policy or that
Established in 1915 promotes products questionable to student use.
Any correspondence concerning this publi-
Check out our online edition:
cation should be directed to Mr. Ryan Gallagher’s
room in C339 or to his mailbox in the main office.
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
The Blue and Gold
c/o Malden High School
77 Salem Street
Malden, MA 02148
The Blue and Gold
February 2011
AP World History teacher was attempting to take ad-
vantage of the laptops in class, my research came to
a halt due to the restrictions currently placed on the
school’s internet access.
It is also worth noting that there most likely
exists a huge disparity between the content that is
blocked in school and the content that is blocked, or
rather, not blocked at home. Social networking sites,
YouTube, and pornography are, for example, unfil-
tered in most households, and although I am in com-
plete agreement that pornography does not provide
any educational content, blocking every URL with
the word “sex” in it, and thus every topic that falls
under the umbrella of the word “sex,” is largely inef-
fective. Such blind restrictions without supplemental
education leads students to seek the forbidden fruits
in their households, leading them to indulge in ir-
responsible Web surfing. In a more liberal internet
setting, students could be held accountable by their
teachers for the content they access online.
Teachers now have access to YouTube, a website
that epitomizes the conflict between school admin-
istrations and the Internet. Thanks to YouTube, I
learned how to use optimization, a crucial math skill
for my online math class junior year. It was also mag-
nificently useful when preparing for my AP Spanish
Language exam last May. Websites like YouTube are
used by billions, and thus contain rich information
and a wealth of educational resources; not to mention
that they are often used components of online classes
offered at the school. To restrict websites like You-
Tube is, in a way, to restrict learning; more gravely, it
is to undermine my maturity and underestimate my
intellect, my ability to discern what is appropriate
and what is not. A student’s computing skills should
be cultivated, groomed, and not hindered by over
excessive filters.
Malden High School, and in fact, most other
schools, stand for exactly the best the Internet has to
offer: diversity of both people and ideas, along with
education, connection, and communication about
and with the rest of the globe. MHS has the opportu-
nity to show the tremendous power of the Internet in
communications and learning to its students, to teach
what is responsible and productive Web surfing. If
steps are not made towards some browsing reform,
teachers can continue to expect cell phone lights shin-
ing on their students’ faces as they sneakily access
Facebook under their desks.
João Nascimento
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Corrections:
- Page 5: Graphics by Sharon Lee + Me-
gan Kelly.
- Page 10: David Kirby’s poem “Broken
Promises” is spelled incorrectly.
- Page 21: Junior Mario Sforza’s last name
is spelled incorrectly in the wrestling
article.
- Page 22: In the Swimming article, Coach
Paul Divincentis is spelled incorrectly.
- Page 24: Senior David Germain’s last
name is spelled incorrectly in the boys
track article.
- Page 24: On Feb. 12, 2011, it is a GBL
league meet, not an invitational.
Corrections to the editor can be submitted to
theblueandgold@gmail.com
The Blue and Gold
February 2011
Letter to the Editor
Anne D’Urso Rose
Malden Reads Committe Member
A new community reading pro-
gram has come to Malden and
all MHS students are invited to take
part in Malden Reads: One City, One
Book. This community-building
initiative is based on a model that
has been done in cities and town
across the country, starting in Seattle
in 1998. The idea is to get the entire
community reading the same book
selection, afterwards encouraging
participating in book discussions,
Opinion
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
cultural per- out due to his mental illness, schizo-
formances, phrenia. When Lopez encounters
s o c i a l him, Ayers is alone, suspicious of
e ve n t s , everyone, and deeply troubled, but
and related glimmers of his musical brilliance
activities are evident.
based on An unlikely friendship be-
the themes tween the two men forms and
of the book. Lopez’s column ignites an outpour-
Not only ing of interest and support from
does this his readers, eliciting donations of
program fully intact violins, and even a cello.
promote As Lopez tries to get Ayers off the
reading, streets, into a more stable situation,
but, more and with opportunities for him to
importantly, further his musical career, he finds
it is intend- himself navigating the complexities
ed to build of our country’s mental health sys-
community tem, and squarely facing the grim
connections reality of Skid Row. Although Ayers’
between life changes for the better through
people of all their relationship, Lopez’s own life
ages and backgrounds in the city. is changed even more profoundly
The selected book for this year in this story of friendship, persever-
is The Soloist by Steve Lopez. It’s ance, and the redemptive power of
a true story of a writer for the Los music.
Angeles Times who meets a home- MHS students have already
less man playing emphatically on a played a big role in this project. The
two-string violin on the disparaged initial design for the Malden Reads
streets of Skid Row. It turns out that logo was created by junior Vivian
the man, Nathaniel Ayers, is a bril- Le as part of a logo contested initi-
liant musician who once attended ated through the art department.
Julliard, at the same time as conduc- Members of the MHS band will be
tor Yo-Yo Ma. One of the few African playing classical music as part of
Americans at the prestigious conser- the kickoff event, to be held at the
vatory, Ayers eventually dropped Malden Public Library on February
3
24 and MHS drama students will
be doing readings from the book at
this same event. Thanks in part to a
grant from the Malden High School
Alumni Association, the high school
library has plenty of copies of The
Soloist available to students. Librar-
ian Ms. Musilli will be offering book
discussions and blogging activities
related to the book.
One of the many events of-
fered through the program will be
a journalism panel featuring Boston
Globe columnist Kevin Cullen, a
former MHS student. We hope that
any student interested in media and
journalism will attend this event.
There will also be a culminating
event held in the Jenkins Auditori-
um in April. Billed as a “Community
Performance” by and for all ages,
it will express the themes from the
book through short performances of
music, song, dance, poetry, spoken
word, and dramatic skits. Try out
for a role on stage or just attend
the performance! For complete in-
formation about the Malden Reads
program, visit the website at www.
maldenreads.org.
Anne D’Urso-Rose is the Assis-
tant Director of Malden Access Televi-
sion, a trustee of the Malden Public
Library and a member of the Malden
Reads: One City, One Book committee.
4
Alexandra Mathieu
Managing Editor
T his winter was one of the worst
the city of Malden has seen in a
while. The snowfall, unlike in previ-
ous years, was not spread across all
three months of winter but instead
was concentrated solely in the
month of January. Schools left and
right were cancelled for several days
and those parents and students who
had to drive to their destinations
found navigating the streets to be
a rather tedious task. Yet, for those
days in between the storms when
school was in session, many Malden
High School students found them-
selves speechless as they were left in
the cold by the bus. To be fair, the
Massachusetts Bay Transportation
Authority’s subway system is one
of the most comprehensive around.
The real aggravation lies with the
MBTA’s bus system. Its untimeli-
ness, disregard of its passengers,
and rude bus drivers have become
intolerable this winter.
First, it is time to address the
lax timeliness of the buses. Buses ar-
riving later than the time indicated
on a bus schedule are nothing new.
After all, one has to factor in the
number of passengers en route, the
kind of traffic on the road, and, yes,
Opinion
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
MBTC+ At Best
the weather. A passenger knows
better than to expect a bus to arrive
on time. However, when the bus is
ten minutes, fifteen minutes, twenty
minutes late, it is easy to get aggra-
vated very quickly. With the weath-
er conditions, one can understand,
though most certainly does not have
to like, why the bus is arriving late.
However, Massachusetts is known
for its snowy winters, something
that the MBTA buses and drivers
should be better prepared for. Also,
when the roads are clear and there
is only snow on the sidewalks, there
is no excuse why a bus that is sup-
posed to arrive at 7:05 a.m. does not
come until 7:20 a.m.
Now on the MBTA’s website is
a “Customer Bill of Rights” which
states, “If your service is delayed
more than thirty minutes, your ride
is on us. We guarantee it.” In order
to get a complimentary ride, “you
must submit a claim within 10 days
of the delay occurrence by filling
an online claim at www.mbta.com
or by mailing an On Time Service
Guarantee Claim Card,” as writ-
ten in the Customer Bill of Rights.
Although this may seem like a
reassuring statement, this is not as
great as it sounds for one reason:
the passenger is already late! A com-
plimentary ride will not change the
fact that several students arrived to
school late because the bus could not
avoid the morning traffic. It would
be great if the bus drivers could
explain to the principals and bosses
that it was their fault that a busload
of passengers was late, but clearly
they don’t. Besides, what good is a
complimentary ride if that bus will
be late as well?
Moving on, the second point to
address is what happens when the
bus that is late, finally does show up.
Now this bus not only has to pick up
passengers who were waiting for it
to begin with, but also passengers
who are waiting for the next bus. Do
the math: initial passengers plus new
passengers equals an overstuffed
bus. This is not much of a problem
for those who wait at the bus stops
near their bus’ departure points,
but it becomes one major problem
for those who live farther down the
bus’ route. After all, a bus does have
its limit. So what does a bus driver
do in such a situation? The driver
has one of two options. The first one
is probably the one that makes the
most sense: He/she drives past the
waiting passengers, leaving them to
wait for another bus. Pros are that
the passengers already on the bus
are happy and will arrive to their
destination in some timely fashion.
Cons are that those left waiting are
angry, cold, and miserable.
The Blue and Gold
February 2011
The second option involves
going past the bus’s capacity and
cramming in as many passengers as
possible. Pros are that everyone is
on the bus and on their way to their
destination. Cons are that the pas-
sengers are squished and the driver
is frustrated at the passengers who
are unable to squeeze in “behind
the yellow line”. For those that are
unfamiliar, the yellow line is a line
on the ground that passengers, for
their own safety, are not supposed
to cross. At this point, the bus
drivers are shouting at passengers
for something that the passengers
cannot control. Seriously, if the bus
arrived on time, there wouldn’t be
so many people on the bus and the
driver would not have to scream.
MBTA buses are not always
this bad. In fact, Malden is one of
the few cities that are lucky enough
to have a fairly reliable public trans-
portation system. All of the MBTA’s
problems though, stem from its
buses’ occasional tardiness. Once
the MBTA decides to look into this
issue, then more passengers would
feel as if their tax money was being
put to good use. However until then
the MBTA will continue to be the
bane of many MHS students’ time in
high school.
The Blue and Gold
February 2011 Opinion 5
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

Making Sense of the 2010 Census

Dan Holmqvist Representatives are distributed to 710,000 people.
Head World News Writer “equally” among states according to Every ten
their respective populations. By law, years, these de-

A fter nearly one year, 635,000

temporary jobs, 14.5 billion
dollars, and 308,745,538 people,
the results of the 2010 Census have
finally started to trickle in, as state
population counts and demograph-
ics are becoming available on the of-
ficial US 2010 census website: 2010.
census.gov. But what exactly is the
relevance of all this data and why is
it so important to American gover-
nance?
The census is mandated by
the US Constitution, which states
in Article 1 that “Representatives
shall be apportioned among several
states according to their respective
numbers.” After the first census
was taken in 1790, each member of
the House of Representatives was
responsible for a constituency of
34,000 people; today, that number
has burgeoned to 710,000 people.
In its over 200 years of existence,
the census itself has also undergone
important changes; last year, for
instance, the census accounted for
illegal immigrants as well as same-
sex couples, demographic groups
traditionally avoided in the past.
The primary focus of the cen-
sus is to aid the US government in
the apportionment process, where
the 435 seats of in the House of
each state is required to have at least
one US representative. The number
of additional representatives each
state receives is calculated accord-
ing to the method of equal propor-
tions (also called the Huntington
Hill Method). However, given the
boundaries of individual states,
issues relating to the accuracy of
results, and other possible errors,
all states are not necessarily granted
“equal” representation. The census
merely provides a rough estimate
for reapportionment. Washington,
for instance, will add one represen-
tative as a result of the US census
and each representative of that state
will represent only 675,337 people.
Massachusetts, on the other hand,
will lose one representative as a
result of the US census, and each
of the nine remaining Massachu-
setts representatives will represent
728,849 people.
The census is mandated by the
US Constitution, which states in Ar-
ticle 1 that “Representatives shall be
apportioned among several states
according to their respective num-
bers.” After the first census was taken
in 1790, each member of the House
of Representatives was responsible
for a constituency of 34,000 people;
today, that number has burgeoned
cennial censuses,
by determining
the number of
seats each state
is allowed in the
House of Repre-
sentatives, also
provide states with
the framework for
redistricting, the
process by which Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, Acting Deputy
states redraw their Secretary Rebecca Blank and Census Bureau Director
electoral district Robert Groves release the first set of 2010 Census data at
lines. However, a news conference on December 21, 2010. Picture cour-
throughout Amer- tesy of census.gov.
ican history, this process has lead to licans would become the majority.
widespread gerrymandering. Ger- This, according to some, marginal-
rymandering is a practice of political ized the power of the constituents
corruption where certain members living in the old district. In 2006,
of a state government, who have the Supreme Court ruled that the
control over the redistricting pro- most of the Texas redistricting was
cess, manipulate district boundaries Constitutional, except for District
in order to aid a particular political 23, which it eliminated because it
party, to over represent or under was found to be an act of racial ger-
represent a targeted demographic rymandering.
group, or to ensure political reelec-
Besides reapportionment, the
tion for an individual politician. census is also used to calculate the
In 2003, for example, the state of amount of of certain kinds of fed-
Texas was accused of gerrymander- eral spending to be allocated to each
ing, after it had changed the district state, in addition to identifying de-
boundaries of a mostly Democratic mographic trends and shifts within
county in Austin, separating it into certain states and within the country
three new districts where Repub- as a whole.

Speak Now, Speak Loud

Lesley Ta
Recently, Malden High School and surrounding districts have
increasingly looked at bullying as a serious issue, especially in
Reporter
light of technological changes and new social media.

B ullying: The destruction of one’s

ability to function properly
mentally, emotionally,and physi-
cally,” explained one Malden High
school student. This degrading act is
an international epidemic - and only
recently it has been brought to the
media’s attention. Phoebe Prince’s
tragic suicide sparked the outrage of
students and parents. Her death be-
gan the revolt of the silenced victims
of abuse and bullying everywhere.
Earlier this year, all MHS staff
were issued a bullying prevention
and intervention packet.This packet
contained a presentation stating
many facts about the emotional and
mental state of victims and bullies.
According to the packet, entitled,
Bullying and Cyberbullying Preven-
tion for Educators, bullying today is
not the same as it was two genera-
tions ago. The characteristics of the
aggressor and victim and the inten-
tion of the attack have changed. “I
think bullying is a very significant
problem that affects the entire
school community,” explained MHS
adjustment counselor Rachel Gell-
ing.
An upperclassman at MHS
shared, “I was targeted for a year
on Facebook and in school. These
girls were immature and tried to
intimidate me. They wanted me
to be more nice to them and to do
what they wanted,” adding that she
eventually overcame them by real-
izing that, “They were mad because
I had better grades and supportive
friends. After the incident, I didn’t
care what anyone thought of me.
I wasn’t going to let the next four
years of high school be ruined. I
have a better future than them, and
they wanted to ruin mine.”
The packet also mentions that
today, bullies are often “popular”
and are high up on the student popu-
lation hierarchy, as opposed to a few
generations ago, when bullies were
not often “popular” and victims
were easy prey. With technological
advancements, the spiteful behavior
has gravitated online. Boys tend to
menace on gaming sites while girls
harass on social networking sites.
A few months ago, a scandal
erupted on a popular social network-
ing site, targeting MHS students
with malicious, false accusations.
One victim of this incident stated,
“Pictures of me were posted on the
fan page. I was labeled as ugly,”
adding that, “People just want to
ruin your reputation. They want to
throw out your name.”
Perhaps cyber bullying is so
popular because it is easier to de-
stroy someone’s life by hiding be-
hind a screen than going face to face.
Studies show that 79 percent of teen-
age girls and 62 percent of teenage
boys chose cyberbullying because
they do not see the victim. “Blame
Facebook,” agreed the interviewees
unanimously. One MHS student re-
vealed, “I saw Formsprings saying
‘Come bully me.’ It’s horrible.”
Another student claimed, “I
feel like we’re all ignorant unless
you find the truth. Sometimes im-
migrants can be ignorant, so people
think its OK to make fun of them in
English. That’s just wrong.” MHS
is known widely as one of the most
diverse schools in Massachusetts,
and with the variety of cultures min-
gling, there is bound to be conflict.
One student expressed solemnly,
“ There is so much diversity that
people experience different cultures.
People are absurd when they think
there is a basic stereotype of each
race.”
A different MHS student ad-
mitted, “I got into a lot of fights for
three years here. People just don’t
like me. I wasn’t going to back down,
so I fight back.”
Three out of the five people
interviewed for this article agreed
that there is a popularity and clique
problem at MHS. “I noticed that
everyone is trying to do something
different to stand out more, but it
might not be for the right reason,”
stated one girl. “Girls talk nonsense,
spreading rumors and gossip. They
want to be recognized for what they
say.”
However, there are punish-
ments in place for bullying. If a
student is caught bullying someone,
there are potential fines, time out
of school, and jail time for the most
severe cases. MHS Principal Dana
Brown declared, “The faculty and
staff will not tolerate harassment
or bullying, and we will work with
students, staff and community
members to make Malden High a
safe place.”
Bullying may not stop, but the
experiences spoken should be an
example for the future. There is al-
ways help, and there is no shame in
speaking. Justice will be delivered,
but in order to have it delivered, you
must first speak up about it.
6
Revolutions in the Middle East
Egypt
continued from front page.
manipulation of the system.
For years, the Egyptian Consti-
tution would not allow multiple can-
didate elections due to the People’s
Assembly, a group that has most
of the control over the presidential
election. This was until 2005, when
a change was proposed by Mubarak
to the rarely disagreeing parlia-
ment, for a multi-candidate election.
However, the president had already
ensured his candidacy for that turn
through the same parliament by a
direct election referendum. Mem-
bers of the president’s party also
had gone to poorer parts of Egypt,
giving people money in return for
votes in favor of Mubarak.
Millions of Egyptians were fed
up with Mubarak’s corruption of
their country, and they took to the
streets in protest, hoping to stop
him from running in the election
again. Tens of thousands are gath-
ering in Tahrir (ironically meaning
liberation) Square in Cairo, Egypt.
Protests started off peacefully, with
Egyptians gathering, chanting, and
praying in the square, things did es-
calate quickly however. Those who
are in support of the Mubarak took
to the streets as well, opposing the
protesters, and sparking violence.
In response to the recent
events, Egypt seems to have cut off
all communication to the outside
world for its people. Streets lead-
ing into Cairo and other major cit-
ies have been closed; train services
have been stopped as well, hoping
to calm down the scene. This effort
has seemed unsuccessful due to the
increased number of protesters. On
Jan. 25 they blocked Twitter, and a
day later the Egyptian government
blocked Google, and Facebook.
Shortly after this they upped the at-
tack on communication by blocking
the Internet entirely; additionally
Blackberry and SMS texting were
blocked.
The country was a black hole,
the ban put into effect across the en-
tire republic. As if this was not bad
enough, multiple landlines in Cairo,
and cell phone service in the coun-
try were down as well. A 4 p.m. cur-
few was imposed as well, although
armed forces did not seem to be
doing much to enforce it. People
across the world are trying to do all
they can to help Egyptians. On the
popular blogging website, Tumblr,
a post circulated that helped Egyp-
tians bypass the block on the Inter-
net by using a different numerical
IP address to access Twitter, Google,
and Facebook. Another solution has
a French ISP that offers free dial-up
access. It is still unknown as to how
The Blue and Gold
World news February 2011
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
Tanks rolled into the center of Cairo,
Egypt where thousands of people
gathered to call for the resignation of
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak,
January 30, 2011. (Carolyn Cole/Los
Angeles Times/MCT)
this message is going to actually
reach those in the cut off country,
but they hope it will. A few weeks
hours. The Egyptian
later, on Feb. 2, 2011 the government
military had to bring
turned the Internet block off, allow-
in tanks to suppress
ing the people to access the World
the crowd, but the
Wide Web.
protesters did not
Antique Egyptian artifacts are
back down. In fact,
being affected by the protests as
even more strikes
well. All 100+ pyramids have been
had started since
closed during this time for their
then. Thousands of
safety and preservation. The Egyp-
workers went on
tian National Museum in Cairo was
strike on Feb. 10,
raided on Jan. 28, 2011 by protesters
2011 demanding
in Tahrir Square. Looters destroyed
higher wages. Streets
a few artifacts from the museum,
were continually
the most prestigious of them being
getting worse, espe-
a statue of King Tutankhamen. Dr.
cially with the es-
Zahi Hawass was furious about
cape of hundreds of
the ordeal, telling National Public
prisoners from jails.
Radio that those who did it were
Protesters are not
“ignorant people. They have no
happy with waiting
education. They are criminals.” He the military, Mubarak was ousted on
eight more months until Mubarak
also stated that those who protected Feb. 13, 2011. The same government
steps down: they want immediate
the museum during the raid were that the people and the military
action. The death toll now stands at
real Egyptians, protecting their heri- helped to build was now the one be-
over 100, and there are over 2,000
tage. Hawass added that the army ing dissolved. Parliament has been
injured people.
did not show up for hours later, and ejected from their seats, and the
Mubarak followed up his
are now covering every corner of the constitution is now suspended. The
previous announcement with an-
Cairo museum. Supreme Council of Armed Forces
other on Feb. 10, 2011. This one sent
On Jan. 31, 2011, President is currently appointing a committee
mixed signals to the people, hours
Mubarak made a television appear- that is going to propose progressive
before his speech, the military made
ance across the country. He stated changes to the suspended constitu-
an announcement in Tahrir square.
that he would not be stepping down tion. Since Mubarak has officially
Military officials had just met, and
immediately, but he would not be stepped down, Defense Minister
they claimed that “all the protest-
running for reelection in Septem- Hussein Tantawi is leading a coun-
ers’ demands would be met,” and
ber. “This dear nation ... is where I cil of generals who are running the
that Mubarak would indeed step
lived, I fought for it and defended country. In the days they have been
down. Thousands more gathered
its soil, sovereignty and interests,” in charge, a sense of normalcy has
in the square to rejoice, and watch
said Mubarak. “On its soil I will returned to the country. Feb. 14,
as Mubarak was supposed to resign
die,” he finished. The President had 2011 was the first day back to work
from his office. They were in for a
been urged by many other political for most of the country, the streets
surprise when the president refused
figures, including President Barack have been opened, and traffic has
to step down or leave the country.
Obama, to not go for reelection. been running smoothly through
Instead he handed over his powers
Obama and Mubarak have been Cairo. To fill the vacant government
to Vice President Omar Suleiman,
talking throughout this entire or- seats, Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq
but he still will retain some influ-
deal, the other day the two had a 30 is reviewing candidates accepted
ence over the government. It was
minute phone conversation. Obama by the public. Military officials are
unclear whether Mubarak had giv-
demanded the transition of power working day by day, but at a fast
en up any actual authority; he still
to the new president, whomever pace, in order to please the Egyptian
remained in the palace and held the
it may be “must be meaningful, it people.
rights to request amendments to the
must be peaceful, and it must begin Two questions remain – who
constitution, and to dissolve parlia-
now.” will take his place in September? No
ment or the cabinet, among others.
Egyptian officials hoped one knows who will be running for
The confusion sent the crowds into
Mubarak’s announcement would the presidency in September. Some
an even more chaotic frenzy, chant-
satisfy the people and calm down are worried that the Muslim Broth-
ing “Leave! Leave! Leave!” they are
the cities once again. Despite their erhood are keeping a close eye on
now asking the military to step in to
hopes, more gun shots were fired on Egypt, and that they will exploit the
push Mubarak out.
Feb. 2, 2011 right before midnight, situation.
The military kept true to their
leaving a few injured. Violence
statement three days later when his-
erupted even further in the next few
tory repeated itself. With the help of
The Blue and Gold
February 2011
The Egyptian army
was in the streets of
downtown Cairo,
Egypt, on Satur-
day, January 29,
2011, as citizens
celebrated the
news of changes
in the govern-
ment’s structure.
The army was
present, but no riot
police. (Carolyn
Cole/Los Angeles
Times/MCT)
A group of protesters pray in downtown Cairo,
Egypt, as demonstrations continue, January
30, 2011. Protesters massed across Egypt for
a sixth straight day to demand that Egytian
President Hosni Mubarak resign. (Carolyn
Cole/Los Angeles Times/MCT)
Yemen
Brittany McFeeley
Head Copy Editor
A s Egyptian protests fill the
streets of Cairo, similar upris-
ings are beginning to occur not too
far away in the poorest country in
the Arab world, Yemen.
Like Egypt, Yemen protesters
want their president, Ali Abdul-
lah Saleh, to step down after a 32
year regime. Despite his new an-
nouncement that he will not go for
re-election in 2013 or turn power
over to his son, protesters were still
unhappy with the success (or lack
Tunisia
Kayla Bramante
Head of Special Projects
N early 219 people have lost
their lives in the month long
Tunisian protests against their gov-
ernment, and president, Ben Ali.
These protests began when groups
of people were found outside of
the presidents holdings. They were
coming together because some so-
cial networking sites, such as Face-
book and Twitter, had recently been
completely shut down. A big part
of the groups were unemployed
college students who were enraged
about the need for jobs and accused
the Tunisia family of self enhance-
ment, or making things better for
themselves. When the police arrived
at the scene, they were found us-
ing billy clubs, guns and tear gas
WORLD NEWS
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
The standoff in Cairo, Egypt’s
Liberation Square continues, with thousands
of protesters remaining throughout the day on
Saturday, February 5, 2011, and into the night.
Men form lines in front of the Egyptian Army
troops near the Egyptian National Museum.
(Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times/MCT)
thereof) during his presidency.
Out of the staggering number
of people living in Yemen, which
adds up to 23,495,361 as of July of
2010, only 54 percent are literate,
making it difficult to spread the
message about the protests. Ac-
cording to CNN, the protesters who
are educated hope to spread the
message to tribal leaders, who will
hopefully support them.
Although many oppose the
President’s rule in Yemen, there is
also a group of supporters for Presi-
dent Saleh; they, on the other hand,
believed that he was fulfilling his
duties as president. In response to
the Tunisian President and his wife
fleeing country of Tunisia (due to the
against the protesters. A gang set
a synagogue on fire and this was
the first attempt of protest from the
Jewish. Military officials were seen
sniping people from afar and throw-
ing rocks at the protesters. Later that
day there was a nighttime curfew
sent out throughout Tunisia. There
were many people found leaving
the country to secure the safety of
themselves and their families.
Typically in Tunisia, there is a
large middle-class, a huge gender
parallelism, and lovely Mediterra-
nean beaches. Tunisia also has a con-
straining region of police states. The
citizens of Tunisia have accepted the
surveillance and continuous uses
of torture for a long period of time,
and recently there has been a lack of
jobs and a huge public resentment
against the government.
During this uprising, the presi-
dent and his wife were found leav-
A man leaves a
looted shopping
mall as demon-
strations contin-
ued for a sixth
straight day,
January 30,
2011, in Cairo,
Egypt. (Caro-
lyn Cole/
Los Angeles
Times/MCT)
protests occurring there), President
Saleh has made some concessions in
his government to benefit the people
of Yemen. He hopes to lower the in-
come tax, raise soldier salaries, and
provide food for the poor.
On Feb. 3, 2011, or the “day
of rage,” both groups of protesters,
20,000 of them anti-government
protesters, gathered near Sanaa
University, at Yemen’s Capital in Sa-
naa. Fortunately for police, the op-
posing groups never crossed paths,
even though only one kilometer (.62
miles) separated them. The police
sent away the protesters armed with
chunks of wood, but that was the
extent of the dangers that occurred
in Sanaa, and by lunch time, it was
ing the country, and there are now
arrest warrants on the two. These
protests have led to the president
making a decision to end his term
and opened the door for other can-
didates. What Tunisia is looking for
with the new government system is
to enhance the amount of women’s
rights like making men go to court if
they plan on filing for a divorce.
The Tunisian rebellions were
also the cause for the uprisings in
Egypt; as well as in Yemen and in
Jordan. Back in Tunisia, the govern-
ment has been trying to stabilize the
country by assuring that if Ali is out
of office, the hope for democracy
can become a reality.
On Feb. 13, 2011, one thousand
people were found escaping Tunisia
and were found on an Italian island.
Because of the sudden mass of peo-
ple going to Italy, they have blocked
incoming boats and Italy’s president
7
The standoff in Cairo, Egypt in
Liberation Square continues, with
thousands of protesters remain-
ing throughout the day on Satur-
day, February 5, 2011, and into the
night with some sitting in front of
army tanks. (Carolyn Cole/Los
Angeles Times/MCT)
all over.
As protests fill the streets, fear
fills the lives of those living in Ye-
men. Due to the extremely high
unemployment rate of 40 percent,
and an outrageous poverty rate of
45.2 percent, many believe that the
youths of their society are becoming
involved with al-Qaeda. One group,
named Zaidi Shiites, are located in
the northern part of the country.
Some experts believe that in
order to kept the peace, President
Saleh has about six months to fulfill
his promises, before Yemen turns
into turmoil. Not all is lost for Ye-
men, since Egyptian President
Hosni Mubarak stepped down from
office over Valentine Day weekend.
is meeting urgently to find a solu-
tion to the problem. However, they
have not taken action yet.
While the Middle East is in
battle with their autocratic govern-
ments, what is the rest of the world
doing to help out the protests?
There have been several rallies in
Toronto and Boston to support both
Tunisia and Egypt. There have also
been other attempts to support
Arab in different countries around
the world and in some parts of the
United States. There has also been
some support on Twitter for Egypt.
The people in Egypt told everyone
to change their location to Cairo
to confuse the government. Some
people at Malden High School have
also done this to show their support.
So next time you log into twitter
you can think about Cairo and how
you might be interested in showing
them some love!
8
The Blue and Gold
World News February 2011
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

Blackwater Profits From Somali Piracy

Amanda Rosatone
Reporter would not be less
likely to be penal-

R ecent news of Somalian pirates

attacks may be linked to a big-
ger issue than most people think.
ized because sim-
ply they work for
Blackwater.
The Somalian pirates is just one ex- Today, the
ample of the Blackwater Company Blackwater com-
at work. Blackwater is a secretive pany will now
security force that sends United choose to leave
States occupational officials under- Iraq on their own.
cover in countries in the Middle East So far, Blackwa-
such as Iraq. It is said that in Iraq on ter has collected
Mar. 31, 2004 the war turned, when several million
there was an incident involving four dollars from tax
U.S. occupation officials and their payer funds,
true identities were revealed. They Jeremy Sachill,
were ambushed, killed, and then a correspondent World map locating piracy-prone areas, with charts showing percentage of hijackings that were done by
dragged through the streets; two from The Nation, Somali pirates in 2010. South Korea successfully saved a crew from Somali pirates. MCT 2011
of the Blackwater employees were stated in one of
hanged above the Euphrates river. his many Blackwater informational ter have to do with the Somalian Schaill stated that “[the pi-
Once the Bush administration heard videos. Some members of Congress pirate attacks? In essence they really rates] very seldom commit acts of
about this ambush they planned an believe 40 cents of every dollar spent do not have an effect yet, although violence, kill anyone, or brutalize
immediate revenge attack, adding on the Iraq occupation went to the Schaill stated that Blackater recently anyone,” and that the pirates only
fuel to the fire. company. Considering this company had a meeting with shipping com- attack the ships to hopefully collect
There were many cases where works so secretively, some members panies discussing the proposition ransom money. Somalia is a very
the morals of the Blackwater compa- of the US government cannot prove of Blackwater protecting the ships poor place and the pirates attack the
ny were severely questioned. Some anything about the company but from pirate attacks. The shipping ships because the ransom money
main concerns were what laws run they continue to do research hop- companies were aware of the reputa- will improve these individuals’
Blackwater, when asked in a house ing to find connections to the war. tion Blackwater had gained through economic circumstances and living
hearing about contractor immunity According to Jeremy Schaill, au- the incidents in Iraq but desperate standards. Somalia is originally a
from Iraq government system Erik thor of “Blackwater: A Rise of New times call for desperate measures. place that has a lotof tuna fishers but
Prince, founder of Blackwater, stat- Worlds,” Blackwater accomplishes Shipping companies are willing due to the crashing economy, busi-
ed that “[my] understanding is yes.” so much due to a CIA group called to work with Blackwater because ness regarding exporting had not
This basically means that if any Total Intelligence Solutions headed they cannot run the risks of pirates been at it’s best. The only solution
Blackwater worker were to commit by Jake Hofer Black. attacking the ships and stealing pre- they have found thus far is to steal
what would be seen as a crime, they So what exactly does Blackwa- cious cargo. money.

Airport Security Not Unlike That of U.S.

Paige Yurek Airport bombing in Moscow leads to an increase in security.
Copy Editor
decisions here, including the airport sia stating in a video posted on an to sacrifice themselves.” In the past

R ecently in the United States,

an increase in airport security,
including controversial screenings
management, will answer for this.”
Nearly a week after the attacks,
Chechen warlord Doku Umarov
Islamic Rebels site, “God willing,
these special operations will be car-
ried out in the future. There is no
year, Umarov took credit for hav-
ing sent bombings to Moscow three
times. His reasoning, being that he
before boarding a plane, has become took credit for the acts and threat- doubt of this, as we will have hun- will “not stop until the Caucasus is
a necessity due to terrorist attacks ened to send more attacks on Rus- dreds of brothers who will be ready Islamic and free.”
such as 9/11 and other failed plots
that target airline infrastructure. An
ocean away in Moscow, Russia, a
similar situation occurred. On Jan.
21, 2011 in the late afternoon, 35
people were killed at Domodedovo
airport, leaving around 100 others
seriously injured.
Channel Six News Online re-
ported that Russian President Dmi-
try Medvedev is confident that the
bombing was in fact a deliberate ter-
rorist attack. “Considering the loca-
tion and other indirect indications,
this was a well-planned terrorist at-
tack aimed at killing as many people
as possible,” stated Medvedev. “All
instructions have been issued, we
have an algorithm for this kind of
emergency effort in our country
because we know firsthand what
terrorism is. We have introduced
special security measures at virtu-
ally all transport hubs.”
Medvedev continues to say
that the airport itself should be held
responsible for security failure, stat-
ing, “The airport is good, everyone A bombing victim is wheeled by paramedics from Domod- Diagram of Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport, where an
recognizes that, it is new and mod- edovo International Airport. An alleged suicide bombing apparent suicide bomber killed and wounded dozens of
ern. But what has happened shows attack rocked the arrivals area killing at least 31 people, and travelers; includes list of recent terrorist attacks in Rus-
that there were clearly breaches in injuring more than 200 in Moscow, Russia on January 24, sia. (MCT 2011)
security, and everyone who makes 2011. (Itar-Tass/Abaca Press/MCT)
The Blue and Gold
February 2011
Republicans in control
Republicans are gaining power in congress.
under their influence, what’s in store for U.S?
Vicki Ngan
Reporter
C urrently holding 47 seats in the
Congress, House GOP, or the
Republicans, have the majority in
the House of Representatives, with
Republican John Boehner as the
Speaker of the House, who is second
in line for presidency. From Ohio’s
eighth congressional district, he is
the influential leader of the House
of Representatives. With the Repub-
licans in power, what will they do?
Budgets cuts are one of the
major issues America has to face.
The U.S. has a debt of almost 14 tril-
lion dollars, and contrasting sharply
with Obama’s policies the last two
years, the Republicans want deep
cuts in the federal budget where as
Obama has proposed a spending
freeze. Pressured by the Republicans
and trying to find a balance, Obama
had announced his plan of setting
budget cuts back to 2008 level, set to
begin on Feb.14, 2011. House GOP
wants to reduce spending and be
more conservative, as well as getting
Americans to reduce the unemploy-
ment rate by starting to work again.
Recently though, Obama has made
a proposal of cutting 1.1 trillion dol-
lars in the federal budget within ten
years throughhis five year freeze in
non-security funding spending, and
an increase in taxes, and funding for
selected education. In NBC’s “Meet
the Press,” Boehner disapproved
Obama’s plan because it was “going
to continue to destroy jobs by spend-
ing too much, borrowing too much,
and taxing too much.” Opposing
Republicans are against the idea,
arguing that this is not enough, and
insist on deeper cuts. They call for
cuts in hundreds of programs, even
targeting elimination of Americorps
and Corporation for Public Broad-
casting.
Although it might seem nice
that our debt will be decreasing over
the years, a matter of public safety
arises. According to economists,
thousands of fewer immigrants will
be detained and of those thousands,
there is the possibility of terrorists
smuggling in. In addition, there
might be as many as 2,700 Fed-
eral Bureau of Investigation agents
removed, making the chance of
catching criminals be lower than
before. And not only is it safety,
but there will be poorer conditions
of schools and around 200,000 kids
will be dropped from head start. A
commonly predicted raise in unem-
ployment can be seen in the picture
too, though Boehner disagreed. He
claims that the crisis will “bring
greater physical responsibilities
here in Washington D.C. and some
of the uncertainty and allow jobs
to be created in America.” Over
World News 9
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
this long term goal, it
is predicted that our
economy will slowly
recover.
Along with budget
cuts, other subjects have
been brought up. On
March 23, 2010, Obama
signed a health care bill
put into law, guarantee-
ing medical insurance
for millions of Ameri-
cans and stopping their
abuses, which will be
put in full effect by Jan.
2014. Since then, attacks
have been made at this
Affordable Health Care
Act, or Obamacare,
with Republicans
deeming parts of the
law as unconstitutional
and claiming that it will
kill small businesses
with health care costs.
On Jan. 20, 2011, the
House voted 253 to 189
passing a resolution
to repeal the act with
the help of more than
a dozen Democrats,
though the bill was not
able to pass in the Sen-
ate, and it looks unlike-
ly that Republicans will
be able to completely
repeal Obamacare.
Currently, Repub-
licans are working on
alternatives for replac-
ing and destroying Chart looking at the favorability ratings and recognition ratings of 13 potential GOP 2012
some parts of the act. presidential candidates. Chicago Tribune 2011
Some of those propos-
als include allowing interstate sales seems that the Democrats’ chances are Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, and
of health insurance and restricting of holding the Senate has gotten Mike Huckabee. Palin was Alaska’s
federal abortion funding, which difficult. With several seats up for first female governor, and its young-
contrasts from Obamacare where takes, Democrats will have to de- est too. Romney was Massachusetts’
people will be able to buy cover- fend 23 seats while GOP will need to former governor. Starting off with
age through a state exchange. They defend 10. With four more seats, Re- a three billion dollar budget deficit
also plan to take out the unpopular publicans can obtain control of the when he entered office, he had a 700
1099 tax provision that requires Senate. Already, five senators have million surplus by 2004 and was able
businesses to file a 1099 tax form announced they won’t be running to cut taxes by the end of his term.
identifying people for whom they for re-election in 2012, with three And as for Huckabee, he was the
have to pay 600 dollars or more in of them identifying themselves as former governor of Arkansas and
a year for goods and merchandise. Democrats. prior to his political career, he was
Dealing with Obamacare piece by Will this affect the 2012 a Southern Baptist Minister. Each
piece and providing ideas of their presidential election as well? Some with their own strong points, they
own, their goal is to lower the cost of prominent and possible Republican are a possible challenge to Obama’s
health care and respect the patient- candidates running for president re-election in 2012.
doctor relationship. But as good as
the idea sounds, the Republicans
have yet to come up with a fully
detailed measure. While the some
claim the effects of Obamacare will
hurt our economy, cut jobs, and in-
crease taxes, GOP’s recent ideas will
be putting insurance companies in
control, as well as raising prices on
prescriptions for seniors.
As they pursue solutions to
these problems, the Republicans
will have an opportunity of holding
the majority in Senate soon. With
2012 elections drawing closer, it
10
The Blue and Gold
Local News February 2011
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
The Blue and Gold
February 2011 LOCAL news 11
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

Taxes and Malden: Frenemies

Kaela Bryan
Reporter

Malden and Massachusetts as a whole have recently dealt with

money issues in forms such of taxes and budget cuts. One plan to deal
with the economy was Question 3, an initiative that proposed a change
to the Massachusetts sales tax. A “yes” vote would have reduced the
sales tax from 6.25% to only 3%; a “no” vote would have made no
changes to the tax. The decision was a tough one to make for many
people, and it’s easy to see why: should people try to save a few bucks
here and there, or should they keep the money flowing into their chil-
dren’s education and the building of new roads and bridges? Question
3 would have amounted to a whopping decrease of $2.5 billion in state
revenue -- without that money, how would police officers, construction
workers, teachers, and firefighters be paid? On the other hand, people
claimed that the initiative, once passed into law, would not only cre-
ate approximately 32,000 jobs, but it would also aid in consumerism
because fewer people would feel the need to travel to New Hampshire
for the lesser sales tax.
However, the initiative did not pass into legislation, as most
people thought that the tax money is essential to fund education and
construction. Most people seemed to agree that, even if it is sometimes
difficult to hold their own and provide for themselves and their fami-
lies, it was worth giving more money to fund their children’s valuable
education. Among other things, they approved of the plows coming by
to clear the streets of snow.

Top Left: Malden Public Schools superintendent. Sidney Smith speaking in

his office. Photo courtesy of WickedLocal.com. Bottom Left: Adam Weldai
posing in a park, courtesy of WickedLocal.com.

Kaela Bryan
Reporter
and that is now cut. Governor Deval
Megan Kelly
Patrick’s state budget was expected
Copy-Editor to be cutting local state funding by
5%, meaning that Malden would
Kristen Leonard
have received $1.97 million less.
Reporter After Governor Patrick re-
leased a new budget proposal on Jan
considerably, “Although I’m realistic
and I know that type of funding will
never make it to the final process,
I’m optimistic that the end budget
will not have the schools being cut
nearly as much as we were planning
for,” Weldai continued.
advocate to our local legislators Do-
nato, Fallon, and Smith along with
Senator Clark keep our children’s
best interest safe from large budget
cuts and to keep the intended money
from being “diluted to other depart-
ments for it to have its intended ef-

S o it is common knowledge, that

the national economy is tak-
ing a hard hit these days. Terms
26, 2010, the school council could
breath a sigh of relief because mon-
Gary Christenson, Malden
mayoral candidate, suggests to
fect.”

ey would be given to the city funds.

like “deficit,” “budget cuts” and
“government spending” are flying
around with increasing frequency
lately, and most people are trying
to develop ways to limit spending.
These words can be very scary for
a ntcity’s government. Like many
cities and towns across the coury,
Malden is being affected by the eco-
nomic situation that also has a very
threatening name: the Recession,
which has been plaguing America’s
and the world’s economy for over
two years.
Budget cuts are on the lips of
almost everyone, and they are be-
coming the talk of the town rather
than a hushed murmur here and
there. The Malden Fire Department
has faced drastic staffing changes
because of budget cuts: ten firefight-
ers were laid off; two lieutenants
were demoted; and one entire sta-
tion was closed.
But the money crisis doesn’t
stop there: budget cuts are not only
affecting tax payers, but now our
public schools, too. Being a part of
the Commonwealth of Massachu-
setts, Malden is supplied by the state
government with Federal Funding,
Federal funding spent this year for
math and literacy programs that will
not be available next year is about
$587,834, and for special education
programs it is $777,625. Money for
any stabilization funding, a federal
program established to combat and
avoid reductions in education and
other necessary public services, will
be cut as well: an estimated $1.09
million will be lost.
But perhaps there is a sliver
of hope for our schools. Part of a
plan to reorganize Malden’s money
was to close Forestdale Elementary
School, resulting in around 30 to
35 layoffs. However, Adam Weldai,
School Committee Representative of
Ward 5, the area which the Forest-
dale School is located, was excited
to share the news that Forestdale
wouldn’t have to be closed; “When
we were expecting a 5% cut to lo-
cal aid, we ended up being given a
substantial boost of almost 4.5 mil-
lion in local aid for schools from the
Governor.” Though the State Senate
and House of Representatives still
have to vote on the Governor’s new
budget meaning that the expected
4.5 million could be shrunk down
12
Monthly Candidate for Mayor:
Profile: Paul Deborah Fallon
Marques
Sharon Lee
Head of Photography
F amous at Malden High School
not only for his delightful morn-
ing and afternoon announcements
encouraging students to “be on time
or be early!” but as Paul Marques, a
teacher, an advisor, and a friend to
the students and staff of MHS.
Marques currently teaches
Math Lab and Computer Program-
ming, with previous experience
teaching all levels of math, from
Algebra to Calculus. Not only is he
a teacher, but also advisor of Na-
tional Honor Society, B-Boy Break
Dance Club, co-advisor of the Class
of 2012, fill-in instructor for the Yoga
Club, as well as advisor and founder
of the Ski & Adventure Club.
Prior to becoming a teacher at
Malden High School, Marques grew
up in Somerville, Massachusetts,
where he attended Somerville High
School. After he went on to study at
UMASS Boston. Since then he has
taught at several other schools such
as Chelsea Middle School, Peabody
High School, and the Gifford School.
Marques looks back on the
“most exciting thing [of his life] as
being the one time he got chosen to
be a contestant on the game show
The Price is Right. In April of ’98
Marques went through a 10 second
interview process, where they inter-
viewed all eligible contestants and
made their pick. For Marques, it was
his lucky day.
One of Marques’ favorite
interests is skiing. As a teacher at
Peabody High School, he invented
the Ski & Adventure Club and car-
ried over the interest 12 years ago
when he became a teacher at MHS.
The very first time Marques went
skiing was at the age of sixteen with
his older brother and his friends
in Stowe, Vermont. To this day, he
still goes skiing on average five to
ten times per year. His love for ski-
ing has motivated him in inventing
the Ski & Adventure Club because
he “likes to give that experience to
others.” When it comes to his hob-
bies he enjoys anything outdoorsy,
physical, and full of adventure. As
an avid adventurer, he also recalls
the one time that he went skydiving
as the most adventurous thing he
has accomplished. Although it was
just once, Marques says that would
love to try it again.
Marques has found his very
own mentor at MHS, Brunelli
House Principal Thomas Mahoney.
To Marques, Mahoney is “excellent”
and “more as a friend, than a boss.”
As a mentor himself, Marques is
always there for his students. One
of Marques’ programming students,
senior Raymond Yang, admires
Marques, who he describes as “seri-
ous, [but] always has his squirt gun
ready in case someone is not paying
attention.”
The Blue and Gold
LOCAL news February 2011
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
Lauren Benoit
Head of Photography
What makes you want to be mayor of Malden? Are you
anxious about the large amount of responsibility?
The need for significant change in the way that we respect
our city workers, respect the voice of our citizens, involve
citizens in government and re-prioritizing our government’s
agenda - and knowing that I can bring about these changes
through the help of citizens...through partnering with citizens
to share ideas and implement resolves to economic and other
challenges - those are reasons for why I am seeking the Office
of Mayor.
I am excited about the possibility of serving as Mayor
because of the responsibility and the knowledge that this is an
Councillor-At-Large Deborah Fallon recent-
opportunity to change the direction of government and how it
ly announced her newest mission; to run for
interacts with the people of Malden. It is my belief that we can
the Mayor of Malden.
effect change in our community spirit and instill a renewed faith
Photo from: http://debformalden.info/
and trust in government through new leadership, my leader-
ship as an advocate for people, in this position.
How have you been active in the City of Malden in the past years?
At Malden High School, I have facilitated domestic violence prevention programs to students enrolled in
Health Classes, and I have been involved in the visitor reading programs, career days and Citizen Schools forums,
including at various K-8 schools. I have had the privilege of serving on several Boards of Directors for nonprofit
organizations that serve our community including the Bread of Life and Massachusetts Reserve Police Officers
Federation, Inc., and I have been a member of Malden organizations including the V.F.W. Ladies Auxiliary Post
639, Zonta Club of Malden for which I served as Chair of their Legislative & Advocacy Committee, Friends of the
Malden Public Library, and Malden Access Television for which I serve as a co-host on “The Malden Zone”. I am
also active in my church, the Immaculate Conception Parish, where I have run support groups for victims of abuse
since 1996.
As Councillor-At-Large, I have been honored to work with community members to create new groups that
serve our residents, including the Malden Roundtable for Nonprofits, the Malden Women’s Commission and city-
wide, quarterly community meetings that focus on various issues and seek public input on matters of education,
public safety and health. As the Founder of the Malden nonprofit organization Portal To Hope, which award
winning agency serves people whose lives have been impacted by domestic violence and related crimes, I have
had the unique opportunity to provide direct care services to victims and their families and educational outreach
to the community for the purposes of reducing recidivism of domestic violence crime. I have also facilitated youth
programs in partnership with Malden High School, the Malden YMCA and Malden High School including an
“11th Grade Summer Internship Program” and “Erin’s Project” - a program that was awarded by the AVON Hello
Tomorrow Fund for its work in empowering young women impacted by family and/or teen-dating violence.
Coming from a very active family within the city of Malden, do you feel that it gives you an advantage?
I am blessed to be the daughter of wonderful parents and the sister of siblings who all have contributed to the
Malden community. Certainly, to have witnessed the hard work of my parents - their activism and volunteerism
in our community - is ingrained and has led me to know the value of helping our neighbors to succeed, supporting
community programs and initiatives that improve our community life and remaining active with government.
Being from a close family and watching my father, who served as an Assistant City Solicitor, School Committee
Chairman and Mayor of Malden, while I went through the Malden Public School system helped me to better un-
derstand, at an early age, the personal sacrifices that are made when choosing a life of public service, the political
culture and the value of public service. Most importantly, I developed a great love, just as my parents did, for the
people of Malden and a desire to help ensure the best possible quality of life for every member in our community.
What would you like to change about the city of Malden?
Many things, beginning with rebuilding our community spirit - rebuilding our neighborhoods from the
ground up. I’d like to see government be more responsive to and inclusionary of the people who live in our
wonderfully diverse community, and I’d like to empower people to become active and get involved in government.
I’d like to redirect governmental priorities. In other words, I’d like to re-prioritize our spending to ensure that es-
sential services, such as public safety and public works are adequately staffed, that our teachers have the tools and
support they need in the classroom and that students are afforded opportunities to achieve the same, wonderful
education that I received when I went through the Malden Public School system. As I continue to connect with the
grassroots, new ideas that people have are what I hope to collaborate on and implement in the way of improving
our city livability. Lastly, as I have been working to do as Councillor-At-Large, I will continue to work on restoring
the public’s trust in government.
Would you change anything to the Malden Public Schooling system?
Having visited one K-8 school, I witnessed leaks where children are studying and our teachers/administrators
are working. This is an unacceptable environment to me when students and teachers are exposed to structural
problems, as it creates an added safety worry that as an elected official we should be guaranteeing is immediately
resolved. I would also promote the good work being done by administrators, teachers and students at various
schools and encourage a school environment that is a “community” school program model - which is important
for communities of wonderfully diverse backgrounds like Malden’s to ensure that even parents achieve education
(e.g., ESL) through innovative measures.
INTERVIEW HAS BEEN CONDENSED AND EDITED
The Blue and Gold newspaper will interview any candidate in this election. If you or someone you know is
running for Mayor of Malden in 2011, please contact The Blue and Gold at theblueandgold@gmail.com and
we would be glad to set up an interview.
The Blue and Gold
February 2011 LOCAL news 13
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

Anh Dam Wins MHS Competition

Rebecca Broomstein
Reporter
Q: How do you feel about
winning the Poetry Out Loud
school competition as a freshman?
A: I thought being a freshman
meant I had no chance of winning
but I realized that it’s not the rank
that matters. It’s your performance
that determines how capable you
are.
Q: Do you have a history with
the art of poetry? Is it something
that you have practiced before?
A: I don’t have any history with
poetry. I’ve never even tried to recite
a poem before, but this competition
gave me a chance to test myself to
see how far I could go and what I’m
good at.
Q: Have you always enjoyed
poetry?
A: Yes, I have. I always loved
poetry ever since I created some
of my own. Although the poems I
wrote were mandatory for English
class, it was really fun to write them
and poetry gets through me. I can
feel the emotions from poems and
relate it to my life.
Q: Could you name each of
your poems, and at which specific
sub-competition you recited them?
A: For the semi-finals I recited
“Life in a Love” by Robert Browning
and for the finals I recited “Broken
Promises” by David Kirby.
Q: Why did you choose these
poems? Do any of them have some
sort of sentimental meaning to
you?
A: I chose these poems because
they appealed to me. I can under-
stand the feelings conveyed in the
poems but I’ve never experienced
it before. Since they both contain a
meaning of love and pain, I think
almost anyone can connect to the
topic regardless of what relation-
ship they are in.
Q: How did you prepare for
the recitation of your poems? Did
you receive any help from a friend,
a family member or a teacher?
A: I would go over every line
and try to convey every piece of feel-
ing from the text using my voice. I
repeatedly try different ways to re-
cite each part and pick out the best
way. From there, I recite the poem
over and over again until I memo-
rize the whole poem including
how strong or soft my voice should
be at certain parts. The only help
I received from was my
English teacher, Ms. Day.
She showed the class an
example of how we should
be reciting our poems and
what we needed to have a
good performance. From
the example, I was able
to understand how it was
done.
Q: If you could de-
scribe the entire experi-
ence for you, how would
you?
A: The entire experi-
ence for me was unforget-
table. I did something I’ve
never done before and
those times when I per-
formed were the best and
most exciting ones. When
I was standing up there
looking at everyone recit-
ing the poem, I felt like I
was sharing the speaker’s
emotions to the world.
Freshman, Ahn Dam recites one of her two
poems in the school-wide POL competition.
Q: What advice
Photo by Rebecca Broomstein.
would you give another
student participating in it won’t turn out well. You should
this competition? know your poem so the emotions
A: Don’t freak out. When recit- you put into it will flow along and
ing your poem, think of it as if you that creates a feeling strong enough
are the speaker of your poem. If to reach your audience.
you think of it as memorizing then

Dance Raises Money for Breast Cancer

Joel Stevenson of the night to come as stated by
the Key Club advisor Escovitz,
Reporter “Things are looking pretty good
around 140 kids are going, [we
have] free food, [and a] great DJ;

T here is no better feeling than

supporting a cause while having
fun at the same time. The exact feel-
ing as students as well as teachers
alike, came together to put on the
Pink Out Charity Dance. Though
the dance was formerly the sole idea
of Malden High School’s Key Club,
they decided to partner up with co-
existing clubs to help get the word
out, with president of Key Club An-
drew Chen stating, “The dance was
Key Club’s idea in order to fund-
raise for a charity. We asked BCAC
and Red Cross if they would like
to collaborate in order to get more
attention for this dance to make the
event larger that it was originally.”
In addition to the extra hands, the
representatives of Key Club decided
to donate all the proceeds to BCAC,
which go to the Susan G. Komen
Fund, earning the dance its name:
“Pink Out.”
The Pink Out Charity Dance
being the first successful school
dance in a while, there was a bit of
anticipation to see how sales would
go. Tickets were sold every lunch
starting on Febrary 7, 2011. A steady
flow of tickets were being sold each
and every day, and by Friday there
were around 140 students in atten-
dance, foreshadowing the success
it’s going to be a great night.”
When the clock rounded six-
thirty, students began to assemble
to be checked in. Friends met,
compliments on one’s attire were
handed out all around, as student
readied themselves for a good
night.
At the stroke of seven the
party had begun. DJ Kevin Casera
set the mood for the night as
he played hit songs including
“Walk it Out” by UNK as well as
“We Don’t Speak Americano” by
Yolanda Be Cool and DCUP. With
everyone jumping to the music,
there was fun for everyone.
After a few songs were Juniors Justin Pham, Samuel Zeiberg, and Stanley Chan enjoying a meal at the
played, the announcement of Pink Out Charity Dance. Photo by Joel Stevenson.
food was presented to the crowd.
A mad dash was made to café A,
As the night continued, rumors one, and, as secretary for the Key
where students and teachers alike
of principal Dana Brown doing Club Carolyn Lam expressed, “phe-
got a chance to take a break from the
the dance move the Dougie were nomenal.”
dance floor, with the option of foods
questioned. As DJ Casera ended With over six hundred dollars
including hot dogs, chips, pizza as
one song through a cross fade of raised for Susan G. Komen, the night
well as candies. “It was a chilled
another, students applauded as they was a huge success, as stated by by
atmosphere,” stated junior Henley
heard the hit song “Teach Me How sophomore Prayush Pokharel, “Best
Theodat.
To Dougie” by Cali Swag District night ever, no matter what anyone
For round two, students made
and saw Brown come out of a circle says.”
their way back to café B where they
Dougieing. Pretty soon, everyone
danced to their content while club
had joined in.
officers in café A helped to clean up
With laughter and new dance
and accommodate those who want-
moves learned, the night came to a
ed to take a break from the party.
close. It was a great time for every-
14
The Blue and Gold
LOCAL news February 2011
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

Festival Lights Up The New Snow Days Prolong

the School Year
Year Kayla Bramante
Head of Special Projects

W ith all these snow days, one would

think that walking to and from
school would be a breeze. Fact of the mat-
ter is, the walks are only a breeze if you
are walking in the street and a car drives
by. The city’s sidewalks are so packed with
snow, slush, and ice, it is nearly impossible
to even find them. But with all these snow
days, might Malden High School students
and teachers be in school till the end of
June? Or even spending our Saturdays in
school? Can we kiss April vacation good-
bye? Just how much money is the snow
costing the city just in paying employees
to plow our streets and shovel our side-
walks?
According to a Boston Globe article,
Mitchell D. Chester, the commissioner of
Elementary and Secondary Education,
sent an informative email to all the Mal-
den schools, where he stated that all snow
days must be made up, with no exceptions.
Aside from going to school on Saturdays
or eliminating April vacation, the schools
A young girl dancing to the song, Happiness of the Universe, at the 14th Annual Lunar New Year could consider shortening or getting rid of
Celebration with other Yuan-Ji Dance Group of Boston performers. Photo by Catherine Poirier. February vacation, cancelling professional
development days, and going to school on
Good Friday along with the added days in
Sharon Lee June.
Head of Photography To support the contract stating that
the year cannot be extended after June
30, 2011, another idea to consider when
A fter years of merging Asian cul-
tures within the Malden com-
munity, the Malden High School
cancelling vacations is that many families
plan vacations that may not be refundable.
Thus, cancelling a vacation or going past
Asian American Club has done it the 30th could stir up the city and cause
again. On Saturday, Jan. 29, 2011, the lots of controversies. Malden’s superinten-
14th annual Lunar New Celebration dent Sidney Smith says that the vacations
commenced the year of the rabbit in are not likely to be cancelled, explaining
the traditional Chinese calendar and that “We would need to have 5-6 more
the year of the cat in the Vietnamese snow days” for this to become a realization
calendar. for the city of Malden -- an instance that
This year’s celebration took seems unlikely in light of recent weather
place in the new Jenkins Auditorium forecasts.
as opposed to its location last year, Another problem with having all
which was the cafeteria due to the these snow days right in the middle of the
renovations of the auditorium. “The year could effect the results of students
auditorium really attracted a larger taking MCAS or other standardized tests.
audience and allows performers to The test date comes fast, and some schools
have a nice space to showcase their Keri Gilligan performing a solo dance to Girl With An Umbrella. may be unprepared or at a disadvantage
talent,” stated Asian-American Photo by Catherine Poirier. because all the material that could be test-
Club Advisor Phuong Ho. ed may not be completely covered. Many
To support the production of districts are seeking a one to two week
the Lunar New Year celebration, the delay on the testing to allow more time
club gained much support from the featured MHS students themselves off. Beyond the students inside the classrooms. However, no one is
community especially from their like B-Boy Break Dance, performed participating in the event, quite sure what will happen next.
sponsors including Malden Asian by Airbound, and the annual fash- the Asian American Club is Aside from the schools, the snow
Pacific American Coalition (MA- ion show. The fashion show was also grateful for the support storms this year have been so extreme that
PAC), Gary Christenson for Mayor, comprised of over 25 students from from individuals like Princi- they have cost the city over one million
the Chinese Culture Connection all grades who dressed in tradi- pal Dana Brown, Study Hall dollars in snow removal.
and several others contributors. The tional outfits as they strutted across Paraprofessional / Publicity It is said in the snow ordinance of Mal-
sponsors provided assistance to the the stage. To mix in both American Director Paul Famiglietti, den that, “The owner, occupant or agent in
club whether it was monetary and/ and Asian cultures, each group of Great Wall Center’s Ex- charge of any land or building abutting a
or material needs. Without the spon- models would act out parts of well ecutive Director Richard paved sidewalk in the City of Malden shall
sors, it would have been impossible known fairy tales, like Goldilocks Cheng, and many others make said sidewalk safe and convenient
to have made the performance open and the Three Bears, Beauty and the contributing to make the for public use by removing any snow or
to the public at no cost as well as Beast, and Cinderella. show possible. Each and
ice accumulating thereon or by otherwise
serve meals after the show. Hopes for the following year every year the MHS Asian-
are primarily to get more student American Club never fails to make the same safe by covering with sand
With double the number of acts or other suitable substance.” It also states
performing in this year’s celebration, involvement. The Asian-American unite the culturally diverse
that if this is violated the violator can re-
a total of 20 acts truly presented the Club always welcomes students to residents of Malden for the ceive a fine up to $200. However, often this
roots of Asian culture. There were join, whether it is to perform in the commencement of Chinese law goes ignored, possibly threatening the
a variety of acts from the popular show or join the club. New Year, and of course, al-
safety of Malden residents.
dragon dances and Kung-Fu to the Devotion and countless hours ready leaving them excited
So what happens next? “Everyone
traditional opera singers and folk of planning from the committee for next year’s performance. should keep their fingers crossed and hope
songs. Several of the acts, in fact, since September has really paid for NO SNOW!” exclaimed Smith.
The Blue and Gold
February 2011 local news 15
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

BOSTON GLOBE ART AWARDS

Alison Nguyen Thupton Jigme
Rebecca Broomsein stated, “It feels great to have
received this award for my
Reporter art work ‘Plane Board.’ I truly
enjoy drawing and painting
so I am very happy to have

S enior, Alison Nguyen,

was awarded a silver key
and honorable mention in
the Boston Globes Scholastic
Art and Writing Awards for
her two art submissions.
The names of her pieces are
“Lunch,” a quick sketch of a
jug, hiding two pairs behind
it, and “Fall Bounty,” a still-
life of a vibrant pumpkin
and a basket containing two
apples. The still-life used for
her silver key winning piece,
“Lunch” was “aesthetically
pleasing” to her; a “stroke of luck,”
she describes it. “Fall Bounty” was
inspired by the fall season.
Nguyen is currently taking
AP Studio, and is taught by Alicia
Fine. Because she is a senior, this is
Nguyen’s fourth year taking a high
school art class; she has taken extra
classes outside of school, as well.
Her favorite thing about art is the
concept behind it. She likes that the
artist can “transform a blank piece
of paper into something out of their
own mind.” Nguyen’s initial inter-
est in art was Manga- a type of Japa-
nese comic book illustration- which
she had learned from older brother.
Her favorite kinds of art are tradi-
tional still-life, using charcoal, and
drawing cartoons with an ordinary
homework pen.
Paige Yurek
Copy Editor
F or his realistic mixed media
piece, “Plane Board,” Senior
Thupten Jigme won an honorable
mention Boston Globe award. Jigme
has been drawing for a long time,
since he was a young child living
in India. When he came to Malden
High School and took art classes,
Jigme stated that he gained more in-
terest in the arts. For his win, Jigme
won this award.”
To create this piece, Jigme’s
materials consisted of acrylic
paint, ball point pen, and a
clipboard. “The school as-
signment was to make an art
work on an alternate surface,
so I thought if I drew a pa-
per on a clipboard that will
confuse viewers’ eyes. But
only paper won’t be inter-
esting so I decided to paint
a paper plane on top of it.”
With a single glance at Jig-
me’s artwork, it would appear
to be just a clipboard with paper in
it, along with some pens and a paper
airplane, plain and simple. Take a
closer look and one will find that the
paper is not real, and neither is the
paper airplane, nor the pens. They
are actually painted on Trompe
L’Oeil style, a technique involving
visually realistic imagery to create
the optical illusion that the depict-
ed objects are three-dimensional.

Tony Zhao Tracy Tran

his former Freddie DiPhillipo award.
studio one Although Seager sparked in-
Reporter
teacher spiration within Tran to create her
Maryann artwork, she worked independently
S e a g e r
who e M
Golden
alden High School fresh-
man Tracy Tran, received the
Key award from the Bos-
and diligently on her piece, and was
“very pleased with the result.” Be-
praised as ing a freshman, it is unusual for one
“a great ton Globe, for her drawing titled,
to achieve such a high renowned
t e a c h e r “Knotted Paper.” Tran stated that award, yet Tran has proven that it
w h o her art teacher Mary Ann Seager, is possible. Her dedication and love
t a u g h t helped her create her drawing, as for art is clearly expressed through
[him] a lot. she worked with her. After complet- her piece, demonstrating the great
Z h a o ing the drawing and submitting it to potential that she holds to continue
recalls first the Boston Globe, Tran was excited creating such remarkable artwork.
g e t t i n g when she heard the news that her
interested artwork had won such a notable
in art in

Want to see individual

the sixth
g r a d e ,
when he

pieces in full color, along

switched
out of his
Natalie Fallano music class

with slideshows of many

Copy Editor into an art one, and “continued to
draw up and into high school.” He
is not currently taking art, due to not

O ne of the four recipients for

the Boston Globe Award was
current junior Tony Zhao who won
a gold key and silver key award for
two of his drawings from last school
year. One of the drawings is called
having room his schedule, but plans
on taking studio 3 next year. As of
right now he wishes to continue in
events and sports?
Visit our website,
art during high school but not after.
The award gave him confidence ‘’to
continue with art and work harder

www.maldenblue
“Lefty”, which he explained “a self at it,” stated Zhao.
portrait drawn when looking in the
mirror, and using the left hand.”

andgold.com!
The other drawing called “Broken
“Zhao explains to be of “a broken
tricycle turned on an angle.” He was
both surprised and excited when he
was told that he won. Zhao credits
16
THE
MHS
“ABOUT ALL YOU CAN DO IN LIFE IS BE WHO YOU ARE....
Crystal
Araiza
Q) Do you think you have style?
A) Yes, I think that I have style.
Q) How would you describe your
style?
A) Wannabe-hipster. Enjoying the
way you dress is essential to the hip-
ster movement.
Q) Where do you get your style from?
A) I close my eyes and pick things
out of my drawers…so I guess my
drawers…
Q) Why do you think that it is impor-
tant for one to be themselves?
A) It depends on who you are. If
being unique makes you happy, then
be unique. If blending in makes you
happy, then blend in.
Q) What is your favorite thing to
wear?
A) Bracelets!!
Q) If you could change anything
about yourself, what would it be?
A) I wouldn't change anything about
myself-- I'm far from perfect but i
wouldn't want it any other way.
Q) What is your favorite trend?
A) Indie hipster! (laughs)
Q)If you could give advice to some-
one who is scared to show their per-
sonal style, what would it be?
A) Be yourself, and dress whichever
way makes you happy- those who
mind don't matter and those who
matter don't mind.
Q) What is one thing you can't leave
the house without?
A). My feet!
Fashion: An Escape From Reality
Reginah Sanyu
Head Entertainment Writer
F ashion is more than the fancy
clothes and the glamorous life.
Fashion influences people to take
chances, giving a chance of self ex-
pression. The phrase “be yourself”
is commonly used in situations
where one has to make an impres-
sion. Which seems kind of ridicu-
lous because if one cannot be them-
selves, in that case that can they be?
“She is fake,” “she thinks that she
is better than everyone”. Those are
the reactions a person who gets the
confidence to be themselves gets.
Let’s face it; we are controlled
by the world around us. The way
we dress, what we listen to and
how we treat others: Like dolls. At
the same time as the world is trying
its hardest to make life difficult, it
is important for one to be honest to
themselves. There is reason why we
are all different. Each one of us of-
fers something unique to the world,
a thing that nobody else can give.
It does not have to necessarily be a
Style
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
Matteo
Pocobene
Q) Do you think that you
have style?
A) I think I have
style.
Q) How would you
describe your style?
A) I is more like a wan-
na be hipster. (while
laughing)
Q) Where do you get
your style from?
A) I think that my style
is unique. Well not too
many people dress like I
do. I just kind of see stuff
I like and throw it together.
Q) Why do you think that
it is important for one to be
themselves?
A) It shows who you are and
it shows that we are not 100% the
same.
Q) What is your favorite thing to
wear?
A) Sweaters. They are really comfort-
able. You can mix comfort and style.
Q) What is your favorite trend?
A) Hipster-Indie fashion. It strays away
from the typical idea of a teenager. It
mixes different styles together.
Q) If you could give advice to some-
one who is afraid to show their per-
sonal style, what would it be?
A) Don’t worry about having others
judge you because there is no correct
way to dress and you should choose
whatever you want.
positive thing. Even if one is a ter-
rible singer, no one will sing as ter-
rible as you. We all cannot hit notes
the way Christina Aguilera does
although the only thing that we can
all do is not to fumble lyrics to the
National Anthem.
That is the thing with fashion.
It gives us a chance to be ourselves.
Although we can all wear the same
shoes, there are individual ways we
wear them. Everything one puts on
sends a message and that is why the
right outfit can increase self confi-
dence.
Fashion is an individual state-
ment of expression which is to peek
into a personality. The clothes on
runways are always extreme. Un-
less you are Lady Gaga, these looks
will not be worn by anybody in their
right mind on the street. People es-
pecially women try to emulate the
high fashion on the runways, try-
ing to look like the models which
usually causes low self esteem and
eating disorders. The sad truth is,
whatever happens on the runway is
just an act. Those models are doing
that job and they get paid for it. For
one to wear a dress worn by a model
... SOME PEOPLE
WILL LOVE YOU
FOR YOU. MOST
WILL LOVE YOU FOR
WHAT YOU CAN DO
FOR THEM,
AND SOME
WON’T LIKE
YOU AT
ALL.”
From left to right:
Sophomore Crystal
Araiza, Junior Mat-
teo Pocobene, and
Sophomore Carli
Bellmer.
on the runway, one does not have to
look like them. There is no need to
say “if only i was skinnier i would
wear that dress”. Models, runways
are just a way for designers to show
off their recent crazy ideas. Why
does everyone try to look like those
models? Why not embrace personal
beauty? We are all different: some
are skinny; some have curves while
others are short. That is what beauty
is. No one should loose esteem just
because they cannot look like a
model. It is one thing to try to lose
weight just to stay healthy and be
happier however, it is another thing
to loose weight just to look like one
of the models. If that is the case then
you are abusing your body because
that “ideal look” is meant to sell a
product. Fashion should not be
blamed for this false advertisement;
the media is responsible for that.
One can still wear what they admire
and at the same time feel comfort-
able in their bodies.
That is fashion giving permis-
sion to wear whatever they desire
unless you care about what people
think. Which is very impossible
not to but you cannot control what
The Blue and Gold
February 2011
Carli
Bellmer
Q)Do you think that you have style?
A) I’d like to say I have style haha
Q) How would you describe your
style?
A) I dress according to how I’m feel-
ing. I’m a huge girly girl so dresses
and anything feminine make up my
style. I like being a girl and dressing
“girly” lets me express it.
Q) Where do you get your style from?
A) My style is influenced by celebri-
ties and even people I see everyday in
the halls. If I see someone wearing
something cute I’ll remember it and
most likely not copy it but make it my
own.
Q) What’s your favorite thing to wear?
A) My favorite thing to wear is high
waisted skirts. I’m short so I can’t
wear certain things in fear I’ll look
frumpy. Jeans are always too long for
me and high waisted skirts are flatter-
ing on everyone, especially on petite
people.
Q) What is your favorite trend?
A) Boots. I’m a huge fan of upper-
calf boots with an authentic, eques-
trian feel to them.
Q) If you could give advice to some-
one who is afraid to show their per-
sonal style, what would it be?
A) If someone is afraid to show their
personal style, they may not have
found what theirs truly is. I experi-
ment with different styles everyday.
Don’t be afraid of what other people
think because people will always
judge you. Be proud you’re more
bold than they are. Experiment and
mess around with different trends
and styles. When you find your own
personal style you won’t be afraid to
show it.
other people think of you. in the
words of actress Melina Kanakare-
des, “Do not be embarrassed of who
you are, they are going to judge
you no matter what you do” other
people should not tell one what to
do because when they say that your
boots are last season, the next thing
will be your hair. It is not a fashion
law that redheads cannot wear red
or short people cannot wear long
dresses. it is about comfort and as
long as one feels comfortable wear-
ing something, that is all that should
matter. And when one does not feel
comfortable in the clothes they wear
maybe because they got it just be-
cause someone else had it, the next
time shopping, do not buy anything
that you could not see yourself wear-
ing. It is understandable that we all
try to look our best but this world
is a ridiculous place, inner beauty
would be found in a more perfect
sane world. It is still good for one to
be themselves because at the end of
the day, all one has is themselves.
The Blue and Gold
February 2011
Haley DeFilippis
Copy Editor
J ustin Bieber: a 16 year-old heart-
throb that has the ability to sell
out Madison Square Garden in 22
minutes. Before the release of his
documentary/musical film entitled
Never Say Never, most already
made up their mind over him. With
Justin Bieber, there is no in between.
You either adore him, his music, his
success, and his hair or you dislike
him and the “girly voice” and ear-
piercing swarm of girls that comes
along with him. However, Never
Say Never portrays the story of a
kid from a small town who never
gave up and ultimately achieved
an accomplishment only stars such
as Michael Jackson could do-selling
out Madison Square Garden in New
York.
Never Say Never is focused
around a 10 day countdown to
Bieber’s MSG concert and includes
home movies and behind-the-
scenes footage that will give anyone
who watches the movie respect for
Bieber.
Bieber is ordered throughout
the movie by his mom to do every-
day “normal” things. He cleans his
room and he does his homework
and simultaneously handles his
responsibilities as an international
Catherine Poirier
Copy Editor
M ajor controversy has been
sparked over MTV’s new
adaptation of Skins. The show
originally premiered in the United
Kingdom on the channel E4 in Jan.
of 2007. Skins UK received mostly
positive reviews from critics, with
the exception of a few claiming it
depicted teens stereotypically and
unrealistically. Reception of the
show otherwise led it to the popular-
ity it holds now over seas. With the
start of its fifth season and third cast
in Jan. 2011, Skins UK has become
one of E4’s most watched shows
and has been recognized for many
television awards. In 2008 it won the
award for Best Drama at the Rose
d’Or ceremony, in the same year
the show won Best Drama Series
at the British Academy Television
Awards. At the BAFTA ceremony in
2009, Skins won the Phillips Audi-
ence Award, and recently in 2010
the show earned a nomination for
Outstanding Drama Series at the
Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against
Deformation Media Awards. In ad-
dition to that, the production team
has won numerous awards as well.
Criticism in the UK has been
nothing in comparison to that in the
Entertainment
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
star. The film enlightens his rise to
fame and his normal childhood liv-
ing in Canada. Video clips of his fa-
mous YouTube videos are portrayed
throughout the movie and show
how it leads to his present manager,
Scooter Braun, finding him.
Braun, who became a big
brother to Bieber, never gave up on
him despite being turned down sev-
eral times. Everyone endlessly told
Braun the only way Bieber would
make it was if he “went through the
Disney or Nickelodeon machine.”
The two kept at it and started Bieber
off small and performed in shows
with crowds of 40, then 100, then
hundreds. The movie reveals how
Bieber ultimately got his contract
after he sang Usher’s song “U Got
it Bad” to the artist himself. Usher,
who believed in Bieber from day
one, still acts as a mentor to the
16-year-old.
Never Say Never is heavily
focused on Bieber’s fans. Millions
of videos of girls singing and danc-
ing to his songs are portrayed at the
same time to emphasize the insane
amount of fans he has. The movie
also includes a slow-motion scene
of the movie where Bieber does his
infamous hair flip, which sent the
audience in the theater into squeals
and laughs.
Bieber fans are extremely at-
tached to him, as if the shrieking,
crying, and fainting girls in the
Controversy
United States. Why is the show be-
ing perceived so differently? After
Skins US’ air on Jan. 17, 2011, over
six sponsors canceled their adver-
tisements, not wanting their compa-
nies to be affiliated with the show’s
“racy” topics. One major reason the
show is getting so much hate is the
ages of the cast members. The ages
of the cast range from 15 to 19 years
old, many are saying the scenes are
they are filming are inappropriate
for their ages. Much of the show is
based around a party lifestyle, in-
cluding drugs and sexual content.
The Parents Television Council is
pushing to get the show off the air
completely, saying it is “the most
dangerous television show for chil-
dren that we have ever seen,” for its
show of what could be considered
“child pornography,” which it is not,
there is nothing shown on the show
that could make it that. The show
aired with 3.3 million viewers, the
second episode’s ratings dropped a
tremendous 50 percent, clearing dis-
playing America’s reaction to Skins.
It is strange to think that the
same show, except with differently
named characters and some changes
to the plot, could have such contrast-
ing reception. As a viewer of both
series, America is over reacting to
Skins US. The American version of
Skins is completely censored in com-
parison to Skins UK, and it is taking
Could you
Be the Next
To Catch
Bieber Fever?
Never Say Never...
Justin Bieber in Paramount Pictures’ “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never.”
(Courtesy of Paramount Pictures/MCT)
movie did not make it clear enough.
What’s more, Bieber’s fans range
from three years old to grown, adult
women. As portrayed in the movie,
they all feel a certain “ownership”
over Bieber since they discovered
him first through his YouTube vid-
eos.
The audience especially en-
joyed the concert aspect of the docu-
mentary. Throughout the movie,
glimpses of the anticipated show at
the MSG are portrayed to the audi-
ence. Factor in his hit songs such as
“Baby”, “One Time”, “Overboard”,
“One Less Lonely Girl”, and “Never
Say Never” and a 3-D screen and the
away from the plots of the show.
Skins is a drama, meant to entertain
and exaggerate teen lifestyles, and
to cover the “controversial” top-
ics it involves. Skins is also aimed
at a more mature teen audience,
children of this age are not going
to be influenced by the acts on the
show. Adults are making the teen
generation to seem completely na-
ïve. If children too young of age are
watching the show, parents should
know enough to turn it off, because
that is not the audience Skins – from
the UK or the US – is aiming for.
MTV is still airing the show despite
the negative feedback from some; a
little controversy is always a good
thing, right?
Junior Maya Rogers: “As a general
rule, I dislike just about every-
thing on MTV. It sounds like they
just keep getting more and more
desperate to get attention, so they
produce shows that are just about
shock value and controversy.”
17
audience definetely got the concert
feeling.
In the end, regardless of the
subject matter, Never Say Never is
an inspiring story of how any per-
son can accomplish their goals and
dreams under any circumstances
if they do not give up. Many ques-
tion how much Bieber can actually
accomplish and how long he will
continue to uphold his fame and
success. However Bieber, as por-
trayed in Never Say Never, has an
undeniable drive in him that will
allow him to make his dreams into
reality.
MHS STUDENTS’ REACTON
TO SKINS
Sophomore Will Lombard:
“Don’t watch it, but the com-
mercials make it look like [por-
nography]. I cannot wait until it
gets canceled.”
Senior Jenna Delaney: “10 PM on
Mondays is convenient for me so
I do not care about being main-
stream and watching the US ver-
sion. I really like it because it is
kind of controversial, which is
much more realistic than a lot of
shows. Teenagers go to parties and
have messed up families and have
sex and do drugs, so it hits closer to
home than other shows in the past.”
18
The Blue and Gold
Entertainment February 2011
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

Academy Awards 2011

Best Picture:
Nidale: 2010 was a rough year for film -- not even the independent genre could
redeem the somewhat mediocre selection of movies that were released, though
a few blockbusters (Inception, namely) transcended expectations and actually
forced the audience to think about them. That said, The Social Network was
both critically and popularly acclaimed and seems to be the favorite for this cat-
egory.
Joao: 2010 was indeed disappointing, but I think we came out of it with a cou-
ple of gems. The indies Black Swan and Blue Valentine were for me amongst
the best of the year, even better than the box office megahits Inception and The
Social Network. With that said, Black Swan, for its remarkable combination of
acting, directing, and writing, deserves to walk away with the statue, but as the
Academy continues to be criticized for their disdain for blockbusters, The Social
Network keeps its spot as the favorite to win the Best Picture race.

Best Actor:
Nidale: For his charming performance of the stammering King
George VI, Colin Firth deserves the Oscar he missed out on for A
Single Man last year. No other nominee in this category even com-
pares to Firth’s realistic depiction of a speech impediment, and Firth
is the favorite for the win -- one of the few winners who will actual
deserve the award.
Joao: After being snubbed last year for A Single Man, Colin Firth
deserves this Oscar more than ever. The King’s Speech was undeni-
ably one of the best movies of the year, and within it, the viewer
watched three Oscar-nominated performances. Even with so much
talent within a film, Colin Firth was able to outshine his costars and
the rest of the Oscar competition.

Best Actress:
Nidale: Though Nicole Kidman gave a surprisingly emotional performance in
Rabbit Hole, and Michelle Williams was heartbreaking in Blue Valentine, no one
else comes close to Natalie Portman’s depiction of a ballerina crazed by the need
to be perfect in Black Swan. Portman, always a reliable actress, delivered the best
performance of her life, managing to create sympathy for her character even as
she danced herself to death.
Joao: The only performance that can even come close to Natalie Portman’s this
year is Michelle William’s for Blue Valentine. Both women were able to carry the
movie superbly, and both performances were heartbreaking in their unique way.
It was excruciating to watch Williams fall in and out of love, but even more so
to watch Portman’s descent into madness. Portman takes the edge here, and the
level of her performance was miles ahead of the other women in this category.

Best Director:
Nidale: Perhaps the biggest snub of the year, with Christopher No-
lan not receiving his well-deserved nomination for The Dark Knight in
2008 or Inception in 2010, is the Best Director category. As it stands,
Darren Aronofsky deserves the nomination for both the subtle and
obvious parts of Black Swan, which, though a very blatantly sexual psy-
chological thriller, managed to create a main character who was relat-
able despite her clear insanity.
Joao: As you know, I believe that Inception, much like Dark Knight,
was not as great as the public or the critics made it out to be. Though I
agree that Inception was remarkably entertaining, Darren Aronofsky de-
serves the statue for Black Swan. He’s overdue after creating solid film
after solid film. But David Fincher will most likely take the prize for The
Social Network.
The Blue and Gold
February 2011 Sports 19
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

Swim Team Goes to States Pink-Out Game

Raises Money
Johanna Lai Cala, Poirier, and
Bryan.
and Hopes
Reporter Alfonse Femino
In addition
Head Sports Writer
T he Malden High School swim to this extremely
team’s season is close to the fin- important meet,
ish with only one more meet. This there are six T his year, the annual pink-out
boys basketball game was a large
meet is the GBLs Invitational Meet people who success, as a substantial amount of
against Somerville High School at qualified for the money was raised, awareness grew,
the Kennedy Elementary School. sectional compe- and all in attendance had a great
This is the last meet that the 2010 tition: Quesada time.
MHS Swim team will have as a team. Nylen, Poirier, Fundraising for at the game was
Their record for the normal swim Cala, Bryan, a huge success. The money could not
meet record is 7-2. However the Cong, and Senior have been raised, however, if it was
team is doing better this year. This Tri-Captain Sa- not for the hard work of members of
record means that the swim team is mantha Saggese. the Breast Cancer Awareness Club.
basically making progress. Cala will The BCAC is a club that works to
On Feb. 4, 2011, the day of the be competing in raise money for breast cancer, and to
GBL meet finally came for the MHS the 200 medley spread about breast cancer, because,
swim team. On that day, the team relay and the 200 according to club vice- president
brought home more metals than freestyle relay. senior Deanna Smith, “If we can get
they brought last year. Sophomore Poirier will be more people to know about breast
and The Blue and Gold member competing in the cancer, more people will take action
Catherine Poirier once again became 200 medley relay. and do something to help.”
the 100 yard breaststroke champion Cong will be Members of the club, including
(she first won her title last year as a competing in the senior Smith, and Junior Eliezer Her-
freshman) for the girls, with a time 100 butterfly, the nandez, as well as others, showed
of 1:19. Senior Jackie Tran also came 100 backstroke, up hours early to set up booths and
in first for the 100 breaststroke for and along with decorations for the game, in which
the boys. Freshman Bestine Cong Cala and Poirier they sold items ranging from pink
won in two events, which were the the 200 medley water bottles to white and pink pen-
100 yard backstroke and the 100 relay and the 200 cils, with all of the proceeds going
freestyle relay. Junior Eddie Lee prepares to dive into the water in a towards both the club and breast
yard butterfly. Senior tri-Captain
Bryan will be meet against Somerville High School in the Malden High cancer organizations around the
and The Blue and Gold member
School pool. Photo by Sharon Lee.
Kaela Bryan won the 200 yard Indi- competing in the country. Fans also had the oppor-
200 medley relay
vidual Medley in 2:33 and came in and the 200 freestyle relay. Quesda tunity to purchase a fifty-fifty raffle
Head coach of the MHS Swim
2nd place in the 100 backstroke in Nylen will be competing in the 200 team, Paul DeVincentis, explained, ticket from club members, with the
1:09. Freshman Phillip West came in freestyle relay along with Bryan, “For a swimmer to qualify for sec- chance of winning various prizes.
2nd for the 50 yard freestyle. Sopho- Cala, and Cong. Saggese is an alter- tionals, they have to reach a certain Once again, all of the money raised
more Caitlin Cala came in second nate for the members who qualified time to go to the Sectional Meet.” from the fifty-fifty raffle is to go to
for the 100 butterfly. Sophomore and for the sectionals. raising awareness and finding a cure
DeVincentis is proud of his team,
The Blue and Gold member Amalia for breast cancer.
This is the first time in four especially since “they have been
Quesada Nylen came in third place years that female members of the working hard during this season.” The night started off with the
for the 200 Individual Medley. The MHS Swim Team qualified for sec- football team’s head coach Joseph
Feb. 13, 2011, the Sectionals
200 yard freestyle relay came in 1st tionals, so this is a very important Meet at the MIT (Massachusetts Papagallo singing the national an-
place for the girls, which included meet for the girls since it was their Institute of Technology) in Cam- them before the game. As a gesture
Cong, Quesada Nylen, Cala. The first time competing in sectionals. bridge was the day that the girls has of appreciation, the referees wore
200 Medley Relay came in first place Sectionals is the meet that is re- been waiting for, and good news the pink breast cancer symbol on the
with a time of 2:07, with Cong, quired to qualify for states. backs of their uniforms. “It would
was brought home. Cong qualified
have been great if the players wore
for States in the 100 back- pink like in college and professional
stroke the 100 butterfly. games, but it was still a success in
The 200 Medley Relay the end,” stated Smith. And that is
team recieved tenth place, exactly what it was, as the efforts
the 200 freestyle relay team of the club led to nearly $200 by the
placed 12th out of 30. All of end of the game.
them have qualified for the The first half of the game was
state meet, a great accom- hard fought between the players
plishment for the girls. The from both MHS and Somerville
state meet is what they are High School. Members of the team,
preparing for as of now. including senior Ryan Donovan,
The state championship Teddy Francois, and Vernon Sainvil,
meet will be on Feb. 20, along with sophomores Rodney
2011 at Harvard Univer- Morton and Jerome Belle played no-
sity. ticeably well throughout the entire
Compared to last game. The second half was a differ-
year’s record, which was ent story, however, as the Somerville
6-3, the team has done sim- High School Highlanders were able
ilarly. But with the seniors, to build a sizeable lead, and run
who make up half the away with a victory.
team, leaving next year, it Despite this, the night was far
is currently unknown on from a disappointment. The BCAC
how well the team will do. was successful in their attempt to
But with upcoming and re- raise a large amount of money, but
turning members, there is more importantly, they were able to
hope that there will be an- raise awareness and increase knowl-
Sophomore Caitlin Cala using the backstroke manuever in a swim meet a against
other chance to have more edge of Breast Cancer, an act that
Somerville High School at the Malden High School pool. Photo by Sharon Lee.
winners next year. will have a far more lasting effect
than a donation.
20
Girls track makes history
Amalia Quesada Nylen
Reporter
T he girls track team without a
doubt has had one of their most
successful seasons ever this year,
ending their season with a record
of 3-1. Having already an accom-
plished cross country season, it was
predicted that their success would
continue into the indoor season.
The predictions were in fact proven
to be true, and the girls progressed
through the season dropping per-
sonal times and defeating teams
such as Cambridge, Medford, and
Everett.
“This is the girls’ best indoor
season in over a decade, easily”,
states head coach David Londino.
With their hopes and spirits at an
all time high, the team had only one
more meet left against Somerville,
their toughest and most talented
opponent they face every year. Their
hopes were hurt a little when the
team lost to Somerville on Wednes-
day, Feb 9, but they definitely are
not giving up.
Over the past couple of years,
the boys team has been a role model
in some sense to the girls team and
their success have pushed the girls
to strive for those same accomplish-
ments. “I think the girls have seen
the praise and attention given to
the boys teams over the past couple
years and have wanted that too.
They definitely earned some respect
this season”, Londino opinions. Em-
bracing the outstanding success they
have already had this season and
working hard, with the consistent
standouts from The Blue and Gold
member senior Alexandra Mathieu,
senior captain Cynthia Antenor, The
Blue and Gold member sophomore
The Blue and Gold
Sports February 2011
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
Lauren Benoit, The Blue and Gold
member junior Haley DeFilippis,
and sophomore Haley Dowdie, the
team dominated at GBLs.
The girls came in second place
overall at the Greater Boston League
meet, snagging a few medals indi-
vidually to bring back home as well.
A few to mention were Benoit, who
took second place and qualified or
the Massachusetts Interscholastic
Athletic Association at 1:45, DeFilip-
pis took first place in the 1000 at
3:23, and lastly the 4x800 relay, that
has a chance of qualifying states and
a place in Malden High School his-
tory in the outdoor season.
“I hope everyone can run their
personal best and there would be
no regrets for the girls because we
all tried our best”, states sophomore
Iris Feng. After the MIAA state meet
on Feb. 18, 2011, the girls will look
forward to a promising outdoor
season.
“The outdoor season should
go equally well if not better consid-
ering athletes can compete in two
events, unlike indoor which allows
just one”, reveals Londino. With
two successful seasons under their
belt and one left to go, the girls track
team is making history as this year
progresses.
Top: The girrls 4x800 relay, (left to
right) The Blue and Gold member
sophomore Lauren Benoit, sopho-
more Iris Feng, sophomore Haley
Dowdie, and The Blue and Gold
member junior Haley DeFilippis.
Right: Senior Jessica Vo ahead of
the competition. Botom Right:
Senior Cynthia Antenor jumping
hurdles. Photo courtsey to: Lau-
ren Benoit, Haley DeFilippis, and
Sharon Lee.
The Blue and Gold
February 2011
BOYS TRACK FINISHES SEASON IN IMPRESSIVE FASHION
Haley DeFilippis
Copy-Editor
A few short years ago, Malden
High School’s boys track team
was accustomed to losing to strong
forces in the Greater Boston League
such as Somerville and Cambridge.
However in the past year, the MHS
boys have become a powerhouse in
the league. Ending the 2010-2011
season with a 4-1 record, Malden
High School’s boys track team un-
fortunately did not live up to their
expectations to win another Greater
Boston League title in the regular
season, however they
grasped the biggest
win at the GBL
meet on Feb. 12,
2011. During
the regular
season,
t h e y
domi-
nated
o v e r
h i g h
schools
Everett,
Dighton-
Rehobeth,
Medford,
and Cam-
bridge, but
missed the
last duel
meet win
by a mere
two points
to Somer-
ville High
School.
Both
the indoor
track season 2009-
2010 and outdoor
track season 2010 result-
ed in a co-championship
shared between MHS and
SHS. MHS also grabbed
hold of the 2010 cross coun-
try championship. Because of
their close meets in the past,
tension built between the two
rivals and it became clear through
individual performances that
both teams shared a common
goal: a GBL title.
Knowing SHS was all
that stood between them
and another champion-
ship, the Malden boys
approached the meet with
intensity and determination.
Captain Patrick Keough stated
“some things went our way and
other didn’t. It was going to be an
extremely close meet no matter
what and it proved to be so.”
Notable events throughout the
meet included performances from
several of the boys. MHS took five
out of nine first places with senior
captain David Germain and senior
Tyler Williams tying in the 50 me-
sports 21
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
ter hurdles, junior Yusuf Mohamed
(1000m), Andrew Terenzi (mile),
Patrick Keough (2 mile), Germain
(high jump). Despite that SHS only
took four first places, they won
more second and third places than
MHS. Both teams were neck and
neck the entire duration of the meet,
with a 42-39 Malden lead going into
the relay. Despite the three point
lead, the 4x400 SHS rely team is one
of the fastest in the state, and won
them the meet.
Head coach David Lon-
dino expressed “If Malden
and Somerville competed
ten times we’d end up
splitting the ten meets five
a piece. It’s one loss.
We still consider
ourselves the
best team in the
GBL and look
forward to the
challenges
posed by
teams like
Somer-
ville and
C a m -
bridge. Left: junior Yusuf Mohamed gets set to start the 4x400 relay.
T h e Above: senior captain Andrew Terenzi passes off the baton to senior cap-
com- tain Kelvin Tsang in the 4x400 relay. Photos by Sharon Lee.
peti-
tion is
good Association. Terenzi, junior Kevin
for the Chan, Keough, and Mohamed ran STATE QUALIFIERS
league a record time of 8:28.71 and broke
and good the previous record of 8:34.13, set 55M HURDLES
for the by Peabody in 2006, by 5.42 seconds. David Germain (8.29)
sport.” Despite that the regular season Tyler Williams (8.30) in
T h i s finished, an impressive amount of
b e c a m e MHS boys are now preparing for
evident at the the MIAA state meet. Some include
GBL meet, senior captain Kelvin Tsang (high 300M
when the jump and 300m), Germain (high Kelvin Tsang (37.17)
coaches em- jump and hurdles), Mohamed and
phasized the Keough (1000m), senior captain An-
importance drew Terenzi (mile). 1000M
of individual Mohamed stated his expecta- Yusuf Mohamed (2:36.36)
achievement tions at the MIAA state meet are Patrick Keough (2:42.10)
to achieve “nothing but first” and that “being
its goal, state champ would be nice.” Ke-
and that’s ough, who was originally a two-
1 MILE
exactly what miler for his first three years of his
running career, is excited to race in
Andrew Terenzi (4:39.17)
happened.
The Somer- the 1000m at states because he never
ville loss imagined himself in that event. He
helped restore stated “if you told me last year that I HIGH JUMP
the hunger would be qualifying for states in the David Germain (6’ 4”)
the team had 1000 I would have called you crazy.” Kelvin Tsang (5’ 10”)
before go- With the 2010-2011 season is
i n g undefeated in indoor, coming to a close, the boys have
outdoor, and cross country. The loss already expressed excitement for 4x800M RELAY
provoked the team to strive for the the outdoor season, when they plan Andrew Terenzi, Kevin Chan,
win at the GBL meet. on achieving another GBL title. Ger-
Patrick Keough, Yusuf Mohamed
Two outstanding performances main stated “that’s just what true
champions do-they come back bet-
(8:28.71)
that stood out were Germain’s 6’ 4”
high jump performance, when just ter than ever.”
two weeks ago he could not jump FEB. 18, 2011 AT THE
higher than 5’6”. Also, the 4x800 REGGIE LEWIS CEN-
meter relay team set a new GBL TER IN ROXBURY
record and qualified for the Mas-
sachusetts Interscholastic Athletic
22
GYMNASTICS, A Brutal Battle
Joshua Kummins
Copy Editor
T he Malden High School gym-
nastics team has struggled to ac-
complish positive final results in its
meets during the season, but overall
the improvement throughout the
season has made all of the team’s
struggles worthwhile.
The team lost two meets against
rival Medford High School during
the final two weeks of January by
a combined 2.6 points, because of
injuries and illness that the team has
suffered all season.
“Gymnastics can be a danger-
ous sport,” explained head coach
Katie Bowdridge. “Injuries have
always been a part of the sport.”
For those that do not know,
an individual can receive up to ten
points per event in gymnastics, with
tenths of a point being deducted for
mistakes that the judges look for.
Injuries, which have included
mostly severely sprained ankles on
the balance beam, have plagued the
team throughout the season. Bow-
dridge explains that a balance beam
is only four inches wide, so falls are
common when gymnasts are learn-
ing their basic skills.
Bowdridge says that the team
“did not have the required four
scores” on the beam in order to win
the event against Medford, but beat
Wrestling Team Lacks Manpower
Alexander Gennigiorgis
Head of Business
T he Malden High School wres-
tling team is preparing for the
individual part of the season, which
includes sectionals and possibly
state championship qualification.
Head coach and MHS English teach-
er Jeremiah Smith is interested to
see the individual part of the season
due to the fact that MHS has done
well in that category than the team
part of the season. One main high-
light the team achieved this season
was a win over a team that won by
12 points in their previous meeting
and, also, the team has to cope with
not having a wrestler from every
weight class which deducts major
points in each meet.
Not having enough wrestlers
to fit each weight class this season
made it hard for the team to suc-
ceed over the course of the season,
leaving the team with a 1-15 record,
because each weight class not filled
counts as a forfeit for that weight
class, which deducts about 15 points.
Luckily, the lack of a full roster only
affects the team part of the season.
The team has a long and decent his-
tory of individual achievements due
to the high level of work ethic each
wrestler on the team has put in over
the past few years and this year is
not so different.
This season, the team had some
The Blue and Gold
Sports February 2011
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
them on the floor, vault and bar
events.
Younger gymnasts, including
freshman Justine Rose, have pro-
vided strong depth to the team, with
Bowdridge stating simply, “They
are doing great!” Rose has suffered
ankle problems during the season,
but has still come through with
strong performances.
The team competed at the
Greater Boston League meet on
Feb. 4, 2011 at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, with several
gymnasts putting out strong perfor-
mances. Junior Alana Casey led the
team by placing in the top four on
vault, bars, beam, and floor events, Senior Stephanie Dervishian awaits the competition at the Greater Boston
while placing third in the all-around League meet at Massachusetts Institutite of Technology on Feb. 4. Photo by
category. gymnastics coach Katie Bowdridge.
Bowdridge emphasizes that many of who have not been on a Senior Stephanie Dervishian
she is “very proud of all the gym- beam before. The beam is only four agrees that the team has been “mo-
nasts on the team,” adding that they inches wide and it is a big challenge tivated to try hard [and] focused on
“are dedicated and [have] worked for a new or lower-level gymnast to not giving up.” Dervishian is the
hard all season.” do a cartwheel on the beam, which only senior on the team and attends
The new members have made is the skill needed for competition. the Northeast Metropolitan Region-
vast improvements over the course Junior and The Blue and Gold al Technical High School.
of the season and if the gymnasts member Joel Stevenson, sophomore Next year could be a promising
work during the offseason, Bow- Andrew Phu, and junior Jonathan season, as virtually the entire team
dridge says that there could be some Silva have contributed to the success will return for another year. The
good competition for spots next on the vault events. All three placed exception is the team’s lone senior,
year. during the GBL meet in the event, Dervishian. Leaving the team is bit-
The team has had a strong including Phu’s first-place finish in tersweet for her. She described the
season on floor and vault events, the novice category. “They have the experience as “sad,” but says she
but Bowdridge states that beam is basics,” Bowdridge said. “It’s just a will still be back to support and visit
the team’s weakest point, mainly be- matter of cleaning up the skills.” the team after graduation.
cause of its inexperienced members,
very talented upperclassmen. These
seniors, including Warren Sharpp,
Andy Chao, and Christian Rizzo,
were large contributors to what suc-
cess the team had. One thing that al-
most always poses serious problems
in high school sports is the graduat-
ing of senior classes. As expected,
the team will have to cope with the
loss of the talent next season.
Although the team has strug-
gles immensely with the lack of man
power needed to compete in such
a competitive division one league,
coach Smith and the rest of the team
feel as though they have enough
depth in their underclassmen, as well
as ability to recruit within the city of
Malden Public School systems to lay
the base for a strong team in the next Senior Shawn Castro struggles to break his opponent’s hold as they grapple
few years. For instance, there are during an MHS wrestling team practice. Photo by Reginah Sanyu.
several juniors wrestlers, including
juniors Mario Sforza and Nick Fox
that will be looked upon in the fu- which requires both constant train- grappling and goes back to the years
ture to be key members on the team, ing, but also maintaining of the food before the Iliad was written. It is one
and feared competitors through out diet, and discipline to keep the body of the most physically challenging
the Greater Boston League, and the healthy. Also, due to the high inten- sports ever to be played. The basic
non-league schedule. sity and heaping level of adrenaline goal for every wrestler in every
Coach Smith stated in order to in a wrestling match, wrestlers must match is to maintain a superior po-
train for the sectionals, he will focus consume only the nutrition required sition over their opponent. In other
on simple things such as stance, con- in order to compete. Not doing so words, a wrestler must attempt to
ditioning, and maneuvers. Training may lead to fatal effects. Unsafe make their opponent submit or they
is vital in every sport. Wrestling in practices, such as crash diets and must attempt to pin their opponent.
particular is extremely challeng- rubber suits, have been banned by Greco-Roman wrestling, which is
ing on the body, and requires great many coaches and trainers, includ- the style of wrestling MHS partici-
training and endurance. However, ing MHS, in order to keep their ath- pates in, is considered an interna-
unlike other sports, wrestlers have letes healthy. tional discipline. Next year will be
to constantly deal with keeping Wrestling, for those who do not a new year for the MHS wrestling
themselves in their weight class, know, is a martial art that consists of team.
The Blue and Gold
February 2011
Young Talent Claws Through GBLs,
Builds Experience With Every Game
Jacob Martino
Reporter
T he Malden High School boys
basketball team came into this
season not knowing what to ex-
pect. Unfortunately, it is not going
the way that the team would have
hoped for, as the boys have a 3-7
record and a disappointing record
of 0-4 in the Greater Boston League.
With a losing record at this
point of the season, it does not
look like the team will qualify for
the state tournament like it did last
year. In order for the team to make
the tournament, it must win its next
10 games. This task will be difficult
due to upcoming games against
Cambridge Ringe and Latin High
School and Everett High School
for the second time in the season.
Sophomore Rodney Morton stated,
“It is going to be hard, but I think
we can do it. We all know what we
have to do and we are confident that
it can happen.”
The disappointment of the
season has been noticed by both the
players and the coaches thus far.
“We are not happy about the los-
ing record,” stated head coach Don
Nally, explaining how his vision of
the season is not exactly what he
hoped. He continued, “but the kids
are working very hard and they
Girls Basketball Strives for title
Joel Stevenson
Reporter
W ith the start of each home
game, audience attention is
directed to the varsity players as
they make their way on the court.
The games begins after a quick pep
talk by coach Wayne Bartolucci to
get the girls ready to play.
With the season underway, the
team is hoping to go for the gold this
year. Their current record stands at
6-10. With twenty games in total,
the team only has five more games
left to play this winter season. To
qualify for GBLs, the girls need to
win at least four more games. Junior
Commie Ayuk mentioned, “I think
we can do it, we have seven games
left, I have strong beliefs; as [the]
season progresses, we have been
getting better.”
Senior captains include Fillette
Lovaincy, Samantha Bonvie, and
Francesca Richardson. Lovaincy,
Bonvie, and Richardson have been
playing on the varsity basketball
team since their freshman year, al-
lowing them to build a chemistry
together both on and off court.
The three have also had the same
ups and downs, and gone through
similar obstacles in their basketball
careers at Malden High School, con-
tributing to their combined success
and leadership abilities when they
work together. “[They] always keep
us positive, even when we are not
doing so great. They keep us going,”
Sports 23
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/
have been a pleasure to
coach all year,” express-
ing that the development
of the team not only as
players but as students
and as people is essential
to its growth.
Underclassmen such
as Morton have proved
themselves to be strong
contributors to the team.
“Since we are the young
guys on the team it makes
us want to try harder to
show people what we got.
And, it makes us more
confident for next year
and so on,” he explained.
Similarly, the team
came in possession of a
freshman named Bryan
Mitchell. For any varsity
team to have a freshman Senior Teddy Francois scores on Minuteman High School boys basketball. Photo by
make the roster is a rare Reginah Sanyu.
occurrence. When the freshman
member of the team. looked upon to help out the varsity
is on a competitive team in an ex-
Assistant coach David Larry team in the future seasons.
tremely competitive league such
also commented on the prowess Although the team and the
as the GBL, than there is truly
of the underclassmen on the team. seniors are not having the season
something special about the player.
“We have a lot of good sophomores, they hoped for, there is no doubt
No freshman player has made a
Rodney [Morton], Jerome [Belle],” that there is some good coming
varsity basketball roster at MHS
demonstrating that the team is cer- out of something not so good. The
since Breno Giacomini in 2001, who
tain to have some promising talent younger players are gaining experi-
is currently a tackle for the Seattle
in the upcoming seasons. The junior ence every single game, the veteran
Seahawks. Although Mitchell is not
varsity team further shows how the seniors are making memories that
on the starting five for the team, he
team will be strong in the future, as will be forever, and as a team, the
finds ways to contribute, and will be
the team has a winning record, and unity is growing stronger as the sea-
looked upon in the future as a key
some very good talent that will be son winds to a close.
stated junior Kiara Amos. The three win. this
continuously work at practice and year has
in games to encourage and motivate been a
the team, no matter how the season bit up
is going, further showing the leader- a n d
ship and determination of both the down,
captains and the rest of the team. but we
With high hopes in mind, and h a v e
crunch time looming, every member b e e n
of the team, captain, starter, or back fighting
up, has to really start focusing on through
their responsibilities, and everyone it, and
has to focus on coming together as winning
a team and overcome any adversity would
that might appear in the remainder be the
of the season. “We need to improve i c i n g
on our communicating on the court, on the
and by working together, we don’t cake.”
always like the situations, some- T h e y
times we just have to adjust.” ex- are deter-
pressed junior Commie. With minor mined to
adjustments, the team can over go go all the
all the way to GBLs and maybe after way.
that, the state tournament. With
On Feb. 8, 2011, the girls bas- only four
ketball team fulfilled a task that is games left
always anticipated and very dif- the team
ficult to do for any MHS athletic is going
team; they beat Everett High School. have to
Throughout the whole game, MHS work hard
maintained a distance of about nine to pull off
points over EHS, and kept the com- GBL’s as
fortable lead the entire game, result- stated by
ing in an impressive 51-39 win over Coach Bartolucci, “We made it a Top: Sophomore Bridget Furlong
drives to the net with help from team-
their rival. little tougher on ourselves… math-
The team has been rattled a bit ematically they are there, but we’ll mates senior Melisa Cadet and junior
Kiara Amos. Bottom: Senior Franc-
from the start, but they are a whole see what happens.”be the icing on
as stated by Co-captain Fillette the cake.” They are determined to esca Richardson jumps to take a shot.
Lovaincy, “We want to win and we go all the way.
are going to do everything we can to
24
The Blue and Gold
Sports February 2011
http://www.maldenblueandgold.com/

Djokovic and Clijsters capture Green and Yellow, continued from front page

Starting off with the ball in

Australian Open Title the second quarter, Roethlisberger
was able to drive his offense down
Natalie Fallano field enough for Shaun Suisham to
Copy Editor kick a field goal, finally putting up
numbers for Pittsburgh. After a few

F or a couple weeks every Janu- more minutes passed in the quarter,

ary, the kangaroos and koala Pittsburgh was in possession of the
bears take runner up to what draws ball on Green Bay’s 49 yard line,
people to the sunny vacation spot of when Roethlisberger threw another
Australia. This is due to one of the interception, caught by Jarrett Bush.
four most famous majors in all of As usual, Rodgers annihilated Pitts-
professional tennis, the Australian burgh’s defense and threw an addi-
Open, takes place in Melbourne. On tional touchdown pass, this time to
Jan. 12, 2011 the tournament began Greg Jennings for 21 yards. With the
with 128 arriving on both the men’s extra kick, Green Bay was up 21 to
and women’s draw, after a short off three. But this time, Roethlisberger
season, eager to make a good first was able to make it down the field
impression for the tennis season. without turning the ball over, and
On the men’s side the 24 year connecting with his favorite receiver
old Spaniard, and current number Hines Ward for an eight yard touch-
one in the world, Rafael Nadal was down pass. After Suisham’s extra
the favorite to win it all after just point, Pittsburgh was still trailing
capturing his first US Open title behind Green Bay by 11 points at
in early September. Known for his the end of the half.
speed and one of a kind top spin, he Going into the second half, it
was at the top of his game, especial- was obvious that Green Bay was in
ly now that he acquired a new and control, ending the first half with a
improved first serve, just recently score of 21 to 10. Despite the score,
mastered during the US Open. On Green Bay took some serious hits,
the women’s side 27 year old former when wide receiver Donald Driver
number one and current number was sent into the locker room for an
two, Kim Clijsters of Belgium was ankle injury.
the favorite. Back in mid summer During the half time show, the
2009, she came back from retirement Black Eyed Peas put on a spectacular
after having a baby, her daughter performance with their bright and
Jada, and won the 2009 US Open colorful costumes and hundreds of
unseeded and with a wild card, as back up dancers performing on the
Above: Belgium’s Kim Clijsters goes for a shot against China’s Li Na
well as just recently winning the football field.
during the Women’s Final of the Australian Open. Clijsters defeated
2010 US Open. Tables turned in the second
Li Na on Saturday, January 29, 2011. Below: Serbia’s Novak Djokovic
For the Americans, it was not half, when Pittsburgh put up an ad-
hits a forehand shot to Switzerland’s Roger Federer during their
a successful launch of the year, at ditional seven unanswered points.
men’s semi-final match of the Australian Open on Thursday, January
least on the women’s draw Serena Green Bay was quiet during the
27, 2011. Djokovic won, 7-6, 7-5, 6-4. (Corinne Dubreuil/Abaca Press/
William, who has won five Austra- third quarter, failing to score. The
MCT).
lian open titles including 2009 and only touchdown was made by
2010, did not compete this year due Steeler Rashard Mendenhall for
comer Bernard Tomis of Australia, the match Murray looked defeating, eight yards. Suddenly, it seemed as
to a foot injury she sustained in July.
and Alexandr Dolgopolov of the playing with not nearly as much if Pittsburgh finally showed up to
Her sister, Venus Williams, retired
Ukraine. All three are ranked over intensity and hunger as Djokovic. play. But, with only 11 seconds left
from her third round match due to a
200, but were able to defeat some Murray left the court knowing this in the third quarter, Packer Clay
leg injury from her previous match,
of the top ten seeded players in the was his third slam final in which he Matthews forced a fumble, which
which she is calling the worst of her
world. History was also made on did not leave triumphed, but runner was recovered by Packer Desmond
career. With two of the best women
the women’s draw by 30 year old up once again. Djokovic who played Bishop.
players in history out of the picture,
veteran player, who won last year’s outstandingly well, won his second With possession in the fourth
no American women reached the
French Open, Francesca Skiovoni of Australian open title after three vic- quarter, Rodgers was able to suc-
fourth round for the first time since
Italy. She played a nearly five hour torious quick sets of 6-4, 6-2, 6-3. cessfully lead his team down the
1973.
match against Svetlana Kuznetsova Ninth ranked in the world, Li field. A short pass to Jennings led
Meanwhile, six foot nine giant
of Russia, the longest women’s Na of China walked onto Rod Laver him eight yards into the end zone.
John Isner lost in the third round to
match in majors history, winning Arena looking for her first slam title After the extra kick, Green Bay re-
Croatian Marin Cilic in a long four
6-4, 1-6, 16-14. after recently defeating number one gained control of the game with a
hour and 33 minute match. Andy
At the end of two weeks of in the world, Caroline Wozniacki of score of 28 to 17. However, Roeth-
Roddick, famous for having the fast-
play, the men’s players left in the Denmark in a three setter in the semi lisberger was able to act under the
est serve in the game, reaching up to
draw were number five in the final. Clijsters could not even com- pressure and throw a touchdown
155 mph, lost in the fourth round
world, Andy Murray of Scotland pete with Na in the first set, who and two point conversion to tighten
to Stanislaus Wawrinka of Switzer-
and number three in the world, was absolutely crushing the ball and the gap between the scores. During
land, in a quick 3 setter, 3-6, 4-6 3-6.
Novak Djokovic of Serbia, who was hitting angle shots right on the lines. the next possession, Rodgers was
The only American success was the
fired up after defeating number But Clijsters, a laidback and calm able to bring his offense down field,
dynamic duo of the identical twins
two in the world, Roger Federer in veteran did not throw in the towel. but only able to settle for a field goal,
doubles team, Bob and Mike Bryan
the semifinals, who is considered She came back to twin the next two widening the gap to six points.
who won the championship for the
by many to be the greatest tennis sets by mixing it up and hitting all Many thought that Roethlis-
fifth time with a final of 6-3, 6-4,
player to ever live. Murray had an her signature shots, power strokes berger would be able to make one
The biggest upset of the tour-
easier road to the championship down the line and incredible inside of his infamous comebacks to win
nament took away every tennis fan’s
with Nadal being knocked out early out backhands. Her experience and the game, but on fourth down with
hope of another famous Federer vs.
and after he easily defeated Ferrer, composed mental game came in three yards to go, he threw an in-
Nadal showdown. Nadal’s quest
as well as Dogopolov. Murray was handy in the end, helping her make complete pass that ultimately ended
for his fourth consecutive major
no match for Djokovic who was an unbelievable comeback of 3-6, Pittsburgh’s chances at a Superbowl
was ended abruptly by an injury in
eager to win a slam after losing to 6-3, 6-3, lasting just under 2 hours. ring.
his quarterfinal match against fel-
Nadal in the final of the US open. After the usual trophy ceremony, The Green Bay Packers were
low Spaniard David Ferrer in three
Djokovic played confidently and both Clijsters and Djokovic both able to clinch the game after taking
sets. The open featured impressive
collectively with a consistent first walked off the court with a smile, a two knees in the victory formation
performances by underdog players
serve, six aces, and 26 winners. title, and two million dollars in their to expire the play clock, ending the
who made it far in the tournament
From the beginning to the end of pockets. game with a final score of 31 to 25.
like Miles Raonic of Canada, new-