Monthly Archives: May 2021

Sports

Knights baseball team loses tough battle

and  

On Sunday, May 2nd, the Northern Essex Knights had a home game doubleheaderagainst the Uconn Avery Point Pointers.

Prior to these two games, the Knights had matched u pagainst the Pointers on three other occasions, beating them all three times.

Three wins out of thefive total games against each other meant that the Knights had won the season series against the Pointers but were very excited to get out and play for a series sweep and win all five games against them.

Before the doubleheader sophomore Hunter Wilochowski said, “these guys are  here to compete. Something I have picked up is that this team has played better every time we have played them. All of us gotta stay sharp today.”

It seemed that the Knights had the righ tmentality and mindset when they showed up to Haverhill Stadium that morning.

The Knights hitting was very slow throughout the day, only generating a mere four hits and one run throughout both games. As the day went on, the Knights ended up trailing by 3 runs at the end of both games.

After a six game win streak, the Knights dropped two to the Pointers at their homefield to still win the season series but bring their record to 17-10.

“Nobody likes to show up tothe baseball field and lose both games at your home field,” said sophomore Dylan Duval in the huddle with his teammates the next day of practice.

Duval also said,“we all talked about how we all believed we would win these games. That is the mistakewe made. We underestimated a team that has fought with us in games all year. Theyshowed up and wanted it more than us. We need to carry the right mindset we have before the game onto the field and with every single of us everytime we step on the fiel dor into the batter’s box. We need to stay focused for a whole day of baseball because onc ewe lose focus as a team, we allow ourselves to be beaten.”

The Knight’s plan is to focus on this part of their game for the rest of the year. They all feel tha tis what the last piece of the puzzle they need to complete to make them the best team they can be as they get ready to enter their regional tournament.

Maintaining focus throughout your entire time at the field is a must as a team that wants to succeed.

It seems that the Knights have had this problem when it comes to them occasionally losing games throughout the year.

Sophomore Levi Burrill said, “we are the best team on the field every time we step out for a game. We have theskill taken care of. Our main focus is learning how to become great players and work together asa team to win games.”

It seems that this mindset is everyone’s main focus so hopefully theseguys are onto something and can carry this mentality to their regional games.

Due to thepandemic throughout the past year, many of these players have not played consistent games likethis since 2019.

Getting a feel back into the game and away from the training aspect of the sportis a major adjustment. Now that these guys have 30 games under their belt, they should be ready  to leave the losses behind them as they strive for a College World Series.

Editor’s Note: Joe Muzio is a member of the NECC Knights baseball team.

 

 

Features, Home Page News Bytes

Students use social media to speak up, stay informed

and  

In the wake of the George Floyd protests and the unrest that occurred as a result, social media became an increasingly valuable resource and played a vital role when it came to organizing and coordinating protests.

Though social media being used as a tool for political activism is nothing new this was the largest event in recent history in which it was so widely utilized for both the spread of information, and second by second updates, live from the scenes in Minnesota andother cities across the United States.

Several local march attendees and students can attest to the influence social media had on them when it came to both learning and organizing, and the unique influence social media content related to the protests had on them.

“It was really crazy, especially right after the video came out and started going around,” said student Nicholas Currie- who attended a march in Boston last year. “We were getting updated every minute on what was happening in the city, but by the time the riots started up later that night it was kinda hard to tell if everything they were saying on twitter was actually happening or not. Getting out of the city was hard because people were saying they were shuttingdown the T and people were panicking. It was a really bad situation.”

The inclusion of the chaos that ensued as a result of unclear information raises an interesting point regarding the instant, unverifiable coverage provided on social media and the consequences it can have. What once would have been vetted by a newspaper can now be published instantly.

This becomes especially concerning when turbulent situations that depend on accuratereporting are subject to false information that can lead to intense panic. What starts as a rumor can end up having a major impact on a crowd and the decisions they make in the moment toavoid a perceived threat.

Although many are aware of the downsides of social media and the potentially false information that can be spread as a result, it’s also worth noting the methods in which social media help encourage social change and help people not necessarily in the immediate area to understand current events and the context behind them.

The protests in the aftermath of the George Floyd murder were ignited by the release of the video of the murder itself.

Many people who otherwise wouldn’t have been spurred to action were moved by the spread of the video itself

Although the spread of falsehoods can be seen as a negative due to the misinformation that can be spread, it’s also important to remember the potential it has to make activism more dynamic and less reliant on planning, creating new potential for community action and thespread of otherwise obscure information.

Student Sean Bailey described the experience as “shocking, watching the people there not doing anything made me realize how important it is to be active and protest. I’d never reallybeen to any type of march before, but after that I would’ve felt guilty if I didn’t do anything; I’mreally grateful that I was able to be there in that moment because there’s nothing like it.”

Theworldwide outcry that occurred is an indicative of the power of social media and the impact media can have in the same manner articles and op-eds can.

Even those not necessarily willing or able to take to the streets admit to the influence thesocial media had on them

“I don’t really watch tv or cable news, so social media was reallyimportant when all that was going on,” said Christian Merino. ‘I’m glad I was able to just see the live footage, seeing edited versions on the news wouldn’t have made me feel as much as I did. Looking back it was really wild seeing what was happening minute by minute in the street, especially when the president started commenting on it through twitter.

Although opinions vary greatly on social media and its impact on the news cycle, it’s necessary to weigh the opinions of people actually at the scene relying on social media itself to be informed before official news organizations can provide verification.

 

 

Features, Slider

News daze: The impact of local news on individuals 

and  

In a time where the country is being plagued by crucial problems – from the ongoing fight for racial equality to the ups and downs of the COVID-19 pandemic – many people are staying glued to their television screens in anticipation for what is going to happen next.

Many students at Northern Essex Community College have mixed feelings about the ways in which local television news is impacting their emotions as well as their day-to-day routines.

Brendan Maye is not an avid viewer of local news, but he tries to stay updated with local coverage as much as he can. Maye feels that most of the news he hears about is good, but also helpful in updating viewers about what is happening around the world.

“I connect with good stories about COVID-19 because I feel we are finally going in the right direction,” Maye says.

Although Maye is not impacted emotionally by the stories he hears about, he has strategies in place for when he needs to escape sad news coverage.

“I try to think positive thoughts and hope for good things to happen,” Maye explains.

Chelsea Daigle enjoys staying updated with news by reading articles. She has recently tried to incorporate local television news into her daily routine in efforts to stay informed. Daigle primarily focuses on stories regarding vaccine distribution as well as local stories about individuals who are making a difference in their community.

Daigle feels that most local news is very negative but says that capturing negative stories is not always a bad thing.

“To bring attention to people who are struggling is very important. Just maybe someone may read it, want to help out, and do something about it.” she says.

However, at the same time, Daigle argues that being completely immersed in negative news is not a good thing.

“Our brain has a psychological aspect where we instantly hang on to bad moments instead of the positive ones.” She continues, “The most awful part about it is hearing the negative things happening all around the country and waiting for it to happen to our communities.”

To stay optimistic, Daigle says that she spends her free time involved within her community making connections with other individuals and various organizations including schools where she can interact with students, something she greatly enjoys.

“Having a social outlet is very important to take your minds off things,” Daigle concludes.

If you or someone you know in the NECC community is struggling with mental or emotional stressors related to the pandemic, NECC can help.

NECC community members may direct any issues of note to reportconcerns@necc.mass.edu.

If you are a student with a question specifically geared towards academics or student life, contact expectmore@necc.mass.edu.

Students are encouraged to contact our NECC community resources coordinator, Janel D’Agata-Lynch, communityresources@necc.mass.edu to be connected to resources available in our community.

For questions or to set up a counseling appointment call 978-556-3730, or email counseling@necc.mass.edu.

 

Arts and Entertainment, Home Page News Bytes

Innovation of Artificial Intelligence: AI in the past, present and future 

and  

In October 2011, the most popular phone and computer designer company Apple, first released its own artificial intelligence which was introduced as a “humble personal assistant” named Siri.

This happened to be the “largest artificial intelligence project in U.S. history…” according to HuffPost.

Siri has evolved since its initial release and has offered users many advantages like help with accessibility and everyday tasks like setting a timer or alarm to wake up in the morning to your favorite song.

There has been a growth in competition since Apple first released Siri. Amazon introduced their AI competitor called Alexa in November 2014 to work with their Amazon Echo device. Alexa and the Amazon Echo marked the beginning of Amazon’s line of devices aimed at turning the homes of their owners into “smart homes”, with features like easy access to timers, weather forecasts, shopping online and many more.

Today most people used Alexa or Siri often.

Zachary Cutter, a liberal arts major, uses Alexa daily.

“I use Alexa to turn off my lights…” he says. This consists of first stating her name then saying the command you created. This can all be done in the Alexa app, and you can basically make her say or do things like play jeopardy or Simon says.

Will artificial intelligence continue to evolve?

With some hard-working coders and creative innovators, it is believed that more accessibility features can be seen in our near future as well as improved language detecting abilities.

 

Features, Home Page News Bytes

Students share lessons from past year

and  

With everything that’s been going on in the world I feel like most of us can agree that we have to do better at being compassionate to one another and to do better at making the world a better plac. For this last story I want to say congratulations graduates! Go out and make the best of life, chase your dreams and make the world a better place.

This week I talked to a few students on what they learned this past year, what they could teach others and how they are going to make the world a better place.

Brandon Amello, personal trainer states “I believe being kind and accepting of everyone is something seriously lacking in today’s society. Being  accepting of everyone’s differences can definitely help make the world a better place – I think the fear of being  yourself or different is something that shouldn’t be an issue anymore.”

Erika Hathaway criminal justice major states “what I have learned in the last year is that life is a great gift.Time is precious.I am very lucky that I was able to finish and make it through a full year of college with zoom courses being a whole new thing.”

Reese Leblanc states “to make the world a better place i think that people should think of others as much as they think of themselves, although you may be vaccinated not everyone is right now. We should still wear masks to stop the spread of covid! I think that everyone should just be more kind.

Sabrina Spero Nursing major states “ something that I’ve learned and started to do was be more grateful for things so every morning I write down a few things I’m grateful for and that’s something I think everyone should do so  that way they start off the day remembering what they have and appreciate that”

Colleen Jameson Business major, something I learned more about is shadow work. Basically this means working on yourself and focusing on your wellbeing. I think that everyone should learn more about how to work on themselves because it makes for a better world filled with love. I apply it daily life in the form of meditation, journaling, etc, I think it would be great to introduce others to this.”

Campus Life, Home Page News Bytes

Spring semester comes to an end

and  

The spring semester is nearing it’s end, and finals are just on the horizon. Students give their opinions on how the semester went and their experience.

Sarah Sanford who is studying English at NECC says that the semester went by really quickly. She says, “I would rate it an eight out of ten.”

For her the semester was easier to cope with considering there was a year to adjust.

She adds that for the most part teachers did a good job as well when it came to giving enough time for the students to complete their assignments.

Her anxiety was also kept to a minimum and enjoyed all her classes. Her only worry was that classes would remain online for longer. She finishes off by saying, “Personally the professors were open minded… They gave me extensions and even encouraged me to reach out to them.”

However the semester wasn’t the same for everyone.

Nisaly Gonzalez, who is studying liberal arts at NECC.

She on the other hand rates the semester a six out of ten.

Nisaly says, “It was difficult for me to focus unfortunately.” She felt as if at times teachers weren’t all that fair with the amount of assignments given.

Arts and Entertainment, Home Page News Bytes

What is NECC watching: Spring 2021 edition

and  

During the pandemic, everyone’s schedule is different, but there are some of us who now have more free time than ever before, which can lead to being able to enjoy more TV shows and movies!

David Rattigan has been watching Supernatural on Netflix with his daughter. The NECC professor also recently watched Resident Alien on Syfy, as well the Netflix documentary, This is a Robbery.

NECC student Zachary Cutter has been watching Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which he notes introduced fan-favorite Star Wars character Ahsoka Tano, who started off as someone who was not particularly liked by fans. He has also been watching Batman: The Animated Series from the 90s, which features Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill as voice actors, who are, in Cutter’s opinion, the best Batman and best Joker, respectively.

Personally, I recently enjoyed The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, a TV series that takes place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It follows Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes after the events of Avengers: Endgame.

NECC academic coach Denise Trinidad also watched The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but especially enjoyed WandaVision, another Marvel TV series. “The themes about loss and love made WandaVision appealing to me. I wanted to see where the storyline would lead – how Wanda would reconcile her thoughts and feelings.” says Tinidad, when asked what she liked about it.

When asked what her thoughts on certain characters were, Trinidad said “Although Wanda had super powers, it was the human characteristics that I liked the most about her. Of course, as a mother, being able to protect your family with super powers is appealing too.”

 

Arts and Entertainment, Slider

GalaxyCon excels in the convention industry

and  

Ever been to a convention? If so, was it pop culture related? If going to pop culture conventions is one of your hobbies, and you enjoy meeting celebrities as part of that hobby, then GalaxyCon has you covered!

GalaxyCon is a convention company that provides fans of various TV shows with paid meet & greet opportunities with artists and actors. GalaxyCon has continued this endeavor throughout the pandemic by moving this experience to the virtual world. Therefore, now, each weekend, there are numerous events that cater toward fans from all across the globe that allow these fans to meet their favorite actors via video chats! For example, coming up on May 22nd, four actors from the hit fantasy ABC TV series, Once Upon a Time, are participating in an online event with GalaxyCon! Cast members include Jennifer Morrison, Beverly Elliot, Keegan Connor Tracy, and Eion Bailey! One-on-one meet & greets, and autographs are available for purchase, while the live Q&A panel will be a live stream that is free to watch. More details can be found at galaxycon.com.

Most one-on-one chats are around two minutes, although some are three minutes (length of time is always specified when the chat is paid for). Fans can request that autographs are personalized with their first name, character names, or even quotes. Prices for autographs and one-on-one chats vary based on the celebrity.

One great part of purchasing virtual meet & greets with celebrities via GalaxyCon is the fact that they get recorded as a video for the fan to keep forever. Fans also have the option to pose for a screenshot with the celebrity. The screenshots are then put into a nice GalaxyCon-themed border. The fan can purchase the digital screenshot for $20, or buy a signed 8×10 print of the screenshot which will be signed by the celebrity before getting sent to the fan.

As someone who used to go to many in-person conventions before the pandemic, what GalaxyCon is doing is something that I have not only been participating in, but that I deeply appreciate.

 

Home Page Featured News, News

Pandemic spurs some to embrace economic innovations

and  

The past year has been greatly turbulent in all sectors, particularly so in the employment sector and the consequences they’ve had for those both looking for a job or who’ve been laid off as a result of the Coronavirus.

Many who normally would’ve performed typical wage labor were forced out of these positions as the economy suffered through the various lockdowns and restrictions put into place and instead had to resort to alternatives and nontraditional methods of work in order to better maintain themselves and their lifestyles.

While social media has traditionally been seen as a potential distraction from labor, many have instead utilized the marketplaces (and marketing opportunities) it provides and have found methods to maintain an income in the face of the devastation unemployment often brings. Some have even found it to bemore enriching than their previous careers and positions.‘

“I was disappointed at first because I thought I’d lost my only source of income, so Is tarted to look into other ways to make some money, even if it wasn’t what I’d been makingbefore,” said Jara Jimenez.

Jimenez had worked at TJ Maxx the past year and found herself at a loss when it came to what direction to go in after the store shut down as a reaction to the outbreak of Coronavirus in March of 2020.

Unable to find a job, she started looking towards the methods she’d used to shop before and began thinking it might be a way to maintain herself until the virus passed over.

“I’d shopped on Etsy for before and knew I could probably alter some of my older clothes and sell them. It took awhile but eventually it picked up,” she said.

While not the same amount as she had been making weekly at a retail store, after two months she was able to partly make up for the income lost over the course of the pandemic.

“I went back to my regular job when they opened back up, but I still sell on Etsy and think one day I might try to put more time into it,” she said. “Posting on my Instagram and facebook was enough to let people know what I was doing an dcreate some interest.”

While not necessarily life changing, the platform provided was able to helpher maintain her lifestyle through a time that otherwise would’ve been difficult.

Others who’d already dabbled in the online marketplace for a number of years found it viable to dedicate more time to their hobby in order to create a new (or larger) income source.

Sean Mccarthy has been active on online sneaker reselling websites since middle school and during the COVID pandemic found himself with more time to dedicate to it as the majorityof institutions were closed.

“Since school went online I was already at my laptop alot, so I ended up looking more into shoe prices and realized I might be able to make something off of it.”

The timing was beneficial, as he found that people were beginning to sell their collections cheaper than what’d normally be the price.

“I was able to buy about fifteen pairs and then started selling them. I didn’t make too much but it wasn’t bad at all. More work than it sounds though,” he said. “I spent alot of times on facebook groups and instagram pages linking myself to try and build up some buzz. It got tedious after awhile.”

After about six months Mccarthy stopped selling, but doesn’ tnecessarily view it as a bad income source considering the amount of work required.

“If I wasdoing it on a bigger scale I’d probably be way more willing to keep doing it. It just wasn’t worth it for the amount of money I was making,” he said.

While some have found themselves able to benefit from the conditions created by thepandemic, others have found it harder to maintain their online businesses over the past year

Greg Pearson is a luthier and guitar restorationist who’s found it increasingly difficult to do business through the economic climate of the past year.

“I’m really not surprised, I work with a lot of touring musicians and since no one’s touring right now there’s no business’,” he said. “Guitar restoration isn’t cheap, and sending a guitar to get refurbished right now isn’t possible for a lot ofpeople.”

As time goes on it’ll become more apparent what long term impact the pandemic has onthe economy and what relation social media promotion and online business fronts have to the marketplace.

 

Home Page News Bytes, News

How COVID-19 affects schooling

and  

The COVID-19 pandemic has swept its way through the country, leaving its mark on the way.

One way the pandemic has drastically changed the norm in the country is the way schools have operated in 2020 and 2021. The common eight-hour school day five days a week has for the most part that was not been the format local schools have seen in the recent months.

Most locally, Northern Essex Community College has completely strayed from in person learning and took a nearly 100% online approach. NECC held strong to this approach despite most local high schools and elementary schools offering some in person learning from day one.

Fellow NECC student Jake Etter had these thoughts about the fully remote learning style; “It was very difficult getting accustomed to this type of learning after 12 years of being in a classroom.  It was an adjustment I was not quite ready for,” he said.

Etter most is not alone with these feelings.  However, this style of learning fits some students learning styles, for most it is not the easiest.

For local schools who have found their way back to fully in person, they have appreciated the gradual transition back and are relieved to be fully in person at this point.

Amy Lopata, my mother, and a fourth grade teacher at Bagnall Elementary in Groveland knows about how difficult it is to learn remotely and would encourage NECC to push for more in person learning.

“Earlier in the year were we using a hybrid model, but now we have transitioned to fully in person learning,” she said. “I feel like my students are more motivated now, because when they were spending more than half the school week at home it was full of distraction for them, but I cannot blame for that it is a challenging time we are going through. Now that they are back to a normal schedule, I have noticed a lot of improvement.”

The main difference between remote and in person learning is the motivation.  A lot of students would be more motivated to get work done if presented in the classroom.

Hopefully NECC can follow in the direction of local high schools in the near future.