~ Excellence in the Malden Public Schools ~

~ Excellence in the Malden Public Schools ~

 

 

Malden High National Honor Society selects 28 new members as school’s top scholars

 

MHS John W. Hutchins Chapter of NHS was the very first established high school branch in Massachusetts

 

By Steve Freker

 

It has long been recognized that Malden High School — historically — has been a trendsetter. This has been the case not only regionally and statewide, but also on a national basis on a number of fronts.

One of Malden High’s crowning moments came over 100 years ago, in 1921, when it emerged as a charter member of what has become one of most prestigious co-curricular academic organizations in American history, the National Honor Society (NHS). Malden High School established its local branch, the John W. Hutchins Chapter, that very year, making it the first high school in Massachusetts to become part of an academic icon that would eventually sweep the nation.

The National Honor Society, now a beacon on the landscape of American secondary education, boasts over one million members and over 15,000 chapters. The National Honor Society has chapters in all 50 states, the District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.), all U.S. territories and possessions (including Puerto Rico, Guam and U.S. Virgin Islands) and in American schools in more than 40 foreign countries. The first attempt to form a national high school academic honors organization was initiated at the 1919 annual convention of the National Association of Secondary School Principals in Chicago. The first chapter of the new society was chartered in 1921 at the Fifth Avenue High School in Pittsburgh, Pa., the school at which Edward Rynearson, considered the father and founder of NHS, was principal.

Malden is the first Massachusetts high school to obtain an NHS charter, when it initiated the John W. Hutchins Chapter at Malden High School. By 1922, Massachusetts had added 14 new NHS Chapters.

Each year since, Malden High School’s National Honor Society has selected new members, often the selections being made after requesting recommendations from MHS educators and other staff after worthy students whose academic grades met the established criteria were nominated. Formal inductions then follow months later: around graduation time in late May.

The minimum Grade Point Average is 3.8, and in the application process students are expected to demonstrate experience in the following qualities: the pillars of scholarship, leadership, service and character.

For the remainder of this school year, the new NHS selectees will be required to participate in both NHS group and individual community and civic service projects, some assigned and others planned individually. Typical service projects include tutoring programs for underclassmen, reading development for elementary students, fundraising for local or national charities, blood drives, serving meals at local food banks and servicing the needs of the elderly in the community. In addition, selectees are required to maintain the high level of academic performance that earned them acceptance, in addition to continuing to exhibit high character as school citizens.

“We are extremely proud of our new National Honor Society selectees and we thank NHS advisor Paul Marques for his continued service in guiding our top academic association at Malden High School,” MHS Principal Chris Mastrangelo said.

“He [Marques] does a tremendous job in accepting recommendations of students from our staff and then guiding their service projects after selections,” Mastrangelo added, noting Marques is in his 21st year of advisor to the prestigious NHS institution. “These students and Mr. Marques are a credit to our school community.”

  Following are the newest National Honor Society selectees from Malden High School:

 

Class of 2026 (Seniors)

Jessica Chen

Nour Howard

Taliyah Lauture

Thomas Lynch

Eason Luc

Johnny Mei

Christabel Okhinan

Chouaib Saidi

Yet Long Tse

Olivia Yang

Kelly Ye

Delina Yohannes

Ashlee Zeng

 

Class of 2027 (Juniors)

Adrian Aguilar

Anniyan Azhar

Amelia Berliner

Sophia Chen

Weiqi Du

Lilian Fang

Mogos Ghile

Angela Lam

Fiona Lin

Sofia Vargas

Yingyan Xia

Emma Yu

Sofia Zogbi Evoras

 

Class of 2028 (Sophomores)

Julius Scott

Kidus Tsige

 

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Malden High School gets high marks for performance in schoolwide safety drill

‘WHAT IF?’: Malden Police Dept. sends team to instruct, test on MHS staff, students’ response to simulated lockdown

 

By Steve Freker

 

Call it the “What If…?” factor. It simply does not matter if there has or has not been a school shooting in the greater Boston area in recent memory. Despite this history, it is vital that every school facility in Massachusetts is prepared to respond in case its students are threatened by this type of violence. But what if it did happen here?

Those in the Malden Public Schools district, too, must be trained and ready for such a volatile situation, and that is the goal of the recent schoolwide safety drill at Malden High School. It was held during school hours, after all the students received instructions during a Zoom-like mini-tutorial that was delivered to them in their classrooms. The drill — which included a simulated school lockdown — was led by Malden Police Lieutenant Rich Correale, who is also commander of MPD’s Special Operations Unit (SOU). In this role Lt. Correale, among other duties, is tasked with instructing Malden residents — particularly students and staff in the city’s public and private schools — on how to respond to a “What If?” scenario involving an armed intruder on the grounds at a school.

According to Lt. Correale, Malden High’s students and staff passed the hands-on test of school safety in the recent controlled environment with high marks. “The students and staff did an excellent job,” Lt. Correale said of the drill performance at Malden High School. “They demonstrated through their response that they listened to the training instructions and followed through with the appropriate actions.

“It was the best response since I have been coming here,” Lt. Correale added.

The main task of the MHS staff and students during the simulated school lockdown was to respond to the announcement of the lockdown by locking the classroom doors from the inside and then blocking/barricading the doors to prevent entry. After a short time following the lockdown announcement, which was made by MHS Principal Chris Mastrangelo, small teams made up of Malden High administrators and Malden Police personnel fanned out across the high school building and began checking doors of classrooms, testing the security of the barricades. Students and staff were instructed to “shelter in place” if they were unable to flee the building safely and to turn off the lights. Then, according to protocol, students and staff were instructed to move away from doors and windows, sitting on the floor or hiding in an area not visible from the hallway or outside.

The teams of police and school administrators quickly checked the over 120 classrooms at MHS, with Sgt. Elijah McNeal conducting the very last such room check on the third floor of the Jenkins building. Sgt. McNeal had been paired up with Jenkins House Principal Jason Payeur. They were unable to get into the room due to the barricades established by the staff and students.

Sgt. McNeal spoke briefly to the students in the Jenkins classroom, praising them for their efforts and encouraging them to be alert and vigilant — always — as they were that day. “Everyone did a very good job here today, but you all have to be ready to keep yourself and others safe every day,” Sgt. McNeal said.

All the officers and administrators who took part in the room checks who assembled in the MHS Main Office lobby agreed the safety drill was successful, including School Resource Officer and MPD Sgt. Rob O’Brien, who supervises the contingent of four SROs in the district. “They followed instructions and followed protocol well,” Sgt. O’Brien said of MHS students and staff, noting that these drills would continue next year and “each year after that.”

“The potential danger is not going away,” Sgt. O’Brien said. “We have to be ready.”

 

CAPTIONS

 

CHECKING CLASSROOM DOOR: Malden Police Sgt. Elijah McNeal checked the door of a classroom at Malden High during a schoolwide safety drill. (Courtesy/Malden High School)

 

MPD TEAM: The Malden Police Special Operations Unit (SOU) and other MPD personnel, led by SOU Commander Lt. Rich Correale, gathered in the Malden High main office lobby prior to the schoolwide safety drill. (Courtesy/Malden High School)

 

REVIEWING THE DAY: Malden High School administrators and Malden Police personnel gathered in the lobby to review the safety drill results.

 

TALKING TO STUDENTS: Malden Police Sgt. Elijah McNeal and Malden High Jenkins House Principal Jayson Payeur talked with students in the last classroom checked for safety, which got high marks for their barricade.

 

 

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HOMECOMING DANCE: Malden High hosts a special night for over 300 students

Senior Class of 2026 ‘scores a touchdown’ with ‘Great Gatsby’ theme and a large turnout

 

By Steve Freker

 

It was a special night at Malden High School for over 300 students at this year’s Homecoming Dance, featuring music, refreshments and lots of dancing. The popular event was hosted by the MHS Class of 2026 for the second year, and attendance surpassed last year’s numbers as more than 300 students turned out on Friday, October 17.

“It was a fantastic evening for all who attended,” said Malden High School educator and Class of 2026 Advisor Nancy Wentworth. “Most of the students went all out to get dressed up for this event and everyone had so much fun!”

The theme was “The Great Gatsby” and many of the students followed it to a “T” with some great semiformal-style fashion on display. J.J. Scott served as the DJ and students danced to tunes both new and old, as well as the customary line dances. The MHS open air Courtyard served as a gathering spot and dance floor while refreshments were on sale in the adjacent enclosed gallery area.

The Homecoming Dance is one of the largest fundraisers of the school year for the Senior Class of 2026, Wentworth said. This fall, students also stock and staff the home game concession stand at Golden Tornado football games for an additional fundraising opportunity.

Traditionally, all of the respective grade level classes at Malden High School begin fundraising efforts in their sophomore (10th Grade) year and continue each year right up to the spring of their graduating year. The main goal is to reduce the price of the Senior Prom ticket for each attendee in their graduating year.

“We are off to a great start [with fundraising] and events like the Homecoming Dance are so much fun for the students and they really take ownership of all the details involved,” Wentworth said. “It is great experience for them in so many ways.”

Malden High School Principal Chris Mastrangelo said the Homecoming Dance was revived three years ago. “We brought it back with the whole Homecoming theme, connected with the Football Team and the Cheerleaders and [the Homecoming Dance] has become a big success,” Mastrangelo said. “It has become one of our best-attended school social events. It brings all of our four classes together in an opportunity to hang out, mingle and of course, get out on the dance floor.”