After 17 years, the 2026 school year will officially mark the end of Principal Chris Mastrangelo’s time at Malden High School.
To rewind back in time, Mastrangelo has not always been Malden High’s principal. His journey started back in 2009 as the Boyle House Principal, replacing Fred Feldman.
Since 2009, Mastrangelo reflected on one of his earliest and memorable moments: “I was watching all the kids come out of the school and just looking at kids from Brazil and China and Vietnam and Haiti–all of the different faces and cultures and backgrounds, but everybody at that point were just high school kids, that from all over the world came here, and I just remember having this moment. It was the spring of my first year. ‘Like, wow, this place is really special.’”
As his time progressed, Mastrangelo would become the intern principal near the end of 2016. Richard Tivnan, a history teacher of 21 years, explained how he has “worked side by side with him,” recalling memories, both the “good times and bad,” and explaining how he took over Mastrangelo’s role as Boyle house principal for a year before returning as a history teacher.
Boyle house counselor, Erin Craven, who has worked with Mastrangelo for 17 years, described him as “a leader of faculty, a leader of students, and a leader of just the whole building.”
In 2018, Mastrangelo was selected as the school’s permanent principal and has been Malden High’s principal for eight years.
Tivnan commemorated Mastrangelo’s leadership and character, highlighting “the intangible stuff that he does,” such as “his love for the kids, his love for the school, what he’ll do that most people don’t even see.”
“It’s not something you look at on a data sheet or a piece of some spreadsheet; it’s the human touch that he has. That’s really unbelievable,” continued Tivnan.
Throughout his time, Mastrangelo has shown so much support for the school with his school spirit, which has translated into the events that have become so memorable in the first place. The Pep Rally, student and faculty sports games, fundraisers, all these events in recent years were only possible because of Mastrangelo himself.
Mastrangelo’s career also coincided with the Coronavirus pandemic, which added to his list of responsibilities. However, despite the challenge, Craven credited Mastrangelo for aiding students and teachers immensely, focusing on getting everyone online.
Additionally, Mastrangelo recalled various special events, like the “Thanksgiving Day Football game at Fenway” in 2022, meeting “Super Bowl champions and rock stars and doctors and Senators,” and most importantly: the graduation of each year’s class.
Just in the 2025-2026 school year alone, students have shown massive support for Mastrangelo through many campaigns, such as on the Instagram account @maldenhighwalksout, through petitions, and the walkout on December 8, with staff members, students, and parents advocating during a school committee meeting the same evening. In a way, it was a final celebration of the school rising for the occasion.
“I hope that we never lose sight of this school, that the number one most important thing we do every day is connect with the kids,” wished Mastrangelo. He hopes his legacy will be remembered as not counting Malden staff and students as statistics, but rather, being appreciated for being themselves.
“I live 36 miles away. I have cherished every moment of my time in the city. This school, this city, has been a big part of me, my family, my identity, and if I’m being honest with you, I don’t think I’ve completely come to grips with the fact that it’s coming to an end. So if not, in person, certainly from afar. It’s too much, too much a part of who I am to just dry up when I leave,” Mastrangelo added.
Mastrangelo finished by reminding everyone to “cherish the time that you have here. Know that there are people that work here, that really love and care for each of you, and don’t lose sight of the fact that this is a very special place filled with very special people.”
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