Daily Archives: February 17, 2022

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Student Government Association seeking new members

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Northern Essex’s Student Government Association (SGA) needs new members for this semester, with several open positions that need applicants before elections at the end of the month.

 SGA is a student-run forum dedicated to listening to student concerns, raising discussions with senior administrators, and reviewing budget requests from NECC clubs and organizations.

 Last Thursday, SGA voted and approved a request from the Radiologic Technology Club to provide additional funding to help graduating students prepare for upcoming board exams, according to SGA’s Facebook page.

 “We’re here for the school, so if there’s something that we can do to help another club, we have the funding and we have to spend it, so if we can spend it a good way by helping another club, we will do it,” said Johanna Hernandez, current interim President for SGA.

 COVID-19 has made planning in-person events more challenging. Since the start of the Pandemic, most clubs have been hosting their meetings online via Zoom.

 “I’m not seeing as many students involved, but we are seeing different students involved, specifically at events, because, maybe before they weren’t able to,” said Stephanie Haskell, coordinator of student activities.

 With fewer people on campus than in the past, reaching out to NECC students has presented difficulties coordinating extracurriculars.

 “I feel like it’s a different type of pandemic fatigue now,” said Haskell. “Some of us are starting to transition back in person and that’s like a whole nother thing after we were just stuck by ourselves in our house for two years.”

 One of the biggest challenges can be simply getting the word out, with weekly emails, blackboard announcements, and bulletin board postings not being nearly as effective as they were in previous semesters. 

 “A lot of time we can connect on social media, honestly, communicating to students is the hardest part.” said Haskell

 Last December, SGA lost its president, treasurer, and marketing chair when each member graduated. With the secretary position already vacant, this left four open positions.

 Vice president of the Lawrence campus, Johanna Hernandez, was voted interim president after former president, Iseline Mendoza, graduated.

 “I started caring for my classes, I started paying more attention, I did more homework, and I was like I cannot fall behind because I’m here and these people are supporting me to be better. So it was kind of motivational,” said Hernandez

 However, joining a club isn’t always the best option for some students, with heavy course loads, part-time jobs, and children leaving no extra room for extracurriculars. 

 “The pros and cons of joining a club depends on a person’s schedule, and mine was already packed and joining a club doesn’t earn any extra credit so, it didn’t seem there was much for me to gain personally,” said former NECC student Ava Tavares.

 If you are interested in joining a club, any student with six credits and good academic standing can apply for any position by Feb. 23. Voting will occur between Feb. 28 and March 2.

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A year in review: Haverhill woman reflects on her first year as a business owner

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As the date marking the opening of her business quickly approaches in just a few weeks, Haverhill local Ellen Farmer reflects on her first year as a small business owner. Farmer, who’s a member of Haverhill High School’s  class of 2014, opened Monarch Nutrition on Winter Street in March of 2021 — just a short seven-minute drive from NECC’s Haverhill campus.

She has had the rare experience of not only being a young business owner — opening Monarch at just 24 years old—but also opening a small business at the peak of a global pandemic.

Her goal, says Farmer, in opening this business was to bring a healthier alternative to her hometown while also creating a positive setting for customers. “I wanted it to be a place where people could escape from their lives for a minute and have a happy, healthy atmosphere.”

Owning a business has countless difficulties on its own —add on the stress of a deadly virus and you’ll understand just what business owners like Ellen faced. Farmer shares that while she may have not known what was going to happen each day, she reminded herself to “trust the process.”

This motto must have paid off; Farmer says her encouragement to push through these hardships comes from her customers testimonies. “I have heard the most heartwarming stories and comments from customers which just remind me that I really did it!”

These relationships are what she values most, says Farmer. “Without these connections, they would just feel like customers—and I want them to feel welcomed and like they’ve made a friend.”

Among the uncertainty and chaos that came with opening nearly a year to the day that the pandemic began, Farmer has simultaneously had the chance to inspire the many young women in her life. For instance, current NECC student and Monarch employee, Reese Leblanc, shares “I’ve learned so much just from working here and talking with customers.”

Leblanc says that her employment at Monarch encouraged her to create healthy habits and has provided her with a happy environment to go to every day. Starting as a customer and working her way to being an employee, Leblanc has watched Farmer grow as a business owner and person.

“Monarch has made me a better person”, Farmer says. “I have become a leader and mentor to my employees and to my customers. While I definitely have my flawed moments, Monarch allows me to grow. It’s all a journey.”

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Student Life Coordinator keeps students connected with NECC

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Student Life Coordinator, Stephanie Haskell, has a lot on her plate at NECC, but she is an integral part of the Northern Essex community.

Haskell is from Concord New Hampshire and has been working at Northern Essex for over three years now since September of 2018.

 There are many important aspects of Stephanie Haskell’s job here at NECC. “Another area I oversee is all the student clubs and organizations,” said Haskell. This is certainly one of the most important responsibilities of Haskell. She makes sure that all of these clubs have all of their appropriate paperwork and everything they need to thrive. This includes the Student Government Association. She is actually the adviser of the Student Government Association.

Another one of  Haskell’s important responsibilities is overseeing running Northern Essex Student Life’s social media accounts. This includes the Northern Essex Community College TikTok account.Haskell is also responsible for organizing social and educational events. The college hosts several of these events within a standard semester. Furthermore, Haskell is on many different boards within the Northern Essex community that are essential to the prosperity of the school.

When asked about what she loves most about her job here at Northern Essex,  Haskell said, “I love actually being at the events because I get to meet the usually new students.”

Arts and Entertainment

Evanescence brings transformative music to live show in Worcester

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Grammy winning alt-rock band Evanescence brought the audience to life with their long awaited Jan. 20 show at the DCU Center in Worcester last month. The concert, which was originally scheduled for Dec. 18, 2021, had been rescheduled after members of the band’s touring circle had tested positive for COVID-19. Evanescence’s lead singer, Amy Lee, took to her social media on Dec. 13 to issue a statement letting fans know the last five dates of the tour would have to be rescheduled for the start of 2022.

“We’ve done everything we could to try and make it work but with multiple positive Covid tests in our touring party it just wouldn’t be right to continue the show schedule as is,” Lee said on her Instagram account. “Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to you incredible fans for making this dream a reality, and making it mean so much more that we ever imagined it could. Thank you for your understanding. We love you!”

Evanescence released their first album of new music since 2011, “The Bitter Truth”, in March of 2021, so it was only natural for a tour to follow in order to promote the album. Releasing a new album and touring during a pandemic were naturally challenges for the band, but Lee and her band made it work and were given the go ahead to tour, live, to promote “The Bitter Truth” during fall 2021. Aside from the five rescheduled shows, the band started the tour in Nov. 2021 with no problems. Evanescence resumed the tour to make up the five rescheduled shows in Cincinnati on the Jan, 14th , stopping in Worcester on the 20th, and ending in Newark on the 21st.

Evanescence, who exploded onto the rock music scene with their 2003 surprise hit album “Fallen”, have since followed that release with multiple number one albums (their sophomore album “The Open Door” and their third self-titled release “Evanescence” both debuted on the Billboard charts at no. 1), and a dedicated tour regiment over the years that has cemented their legacy as one of rock music finest contributors over the years. This legacy was apparent as the DCU Center slowly filled with masses of

Sitting among the crowd as the 7,000 seat stadium slowly filled up, the palpable energy one is used to experiencing before a concert was seemingly absent. However full the arena seemed to be, something just felt different. Perhaps the masses of people, although finally given their chance to experience the joys of live music again mid-pandemic, were still slightly weary and listless from the roller coaster ride that has been COVID-19.

Opening the show was female fronted Lilith Czar. The audience came out of their stupor for the relatively unknown band’s short but commendable set. The music was a mix of rock and pop, with songs about on-the-road cliches of loneliness and debauchary that so many rock acts with undeveloped points of view or any real life experience tend to contrive into what they think is moving and inspired music. The four piece band could play their instruments well and sounded tight and cohesive; it just wasn’t memorable.

After a brief intermission, the lights went down once more to welcome co-headliners Halestorm. The crowd’s went wild as Lzzy Hale, the band’s lead singer and guitarist, took the stage with her three other bandmates. Playing a decent sized set list, Halestorm started their show on fire and ended it in the same vein. Hale, with her aggressively dynamic vocals and  technically impressive guitar playing, brought the crowd through the band’s catelogue, which lends itself to the energetic bar rock that has given the bands mainstream success with their singles “I Am The Fire” and “I Miss The Misery”.

The moments of rock where softened by Hales moments at the piano, allowing the band to play to their respective fans through a diverse set list that showcased their techncal chops as well as Hale’s ability to strip it all down at the piano. Vocally, whether she is screaming and playing the guitar or singing from her diaphram at the piano, Hale can definitely sing and proved that live on stage.

 After another brief intermission, as the stage was rearranged and prepared for headliners Evanescence, the lights went down and the crowd erupted in a collective roar. The massive floor to ceiling triangular projection screen, center stage, flashed with images, as lead singer Lee began to sing the ethereal “Artifact / The Turn”. Offstage, Lee’s powerhouse, angelic vocals built up over the mounting electronic synthesizers before the amplifiers hanging from the arena’s ceiling exploded with the sound of crushing, grinding distorted guitars as “Broken Pieces Shine”, a new song from “The Bitter Truth”, ensued. Lee walked out on stage and didn’t stop for the next hour and a half.

The band, while focusing on mostly new songs, made sure to satisfy fans with a well rounded set list. Lee made sure to include gems from their sophomore album that never got a ton of live play, such as “Lose Control”. Epic songs like “The Change” from their third album were performed to an impeccable degree. Of course, the band made sure to include all of their hits, playing “Going Under” four songs in, “Lithium” half way through the set, “Call Me When You’re Sober” two thirds of the way through, and the massive hit “Bring Me to Life” at the very end of their seventeen song set. The love, energy, and appreciation from the crowd shook the arena the moment this song began, and it was with 100% conviction that one could say the seemingly zombie like, COVID scarred crowed had truly been brought to life, by the shared love for the music that was evidently very important to all who were there.

Evanescence cleared the stage to catch their breath, letting the crowd revel in the glory of what they had just experienced, before returning to the stage to perform two more songs for their encore. Lee took time to address the stadium of fans, thanking them for their solidarity over the years. It was after she finished speaking that Lee looked away from the crowd, down to the piano, ready to start playing, when you could see a flash of true sadness and gratitude take over her face – her appreciation and love for the fans was genuine and palpable, and it was refreshing to see a true expression of love from an artist to her fans that wasn’t contrived, but rather truly heartfelt.

“My Immortal” which is the band’s second biggest hit, closed the show, and was played to more cheers and cries of love to Lee. The piano came up from the floor, where it was set center stage, and Lee took to the keys for her solo performance of this well known song. It was a moment of nostalgia, as this song has come to represent the enormity of impact Evanescence’s music has had on people.

All in all, Evanescence put on one of the strongest shows New England has seen from them in recent years. Lee delivered her new material from “The Bitter Truth” with excellent execution. It was the diverse set list that Lee performed that satisfied die-hard fans, checking all the boxes by playing hits and the more unexpected songs from the bands catalog. Lee, vocally, was nearly flawless. The older Evanescence songs that she has been singing live for almost twenty years seem so effortless to her – she has found out how to sing them live and has them down pat.

 The arena was full of her angelic voice, which can be soft and heavenly when it needs to be and then charged with an innate power that allows her to project to the heavens. Her piano playing, which took place either at a keyboard or at the pop-up piano, was impressive and beautiful to see live, as she displayed her classically trained abilities that are so prominent in the music of Evanescence.

 The arena of the DCU Center was the sight of a true privilege of live music the night pf Jan. 20, as it was blasted full of the ethereal, powerful, mysterious, haunting, and beautiful music that is and can only be Evanescence. Live music still can be transformative, and Lee and her band proved that with this wonderful concert that allowed all of its attendees to forget about the state of the world for a few hours and to get lost in the gift that is music.

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Local parents, teachers and students see some silver linings in remote learning

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The pandemic has transformed the way we live in almost every way imaginable.

Communication, learning, socializing, and working are all aspects of our lives that have undergone drastic changes throughout the last couple of years. While many government and health officials have expressed that these times are unprecedented and the challenges we’ve endured have been difficult to cope with at times, some members of our community have made positive observations throughout a time of turmoil.

Melissa Pothier, a nursing student and health care worker living on the North Shore, shares that “the situation brought tenacity, resilience, perseverance, bravery, and new perspectives. “

Pothier states “the optimism is just related to completing the goal. Nothing to do with covid related optimism as covid has been a mess, hopefully things will continue to get better.”

In terms of remote learning, Pothier did not recall having any difficulties. “I didn’t find any challenges to remote learning and I actually liked learning at home,” she said.

Jacqueline Sweeney, an educator in the Haverhill public school system, described how her students dealt with the transition to remote learning in the past and how they are doing today with the adjustment back to in-person learning.

“The students who attended remote learning every day and have consistent attendance are doing OK. Last year, we were hybrid and also had a remote learning academy. I see the biggest deficits with the students who were remote all year and had poor attendance with remote schooling,” she said.

According to Sweeney, attendance is a major contributing factor when it comes to a student’s success, especially with remote learning.

When asked whether she thought remote learning opportunities are beneficial and should be widely available under any circumstance or if they should only be only used on an as-needed basis Sweeney responded “This is a tough question. On one hand, I think that if a student is going to be out for an extended period of time, having them complete some lessons remotely is beneficial. But, having the teacher work with a student online and students in person is not beneficial to any students. I think it is beneficial is the family is involved and on board. If they are not, then it does not work well. This is purely from the academic standpoint. I do not think that this opinion applies to the social emotional well being of the kids. Many children have forgotten how to interact with other children and are struggling with making friends. Overall, I do not think that remote learning opportunities are the way to go for public schools.”

In Sweeney’s opinion, remote learning serves a purpose depending on the circumstances.

Nadia Slepoy, a mother residing in Lynn, Massachusetts, shares similar views about remote learning availability. “As a parent I think remote learning has opened a new way of schooling, it should be given as an option for children that thrive in that kind of setting. The only downside would be the social aspect of going to school, and school being a safe place for a lot of kids.”

Both Slepoy and Sweeney share concerns about social well-being with remote learning.

Slepoy goes on to share how covid precautions have affected her 4 year-old daughter’s school experience when asked about how her daughter handles wearing a mask in class. “My daughter was very young when the pandemic started and she had an adjustment period where she’d try to remove it often. Now it’s just a new norm and she doesn’t mind it all.”

Mask mandates, pool testing, and hygiene protocols are some examples of covid precautions put in place by school systems since the beginning of the pandemic. Despite the challenges that accompany remote learning, Sweeney shares a positive outlook on what has occurred for her as a result of these difficult times.

“I honestly think that it has made me a better teacher. I have been forced to make my lessons more concise and targeted, to ensure that students at home would be able to do their work and understand. During our hybrid time, we also had remote Wednesdays. This was excellent because it gave time for me to do a book study with my colleagues on the Science of Reading. It was also time to receive additional trainings. There was also a huge focus on Social Emotional Learning and building relationships. This helped me to develop deeper relationships with my students.”

From a parent’s point of view, Slepoy is also able to put a positive spin on her experiences.

“The pandemic changed the way we view illnesses- my daughter now loves learning about the science behind all this, and it showed us how easily our every day life can change. It brought a lot of challenges for everyone, and navigating through the constant changes took a toll on our physical and mental health. I think the silver lining is that no matter how difficult and unprecedented times are, better days (similar to pre-covid) are coming and hopefully this turns into an endemic very soon.”

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High school students say they would welcome life skills classes

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It’s that time of year again when soon-to-be high school graduates eagerly send in their college applications and wait patiently for their dream schools to send back an acceptance letter.

In times like these, parents lay solemn as they realize their kids will be off to school in just a few short months, leaving high school with jam-packed knowledge they learned from textbooks. But recently it has come into question as to what knowledge both high school and college students should be learning, versus what they are being taught, and how much of it they’ll take with them in the long run.

A life skills class, which would teach students basic tasks such as balancing a checkbook, doing taxes, buying a home, or putting a spare tire on a car, are all situation’ students will face at one point in their lives. The incorporation of a class like this could prepare students for life after high school, and possibly lessen the nerves and burden becoming an adult.

“Financial Math taught me about many things that will matter in my future, such as paying for college, taxes, credit scores, and insurance,” said Olivia Hansen, a NECC student, who spoke about a previous class she took in high school.  “Prior to this class, I knew hardly anything about these important topics that I would utilize as I entered the “real world.” The course made me feel more ready and less stressed about becoming more independent and armed me with more information to prepare myself for the future.”

Over at Methuen High School, senior Jordyn Graves spoke about the importance a class like this would have for fellow students: “It would educate people more on saving their money correctly and budgeting better. Since people lose track of their finances so easily, it could help them become more organized.”

Though a class like this would be beneficial to students in nearly every state, the process of introducing a new class to curriculums is no easy task. There are hurdles involved, such as hiring another teacher to teach this class, which adds yet another salary to the schools’ payroll. Schools are already underfunded enough, so schools would most likely prioritize purchasing new technology or textbooks before introducing a new class.

“When I send my students off to the next grade every June, I encourage to them to remember how important school is. I encourage them to keep striving to be their best. From what I’ve seen, not every student has the resources to learn skills they’ll need for the future, so I truly believe a life skills class would be so rich in teaching students such important life benefits. A class like that could really be structured towards any age group too,” says parent Michelle Graves, who has been teaching in Methuen and surrounding areas since 2008.

When its time to graduate, and students come to find their niche in life and what their major will be, whether it be the Pythagorean Theorem or the Pyramids of Giza, some may say most of the information they have learned in school has no real benefit towards their future lives or teachings.

But fundamental skills that students may have the opportunity to take home with them if a life skills class is incorporated into curriculum could bring quite the joy to any parents’ face.

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Russia and Ukraine: What’s going to happen? 

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The possibility of Russia invading Ukraine is becoming more of a reality each day, but what would that mean for us?

At the moment, it’s uncertain.

Many people are joking about World War III or being drafted, yet many don’t know what’s truly happening.

To understand why Russia has intentions to invade Ukraine we must go back to 2014 when Russia took control of Ukraine’s Crimean region after Ukraine’s President Yanukovych fled the country after protests of his decision to reject a deal for greater economic integration with the European Union.

Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, defended Russia’s actions by claiming to want to protect the rights of Russian citizens in Crimea and Southeast Ukraine, resulting in two regions of Ukraine declaring independence and siding with Russia.

This created a violent scene between Ukraine and Russian-backed separatist forces.

An estimated 10,300 people have been killed while 24,000 have been injured since April 2014, according to news reports.

In 2015 the violence ceased through the Minsk Accords giving Ukraine control over their government and throughout the conflict zone, but there has been no diplomatic settlement or resolution. Now, U.S. intelligence officials warned that Russia may be preparing an invasion of Ukraine when armor, missiles, heavy weaponry, and more than one hundred thousand troops were spotted near the border of Ukraine.

Russia had set demands stating that Ukraine cannot enter the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) which the other allies have rejected. President Biden has now ordered nearly three thousand U.S. troops to Poland and Romania to be prepared in case of a possible invasion , acording to the Center for Preventative Actions’ Global Conflict Tracke).

These are just facts that have been reported. Those who are serving and who have served have their own opinions. Alex Montuori has been serving in the U.S. Navy for six years now.

“It’s an unfortunate situation that shouldn’t surprise anyone. Putin in the past has shown no regard for United Nations sanctions and policies and has a history of invading neighboring countries,” Mountuori said.

And unfortunately, Montuori believes Russia will invade.

“Recent diplomacy talks at UN meetings have not led anywhere and I think Russia will continue with their advance knowing that the United States wants to avoid large scale conflicts and most likely not defend the Ukraine if Russia were to launch a full-scale invasion.”

Montuori says that America shouldn’t interfere as we have been looked at as the peace keeping nation for too long where it has negatively affected our economy and image.

Only if the United Nation makes a group decision, then it would be acceptable for the US to intervene, Montuori said.

Alexandria Gagnes, a veteran who served for 7 ½ years in the U.S. Navy as an Aviation Electrician’s Mate as a Second-Class Petty Officer, agrees.

“As to whether the U.S. should interfere is a tough question from a veteran’s perspective. I’ll say this: it’s happened before, and it will happen again,” Gagnes said.

Gagnes points out a harsh truth. “To be honest, we are already at war and we have been at war since 2001 (this war that is). For military members, I don’t think much will change the U.S. Navy has been present in the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean for the past 30 years. I don’t believe that there will be war in the U.S. that will impact our everyday lives. However, the Sixth Fleet (U.S. Navy) will be impacted, and the sailors onboard the armada of ships will inevitably be affected in regard to longer deployments and fewer port visits.”

Talk of war is terrifying, but in reality, we’ve already been at war. We’re all so worried about ourselves, but what about the troops that are serving now? How will this affect them? History repeats itself and fighting may begin between Russia and Ukraine as it did in 2014.

Arts and Entertainment

Movies of 2022: What to expect this year?

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2022 is going to be quite a massive year for cinema fans. Film has been one of the most prominent forms of entertainment that have been keeping people less stressed throughout the pandemic. 2021 already consisted of some major releases, such as “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” “Godzilla vs Kong,” and “Ghostbusters: Afterlife.” However, 2022 is going to be just as big of a year for movies, as many big franchises will be given a new installment and there are some new films for NECC Students to be excited for.

Here are some of the most exciting movies to look forward to this year:

“The Batman” – As one of the most anticipated movies of 2022, “The Batman” will provide fans with a new movie version of the comic book character and when it releases on March 4. The film will be directed by Matt Reeves. It stars Robert Pattinson as the titular character.  Pattinson previously starred in movies such as “Twilight” and “The Lighthouse.” The film will also star Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano as Riddler, and Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth.

“Jurassic World: Dominion”– A trailer for “Jurassic World: Dominion” was released on February 10th. The “Jurassic Park” series will conclude with this movie. The film will be directed by Colin Trevorrow, who worked on the most recent two “Jurassic World” films. Not only are Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard reprising their roles from the past two films in the “Jurassic World” movies, but “Dominion” will also feature the return of Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum. The three of them are well known for their roles in “Jurassic Park” as Alan Grant, Elle Sattler, and Ian Malcolm, respectively.

“Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness” –  A trailer was released during this year’s superbowl. “The Multiverse of Madness” is the sequel to “Doctor Strange,” which waas released five years ago. It will explore the multiverse an what exists within it. The movie will be directed by Sam Raimi, mostly known for his works in “Evil Dead” and “Spider-Man.” Benedict Cumberbatch will reprisse his role as “Doctor Strange” and is known for his roles in movies such as “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” and “Sherlock.” Also returning is Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlett Witch. Olsen starred in “WandaVision” last year. It has been speculated that Patrick Stewart will be reprising his role as Professor X from the “X-Men” movies.

“Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse Part One” – The long-awaited sequel for “Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse” will finally be released on Oct. 7. It will be directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin Thompson. Hailee Steinfeld and Shameik Moore will be reprising their roles as Spider-Gwen and Miles Morales respectively. Oscar Isaac will also be reprising his role as Spider-Man 2099. Oscar Isaac is having a big year this year as well, starring in “Moon Knight” as the titular character.

These are the most highly-anticipated movies that will be released this year. While there are plenty of movies coming out this year, these releases in particular seem to be the most popular among NECC students and many others. It seems 2022 will be another big year for movies, and it seems to get even bigger as the year progresses.