THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, December 30, 2022 Page 11 REVIEW | FROM PAGE 10 als’ chief sponsor was Ward 4 Councillor Ryan O’Malley.The Malden state legislative delegation visited Club 24 on Salem Street to announce a $60,000 state grant which provided funding for some much-needed renovations to the sober house, which provides support to those affl icted with substance abuse disorder. The City Council briefl y discussed the situation where three key city offi cials were moving on and would have to be replaced: City Clerk Greg Lucey was retiring at the end of the calendar year; Cemetery Superintendent Jim Cahill was retiring at the end of October; and former City Solicitor Kathryn Fallon had resigned in mid-August to take a position with another community. A Malden man, David Desousa, 32, pleaded guilty in a major drug seizure case from 2020, where he was charged with distributing methamphetamine (crystal meth). A Mattapan Pop Warner Football coach, Dana Jones, 56, of Roslindale, was arrested and charged with assault after he allegedly fi red a football off the chest of a referee he argued with after a game at Macdonald Stadium in Malden, knocking the offi cial to the ground. OCTOBER: Following the return of his remains from Korea, a long-lost Malden native was interred in Malden’s Holy Cross Cemetery, 73 years after the then 19-year-old Army Corporal was reported MIA and then most recently revealed to have died, along with many others, in a Korean POW Camp. The Malden High Varsity Girls Volleyball team was the first in the region to qualify for the MIAA State Tournament when it went to 10-1 overall with a win over Chelsea. Malden Public Schools teachers went on strike for one day on October 17 when they did not reach a contract agreement with the Malden School Committee. The Blue Bikes program came to Malden with some temporary free usage memberships funded by the City of Malden. All schools were closed for just the one day due to the strike, with most teachers returning to classes on October 18 when a tentative agreement for a 10 percent pay hike over three years was announced and later ratifi ed with a Malden Education Association (MEA) vote. Members of the Malden Police Department began wearing body cameras, which videotape and audiotape public interactions of police offi cers, joining many PDs across the nation in this practice. Mayor Christenson announced two new citywide initiatives designed to save residents money and help the environment: the Malden Community Electricity Program – crediting Councillor-at-Large Carey McDonald with shepherding the project to fruition – and the new Malden Public Schools Composting Program. The fi rst-ever English Language Learners Parents Information Night was held in the Jenkins Auditorium, and a large crowd was in attendance, receiving valuable assistance. For the fi rst time in many years, Head Coach Witche Exilhomme’s Malden High football team was in fi rst place in the Greater Boston League ({GBL) after defeating Somerville at home and improving to 3-1 overall. Malden Public Schools Athletics hosted USA Field Hockey’s well-attended camp at Malden’s Macdonald Stadium with National Team coaches providing the instruction. It was also announced that MPS Director of Athletics Charlie Conefrey had been selected by the MIAA as Athletic Director of the Year for District 5 for an unprecedented second year in a row. NOVEMBER: Malden SuperThe Malden Electricity Program and Malden Public Schools Pilot Composting Program were two new additions to the city landscape announced by Mayor Gary Christenson in October. intendent of Schools Dr. Ligia Noriega-Murphy announced that Malden’s results in the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment (MCAS) testing had improved in a number of areas, bucking the statewide trend, where most districts showed declines. Malden Public Schools was also among the state leaders in attendance and participation rate district-wide, close to 99% across the board. Malden High School, in particular, showed a dramatic increase to 99.5% from the previous testing period. Governor Charlie Baker granted pardons to two members of the Amirault Family, Gerald Amirault and Cheryl Amirault LeFave, who both were convicted and served jail time in connection with the internationally known Fells Acres Case, where a number of young children claimed they were sexually assaulted and physically abused by those two Amiraults as well as the owner of the Malden day care center, the late Violet Amirault. The Chinese American Citizens Alliance and the City of Malden joined to host a special lunch to honor Malden’s Lt. Colonel “Woody” Woodhouse, 95, who served in the fi rst All-Black USAF combat flying unit. Mayor Christenson joined Congresswoman Katherine Clark to distribute free groceries at the United Way Thanksgiving event at the Malden YMCA. Ward 7 Councillor Chris Simonelli announced that a project to rehabilitate Kierstead Park and the Simonelli skatepark had received a $400,000 grant from the state’s Offi ce of Energy and Environmental Aff airs. The 135th Malden-Medford Thanksgiving Game – played on November 22 – drew a large crowd as the Tornados used a strong defense and the offensive fireworks of sophomore Kevin Exilhomme to hand Medford its seventh straight Thanksgiving loss, 34-15. After the game, Mayor Christenson gave Coach Witche Exilhomme the offi cial Key to the City of Malden, in honor of the big win. The new Smart Pass digital hall pass, in use at Malden High School this school year, has drawn a lot of interest and praise for its effectiveness in diminishing the time spent in the hallways for bathroom and water breaks by students. DECEMBER: After a season on a diff erent part of the calendar last winter, a full return of school sports began in late November and the fi rst games in December as Malden High School saw unprecedented participation with over 300 student-athletes out for winter season sports this year. After it appeared the Governor’s Council would vote to reject his pardon request for two members of the Amirault Family, who were convicted and served jail time in the 1980s Fells Acres sexual abuse case in Malden, Gov. Charlie Baker rescinded the pardon requests. Malden residents who wanted to continue to receive News Alerts from the City of Malden had to sign up online as the service has changed from a “robocall” system to text messages. Former Malden High star placekicker Ronald Juarez became Malden residents had to sign up online if they wanted to continue receiving local news alerts from “Malden Alerts.” The deadline was in December. From left, Congresswoman Katherine Clark, Mayor Gary Christenson, YMCA CEO Debbie Amaral and United Way President and CEO Bob Giannino at the United Way Thanksgiving event at the Malden YMCA in November. Honoring U.S. Air Force Lt., Colonel (Ret.) Enoch “Woody” Woodhouse II, 95, of Malden, at a special luncheon in November: Lieutenant Colonel Enoch O’D “Woody” Woodhouse II (second from left) with Mayor Gary Christenson and Members of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance. the first MHS football standout to receive a Division 1 offer (from Merrimack College) in a number of years. Malden High School held its fi rst parent-teacher conference night in person since 2019, and it was very well attended as hundreds of caregivers came to the school on December 1 for private one-on-ones concerning their student. Over 650 students were named to the Malden High School First Quarter Honor Roll, achieving all grades “A’s and B’s”: over 80 percent. Over 200 had all grades over 80%, “All A’s.” Malden High Boys and Girls Varsity Basketball Teams both registered wins over archrival Everett in the two schools’ meetings this year, the fi rst time this has happened in about 10 years. Malden historian Inna Babitskaya made an interesting presentation to the Malden City Council on her new book, “Time of Converse,” which details the Converse Family and the profound impact the family members had on the history of this community. Malden’s Christmas Tree lighting took place at Fellsmere Pond hosted by City Council President Craig Spadafora and Ward 3 Councillor Amanda Linehan. Ward 7 Councillor Chris Simonelli hosted the fi rst “Lincoln Lights” at Lincoln Common, with the whole park lit up with festive lights – to rave reviews. Ward 5 Councillor Barbara Murphy and her elves helped host the 73rd appearance of Santa Claus himself at Pine Banks Park on Main Street; Mayor Gary Christenson hosted “Winter Wonders” at Malden City Hall on Sunday, December 18, which featured games and other activities centered around the diff erent holidays celebrated in Malden this time of year: Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa. Later that night the mayor presided over the lighting of the city’s Hanukkah candles, the Menorah. An arctic blast sent temperatures plummeting in less than 12 hours right before Christmas, sending temperatures into the low double-digits and a wind chill near zero degrees for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day over this past weekend.
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