Daily Archives: May 7, 2020

Sports

Basketball fans, players welcome Stratton back to NECC

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Darren Stratton’s workload has picked up again, and he would have it no other way. Epic struggles to clear his good name in court and restore his reputation over the past nearly five years have landed Stratton, a Haverhill resident, where he once was and ultimately, where he wants to be.

Stratton was named head coach for the men’s basketball team at Northern Essex Community College, a position he previously held from 1999-2015.

“This is a wonderful homecoming for me and my family,” Stratton told David Dyer of The Eagle-Tribune newspaper. “I’m extremely excited and I think we can get things headed in the right direction.”

Stratton replaces Joseph Tardif, the head coach at NECC over the past three seasons. Tardif replaced Stratton after the latter was indicted on illegal gambling charges. Those charges were later dropped. After losing only two seasons out of 17 and over 200 wins amassed with the Knights in that time, Stratton was replaced.

Since then, the men’s program at NECC has struggled greatly. In the past three seasons, NECC was 19-57, including a 5-20 campaign in the 2019-2020 season.

Coach Stratton has been an assistant under coach Tardif at NECC over the past two seasons. “Coach Stratton is one of the top basketball minds in the region, but that’s not the only reason he fits so well at Northern Essex,” said Rivals Basketball AAU Director Michael Trovato. “He cares about his kids. They are like his family. He fights for them, and he will do anything he can to help them succeed, first and foremost on the court, but also in life.”

The NECC team is only part of the Stratton equation though. He also helps mentor young players and coach them in his Warrior AAU program.
“Coach Stratton is a great guy,” said Boxford, Mass., 8th grader Chris McCarthy. “I wouldn’t want to play AAU for anyone else.”

Finding players who bring excitement and energy to the NECC program is priority number one for Stratton. The recruiting period started in mid-March as athletes finished up their high school careers and some searched for places to go and continue playing while receiving an education. Stratton will assume full time duties as he takes over the program in the fall.

Stratton is a Haverhill High School graduate, who once played at Northern Essex Community College for the late legendary coach, Mike Rowinski. His teams play hard man-to-man defense and are generally fun to watch, running athletically up and down the court.

Features

The nurse becomes the patient: A personal encounter with COVID-19

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Angela Pagliuca
Angela Pagliuca

Angela Pagliuca, 33, of Revere is a registered nurse. She works on a gynecology oncology and surgical unit at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. She also works per diem at Eastpointe in Chelsea. “I do a lot! ” she said with a laugh. 

On March 19, Pagliuca received a phone call. Someone she had been in close contact with at work on the previous Sunday had tested positive for COVID-19 and she would have to quarantine for two weeks. She hadn’t had much time to worry about getting sick as the pandemic was still relatively new in the United States.  

“I was actually still trying to plan a vacation for my birthday,” she said. Her birthday being about a month away on April 17. She expected her quarantine period to be long over by then.  

Being a nurse, Pagliuca knew there was potential for being exposed to the coronavirus. “Working in health care I knew it would be a risk. We’re exposed to so many things,” she said. She felt safe working at MGH and knew there would be enough personal protection equipment available. She admits to being “petrified” of being called to work at Eastpointe which is a nursing home and could possibly not have as much access to PPE as the formidable MGH. Either way Pagliuca wanted to be part of the solution. “I wanted to make a difference and help people through this difficult time,” she said. 

By the time she had been notified of her exposure to COVID-19, it had already been over four days. Pagliuca was feeling fine. “I didn’t think I had it because I felt so good,” she said. With the amount of time that had passed she just couldn’t imagine there would be a chance she’d develop any symptoms.  

Then came day five after exposure. It “started with a sore throat in the morning. Later in the afternoon fever, chills, headache, body aches and cough. I felt like I had typical symptoms,” she said. “Felt horrible, like I got run over by a truck… like I had no control. My body was shivering and I couldn’t stop.”  

Her fever went as high 102.9 degrees. “At one point I was checking every 10 minutes,” she said.  

She would tell her boyfriend, “Check on me to make sure I’m breathing all night.” At this point fear had set in, “I was being crazy,” she said.  

Pagliuca lives in a two-bedroom apartment with her boyfriend Standley Francois and was able to isolate successfully. She stayed in their bedroom while Francois stayed in the rest of the house and slept in the spare bedroom on an air mattress. This strict quarantine went on for two weeks once Pagliuca’s symptoms started. Francois would leave meals outside of Pagliuca’s bedroom door, which she insisted remain open, “I don’t like the door closed,” she said.  

They had to come up with a solution for sharing the single bathroom in their apartment. They followed a schedule for showering and wiped everything in the bathroom down after each use.  

Francois also had to shelter in place for the first two weeks after Pagliuca tested positive on March 21. “He had to be quarantined for two weeks but was laid off anyway,” said Pagliuca. Once his two-week period was over Francois could go to the grocery store and run errands. Fortunately, Francois never showed any signs of being infected with the coronavirus.  

There is currently no cure for COVID-19. However, Francois’s Haitian mother was ready and willing to come to the rescue with home remedies and comfort food. “Standley literally called his mom that night and she sent ginger, garlic and lemon tea and vegetable soup,” said Pagliuca.  

After a week and a half, Pagliuca was feeling better. Her fever had broken but had a lingering cough for three more weeks. She would leave her room and go into the rest of the apartment. She would still wear a mask in the common areas and Francois continued to sleep in the spare room until it was confirmed that the virus had completely left Pagliuca’s body. 

The testing process was “horrible,” said Pagliuca.  However, all her initial tests indicated she was still infected. From March 21 to April 29 she was tested 10 times. Four tests were positive, two were considered false negatives, meaning a negative test followed by a positive test, two tests were inconclusive and her last two tests were negative.  

It was a total of six weeks of quarantine and isolation for Pagliuca, except for those days when she would go the testing site hoping that her results would come back negative.  

The physical part of this disease had come and was making its way out. Mentally and emotionally Pagliuca was still in a battle. Being away from her family, friends, and co-workers was taking a toll on her. “My best friend Sarah and I are always together so that was hard to be apart. Also, I watch my nephew once a week and that was heartbreaking because I would FaceTime him every day and he would read me stories. He’d carry me around everywhere on the phone. He’d forget me in the tent and my sister would call out ‘Where’s the phone?’,” she said through a chuckle. 

 “I felt depressed for a little while, week three was my worst. Felt better but realized that I still had be at home and confined, realized could still infect and hurt someone else,” said Pagliuca. Francois was a vital part in helping her get through the long six-week ordeal. “He’s a good motivational talker. He explained the big picture. I’m not admitted. I have him. I have my phone.” she said. 

Surviving a disease that has taken so many lives could easily leave a mark on someone’s perspective on life. “I feel like it did teach me that I had to take a step back. I’m usually someone on the go even when not feeling well, this forced me not to move,” she said. 

The coronavirus remains an enigma as far as who and how it attacks. The potential side effects once a person has recuperated are also still uncertain. “…my cough wasn’t going away. At week five I felt like my respiratory was normal. I was afraid for a while. ‘Could there be scarring on the lungs?’ We don’t know the long-term effects yet,” said Pagliuca. 

Now that Pagliuca is on the other side of this COVID-19 disease, there is still the lingering concern that immunity is not guaranteed. Part of her feels like perhaps she can’t catch it again, but she is choosing to “act like I can for the safety of other people. I would like to be a case study,” she said. 

Pagliuca said she felt “Amazing!” when she finally tested negative. “I screamed out for joy, texted everyone on my phone, emailed Adele and Molly [her bosses] before calling occupational health. Results came in at 7:30 a.m. I woke up at 6 a.m., you get a letter in your Gateway account with result if negative.” Pagliuca wanted to make sure she was up and ready to see that letter should up on her patient portal.  

Pagliuca’s friends and family were also excited to find out she had finally beat the coronavirus. They were “relieved because I stopped complaining, ‘Oh good, you can go back to work now,’” she mimicked. “My nephew was excited to see me,” she added.  

Pagliuca’s return to work was long awaited by her as well as her co-workers who missed her dearly.  

“So happy to have her back! She is a sweetheart!” exclaimed nurse case manager Ann McKenney-Fruth. 

She was excited to get back to helping people, patients and fellow nurses alike. “I get to be myself again, catch up on gossip and eat all the food,” she paused. “and get to make a difference.” 

“We are delighted to have her back! We missed her energy for the last six weeks,” said patient care associate Kalsang Nangpa. “She is the life of the party. She was back on a Thursday and by Sunday had organized and thrown a baby shower for Em J [a fellow nurse who is expecting a baby in June]. 

Pagliuca can attest to how easy it can be getting worked up over being sick with the coronavirus. Anxiety can set in and be just as damaging as the virus itself. “Try your best to stay as positive as you can, move around, [practice] deep breathing exercises, drink warm liquids– I was drinking hot water with lemon,” she said. 

Pagliuca says that having a “very good support system” helped her get through the illness. “My sister and nephew FaceTime would make me smile. My lovely coworkers checking in frequently, and mother in law made sure I was fed,” she

said.  

Opinion

My life in quarantine

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Every morning I wake up and my mind is empty. This is a feeling I am not used to. When I had to go to school, the morning was a time when my mind would be busy with thoughts about things that the teachers would show us in class, who would go to school, and what might happen after school.

I no longer have to think about school and every morning my mind is like a desert with tumbleweeds. As a result of this, life feels much more disorganized and chaotic. It is weird to wake up and not know what you’re going to do for the day, or who you’re going to talk to.

I remember one afternoon I took a break from doing my homework. I sat in my dimly lit room on my computer chair, the computer screen light filled up the room with the light that was missing. I sat with my back slouched against the chair looking at the space between the window and the beige colored curtain. I began to wonder, is this what my life would look like after college?

Furthermore, throughout this time I have also realized that I have taken a lot of things for granted. After the second week of not going to school I realized that I took for granted my ability to physically see my friends and talk to them face to face instead of through pixels on a screen.

The first week of not going to school I thought it would be enough to just hear their voices or text them, but that wasn’t the case. I never thought that it would be a necessity for me to see my friends physically in order to feel close to them.
As a result of this, I wondered why I felt the need to see my friends. I came to the conclusion that maybe I need to physically see them because I can see their facial expressions when we have conversations, and maybe I feel less lonely when someone is physically there to have a conversation with me.

Additionally, in this quarantine I have also realized that the people in our society have become placid. We have become so used to hearing bad news and seeing tragic things happen that we no longer get surprised by what we are being told on the news and internet. For example, my oldest sister studied to be a journalist so it is in her nature to look at the news and report back to my mom anything new that has happened.

One afternoon my mom and I were sitting in the living room watching a show about wedding dresses. I got distracted from the television as soon as I heard my oldest sisters heavy footsteps from the other side of the house. By that sound I already knew that she was scurrying to get to my mom and tell her the news. My sister quickly opened the heavy glass door with her phone in her hand and sat next to my mom and told her the news.

That afternoon my sister told my mom that three hundred and fifty six people had already died from the virus in Massachusetts. My mom turned her head to my sister and said that it wasn’t a lot of people. As soon as she said that I gave her a weird look because I was confused as to why she was so calm about it. I understand that once a person hears the high amounts of deaths that there have been everyday, they eventually find it normal and get used to it, I am also guilty of that.

But there is another side of me that thinks, “wow that’s a lot of people. They had families, they had coworkers and friends, they may not have had the chance to do something that they wanted to do. They had lives.”. As soon as I think about that I get worried for the other bigger amounts of people that have yet to die from the virus. I think about how they may be feeling. Sometimes I wonder if they had any regrets or wishes.

Lastly, this whole experience has taught me that life is short. Life is very, very short. I am not trying to sound pessimistic, but we do have to realize that we can die at any moment and time. We are not immortal.

I know that life gets in the way of us accomplishing our wishes. I know that we have been taught since we were smaller that we have to work and our number one wish should be to get a good job that pays a reasonable amount of money to live comfortably. We work and keep on working in order to keep that wish that was granted or to achieve that wish.

But that all gets in the way of us figuring out what our real wishes are. I understand that we all want to be successful or to keep being successful when it comes to job and career achievements. But we also have to do things that make us happy so that when the time comes for us to die we don’t regret only accomplishing getting a good job and making money.

Editor’s Note: Priscilla is a Lawrence High School Early College student. She wrote this for an English Comp 102 class and shared it with the NECC Observer.

Sports

Corona season

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March Madness is what they call it but this 2020 basketball season can be summed up as March Sadness. In all my life of watching and playing basketball I have never seen the basketball season cancelled, an esp. right in the middle of games. Yes some have seen the season be locked out from the start, but this is different.

Not just the sport of basketball but schools, businesses, gyms, and markets all experience unprecedented times as the coronavirus takes center stage. 

As I am writing this story, we are being told no one is to be outside at night unless your essential worker. This a time where the term social distancing dominates everyday speech whilst the social media platform has now taken the form of our new town halls. Being a journalist and an essential worker now has shown that the virus is very media related as most people are just taking safety measures such as wearing mask in public and using hand sanitizer.

The athletes of the world are coping the best way they know possible as the quarantine seems to linger on till the upcoming summer months. Many of the NBA players have turned to the video game world in means of connecting with the fans and just feeling like the game of basketball is still in their lives.

But for the local people living inside the Merrimack valley finding an outlet can be exceedingly difficult and finding a person can be harder as most people are stuck in the house. But lo and behold I found someone who isn’t afraid of this pandemic and living life to the fullest.

Meet Christa Hayes a local photographer takin advantage of the situation and not letting the moment go to waste. Hayes is a photographer and college student for the Beverly Arts School at Monserrat. This virus is like nothing that no one has ever seen before, says Christa, “So I’m thinking why not cease the moment and capture this art in time. People and business alike are all effected, and pictures can help tell a story inspires others or warn others”.

As a freelancer worker Christa spends time going to different places taking shots of newsworthy or memorable moments and finding a way to make that a piece that then turns into art of some kind. When asking Christa what keeps her motivated during these times, she says that “the virus may be bad outside, but the weather and sunlight exposer of the spring is great for taking pictures. This is a moment in history and the ones who take advantage won’t be forgotten.”

Those words rang true for me as well, as I finish up my last semester of Community College this year. Going outside and taking walks in nature with my basketball seems to make me feel as normal as possible. The biggest question left on everyone’s mind is what is normal life going to be like after all this passes? 

 

News

Life after coronavirus

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Times ae changing and our lifestyle as we know it will never be the same as it was because of the Covid-19.

Until a short time ago we could hug our friends or family without fear, the students attended their respective schools or universities, people worked without any problem, masks and disinfectants were not essential items and at this time of the year people could go out to enjoy the outdoors, sunbathe and go on vacation.

As the Covid-19 pandemic progressed, countries and international organizations were developing guides on the measures to be taken like how to detect and isolate cases, social distancing, among other things more. But what they have not yet announced is how to confront the Covid-19 pandemic when the confinement is over.

We all want to get back to normal as soon as possible. But it seems that most of us are still not aware that nothing will return to normal or many things will not be normal again as it was before the epidemic. Rafael Oviedo, 19 -year-old journalism student says, “At least for the next 12 months it will be a fact that we will have to give up social gatherings, it will be stricter in the number of people per space.” he also adds “We will have to get used to digital interpersonal relationships for a long time.”

Many people talk about what our life will be like after quarantine, but very few talks about how this epidemic will affect education in the next semesters. Clearly before the epidemic, classes were normal, as they have been for a lifetime. But with everything that is happening with the covid-19 around the world, the classes worldwide will surely change, but we don’t know how.

“As a student, I feel that very little is being said about education.” Rafael said, “Almost all the debate goes through how they were approved in this course, but very few people wonder how it will begin next year, under what conditions and modality.” He concludes by saying “There are many people who will start studying in the next academic cycle and there are no clear answers. I have not heard anything from the media or politicians about this.”

We are already experiencing the consequences of the virus.

Beyond the isolation in our homes, many businesses that depend on social contact, such as restaurants, cinemas, museums, etc. will see reduced these large numbers of people and directly the amount of their income.

The Covid-19 it will also affect parents, who will have to educate their children at home and combine it with their jobs. Because another point in this change is the large number of jobs that will be affected. Alix Tavarez, 19, Criminology student says, “A lot of people were out of work, many businesses have fallen. People are going to be traumatized for a long time.”

The impact of the coronavirus in the United States also hits economically. There are about 3.3 million jobless claims around the country. And every time these numbers go up.

Some people fear that the worst is yet to come, and that the unemployment rate could increase

Densy De La Rosa, 19, Home Health Aid says, “We are experiencing many changes in our day to day, now staying at home means having to work or study. And all this seems to be that it will be for a long time” Densy said, “Most of us don’t know when we can go back to work.”

The truth, many of us are not prepared for how to face life.

Many people will be afraid of being in a place with many people around them, many will start to prefer to stay home. But of course, not everyone will be like this, because many people at the end of the quarantine will not give it any importance, they will continue to make their lives as before the epidemic. They will not protect themselves.

 The human being is not yet prepared on how to live together after this pandemic. We will have to learn, as if we were children again. Only time will tell if we will learn fast enough.

 

 

News

Being a student in the time of COVID-19

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The pandemic has affected everyone, but for college students it’s really been a major shift in their academic career. Especially for those who were enrolled in in-person classes, due to the rather abrupt change to a remote format of learning and even then just because every student is taking online classes it doesn’t make things any easier. Online classes do allow students the opportunity to finish the course but with all that’s going on it can just add stress to students.

People are losing family, friends, neighbors, and so on. Doctors and nurses have no choice but to be at work Medical supplies are scarce and doctor, ventilators are being all used up and rooms are all occupied. The situation is still getting worse. People are under great stress and anxiety.

I spoke with a Northern Essex student who is finishing up her last semester and due to graduate, Sandra Hache said “I’m upset because it’s my first adult
graduation and it’s significant to me. I know that it’s out of everyone’s hands but it’s also unfair. I wanted to be able to walk down and have my diploma handed to me in front of my family. The positive thing is I’m still able to continue my education but at the same time I feel like I paid for something that I wont be getting.”

Hache is one case out of many that feels like their hard work won’t be properly rewarded, as graduating students throughout the country are forced to miss on being to walk for something they’ve worked so hard for.

Editorial

When will it end?

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It’s been close to two months now since students were sent home from Northern Essex Community college.

Most of these students have been confined to their houses, save for a few trips to the grocery store.

A lot of them, a-lot of everybody, are starting to get just a little stir-crazy. So it begs the question….. When are things going to go back normal? And what will this new normal be like?

As some in the country seem to be “flattening the curve”, many people are starting to become restless and pine for the days of just 2 months ago, which seems so much longer ago, where friends could gather and enjoy each other’s company.

On top of this, many forms of entertainment have been shelved or greatly reduced due to the virus. All foreseeable concerts have been cancelled, public gatherings of any kind are a big No-No, and sports are virtually not existent.

There have been talks about sports opening back up, but it would have to be in front of empty crowds. That just feels weird to say.

Also many business owners are feeling the burden that a near total shutdown of the state brings. Many restaurants, bars, florists, and other places of business that rely on foot traffic likely won’t make it out of this; at least not without major government intervention.

This restlessness and desperation to open backup manifest itself in the protests taking place, though they are happening in smaller numbers across the country. President Trump, in his typical fashion, stroked the flames of this protest himself when he tweeted out “Free the people of Michigan!” encouraging the protesters to congregate during a pandemic and protests a state administration building that was mostly empty… because of said pandemic.

So obviously some people really want this to be over, while others need it to be over soon if they want their business to keep running.

But how do we know when it’s safe to reopen? It was when we had a vaccine? That could take 18-24 months, according to most major news outlets. Is it when the curve has flattened? That could invite a second wave of increasing rates of infection, according to many health experts like Dr. Fauci. Should it be when it seems like the economy can not take being shut down? But what kind of message would that send to the elderly and people with a predisposed risk that economical practices are more important than their very own lives.

That’s the thing: No one really knows when we should open back up or even what measures we should decide to use when guessing when to open back up. We’re in uncharted territory and we need to tread lightly. Otherwise… well otherwise I don’t really know what will happen.

Arts and Entertainment

Coronavirus having impact on film industry

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The coronavirus has affected the lives of people all over the world. With people remaining in quarantine, businesses being shut down, and people being unable to work and have a steady income, the world is in a very difficult space.

Amongst those affected by the virus are those in the film industry. Companies such as Disney, Warner Bros, and many Chinese film industries are being affected by the virus due to the movie theatres closing down, lack of film festivals such as the San Diego comic-con.

According to author of “How the coronavirus outbreak is roiling  the film and entertainment industries” Alissa Wilkinson “financial ramifications will likely be felt by studios, filmmakers, theater owners, and more for months or even years.”

According to Endicott filmmaking graduate Elliot Trubowitz “the industry as a whole has had to adapt”, because of the pandemic.

“Productions are halted, movies that were to have theatrical releases are going direct to DVD and streaming platforms or are being delayed, which severely cuts into the profitability of all the projects across the board,” said Trubowitz.

In order to combat this, people are meeting virtually in order to prevent the spread of the virus and get work done.

Current NECC liberal arts’ Psychology major Kendall Tobin agrees with this idea, stating “I think that the film industry is trying to do the best that they can for everyone’s safety and it’s better for them to push back release dates back rather than release them now and risk people contracting the virus”.

“It also discourages those from tempting to go out and boosts the online & streaming market,” said current NECC art and design student Justin Stevens.

 

Arts and Entertainment

Online entertainment keeps things positive

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After the world was affected by the great pandemic known as the Coronavirus (COVID-19), celebrities and other influencers have taken to the World Wide Web in order to keep the public positive during a time so rough.

Celebrities including artists Keith Urban and John Legend, actress Jennifer Garner and former First Lady Michelle Obama have taken use of the internet for good. From reading books, to live (via social media) free concerts, these celebrities have created just a little more positivity, just when the world needs it. John Krasinski, an actor from NBC’s, The Office, created a YouTube series titled, “Some Good News”.

He uses this platform to share strictly good news given the negativity surrounding our minds during this scary pandemic. He recently hosted, and invited celebrities to co-host virtually alongside him. The list of co-hosts included artists Billie Eilish, the Jonas Brothers, and Chance the Rapper, in an effort to make up for the loss of the prom for the graduating class of 2020.

Anna Forte, a graduate of Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School class of 2016 says, “I can’t imagine not having a prom. It’s something you just always assume is going to happen before you leave high school. You kind of take it for granted.” She continues, “I can’t imagine not having a ‘normal’ senior year of high school.  Unfortunately, a virtual prom is the best that a lot of seniors are going to get given the situation right now. It’s awesome that someone as big as John Krasinski is giving them that opportunity.”

Josh Gad, known for his voice of the fun-loving snowman, Olaf, from the Disney Frozen movie, took to Twitter to read books to audiences around the world. Gad stated in his live Twitter video, “So, since we’re all stuck at home right now, I figured we would have a little fun together.”

Opinion

Joe Biden’s endorsements

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We now know that Joe Biden will most likely become the Democratic Party’s Nominee for the Presidency in the 2020 Election. As November 3rd approaches, Biden has received many endorsements.

Perhaps the most notable endorsement is his former running mate and former United States President Barack Obama, who endorsed Biden on 4/14/20. He spoke on C-Span and broke his silence by saying, “Choosing Joe to be my vice president was one of the best decisions I ever made, and he became a close friend.” Barack then went onto officially endorse Biden for the Presidency.

Others who have endorsed Biden include former foes Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, and Beto O’Rourke. All three of these former candidates endorsed Joe Biden on 3/2/20 in Dallas, TX. They did this just before Super Tuesday.

Elizabeth Warren endorsed Biden on 4/15/20 seemingly waiting for Bernie Sanders, another candidate who shares closer views with Warren, to make his own tough decisions.

Bernie Sanders dropped out of the 2020 Presidential race on 4/8/20 and soon after endorsed Joe Biden. Bernie Sanders was the last candidate to have a realistic chance at winning the nomination.

Other notable endorsements include Al Gore, Madeleine Albright, John Kerry, James Comey, Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, Kirsten Gillibrand, Dianne Feinstein and many more. On 4/27/20 Nancy Pelosi joined the list of big time endorsements. She referred to Biden as a “Voice of Reason” and voiced how she thought he could be helpful in our battle against the coronavirus.