Swim team breaks records on page 17
pages 6 and 7
The Blue and Gold http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/
Malden High School Our 94th Year
Volume 94 Edition 5 February 2009
greenroom’s The Odyssey
Alex Mathieu as Pete and Michael Veino as Odysseus. Photo by L. Tran
David Riemer
Head News Writer
O N JAN. 30, 2009, the Greenroom
Dramatic Society took the audi-
ence on a journey through an adap-
tation of the epic Greek classic, The
Odyssey. The original Odyssey was a
serious tale, filled with actions and
moral rectitude, but subsequently
somewhat of a “dry book for many
LOCAL NEWS Page 6
WORLD NEWS Page 9
ENTERTAINMENT Page 12
SPORTS Page 16
Parker’sWorld Page 4
Student features,
Happy 200th Birthday
Lincoln and Darwin on
page 3
high school students,” stated junior
Herman Tse, who read the story his
freshman year. To overcome this
aridness, the students transformed
the script into a hilarious expedition
through many of the story’s major
events.
The curtain opens, revealing
a shipwrecked Odysseus, played
by Michael Veino, being found by
Nausicca, played by Sarah Rose on
Girls’ Basketball
her way to do the laundry. Together,
they go to Nausicca’s parents, Alci-
nous, played by Matt Weldai, and
Arete, played by Patti McClenthen,
in the hopes that they might aid
Odysseus on his journey back home
to Ithaca. Before they agree to help
him however, they ask to hear how
he became shipwrecked on their
island.
continued pg 15
continued pg 20
Stimulus
package may
aid malden
Dan Holmqvist
Reporter
P RESIDENT BARACK OBAMA,
focusing on the economy in the
early days of office, has devoted his
efforts in trying to pass a gargan-
tuan $820 billion stimulus package,
aimed at helping America’s lagging
economy. The package, passed
by the Senate with a 61-36 vote on
Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2009, directs bil-
lions of dollars towards tax cuts,
rebuilding infrastructure, health
care, education, and energy, all the
while creating new jobs. The bill still
needs to go through the House for a
final vote.
Although the President called
for bipartisanship and unity during
the January 28th vote in the House
of Representatives, the package was
not voted for by a single Republi-
can. Nevertheless, the bill was still
passed with a 244 to 188 vote.
Supporters of the bill say it will
help stimulate the economy, create
jobs, and lay the foundation for a
successful future by improving edu-
cation and infrastructure. Represen-
tative Edward Markey from Malden
hailed the plan as “an opportunity
to create millions of new jobs, invest
in vital priorities, and position our
economy for future growth.”
Republicans who opposed the
bill say that the new package will
drive the nation into even deeper
debt, and that too much money is
being spent on government pro-
grams rather than being put toward
tax relief. There are even divides
within the Democratic Party as to
how the bailout money should be
spent. Some insist that more money
should be geared toward long-term
restructuring rather than short-term
relief.
Malden has also submitted
plans to Congress, in hopes of re-
ceiving federal aid for several proj-
ects. One such plan is calling for a
$6 million renovation of the Jenkins
Auditorium into a “1,600 seat art-
deco performing arts center at Mal-
den High School.” The proposal,
if it is approved, would create 76
construction jobs and be part of the
comprehensive $70 million renova-
tion of MHS.
continued pg 10
2 Editorials The Blue and Gold
February 2009
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/

Malden High School T HE FIRST DAY of Justice and Government class,

Mr. Tivnan asked us to define justice. “Easy
enough” we all thought, but as our pens and pencils
The Blue and Gold hit the paper, we realized that there was no simple
way to respond. Once we began to discuss it as a class,
77 Salem St. we discovered that every student had his or her own
Malden, MA 02148 idea of justice which made me beg the question: how
do we define justice today?
What might seem fine and fair to one person
could seem like an injustice to another. Is it fair that an
EDITORS-IN-CHIEF unemployed woman with six children is given treat-
Nicole Dhruv ments to have eight more children when the average
Malisa Saksua family can barely send one child off to college? Is it fair
that the owners of large banks are living lavish life-
MANAGING EDITOR styles while hundreds of workers are being laid off? Is
Cynthia Rodriguez it fair that teachers may be laid off due to budget cuts
while thousands of dollars are being placed into what
HEAD NEWS WRITER some people believe to be unnecessary renovations of
David Riemer the high school?
On Jan. 26, 2008, a woman in California gave birth
HEAD ENTERTAINMENT/ OPINION to octuplets and started a media frenzy. Soon it was
Ashley Ngo discovered that not only had she given birth to octu-
plets through artificial insemination, but that she al-
HEAD SPORTS WRITER ready had six children through artificial insemination
Paul Collins as well. She is single, unemployed, and living with
her parents in a small three-bedroom house. Accord-
ASSISTANT SPORTS WRITER ing to information obtained by the associated press,
Alfonse Femino Nadya Suleman has collected more than $165,000 in
disability payments between 2002 and 2008 for an in-
HEAD COPY EDITORS jury at work, which has been supporting her and her
Tzivia Halperin family these few years. People question whether doc-
Ayoub Kourikchi tors should have implanted Suleman with six embryos
when they knew that she already had six children at
COPY EDITORS home. Some people feel that Suleman has every right
An Holmqvist to have as many children as she pleases but it is dif-
Brittany Foley ficult to imagine that she will be able to support them
Nidale Zouhir all and love them all.
Another question that has come up is who will
HEAD OF PHOTOGRAPHER support Suleman and her 14 children. If Suleman is
Emily Chiavelli unable to work and must go on welfare, then should
the taxpayers have to support her and her family? At
ASSISTANT PHOTOGRAPHER a time when the economy is so bad and families every-
Lynn Tran where are struggling to get by with just two children,
HEAD OF BUSINESS
should hardworking men and women be expected to
give part of their paychecks every month in order to
Kimberly Lombard support an unemployed mother of fourteen?
Also in the news, but not so recent, was the over
BUSINESS TEAM
Brandon Knight
$700 billion bailout given to major American banks
and corporations. It was discovered that shortly after
Cera Nolan the bailouts were handed out, some of the owners of
ONLINE EDITORS
Kimberly Lombard Left to right: Angel Han, Anthony Nguyen, Sue Tran,
Brandon Knight and Jason Chen
these large banks and businesses gave themselves
huge pay raises; some even high enough to afford
new jets. It is ridiculous that so much government
money (which comes from the everyday taxpayer)
went into the bailout and that the executives were
spending it foolishly while hundreds of workers are
being laid off every day. The New York Times even
reported that, “the government overpaid for banks’
troubled assets by some $78 billion”, which was
all a waste of taxpayers’ money. Because he was so
ashamed at the behavior of the company executives,
and with good reason, Obama wants to cap their
salaries at $500,000. Many of them complained of
not being able to maintain their lifestyles with these
lower salaries, but it seems like a small price to pay
when so many workers have completely lost their
jobs.
On a more local note, recent rumors have
been circulating of possible teacher layoffs due to
the budget cuts. At the same time that cuts have to
be made, renovations of Malden High School are
underway. Even though the money for the school
budget (which comes from state and local aid) and
the money for the renovations (which comes from a
grant) are unrelated, it doesn’t make sense to be fix-
ing up the school, when teachers may lose their jobs.
When asked about the possibility of layoffs, Princi-
pal Dana Brown admitted that they might happen
but that no one knows when or how many teachers
will get cut. He said that, “in the end the school
principal and the superintendent of schools make
budget decisions but those have to be approved by
the school committee.” When asked about what he
thought of the renovations that are going on at the
same time that the cuts are happening, Brown stated
that, “I think you have to have both…We are in this
position because no one has paid attention to the
building before.” Although the schools cannot be
expected to turn down the money for the renova-
tions, it just seems like somewhere down the line,
the federal government’s priorities are a bit mixed
up.
Cynthia Rodriguez
The Top 10 List:
Restaurants to go for
Valentine’s Day

REPORTERS
Editorial Policy
Haley DeFilippis The Blue and Gold is an open forum for
Michael DiGregorio student expression. It is produced by students
for the school and the community. The views
Jacquelyn Dillon
presented in this paper are not necessarily those
Alexander Gennigiorgis of the advisor or the school administration. The
Dan Holmqvist views presented in the editorials are those of the
Shannon Howe editors-in-chief or guests. The goal of The Blue
Barbara Jerome-Athis and Gold is to inform and entertain students as
Omar Khoshafa well as the community regarding issues that we
Erica Marangos feel are important.
Alexandra Mathieu We strongly encourage readers to respond
Patti McClenthen to material printed in the form of signed letters to
Brittany McFeeley the editors. No libelous, malicious, defamatory,
obscene, or unsigned material will be printed.
Paul McWhinnie
The Blue and Gold reserves the right to edit the let-
Joan Morabito ters. Names may be withheld upon request. Not
Linda Nguyen all letters will be printed.
Paula Suarez Salamanca Although The Blue and Gold appreciates the 10. Fire and Ice
support of advertisers, we may refuse any ad-
ADVISOR vertisement that violates the above policy or that 9. McDonald’s
Ryan Gallagher promotes products questionable to student use. 8. Friendly’s
Any correspondence concerning this publi- 7. Wendy’s
cation should be directed to Mr. Ryan Gallagher’s
Established in 1915
room in C333 or to his mailbox in the main of-
6. Dunkin’ Donuts
fice. 5. Bertucci’s
Check out our online edition:
The Blue and Gold 4. Burger King
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/ c/o Malden High School 3. The Cheesecake Factory
77 Salem Street 2. T.G.I. Friday’s
Malden, MA 02148 1. Applebee’s
The Blue and Gold
February 2009
America’s
priorities
celebrities
get more hits
than politics
Nidale Zouhir
Copy Editor
O N THE DAY of President
Barack Obama’s inauguration,
the most searched term on Google’s
“Hot Trends” list was “inaugural
website.” Other terms related to the
inauguration took up most of the
top 100. The very next day, however,
American Idol auditioner Joanna
Pacitti had taken the top spot, fol-
lowed by Jennifer Love Hewitt’s
ex-boyfriend Rich Cronin.
The changes in the Google
“Hot Trends” represent the virtual
generation’s obsession with celebri-
ties, as well as its extremely short
attention span. In a world domi-
nated by websites like Twitter, on
which a member posts 140-charac-
ter “tweets” about whatever he or
she is doing at the moment, no one
takes the time to focus on full news
stories anymore. In fact, CNN has
a Twitter on which headlines are
posted every few hours- it has less
“followers” than Britney Spears’
does. The condensing of news sto-
ries into sentence-long summaries is
only to be expected, however; in this
over-caffeinated era, schedules are
packed with working, socializing,
procrastinating, and studying, leav-
ing little time to read newspapers or
even a single news article on CNN.
com.
When asked what they are
most interested in, few tech-savvy
Google-users will list “the news” or
“politics” in their top three- unless,
of course, their favorite celebrities
are blogging. S i m p s o n - W e n t z
could hardly be surprised, how-
ever, especially in a world where
Yahoo! Buzz’s top searches are
“Kim Kardashian” and “Elisabeth
“CNN has a Twitter
on which headlines
are posted every few
hours- it has less “fol-
lowers” than Britney
Spears’ does.”
Hasselbeck” (and “Jessica Simpson”
beats out both “Iran” and “Stimulus
Package” in the top ten). With only
four news stories even in the top ten
searches, Yahoo! Buzz is constantly
full of name-drops like “Britney
Spears” and “Angelina Jolie”- and,
now that the American Idol season
has begun, this is likely to change
continued pg 4
Opinion 3
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/
200 years of evolution and ethics reform
this month colleges across MA celebrate the simultaneous birthdays of
Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln
A number of good children’s books have come out to celebrate the bicentennial of Abra-
An Holmqvist
ham Lincoln. There’s also one about Charles Darwin, who turns 200 on the same day.
Copy Editor (MCT)
Two hundred years ago, in a changed the world.” study may seem utterly remote, the
log cabin in the rural countryside of Two hundred years after the two men shared the drive to create
Kentucky, and in the lively historic birth of Abraham Lincoln, the world cultural revolutions and the disci-
town of Shrewsbury, England, two has seen the inaugaration of Presi- pline to educate and indulge them-
great minds came into the world dent Barack Obama, America’s first selves in their studies. Though com-
and would both eventually leave African American president. As ing from a prominent family and
a lasting impact for centuries to many students across the country educated at Cambridge University,
come. This month, colleges across read daily about the achievements Charles Darwin led an aimless life
the United States and around the of the sixteenth president of the until his famous voyage on the HMS
globe will be celebrating the simul- U.S.: his delivery of the Gettysburg Beagle. After years of observation
taneous birthday anniversaries Address, unifying a nation in crisis. and travel, Darwin returned home
of Charles Darwin and Abraham Two hundred years after Charles to England with big ideas – big
Lincoln, both of whom were born Darwin was born, scientists around ideas that led to the creation of The
on Feb. 12, 1809. Each of these men the world have been chartering new Origin of the Species. Although few
left huge impacts on their respec- territories in many different fields people know that Darwin and Lin-
tive fields of biology and politics. of biology, including those of medi- coln had a common birthday, even
As explained an article featured by cine, anthropology, archeaology, fewer know that Darwin himself
Newsweek titled “Who was more and paleontology. The Darwinian was deeply concerned and involved
important: Lincoln or Darwin?”, theory of evolution, though still con- in the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln,
the eager celebrations of Darwin troversial to many, has been almost who grew up in Kentucky, was
and Lincoln’s birthdays do not universally accepted in the world an avid scholar who memorized
just signify an extraordinary co- of science and has single-handedly Shakespearean poems along with
incidence, but also the fact that revolutionized almost every aspect Bible verses en masse while study-
“the scientist and the politician of the discipline of biology.
each touched off a revolution that Though their two areas of continued on pg 9
“Romeo Murr
ay was a char-
ismatic young
man who was
always there fo
r his teammate
and coaches.” s
Pasquale DiB
enedetto
ity
h School commun
“The Malden Hig ag ic
sa dd en ed by th e senseless and tr
is
ur ray. Although he
death of Romeo M o-
d m an y ch al le ng es growing up, R
face ga
forward to buildin
meo was looking ts
lif e fo r hi m se lf. I hope our studen
better any
r Romeo for the m
and staff remembe ol.”
he brought to scho
positive qualities
ana Brown In Remembrance of Romeo Murray
MHS Principal, D
“I was so shocked
about how long th
line was just to ge
t inside the funera
e
home- it went ou l
t the door, around Get Your Own Memory Band
corner, and down the
the street.”
Samantha Sagges
e, 2011 Bracelets are RED and come
in Medium or Large
cond Get one for $3.00
e o M u rr a y since like se
wn Rom me and
“I have kno n o th ing but help
as d o n e id any- SEE MR. VALENTE IN RM. C337 FOR
grade. He h u n d h im . He never d
ple a ro ened MORE INFORMATION
help the peo g to d e se rv e what happ
ly wron .
thing horrib I a m g o in g to miss him
e him and profits will help to fund and
to him. I lov y s be in my h
eart.” defray the family’s cost of Romeo’s
w il l a lw a
Romeo funeral, as well as a scholarship
, 2011
Kristina Katz in his name.
4 Opinion The Blue and Gold
February 2009
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/

mhs shows ITS romantic side america’s priorities,

continued from page 3

to names of contestants whose time

Ashley Ngo
Head Entertainment Writer
F rom year to year, decade to decade, the perfect Valentine’s Day varies from person
to person. For some, it is a day where one can curl up with their significant other
while watching a “chick-flick”, or a night out to the city while being treated to fine
on the show has been clouded by
controversy. Yahoo! Buzz’s top ten
list is refreshed every hour and
dining (where the guy pays, of course). Some use Valentine’s day as an excuse to changes constantly; this further
indulge on a mass amount of chocolates without feeling that feeling of guilt. Some proves the miniscule attention span
prefer not to celebrate Valentines Day at all, choosing to spend a day in, or out with that Internet users possess. Celebri-
friends instead. Either way, the Valentine’s Day spirit is active in Malden High Stu- ties themselves even notice this;
dents, whether they are against it or for it. when photographs scrutinizing Jes-
sica Simpson’s figure were released,
her sister, Ashlee Simpson-Wentz
posted a blog criticizing the obses-
sive amounts of blog posts and even
“What is your ideal Valentine’s Day?” news reports that followed. “A week
after the inauguration and with such
a feeling of hope in the air for our
country, I find it completely embar-
rassing ... to read about a woman’s
weight or figure as a headline on

“...youth of the world

“For my perfect Valentine’s day, all I
have to do is nothing,” stated sopho-
more Anthony Nguyen. “My better
half would be the one who plans and
pays for all the ‘mushy-gushy’ stuff.”
“My ideal valentine’s day would be
being encountered with so many
surprises and spending time with the
people I love the most,” said sopho-
more Jessica Vo.
“My perfect valentine’s day would be
to spend the day with the many loves
of my life, “ said senior Jason Chen.
“But, being treated to a nice free din-
ner would also be great.”
Photos by L. Tran
cannot point out Iraq
on a map; all, how-
ever, seem to (eeri-
ly) know every time
“Brangelina” adopts a
new child.”
Fox News,” she wrote on her web-
site, ashleesimpsonmusic.com.
However, this obsession with
all things famous can only be det-
rimental to those belonging to the
virtual generation; at a time when
the economic crisis and violence
in the Middle East dominate many
newspaper headlines, the Internet

parker’s world
-- which is much more widely read
by the up-and-coming members
of society than newspapers --
is controlled by social networking
websites and celebrity blogs. Even
popular websites like Yahoo! do
not feature news at the top of their
website; they do, however, have a
“featured,” “entertainment,” and
“sports” section for all who are in-
terested in seeing the top headlines
about Mickey Rourke, Super Bowl
ads, and the NBA. The top news
headlines are in a box below, look-
ing adversely unattractive and less
organized.
Many of the media-obsessed,
Perez Hilton loving youth of the
world cannot point out Iraq on a
map; all, however, seem to (ee-
rily) know every time “Brangelina”
adopts a new child. Similarly, many
did not realize John Roberts’ mis-
take during the presidential oath,
but spent hours laughing at Aretha
Franklin’s hat afterwards.
In what seems like a hopeful
twist (but is possibly only be a fluke),
MTV’s Twitter has less than 8,500
followers- CNN’s has almost three
times as many. This is one trend that
should be followed if the hope for a
less ignorant blogger generation can
ever come true.

Parker Stallworth
The Blue and Gold
February 2009
Opinion 5
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/

are celebrities
above the law?
David Riemer
Head News Writer

P OPULAR “GUERILLA-ARTIST” Shepard

Fairey walked into his exhibit at the Institute
of Contemporary Art in Boston on Feb. 6, 2009,
expecting to meet-and-greet with hundreds of
fans who had spent more than just a few pretty
pennies to be there. The ideal evening was
struck down before it began, when, en route,
Fairey was hauled off by the police for allegedly
“tagging” two areas in the city without permis-
sion. Not long after the Associated Press copy-
right trials, this event comes as a shock to many.
Some say that the city of Boston merely
charged a man with displaying his art. How-
ever, are these same people mistaking the fact
that, regardless of what they personally believe,
what Fairey did was illegal? How can they dis-
tinguish the Fairey from any other graffiti artist
who goes around “tagging?” Suffice it to say
that those who protest Fairey’s arrest are being
hypocritical and playing favorites.
Had the graffiti been created by an un-
known, yet equally talented artist, there would
be no rally to oppose his arrest; so why should Fairey receive all of
this special treatment? In this light, Fairey’s cheering crowd of support
faithfully falls back on him being a celebrity. Indeed, in the face of such
an obvious violation of the law, fame seems to be the only force which
allows those who possess it to transcend responsibility. Far too many
examples have shown that celebrities are treated differently in the court
systems, and if you can name more than 3 of these instances, you prove
the principle that we place celebrities on a higher plane, and in doing so
we cannot expect them to follow our rules.
To condone what Fairey did is to actively support the idea that
celebrities are exempt from liability. Fairey, in full awareness of the il-
legal nature of the act, tagged two areas of Boston, and as such was
arrested – what is so outrageous about that? Try not to get any ideas
though, if you had been arrested for the same crime, chances are you
would not have a rolling sea of support. You probably are not famous,
so, good luck to you.
Fairey, the artist of the iconic Obama image, pictured above, at work in the
phelps fishbowls, apologizes studio. Fairey, a graffiti artist, now has his picture of Obama in the Smithson-
ian. AP Photo
Nidale Zouhir
Copy Editor tickets for revenue?
F OURTEEN-TIME OLYMPIC gold
medalist Michael Phelps is often
playfully called a fish. It is, in fact, a
the determination and ambition that
people like Paris Hilton lack.
Furthermore, Phelps’ immedi-
Brittany Foley
Copy Editor
harshly debated topic whether he is ate apology, which called his mari-
indeed part sea creature. Even more
harshly debated, however, are his
three-month suspension from compet-
juana use (or perhaps the fact that he
allowed the photograph to be taken)
“youthful” and “inappropriate” only
A FTER A RECENT ORDER GIVEN by the chief of police, the residents
of Malden, Massachusetts are beginning to question where the pri-
orities of their law enforcers lie—in the safety of the people of Malden, or
ing with USA Swimming, his loss of deepens his status as a paragon of in the city’s wallet. According to www.boston.com, Chief Kenneth Coye
an endorsement with Kellogg, and his several qualities that the Kellogg’s- of the Malden Police Department is said to be strongly encouraging his
now tarnished reputation - all due to a eating youth of the world should officers to write a minimum of one traffic or parking ticket every shift. In
scandalous photograph of him smok- eventually embody, like honesty (be- Cole’s sudden request for “one tag a day,” the urged penalizations have
ing marijuana that was published in cause he admitted to the marijuana the people of Malden in somewhat of an uproar, because of the reasons
the British newspaper News of the use) and patience (because he did not behind the chief’s new call.
World. publicly grow angry with the media As the entire nation is perfectly aware, the economy is caught in a
Many of those who argue that and USA Swimming for blowing the miserable rut. Mass layoffs are growing more and more common every-
Phelps deserves his arguably overly situation out of proportion). where, and the Malden Police Department is no exception. Therefore, it
severe punishment claim that the pho- Swiss watchmaker Omega, should come as no surprise that they are willing to do whatever it takes
tograph sullies his role model status. another Phelps sponsor, called the in working towards avoiding such an event. However, when it was an-
Some have even recommended taking marijuana-use a “non-issue,” and nounced how Coye planned on achieving such prevention, the residents
away his medals or taking him off the Omega was right. The fact of that of Malden were far from pleased. Suddenly, it seemed as though the city’s
US Olympic team as a punishment. matter is that Phelps simply did wealth was more important than the safety and welfare of the community.
However, the photograph does what many 23 year-olds do: he went People are quickly growing outraged, with good reason. Citizens for
not ruin Phelps’ role model status. It to a college party and smoked some Limited Taxation founder, Barbara Anderson, made it clear that she feels
does not take away from the fact that pot. The only real thing he did wrong the situation is “absurd,” questioning the methods of the plan. What is to
he spent months training for the 2008 was let someone take a picture of him happen “if no one is doing anything [wrong]?” According to Coye, this
Summer Olympics and that his hard doing so; the photograph is the real is hardly an issue. He defended his argument by saying that Malden has
work paid off, leaving him a record- culprit in this situation, causing so been “under-ticketing” its residents for some time, and that, even though
breaker and one of the most popular much drama that Phelps will likely it would be beneficial in economic terms, it would make the streets and
people in the United States. Phelps did never go near another party where roads of Malden safer.
not become a role model because he cameras will be in use. And really, Maldonians and should look for alternate solutions. “Look at Win-
did not use drugs - he was (and still who can blame him? throp’s plans for the fiscal crisis,” suggested Anderson to the Boston Her-
is) a role model because he showed ald. “Lay off the police chief. Apparently, you can get along without one.”
6 Local news
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/
mhs seniors shine and recieve scholarships
from haiti to america,
chataigne’s story
Shannon Howe
Reporter
S ENIOR AND HAITI NATIVE Pascale Chataigne moved to Malden
when she was 14 years old. Despite all of her troubles assimilating to
life in Massachusetts, she is now one of six Malden High students who
was awarded the Colby-Sawyer scholarship this past January.
When Chataigne was in Haiti, she encountered a life changing expe-
rience. She was in the car with her father when suddenly a few men got in
their car, kicked them out, and stole the car. Thankfully, the two did not
get hurt, but at this point, Chataigne’s mother decided it would be best for
her to move to the United States. Although Chataigne was not physically
hurt, she was mentally scarred for a long time. She was constantly very
paranoid, and even the slightest movement made her think someone had
a gun. Over time, she conquered the frightening experience and grew to
learn that violence is never okay and she did not want to be a part of that
kind of lifestyle.
Since her freshman year, Chataigne has attended MHS. Her family
always wanted her to go to college in America so that she would have
more opportunities for the future. The school system in Haiti was very
different from the one she experiences here. When Chataigne came to
America it was much easier for her because it was not as strict, even
though she still tries her hardest. The school system here is also different
from Haiti because of the diversity, different cultures, and nationalities
that MHS boasts. The school system also has more technology available
to its students, while very few places in Haiti do.
Chataigne explained that she is very excited that she won the Colby-
Sawyer scholarship because it takes away the worry that she and her fam-
ily had about paying for college.
Colby-Sawyer College looks for students that are “solid academi-
cally, like working in collaborative settings, and are generally motivated.
We also look for students who want to test out their leadership skills in
an active learning environment,” claimed Vice President for Enrollment
Management at Colby-Sawyer, Gregory Matthews.
He also stated that “beyond the basic grades that are required, we
want students to write about themselves so we can know who they are.
We want expression, but that can be in the context of what is right for
the students, so description of service, arts projects, athletics, academic
honors, the responsibility of a job, or being at home taking care for
younger siblings after school to help working parents.” Additionally, the
Senior Associate Director of Admissions and Director of International
and Diversity Recruitment explained, “Speaking generally and not for
individuals, we found that the Malden students were superbly prepared
for college level work. Study skills, writing, and time management were,
on the whole, up to par.”
Chataigne also said she had other schools in mind before she de-
cided she was positive about attending Colby-Sawyer College. Howard
University, University of Massachusetts (UMASS) Boston, UMASS Am-
herst, Northeastern, University of Miami, and Providence College were
all other possible destinations. In addition, Chataigne was also a Posse
semi-finalist.
Overall, she is very thankful for this opportunity and hopes to take
the skills she has learned throughout the years at MHS to college with
a hopeful major in psychology. She also has helpful advice to offer to
students applying for college. She suggests they “start early, don’t leave
anything for the last minute and always be [themselves] during the inter-
views.”
Other MHS students who earned the full-tuition scholarship to
Colby-Sawyer included Laura Metellus, Amanda Rogers, Felicia Teixeira,
Kristen Tran, and Kristen White.
The Blue and Gold
February 2009
banor gains a posse and
a scholarship
Patti McClenthen
Reporter
Kimberly Lombard
Head of Business
A S THE FOUR POSSE scholars prepare themselves mentally, emotion-
ally, and academically to go off to the colleges of their dreams with
a full tuition scholarship, it is surprising to find that two Malden High
students are preparing to attend the same place. Seniors Cynthia Rodri-
guez and Victor Banor are both attending Hamilton College in upstate
New York this upcoming fall. Hamilton is a business oriented college that
has produced many lawyers, mediators, and other business tycoons since
their establishment, and has partnered with the Posse Foundation for nine
years.
The Posse Foundation was based off of one student who said, “I
would have never dropped out of college if I had my Posse with me,”
and the foundation now uses that concept to provide support groups
that will help you throughout college. In addition to Hamilton College,
The Posse Boston partnering institutions including Bryn Mawr College,
Bucknell College, Centre College, Denison College, and Union College.
The thousands of students that made it into the first round of Posse inter-
views were gradually eliminated until there were only approximately ten
students per college. The remaining students became part each school’s
“Posse,” who will help each other achieve their goals throughout the next
four years of college. This group of students will meet every week until
they leave for school in order to establish a bond that will endure all of
the obstacles college will throw at them. The “Posses” are composed of
a group of diverse students with outstanding leadership qualities and a
drive to succeed.
Rodriguez, who is also the managing editor for The Blue and Gold
newspaper, showed great relief when she found out that she earned the
prestigious, full-tuition scholarship from the Posse Foundation. Hamilton
was the only school she sent an application to, and she put all of her en-
ergy into getting accepted. As for her future career, Rodriguez wants to
major in pre-law, with a minor in journalism. “I’ve always been geared to-
ward debating and talking to a crowd,” Rodriguez confessed. “As for the
journalism aspect, I’ve always loved reporting.” In addition to Rodriguez,
Banor is also representing Malden High School in the Hamilton Posse.
Banor plans on majoring in government at Hamilton College and is
glad his college search is already over. “I was surprised [when I won the
scholarship]. When you meet all of the other nominees, they all have [ex-
ceptional] leadership qualities; it’s intimidating.” Although the experience
was very competitive and challenging, he knows that the Posse Founda-
tion will help him get where he wants to be in life. The unique foundation
has many connections with businesses for internship and employment
opportunities, and Banor is excited to utilize the once-in-a-lifetime op-
portunities. He hopes to use the experience and knowledge gained at
Hamilton to one day attend Harvard Law and become a negotiator.
Most seniors are eager to leave high school by the third quarter,
and Banor is no exception. He believes that the main difference between
high school and college is “intellectual freedom.” He went on to explain
that “high school has a very secular view, and in college you are allowed
to pursue whatever you want.” Although he is excited to move on and
achieve his dream, he confessed that he will miss the teachers at MHS the
most and will always remember the lessons they taught him.
For any juniors who intend to apply for the Posse Foundation next
year, Banor advises students to keep their cool and just be personable.
“Going into it you’ll be nervous, but you can’t be afraid to talk to every-
one, because everyone takes notice of that.”
In addition to Rodriguez and Banor, two other Malden High Stu-
dents were elected for the Posse Foundation Scholarship. Stephanie Tran
and Melchi Noelle are attending Bryn Mawr College and Denison College
this fall through Posse, respectively.
The Blue and Gold
February 2009 Local news 7
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/

Boston Globe Scholastic Art Awards

GOLD KEY
Emily Chiavelli- Istanbul
Long Ma- Waterworks

SILVER KEY
Bao Wu- The Cross

HONORABLE MENTION PIECES

“Getting POSSE was a weight-lifting Suelen Amaral- Ceu
joy. All that is left to do is to cruise Mauricio Duarte- PERSON
through senior year.” Mark Hortaleza- Tesselation in-lay
Marina Kem- Green
POSSE Scholar Melchi Noel Alison Nguyen- Optical Counterpart
Sue Tran- Tessellation
Matt Zunitch- Breakfast at Grandpa’s

Senior Marina Kem.

brockton man
commits hate crime
Barbara Jerome
Reporter

J UST ONE DAY after the historic inauguration of our nation’s first
African-American president, a day when people truly believed that
the nation has improved relations between different races, local news
reported a hate crime. Keith Luke, a 22-year-old Brockton resident
walked through the streets of the City of Brockton with the determina-
tion to kill as many non–white people and Jews as possible on Wednes-
day, Jan. 21, 2009.
Luke murdered three people and injured others but was stopped
by the police before he had the chance to go to a Jewish synagogue
near his mother’s home on Pleasant Street and subsequently commit
suicide. Rabbi Joshua Cohen of Temple Beth Emunah stated on CNN
news, “As much as we like to think we’ve moved forward in our society
and culture, hate and racism still exist, and it’s really unfortunate.”
On Wednesday, Luke first raped and shot a woman in an apart-
ment he had barged into, but she survived and was sent to a hospital in
Boston. He also shot her younger sister who appeared at the door while Senior Matt Zunitch.
her sister was being abused by Luke. Two men attempted to help her,
however Luke shot at one of them and drove off. Afterward, he shot
neighbor Arlindo Goncalves, whom he knew from his neighborhood.
As the police pursued him, Luke shot at them, missing, and kept going
until he got into a car accident. “I’m sorry I shot at the cops,” Luke said,
according to a police report. “But I am not sorry I shot those people at
the house.”
How could it be that after all the progress this nation has made
that racism still exist? It was the question asked by many after these
horrible crimes. A Malden High School student, junior Diana Joseph,
said, “As an...African-American citizen, this incident sort of makes me
feel a little uneasy or even unsafe. Not that I would expect that to hap-
pen in Malden, because we’re a pretty good community; but you never
know,” after being asked how she felt about Luke and the crimes he
committed.
MHS is a diverse school where students often respect others
despite differences in race or culture. It is, however, unfortunate that
MHS is one of a small number of schools that have a high percentage
of diversity. After discussing the incident with a student, Junior Daniel
Callahan responded, “Malden High School is very diverse and I think
it’s valuable to all of us. I myself have friends from different cultures
and to hear about all discrimination and racist actions in the nation is
a terrible thing.” Malden sets a good example, however it is not perfect
and has its own issues to deal with. History teacher Marsha Healy said,
“Malden is a microcosm of the world as it should be where people see Senior Sue Tran.
people for who they are and not for their ethnic cultural differences.”
Photos by L. Tran
8 Local news The Blue and Gold
February 2009
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/

Valentine Day Messages 9/11 serves peabody

Yo sup Omar!
Mahoney is my homie – Mike S.
I love Nidale, Andrew, and Ra-
chael. Have a Palahniuk-filled
Valentine’s Day. I love Brit-
tany Foley and Alex Mathieu,
love Jeri.
Check myspace.com/eclipse-
now.
Alex, take a bath. I love you!
LOVE LOVE LOVE THE B&G.
I love Nidale, love Brandon.
Happy Valentine’s Day PS ILT
Tzivia and Emily are the best
people ever! Love, Ahmed
as a holiday
Tzivia Halperin
Head Copy Editor
T HE MOST HARMFUL shots taken at the
Peabody police department as of late
have been from critics rather than criminals.
Since the paid 9/11 police holiday was en-
acted on Jan. 24, 2009, the police department,
City Council, and even Peabody mayor Mi-
chael Bonfanti have been fighting off the flak.
The holiday, which was accepted with
City Council’s vote of 7-4, grants the Peabody
police department a day off on Sept. 11, or
if they choose to work, a 25 percent raise in
salary among other stipulations in their new
four-year contracts. Across the nation this
has been the first of such holidays recogniz-
ing an attack, not even honored in New York
City. According to City Councilor James K.
Liacos, quoted on Boston.com, its purpose
was to honor and “recognize 9/11.” However
in light of the fact that this is the only Ameri-
can attack honored, many have deemed this
a hollow recognition.
“I don't think that 9/11 should be a
holiday. Sadly, our country has been attacked
force did not directly aid or provide relief
during Sept. 11. Senior Daniel Melo, noted
“out of all the days I want cops to be on
duty, it’s that day,” emphasizing a lingering
fear of terrorism.
In spite of it, proponents of the holiday,
including the International Brotherhood of
Police Officers, contend that it represents a
general day of remembrance and a means
of honoring enforcement officers who lost
their lives during the attack.
This innate patriotism has not been
reflected in the attitudes of those involved
however. In an interview with the Boston
Globe, Peabody Mayor Michael Bonfanti
commented, “Time to get on a . . . real story.
We're moving forward. It's time to focus on
the problems that we have with the econo-
my.” Similarly, when asked if they felt that
the Sept. 11 holiday should be extended to
firemen as well as police officers, the Pea-
body fire department reacted defensively.
Peabody fireman Jim Wronkowski initially

MHS news numerous times e.g. Pearl Harbor, the Lu-

sitania, and the U.S. Maine in Havana, Cuba.
It should be a day of solemn remembrance”
stated, “I can’t comment on it,” but then
elaborated that receiving a holiday for Sept.
11 “wasn’t anything discussed,”-it simply

brief:
noted Malden Chief of Police Kenneth Coye
in an interview. He went on to say that the
holiday was merely a “labor contract ben-
efit.”
was not considered during the renewal of
their contracts. The Peabody police depart-
ment could not be reached for comment.
Senior Ginny Do, dazed by the holiday,

nhs secret Coye’s disdain is shared by many, espe-

cially by those who are vocal about its enact-
ment in Peabody rather than New York City,
reflected on the conflicting motivations of
patriotism and money. “It seems like good
intentions but an unnecessary gesture.”

santa
the location of the attack. The Peabody police

T he annual Secret Santa event, held

this past Christmas 2008 by the MHS
MHS Bulletin
National Honor Society at Housing Fami-
lies, was declared a success by Director of Valentines Day Dance Feb. 13, 2009, at 4-7 p.m.
Housing Services Joan Sinner in a letter
to advisor Paul Marques. NHS students
each raised money for a homeless family Indoor Track Greater Boston League Tournament - Feb. 17, 2009
to provide food and gifts for them during
the holidays. Sinner thanked the students,
stating that this Christmas, “children were Weymouth Shoot-Out-Tourney - Feb. 16-17
able to feel the “magic” of the holiday
season and parents felt the support of the
community.”
MHS Class of 2009 presents
the Senior Fashion Show
Thursday, March 12, 2009, at 6 p.m.
place Anthony’s of Malden
Tickets available mid to late February.
your For additional info,
Please see Ms. Vona in the nurses office,
ad here or Mr. Fam in C223.
Send events to:
theblueandgold@gmail.com
The Blue and Gold
February 2009 world news 9
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/

store givaway
surprise
Lynn Tran
Assistant Photographer

T HOSE WHO SERENDIPITOUSLY visited the mall from

Illustrated feature graphic about the life and theories of English naturalist Charles Dar-
win; 200th anniversary of Darwin’s birth is Feb. 12, 2009. MCT 2009
continued from pg 3
ing Euclidean geometry on his own. His
rise to politics eventually led him to save
a troubled union and to the abolishment
of slavery from the United States forever.
The coincidence that both of these
men were born on the same day, and that
current President Barack Obama was in-
augurated two hundred years after their
two hundredth anniversary is truly aston-
ishing and is not being ignored. Professor
Jonathan King of the Biology Department
at MIT (which organized its own Dar-
win symposium in January) noted that
“Barack Obama has become the president
of the United States and he himself has
[been compared to Lincoln and his team
of rivals]… human equality continues to
be a problem with us today. The spirits
of Lincoln and Darwin still live with us
today – they are both very much with us,
and not just historically.”
Festivals and celebrations across the
world will commemorate the achieve-
ments of these two extraordinary indi-
viduals. On the local level, the Hingham,
MA Historical Society will be holding
yearlong celebrations involving parades,
music, and lectures by, Gov. Deval Patrick,
in addition to others. Salem State College
and Framingham State will celebrate the
workings of Charles Darwin this year.
Salem State is holding Darwin Day cel-
ebrations that will involve video viewings
and interesting lectures through Feb. 9-13,
2009 while Framingham State will be
holding events in early March.
The question that the Newsweek
feature poses does not easily find its an-
swer. Both men have left their mark on
world history in their respective fields
and have impacted society. In the coming
weeks, historical societies, colleges, and
numerous other organizations involved
in science and history alike will gather to
celebrate the bicentennial. Along with the
anniversary, a fourth version of the penny
will be released in honor of the sixteenth
president.
Jan. 20-26, 2009, left with a free bottle of Vera Wang per-
fume, Chanel lotion, or Ralph Lauren body wash. No one
ever asks why when receiving free stuff, but this 175 mil-
lion dollar giveaway that occurred in 14 different retailers
including Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus, Macy’s Dillard’s,
Sak’s Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, and other department stores
across the nation, was a result of a settlement on December
18, 2008, from a lawsuit that was filed six years ago.
The rules were first come first serve, and only one per
customer. Nine manufacturers were involved, including
Clinque, Estee Lauder, Lancôme, Clarins, Guerlain, Bouch-
eron, L’Oreal, and Christian Dior. All supplies were limited
and retailed to about $25 each and anything not given away
was given to charity.
The aforementioned law suit initiated from accusation
of conspiracy to fix retail prices of these upscale cosmetics,
since fixed prices allow prices and competition to stay high.
In 2003, eleven women filed a law suit in California because
they thought the department stores were overcharging their
customers and agreeing to sell beauty products at the manu-
facturer’ suggested retail price, as well as guaranteeing a
forty percent profit for manufacturers for nay unsold items.
Nordstrom Incorporated spokeswoman Julee Kraus believes
that they had “done nothing wrong” and have “chosen to
settle this [giveaway] to avoid a long and costly trial process.”
Neither the retailers not manufacturers will admit that they
are wrong.
Although it was a giveaway, there was fine print that
everybody missed. The qualifications said that consumers
had to have signed a waiver saying they purchased an item
from their store from May 29, 1994, to July 16, 2003, and had
to be eighteen and older. Select stores gave teens a hard time,
and stopped them from receiving their free item for being
underage, which was not specified anywhere. Some stores
even quizzed some teenagers about which products were
popular in the early 1990s.
Any settlement resulting in free Chanel or Dior is usu-
ally a good thing, but all good things have long lines, crabby
customers, grabbing and fighting. In today’s plunging econ-
omy, anything free can spark the worst and greediest part of
people. Some people even got in the lines twice. This is the
same reason why people drive across town to get the lowest
gas prices, or they cherry pick items on sale in grocery stores.
Many of these people probably did not need an extra bottle
of lotion, but today, it is better to have a surplus. On Tuesday,
Jan. 20, 2009, people took this opportunity to receive free
products, something that has been especially sought after
since the declining of our economy. It reflects how important
money has been to us, especially if many of us decided to
rush to the stores instead of experience a historical inaugura-

Holocaust denier reinstated tion.

Tzivia Halperin
ment, noting in a well-documented an interview with CNN, noted “The favored status, knowing of his out-
Head Copy Editor interview, “that the historical evi- decree sends a terrible message to spoken denial of the Holocaust is
dence is strongly against - is hugely Catholics around the world that to show honor a man of whom he

J AN. 27, 2009, which marked the

63rd anniversary of the liberation
of Auschwitz, should have been a
day of remembrance and mourn-
ing for Jews and non-Jews alike.
However, with the recent comments
of reinstated bishop, Richard Wil-
liamson, suggesting a denial of the
Holocaust, a recent pall has been
cast over Judaic unity.
Bishop Richard Williamson,
who was excommunicated in 1988,
made anti-Semitic comments only
days before his appointed reinstate-
against - 6 million Jews having been
deliberately gassed in gas chambers
as a deliberate policy of Adolf Hit-
ler.” He went on to say, “I believe
there were no gas chambers.” In
Auschwitz alone, three million
people were murdered, especially
through the use of intentional gas-
sing.
Reaction to his comments has
been strong indeed, especially by
those concerned with its ramifica-
tions on the delicate Catholic-Judaic
relationship. Abraham Foxman, in
there is room in the church for those
who would undermine the church's
teaching and would foster disdain
and contempt for other religions,
particularly Judaism.” He contin-
ued, “Given the centuries-long his-
tory of anti-Semitism in the church,
this is a most troubling setback.”
“The Pope, of course, is free
to do whatever he pleases within
his church,” noted Rabbi Herman
Blumberg of Temple Tiffereth Israel
in an interview. “But for the Pope
to elevate Bishop Williamson to a
should be ashamed. His decision
reflects poorly on him. And to say
the least, it is a painful, anger pro-
voking act for all decent people who
condone any expression of prejudice
against any human being.” Even in
Malden criticism to Williamson’s
comments have been widespread.
Williamson’s comments how-
ever have not been without personal
effect; he lost his position as head of
Argentine seminary on Feb. 9, 2009.
10 World news The Blue and Gold
February 2009
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/

stimulus, continued
from page 1 Hot Rod Blagojevich’s
Streak Ends
Ayoub Kourikchi
Head Copy Editor

F OLLOWING
AN
LANDISH media
OUT-

campaign where
Illinois Senator
Rod Blagojevich
accused The Illinois
House of Represen-
tatives of false al-
legations “because
I’ve done things to
President Barack Obama signs SCHIP legislation with Congressional delega- fight for families”;
tion at the podium in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., the house routed
Wednesday, February 4, 2009. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune/MCT) Blagojevich from
Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich waves to supporters outside his
office after a 114-1
home on Thursday, January 29, 2009, in Chicago, Illinois. Gov. Pat
Another proposal made by vote to impeach
Quinn was sworn in after the Senate voted 59-0 to remove Blagojev-
the city of Malden calls for the $4.4 him. His impeach-
ich from office Thursday. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune/
million renovation of MacDonald ment follows an in-
MCT)
Stadium. The planned renovation vestigation where
of the stadium includes replacing he was caught on
the grass surface with synthetic wiretapped phone calls allegedly sell- sociated press, going as far as mussing
turf, replacing the existing running ing President-elect Obama’s Senate seat. his often-mocked hair. Additionally,
track with a “new 6-lane quadrant Prior to his hearing, he attended the women pressed him to imperson-
resilient track”, replacing the light- a series of televised interviews, which ate President Richard Nixon, and state
ing system, and constructing new ranged from an appearance on Larry the infamous line, “I am not a crook.”
bleachers along with a new press King Live, to an interview with Geraldo Subsequently, the mood changed as
box. If the plans were to follow Rivera in the parking lot of The View, Barbara Walters, a seasoned journal-
through, 48 construction jobs would where he continuously reiterated that ist pressed him to come to terms with
be created. The expected date of he was innocent. the overwhelming evidence pitted
completion is December 2010. On The View the women taunted against him. However, cohost Whoopi
The stimulus package may Blagojevich and, according to the as- continued pg 11
come at an important time for Mal-
den, whose aid from the state of
Massachusetts will be cut by $1.5
million in the coming year.
“Change”, which has been
Obama’s motto for the past year, is
certainly reflected in Washington
with this new stimulus package.
Democrats, who now hold control Highlights of a Gallup poll asking
over the legislative and executive if Congress should pass the pro-
branches, are making changes that posed economic stimulus plan.
they were unable to do before the MCT 2009
elections. However, what remains to
be seen is how this change will affect
the rest of America.

Graphic shows
the total 2007
compensation
for Goldman
Sachs CEO

place Lloyd Blank-

fein; President
Obama has
your capped ex-
ecutive pay at

ad
$500,000 for
banks receiv-
ing taxpayer

here bailout funds.

MCT 2009

Charts showing 2007 total compensation for CEO’s at some of the

banks that received federal assistance and amount of assistance bank
received; with information on pay curb guidelines. MCT 2009
The Blue and Gold
February 2009
blagojevich con-
tinued from pg 9
Goldberg immediately came to
his defense exclaiming “where the
hell’s the supreme court,” as she
embraced Blagojevich.
During NBC’s Today Show,
he continued to advocate his in-
nocence as he stated “you can
conceivably bring in 15 angels and
20 saints, led by mother Teresa,
to come in and testify to my good
character and my integrity and all
the rest; it wouldn’t matter.”
Several of his other interviews
were taped in similar fashion,
including his stint on famed talk
show host Oprah Winfrey where
he considered naming Winfrey to
his Senate position.
“It’s our duty to clean
up the mess and stop
the freak show that’s
become Illinois gov-
ernment.”
David Lettermen along with
numerous other comics targeted
him as the butt of their jokes. Let-
terman, famous for his hilarious
top ten lists, reserved one espe-
cially for Blagojevich; the senator’s
number one quote stood as “well,
let me say two things: One, that’s
the truth; and two, I’m glad you’re
not going to sit on that jury in Il-
linois.”
Blagojevich is the first gover-
nor impeached in Illinois and had
become only the eight governors
to be impeached and removed
from office. During his 90 minute
trial only Representative Milton
Patterson of Chicago voted against
impeachment.
“It’s our duty to clean up the
mess and stop the freak show that’s
become Illinois government,” said
Representative Jack Franks.
Torture Ban and Guantanamo Bay Closure
Alexandra Mathieu
Reporter
D URING HIS CAMPAIGN FOR
presidency, President Barack
Hussein Obama promised many
things, most prominently his vow
for change. One of his first acts
emphasizing this change took place
on Jan. 22, 2009, just two days after
his inauguration. Obama issued an
Executive Order that contained a re-
view, or report, that will ban torture
and other degrading techniques
used on prisoners and close down
the infamous Guantánamo Bay De-
tention Camp (GBDC) in Cuba.
The facility holds about 260 de-
tainees, most of whom are either in-
volved with or are suspected of being
connected to terrorism. Speculation
over the treatment of GBDC detain-
World news
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/
gaza begins reconstruction
1.5 million citizens struggle to rebuild their cities and lives
Halima Badwan stands before the ruins of the Ezbt Abed Rabbo apartment build-
ing, January 24, 2009, where he found his wife’s body after Israel’s Gaza Strip military
campaign. (Dion Nissenbaum/MCT)
Omar Khoshafa
Reporter
T HE GAZA STRIP, an area of
land located in southwest Israel,
is home to about 1.5 million Pales-
tinians. Recently, due to the 22-day
Israeli offensive strike that began on
Dec. 27, 2008, 1,300 Palestinian lives
have been claimed, compared to the
13 Israeli civilians killed. More than
20,000 homes have been destroyed
and the Palestinian infrastructure
is deteriorating. It is estimated that
about two billion dollars will be
needed to rebuild Gaza, and with Is-
rael blockading the Gaza border, not
enough humanitarian aid has been
able to reach the civilians in need.
Hamas is a political organiza-
tion voted for by the Palestinian
people and the majority of the world
defines them as a “terrorist organi-
zation.” The battles between Israel
and Hamas have been known to be
violent, and most of the causalities
ees has circulated since the center
opened. Heavy suspicion of illegal
interrogation methods surfaced
during the years after the September
11 attacks. On many occasions, Bush
and his administration rejected ever
using such techniques; however
reports have been found that sug-
gest the opposite. In 2002, leaked
White House memos illustrated a
correspondence between former
United States Defense Secretary
Donald Rumsfeld and commanders
at Guantánamo, where Rumsfeld
approves of harsher interrogation
techniques for al-Qaeda and Taliban
members. Obama’s Executive Order
will hopefully put an end to all of
the speculation and any unlawful
torture methods as it states that all
detainees at the GBDC are protected
by Common Article 3 of the Geneva
Conventions.
in these battles have been innocent
civilians.
During the 22-day-long Israeli
offensive, later named Operation
“Cast Lead,” Hamas insurgents
have been located all throughout the
Gaza Strip. Israel's United Nations
Ambassador, Gabriela Shalev, has
blamed Hamas for all the civilian
deaths, saying, “Hamas has oper-
ated out of mosques, schools and
private homes while using civilians
as human shields.”
As Israel and Hamas exchange
gun fire, the global community is
not playing a productive role in
achieving an immediate ceasefire.
Both sides said that they would not
stop firing until the enemy ceases to
fire. The failure to reach an imme-
diate ceasefire caused the death of
1,300 Palestinians, a large majority
of them civilians. As a large part of
Gaza lays in ruins, the Palestinians
know that reconstruction will not be
Despite expressing senti-
ments to close the detention center,
former President George W. Bush
never did. To him, the political and
legal risks that would follow the
endeavor would be too great. Also,
former Vice President Dick Cheney
believed that the United States
needed a separate prison to inter-
rogate possible terrorists. However,
human rights groups have criticized
the Bush administration for keeping
the detainees in the center for such
a prolonged period of time, saying
that the extensive imprisonment it-
self was a form of torture. President
Obama shares a similar opinion.
His Executive Order while pro-
tecting the treatment of detainees
also contains a review process that
outlines what will happen to the
prisoners when the facility is closed.
First the review will determine if it
11
Map of Gaza
Strip locates a
neighborhood
near Gaza City
that was destroyed
by Israeli military
forces. MCT 2009
easy.
Recently, Israel has blockaded
the border of Gaza based on weap-
ons being smuggled to Hamas
militants. The problem of blockad-
ing the border of weapons prevents
food and supplies from entering.
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator
John Holmes lists three require-
ments for a successful relief opera-
tion, first of which is a long, durable
ceasefire between both sides instead
of a temporary one. Secondly, he
says that “all the crossing points
into Gaza (must) be opened so hu-
manitarian and commercial goods
can get through.” Lastly, he wants to
conduct this operation without “any
political interference.” He firmly
believes that politics should not get
in the way of the humanitarian aid
from reaching a people in a dire
crisis.
is possible to transfer detainees to
agreeable countries including Por-
tugal, France, the United Kingdom,
Ireland, Sweden, and Germany. If it
is not possible, then another review
will determine if prosecution of
some of the prisoners will be possi-
ble. If neither proves applicable then
the review will consider displacing
prisoners to US prisons.
President Barack Obama un-
derstands the gravity of his decision
but decided that the closure was
necessary. “The message we are
sending around the world is that the
United States intends to prosecute
the ongoing struggle against vio-
lence and terrorism,” Obama said in
an interview with the Boston Globe.
“[W]e are going to do so in a man-
ner that is consistent with our values
and our ideals.”
12 Entertainment The Blue and Gold
February 2009
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/

Paul Blart: Mall Cop steals views

“Safety Never Takes a Holiday”
Alex Gennigiorgis
Reporter

S HOT DIRECTLY in the

Burlington Mall, Paul
Blart: Mall Cop earned the
number one spot in the
box office on its’ opening
weekend. It grossed at
almost $10 million from
3,144 theaters with an
opening-day average of
$3,105 per theater. During
the entire Dr. Martin Lu-
ther King Jr. weekend, the
film grossed almost $40
million and each theater
paid an average amount
$12,479. It was the second-
best opening of all time for
the MLK weekend behind
2008’s Cloverfield. The film
stood at number one in its
second weekend, gross-
ing another $21+ million,
boosting the 10-day total
to $64,923,380.
The film begins at
the New Jersey State Po-
lice Academy, where Paul
Blart (Kevin James) has
been training to become Blart attempts to catch a speeding criminal.
a policeman for ten years.
Due to his hypoglycemia,
he cannot pass the necessary drills Amy and his daughter drive him to a few appearances on the television Yet, Rebound, Daddy Day Care, and
to become a police officer, and in- persevere and save the day. series Lost and CSI. Although he is Dr. Dolittle 2.
stead became a mall security guard. James did an excellent job act- not so well established, he has prov- Between the talented actors,
Although he takes his job very seri- ing in the film. His well-executed en himself a rising star due to his seasoned director, and original
ously, he receives no respect from his performance was due to his experi- outstanding performance as Sims in plot line, Paul Blart: Mall Cop was
coworkers, except for new security ence as a comedian; the veteran is Paul Blart: Mall Cop. a hilarious movie that kept the au-
guard Veck Sims (Keir O’Donnell), also known for his performances in Mays is best known for her ap- dience laughing almost the entire
whom he takes under his wing. Hitch, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and pearance in Epic Movie, where she time. James put brilliant effort into
The high point of the movie oc- Larry, Barnyard, and 50 First Dates, as played Lucy, the main character. She his role, and the rest of the cast did
curs when the mall is taken over by a well as in the hit television show The is also known for her appearances a top-notch job as well, despite their
group of robbers led by his comrade King of Queens. He performed very off the big screen in shows such as lack of experience. This movie was
Sims. During the rest of the movie, well as Blart and impressed the au- Ugly Betty, Entourage, House M.D., excellently pulled off and had a
Blart is on a quest to save not only dience in how well he did without and Six Feet Under. She was great at perfect balance of comedic outings
the mall, but his love interest Amy, other comedians like Adam Sandler. her part as Amy overall and really and dramatic scenes. Paul Blart: Mall
his daughter Maya (Raini Rodri- O’Donnell has not shown him- made the audience believe that she Cop is a recommended must-see for
guez), and other civilians from Sims self to be an established actor yet, was the right person for the role of all people for its exciting, humorous
powerful group of criminals. Blart’s but he has done very well in movies Amy. The film was directed by Steve and overall great quality.
enduring motto, “Safety never takes such as The Break-Up and The Wed- Carr, who is also known for other
a holiday,” along with his love for ding Crashers. He also has also made popular films such as Are We Done

Revolutionary Road Review time Academy Award nominee,

plays Frank, and Kate Winslet, a
five-time Academy Award nominee,
plays April; a couple who see them-
selves as deviating and adventurous
people, willing to take on new jour-
neys life throws at them.
In the 1950s, Frank and April
Wheeler are convinced there is more
to life than having an accustomed
office job and being a stay-at-home
mom with two kids. So when the
couple leaves the city and moves
into a suburban home, they refuse
to settle into daily-basis habits. Soon
enough, Frank is working ten hours
Frank and April admire each other over coffee. a day, having an affair, while April
is pregnant and stressed. Aprils’
Haley Defilippis without breaking apart? American hunger for a real life, and feeling
Reporter families everywhere want to get things such as passion from her hus-
away from reality and find their band, cause her to be restless with
move to Paris. However, as soon as
they start talking to a nonconformist
realtor who has just been released
from a mental hospital, the unex-
pected happens and their lives start
to crumble. The destruction of their
marriage tears their once irrevocable
love into pitiful shreds.
Revolutionary Road has been
nominated for Best Picture, Best
Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio), Best
Actress (Kate Winslet), and Best
Director (Sam Mendes). Revolution-
ary Road had incredible acting. The
movie drew in a gross of $16,038,000
on its opening day. In comparison to
their roles in Titanic, DiCaprio and
Winslet were young adults madly
in love, while in Revolutionary Road
they transform into an unhappy
couple. DiCaprio and Winslet re-

H AVE YOU EVER wondered

if two people are capable of
breaking away from the ordinary
lost dreams of the nuclear family,
own escape. In Sam Mendes’ movie
adaptation of Richard Yates’ novel
Revolutionary Road, former Titanic
stars Leonardo DiCaprio, a three-
a highly explosive temper. When
the two realize they want out of
the cookie-cutter, ideal town, April
unite in this hopeless love story
to give their audience yet another
highly recommended and outstand-
comes up with an undaunted idea to ing performance.
The Blue and Gold
February 2009 Entertainment 13
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/

snap out of it,

he’s just not Bride Wars
that into you
Paula Suarez Salamanca
Reporter

M ANY TIMES, wom-

en worry about how
men do not pay enough
attention to them. The
best-selling book, He’s Just
Not That Into You, writ-
ten by former writer and
consultant Greg Behrendt
and executive story edi-
tor Liz Tucillo, educates
women to stop, evaluate,
think, and dump. He’s Just
Not That Into You is based
on a popular episode of
the television show, Sex
and the City and became
a full-length feature film
that was released on Feb.
6, 2009
When the book came out in 2004, thousands of women
across this country had one thing in common: whether they were
in a café discussing it with their friends or curled up on couches,
they were all reading He’s Just Not That Into You. The 165 page
book contains an introduction by Tucillo and Behrendt, a section
titled “You are all dating the same guy,” and 16 chapters.
Tucillo’s introduction begins with the day that the idea of Liv and Emma bond despite their conflicts.
He’s Just Not That Into You popped in her head. She tells about
how Behrendt was sitting in the writer’s room of Sex and the Brittany McFeeley
City when an actress started talking about her relationship. The Reporter
women around her started to ask Behrendt for advice on what to
do with this guy and how their relationship can improve, when
it was revealed by Behrendt that the guy just was not into her
and that women often make excuses to overlook this fact.
I T IS COMMON FOR little girls to have
that one best friend that was promised
a significant role in their wedding. It is
The two go to a wedding coordina-
tor and plan their wedding dates. In a
strange turn of events, their weddings
Behrendt’s introduction begins similarly but goes on to say a cute thought, but what happens when were both planned on the same day, and
that when a guy is into you he calls, comes over, wants to meet their weddings both fall on the same chaos ensues. Both Liv and Emma had
your friends, etc. He also goes on to say that men are not com- day? the same dream of being married in the
plicated at all and that, “a man [would] rather be trampled by Liv (Kate Hudson) and Emma Plaza and they will fight for their dream
elephants that are on fire than tell you that he’s just not into you.” (Anne Hathaway) have been best friends even if that means risking the survival
The first 11 chapters have titles that begin with the phrase, since they first met at the Plaza Hotel at of their own friendship. Only one bride
“He’s Just Not That Into You If” and end with things such as “He’s a young age. There, the two girls saw the gets what she has always dreamed of,
Not Asking You Out”, “He’s Not Calling You”, “He’s Breaking most beautiful wedding and ever since, and the other bride might not.
Up With You”, “He’s Disappeared on You”, “He’s a Selfish Jerk, they have been planning their own June Directed by Gary Winick, and pro-
a Bully, or a Really Big Freak,” etc. wedding at the Plaza. At the age of 26, duced by Hudson, Julie Yorn, and Alan
Each of the 11 chapters follow the same pattern. They all Liv is a successful lawyer who strives Rich, the movie has a funny if somewhat
begin with a small description of the problem followed by a to be perfect while Emma is a school serious tone. Hudson’s portrayal the
women’s question in letter format which Behrendt answers. Af- teacher who cares about everyone else perfectionist Liv, was extremely realistic
ter many examples of women’s problems, the authors continues and sometimes forgets about herself. and Hathaway’s performance of Emma
with other sections such as, “It’s So Simple”, “Here’s Why This One day, Emma calls Liv ecstatically to was extremely hilarious and nobody
One is Hard”, “This is What It Should Look Like,” and “Greg, tell her that she is now engaged. Secretly would have guessed that such a laid
I Get It.” Although the subtitles may seem funny, they provide jealous, Liv runs down to her office and back person could be so evil. The movie
the reader with good advice. Throughout the small sections the asks her boyfriend to get married only has its flaws such as over reaching the
author discusses how a situation should appear and provides to have him pull out a ring that he was plot, but it is impossible to not find hu-
an example of a when a woman took his advice and how her saving for later that day. mor in Emma and Liv’s situation.
life is now better than how it was before. After that, three items
end each chapter: “If You Don’t Believe Greg,” which always
has “20 out of 20” or “100% of polled men” giving advice that
stands by the chapter’s rule, a list under “What You Should Have
Learned in This Chapter,” and a “Our Super-Good Really Work-
book” where the authors make up an activity that will help the
reader understand the main topic of that chapter. Other chapters
include other sections such as, “Don’t Listen to These stories”,
“Now What Do You Do?”, “Q&A with Greg”, “Closing Remarks
from Greg,” and “Closing Remarks from Liz.”
He’s Just Not That Into You is attracting, hilarious, and above
all liberating. It is the kind of book that every woman, young or
old, should own; the kind of book that knows that the readers
behind them are smart, funny, beautiful and most of all that they
deserve better. The next time a women starts to “figure him out”
Take-Out-Menu 781.333.3990
they should just consider the fact that maybe he is just not that
www.massimositalian.com
into them and that they should let him go, move on, and find
their true love.
14 Entertainment The Blue and Gold
February 2009
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/

hotel for dogs?

caroline
(Caroline Linden, a senior, is a two year Media student, who through the generosity of Paramount and
DreamWorks Studios, was given the opportunity to interview teen actress Emma Roberts on her newest
major motion picture, Hotel For Dogs, currently in theaters.)

Caroline Linden
Guest Writer

C URRENTLY IN MOVIE
theaters, the new Para-
mount/DreamWorks film
Hotel for Dogs starring Emma
Roberts, Jake T. Austin and
featuring Lisa Kudrow, and
Don Cheadle tells the story
of two foster kids, and their Guest writer Caroline Linden.
dog Friday on the streets of Photo by L. Tran
New York City. Roberts and
Austin depict siblings Andi and always ready to cause a giggle, or
Bruce; Andi the street savvy elder in many cases full out laughter. The
sister, and Bruce, brilliant yet mis- dogs themselves are the true stars of
understood younger brother, whose the film. The dogs’ antics take over
quirky inventions for his dog Friday most if not the entire climax of the
(and later other dogs) are part of the film; the human actors find them-
charm of the film. His inventions selves eclipsed by the end of the
bring an old abandoned building movie, which features one particu-
that the two foster kids, with the lar sequence that star Emma Roberts
help of new friends found along the was a bit frightened by, only because
way, from an old decrepit shack, all the canines end up chasing after
into a literal ‘doggie paradise,’ com- her as “one large pack.” Roberts
plete with automatic food dispens- mentioned in our conversation that
ers, self automated fetching system, she and Austin, among others from
and even to the relief of the kids, an the movie, also met and visited real
automatic pooper scooper. Interest- foster kids from the streets of NYC
ingly enough, I learned through a just to get a “real feel” for what both
recent phone interview with Roberts of their characters would be going
that most, if not all of the inventions through.
you’ll see on screen are “nothing Nonetheless, Hotel for Dogs is a
more than CGI effects.” film that will entertain any kid and
What starts out as a simple even any adult too! The ever crazier
hideaway for Friday turns into an all antics both in and out of the hotel
out crusade to save all the local stray will leave a lasting impression. It’s a
dogs from the cruel practices of the heart warming enjoyable story, with
local pound. The movie features great acting, fantastic special effects,
over thirty different dogs, all with and great comic relief. It’s recom-
distinctive habits and personalities, mended for all ages.

MALDEN HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2010

The 69TH ANNUAL JUNIOR VARIETIES
- BUY A LINE -

On behalf of the class of 2010, I would like to invite you to support our Annual Junior
Varieties. Here is an affordable way to send a well wish to a student performer or act
participating in this year’s show. For just $2.00, you can purchase a line in our program.
We accept cash or checks, payable to Malden High School Class of 2010.

The Class of 2010 would like to thank the MHS staff, department heads, and administra-
tors for their support. It is their dedication in the field of education that makes Malden
High School a place to be proud of!

See you at the show!

March 6th & 7th, 2009 – 7:00 PM
Malden High School – Jenkins Auditorium

Thank you for your support!

Ms. Robin Doherty, Ms. Jen Eby, and the Class of 2010

Please return to Ms. Eby (A108) no later than Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Malden High School c/o Jennifer Eby
77 Salem Street
Malden, Ma. 02148
The Blue and Gold
February 2009
continued from
page 1
Assisted by narrating-goddess
Athena, played by Sarah Fraas, Od-
ysseus begins his tale by giving his
account of the Trojan War, noting
how he and his battalion helped to
steal back Helen using the legendary
Trojan horse. Upon their triumph,
Odysseus and his men begin their
voyage back to Ithaca. Running low
on supplies, the crew stops on an
island to restock their food and wa-
ter. Two shipmates, Fob, played by
Carla Castillo, and Gob, played by
Keith Newman, stumble upon some
peculiar berries, which they decide
to try before going back to the ship,
misreading the warning sign nearby.
The berries are in fact lotus seeds,
which cause the two to lose their
memories. Walking their separate
ways through the forest, they meet
each other several times, thinking it
is a new encounter. Odysseus and
the rest of the crew search for the
two missing men, but find no trace
of them, and depart from the island.
From there, they reach a new
island where they are pleasantly sur-
prised to find a flock of sheep. The
sheep however, seem to be gravitat-
ing around a cave, which Odysseus
finds suspicious. Though his crew
wants to feast on the sheep, Odys-
seus commands them to leave them
alone, suspecting that the sheep
belong to someone on the island.
One crew member, Pete, played by
Alexandra Mathieu, decides that
he simply cannot resist the sheep,
and follows the flock into the cave.
Noticing Pete’s absence, Odysseus
pursues Pete into the cave, where
the two stumble upon Polyphemus
the Cyclops, (a.k.a. Polly) played
by Geneva DeCobert. Consistently
pestered by her mother, played by
Kerry Dapaz, (who mysteriously
has a New York accent) Polly is told
to round up the sheep. Disheartened
at her apparent inability to attract a
boyfriend, Polly’s mood brightens
when she finds the two men in her
cave. Characteristically using his
brains over his brawn, Odysseus
sweet-talks Polly and steals her
glasses, allowing them to sneak out
of the cave.
Polly’s father, Posiedon, played
by Lucas Roy, destroys Odysseus’
Entertainment 15
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/
ship. Assisted by Aeolus, played by Mathieu as Pete with the cast in the background.
Mary Stathos, the god of the winds,
Odysseus is given a bag containing
all of the winds but the west. His
men, however, thinking it was some
treasure which he wished to keep
for himself, opened the bag, again
leaving them shipwrecked on the
island of Circe, played by Analu Da
Silva.
After being turned into pigs for
trying to steal Circe’s gold, Odys-
seus sets off to convince the witch
to change his men back. Along the
way, Hermes, played by Taf Khan,
gives him the ability to resist Circe’s
magic, and thusly Odysseus strikes
a deal with Circe: that he and his
men well stay on the island for one
year.
She helps them to rebuild their
ship, and after one year, she makes
good on her promise and the men
leave. As they sail away, they con-
front the sea monster Scylla, played
by Bridget Mutabi, and must pass
through the whirlpool of Charybdis, Mathieu as Pete complainning about wanting to eat the sheep.
played by Maya Rogers. The impos-
ing visage of the two toy monsters
leaves Odysseus too frightened to
act, but Pete, luckily finds them
safe passage through the obstacles.
Exhausted from their journey, they
rest on an island inhabited by herds Having thoroughly enjoyed loved the play, but Pete was by far
of cattle. Again unable to resist the Odysseus’ story, the king and queen my favorite character,” play produc-
presence of meat, Pete eats one of decide to send him home to Ithaca, tion member Martin Doan stated.
the cows, only to find that the herd pleased with his moral fortitude and “The club did a great job of making
belongs to Zeus, played by Sam Zei- intelligence. By the close of the play, the story accessible to everyone in
berg. Zeus then curses Pete for his most of the audience had been left the audience…I had a blast.”
impiety, flinging him into the ocean. crying from the hilarious dialogue. Although “the humor may
Odysseus laments the loss of his Of all the characters, Pete seemed have taken away from the serious-
companion, but takes to the sea one to be the audience favorite, leaving ness of the story line,” commented
last time, having his return foiled them gasping for breath with a bar- audience member Michael Meneses,
again by Poseidon, and landing him rage of jokes, modern diction, and “it definitely made it a lot more en-
on the island of Arete and Alicinous. happy-go-lucky tone. “I absolutely tertaining.”
Members of
the cast as a a
Trojan horse.
Photos by L.
Tran
16
Tsang makes states;
others hope to follow
Barbara Jerome-Athis
Reporter
T HE MALDEN HIGH SCHOOL
boys’ and girls’ track team have
not been as successful as they had
hoped to be, however, they have
shown efforts on the indoor track
field. Junior captain Ariel Hurts
stated, “We don’t have the best team
but everyone is putting efforts into
the team and that is all that matters.”
With a record of 1-2 for the
boys and 0-3 for the girls, they plan
on working hard during practices to
get themselves ready for the upcom-
Sports The Blue and Gold
February 2009
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/
Cristina Peters, Joe Cirnigliaro, Kevin Chan, and Xavier Leo run-
ning different events at a meet.
ing meets with the help of coaches
David Londino, Mitch Abatessa,
senior captains Joe Cirnigliaro, Huy
to jump a 5’10” high jump. With his
success, Tsang gives the team hope
to succeed for the rest of Sam Warton, Huy
Nguyen, and junior captains Ariel the season. Nguyen, Cynthia
Hurts and Thanh Nguyen. They Antenor, and Trisha
will compete against Everett on Feb. Cornet running various
11, 2009 and attend the Greater Bos- events at a meet.
ton League (GBL) Championship
meet on Feb. 14, 2009.
The team is proud of sopho-
more Kelvin Tsang who was the first
one to be qualified for states so far Photos by L. Tran
this season. At 5’8”, Tsang was able
The Blue and Gold
February 2009
MHS
SWIMMING
Emily Chiavelli
Head Photographer
F OR THE FIRST TIME IN two
years, and only the second
time in three, on Feb. 3, 2009,
the Malden High School
Swim Team lost a meet.
Although the team re-
mained undefeated during
the regular season, winning
nine meets, they lost against
the Mystic Valley Charter
School with a final score
of 78-82. Since this was not
an official league meet, the
blemish on their perfect
record will not affect their
standing as Greater Boston
League Champions, a title
they have held for two years
in a row.
Last season, the Char-
ter School team challenged
MHS to a post-season meet, a
practice that has now become
somewhat of a tradition for
the two teams. Although
MHS won the race last year,
this year the close competition
between the two undefeated teams
ended in a disappointing defeat for
MHS. “[The Charter School has]
a talented group of kids, but we
Boys basketball prepares for states
Linda Nguyen
Reporter
T HE MALDEN HIGH SCHOOL
boys’ basketball team currently
has a record of 13-3. So far the sea-
son has been a success; the team has
gotten off to one of the fastest starts
in school history and has already
qualified for the state tournament.
Team building activities play
an important role in the game of
basketball, since each individual’s
performance affects the team’s out-
come. All of the drills and activities
are based on the concept of the team
Sports
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/
Members of the MHS swim team as they cheer on their fellow teammates.
did a terrific job and I’m proud of
our effort,” says head coach Paul
DeVincentis.
Despite the one loss, this year
has been one of personal bests for
the MHS swimmers; freshman Hao
Luong broke three school records,
swimming the fastest recorded
helping each individual player.
Their usual practice consists of a
meeting at the beginning, following
with stretching, drills, game plan-
ning, scrimmages, and closing the
practice with more drills.
The one challenge that they face
most this season is keeping the team
focused on one game at a time. The
players have received praise from
both the press and their classmates
during the season.
After a loss, coaches Donald
Nally and Mark Ruelle set goals for
themselves as the year progresses.
times in the 500 yard freestyle, 200
yard individual medley, and the 100
yard backstroke. Junior Jeff Almona-
cid beat his personal record, swim-
ming the 50 yard freestyle in 24:10
seconds, and senior cocaptain Mat-
thew Zunich achieved his best time
in the 100 yard freestyle, beating the
The starting team this year consists
of seven seniors and tri-captains
Marcus Armstrong, Travis Nally
and Stephen Siuda.
As for Egi Gjikondis, he proved
himself once again by bouncing
back from his one game suspension.
As a sophomore, he goes through
many of the typical highs and lows
associated with younger players.
With such high expectations for
him, he has done a great job staying
grounded.
For this season, Everett was
easily their biggest basketball ri-
17
Photos by E. Chiavelli
Charter School’s fastest swimmer
with a time of 54:01 seconds.
On Feb. 6, 2009, the team
competed in the GBL League Meet,
hosted by Somerville; in
addition to breaking their
previous record for the
400 meter freestyle relay
by roughly five seconds,
several individual swim-
mers were recognized.
Luong, Almonoacid,
Zunitch, Wen Jie, Greg
DeAngelis, Ramilo
Santana, Kayla Bryant,
Cristina Valente, Kristina
Dyer, Samuel McNary,
Tayla Damon were all
awarded medals.
“Losing the meet
this year will give the
younger kids on the
team incentive to practice
harder next year,” says
Zunitch about the Char-
ter School’s victory.
Evidence to
Zunitch’s theory comes
from sophomore swim-
mer Elizabeth McNary,
who jokes, “Malden doesn’t know
how to lose! We have never lost
before and I’m sure we will not next
year.”
val and most difficult opponent.
They unfortunately lost two tightly
contested games against Everett.
Both games were played in front
of packed crowds with enthusias-
tic student bodies. Although they
were not able to take either game,
they built on the experiences as the
season progresses. “We constantly
stress that, while wins are impor-
tant, the most important things they
can take from their athletic careers
are the life lessons, structure and
friendships they have developed,”
stated Ruelle.
18 Sports The Blue and Gold
February 2009
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/

Important date:
Wrestling- All States in Salem MA, Feb. 28, 2009

COMING SPORTS IN THE

SPRING:
Boys’ & Girls’ Outdoor Track
Boys’ & Girls’ Tennis
Boys’ & Girls’ Lacrosse
Crew
Baseball
Softball
Cheerleading

Dockside restaurants

KIDS EAT FREE EVERY TUESDAY

FREE MAGIC SHOW EVERY WEDNESDAY 5 p.m.

SUNDAY/MONDAY PIZZA SPECIAL:

BUY 1 LARGE CHEESE PIZZA & RECEIVE A FREE
SMALL CHEESE PIZZA

KIDS MENU
FREE FUNCTION ROOM
wi-fi available

229 center st. 1099 main st.

malden, ma 02150 wakefield, ma 10880
781-321-3000 781-245-0200

WWW.DOCKSIDERESTAURANTS.COM

781.322.3424
The Blue and Gold
February 2009 19
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/

Red Sox & Yankees Active

In Off Season
Alfonse Femino
Assistant Sports Writer

B OTH THE NEW YORK Yankees

and Boston Red Sox have made
key steps in preparing their rosters
for the upcoming season. With only
a few months until spring training,
the teams have been more active
than ever.
To no ones surprise, The Yan-
kees owner George Steinbrenner
have continued acquiring all-star
players from all around the league.
First basemen Mark Teixeira, after
being heavily prospected by the Red
Sox as well as the Baltimore Orioles,
were signed by the Yankees this past
December for an eight year, 180 mil-
lion dollar contract.
Alongside Teixeira, the Yan-
kees front office signed all-star C.C.
Sabathia from the Cleveland Indians
to a seven year, 161 million dollar
contract, as well as A.J. Burnett from
the Toronto Blue Jays for five years
and 82 million. Both of the aces will
play alongside veteran Andy Pet-
titte, and Joba Chamberlin, creating
on of the leagues most soon-to-be
feared rotations, which could be bad
news for the Sox.
The Yankees front office is not
the only successful one this season,
as the Red Sox have also made some
important acquisitions and signings.
Theo Epstein recently acquired out
fielder Rocco Baldelli from the Tam-
pa Bay Rays. Last season Baldelli
patrolled the outfield well for the
Rays, and had a batting average of
.281. Besides signing Baldelli, the
Sox recently signed veteran catcher
and team captain Jason Varitek to a
one year 5 million dollar contract,
as well as ace Brad Penny from the
Los Angeles Dodgers to a three year
deal.
With all of these new and old
players being signed between Bos- Mark Teixeira at Yankee Stadium. AP PHOTO
ton and New York, the teams and
fans alike are looking forward to a
dynamic competition between the
age old rivals this season.

MHS WRESTLING
STAYS POSITIVE
Jacqui Dillon
Reporter

T HE MALDEN HIGH SCHOOL wrestling team’s season

may be disappointing to some, but the teammates and
fans are trying to remain optimistic. Although this is only
junior Matt Rizzo’s second season, he claims that wrestling
is by far the toughest and most physically demanding sport
he has participated in. Coach Jeremiah Smith also agrees that
this is a very physically demanding sport. “It’s such a hard
sport that most people quit before the season is over; the
ones who remain have developed friendships that will last
forever.”
The season record for the team is 1-9-1 and Rizzo, along Jason Varitek signs to
with others, copes with the loss by trying to improve on what the Boston Red Sox.
went wrong, and think of ways to improve. “Coaches have AP PHOTO
been extremely helpful with showing us what we did wrong Andy Pettitt, Boston Red
and making us better,” stated Rizzo on a more positive note. Sox veteran.
When asked what it takes to be a captain, Smith believes AP PHOTO
that “a captain is someone who leads by example, not words,
works hard in practice and shows good sportsmanship,”
along with “a lot of yelling and bossing around of younger
athletes,” he joked.
According to Rizzo, during their first week of practice,
Smith has all of the wrestlers memorize a quote for inspira-
tion, “the successful person has the habit of doing things that
failures don’t like to do, they don’t like doing them necessar-
ily either, but their disliking it is subordinate to the strength
of their purpose.”
“He wants all of us to be successful at wrestling and
in our lives,” Rizzo asserts. With aspirations to become a
future captain, Rizzo tries to be a leader to other inexperi-
enced wrestlers, showing sportsmanship and setting a good
example for future wrestlers.
58 Pleasant St. Malden, MA 02148 Phone: 781.324.0900
20 Sports The Blue and Gold
February 2009
http://my.highschooljournalism.org/ma/malden/mhs/

mhs girls’ basketball hope

for gbl tournament bid Nidale Zouhir
Copy Editor

W ITH AN UNDIVIDED
team that works as a unit,
Malden High School's girls' basket-
ball team has dribbled its way to a
record of 7-8. Their ultimate goal for
the rest of the season is to qualify for
the state tournament, but in order
for this to happen, they need to win
at least three out of their next five
games.
The team is led by head coach
Joe Levine and assistant coach Dana
Brown, as well as senior tri-captains
Annie Abber, Annie Wilcox, and
Alison MacDonald.
Abber stated, "The team works
well as a unit, and...I wouldn't say
there are just one or two key players.
We play as a team and every player
is important and has a role.” The
highlight of the season for her has
been being a part of the team. "Ev-
eryone gets along really well, and
we work hard and have a lot of fun,"
she explained. "We feel that we're
getting better as the season goes on,"
Levine added.
The girls’ basketball team must
improve on their shooting, accord-
ing to both Abber and Levine, as
well as on rebounding. However,
changes that will take place next
season are still a mystery for sopho-
more Fillette Lovaincy, as the team
will have six new players to fill the
spots of graduating seniors. Accord-
ing to Levine, it will be tough to find
six girls to replace them.
MHS' girls' basketball team is
hopeful about concluding the sea-
son strongly, winning several more
games, and qualifying for the state
tournament.

GYMNASTICS ‘FULLING’
THIER WAY TO MIT
Kimberly Lombard
Head of Business

A LACK OF ALL-AROUND gymnasts and injuries have been

inhibiting the flipping and flying of the Malden High School
gymnastics team, but despite the hardship, they fought their way
to the Greater Boston League (GBL) Championship on Feb. 7,
2009.
The lone all-around gymnast for the 2008-2009 season in
freshman Alana Casey, former level 9 competitor for the Melrose
YMCA gymnastics program. Senior and all-around competitor
Molly Brickman’s knee injury stopped her from competing this
season, leaving Casey as the only member of the team to practice
and compete on all four events: bars, floor, balance beam, and
vault. This 15-year-old has done gymnastics since she was two
years old, and after a two year break, she came back for the high
school gymnastics season in full force.
Just like Brickman, Casey currently has an injured knee, but
is prolonging her surgery until the gymnastics season is over.
“My doctor said I needed knee surgery, but I really wanted to try
gymnastics because I was really looking for ward to it,” she cau-
tiously explained. “I was always worrying about hurting it even
more so I’ve had to be pretty careful, but I’ve made it through.”
Despite the injury, Casey hoped to reach a new level in her
gymnastics by the GBL. Before the competition, Casey commented
“I’m setting high standards for myself for the GBL. I really want
a back handspring, and at least an 8.5 on bars, but floor will be
my biggest challenge.” The young gymnast certainly achieved her
goal at the biggest competition of the season for the MHS gym-
nastics team by winning the all-around competition with a score
of 33.05.
The team currently has a record of 2-6 but is keeping its’
hopes high. “If we don’t win, we don’t let it bring us down,” Casey
commented. Head coach Katie Bowdridge and captains Amanda
Dipietrantonio, Kethia Mathieu, and Jessica Fox have continued
to encourage the team through both wins and losses. “They al-
ways come to practice with a smile and encourage people to do
better,” Casey noticed. “They’re what makes the team a team.”
MHS girls’ basketball versus Somerville Photo by L. Tran The team practiced five days a week throughout the entire
season at the Salemwood school to prepare themselves for the
GBL competition at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT), and feel as though they ended their season strongly.