Monthly Archives: December 2015

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No end in sight for contract negotiations

 

This “celebration of solidarity” comes after months of failed negotiations and passive protests by the faculty, including informational pickets and the implementation of “work to rule,” which restricts the faculty to performing only those duties specifically required by their contract. Recently, flyers were distributed by the union asking students to show their support for a favorable resolution by calling or emailing NECC President Dr. Lane Glenn.

Glenn said that he has received a few calls and emails but went on to say that he is not directly involved in the negotiations and that he already fully supports the faculty’s position. “The faculty and professional staff in Massachusetts are underpaid, as compared to the state universities and UMass, and as compared to faculty and professional staff in other states,” Glenn said.

Delays to this new contract exist both in the financial proposal and some changes desired in the language of the contract from both sides, according to Glenn. Though he was not able to discuss the actual details of the contract since the negotiations are ongoing, he said, “This is the first time in many years, I think at least 15 years, that there have been any substantive changes suggested to this contract, so that’s one of the reasons … (for the delay). And there’s a new administration in the state. The last two times were under Deval Patrick, and he just rolled salary increases forward.”

In addition to fair wages, the flyer distributed by the MCCC stated that the union members are fighting for a contract that “protects [their] academic freedom rights.” Dictionary.com broadly defines academic freedom as “The right of teachers and students to express their ideas in the classroom or in writing, free from political, religious or institutional restrictions, even if these ideas are unpopular.” This could include any sort of intrusion by the government including censoring a teacher’s curriculum, the implementation of standardized testing, discontinuation of funding for controversial groups or research and a variety of other interferences. Glenn said he is unaware of anything in the proposed contract that threatens the academic freedom of the professors and that no standardized testing or disruption to the curriculum is in any way being considered by the state.

Joe LeBlanc, MCCC president, said that the flyer refers to “…a possible threat from management’s student learning outcomes proposal,” but that the threat is not specific, and he was not able to elaborate.

He does not feel that any progress has been made towards resolution of the contract and said that the state’s financial offer has stubbornly remained at the initially proposed 2 percent raise in year one, 2.5 percent raise in year two and 2.5 percent raise in year three, which is a rate significantly lower than those employed in similar higher education positions at the state universities whose contracts were negotiated under the Patrick administration.

LeBlanc said in an email interview that since the implementation of work to rule, “many college committees are moving to adjourn. College governance has been negatively affected. This will grow worse over time. Employee morale will also worsen.” About the chances of the contract being settled before the start of the Spring semester, LeBlanc said that he is “not confident, but always hopeful.”

Glenn said that he planned to stop by the tailgate party and say hello to the union members later that day. “I, this college, and the other colleges, to the extent that I speak for them, want a swift resolution to this contract, and a fair one, obviously. And while we work on it, I think it’s important that we are civil and collegial to one another and that students don’t suffer,” he said.

News

Student newspapers go missing

 

The disappearance of up to 450 copies of the NECC Observer was discovered by student staff on Friday morning, Dec. 11.

Observer staff are unsure why anyone would want to destroy or take the newspapers in bulk. The only potentially controversial story in the Dec. 2 issue of the Observer was the front page lead story about the suspended basketball coach, who was placed on administrative leave due to charges of illegal gambling filed against him after an investigation by the state attorney’s general office and the state police.

Observer staff estimated the total number of missing copies of the Dec. 2, issue at between 350-450 newspapers.

Six newsstands were discovered empty by staff members, including all of the newsstands in the C building, all the stands in the B building, and the stand outside of the D building.

An additional three full bundles of the Dec.2 student newspapers were also taken from directly outside the Observer’s office on the second floor of the C building. These copies are kept for archiving and to mail tear sheets to the newspaper’s advertisers.

The staff members reported the theft to the public safety department at NECC on Dec. 11.

The disappearance of the newspapers is currently under investigation, and public safety is reviewing security tapes that show video of newsstand locations. Public safety also searched the Dumpsters on campus on Dec.11, but did not find any of the missing copies.

The Observer staff said the newsstands were full on Wednesday, Dec. 9, and believe the newspapers were removed sometime on Thursday, Dec. 10.

Observer staff members were on campus the evening of Dec. 10, covering a home basketball game and a music performance at the tech center and did not note anything suspicious while on campus.

The Student Press Law Center, a nonprofit dedicated to educating student journalists about the First Amendment and supporting the student news media in their struggle to cover issues free from censorship, says that newspaper theft, even of free papers, is a serious issue, especially on the campus of a public college.

Newspaper theft is a “a terribly effective form of censorship,” the Student Press Law Center said on its website. 

“If the perpertrator is a government official – which would include any public school administrator, employee or faculty member – he or she has likely violated the First Amendment,” the center said.

Even free student newspapers are not free, the center said.  “Publishing a student newspaper is an expensive undertaking; student media lose thousands of dollars each year as a result of newspaper theft.  Like other types of theft, newspaper thieves deprive rightful owners of their valuable property … In almost all cases businesses and others have paid to have their advertisements published – money they certainly would not pay if they knew their ad would never be read.”

In the case of the Observer, the Dec. 2 issue had $539 worth of paid advertising, along with printing costs and student staff and adviser stipends, which staff estimate at a more than $1,000 value total.

“Theft of newspapers is a serious issue. It not only is censorship, but it is a direct violation of First Amendment rights. A reporter’s duty to the public is to accurately account stories going on in the community. If the outlet in which a reporter can spread that information becomes hindered, the very foundation for why journalists do what they do crumbles,” said Chad Gorham, Observer campus life editor and president of student senate.

If anyone has any information on the stolen papers, please contact the NECC Observer at observer.necc.mass.edu, twitter @theneccobserver or contact public safety.

Opinion

‘Spotlight’ celebrates journalistic integrity

 

Last week, in the wake of people’s hateful reactions to a number of tragedies and events, I found myself questioning the purpose of journalism as a profession. Taking a rare opportunity to step up on the Social Media Soapbox, I wrote an impassioned tirade on Facebook: “Sometimes I wonder what the point of being a journalist is,” I said. “Why bother relating the facts when so many readers are a) too ignorant to understand them in the right context and/or b) too caught up in their own emotions to even bother with empiricism?”

This is a question I’m sure many people in the field struggle with from time to time. After all, when wagging fingers come to rest on the public’s chosen scapegoat for any given issue, it is “the media” in general that gets lazily blamed for the world’s problems. Indeed, it often feels like people would rather not know the truth at all, lest it come into conflict with the version they’ve imagined for themselves.

“Spotlight” is an important film, because it reinforces a key point about journalism’s ability to combat ignorance: it’s not about telling the public what they want to hear, it’s about telling them what they need to hear. In a city with such a large Roman Catholic population, The Boston Globe took enormous risks to tell the truth about corruption within the church’s ranks — let alone corruption dealing with child rape and molestation. But in doing so, they uncovered a global problem that challenged people’s beliefs and forced people to look at things from a different perspective. The story may not have the most satisfying resolution, but it reminded me why journalism is such a crucial service — especially at a time when emotions seem to trump facts.

The movie takes us back to 2001. The Spotlight team consists of Michael Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo), Walter “Robby” Robinson (Michael Keaton), Sacha Pfeiffer (Rachel McAdams), Ben Bradlee Jr. (John Slattery) and Matt Carroll (Brian d’Arcy James). They’re a bit on edge because a new editor has been hired, an outsider from the Miami Herald named Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber). Baron wants to redirect the Spotlight team’s efforts, which includes requesting that they pursue information on Catholic priest John Geoghan, who has been accused of molesting several young boys.

As the team scatters to the corners of the city to begin putting the pieces of the puzzle together, it never dawns on us that we’re watching “performances,” as these actors completely embody the journalists they’re playing. It bodes well that none of them are glammed up in stereotypically Hollywood ways; their frumpy, grizzled appearances lend a lot of believability to the recreation of the events here — and unlike other movies set in Boston this year (“Black Mass”), director Thomas McCarthy’s film accomplishes the striking feat of actually feeling local.

As the plot thickens, with more and more revelations being uncovered, the memorable moments pile up: unforgettable, heartbreaking scenes of the victims recounting their abuse at the hands of the priests they so admired; any scene with Stanley Tucci as Mitchell Garabedian, a frazzled but deeply concerned lawyer knee-deep in cases involving the Church; and a late montage set to an eerie youth-choir version of “Silent Night,” which sent chills up my spine. To merely describe the events is to do the filmmakers an extreme disservice; like the outrageous events that fueled Rezendes’ original immense, multi-page expose, “Spotlight” has to be seen to be believed.

This is one of the best films of the year. It’s not just a heartening reminder of what journalism can do, it’s a captivating story in its own right: a portrait of hard-working people absolutely committed to doing the right thing — going up against a monumental institution with a lot to hide, and plenty of places to hide it.

Sports

NECC Knights on the right track to a successful 2015-2016 season

 

On Tuesday Nov. 17, the Knights basketball squad took on Massasoit Community College, in their first game of the season not coached by Darren Stratton. Stratton was placed on administrative leave after gambling charges, so Assistant Coach Joe Tardif took the head.

Massasoit started the scoring. It took 2-and-a-half minutes and a Matthew Jameson layup for the Knights to get on the board. After they got their opening points, they seemed to stay on track. The Knights came up big soon after with a crisp pass-around-the-court play where the ball ended up in Dominic Dar’s hands; he finished it off with a basket.  At the half, the Knights were up 42-39.

The court seemed a little more quiet without Stratton coaching from the side. This did not deter the Knights’ efforts, however, as Tardif kept NECC on track.

The rest of the game was really close, reaching 71-71 with five minutes left in the game. The Knights ended up losing 82-78.

Thankfully, NECC had another opportunity to win at home that Saturday when they faced UConn at Avery Point, and that’s just what they did. The Knights had points coming from all angles that afternoon: Jameson scored 19 points himself, Bryan Morales nabbed 13 and Julio Vicente picked up 12.

The Knights play five games in December, only one home game.

December schedule: Tuesday Dec. 1 @ Roxbury, Thursday Dec. 3 @ Bunker Hill, Saturday Dec. 5 @ Springfield Tech, Thursday Dec. 10 vs. Southern Maine Community College, Saturday Dec. 12 @ Gateway (CT).

Sports

The Knights are road warriors

 

All of the NECC Knights basketball team’s losses have been at home, while they have gone undefeated during away games with a record of 4-0.

The Knight’s season started off on the road for 2 games, with an opener at NHTI and a game two days later at Great Bay.

At NHTI, the Knights posted a 91-68 score to win their first game of the season. Matthew Jameson led the scoring with 18 points. Andres Hernandez scored 17 points and Dominic Dar scored 13. NECC hit 50 percent of their 3-point attempts and racked up 51 rebounds, 14 of them came from Jonathan Paulino.

Two days later, the Knights arrived in Great Bay and brought their best game, winning 105-55. It was a very impressive early season win. They scored 59 points in the 1st half alone. Dar scored 14 and Paulino kept the rebound train chugging with 15 on the game.

The early road wins put NECC in a good position to keep their record moving up and have made a good foundation for later in the season.

Knights player Julio Vicente spoke about the team doing well on the road.

“I think we’re good on the road … I feel like my team is more focused when we are on our way over to the games. I just put some headphones on and I zone out.”

The Knights’ next road game was on Nov. 19 at Bristol. Coach Darren Stratton was suspended from NECC two games beforehand, so assistant coach Joe Tardif took the reins and led the Knights to their third road win of the season at Bristol. NECC won 101-93.

The Bristol game was a closer score than the other road games. The Knights scored 53 of their points in the first half. Paulino had 14 rebounds on the game. Jameson and Dar scored 22 and 23 points respectively. The scoring was more well rounded this game, with everyone getting a piece of the 101 points.

NECC’s most recent road game was at Quinsigamond, where they won 81-70 in their closest road win of the season so far. Jameson continued his domination and scored 24 points, with the next closest point-getter being Bryan Morales, who scored 16 points.

The Knights have four road games coming in December.

Campus Life, Features

Relieve stress with fun and games

 

With the end of the semester nearing and stress levels rising among students, the Sports and Fitness Center has some events to help you relieve stress.

In the coming week there will be three tournaments going on to help relieve some of the stress. The first event will take place on Friday, Dec. 4, from 12-1 p.m. This tournament is a foosball tournament. Foosball is a soccer game where you turn the knobs on a table to control your soccer players and try and score. On Monday, Dec. 7, there will be an 8-Ball pool tournament which will also take place from 12-1 p.m.

Students enjoy the tournaments for more than stress relief, They enjoy the camaraderie that the tournaments create. They enjoy being around other students and meeting new people.

Joe Bray, a movement science student said,  “It’s a lot of fun and I make new friends and it’s also great competition.”

On Wednesday, Dec. 9, is the one tournament that attracts the most students. The tournament is going to be mattball. Mattball is a lot like kickball, except instead of bases you run to giant mats. The mat can hold more than one runner on it as opposed to kick ball where only one runner can be on base at a time.

Maureen Saliba, the assistant athletic director said, “Matt Ball attracts the most students. It’s a lot of fun.”

When organizing events, Saliba likes to make sure she keeps the excitement level in mind for the students. She wants to attract as many students as she can with many different activities. They even have events such as flag football, ultimate frisbee and soccer that happen out on the quad. Weather permitting, of course.

Saliba said, “We like to do things for the students 2-3 times a week, I like to pick things that people like to do.”

With finals around the corner and students feeling the pressure, students will find a way to relax without having to leave campus. They can either watch and cheer on their favorite students or participate in the actual events.

Saliba also said, “It’s a great way to relieve stress during finals, what is better than running around letting off a little steam.”

They also go on trips to shows as well as other fun things that students enjoy.

Ray Florent, an Early Education major said, “The events are a lot of fun, they also do field trips to shows in Boston as well as other things.  I went on a trip to see Blue Man Group in the spring.”

To sign up for the tournaments, students can go to the Sports and Fitness Center and sign up on the signup sheets to the left of the Knights Table or just join in if you see students playing in the quad.

Stay tuned for other events going on in the Sports and Fitness Center like the Seasonal Celebration.

Arts and Entertainment

Students’ podcasts are on the air

 

Communication students at NECC are making leaps and bounds in spreading information, bringing attention to contemporary issues in mass media and discussing controversial topics through HC Media’s podcasts.

Thomas Matatall, Communication major, is a discussion leader in his podcast “Breaking the Norm.”

“Our podcast is with my co-host Courtney Spera. We talk about uncomfortable topics for college students mainly, things like social justice issues. We tend to be more liberal, so when we talk about politics it tends to be more on the Democratic side,” said Matatall.

Other divisive topics like Planned Parenthood, abortion and gun control laws are brought out on a conversational platter as well. In the first episode, the issue of double standards in society — including the controversial “Free the nipple” campaign that is frequently referenced in media — were examined. “It was our first one, so it was a little rocky. My favorite part is to be able to do it with my best friend, we have a good time and talk back and forth. There’s a lot to come, you can get a podcast app on your phone,” said Matatall.

Another podcast that has made its debut is “Here and There” created by Tracy Mukami and Abdul Kamara. Mukami, a Communication major, is a leader in the discussions about very real racial issues in modern society, but also focuses on the positives of being an African American. “The podcast is my friend and I, we basically try to break the racial social barriers in society. He’s a first-generation African, and I came from Africa when I was younger, so I’m pretty much first-generation too,” said Mukami.

To try and break the social barriers, the duo uniquely offers a positive outlook by discussing where they come from, and the similarities and differences among cultures.

“We talk about how we were raised, what we enjoyed seeing, what was different, and how we were able to transition from this lifestyle to the outside world,” said Mukami.

One might expect someone who comes from a different culture to experience a lot of difficulty experiencing a college campus, however for Mukami it simply wasn’t the case.

“A lot of people were really understanding. People kind of have something in them where they want to learn, and get educated, especially at NECC. It’s very diverse and I really like it,” said Mukami. According to her, one of the most enjoyable parts of being on a radio podcast, especially when addressing social injustices or racial inequalities, is the feedback from listeners.

“People are interacting back and forth with us. When we tweet it out and have people comment back or subscribe, that tells you how you’re doing,” said Mukami.

The biggest struggle and point of contention in the current social climate is trying to get people to understand the difference between those who identify as African Americans, and those who identify as Black Americans.

“I consider myself African because I’m not even a citizen of the country yet, but I also still go back to my country. My mom speaks the language, and I understand. Then, with African Americans, some don’t know where their roots are from.  We have this whole different culture but Black Americans can also relate to it, we’re kind of in that little pod, not everyone can understand that from the outside. There can be German Americans, or French Americans who happen to be black, and their grandparents or people before them. Once you’re here and you’ve lived here for awhile and adjusted to it you’d be African American. It all depends on how the individual feels,” said Mukami.

“Here and There” has one episode out right now, and plans to do one or two each month, each being about 30 minutes long.

“We will be having guests on the show, of people of different backgrounds, from different schools, different cities. So we will have people who are in Lowell which is not as diverse in certain areas, then we’ll go to Fitchburg, and compare the different environments, and whether it’s in college or high school we’ll compare to similarities and differences growing up,” said Mukami.

Other podcasts include a sports talk with Eddie Hoar and Matt Couture, called “Couture & Hoar Sports Talk” which is now available online. To reach the podcasts, go to  http://haverhillcommunitytv.org/category/podcast-series to check out current podcasts.                

Features, News

Internships inspire NECC students

 

Students majoring in communications, business and accounting were able to take advantage of the internship opportunities through NECC this semester, gaining real-world experience in their major.

Darian Denis, Brett Davekos and Fausto Caba are just a few of the students who did internships this semester and were glad they did.

Denis, a Business Transfer major, recently completed an internship at Strategic Talent, a recruiting firm and an affiliate company of MFA Financial in Tewksbury.

“This internship is great for students who know what they want and just want to get their foot in the door, but it’s also great for people who have absolutely no idea what they want because it can give them some sort of direction,” she said.

Her main responsibilities were to help the team with research; she would prescreen resumes and make initial calls to candidates to find out what they were seeking.

One of the biggest challenges for her was maintaining a balance between school, her internship, her other job and personal time for herself.

Although it’s recommended that you take fewer classes while you’re doing the internship, she didn’t necessarily listen.

“It’s a lot of work! But it’s all such a positive experience,” Denis said.

One of her favorite parts of the internship class was being able to connect with other people in the same position as she was and expand her network with other students in various fields.

“I am also someone who has no idea what I’m doing after college, so the internship was a great opportunity for me to try out a field to see if I like it, and kind of give me some direction for a future career path,” she said. “Once I got in there and I started doing it, I realized that this is something I could do for years to come.”

Brett Davekos is majoring in business management, but his interest is in the healthcare industry, so he did an internship at Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport.

His goal was to figure out what field in healthcare he wanted to pursue, such as nursing, radiology or medical assisting.

Since his internship was more education–oriented, he was placed in various places in the hospital, the two main locations being the Comprehensive Pain Clinic and the Operating Room.

“The duties I had in the pain clinic related to my degree the most because I did a lot of secretarial work such as filing, billing, scheduling and mail runs. However, it wasn’t all office work; my supervisor would have me sit in and see patients with her and the head physician of the clinic would invite me to sit in on some of his procedures,” said Davekos.

In the Operating Room, his main duties were to stock supplies, clean rooms after operations and assist nurses.

During down time, doctors invited him to observe various operations.

His favorite part of the internship was the people that he got to work with, who were knowledgeable and supportive of his education.

“They taught me so many things that I wouldn’t have been able to learn from a classroom; about how to interact with different kinds of patients, such as the elderly, drug addicts or ones going through chemotherapy,” he said.

Every staff member at the hospital expressed to Davekos that they wished they could have done what he was able to do, since many people entering the healthcare industry have limited knowledge of what they are getting themselves into.

When a student’s knowledge is limited to textbooks, it’s difficult for a professor to accurately inform the student of what an actual job in the field would be like.

“This program not only gave me on-site experience, connections and relationships with influential people, but it also helped me pick out that nursing, out of numerous certificates and degrees I could pick from, was the best fit for my work ethic and personality,” he said.

Fausto Caba, an accounting major in his last semester at NECC, did an internship at Bradford & Bigelow in Newburyport, a book manufacturing company. It was his first time working in an office environment.

His two main responsibilities were handling accounts payables and accounts receivables, or paying bills and billing customers.

Each day he would find a stack of papers for him, find invoices, and start working on them at the computer.

Caba’s boss turned out to be an accounting professor, and his boss exposed him to a lot of different parts of accounting.

“There’s no doubt I would recommend this internship to other students. This experience is life–changing,” he said.

Opinion

Letter: Another perspective on trainees

 

I have been following the debate regarding the issues surrounding the law enforcement trainees. While I can appreciate those who are against their presence on campus you have no idea of what law enforcement is all about.

I am not a police officer but have been in the law enforcement family my entire life. My father was with the Rochester, NY department for 38 years retiring with the rank of First Sergeant—the only member of the department so honored. 

Following his retirement the badge was retired as well. My dad was highly respected within the department and by the community as a whole. I married into the department and now my son is a member. Both have been cited as Officer of the Month.

As a child I watched my dad report for duty during the rioting that occurred in Rochester not knowing when he would come home and in what condition. 

Another time he came upon an accident scene and prevented a passer-by from removing the young driver from her vehicle. Had the driver been removed she would have been paralyzed.

Just a few weeks before giving birth I watched my husband be sent to Attica State Prison to help quell the rioting that was occurring. Other times he was spat on for doing his job of protecting our city.

Now I dread to think of what my son must be on alert for considering the state of our world.

I sincerely appreciate Jake Soraghan’s letter in the Nov. 18th edition of the NECC Observer. He gets it. Thanks, Jake. 

As for those whose comments appeared in the same edition you don’t get it. One former student found their training activity to be, “…aggressive and inappropriate for a college campus.” 

Pardon me, but those who attend college are adults and should be thinking like adults and able to understand what police training in today’s world entails.

An Early Childhood Education major determined that a 3-year-old doesn’t, “understand practice…that shouting messes with a kids [sic] head…” Is this person trying to say that what young children watch on TV is less violent than seeing the trainees practice?

The Director of the day care program doesn’t, “…know how appropriate it is to do it [training] in front of the college kids.” Does she have any idea of how much violence today’s college kids have already witnessed by what they choose to watch in the media and on the internet?

One student determined a training exercise to be, “…very dehumanizing…violent and aggressive.” Is she aware that police training pales in comparison to the training of terrorists?

Another student feels, “…the level of violence being displayed can be upsetting…and training should be on de-escalating violent situations.”

It’s obvious he has never been involved in a riot situation. His comment that, “…they’re just beating pads with nightsticks just to get…how to more efficiently beat someone down.”

Does he think this is the highest priority of a police officer—to beat others? He maintains this confuses him. Has he ever considered meeting one on one with an officer to better understand what police do?

Those suffering from PTSD may have difficulty being around the trainees however, unless those so afflicted live in a sterile, neutral environment the world will go on and help is available.

As far as the drill conducted during school hours, while it may have been a surprise to students, it could be seen as a positive by making students aware of how to react in a real situation. Isn’t it better to be prepared than have no idea of how to protect yourself?

Put yourself in a difficult situation needing assistance. A family member is missing. You are home alone and a stranger breaks in.

You are being held against your will. A mass shooter goes on a rampage where you are attending a venue.

I guarantee that person in blue who shows up will become your hero. Just ask the people who have been in the above scenarios.   

Do you know what it’s like to walk into a pitch black building searching for an armed

suspect? Do you know what it’s like to have to tell a parent their child has been killed in an accident? Do you know how it feels to see a victim of abuse?

Do you know how it feels to work on a case for months then watch a known perpetrator go free?

How would you like to have Thanksgiving and Christmas cut short because your parent had to report for duty?

It was a real treat when my dad and husband got the day off once every few years. My husband hated working Christmas Eve. Family trouble calls found kids cowering, the tree on the floor amid broken ornaments, gifts ripped apart and the wife or husband either drunk or beaten.

How would you like to grow up not knowing your parent because he or she was killed in the line of duty?

A police officer puts his or her life on the line every time they pin on their badge, holster their service revolver, and report for duty.

They serve and protect not because they have to but because they want to. They need exceptional training and it has to take place somewhere. Police officers don’t just magically appear from nowhere perfectly trained.

While what you see may be upsetting to those who don’t understand the inner workings of law enforcement be grateful officers can be well trained.

Step outside your comfort zone and talk to an officer. They are human, just like you.

They have feelings, hopes, dreams and fears. They are dads and moms, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters.

They are not machines; they are not perfect. And unless you can find a better way to train them, make the world a safer place or are willing to do their job be grateful someone is there when you need them.

Just ask anyone who has been a victim.

Sharon Tucker, M.Ed, BSPA, AAS, NECC Student

News

Presidential Scholarship winners

and  

Twenty-seven local 2015 high school graduates were accepted to Northern Essex Community College’s Presidential Scholars Program, an honors program devoted to high academic achievement. The 16-year-old program is designed to reward motivated high school students who will be attending NECC.

“Most plan to transfer to a four-year college or university after getting an associate’s degree from Northern Essex.” said Lane Glenn, president of NECC.

Admission to the program includes a $1,000 scholarship, which is renewable provided the recipient maintain a GPA of 2.5 or higher while attending NECC. Accepted students also receive a staff or faculty mentor who acts as an academic resource throughout the student’s time on campus.

This year’s Presidential Scholars include students from Haverhill, Lawrence, Methuen, Plaistow, N.H.,  and other surroundings town and cities. For more information on the NECC Presidential Scholars Program, please contact Lindsay Graham at scholarships@necc.mass.edu or at (978) 556-3629.

Haverhill

Haverhill High School

Gabrielle Ouellette, General Studies: Health Specialization

Wyatt Pepe, Law Enforcement Certificate

Xionnett Pla, Accounting

Haverhill Technical High School

Abigail Monson: Liberal Arts

Lawrence

Finance High School

Lindsey Costello, Early Childhood Education

Greater Lawrence Technical High School

Janelle Lopez, General Studies, Health Specialization

Glendaliz Restos, General Studies, Health Specialization

Jacqueline Rosales, Liberal Arts

Central Catholic High School

Chelsea Lynch, Liberal Arts

Lawrence International High School

Lys Ortiz, General Studies, Health Specialization

Crisleidy Paula, Liberal Arts, Psychology Option

Methuen

Methuen High School

Rocherly Difo, Early Childhood Education

Ariorca Herrera Abreu, Liberal Arts, Middle-High School Teaching Option

Rayhon Perez, Biology

Deric Sutton, General Studies, Health Specialization

Newbury

Triton High School

Joseph Simon Liberal Arts

Newburyport

Newburyport High School

Caitlyn Cole, General Studies, Art

North Andover

North Andover High School

Joseph Donofrio, Business Management

Plaistow New Hampshire

Timberlane Regional High School

Aurora Sidor, General Studies, Business Option

Salem New Hampshire

Salem High School

Erin Lehner, Liberal Arts, Theater Option

West Newbury

Pentucket High School

Emily Galligan, Biology

Boxford

Masconomet Regional High School

Megan Gibson, Engineering Science

Derry, New Hampshire

Pinkerton Academy

Anthony Bowers, General Studies, Individualized Option

Georgetown

Georgetown High School

Abby Sippel, Liberal Arts

Groveland

Pentucket Regional High School

Madison Lesiczka, Early Childhood Education

Natalie Scott, Liberal Arts