Daily Archives: December 8, 2015

Sports

Knights honor veterans

 

On Nov. 12, the NECC Knights basketball team hosted MassBay Community College for the annual Veterans Day game. The theme was in honor of Veterans Day, with American flags everywhere and plenty of veterans in attendance.

MassBay had a 3-0 record going into the game and were fired up from the start. They were gaining all the offensive and defensive rebounds and were an all-around bigger team than the Knights. Knights coach, Darren Stratton noticed his team wasn’t playing up to par and turned it around quick with his aggressive but positive coaching style, keeping his team in check.

Late in the first half, a player from MassBay was taking a free throw. The whole gymnasium was silent. Then Jordan Sands of MassBay, who was lined up for the free throw play, looked at NECC’s Felix Moore and said a certain four letter expletive that got him ejected from the game.

After the ejection, NECC’s Dominic Dar got a free throw of his own and tied the game 33-33 with seven and a half minutes left in the first. The Sands ejection completely turned the game around for the Knights.

Moore hit a couple 3-pointers and the Knights went up 56-47 at halftime.

At the half, Athletic Director Sue MacAvoy took to the court and honored the veterans in attendance. These veterans included Charles H. Boule, Richard Jameson and Samson Racioppi.

When the second half began, it looked a lot like the beginning of the first. It was all MassBay — and they even tied the game at 65 after seven minutes of play. Coach Stratton got his players back on track though and MassBay’s heat cooled down a lot.

NECC’s Matthew Jameson began scoring big points, including some three-pointers; he then recorded a huge steal and scored with seven and a half minutes remaining which all but sealed up the game.

The Knights beat MassBay, 99-91, boosting their record to 3-1 on the season.

Sports

Cross Country Wrap-Up

 

The NECC cross country season ended on Nov. 7 at the Division III National Meet in Holyoke, Mass. 42 teams competed, with over 300 runners from around the country including Georgia, Michigan and Illinois.

NECC’s lone runner, Leah Finnegan, ran a time of 26:16 — a season best for her, beating her previous best by 2 minutes.

“It was a great way to end the season, our first in a while,” said coach Thomas Bradley.

This was the cross country team’s first season in 7 years. Coach Bradley was the driving force behind the comeback, recruiting Finnegan, Jared Shepard, Austin Thiele and Sara Wulff.

“We had four team members this season and I thank them all for helping to launch Cross Country again. Getting Leah, Jared, Austin and Sara back next year would be a solid foundation to build on,” said Bradley.

If you are interested in running cross country next season, contact Sue MacAvoy at smacavoy@necc.mass.edu or Thom Bradley at tbradley@necc.mass.edu.

Sports

Coach Bradley undergoes surgery

 

Coach Thomas Bradley, who coaches the cross country team at NECC, was in need of major surgery during the season but decided to get it done in the offseason so he could continue coaching. He finally went through the procedure on Friday, Nov. 13.

He came to Northern Essex and revived the program after 7 long years without the sport. Bradley grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., graduated from the Military Academy at West Point and served as a Captain in the U.S. Army for 5 years.

For 35 years now he has been coaching multiple sports at different schools in New England, but his favorite is cross country.

On behalf of the NECC community, the staff at the Observer would like to wish him a quick recovery.

Sports

Knights basketball off to a 4-2 start

 

Last season, the NECC Knights basketball team ended the season with a record of 12-16, leaving much to be desired.

This season, the Knights are off to a fast 4-2 start. They opened the season at NHTI with a 91-68 win. Matthew Jameson was the top scorer with 18 points, with Andres Hernandez and Dominic Dar right behind scoring 17 and 13 points respectively. Jameson also scored five three-pointers.

In the second game of the season, the Knights faced Great Bay Community College at Great Bay. There was more all-around scoring in this game, with everyone getting a piece of the pie. Dar scored a team-high 14 points. The Knights got the “W,” beating Great Bay 105-55.

The first two games saw the Knights greatly improve on last season’s rebound problem, which coach Darren Stratton stressed the importance of in the preseason. There were 51 total rebounds between the two games, with Jonathan Paulino having 29 of them.

The first loss of the season happened at the Knights home opener against Dean College. They lost 103-83. Jameson kept rolling though, scoring five three-pointers and 20 points in the game.

The Knights got back on track after their first loss, beating Daniel Webster 89-62 at home. NECC got off to a good start getting up 20-9 halfway through the first. Daniel Webster had some passionate fans at the game who were cheering in the first half but by the second half the Eagles were down 54-24 and stayed down by 30 points for most of the remainder of the game. The Knights showed their growing defensive ability all game long. Paulino had 13 rebounds and Julio Vicente had 5 steals.

NECC then went on to beat MassBay Community College on Veterans day, 99-91, in their closest game of the season. Jameson scored 19 points and Bryan Morales scored 18. In addition, Morales hit four three-pointers.

On Saturday, Nov. 14, the Knights fell to Holyoke Community College, 87-82. Hernandez scored 20 points in the losing effort.

The Knights upcoming games are: Nov. 17 vs. Massasoit, Nov. 19 at Bristol Community College, Nov. 21 vs. UConn at Avery Point and Nov. 24 at Quinsigamond Community College.

Features

Beware the threat of ‘text neck’

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Constant use of mobile devices is causing NECC students a real pain in the neck.

In a recent poll, half of the NECC students asked said that they spend more than two hours per day looking down at their phones.

According to the American Chiropractic Association, the average American sends and receives more than 40 text messages per day.

“I’m not surprised,” said NECC student Sam Bergeron, who offers a suggestion to “text neck” sufferers. “Delete social networks.”

“Text Neck,” coined by chiropractor Dean Fishman, has become the official term adopted by healthcare professionals to describe the pain caused by several hours of emailing, gaming and texting.

“I didn’t even know there was a term for it,” said NECC student Paul Giordano. “Whenever I look at my phone for a long time, my neck is always sore when I stand up.”

Instead of raising our arms to view the screens of our devices, we tend to rest the phone or tablet on our laps which causes our heads to be lowered to an unnatural position.

“Posture is very important. You should try to keep your head in a neutral position no matter what you’re doing,” said Rob Wormald, spokesperson for the Health and Wellness Center.

The human head, which weighs approximately ten pounds, is adequately supported by the neck and spine while the chin is lifted to a parallel position to floor.

However, an additional ten pounds of pressure is added for every inch that the chin is lowered toward the chest causing strain on the neck, back and shoulders.

If left untreated, “text neck” can lead to poor posture, permanent curvature of the spine and costly medical treatments.

Joe Parker of NECC’s Movement Science Department is a specialist in corrective exercise and explains that “the lever of the neck is like a seesaw and works best when it is balanced.”

According to Parker, there are exercises that may help to alleviate symptoms of ‘text neck’. The Health and Wellness Center is equipped with a full gym and is free for all current students.

For any non-emergency health concerns you may have on campus, contact the Health & Wellness Center at 978) 556-3819.

Features

Greene and Espinoza Talk Zombies

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On Friday, Nov. 13, Professors Lis Espinoza and Tom Greene gave a presentation called “Zombie Talk: The Popularity of Ghouls and Zombies in Film, Race and Gender.”

Dimly lit, Lecture Hall A welcomed zombie enthusiasts by projecting the sounds of “Zombie” (the popular ’90s, song by The Cranberries) and featured professional, special effects makeup artist, Holly Recupero of Salem, Mass., creating a variety of zombie-esque looks for those who attended.

“Ironically, I’m afraid of zombies,” said Espinoza, who introduced the presentation.

Despite her fear, her curiosity drove her to find out where the first zombies appeared in pop culture.

One of the first films discussed by Espinoza and Greene was “White Zombie” (1932) by Garnett Weston. Starring Béla Lugosi (1882-1956) the actor who played the original Count Dracula in 1931, the film featured a re-animated corpse and later became the inspiration for a band of the same name.

“White Zombie,” the band co-founded in 1985 by Haverhill native Rob Cummings, horror enthusiast, eventually led to his solo career and new band called “Rob Zombie.”

After legally changing his last name from Cummings to Zombie, he made his directorial debut in 2003 with the film “House of 1000 Corpses.”

As we journeyed through decades of films, one of the most influential examples of zombie takeover discussed was 1968’s “Night of the Living Dead,” written by George Romero and John Russo. That seminal classic has inspired artists of all walks of life from film to paintings and music videos.

Directed by John Landis, the music video for “Thriller” by Michael Jackson was MTV’s first world premier video.

Debuted in 1983, “Thriller” was 13 minutes of pure zombie and werewolf suspense and featured master choreography for a dance number that is still performed by professional and amateur dancers today. 

The presentation continued with Espinoza and Greene discussing the current TV show created by Frank Darabont, “The Walking Dead.”

Since its debut in 2010, fans’ voracious appetite for the horror-drama has showed no signs of slowing.

“What is it about this version of zombies that makes it more popular?” said Greene, exploring his idea that zombies are a political connection with rampant consumerism and the end of the world or apocalypse.

Greene’s other talk, entitled “Why are Vampires Sexy?,” examines another pop culture icon in the horror world: that of the vampire.

Whether they are referred to as undead, walkers, living dead or zombies these sub-human creatures have survived and frightened generations of fans and are a prominent part of pop-culture today.

Features

A Visit to the Boston Globe

 

The ride into the city is making me antsy. Kim Whiting, my editor-in-chief, Jowi Meli, copy editor, and I pass the time on the commuter rail by exchanging our usual commentary on life. This of course includes the stresses of putting together a paper.

We discuss what we’re going to put where and all I can think about is the Globe’s budget meeting that we’re about to sit in on. Budget meetings, for those readers who aren’t familiar with the journalistic take, are where editors and the photography staff of a publication discuss the next issue’s layout. Particularly the front page.

At the Observer, we cover NECC news, so there usually aren’t too many stories vying for that main story, front page spot.

I sit there imagining all the hard-hitting stories we’ll hear about at The Globe’s meeting.

Can this train go any faster?

I notice one of the men along for the ride with us is reading The Wall Street Journal.

Being the broke college student I am, I squint to at least catch the headlines.

“The U.S. supports Europe in … plan”

I need new glasses, but as mentioned, I’m broke. I guess I’ll never know what Europe’s big plan is that we apparently support.

I stop to wonder if the Globe might mention it. Maybe I’ll find out.

Finally, the train pulls into North Station and, after doing our good deed of the day and helping an older woman off the train, our little trio meets up with Professor Amy Callahan.

Callahan was the one who set this whole thing up.

Once upon a mattress, she was an intern at The Globe and she was nice enough to show us her old ID and her business card.

I must say, her sense of nostalgia made me even more excited for the tour.

It’s great to be able to get to know my professor outside of the classroom. She’s a remarkable, inspiring woman.

It may be next to impossible to hold a conversation on the red line because of all the noise, but Callahan takes the time to talk to us students about transferring, politics, social injustice and different social movements.

I rise in anticipation as our group pulls into the JFK stop and we exit the train. Whiting is sure to capture our adventure through the lens of her camera.

Stepping out on to the balcony of the station, Callahan is quick to admit that there have been a lot of changes since she last set foot here.

She regains her bearings and we begin our short trek down Morrissey Boulevard towards The Boston Globe.

As the distinct script of The Globe’s nameplate came into view on the brick building in front of us, I began to hyperventilate.

The excitement had manifested itself into a panic.

The building we were approaching is home of one of the most well-known, well-respected publications in the Northeast. As a reporter, I felt so small and under qualified for the morning ahead.

I calmed myself down to ensure that I didn’t make a fool of myself.

Once at The Globe, our group of four joined Cleo Brigham and Nick Pantinas in the lobby.

The lobby was filled with historically significant things: an enlarged copy of the first edition of The Boston Globe, published March 4, 1872; a plaque dedicated to Charles H. Taylor, builder of The Boston Globe; and a quote from Taylor known as the cornerstone.

I was mystified.

It was so humbling to see how far The Globe had come since its conception. It just put into perspective how much work goes into making a publication and how much of an evolution needs to occur to become as reputable as The Globe.

The first edition sold for 4 cents and had mostly religious articles and church gossip. Now its pages are filled with local, national and international news of all kinds.

At 10 a.m. we took our seats for the budget meeting. The staff began to file in behind us and it was so surreal to think that if I work hard enough, that could be me one day.

All of the stories were so meaty and newsy.

They had exclusives, as in people broke special news to them, and I thought that was just so unreal.

I’ve sat in on budget meetings before for the Observer and The Eagle-Tribune, but the news The Globe was breaking was nothing like anything I’ve seen pass through either of those newsrooms in my time.

Then there was the depth of the questions they were asking.

It showed such professionalism and experience that they thought to ask whose waters were being affected by turbines offshores.

Some of the stories were up in the air and the editors weren’t sure if they would be done, they weren’t sure if their sources would come through and they were really honest about that.

I couldn’t wait to see what made it into the paper when it came out the next day because I would feel like I was a part of it. All because I sat in on the meeting.

After the meeting we got to have a quick Q&A with Christine Chinlund and David Skok, the managing editors for print and web.

I was elated when I saw the seventh member of our group, Tracy Mukami, walk through the door. Better late than never.

Listening to the other students’ questions was cool, just to see where their curiosities laid, but I loved getting to ask my own.

Mine was particularly directed at Chinlund.

“What is it like to climb the ladder to get where you are?” I asked.

It was intriguing to get her advice to keep working. It was nice to know I’m on the right track, taking the right steps.

Chinlund and Skok thanked us for being a great group and of course we thanked them for their time and we moved on to the tour portion of the morning.

The Globe was a walk down Memory Lane for Callahan and I think that was one of my favorite parts, seeing people still there 20-something years later.

Journalism is a commitment.

It’s not something people get into for the money, it’s something they do because it’s their passion.

Getting to tour The Globe was an experience I will never forget.

Campus Life

Library construction is ongoing

 

By Carly Columbo, Correspondent

“Improvements can be noisy … we appreciate your patience as we try to make the library better,” says the sign that stands before the entrance of Northern Essex’s Bentley Library on Haverhill Campus. Inside, just eight computers stand in the library along with four tables directly behind them followed by bookshelves. There is also a computer lab housing around 20 or so computers. The Bentley Library is currently one floor, but in 2016, a second level will be added for students. The library is a vital resource for students, and the improvements being made should attract more students and provide more space and support.

“Right now, the library, study spaces and computers are all on one level,” says NECC student Thomas Matatall. “It can be a bit hectic. Sometimes I can’t even stay in there for too long because between the students chatting at the tables behind me and heavy traffic of students, it’s hard to focus on my work. This will give more space to the students.”

Many students find themselves having a hard time finding a seat at times when the library is more crowded.  Reference Librarian Susan Leonardi hopes the renovations will make the Library a more accessible resource for students. The floor plan for upstairs revealed an elaborate and spacious layout for students. There’s a reference desk similar to the one on the first floor when you first enter followed by a computer space housing 60 computers along with a computer lab. There will also be added meeting spaces, desks, study areas, administrative offices and a library classroom that can seat up to 30 students. Along with the work spaces, there will also be a lounge-like area with tables and couches where students can chat, relax and unwind between classes.

“We’ve downsized the physical book selection that was upstairs and moved all our books downstairs,” says Leonardi. The plan is to separate the library from the work space. The first floor will be devoted to physical books and the second floor will be strictly for studying, tutoring and working. The current computer lab will be turned into a “swing space” that can be used as a classroom when renovations are being made to the Spurk building and additional classroom space is needed. 

The IT department will also be moved inside the library so students no longer have to travel to the B building for additional tech support.

“The students will be able to access the library resources and IT help from one central location on campus,” says Leonardi.

“Now we will be able to direct students upstairs instead of over to the next building for additional support with blackboard and other IT questions they may have,” says Librarian Gail Stuart, who is head of reference services at Bentley Library.

Will this help students utilize the library to its best ability? Absolutely.

“An interesting fact to me is we have about 400 people come in and out every day, and most of them are students. I think with the addition of the computer lab the daily traffic will double,” says Stuart. “So far we’ve had 1,271 reference interactions, and 92 percent are from students,” Stuart explains, as she monitors all electronic questions sent to reference each semester. “The numbers can only go up with these improvements being made. Students will be aware of the resources when walking past the lab and it should bring in more of them.”

Along with the additional space, comes additional assistance. There will be more staff on duty to provide additional support to students.

“An additional librarian that specializes in IT and Blackboard will be on duty so more students can seek additional help with not only reference, but questions regarding Blackboard as well,” explains Stuart. “He or she will know a lot more about Blackboard than I would,” Stuart chuckles.

Arts and Entertainment

Performing Arts Showcase Takes the Stage

 

The Performing Arts Showcase, including performances from dance, music and theatre programs at NECC, was held on Nov. 13 at 12 p.m. in the Technology Center.

The coordinator of the dance program, Michelle Deane, introduced the dance performances which started off the show. The first dance, choreographed by dance major Nina Cabral, was performed to the song “My Moon My Man” by indie pop singer Fiest.

There were four other girls in this dance dressed in all black, wearing top hats and dancing gracefully across the front of the room to this sassy jazz number.

“I started choreographing the group dance in September, so by the time rehearsals started, I already knew everything I was going to teach. I was really particular about being prepared. I didn’t want to end up close to the show with an unfinished dance. I know as a dancer how stressful that is, so I didn’t want my dancers to go through it… or myself,” said Cabral.

Alisa Bucchiere, a professor on the music faculty at NECC, introduced her students Ambar Marte Vargas, Carli Hamilton and John Francavilla at the Showcase.

All three had been participating in voice lessons with Bucchiere.

When Deane asked if she had any students who would be interested in performing at the Showcase, Bucchiere asked her students and they said yes. When making song selections, she tried to pick pieces that were in contrast with jazz, since the jazz band was also performing.

Carli Hamilton, a Voice and Music Therapy major, sang the song “Watch What Happens” from the musical Newsies, displaying her talent for theatrical singing.

“Carli’s performance was amazing,” said her friend Nicole Diamond, a Deaf Studies major in her sophomore year at NECC.

“It was a last-minute thing for her. She didn’t even have time to warm up and she still pulled it off.”

Other musical performances included Ambar Marte Vargas, who sang “To Make You Feel My Love” by Adele.

“Before performing, I was a little nervous,” said Vargas. “However, I’ve shared this piece with a couple people already. Performing is like my happy place. It’s the moment when I feel like I can truly be myself.”

Vargas is a Music Studies major in her sophomore year. After she finishes at NECC, she plans to help kids who don’t have the resource to pay for a music school, as she experienced that struggle when she was younger.

John Francavilla sang a jazz version of “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess, a 1930s opera written by George Gershwin.

“He kind of sounded like Michael Bublé,” said Diamond, who named Francavilla as one of her favorite performances.

Bucchiere described the performances at the Showcase as “phenomenal.”

“I’m a proud music mama,” she said.

The show wrapped up with songs from the NECC jazz band, including an original song titled “If I Were You” by Sean Lavigne, a music studies major at NECC.

“I originally titled it ‘Where’s the Pizza?,’” said Lavigne, who was performing his original for the first time. “It was really exciting,” he said.

Arts and Entertainment

Performances of King Lear captivates

 

The Top Notch Players of NECC held a breathtaking performance of William Shakespeare’s tragedy “King Lear” Nov. 12, 13, and 14 this past week. “King Lear” depicts the story of King Lear (Jim Murphy) in ancient Britain, attempting to divide the kingdom among his three daughters Cordelia (Abigail Seabrook), Regan (Caitlin Kennedy) and Goneril (Geehae Moon). 

His initial plan to give the largest portion to his favorite daughter Cordelia goes awry when she refuses to be a part of his challenge to profess her love to him in order to win over his land.

Instead of deceiving him with sappy, excessive compliments, she tells him she only loves him as a daughter.

He is enraged by this and banishes her from his kingdom, along with the Earl of Kent (Craig Ciampa), who tries to defend her.  Cordelia leaves and accepts a marriage proposal from the king of France (E.P Lehner) while the Earl of Kent secretly stays behind to protect Lear from his two remaining daughters and their corruption. 

The tragedy unfolds when the remaining daughters begin to show their true nature.

Goneril reveals she plans to treat him like he’s an old man, so he opts to stay with Regan

Lear discovers his daughters put. Kent and he realizes they are conspiring against him.

The Earl of Gloucester (J. Mark Morrison) overhears the sisters are planning to murder Lear and informs Kent immediately, to warn Lear.

Kent, Lear and the Fool (played by Sarah Bird) leave for Dover at once. 

Edgar (Christian Doyle) remains hidden and Regan and Goneril discover Lear’s plan to flee. The Duke Cornwall (Hunter Gouldthorpe) gouges Gloucester’s eyes out.

The tragedy ends with Goneril poisoning Regan due to her jealously for Edmund (Daniel Burns-Mckernan) and the death of Cordelia.

Upon the discovery of her death, Lear falls dead on her body.

The vindictive sides of both Goneril and Regan are beautifully crafted on stage, coinciding with Murphy’s portrayal of Lear becoming more and more paranoid as time goes on in the tragedy. From soliloquies to fight scenes, the Top Notch Players gave an incredible and captivating performance that encapsulates the turmoil in ancient Britain and accurately portrays Shakespeare’s complex characters.

Although the show had some setbacks due to illness among the cast and crew, the Top Notch Players pulled together an incredibly well done show, celebrating one of the greatest playwrights of all time.