Monthly Archives: December 2015

Arts and Entertainment, Opinion

Holiday 2015 Movie Reviews: Hunger Games, The Night Before & More

 

The holiday movie season is here, and that means a flood of great (and not-so-great) film entertainment for your viewing pleasure. I’ve done my best to sort the tripe from the treasure, hand-picking one film each from four different genres — action/adventure, animation, comedy and drama — to check out on your days off.

“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2”

Action/Adventure

This fourth entry in the “Hunger Games” series sees Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) take the war for Panem to the Capitol itself, gaining an opportunity to confront the diabolical President Snow (Donald Sutherland) at last.

The higher focus on action does mean we see less of our favorite characters, like unflappable Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks) and clever Plutarch Heavensbee (the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman), but the greater focus on Katniss and brainwashed beau Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) allow Lawrence and Hutcherson to turn out their deepest and most affecting performances as these beloved characters.

Perhaps best of all, this unflinchingly grim, mature portrait of war — and its willingness to venture into tense political territory — doesn’t pull punches for the sake of its target audience, a thing to be savored in this era of diminishing returns.

“The Good Dinosaur”

Animation

It’s not even in the same stratosphere as “Inside Out,” which came out earlier this year, but director Peter Sohn’s contribution to the Pixar catalog is a good-natured and gorgeous little Western.

The story reverses the roles of human and beast, following young Apatosaurus Arlo (Raymond Ochoa) and caveboy Spot (Jack Bright) as they attempt to find their way back to the mountain where Arlo’s family lives. Along the way, they find ways to bridge the communication gap between species (Spot, as part of the role reversal, is the one lacking language) in the movie’s best tearjerker of a scene, and discover they have more in common than they might have otherwise thought.

The movie’s thin plot and intermittent exchanges of dialogue might make this a bit of a slog for adults in the audience, but at least they’ll have plenty of eye candy to look at in the meantime — Pixar renders their most stunning, lifelike scenery yet here.

“The Night Before”

Comedy

HHH

You’ve got to hand it to him: Seth Rogen may have played the chubby, druggy slacker-dude a few too many times in his career, but he hasn’t exhausted the laughs he can get with his lovable loser character. This time around, he’s Isaac Greenberg, the oafish BFF to two other goofballs by the names of Ethan Miller (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Chris Roberts (Anthony Mackie).

Ethan lost his parents in a car accident fourteen years ago, so to cheer him up, his friends created an annual Christmas tradition of silly slackerdom: Chinese food. Intentionally bad karaoke. The piano at FAO Schwarz made famous in Tom Hanks’ “Big.” But now, with Roberts taking care of a superstar career in the NFL and Greenberg with a baby on the way, it may be time for Ethan to face the music: his friends are growing up.

Oh, all right, so the premise is unoriginal and the quality of the jokes is uneven, but there are too many belly laughs here for anyone to care. One particular sequence, involving a series of explicit photos sent to Rogen via text message, had me seeing stars and gasping for air.

“Creed”

Drama

Who’d have guessed that this de facto “Rocky VII” could be not only good, but the best in the series since John G. Avildsen’s 1976 original? Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) quits his white collar job just after getting a promotion, and his mother senses the reason why: he’s going to fight. She knows this obsession with violence well, because she’s the widow of the late Apollo Creed — Rocky’s rival-turned-pal who died in the ring with Ivan Drago in the absurdly schlocky “Rocky IV.”

But the movie spares us flashbacks and plays it straight, which allows us to believe in the characters — for the most part, anyway. Although we’re never quite convinced of Johnson’s (later Creed’s) motivation, his camaraderie with Stallone’s iconic boxer — who, naturally, trains him to take on his father’s legacy — is surprisingly poignant, and the relationship he nurtures with quirky singer-songwriter Bianca is a worthy match for Rocky’s decades-old romance with Adrian. Yeah, “Pretty” Ricky Conlan isn’t up there with the original Creed, Mr. T’s Clubber Lang and Drago as a great over-the-top villain, but this is one movie that can survive on the virtues of its heroes alone.

Sports

Knights wrap up December games

 

In December the NECC Knights played 5 games, 4 away and 1 home. They played Roxbury, Bunker Hill, Springfield Tech, Southern Maine CC and Gateway (Conn).

On Dec. 1 at Roxbury, the Knights won 83-79. Roxbury outscored the Knights in the second half, 44-36, but that was not enough to reel in the “W.” Knights player Kevin Brito scored the most for NECC with 18 points. Matt Jameson and Bryan Morales were close behind, both with 13 points.

Roxbury did top the Knights in 3-point field goal percentage, with 30 percent compared to NECC’s 27 percent. They also beat the Knights free throw percentage and made more rebounds than the Knights.

After Roxbury, the team traveled to Bunker Hill and was handed their only loss in December and their first road loss of the season. Bunker Hill defeated the Knights 122-102.

The high scoring game saw Knights, Morales score 22 points, Dominic Dar with 19, and Jonathan Paulino scored 14 points.

On the other side of the court, Bunker Hill players Fredens Deneus and David Stewart scored 21 and 22 points respectively and both made 4 out of 5 of their free throw attempts.

NECC then traveled to Springfield Tech and won 99-64. Jameson and Matt Lynch shined in this game. Jameson scored 16 points and Lynch had his best game of the season, scoring 15 points and made 3 out of 5 of his 3-point attempts. Each team recorded 38 rebounds.

When NECC came home after their 3 games on the road, they faced Southern Maine Community College in one of the most exciting games of the season. The Knights won the really close game 81-76.

The Knights and Southern Maine traded the lead multiple times in the second half. Morales was once again the star for NECC, he scored 25 points and made 7 out the 14 3-point attempts. Dar scored 19 points.

In the final game of December, the Knights traveled to Gateway (Conn.) and capped off the month with a close 80-72 win. The game was in Gateway’s hands after the first half, up on NECC 35-25. This didn’t stop the Knights though, who scored 55 points in the 2nd half to get the win. Morales scored 21 points and made 100% of his free throws.

The Knights play 10 games in January, 6 home and 4 away.

Sports

Knights win at home vs Southern Maine

 

On Dec. 10, the Knights basketball team took on Southern Maine Community College at home. It was their only home game in December.

The night started with the national anthem as usual, but some things were different than previous home games. Going into the game, NECC had a 9-4 record. They had become an exciting team to watch and people started to notice. The stands were more full than any home game so far this season.

Another thing that was different was that during the anthem, the Knights put their arms around each others’ backs and swayed back and forth together, a sign of togetherness and brotherhood.

Bryan Morales started the game for NECC by scoring a 3-pointer, and went on to score even more points that, by the end of the game, would total 25 — the team high for the night.

8 minutes and 30 seconds into the game, #10 on Southern Maine CC got hit in the nose by an elbow and took the rest of the first half off because of the injury.

At the end of the first half the score was 39-30, NECC leading.

The Knights led the whole game up until there was 10 minutes and 30 seconds left in the game when they finally got the lead and went up on NECC 57-56. The Knights went back and forth with the lead for the last 5 minutes up until NECC pulled off a beautiful breakaway-turned-into-a-layup play that all but sealed the game.

The Knights won 81-76.

The Knights leading scorers were Morales with 25 points, Dominic Dar with 19, and Jonathan Paulino with 13. NECC scored 11-16 free throw attempts.

Sports

Lynch helps Knights in big season

 

The Knights basketball team is off to an undeniably hot start. Since NECC is located in Massachusetts, most of the team is from the same state. There is one player, though, that is from the neighboring state of New Hampshire.

Matt Lynch, a Business Administration major from Plaistow, N.H., is in his second year at NECC and playing in his second season for the basketball team. He had not played any organized basketball in Mass. until last season.

“I played Varsity Basketball at Timberlane Regional High School. My senior year (I helped) the Owls bring home their first win of the season versus Keene after starting 0 and 17 … we also put an end to the historic 81 game Division I losing streak,” Lynch said.

With the 11-4 start that the Knights have worked up to, some might call the great record surprising or even attribute it to luck. That’s not what the Knights believe: they expect to win every game on the schedule.

“Not one player on this team is surprised by our hot start. We’re surprised we’ve even lost. Every game we have at least three or four guys step up to make plays and contribute to our winning success,” Lynch said.

“All 12 of us are playing this game to add another basketball banner to our gymnasium.”

After the first couple weeks of the season, the team had to adapt when Assistant Coach Joe Tardif stepped into the head coaching position. Since Tardif took over, the team has not lost a step and have garnered a winning record in his time so far.

“Coach Tardif has handled the head coach position exceedingly well and continues to be a role model and great influence in all of our lives on and off court,” Lynch said.

Under Tardif, Lynch might have played his best game of the season on the road against Springfield Tech. He hit three 3-pointers, shot a perfect 5-for-5 from the field, scored 15 points and recorded 5 assists and 2 rebounds. This, all while coming off the bench.

“My ultimate goal for school and basketball is to graduate from NECC on the dean’s list and win a championship with my teammates,” Lynch said.

Lynch is also entertaining the idea of transferring to a four-year university at the end of the school year. He says he will be going to Salem State University to play basketball for the Vikings.

Lynch may be moving on after the year but he has only good things to say about NECC and the Knights.

“My basketball shining moment has been here at NECC developing skills, mental toughness and building character and values which I’ve acquired from the coaching staff. It was a tough transition into my freshman year from playing basketball for a public New Hampshire high school, to understanding, learning and training for the extremely fast-paced game style we run here at NECC. Now, as a sophomore, I realize it was worth every damn second.”

Opinion

Opinion: The real honors experience from trials, to troubles, to triumph

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Considering that I work full time, play in a band, write for the NECC Observer, take care of my elderly mother and take classes at NECC, I really had no business taking on an Honors Project. When Professor Stephen Slaner presented the idea in his American Government & Politics course, not one student responded. Knowing that I was a writing major, he looked my way with a big smile and said, “I bet you could do a great project.”

Just when you start to question your very existence on this planet, someone has to go and give you a huge ego boost. So I agreed to write a proposal for my paper and declared to Slaner that my topic would be way outside the box and non-negotiable. Proposals were due the very next day. Although I had worked after school, I stayed up late writing it and was just about to email my idea for “Fueling the Mosh Pit: Heavy Metal Reflects on the Trauma of War” to Honors Coordinator Ginger Hurajt when hundreds of NECC student’s accounts were accidentally deleted. I just sat at my desk and cried for a few minutes before realizing that the sink was filled with dishes and that I had never washed my husband’s favorite Slayer shirt, as promised.

I would be lying if I didn’t say that I was a bit relieved to have missed the deadline. I thought “Who do I think I am? I don’t have time for extra homework!”

In light of the technical difficulties, Hurajt agreed to accept late entries. I don’t know why I was surprised, she’s pretty flexible when a student’s success is involved.

Inching my way toward graduation, one course at a time since 2011, I often wonder why I’m even in school at the age of 43. Feeling guilty about spending time on homework is something that I struggle with often. Giving up a nine-hour shift because I have a research paper to do has certainly raised some concern at the dinner table.

My husband asked, “Are you getting paid for this project?”

“No.” I said. “But the professor gets $200.”

“What do you get?”

“Well, nothing, except for a notation on my transcript,” I answered sadly.

After careful consideration and accepting four extra shifts at work, I had decided to drop the project. However, before I could inform Slaner of my disappointing news, I received an email from Hurajt, indicating that my project proposal had been accepted and the Honors Committee was looking forward to reading it.

So, once again I found myself basking in the encouragement of my mentors and figured, “I think I can make this work.” But at what cost?

A 10-15 page research paper, an additional essay explaining the process of the researching of the paper, a detailed presentation to the class and a giant poster highlighting your main ideas for the paper. This seems like a lot of work for someone who doesn’t work after school. What was I thinking?

As a professional procrastinator, I’m no stranger to pulling an all-nighter to meet an academic deadline. But things started to get a little too real when I realized that I was cutting hair on three hours of sleep and I told my mother I couldn’t take her Christmas shopping. Talk about feeling like the worst wife and daughter in the world. Surprisingly, with four days to spare, I finally clicked print at 3:00 a.m. and as I was putting the already wrinkled laundry away, I thought to myself, “I can’t believe I wasted 40 hours on this project and it doesn’t even count.”

The alarm went off way too soon and off to class I went. After presenting my project to the class, I dragged my tri-fold poster to the Tech Center for an Honors Poster Session, where the projects are viewed by members of the Honors Committee and other faculty and students. I was overwhelmed by the encouragement and praise offered by all who attended.

Although I am exhausted from the work, the overall experience has left me with a profound sense of accomplishment. I realize that at the end of the day, not all rewards are monetary. Just knowing that people believe in me and support my academic adventure makes it worth my while.

Features

Cramming is bad for your health and worse for your transcripts

 

By Carly Columbo

Correspondent

NECC students are finding themselves under crippling stress during these last few weeks in the semester, which leads them to cram. Cramming is defined by Wikipedia as “a widely used study skill performed in preparation for an examination or assessment. Most common among college-aged students, cramming is used as a means of memorizing large amounts of information in a short amount of time.”

Between finals and end of the term assignments, students have to scramble to finish strong.

“My stress levels tend to go higher around this time of school year,” says NECC student Gabriela Hernandez.

Many students are spending these weeks cramming late at night, drinking more caffeinated beverages, consuming more sugary snacks and doing whatever they can to stay awake to study.

“At the same time as finals I have to register for classes and apply to schools to transfer too,” says NECC student Tracy Mukami.

“In a typical day I’m piled with homework, studying for finals, doing a final project and looking at or compiling stuff for another college and trying to apply there.”

Luis Mendoza, an NECC student, said “Everything’s so hectic I hardly remember what sleep is anymore.”

The last few weeks before finals can take a toll on a student’s mental health. More students are trying to “cram” all the material in one night or a selection of nights.

Practices associated with cramming — such as losing sleep and consuming more sugary snacks — can not only hurt your mental and physical health, but also make you less able to retain information.

Studying for a couple hours each night with breaks in between is the smartest way to go about working with a lot of material. It is also important to continue practicing self-care, even when more time is needed to devote to school. NECC student Gabriela Hernandez mentioned her study tips for staying focused and on top of assignments towards the end of the semester.

“I found that over-studying can actually make it more difficult to retain information and learn material. So I try taking breaks in between studying. I usually study 30-40 minutes and then take a 10 minute break. I also try to dedicate the weekdays studying and during the weekends forget about school so I can relax mentally.”

It is also important to get plenty of rest. Students should be getting full nights of sleep to keep focused. It is also effective to stay hydrated and eat healthy to avoid long term stress.

Eating sugary foods can interrupt concentration and in the long-term add to stress. Christine Chung, UW-Madison student and UHS communications specialist, listed quick ways to help reduce stress short-term on the university’s health services website. such as watching a funny YouTube video and sharing it with a friend. There are also coping skills such as doing stretches at your desk, going for a short. brisk walk and even practicing breathing exercises, Chung wrote. 

It is important not to let this time get the best of us. Cramming and staying up studying for long hours hurts our health and ruins our ability to retain important information.

Features

A voice of literature, Elle Yarborough

 

Elle Yarborough, who is a full-time professor of the English Department at NECC, didn’t go to college with the mindset of becoming a teacher. While Elle was finishing up her master’s in English and participating in Community Outreach, one of the faculty members came to her with an opportunity.

“I was told one of the teachers quit … and (was asked if) I would be interested in working in her place for the next week or two while the school tried to find a replacement,” Yarborough says.

Because of her decision to work those two weeks, Yarborough was able to find her passion for teaching.

She has now been working as an English Professor at Northern Essex for five years. She teaches English Comp I & II, Art of the Movies and American Literature I & II.

“One thing I love about teaching is seeing a different perspective of others from their writing,” Yarborough says.

In Yarborough’s Art of the Movies course, her sincerity and passion make class discussion on different types of movies brilliantly motivating.

“One of the assignments we had to do was create a short film under 90 seconds on a topic that was found in the movie ‘To Kill a Mockingbird.’ Our group had a hard time trying to contribute to the group, so when we asked Elle what we should do next, she was able to come up with a solution,” says Sarah Smith, a student in Yarborough’s Art of Movies class.

Yarborough has two sons who are under the age of six.  “One of the hardest parts is balancing family, child care and working.

My husband travels which leads me to be a single mom for 2-3 weeks a month,” says Yarborough.  Despite this stress, she manages to come into class each day with a positive attitude.

Ellison Pena, who is also taking a course with Elle, says, “She is always in a good mood, which is something I really enjoy.”

Features

Phi Theta Kappa Community Outreach

 

The feeling of outreach and community in Phi Theta Kappa, or PTK, is drawing more interest from students. PTK is the largest honor society in American higher education.

PTK’s website states that the society traces its beginnings to “a society that originated with six charter members under the name of Kappa Phi Omicron at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, in 1910. The name Phi Theta Kappa was chosen, and the Society was incorporated in Missouri as a national organization.”

PTK Faculty Adviser Andrew Morse said, “It offers a variety of scholarships and awards for its members. PTK membership is noted on the NECC transcripts. Many four-year schools in Massachusetts offer PTK members a transfer scholarship when they apply. We also sponsor scholarship forums for all NECC students, so that they can learn how to avoid student loans.”

This semester, PTK has been raising money for the Salem Animal Rescue League. On Monday, Dec. 14, PTK had a bake sale to benefit the organization. A student donated a few dollars and instantly asked about becoming apart of the honors society because of the fundraiser.

“We don’t sit around and talk about how smart we are because we are honors students, we talk about organizations and local community related topics that we can help with,” said Samson Racioppi, PTK Member. Racioppi is also involved in Student Senate, Cultural Affairs, and other clubs on campus.

According to the society’s website, Phi Theta Kappa’s mission is two-fold. “Recognize and encourage the academic achievement of two-year college students and, and to provide opportunities for individual growth and development through participation in honors, leadership, service and fellowship programming.”

Racioppi said, “I enjoy working with people, and being in PTK has given me an opportunity to interact with students that I wouldn’t normally be able to.”

PTK gives students a chance to volunteer, but they also have a Facebook Page, where PTK members can join a cohort and gain more knowledge about leadership skills and communication in everyday life. PTKs next Leadership Development Study Group on Facebook begins Jan. 28.

Racioppi said, “PTK also helps out with scholarships and looks great on your transcript. PTK and other clubs like it put emphasis on volunteering and service. I have never officially volunteered prior to this semester, and now I’m going out of my way to volunteer.”

Features

PACE Hosts Aquarium Field Trip

 

On Dec. 3, PACE traveled to downtown Boston for an educational trip to the New England Aquarium. Normally, PACE takes field trips to four-year colleges and universities.

“They provide students with an opportunity to visit area colleges in person, take campus tours, attend information sessions, and meet with university staff to review their transfer credits,” says Kristen Arnold, PACE coordinator.

On these trips, PACE students often have “Mentor Meet-Ups”, where PACE alumni meet up with the group to talk about their transfer process and share their transfer words of wisdom.

PACE also takes cultural trips, like the trip to the New England Aquarium. “The purpose of the cultural trips is to provide an opportunity for our students to learn about and enjoy our local sites of interest,” says Arnold.

The transportation and costs of going to these places can get expensive, so students have the chance through PACE to take trips that normally wouldn’t be available to them.

The Aquarium has a central tank with all different types of fish, sharks, turtles and other sea creatures. As you walk the spiral walkway, each floor leads to a different exhibit.

By the time you reach the top, divers are in the tank, cleaning, feeding or getting live action feed for the television screens on the outer walls of the Aquarium.

The spot to be is the stingray petting pond. Two aquarium employees explain how to let the stingrays come to you, instructing you to lay your hands flat. The baby stingrays surprisingly knew exactly how to sit in place and let you pet them.

A new addition to the aquarium is the virtual turtle hospital, accompanied by jellyfish displays. These two floors in conjunction infatuate children while being incredibly educational. Individuals learn how to feed a turtle, what the turtle’s heartbeat sounds like in cold and warm temperatures, and observe jellyfish along the way. 21-year-old Stephanie Deleon, Communications major, says, “My favorite part is definitely the massive turtle and the sea lions. I really want to hug one, they were so cute.”

New technology is present as you walk up each floor for every creature. Sound stations with headphones are set up for people to listen to the sounds of the deep, like humpback whales, hammerheads or surface dwellers like emperor penguins, for example.

The top of the tank is open-faced, with touch screens full of information for each creature.

“I learned that a horseshoe crab sheds their shell several times during its first year, and then like once a year after its third or fourth year,” says Deleon.

The electric eel had a sensor where you could tell if the eel was tracking, killing or eating its prey. Some of Arnold’s favorite trips with PACE include the Paranormal Tour in Salem, visiting WBZ Studios in Boston, and lobster boating in Maine.

“We’re so lucky to live in this area, because history and culture is all around us. PACE provides an opportunity for our students to get out there and experience it,” says Arnold.

Campus Life

Seasonal celebration a success

 

The annual Seasonal Celebration was held on the Haverhill campus on Wednesday, Dec. 9.

The Seasonal Celebration is a get-together to commemorate the different holidays that happen in the month of December such as Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. The festivities are enjoyed by many of the faculty, staff, students and their children.

Many volunteers helped out at the event from the baseball team, the Student Senate and faculty from the Student Engagement Center. The baseball team helped out with decorating cookies and the senate helped out with some of the crafts.

Nate Miller, a theater major, worked with the kids making the “snowman soup.” Snowman soup is hot chocolate made into a kit. The children take a scoop of hot chocolate mix and a few marshmallows along with a candy cane for stirring.

Miller said, “I enjoyed helping the kids creating a hot chocolate kit and calling it snowman soup.”

The children at the event were a big fan of Miller, as he was wearing a onesie pajama set that featured Christmas decorations all over it. He wore the pajamas to entertain the kids as he was playing Santa’s elf “Dandy Cane.”

Another project that the children enjoyed taking part in was creating reindeer food for Santa’s reindeer on Christmas Eve. The children added a third of a cup of oats to three teaspoons of red and green glitter. The children then had to whisper a wish into the bag before they sealed it with a ribbon and directions on how to feed the reindeer.

Grant Bellino, a Philosophy major, helped with the reindeer food. “I love the way the kids get to whisper their wish into the reindeer food before they sealed it up,” he said.

Bellino also had children loving him because of his ugly Christmas sweater. They seemed to flock to his project to see what it was all about. One of the parents commented that his was the best outfit, very festive and the nicest ugly Christmas sweater she has seen.

The decorating of gingerbread cookies was a big hit with the children. They got to choose between different frostings and decorations. One student had the idea of turning the gingerbread man upside down and turning it into Rudolph cookies.

A big surprise for the kids was Santa Claus being there and passing out small gift bags and taking free pictures with Santa made it a point to tell the children “to remember he is watching them all year long and they need to behave.”

The food was a big hit with the adults as they served roast pork, mashed potatoes and gravy, along with other snacks such as pastelitos and chips and dip. They served eggnog and sherbet punch to drink, which initially made Ari Chicklis, the assistant coordinator of the student engagement center, a little anxious.

Chicklis said, “I was nervous we would have a left over abundance of eggnog, but it was a hit and was all gone.”

Stay tuned for the many events that will be happening in the upcoming semester put on by the Student Engagement Center.