The Freker Family Foundation honors 10 Malden High School Class of 2026 seniors in awarding its Inaugural Scholarships
- michaeljfreker
- 14 hours ago
- 11 min read
Malden High School Class of 2026 graduates receive over $135,000 in awards on 69th Senior Class Night
The past met up with the present on June 2, 2026 when The Freker Family Foundation awarded its Inaugural Scholarships at the traditional Malden High School Senior Class night, held in the venerable Jenkins Auditorium.
All six children of the late Jack and Marjorie Freker were graduated from Malden High School between the years 1975 and 1989 and all of them went to earn college degrees.
Following the recent passing of Marjorie Freker, the six Freker brothers and sisters joined this year to establish The Freker Family Foundation. Its mission is to encourage and support the achievements and success of student-athletes at Malden High School either individually or through the Golden Tornado Club, the booster club for MHS athletics.
The Freker Family Foundation scholarships were one of the many highlights of the 69th Senior Class Scholarship Night, which saw over 60 members of the Malden High Class of 2026 receive over $135,000 in awards. The $135,000-plus is another record amount distributed and presented for Malden High Seniors.
Presenting the scholarships that evening was Steve Freker (MHS Class of 1977), who serves as Malden High Head Baseball Coach (1985-1999, 2017-Present) and is a Communications Specialist/ Student & Staff Support employee at the school. The other Freker alumni include Jack Freker Jr. (Class of 1975), Gary Freker (Class of 1980), Karen Freker (Class of 1982), Linda Freker (Class of 1985) and Mike Freker (Class of 1989).
Malden High School Principal Chris Mastrangelo praised the MHS Senior Class of 2026 overall and specifically the scholarship recipients. “We are certainly showing that this year’s school theme of ‘Start Here, Finish Anywhere’ is still strong, with our seniors headed to some of the finest colleges and universities in the world, once again.”
Included among the destinations for this year’s seniors are Harvard University and Princeton University in the Ivy League, MIT, RPI, Boston College, Babson, UMass-Amherst, Seton Hall, Wheaton, Northeastern, University of Miami and many others. Just about 70 percent of the Senior Class are headed to either two- or four-year colleges or universities in the fall.
Other highlights included the awarding of scholarships in honor of Robert “Bob” Rotondi and his sister Diane, left a six-decade-plus legacy of altruistic deeds and intentions, many of them related to baseball fields, teams and players. Though both have passed on in this life, their legacy is still very much alive, as several members of the Malden High Class of 2026 discovered at last week’s Senior Scholarship Night. Four members of the Class of 2026 were recipients of the new Robert & Diane Rotondi Scholarship program, the beneficiaries of four individual scholarship presentations of $2,500 each.
For many years before his passing, Bob Rotondi presented a scholarship in his family’s name on this night, but the new scholarship program was raised to its present level for this year. Recipients — all of whom participated in the Malden Babe Ruth Baseball League, championed by the Rotondis for some 60 years — were Billy Gavin, Thomas Lynch, Johnny Mei and Gino Spadafora.
Another major scholarship presentation was made in the name of Helen Somers by the Red Sox Foundation. The Second Annual Helen Somers Scholarship, made in the name of the late 1946 MHS graduate, was in the amount of $10,000 and the single recipient was the #1-ranked student in the senior class, Kelly Ye. Ye is the MHS Class Valedictorian and is headed to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the fall. The Scholarship award was presented by Red Sox Foundation Director of Programs Cara Blanchette. Ye will also be honored before the Red Sox- Washington Nationals game at Fenway Park in Boston on June 30. The Somers Scholarship is the largest single scholarship award ever presented at MHS Senior Scholarship Night.
Following are the recipients of the Inaugural Freker Family Foundation Scholarships, presented at the 69th Malden High School Senior Class Night, held on June 2, 2026 in the Jenkins Auditorium
• YASSER BELATRECHE: A four-year Varsity Soccer player, Yasser served as Team Captain this past season. He also played for Malden Youth Soccer for the past seven seasons. He also played two seasons of Varsity Boys Basketball. Yasser, in his junior year, helped found the first Muslim Student Association (MSA) at Malden High School, serving as MSA President for the past two years. He is headed to UMass-Boston this fall.
• BILLY GAVIN: A two-sport standout, Billy had 12 wins on the mound in the past two seasons for Malden High Baseball and led the Golden Tornado Football team to 4 wins— including a Thanksgiving Day victory over Medford on the road— in his first year as starting Quarterback. A consistent Honor Roll student, Billy also was a three-sport athlete, playing for the Lakers in MNBL action in the winter. Both Billy and his dad, Also Bill Gavin, were coached by Steve Freker in Football and Baseball. Bill Gavin Sr. was a teammate of Mike Freker on the 1987 Greater Boston League Championship Football Team. Billy Jr. is headed to Salem State University in the fall.
• MIKE JOSEPH: A four-year Varsity Soccer player and two-time Greater Boston League All-Star. Malden's leading striker led the team in point scoring for the past two seasons. A native of Haiti and one of the top all-around athletes at Malden High, Mike also touched a lot of rims while skywalking in the winter for the Sixers in the Malden Neighborhood Basketball League. He is pursuing collegiate soccer at North Essex Community College (NECC) in Haverhill this fall.
• THOMAS 'TJ' LYNCH: A four-year baseball player, TJ had his best season this past spring in his senior year, near the top of the list in hitting with big clutch hit after big clutch hit, second on the team in RBIs. TJ will always be remembered for the miraculous, spectacular catch he made for the last out in the bottom of the 7th inning for Malden in its MIAA Division 1 State Baseball Tournament win over Durfee, which sealed the 3-2 victory. It was a running, sliding catch of a sinking liner which would have scored the winning run from second base for the home team. He was s Senior Captain in Baseball this past spring. A National Honor Society member, TJ was one of the top student-athletes in the Class of 2026 with a 4.46 GPA. He is headed to Babson College in the fall.
• RYAN McMAHON: The most successful pitcher in Malden High Baseball history, Ryan owns every single season and career pitching record, including most career wins (23) strikeouts (268) and innings pitched (207). After this past season Ryan was named Greater Boston League Most Valuable Player and to the Boston Globe All-Scholastic Baseball Team. These honors were the first for a Malden High player since 1998. Ryan was also named to the MIAA State Senior Select All-Star Team this year and will play in the 29th Old-Time Baseball Game in Cambridge this year. He was a two-year Baseball Team Captain. A key member of the MHS Varsity Boys Basketball Team for the past two years and the Varsity Golf team in 2025 and 2024. He will play Baseball at Northern Essex Community College (NECC) in Haverhill this fall.
• MATHEUS MARTINS: A gifted soccer player, Matheus was Malden High's "#10" the best player on the Golden Tornado team this past season. He was named to the Greater Boston League All-Star Team and was the team's steadying influence at midfielder. A native of Brazil, Matheus arrived in Malden in the middle of last season and was unable to participate for the Tornados until this year. He excelled all year and this past spring, played semiprofessionally for the Boston City FC Futbol Club where he continued to improve and thrive. His goal is to play professional soccer and he will pursue collegiate soccer at Northern Essex Community College this fall.
• JOHNNY MEI: A four-year Malden High Baseball player, Johnny was also the Baseball Academic Award recipient in each of his four years with the program, consistently at 4.6 GPA or above. Johnny also participated in the MNBL for the championship Pistons in basketball and was a member of the MHS National Honor Society for the past three years. He is the highest-ranked student-athlete, #4 overall academically, in the Class of 2026. Johnny is headed to Boston College this fall.
• HAYLEE SEELEY: One of Malden High's top student-athletes, a leader on the field and in the classroom. Haylee led the Tornado softball team in hitting in each of the past three seasons and served as team captain in each of the past two seasons. She comes from a sports-minded family as her older brother played high school and college Baseball. Haylee was a vocal leader around the school in all four years at Malden High and is headed for the University of Miami (Fla.) in the fall.
• GINO SPADAFORA: A versatile student-athlete, Gino was a four-year member of both the Malden High Golf Team in the Fall and MHS Baseball in the Spring. In between he found enough time to be an Honors Student and graduate in the top 25 percent of the Class of 2026. He also worked at a job outside school in addition to pursuing his passion for photography, developed while working the dual MHS publications of the Maldonian Yearbook and Blue and Gold student newspaper. In Baseball, Gino was elevated to Team Captain this past spring where was a vocal and effective leader. He is headed for Suffolk University this fall.
• FIONA YOUMELL: A talented student-athlete, Fiona was a valuable member of the Golden Tornado Varsity Softball Team for the past 4 seasons, serving as Team Captain this past Spring Season. She was a popular and hard-working member of the Senior Class Government in a variety of roles and active in other clubs and organizations as well. Fiona is headed to the University of Miami this fall.
Here’s the complete list of awards presented — the scholarships, the recipients and the amount received — on Senior Scholarship Night 2026:
THE HONORABLE JEFFREY ABBER MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP: Shaneel Zeba, $1,000
ROBERT K. ADAMS MEDIA AWARD: Gino Spadafora, $200
SAMMY J. ALIBERTE MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP: Jacob Morrison, $1,000
JOSEPH G. AMELIO SCHOLARSHIP: Lynkolnn Silva, $1,000
DOMENIC A. ANTONUCCI MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND: Gabriela Parini, $1,000
CARMEN AND PAUL ARNONE SCHOLARSHIP: Christopher Arruda, $500; Isaac Licona Cruz, $500
GORDIE BARBRICK/JAMES A. TRINGALI MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP: William “Billy” Gavin, $250
THE LAWRENCE BELZARINE FOOTBALL SCHOLARSHIP: Eliezer Perez, $1,500
DANNY DORAZIO MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP — Love of Football: Ismail Elbahlawan, $1,000
THE ROSE FLORENCE BELZARINE SCHOLARSHIP: Isaac Licona Cruz, $1,500; Christopher Arruda, $1,500
JOHN BENOTTI MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP: David Parada Araujo, $500
BARRY BLACK MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP: Danielle Harrington, $1,000
BLACKTHORN BUILDS — A Resilience Award: Ace Showstead, $1,000
ARTHUR & MARGARET BOYLE SCHOLARSHIP Joseph Hatch, $500
THE CLARKE R. BROOKES SCHOLARSHIP: Narck-Haylee Mamouzette, $200
BRUNELLI FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP: Gino Spadafora, $500
THE MICHAEL J. BYRNE LEADERSHIP SCHOLARSHIPS: Destiny Leon, $1,000; Lynkolnn Silva, $1,000
CLASS OF 1982 — ARLENE GOLDSTEIN CEPPETELLI SCHOLARSHIP: Gariela Parini Cordova, $1,000
CLASS OF 1986 — LYNN MURPHY FINN SCHOLARSHIP: Haylee Seeley, $1,000
THE THOMAS F. COSGROVE MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND: Namaicka Jeune, $1,000
THE FRANKIE DECANDIA MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP: Andy Liu, $500; Ivan Wang $500
THE DONNA FROIO DE LENA MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP: Christopher Arruda-Ciulla, $1,000; Phi Gold, $1,000
THE JOHN M. DEMARCO SCHOLARSHIP: Brenda Darisse, $500
THOMAS J. DEVINCENTIS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP: Lincoln Boswell, $1,000; Avani Chhetri, $1,000; Ismail Elbahlawan, $1,000; Danielle Harrington, $1,000; Haylee Seeley, $1,000
DANNY DORAZIO MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP — Love of Football: Ismail Elbahlawan, $1,000
THE BRENDAN & ELAINE DUFFY COLLEGIATE SCHOLARSHIP: Sean Cochran, $1,000
JAMES RICHARD DURLIN MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP: Haylee Seeley, $500
FRANCES J. D’URSO, SR. MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP: Patrick Coffill, $1,500; Andres Diaz, $1,500
EAST CAMBRIDGE SAVINGS BANK SCHOLARSHIP: Ana Moco Lourenco, $1,500; Gilles Elkawei Ndagha, $1,500
DONALD FAVORAT SCHOLARSHIP: Phi Gold, $500
COUNCILLOR EILEEN M. FAY MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP: Julia Cardoso, $500; Phuong Anh Nguyen, $500; Laura Onyejiaka, $500
MALDEN FIREFIGHTERS — Local 902 SCHOLARSHIPS: Sophia Chan, $500; Kelly Ye, $500; Fiona Youmell, $500
FIRST CHURCH IN MALDEN CONGREGATIONAL: Menal Abdulalim, $2,500; Andres Diazn, $2,500; William Gavin, $2,500; Kwan Wo Li, $2,500
FORESTDALE SCHOOL P.T.O. SCHOLARSHIP: Christopher Arruda-Ciulla, $125; Gabriella Lemus, $125; Salah Bouam, $125; Thomas Lynch, Jr., $125; Sean Cochran, $125; Gabriela Parini Cordova, $125; Athena Fondulis, $125; Haset Tesfaw, $125; Sydney Gordon, $125; Keith Vien, $125; Fiona Youmell, $125
THE FREKER FAMILY FOUNDATION: Yasser Belatreche, $400; Mike Joseph $400; Johnny Mei, $400; William Gavin, $400; Haylee Seeley, $400; Ryan McMahon, $400; Gino Spadafora, $400; Matheus Martins, $400; Thomas Lynch, $400; Fiona Youmell, $400
LISA FRIESNER SPIRIT AWARD: Caroline Santos, $1,500
JAMES F. GAFFEY SCHOLARSHIP: Keith Vien, $500
THE CARL GORDON GARLAND MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP: Gabriela Parini, $500; Eliezer Perez, $500
ALEXANDER GENTILE MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP: Patricia Mukasa, $1,000
THE ANDREA GIANNATTASIO MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND: Kelly Ye, $500; Fiona Youmell, $500
GARY GILLAN MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP: Haylee Seeley, $2,000
THE MAJOR JOHN PATRICK “PAT” GILLEN, JR. MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP AWARD: Patricia Mukasa, $500
GOLDEN TORNADO CLUB STUDENT ATHLETES OF THE YEAR: Sania Chen, $1,000; Lincoln Boswell, $1,000
THE GRASSO FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP: Nicholas Li, $500
THE WILLIAM A. HAMPTON FOOTBALL LINEMAN SCHOLARSHIP: Johnathan Ventura, $400
GEORGE A. HANNA, JR. MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP: Cecil Wong, $1,000
HONEY DEW DONUT SCHOLARSHIP: Ashlee Zeng, $500
DORIS AND JOSEPH KELLY MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP: Salvatore Fumicello, $100
FOR THE KIDS FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP: Abdulramane Sangare, $1,000; Caroline Santos, $1,000
THE KEVIN KILBRIDE MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND: William Gavin, $1,000; Patricia Mukasa, $1,000
THE THOMAS KING ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIP: Helen Nie, $500; Kaua Fernandes Dias Valadares, $500
THE RALPH LINDSTROM MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP: Laura Onyejiaka, $1,000
LIONS CLUB SCHOLARSHIP: Omar Chouiki, $500; Jaell Dumas, $500; Phi Gold, $500; Erica Littlejohn, $500
LIVELIKEBECCA SCHOLARSHIP: William Gavin, $1,000; Phi Gold, $1,000; Sydney Gordon, $1,000; Ace Showstead, $1,000
THE LORD FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP: Nour Jaayfer, $1,000
THE ROBERT K. LOVE MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP: Erica Littlejohn, $1,000
MICHAEL LUU MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP: Nicholas Li, $200
MALDEN HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION ACADEMIC AWARDS: Haylee Seeley, $1,000; Ace Showstead, $1,000; Lynkolnn Silva, $1,000
—In Memory of Dr. George Holland: Kelly Ye, $1,000
—In Memory of Joanne Iovino: William Gavin, $1,000
—In Memory of Diane Lind: Gabriela Parini Cardova, $1,000
—In Memory of Roberta Mauriello: Phi Gold, $1,000
—Friends and Family of Nancy Finkelstein: Sophia Chan, $1,000
—In Memory of Dr. Ralph Epstein — Class of 1957: Sean Cochran, $1,000
MALDEN POLICEMAN PATROLMAN ASSOCIATION: David Parada, $1,000
MALDEN FEDERAL CREDIT UNION SCHOLARSHIP AWARD: Haylee Seeley, $500
MALDEN GRANGE #354 PATRONS OF HUSBANDRY SCHOLARSHIP: Amanda Retamero Granja, $500
MALDEN KIWANIS CLUB SCHOLARSHIP: Dr. Robert P. Moro Memorial Scholarship Award: Erica Littlejohn, $1,000; Ivan Wang, $1,000
MALDEN PUBLIC SCHOOLS EDUCATIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS: Jaziarra Antoine, $750; Miraldie Mabois, $750; Leica Naceus, $750; Eliezer Perez, $750
MEA LOUISE DEMEO SCHOLARSHIPS: Sydney Gordon, $100; Erin Grondin, $100; Jacob Morrison, $100; Yunus Yousfi, $100
MEA — DONALD E. BRUNELLI, JR. SCHOLARSHIPS: Eliezer Perez, $500
OLD & NEW OF MALDEN SCHOLARSHIPS: Aaliyah Lopes-Teixeira, $500; Jacob Fuentes, $500
THE THOMAS F. O’DONNELL SCHOLARSHIP FUND: Aldino Talic, $500
THE SANDRA O’NEILL SCHOLARSHIP AWARD: Meng Yao Huang, $500
JOSEPH “JOEY” PISAPIA SCHOLARSHIP: Brenda Darisse, $150
THE RED SOX FOUNDATION —THE SOMER SCHOLARSHIP FUND — Awarded by the Red Sox Foundation: Kelly Ye, $10,000
WILLIAM E. RITTERSHAUS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND: Juninho Victor, $1,000
JACOB RUDERMAN MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND: Elijah Lugo, $1,000
THE SAINT ROCCO’S FRATERNAL ASSOCIATION OF MALDEN SCHOLARSHIP: Ace Showstead, $1,000
THE ROBERT D. and DIANE ROTONDI SCHOLARSHIP: William Gavin, $2,500; Johnny Mei, $2,500; Thomas Lynch, Jr., $2,500; Gino Spadafora, $2,500
DALE SCHWADRON SCHOLARSHIP FUND: Taliyah Lauture, $500
ANTHONY SESTITO MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP: Beatriz Oliveira, $1,000
THE BARBARA E. DANIELS SHERMAN MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP: Erica Littlejohn, $1,000
THE RUSSELL SMITH SCHOLARSHIP AWARD — Class of 1972: Haylee Seeley, $400; Ryan McMahon, $400
LOUIS SOLOMON MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP: Kenneth Wong, $1,000
THE CARMELA SPADAFORA MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP: Helen Nie, $1,000
THE RANDAL S. SPRAGUE SCHOLARSHIP FUND: Alecia Louigene, $500
THE JACQUELINE M. STARR SCHOLARSHIP: Jacob Fuentes, $750; Gabriela Parini Cordova, $750
THE MURIEL SWIMM FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH SCHOLARSHIP: Sean Cochran, $1,000
MARY ELLEN TRAMONDOZZI NURSING SCHOLARSHIP: Patricia Mukasa, $1,500
THE ROBERT L. TRANI SCHOLARSHIP: Mailee “Moon” To, $1,000
THE PAMELA PERRY WICKWIRE SCHOLARSHIP FUND: Sophia Chen, $2,500
MALDEN ZONTA CLUB: Vivian Chau, $500; Nour Howard, $500; Erica Littlejohn, $500; Fiona Youmell, $500
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