Daily Archives: October 7, 2015

Sports

Carlos Pena Finally Retires

 

Carlos Pena has decided to finally call it a career and retire from Major League Baseball.

The former Haverhill resident played in the MLB for 14 years for eight different teams. On Friday, Sept. 18, he signed a one day contract with the Tampa Bay Rays — the team he holds closest to his heart — so he could retire with the club. He played for the Rays from 2007-2010, making it to the World Series in 2008, but eventually losing to the Philadelphia Phillies.

According to the Eagle-Tribune, Pena still thinks about Haverhill to this day.

“Haverhill High prepared me well. It was a great school. The YMCA was where me and my brothers always hung out. We’d get up at four in the morning and go hit in the batting cages in the basement,” Pena told the Tribune.

“I could mention so many people in Haverhill that I’m grateful for.”

In addition to graduating from Haverhill High School, Pena also attended Northeastern University in Boston.

In 1998 he was drafted into the MLB by the Texas Rangers. He got picked in the first round and was the 10th pick overall.

During his 14 years in the MLB, he played 1,494 games, scored 745 runs, piled up 1,146 hits, and hit 286 home runs.

Pena is now an analyst for the MLB Network.

 

Campus Life

College Life and Campus Services Fair

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Sponsored by Student Engagement, the College Life & Campus Services Fair was held on the Haverhill campus on Sept. 16 and the Lawrence campus on Sept. 21 and ran from 11-1 p.m. in both locations.

The colorful tablecloths and balloons surrounding the smiling faces of the representatives created a warm and inviting atmosphere for learning about all the support systems that are readily available to NECC students.

“We connect students to all kinds of resources; social and academic,” said Deb Lavalle, a staff member representing the Student Success Center. “Even if someone needs help with their homework, that’s what we’re here for.”

Promoting the new Starfish Early Success program, the Student Success Center offered a free raffle and contest for naming the program’s mascot, a blue starfish. The winner of the contest will be announced in October and will receive a gift basket of which Lavalle said the contents are “still growing.”

Among the more than thirty booths at the fair were representatives from the PACE program, Alpha Beta Gamma, Veterans Services, Bacon Boardgamers, Dance Club, and the Counseling Center, just to name a few.

The Gay-Straight Alliance, represented by NECC student Gianna Derrico, was pleased to extend an invitation to all who wish to support LGBTQ+ students. “We want everyone to feel safe and comfortable,” said Derrico.

Andrea Spinelli, staff member of the Learning Accommodations Center, said, “I love doing these events, I’m always the first one to sign up.”

Spinelli enjoys assisting students with documented, diagnosed disabilities by connecting them with many different types of services. Anything from accessible furniture to peer note taking can be arranged for qualified students. “If you’re in the class already, why not earn some extra money by taking notes for a classmate?” said Spinelli. “You can get paid up to $125 per semester.”

Administrative Assistant Maria Hom was joined by co-representatives Joe Torres and Rob Wormald for the Wellness and Fitness Center, which includes a full gym with everything from free weights to treadmills and more. “Come utilize our facilities,” said Wormald. “We have a lot of attendance incentives, like free sweatshirts.”

Hom adds “It’s free to all students, all you need is your student ID.”

Those who attended the fair received lots of free gifts, such as pens and buttons, but it was the Italian slush provided by Biggart’s Ice Cream of Haverhill that left quite an impression on Hom. “It’s delicious!”

Campus Life

Mass Sheriff Training Program at NECC

 

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Students may have noticed a sheriff’s van driving through the quad on Sept. 9. On top of the Methuen Police Academy, NECC has now become home to the Massachusetts Sheriff Training Program. The Observer had the opportunity to speak with Commandant Michael McAuliffe and drill instructor Allysson Hernandez during the program’s move into the first floor of the Science building on the Haverhill campus.  The program officially started on Sept. 14.

The Methuen Police Academy has been moved into a few first floor classrooms in the Spurk building.

Enrollees in the Sheriff Training Program will park only in the furthest row in the Spurk building student lot and are required to purchase parking permits.

The class includes 31 recruits, eight of them female, training to become corrections officers.

Physical training will take place on campus, generally on the field in the quad.

Campus Life, Features

Opportunity Works’ Justin Sanchez

 
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Walking into Opportunity Works, you hear classical music playing from the welcome desk. The staff instantly greet you, and quickly help you get to where you need to go.

The building may be new, but the bonds between the staff and students there are richly rooted. Each person has a profound story to tell, like Justin Sanchez.

Justin Sanchez is 27 years old and has been at the Haverhill location of Opportunity Works for about six months.

Sanchez is in Club 22, works as a receptionist at Opportunity Works, and has the name of “helper” with math, cooking, and much more. Club 22 is a program “for people with disabilities: it helps you achieve goals, the staff helps you out,” said Sanchez.

Sanchez was born into divorce, and his sister’s father raised him.

“I was a terrible baby, threw toys at my door,” he said.  

“I’m a caring person, I treat people with respect … I’m here if anyone needs to talk, I don’t like it when people are sad. Oh yeah, I’m Puerto Rican –          I speak Spanish and French.”

When he was just a baby he traveled to the Dominican Republic. “I got bit by something, (which meant) I had to relearn everything… it was scary,” he said.

Sanchez took all the pain, obstacles, negativity and doubt thrown at him, and simply decided being a stronger man was more important than staying down on himself for the rest of his life.

Destiny Farley, a friend from high school, said that one of Sanchez’s best qualities is his sense of humor. “He’s a jokester; always laughing, smiling.”

In middle and high school, Sanchez got straight A’s in addition to playing football, basketball and baseball.

To him, nothing else matters except “to make people happy. I don’t like it when people are sad, it makes me sad.” Through all his struggles, he still wanted to help others be happy. “Without confidence, you can’t succeed in life,” he said. Sanchez has found his passion in public speaking. He has even spoken at the Opportunity Works annual golf tournament at the Haverhill Country Club.

“Public speaking for Opportunity Works is my favorite thing because I’m confident in what I’m doing. I’m not afraid,” said Sanchez.

The staff of Opportunity Works know Justin Sanchez well, collectively applauding his helpful nature. Just walking down the hallways with Justin and talking, people stopped Justin to high five him and say something about his character. Sanchez said,

“Debbie is my favorite person at Opportunity Works. She is a down to earth person, helps you wherever you’re stuck- like I can’t count money, she helps me out.”

Staff coordinator Deborah “Debbie” Hogan-Vicente reciprocated this affection, saying that Sanchez is “a great guy. He is a pleasure to have in our Club 22 program. He is also very helpful when needed.”

“He always has clever things to say. He’s witty, cheerful, caring, shows a genuine interest in others,” said Jim Field, Job Developer in Project Research for Opportunity Works.

Sanchez will be going through the Project Research Program in October to find a job. He aspires to be in forensics.

“I watch ‘Two and a Half Men,’ but my favorite is ‘CSI Miami,’ ‘CSI Cyber,’ anything like that – that’s what I want to do in life,” he said with an optimistic smile.

 

Arts and Entertainment, Campus Life, Features, News

“Haverhill’s Archie” – Fact or Legend?

 
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Local legend holds that artist Bob Montana created the Archie comic strip and based the characters, at least in part, on his Haverhill High School peers. The truth of this claim has always been somewhat of a mystery; it seems to be contradicted in a few places, including by the original publisher of the comic strip, John L. Goldwater.

Goldwater is quoted as saying that he modeled the characters largely after people that he met while traveling throughout the Midwest as a reporter. Goldwater is also said to have attended school in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, and Riverdale is the name of the fictional town from where Archie, Jughead, Betty, Veronica and the rest of the Archie gang hail.

When the comic was first released in Nov. 1941, it was clear that Riverdale was located in Massachusetts. The high school depicted in the comic also seems to have been modeled after the original Haverhill High School, which is now City Hall.

The comic, still popular after 60 years, included hints as to the location of Riverdale in each issue in 2002 but at the end of the year, it was revealed that Riverdale would be given no official location. Some believed the hints pointed to Riverdale being located in the the Missouri area.

Cambridge-based film critic Gerald Peary has been a fan of the Archie comics since the ’50s, but his interest was really piqued in the ’80s. He read a letter to the editor in the Boston Globe from a Haverhill librarian, who stated that the Archie characters were alive and well living in Haverhill.

It was at that time Peary began his journey to find the real Archie characters. He created a documentary about what he uncovered called “Archie’s Betty” and is stopping in Haverhill next month as part of a nationwide tour.

In celebration of Haverhill’s 375th anniversary, NECC, Buttonwoods Museum and The Haverhill Historical Society are hosting two free showings of the film on Oct. 1 at 3 and 6:30 p.m. in the Hartleb Technology Center. An exhibit of Montana’s work and the original work of NECC students will be on display in the Linda Hummel ArtSpace from Oct. 1 through Oct. 31.

 

Sports

Coach Bradley Brings Back Cross Country to NECC

 

Northern Essex Athletics has not offered a cross country program in seven years. There hasn’t been a coach or enough students to fill out a team. Now, after all this time, they are bringing the program back thanks to new head coach Thomas Bradley.

Bradley has accomplished many things in his life. He grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., graduated from the Military Academy at West Point and ended up a captain in the U.S. Army for five years. After that part of his life, he worked on Wall Street and several banks.

For about 38 years now, he has been coaching multiple sports at different schools around New England. When asked what sport he enjoys coaching the most, he always says the same thing: cross country.

The last job Bradley had before Northern Essex was head coach of the cross country team at Wilmington High School, where he coached for 18 years. With Wilmington he also coached the girl’s basketball team, showing the high school his love and dedication to sports.

At the end of his 18 years at Wilmington High, he announced his retirement. His retirement didn’t last too long though.

Bradley saw an ad in the Eagle-Tribune that Northern Essex needed a head coach for cross country and decided to contact Athletic Director Sue MacAvoy. When he met with MacAvoy, he learned that he would actually be bringing back the program. He reacted positively to the news and is ready for the new challenge.

His retirement barely lasted a whole summer. He just couldn’t stay away.

“A lot of it has just been fun. As long as I stay healthy I can see myself sticking around for a while,” Bradley said.

The cross country team has five scheduled meets this season. It will be a new experience for Bradley, because this is his first time coaching at the college level.

Bradley is now recruiting all students who may be interested in running cross country. Those interested can reach him at tbradley@necc.mass.edu.

Campus Life, Features

Campus Accessibility

 
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Accessibility at Northern Essex has long been a hot-button issue. The outdated elevators, the cracks in the ramps, the ice and snow in the winter — it all falls under the umbrella of accessibility concerns.

With the Spurk Building being renovated this upcoming year, some may wonder what upgrades are going to be made to improve accessibility. Susan Martin, director of Learning Accommodations, is an advocate for the issue. Martin has pitched the idea of “universal design.” Universal design would make improvements with certain disabilities in mind but would benefit the community as a whole.

These ideas include higher, larger desks in the rooms that can accommodate wheelchairs. Right now, readers may notice one or two desks in the classrooms that are larger, but in Martin’s ideal world, a wheelchair would fit comfortably anywhere in the class.

Universal design also involves the ramps that anyone can use. Whether someone is using them because they are disabled, rolling a bag behind them or just tired after a long day of running to class, Martin points out that this is another positive effect of universal design.

There is an elevator in every building, with E and B sharing one where they intersect. Leading into the Hawrylciw Theater on the top floor of Spurk is a wheelchair lift. Last December, before a performance of “A Christmas Carol,” the wheelchair lift failed. The woman, and her wheelchair, had to be carried down the remaining stairs.

“I do get a few of those (complaints),” said Martin, who also explained that there are records of each complaint and the respective follow-up. When there is an undocumented issue and students voice their concerns later down the line, Martin said, “We don’t often know all of the details … If (students) have what (they) believe is an ‘access issue’ now or in the future please do not hesitate to contact Justine Caron.”

There is an Access Committee that meets just once a year to discuss accessibility concerns and improvements. Martin is a part of the committee along with previously mentioned Justine Caron, the ADA Compliance Officer on campus. The committee was founded in 1998 with the responsibility to “review, discuss and recommend items for a campus-wide access plan in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973,” according to an email from Martin.

There is a meeting to discuss the Spurk renovation plans on Oct. 8 in the Technology Center, room 103 at noon.

The Observer invites you to share your experiences with accessibility on campus. Contact Kelly at observer@necc.mass.edu.

 

Sports

Outdoor Basketball Court in Jeopardy

 

When students drive on Kenoza St. to take the rear entrance into Northern Essex, they are greeted with the nice view of Kenoza Lake. On the other side of the road, though, lies an abandoned basketball/handball court.

“Yeah, the eyesore?” said Athletic Director Sue MacAvoy. “It actually used to be a decent outdoor small basketball court out there.”

The court has been in this location since the Haverhill campus opened. It was surely in better shape back then. The basketball nets were intact, there were no holes in any of the fences separating the basketball and handball courts, and there was brand-new asphalt — no grass growing through the middle of the courts.

Nobody has taken enough care of the area to keep it in good condition, so the court has gone the way nature has taken it. This has led to many different problems.

“Last year there was a water main break down there. The water pipes went underneath that so they had to dig up certain areas of it, and that is not in the best of places, being that it is in a low spot next to the reservoir — so the asphalt was constantly cracking,” MacAvoy said.

The Athletic Department has noticed that the court has fallen into disrepair and are currently trying to figure out what to do with it. One option would be to keep the court, but they would have to make renovations and be sure that students would want to come and use it on a regular basis so it does not fall apart again due to neglect.

The school could also decide to move it somewhere else on the campus, but there is the issue of finding more land to create a new one. Once again though, it is not guaranteed that people would use it and it could be a waste of time, space and money.

Another option is that the school could decide to remove the courts altogether, said MacAvoy.

“They’re trying to decide if they’re actually just going to remove it because it is kind of a safety hazard.”