Malden MHS & Mystic Valley Swim Teams Capture Titles – see pages 10-11 ADVOCATE Vol. 29, No. 6 -FREEwww.advocatenews.net Published Every Friday Malden school officials take proactive approach to flu season and spread of illness 617-387-2200 Friday, February 7, 2020 A race emerges for the 32nd Middlesex District House seat By Barbara Taormina D emocrat Kate Lipper-Garabedian and Republican Brandon Reid will square off in the Super Tuesday special election for the 32nd Middlesex District seat left open when former State Representative Paul Brodeur was elected mayor of Melrose. In this week’s Democratic Members of Malden Reads presented copies of their 2020 Book Selection, “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury, to members of the Malden School Committee, including Chairperson Mayor Gary Christenson and Superintendent of Schools John Oteri. Mary Christenson is shown above, front and center, with Malden Reads cofacilitators Anne D’Urso-Rose, left, and Jodie Zalk, right. Supt. Oteri is shown in the third row at right. (Photo by Steve Freker) By Steve Freker T he population of the Malden Public Schools district community is over 7,000 when combining its 6,679 students and around 400 educators and staff. Safeguarding health, districtwide, is a top priority and an ongoing process with continuous monitoring, Malden Superintendent of Schools John Oteri told the members of the Malden School Committee and others in attendance at the second meeting of the new year on Monday night at the Malden Senior Center. Malden school officials have teamed up with the Malden Public Health Director and public safety agencies in a proactive approach to the health of students and staff. Supt. John Oteri said he recently met with Malden Public Health Director Chris Webb and members of the city’s Emergency Management Team to discuss health issues, planned responses and actions as they pertain to the Malden Public Schools. Early Learning Center Principal Peter Dolan also serves as the Malden school system’s emergency and safety management director. Topics of discussion were flu season as well as the potential impact of the coronavirus outbreak in other parts of the world. “We are continuously monitoring reports and advisories from both the federal CDC [Centers for Disease Control] and state and local agencies on both the flu and the coronavirus,” Supt. Oteri said. “Our top priorities are to keep our public health and safety officials and personnel informed and our students and staff safe, health-wise.” SCHOOL | SEE PAGE 13 primary, the district, which includes all of Melrose, Precincts 4, 5, and 6 in Wakefield and Precinct 2, Ward 5 in Malden, handed Lipper-Garabedian, a Melrose councillor-at-large, an easy victory over Wakefield Town Councillor Ann McGonigle Santos and Malden’s Mathew Helman, a former communications director for State Senator Jason Lewis. District-wide, Lipper-Garabedian ended the primary race with 2,580 votes; Santos finished a distant second with 866 votes; and Helman came in third with 342 votes. Just 6 percent of the 2,487 registered voters in Malden’s Precinct 2, Ward 5 made it to Forestdale School to vote in the primary. Of the 150 ballots cast in Malden, 80 went to Lipper-Garabedian, 50 to Helman, 18 to Santos and two to write-in candidates. The surprise in the race came Brandon Reid Kate Lipper-Garabedian on Wednesday on the Republican ticket. Reid, a Melrose resiRACE | SEE PAGE 8 Malden High wrestler Costa is ready to defend her state title By Steve Freker I t was a first in Malden High School history last year...and Golden Tornadoes junior Yohanni Costa is seeking to do it all again this year. So far, it appears that the first female State Wrestling Champion ever at MHS is well on her way to achieving that lofty goal. Costa competed in the recent MHS wrestler Yohanni Costa, right, displays the first-place medal she was awarded for winning first place in the Philips Academy All-Girls Wrestling Tournament. Shown with her is her sister Hemmeni, also a member of the MHS wrestling team. Phillips Academy All-Girls Wrestling Tournament, which featured competitors from Massachusetts and other New England states. She went through the field undefeated, much like her personal state championship run last winter, claiming the Tourney Championship at 147 lbs. Costa also competed in the recent Senators All-Girls Wrestling Tournament in Orange, Mass. Again, she claimed the tourney championship at 147 lbs., whirling through the competition with three first-period pins, two within the first minute of the match. In other dual meets for Malden this season, she has competed against male opponents and been successful in her weight class as well. “She (Costa) works very hard and really wants to learn and get better,” said Malden coach Rin Van. Last season was the first-ever the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) offered an All-Girls State Wrestling Tournament, so Costa managed to make history twice, as the first Malden High state girls titlist and also the first 145-lb. state champion in an MIAA-held state tournament. This year’s All-Girls State Wrestling Tournament will be held on Saturday, Feb. 29 at Methuen High School. Malden girls’ indoor track unbeaten, claims Championship, Boys’ team co-champs The Malden High girls’ indoor track team knocked off Revere in its final dual meet of the regular season in impressive fashion, 63-21, to finish unbeaten at 5-0, claiming the Greater Boston League (GBL) Championship. In a rarity, the MHS boys’ indoor team not only tied the meet with Revere, 43-43, but also tied the same Patriots team for the 2019-20 GBL Championship with the win. Malden High boys’ basketball tops Lynn Classical, falls to Everett Senior Khaydar Al-Hamdani scored 14 points and senior David Mervilus added 13 SPORTS | SEE PAGE 15
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