Crowd formed to celebrate the raising of the flag. Photo by Quyen Le.
Written by Caroline Cuevas and Quyen Le.
In dedication of Pride Month, the Malden High School has decided to raise the pride flag on June 1st, 2018, in front of the Malden High School to advocate support for the LGBTQ community. This is the first time in Malden High School history the school has done this.
Many people were at this event to support the school’s decision to raise the flag. Superintendent John Oteri was present, along with City Councilor Ryan O’Malley, Karen Hayes from the Mayor’s Office, all of the House Principals, and many staff and students.
Raising the flag in front of the school lets the whole entire city know that “[the Malden High School is] a welcoming school for all students”, it sends out a clear message of support as well as a sense of security, as explained by Chris Mastrangelo.
Kayla Scheitlin, Malden High Teacher, states that “[she] think[s] it’s trying to get across that Malden is a place that accepts all people and loves having them as part of their community.” “[She also] think[s] it makes [the community] stronger and it gives people courage and hope.”
Student, Kevin Bolls, says that “personally, [he] feel[s] quite proud of the school for tolerating and supporting the LGBTQ community, and also having the ability to show that through raising a pride flag.” What he liked about the event was that “there was a good handful of city officials that came and spoke their opinion of the raising of the pride flag, and the speeches were also quite touching and showed a lot of effort was put into organizing of the event.”
Current president of class of 2021, Harriet Gerochi, felt moved by this event. She stated “[she] felt quite happy about this and [she] love[s] how the school continuously do things that shows [the involvement] of the school in students lives.” She goes on to mention the raising of the flag “truly shows so much love and support given to [the people in the LGBTQ] community.” When asked, Gerochi explains that “simple representation can give students the feeling of security, that [students] can be who they are, and whoever they want to be; the flag gives so much more than acceptance to students at the Malden High School.”
