Israa Howard also contributed to this article.
At Malden High School, the Practical Academics and Community Education (PACE) program serves to teach necessary life skills and independence for students with disabilities when they eventually age out of the program. The PACE program is back for the 2026-27 school year with new and returning students.
In PACE, students still learn their core academics, but their learning is combined with how to apply those skills to their lives for future planning and success. Instead of being taught just mathematics, they are also learning budgeting and measuring; and rather than learning English, their curriculum includes learning how to read and write emails.
New PACE Teachers
The special education profession has been in dire need of educators at schools for decades, according to https://www.cn.edu/. Malden High School welcomed five new teachers who hope to support the students.
New teacher Madalene Brinkman, who has four years of experience as an inclusion teacher, shared that one thing she has noticed and valued is the relationships between General Education students and PACE students.
“Even today, we were in the Activities of Daily Living (ADL) room doing some things, and a student from another room came over to say ‘hi’ to our class, which was fun,” Brinkman shared. Deborah Apraku, a new PACE paraprofessional, shared a similar opinion with Brinkman when it came to PACE and Gen Ed students having class together.
Apraku, who has been in the Special Education profession for 26 years, shared that in her previous jobs, “the students would have a ‘Fun Friday’ with regular education students where they would participate with students with special needs and it was really nice seeing them all getting together.”
Most students at Malden High School have had to take gym to fulfill the one and a half year credit. During either period four or period seven, PACE students also join.
Sophomore Vivian Zhu, who was in period seven gym last school year, shared that it was more “fun” because there were more people to play with since most didn’t participate.
Jessica DePaula, who was hired late in the 2025-2026 school year, shared important activities within the program that prioritize life skills.
“Another part of the PACE program is we get to do cooking. We have a kitchen a couple of rooms down, which is nice. We go out in the community, go grocery shopping, and we go out a few times a week to different places like Bread of Life, the YMCA, Boda Borg, and Malden Center. We go there, and students practice job skills,” DePaula explained.
Upcoming Opportunities
Recently, Malden became a Unified Sports School, a program where students with disabilities get to participate in specialized sports teams. On October 8th and 13th, Malden held their second and third basketball games against Medford and Revere in the Finn Gym.
Sophomore Brylie Leshane, who attended the Medford game, stated that she “ really got into it.
Aside from Unified Basketball, the Special Olympics is another opportunity that unites General Education students and PACE students, as it takes place in the spring season. It is already highly anticipated and being prepared for as of the current season
For the last Special Olympics, PACE students from Revere, Chelsea, Everett, Medford, and so many more all joined together at MacDonald Stadium to enjoy a day of fun. Brinkman, who will be attending her first Special Olympics this May, was amazed to hear that it’s not just Malden that participates in the spring. “That’s awesome. I know it can be regional. I just didn’t know how many other towns are represented.”
All these aspects of the PACE program just go to show the importance of representation and appreciation for all students. Whether it is in school or sports, all students deserve to be appreciated, and that is what new teachers like Brinkman and DePaula hope to see: more integration.
“I think it can be hard for some of our friends in this community to really feel independent, and I think that’s something that I really appreciate,” Brinkman finished.
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