Mayor Christenson teams up with Malden High Youth Civics Council for ‘live’ Q&A at MHS

  Mayor Gary Christenson “took the show on the road” recently when he conducted a “live” question-answer session with students at Malden High School. The Q&A format was hosted by the Malden High Youth Civics Council and the MHS administration, providing an opportunity for students to interact with the holder of the city of Malden’s top post. The session was held during the FLEX-Block (student choice) portion of the school day.

  Mayor Christenson told the students, who numbered about 200 in this session, that he was “always looking for ways to increase and expand ways the city’s administration can communicate with the youth of Malden.”

  He added, “It is important that all of our residents – from the youngest to our senior citizens – have access to information and resources they need in their daily lives.”

  Mayor Christenson answered a bevy of questions, some originating directly from the Civics Council and others from the assembled audience, on a variety of topics. They ranged from questions on development and businesses around the community to funding for schools and other needs in the city of Malden.

  Mayor Christenson noted to the students that he is pleased with the most recent developments and additions of businesses to the downtown area. “Our established gaming district is thriving due to the addition of more options for both our Malden residents and visitors to Malden Square,” the Mayor said in an answer to one of the questions. “We have also added many new restaurants and other dining options to both the downtown and other places in the community. We really reflect the diversity of our city in the variety that is available.”

  Mayor Christenson told the students that the city remains strongly committed to funding all the needs of the School Department and that working closely with Malden Public Schools leaders, this attention toward providing resources to ensure our students are academically successful will continue. “We have a lot of community pride in our schools and our schools will always be a top priority,” he said.

  The Mayor also had a lively back-and-forth dialogue on the beloved student topic of “snow days” and how they are determined, noting that Malden only had one this school year “and it didn’t even snow that day.”

  Mayor Christenson said he was excited to have been able to interact directly with Malden High students “live” and would like to make this a regular event.

  Malden High School Principal Chris Mastrangelo said the students had a valuable opportunity. “Our Mayor always goes ‘all in’ to support Malden High School students in many ways. This was a great concept and our students really benefited from this session,” Mastrangelo said.

  The Mayor also has an established QR-code “Ask the Mayor” accessibility throughout the high school where students can pose questions at any time.