Page 8 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, March 1, 2019 ADDRESS | FROM PAGE 7 homes safe. Deputy Chief Bill Sullivan led a class at the Immigrant Learning Center geared toward individuals who are new to our country. This successful initiative concluded with a visit to the station where additional questions were answered and participants were able to share the home escape plans they had developed for their families. In addition to prevention, fi re safety also in forSavings! Family Pack BONELESS SKINLESS CHICKEN BREAST WOW! Family Pack - Center Cut BONELESS PORK CHOPS Save 50¢ lb. USDA Choice - McKinnon’s Best Angus PORTERHOUSE OR T-BONE STEAK WOW! Remember.. WE ARE YOUR CORNED BEEF HEADQUARTERS for St. Patrick’s Day! Fresh - Tender ASPARAGUS Save $2 lb. McKinnon’s Own Sliced to Order ROAST BEEF From the Deli! Made In-Store! CHICKEN SALAD Sale Dates: Friday, March 1st Thursday, March 7th 2019 to Thin Sliced - Tender VEAL CUTLETS WOW! McKinnon’s Own USDA Choice - Family Pack MARINATED SIRLOIN TIPS Simply the Best! Fresh - Meaty BABY BACK RIBS 5 lb. Bags WHOLE CHICKEN WINGS involves making sure we have the right resources. We are in the process of putting forth a proposal to the City Council for the purchase of a new ladder truck which will replace apparatus that is nearly 20 years old. This past year, we also celebrated the promotions of 5 offi cers and welcomed 6 new members to the Department. The promotions included Captains Sean M. Fitzpatrick and Eric DeAvilla; and, Lieutenants Thomas Walsh, Sean Fitzpatrick, and Nicholas Hooper. New to the Department are Firefi ghters Carlos Soto, Ray Carr, Kerry Howe, Matthew Thomann, Christopher Harron and Sara Finn. Finally, I had the privilege of welcoming home Firefi ghter Kien Luong, a United States Army Reservist, who returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan. He presented the City with an American Flag that had been carried by a member of Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha 0215 on combat operations. We thank Kien for his service to our country and for his commitment to our Fire Department. SCHOOL DEPARTMENT/EDUCATION Across the street, we travel to the School Department, where under the leadership of Superintendent John Oteri, our dedicated faculty, staff , and administrators work tirelessly to provide a safe, positive and supportive learning environment. It is no surprise to see the amazing achievements of our students in and out of the classroom. It is also not surprising that we scored high in the recent Niche report that provides comprehensive rankings on schools across the country. Malden Public Schools scored 67th of 218 in Massachusetts for Best School District and took the number 1 spot for diversity. To quote Superintendent Oteri: “Malden is a microcosm of the world and we are demonstrating with excellence what the future will look like.” Starting with the Malden Youth Civics Council, our students are engaged, informed and eager to make a diff erence. From working with the organization Malden’s Rising Leaders on lowering the voting age to 16 and assisting with National Voter Registration Day to organizing a forum on safety with Congresswoman Katherine Clark and conducting a peaceful rally to highlight the need to do more on gun violence; their eff orts to effectuate change is evidence that our future is in good hands. Further proof can be found in where some of our students are heading after graduation. Birukti Tsige is going to Stanford University on a full boat; Michelle Chan has been selected as a Posse Foundation Scholar and is off to Centre College; and Pedro Carneiro Passos, also a Posse Scholar, will be attending Bucknell University. Our students are making their mark in so many ways, including athletically, with Kevin Ochoa winning the State Swimming Championship in the 100 meter butterfl y event and Yohanni Costa becoming the fi rst ever female State Wrestling Champ. It’s also impressive to note that this year’s State of the City event has the most high school students in attendance than ever before. These future leaders represent Malden High School, Mystic Valley Regional Charter School, and Malden Catholic High School. I would ask all our students here to stand and be acknowledged. Moving on to the topic of safety, we remain proactive with the installation of additional security cameras and Raptor ID scanners in all of our schools. Raptor is a visitor registration system that scans a person’s ID through a federal database and once it clears, an approved visitor badge is printed. As far as new initiatives, there is now a free breakfast off ered to all students from pre-kindergarten to high school; Chromebooks are now available for 6th graders; and a Parent-Child Home program is being implemented for low-income families to help build school readiness. In addition, as part of the Special Olympics of Massachusetts, a Unified Sports Program is being off ered in basketball and track; and the entire network system has been upgraded including the replacement of over 125 WIFI access points at the Salemwood to improve internet access. Lastly, Linden received a $60K Lowe's grant to create a STEM lab; the YWCA partnered with Microsoft to bring STEM-fest to the Ferryway; and, the Boston Celtics and GE Foundation brought a mobile STEM lab to Beebe and Forestdale. MALDEN TEEN ENRICHMENT CENTER Under the direction of Cathy MacMullin, the Malden Teen Enrichment Center has expanded its programming to include more enrichment opportunities. Each experience is designed to raise self-esteem, encourage positive peer interactions and foster a sense of social responsibility. This past year, the teens participated in a team building retreat at Thompson island, completed a second year volunteering with Habitat for Humanity and partnered with the Malden Youth Civics Council to host a “Voting Workshop.” Additionally, this April, a group of students will be traveling to Washington D.C. where they will be hosted by Congresswoman Katherine Clark’s Office. We are grateful to the Bayrd Foundation and other private donors for it is their generosity that aff ords these opportunities to students who might not otherwise have these experiences. MALDEN PUBLIC LIBRARY In November, the world-renowned artist, Frank Stella, came back to his hometown and unveiled his incredible artwork. We are grateful to him as well as special benefactors John Giso and Michael Nautall for making this possible. Now, in addition to the Frank Stella way-fi nding signs that are present throughout our downtown, we also have our very own Stella collection on display at the Library and perhaps we will hear more about him in another section of this presentation. The Library also hosted a Citizen Lyceum forum on “Understanding Democracy and the Rights of American Citizens.” The program emphasized the essentials in civic education focusing on an understanding of the American form of government. The event was sponsored in collaboration with Malden Reads, Chinese Culture Connection, Malden Community Organizing for Racial Equity, also known as Malden CORE, and the American Association for Arab Women. This is just one example of the important role that public libraries play in communities like ours. We were especially pleased when the Massachusetts Center for the Book added Malden to its live app, MassBook Trails. The Library is now featured as part of a Gateway City Library Trail that highlights the common mission as well as the history, architecture and unique characteristics of each Gateway City library. Mass Book Trails is available on the web and as a free download. Finally, the Library was awarded a “Go Local” federal LSTA grant for $15,000 over two years. This funding will be used in preparation for the 200th birthday celebration of Malden’s fi rst Mayor Elisha Converse. It is the Library’s goal to make available materials related to Malden’s industrial past, the Converse family, and the Boston Rubber Shoe Company. Embracing Malden’s motto; “Strong Past, Proud Future,” this project will not only expand our historical collections but it will serve to foster community and civic pride. COMMUNITY Speaking of “Strong Past, Proud Future,” I remain grateful for the community spirit that exists throughout our city. From parades and concerts to celebrations and theatre performances to festivals and athletic events, Malden knows no boundaries when it comes to showcasing all that it has to off er. Montage of Community Events Among our community events, for the very fi rst time, the City celebrated Juneteenth. This is a nationally recognized celebration dating back to June 19th, 1865, commemorating the abolition of slavery in the United States. The event was organized by Malden CORE, Malden Reads, and Malden Rising Leaders and included songs, readings and an impressive dance performance by a group of high school students. The celebration acknowledges the progress reached by generations of individuals who have fought for freedom and civil rights while also reminding us of the work that still needs to be done to achieve an equitable world for all of us. Helen Keller once said, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” This certainly rings true when we think of Malden’s fi rst ever Warming Center that offi cially opened at the First Church of the Nazarene. During the cold winter months of January and February, there is now a warm, safe place for those who are homeless. The idea for this Center originated almost two years ago during one of our quarterly Interfaith roundtables with cultural and religious leaders. We discussed the concept as a group and all agreed that there was a defi nite need in our community. But, it wasn’t until this fall that the plans actually began to take shape. Pastor Gerry Whetstone and the First Church of the Nazarene were willing to open their doors and from that point on, it was a true collaboration. The months of planning, compiling information, visiting similar centers, and organizing trainings were joint eff orts between the Interfaith Association; Cambridge Health Alliance; Bread of Life; ABCD; Pastor Emily Hamilton of the First Lutheran Church, Malden Police, Fire, Health and Human Resource Departments, and our Director of Human Services and Community Outreach, Karen Colon-Hayes. Most impressive has been the many residents, city offi cials, community organizations and houses of worship that have stepped up to make this vital project a success. Staff ed completely by volunteers, this initiative has shown compassion and care to those who are currently without a place to call home. I could not be more proud of this endeavor and would like to thank Pastor Whetstone for taking the lead, lending us the space, and for his continued commitment to this important cause. ARTS They say that “Art has the power to bring people together.” This was evident with The Gallery that was able to transform a vacant storefront at 480 Main Street into a thriving “cultural hub” of activity. The Gallery was an extension of the Malden Pops Up art shop and for over a year worked to bring art and music to the downtown. This communityinitiated project was managed by volunteers and led by Malden Creates under the direction of Ose Schwab. We thank them for their commitment and look forward to their upcoming performance series. And speaking of galleries, this fall we celebrated the opening of the new Malden Catholic School for Girls Art Gallery. The school collaborated with Malden Arts and the Zonta Club of Malden to bring an inaugural gallery exhibit featuring Watercolor Women by Faith Rice. The new gallery consists of an exhibit space with natural light and will highlight the work of local artists. Malden Arts has also been busy working on the ARTLine initiative. The goal of this project is to create a public art gallery with miles of professional murals, sculptures and community hubs throughout the Northern Strand Community Trail. Funded through a matching grant awarded by Mass Development in 2018, Phase One of the ARTLine aims to complete at least three murals, one sculpture and 2 pocket parks. Another aspect of Phase One will be a “River of Ties.” This will consist of painted vertical strips along the fence lines of the Trail that will help tie together the trail and the Malden River. This facet of the project will involve collaboration with community groups to help paint the “ties” in varying shades of blue and add stencil work. Travelling back to our downtown, the Wonderful World of Ed Emberley mural on Exchange Street marked the fi rst installment of the ARTLine. Inspired by Malden native Ed Emberley, a nationally recognized children’s illustrator, the mural was created in collaboration with art students from Malden High School, Mystic Valley Regional Charter School, and Malden Catholic High School. The Malden Redevelopment Authority approved the installation of the mural onto the back of the parking garage facing FitzGerald Park. The high point was when Ed Emberley and his family joined city offi cials and guests for the offi cial ribbon cutting ceremony. Lastly, Malden Arts is thrilled to announce that Malden born artist Frank Stella will be back in town! He has designed the second mural for the ARTline which will ADDRESS | SEE PAGE 9
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