John Thornburg
Headmaster
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Dear Parents,
On behalf of the entire faculty and staff, I want to wish all our families a Merry Christmas! May our Lord bring you and your family a deep and abiding joy as we celebrate His birth. In John 8:12, we read, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never live in darkness. They will have the light that gives life.” My prayer is that this Christmas season we will find time to reflect upon the light our Savior provides. Though the winter days are short, the light He provides is always available.
We have an exciting week ahead to complete the first semester. From ugly Christmas sweaters to completing academic work, it promises to be busy and rewarding. We are finding social media is our best way during the pandemic to help our families stay informed. Our student council has a new Instagram page which will provide a snapshot into this week. Plus, our new parent Facebook page will be another great resource to keep you in the know regarding all things Malden Catholic.
I encourage our parents to follow these official Malden Catholic social media platforms:
As we close the year 2020, I want to thank you for your unwavering support and dedication to our school!
Warmest holiday wishes,
John K. Thornburg
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Monday, December 14
Blue Day 1
Ugly Sweater Day
Tuesday, December 15
Gold Day 1
Ugly Sweater Day
Wednesday, December 16
Fifth Day
Academic Enrichment | 8:00 AM
ROX for Girls 9th Grade Mandatory | 9:00 AM
Lunch | 10:45 AM
Sr. Helen Prejean Webinar Mandatory for all students | 12 PM
Advent Virtual Retreat for Adults | 7 PM
Thursday, December 17
Blue Day 2
Christmas Pajama Pants Day
Rosary | 7:30 AM
Senior Appreciation Lunch
Pizza and Prayer | 5 PM
Festival of Carols | 6 PM
Friday, December 18
Gold Day 2
Christmas Pajama Pants Day
Christmas Prayer Service | 7:55 AM
Senior Appreciation Lunch
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Dear Malden Catholic Families,
I am very excited to be back at Malden Catholic teaching History. For me, life has really come full circle, since my academic career began at Malden Catholic as a student over 20 years ago. I now find myself back on Crystal Street, on the other side of the desk teaching Social Studies. As such, I am quite familiar with the Xaverian values and the tremendous benefits that come with a Xaverian Brothers education.
I graduated from MC in 2000, and then graduated from Saint Anselm College with a Bachelor's degree in history, and Southern New Hampshire University with a Master's degree in American History. My teaching career has taken me from Lawrence to Manchester, New Hampshire, all the way to Moscow, Russia, where I taught for seven years (That was an experience, to say the least!)
My time as a student at MC, along with my many years of teaching students in different cultures has helped shape my perspectives of the world and has prepared me to think and work on the fly. These skills have proved to be invaluable in the current COVID crisis! The Hybrid model has allowed students to work in a flexible environment and has encouraged them to learn and participate at their own pace. When I'm not teaching at MC, I enjoy reading, writing, cooking, traveling, golf and keeping my Russian skills sharp. I am looking forward to reconnecting with the Malden Catholic community in the months to come and teaching the next amazing generation of Lancers!
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Nick Hurley '00
Social Studies Teacher
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Malden Catholic Center for Leadership Welcomes Sister Helen Prejean on December 16 |
Join us this Wednesday at noon for the next featured presenter in Malden Catholic's Center for Leadership Speaker Series, Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking. Sister Helen is known around the world for her tireless work against the death penalty and has been instrumental in sparking national dialogue on capital punishment and in shaping the catholic Church’s vigorous opposition to all executions.
Join us virtually through our GoToWebinar link on Wednesday, December 16th from 12:00 Noon to 1:00 PM, hosted by Headmaster Thornburg, Mrs. Reardon and Mr. Batista.
At Malden Catholic, we strive to develop the whole student -- mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually and are thrilled to provide rich, content regarding local, national and global affairs with our student body. Sister Helen’s second book, The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions, was published in 2004; and her third book, River of Fire: My Spiritual Journey, in August 2019. She is currently collaborating on a graphic retelling of Dead Man Walking, to be published by Random House.
Register for MC's Leadership Speaker Series through this link.
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Student Council Holiday Events |
Our new Student Council has prepared a full calendar of student events to celebrate our last week of school before the holiday break. There will be prizes distributed for the winners!
Monday and Tuesday: Ugly Christmas Sweaters
(must be worn with uniform pants)
Thursday and Friday: Christmas Pajama Pants
(may be worn with a red, green or white or a Christmas top)
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Advent Virtual Retreat for Adults- 12.16 at 7 PM |
This week's Adult Advent Retreat is an hour-long session that will include readings, prayers and a discussion regarding the Shepherds' journey to Bethlehem. The retreat will take place on December 16th at 7 PM and everyone is invited to join us for this Advent gathering!
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Live Pizza and Prayer Event - 12.17 at 5 PM |
Back by popular demand! Campus Ministry is hosting a Christmas Pizza and Prayer for blue cohort students on Thursday, December 17th from 5 - 6 PM in the cafeteria. This live event has space for 25 students in the Malden Catholic cafeteria and pizza will be served.
If you are interested in attending the event, please email Ms. Foley ([email protected]) by Wednesday to be added to the list. There will be a similar event offered for the gold cohort in early 2021.
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Festival of Carols - 12.17 at 6 PM |
Join us for a Festival of Carols filled with Christmas readings and songs performed by Malden Catholic students this Thursday at 6 PM. Malden Catholic music teacher, Lora Tamagini, has been working with our talented students to capture the joy and spirit of the holiday season in these challenging times.
The Festival of Carols will be premiered on MC's YouTube channel at 5 PM. A link will be sent to the families.
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Senior Appreciation Pizza Lunch - 12.17 and 12.18 |
Lunch is on us! In appreciation of their hard work and determination over the first semester, we are hosting a Senior Appreciation lunch in the MC gymnasium this Thursday for the blue cohort and on Friday for the gold cohort. This is great way for Seniors to celebrate as we move into the holiday! Students in the red cohort will receive a gift in the mail. |
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Christmas Prayer Service - 12.18 at 7:55 AM |
Our Campus Ministry team will be hosting a Christmas Prayer Service on Friday, December 18 at 7:55 AM. This is a live event that will be shared on GoToWebinar.
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Our Malden Catholic SFX Scholars in Grades 9 and 10 in the blue cohort were able to spend some time during lunch meeting and talking to their moderator about exciting plans for 2021. Grades 9 and 10 SFX Scholars in the gold cohort will also meet tomorrow afternoon. |
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Club Spotlight: Model United Nations |
MC's Model United Nations Club spent this past Saturday taking part in a virtual conference hosted by St. John's Prep. Our delegation debated and negotiated a number of varied topics including: the future of the European Union, poaching and wildlife conservation, North Korea's nuclear program, the refugee crisis, Big Data and more.
Two Malden Catholic students were recognized and received awards for their efforts. Ashley Reardon ('23) was announced as one of the conference's Best Delegates and Aaron Babu ('20), the club's president, earned the Best Representation award.
This year's delegation included seniors: Aaron Babu, Trevor McDonough, and Mario Ventresca as well as juniors: Isabelle Brady, Courtney Casaletto, Charlie Dilman, Karina Rahman, and Sam Slater, along with sophomore Ashley Reardon.
If you would like to join MC's Model UN Club, please contact Mr. Tim Endicott at [email protected].
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Introducing MCPC Executive Committee and Deb Walsh, MC Parent Liaison |
Last week, the MC Parent Council (MCPC) introduced our new MCPC Executive Committee. The Parent Council will be led by Principal Redman and supported by Sharon DelGenio, School and College Counseling Administrative Assistant as the MCPC Parent Liaison. In Mrs. DelGenio's role as Parent Council Liaison, she will work closely with the Principal and Headmaster, coordinate MCPC meetings, events and activities and support the work of the Council to ensure that we have a highly successful year for parents and students.
As the Parent Relations Representative, Deb Walsh P'16 '18 '20 will foster connections and collaboration directly with parents within the school community. Through her 8 years of experience with Malden Catholic, she will be available to share invaluable knowledge and expertise with current MC parents.
In her own words, Mrs. Walsh shared her excitement regarding her involvement with MC: In September of 2012, my MC parent journey began when my oldest son walked through the front door as a freshman, and officially ended when my youngest son took his last final exam in May 2020. A total of three Walsh Boys have successfully graduated from MC: 2016, 2018 and 2020. I even have a husband who is a 1984 grad and very involved at MC!
Now it’s my turn for my own MC journey with no children roaming the halls. Although I was very active at MC during those 8 years, this volunteer role as the Parent Relations Representative will be a bit of a departure from the social and school events I helped run and parent meetings I coordinated.
In this role, I hope to be a problem solver, question answerer, and all around go to person. Have a question about something going on at MC? Email me! Have a challenge needing assistance? Call me. I will be available and able to help! MC means a lot to me and I look forward to giving back to a very special place that helped shape my boys into the successful young men they have become.
MCPC Executive Committee members:
MCPC Meeting dates:
- Wednesday, January 13, at 4:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, February 10, at 4:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, March 10, at 7:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, April 14, at 4:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, May 5, at 7:00 p.m.
The Parent Council will provide an open membership to any MC parent who wishes to participate and support the school and all Malden Catholic parents are considered Parent Council Members. The Parent Council meetings will be held on the second Wednesday of every month and is open to all parents. Although participation is not mandatory, it is strongly encouraged. If you were not able to attend the meeting you can sign up to volunteer through the attached Google Form.
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Deb Walsh P'16 '18 '20
(781) 475-5382
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The 2020 Malden Catholic Santa Toy Drive will end this Friday, December 18th. If you have not already done so, please drop off the following new, unwrapped gifts at the MC Christmas tree in the foyer. Due to the challenges of the pandemic, DCF staff would like to ensure that every child has their basic needs met, so the DCF staff is requesting the following:
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Basic clothing such as socks, t-shirts, underwear, and pajamas are especially needed in pre-teen and adolescent sizes.
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Board games and educational games for children who are learning remotely.
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Great Holiday Gifts - MC Embroidered Wear |
The holidays are a perfect time to give the gift of MC gear! Malden Catholic has partnered with DeTucci Embroidery to provide our school community with a great selection of clothing, gifts and totes. Ms. Jen Algozzini, our representative, comes from a family with strong Malden Catholic roots and is excited to provide a tremendous variety of items featuring the MC logo.
Proceeds from DeTucci Embroidery sales currently support MC's Make-A-Wish Club, but in the future, will also support a variety of Malden Catholic charities.
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Book Club - 12.29 at 6:30 PM |
The next Parent Book Club meeting is scheduled for 6:30 PM on December 29th. The meeting will be hosted in person and socially-distanced in Nadia Russo and Theresa Morrissey's backyard. For members who would prefer to join virtually, a video dial-in will be made available. All MC families are welcome to join!
If you are interested in being part of this engaging group in person or virtually, please contact Missy Barrett at [email protected].
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Advent Wreath Prayer Week 3 - Joy |
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Otherwise known as the Shepherd Candle, this third candle of Advent reflects the joy that comes through Jesus’ arrival, and through the salvation he has gifted us. I hope you enjoy the writings and prayer from: Advent Week 3 - Candle of Joy Meaning, Scripture and Prayer (christianity.com).
Heavenly Father,
This third week of Advent, let us remember that the good news of Jesus’ birth has the power to bring us great joy this Christmas season. Our joy isn’t dependent on what is going on in our life, in our world, or the people that we are with. It doesn’t depend on the gifts we give or the gifts we find under the tree. No earthly thing can ever give us complete joy. Our joy comes from you. That joy that flooded the hearts of the shepherds, the angels, the wise men, the hosts of heaven, and Mary and Joseph is the joy that still has the power to overwhelm our hearts with rejoicing.
Amen
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Malden Catholic Sports Information |
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Revised Winter Athletic Policies |
Due to changes in the original Catholic Conference proposal and having the MIAA Winter Athletics protocols and procedures released after our MC COVID Task Force plan was rolled out, we are making a minor change to our Winter Athletic Policies. Please read the updated version below.
Winter Athletic Policies- effective 12/13/20
Teams will be allowed to practice from 12/14 to 12/23. Varsity teams that would like to resume team activities on 1/6/21 will need to participate in Covid testing. This means members of the team including coaches will need to have a saliva test conducted by the school on 1/2/21 and a have negative result by 1/5/21. All
sub-varsity teams will be permitted to resume team activities on 1/16/21.
Students must be actively enrolled in either the BLUE or GOLD cohort by 12/10/20 to participate in Winter Athletics. Students in the RED cohort will not be allowed to be allowed to participate in in-person activities including athletics.
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Malden Catholic is excited to announce the addition of Elisee Pompilus as a Defensive Line Coach for MC football. A Malden native, Mr. Pompilus played at the Division 1 level at Louisville and then Union, KY and later professionally. He has coached many of the top players in the northeast through his Pomp Sports Academy performance company. He has also worked with several Malden Catholic players and is excited to be a Lancer! |
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Winter Sports Tryouts start today!
Boys Basketball Tryouts: December 14,15 and 16, Freshmen Court A 5:45-7pm. Sophomores and Juniors Court B 5:45pm-7pm. Varsity 7pm-8:45pm.
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