John Thornburg
Headmaster
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Dear Families,
I remember the first day my driver's education teacher let me drive the car. We left the school parking lot and he told me to turn right. I made sure the turn signal was on and began to move forward into my turn. The car suddenly stopped. The driving instructor repeated his instructions to turn right. I pressed on the accelerator to continue my turn. The car lurched ahead a few feet and then stopped again. I looked at my instructor confused and had no idea what had happened. Then I noticed that his foot was firmly planted on the instructor's brake pedal.
He curtly stated, "Mr. Thornburg, once you learn which way is right, we will proceed."
In my excitement to drive a car for the first time, I had lost my sense of direction. Blushing from embarrassment, I turned the wheel in the correct direction and we proceeded on to the road.
New beginnings are exciting and offer the chance for us to pursue exciting options. Each new school year offers opportunities with a new set of academic classes, co-curricular activities and friendships. It can be a stressful time as well. Just as I launched into my driving experience for the first time with excitement and stress, it is important to take a moment and make sure our students are headed in the right direction for the year ahead. I encourage students to listen to their "instructors," which include their parents, teachers and coaches. It is helpful for students to check in and seek direction when they are not sure about the direction they are headed. The MC community has a tremendous number of resources and expertise to offer students so that they can make the most out of the year to come and stay on course.
It was wonderful to see our students return to school last week. There were many smiling faces and positive energy throughout the building. I was impressed with our faculty and staff’s outstanding commitment to making sure everything was ready for the start of the year. Our facilities crew worked overtime over the Labor Day Weekend to prepare the new classroom spaces. Our school nurses, Elizabeth Paquette and Carol Olive, worked countless hours to make sure our COVID-19 safety protocols were in order. I would like to thank them and many others for ensuring that our first week was a success!
As part of our new beginnings, we are also kicking off our Malden Catholic Parents Club this week with a meeting this Tuesday, September 14 at 5:30 PM. This will provide an opportunity for parents to become involved with events throughout the year, and I encourage all parents to join us!
As a reminder, there is an update to our COVID-19 policy in the content below. We initially had required all vaccinated students who participate in co-curricular activities to be tested every Monday morning. Due to our outstanding current trends, we will no longer require vaccinated students to be tested on Monday mornings. The only individuals that will be required to be tested on Monday mornings will be unvaccinated students. The first scheduled test is this Monday, September 13.
Thank you for your understanding and support,
John K. Thornburg
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Monday, September 13
Day 5
Tuesday, September 14
Day 6
MC Parent Club Kick-Off Meeting | 5:30 PM
Senior College Planning Night | 6:30 PM
Wednesday, September 15
Day 7
Thursday, September 16
Day 1
Friday, September 17
Day 2
Homecoming Football Game | 7 PM
Pep Rally | during Activity Time
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Faculty Spotlight: Sam Callahan - MC's Girls Campus Minister and Theology Teacher |
Dear Malden Catholic Family,
I am delighted to join Malden Catholic as the Girls Campus Minister and Theology Teacher. I graduated with a BA in Theology from Franciscan University this past May and minored in Youth Ministry and Biology. Throughout my college career, I volunteered many hours at local parishes to assist with their youth ministry and confirmation programs.
I am a graduate of St. Mary's in Lynn and I have benefited tremendously from my Catholic education. Based on my background and education, I feel I can understand and respond well to the needs of Catholic high school students. I truly look forward to sharing my knowledge, experience and enthusiasm with our Malden Catholic students.
As the Girls Campus Minister, I have many activities planned for the year to come and I am very excited to hit the ground running! My goal is to help the students experience the joy of knowing Christ and this includes opportunities for Christian Service, worship and fellowship and retreats over the year.
I am very blessed to be working with amazing faculty, and I truly look forward to getting to know all of the students and their parents over the year ahead. I am excited to see where this year takes us!
Ms. Sam Callahan
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The goal of Malden Catholic's Culture of Health and Safety is to enable each student to continue with in-person learning. In order to achieve this goal, we need to make sure as many individuals as possible are vaccinated.
We conducted over 800 COVID-19 tests and only three individuals tested positive. Each of these individuals were asymptomatic (did not have symptoms) and tested negative five days later. As of 9.10, the school is COVID-19-free.
Based on the data collected during the testing process, we estimate that close to 80% of our students are vaccinated. This is a strong number that we hope will continue to increase. If we can raise this number, we may consider not wearing masks sometime after the Governor lifts the current mask mandate. We would also need to see a low number of COVID-19 cases to consider moving in this direction.
We are going to make a change in the COVID-19 policy beginning next week. We initially had required all vaccinated students who participate in co-curricular activities to be tested every Monday morning. The first scheduled test for these students and unvaccinated students is this Monday, September 13.
Due to our outstanding current trends, we will not require vaccinated students to be tested on Monday mornings. The only individuals who will be required to be tested on Monday mornings will be unvaccinated students.
A few important things to note:
- If the Health Office does not have a copy of your Covid-19 Vaccine Card, you will be considered unvaccinated, and you must test.
- If you have only 1 dose of a Covid-19 Vaccine, you will be considered unvaccinated. You must be 2 weeks past your second dose to be considered fully vaccinated. You will still need to test on Mondays until fully vaccinated.
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If you have had a Covid-19 Vaccine Card and wish to send a copy of it to the Nurses' Office, you may scan and email a copy or take a picture of the Covid-19 Vaccine Card and send it to [email protected] or [email protected]. The Nurses must be able to read your name and date of immunizations.
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All unvaccinated students should use the following link to register for their COVID test on Monday, September 13. Please do this before Monday morning! https://curative.com/sites/31802
On September 13, beginning at 7:00 AM, all unvaccinated students should report to Door #7 (back entrance to the gymnasium near our tent) to be tested for COVID-19. This measure is for the safety of our unvaccinated students, as well as our entire community.
Again, we thank you for your continued understanding and support.
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College visits will begin at MC on Monday, 9.13 and will continue to visit until late November. This year, many colleges have elected to visit Malden Catholic in person, but several will be visiting virtually as well. The following colleges will be visiting this week at 2:20 PM:
Boston University
Monday, September 13 - Room 106
St. Joseph’s College of Maine
Monday, September 13 - Room 121
Salem State University
Tuesday, September 14 - Room 106
University of Massachusetts, Boston
Tuesday, September 14 - Room 121
Saint Anselm College
Wednesday, September 15 - Room 106
Eastern Nazarene College
Wednesday, September 15 - Room 121
Lesley University
Friday, September 17 - Room 106
We encourage all Grade 11 and Grade 12 students to sign up at least one day in advance in Naviance and attend these visits.
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MC Parent Club Kick-off Meeting and Senior College Planning Night - 9.14 |
Please mark your calendar for two important events on September 14 - the Malden Catholic Parent Club (MCPC) Kick-off Meeting from 5:30 - 6:30 PM and the Senior College Planning Night for families from 6:30 - 8 PM.
The MCPC Kick-off will provide parents with the opportunity to learn about the Admissions, Advancement and community events that have been planned for the year. It will also provide an opportunity for individuals to sign up to volunteer and assist in their areas of interest.
The Senior College Planning Night offers Senior students and parents the chance to map out a plan for the year ahead which will include an explanation of the critical steps needed for the college admissions process.
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MC Center for Leadership Welcomes Kyle Willkom - 9.22 |
To kick-off the new school year, the Malden Catholic Center for Leadership is delighted to welcome Kyle Willkom. On Wednesday, September 22 Mr. Willkom will speak to students about the essential characteristics required for personal leadership and becoming the best version of themselves. Through his out-of-the-ordinary life experiences, Kyle encourages others to use both successes and failures to live their own action-packed lives.
Kyle is the founder of several books, including the highly acclaimed book, Action Packed Leadership - Empowering High School Students to Think Positive, Take Action, and Create Change.
A sought-after keynote speaker and author for youth audiences across the United States, Kyle has been speaking professionally for over a decade; his messages have reached hundreds of thousands of people in 47 states. Kyle delivers messages on positivity, leadership and action through his use of musical comedy and engaging personal stories. Kyle has run 6 marathons on 3 different continents, been the first employee of a million-dollar marketing startup, and led service trips to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. He trained in the military for a year and was a division one basketball walk-on at Marquette University. For more information, please visit https://www.kylewillkom.com/
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Keynote Speaker - Kyle Willkom
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Lancers of Golf - MC Annual Golf Tournament - 9.23 |
Over the past 35 years, Malden Catholic has hosted an annual golf tournament, Lancers of Golf. This year the Annual Golf Classic will be held on Thursday, September 23 at the Bradford Country Club with registration at 12 PM. The entry fee is $150/golfer, and the event will be in a scramble format with a shotgun start and barbeque dinner to follow. There are only a few spots available, so be sure to sign up for the event right away through this link.
All proceeds from the 35th Annual Malden Catholic Golf Classic will benefit the Fund for Malden Catholic, which assures tuition affordability for our hardworking families and deserving students while providing programming that benefits all students. Your generosity will allow us to enhance the promise and the value of an MC education!
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MC Book Club Meeting – 9.27 |
Our first MC Parent Book Club Meeting will take place on Wednesday, September 22nd, at 6:30 PM at Idle Hands, located at 89 Commercial St, Malden. For the September book, the group will be discussing The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley, an Agatha Christie-style suspense novel which follows a group of old college friends snowed in at a hunting lodge, one of them is a killer. If anyone is interested, you may dialing into the meeting via Zoom via the following link:
Meeting ID: 930 703 9967
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What's Happening Around MC |
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Malden Catholic Internship Recap |
This summer, the Malden Catholic Internship Program was a tremendous success, providing competitive opportunities for over 67 MC students to participate in real-world leadership experiences in areas of business, STEM and the arts. Over the summer, students had the opportunity to work in professional settings, exploring potential career paths, networking, building their resumes and strengthening their college applications. We are extremely grateful to our alumni and intern hosts for their tremendous generosity in hosting Malden Catholic students and we look forward to expanding the program in 2022.
As a sample of one of the MC internships, 4 MC students worked with Urban Media Arts (formerly Malden TV) over the summer and produced several public service announcement video projects to encourage the community to clean up the Malden River. The following exceptional students have received high praise from Urban Media Arts for their contributions to the project: Sharieff Andrews ‘22, Frederika Noel ‘22, Amy Nguyen ‘22 and Hannah Burton ‘22! These students and all of our interns did an exceptional job!
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Last week, Malden Catholic celebrated the first week of school with a liturgy. We would like to thank our celebrant, Father John Sheridan, Pastor of Blessed Mother of the Morning Star Parish, for joining us and sharing such a beautiful homily.
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Rolling Out the Blueprint |
For many years I shared a little story with freshmen boys at their orientation. This year, I had the pleasure of telling it to the boys, girls, and parents who attended our Grade 9 BBQ. Perhaps you’ll like it. It’s about a carpenter. It goes like this: An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He had had quite a distinguished, successful career as a skilled craftsman who did excellent work, so naturally his contractor-boss was sorry to learn of the retirement plans of this valued worker. The boss understood, though, that the carpenter wanted to enjoy more leisure time with wife and family after a long career. Nonetheless, the contractor asked the carpenter, “Can you do me one last favor? Would you build one more house?” The carpenter agreed, but soon it was apparent that his heart was not in it. He rushed his work, used inferior materials, cut corners, and simply did not come close to doing the usual beautiful work that had characterized his long career. It was an unfortunate way to end a distinguished career.
When the house was complete, the contractor-boss showed up as usual to inspect it. But to the surprise of the carpenter, the boss handed him the front-door keys! “This is your house,” said the contractor… “my gift to you.” The carpenter was shocked! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently.
End of story.
At this point, I would remind the students that our lives can be this way: we build our lives a day at a time, often putting less than our best into the building. Then with a shock we realize we have to live in the house we have built. Sadly, there may come a time when we wish we could do it all over – and we would do it a lot differently. But we can’t go back. Each of us, a carpenter, each day we hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Life is a do-it-yourself project, and the attitudes we hold and the choices we make today, build the "house" we live in tomorrow. I encourage our students to build wisely!
Each year Malden Catholic unrolls the blueprints for the construction, time-tested designs for building good lives of character, leadership, excellence, and service, and we invite our students to put their hands and hearts and heads to the tasks. It’s always exhilarating to start a new year at Malden Catholic! We have many mansions in the making! There’s lots of hard work ahead, but the rewards are great! Thanks for being part of the construction project.
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By Brother Thomas Puccio, CFX, Ed.D. |
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We are excited to welcome everyone back to what we expect to be another successful athletic season at MC. We had nearly 70% of the student body attending tryouts and it was great to see so many students fully engaged and back in action on Crystal Street. The first matches of the year are now underway, and you can find the schedule on the Malden Catholic website. Big Teams will also allow you to follow any of our teams, become notified of schedule changes, view bus departure times and print practice schedules.
In accordance with CDC, state and local guidelines and the current MC spectator policy, we are pleased to welcome back fans for the 2021-22 athletic seasons. Please note that masks will be required when inside Malden Catholic and attending any of the MC indoor athletic events. Our athletic events, whenever possible, will continue to be streamed on the NFHS Network with a subscription, which also allows you to watch away events at locations who are also members of the network.
Be sure to check out your MC spirit wear via the following link:
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Welcome to Homecoming Week!
Monday, 9.13
Girls Junior Varsity Volleyball Fontbonne Academy Home | 3:45 PM
Boys Varsity Golf @ St. John's Prep | 3:30 PM
Girls Varsity Volleyball Fontbonne Academy Home | 5:00 PM
Tuesday, 9.14
Boys Junior Varsity Golf Home vs. St. John's Prep School (Mt. Hood) | 3:30 PM
Boys Junior Varsity Soccer Home vs. Boston College High School | 4:00 PM
Girls Varsity Cross Country Home vs. Ursuline Academy | 4:00 PM
Boys Varsity Soccer Home vs. Boston College High School | 5:00 PM
Wednesday, 9.15
Girls Varsity Soccer @ Fontbonne Academy | 3:45 PM
Boys Varsity Golf @ Boston College High School | 3:00 PM
Girls Junior Varsity Soccer Cancelled- Fontbonne Academy | 4:45 PM
Thursday, 9.16
Boys Junior Varsity Soccer @ Xaverian Brothers High School | TBA
Boys Varsity Soccer @ Xaverian Brothers High School | 4:00 PM
Friday, 9.17
Boys Varsity Football vs. Gloucester High School | 7:00 PM
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