April 2021

The Blue and Gold
April 2021
Teen Dating Violence
Krishany Marius
Lead Reporter
Teen dating violence is something
that is not talked about enough
in schools, which could make it
difficult for many students to determine
what is right and wrong in
relationships. In hopes of providing
the proper resources for teen
dating violence, Zonta and the Z
club of Malden and the Mayor’s office
hosted a Teen Dating Violence
Awareness Night.
genuine care in a relationship, and
to know that if that is what lacks in
a relationship then it is best to walk
away for the safety of you.
When it comes to abusive relationships,
it is just as important to
teach people to be good bystanders.
The media does not talk about
healthy relationships enough, so
when young and impressionable
kids see toxic relationships on social
media, they see it as something fun
and thrilling and therefore can be
a detriment to how they view rela-
The flyer used to promote the Teen Dating Violence Awareness Night event.
There was also a presentation
by District Attorney Marian Ryan
who spoke about the issues of domestic
abuse in relationships whether
it being physically, emotionally,
verbally, and mentally. However,
we, as a community, can do so much
to talk about these strong topics that
are avoided and need to be paid
more attention to.
Domestic abuse is undoubtedly
a difficult topic to even mention
because as Ryan stated “no one goes
out on a first date, with somebody
they think is going to abuse them.”
It can be challenging for anybody
but it is even harder when you are
young and starting to get yourself
in a romantic relationship because
you do not know what you are doing,
you likely do not know what
a strong and healthy relationship
looks like.
These toxic relationships can
be impactful and traumatizing especially
when there is a type of abuse
involved. Ryan explained that “[it
is] incredibly important for adults to
model a good relationship because
kids copy what they see.” It is important
for kids to see respect and
tionships.
Teen dating violence is something
that is not a new topic for
adults but it is getting more serious
especially with this pandemic it is
difficult because now everything
is online and you cannot see the
people in-person.
Many people believe the rates
of abuse have reduced, when in reality,
Love is Respect, the National
Domestic Violence Hotline reported
that “their calls increased by 100.1%
during the time [everyone has] been
in lockdown.” Ryan explained. It
goes to show that the abuse in these
dreadful times has not stopped and
continues to get worse because they
are not being shown.
These issues also tie back to
mental health itself, Karen Hayes,
who is the former Community Outreach
Director for the City of Malden
and an attendee at the meeting,
explained that “[she] really believes
[they] need to be educating earlier
than high school.”
Hayes wants to make changes
and advocate for these issues, as
she thinks it should be taught at
the 4th to 5th grade level where it is
Local News
maldenblueandgold.com
Renalda Simon
Reporter
Nearly one year ago, Malden
High School had its last
day of in-person school before it
closed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
At first, we all thought this
would last one month, which then
extended to three months, then
seven months, which leads us to
the present day. With the distribution
of the COVID-19 vaccines just
rolling in, the big question comes to
mind: when will we be going back
to school?
Malden High School Principal
Chris Mastrangelo said in a recent
email that Malden High has set
dates on when students will be able
to return to in-person school. Students
in grades 9 and 12 (freshmen
and seniors) will return first in a
hybrid schedule on March 22, while
students in grades 10 and 11 (sophomores
and juniors) join them shortly
afterward on April 5.
Mastrangelo acknowledges
the concerns that come with returning
back to in-person school, but
stresses that “safety is always [the]
first priority.” He added that the
Malden High faculty and administration
have been “working hard
to assure that the school will be as
safe as possible for the students to
return.” Some students may not
feel comfortable with going back to
in-person learning just yet which is
why students are given the option
whether or not they want to “stay
on the distance learning platform,”
or proceed with the hybrid model.
Like many teachers, Mastrangelo
looks forward to “seeing the
kids,” adding that “it will also be
great to see the entire staff back in
one place.”
Biology teacher Jessica Webber
stated that “[she is] hesitant about
students going back to in-person
learning.” She explained that she
wanted “to be in school with [her]
students,” however, she is “worried
about going back too quickly amidst
the pandemic.” Webber expressed
that she knows “in-person [learning
would be] best for students [...]
but [she worries] that there will be
increased transmission in schools.”
For Webber, being that she is
a Biology teacher, her biggest challenge
while returning to the building
17
Thoughts On Hybrid Learning
easier for the kids. She added that
in her opinion, there is not enough
“funding and resources [being
put towards the city’s] adjustment
counselors, health classes, life skill
classes.”
A significant amount of this
important information needs to be
and can be taught but unfortunately,
some of those things are cut from the
budget. Hayes believes “bringing
the resources to the youth is the way
to go.” Working into programs that
talk about kinds of different mental
health and to help young kids with
these situations.
It can really benefit students
The plan for integrating a hybrid
learning model for Malden Public
Schools. Photo from Mayor Gary
Christenson’s Instagram.
would be “labs,” as she explained
that “it will be hard to maneuver
students into the classroom safely.”
Sophomore Saura Rathore
hoped that students would have the
opportunity to return to in-person
school at some point during the
2020-2021 school year because she
feels as if a large “majority of the
students [would] agree that distance
learning seems to be too much of a
burden.” Rathore agreed that if we
do fully return to in-school learning,
there should be precautions that everyone
should follow.
We will continue to cover this
topic as students will be entering
the school soon. Are you going back
to in-person school? If so what are
your thoughts on proceeding with a
hybrid learning model?
because there needs to be a professional
who talks about these kinds
of topics, instead of pushing the
responsibility on teachers we as a
community need to do better and
try to talk about these problems.
“The more we normalize talking
to professionals, therapists, and
mental health workers the better off
everyone else is going to be,” Hayes
stated.
Teen dating violence and domestic
abuse is a serious subject that
can be heavy to speak on and should
be a conversation to young teens
that enter a relationship because
education is the way to prevention.