All posts by Emma Ruggiero, Campus Life Editor

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Deep dive into the classroom: Early College students get a head start on their academic success

 
A woman smiles for a photo standing with a blue background
Professor of Introduction to Liberal Arts Maurisa Charest Photo by Campus Life Editor Emma Ruggiero

Early College students from Lawrence High School set themselves up for success by planning ahead their academic futures. 

At around 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 31, 2024, 26 students from Lawrence High School filled the seats in Room L014 in the Dimitry building on the Northern Essex Community College Lawrence campus to explore the Liberal Arts and Humanities.   

A substantial value of taking “Intro to Liberal Arts (are the) suggestions (it gives to) students who really don’t know what they want to major in” said the professor of the class Maurisa Charest.

“Taking this course in one semester” offers students a variety of options and “a glimpse of what they want to study (because they) learn a little bit of everything” continued Charest. 

One of the biggest lessons Charest has learned through her years of academia is that students “learn by doing and learn by watching,” said Charest. 

So, in celebration of Halloween, which is the day the class session met on, Charest presented a YouTube video titled “History of Horror.”

 The significance of the students studying this video is to help them understand horror themes, film techniques and storytelling. 

Within the studies of Liberal Arts and Humanities, studying T.V. shows, films and music videos are important because it strengthens the students’ “critical thinking” skills, which is an “important (aspect) of Liberal Arts” said Charest.

To improve their comprehension about horror themes, film techniques and storytelling the Lawrence High School students analyzed the one billion viewed music video Thriller starring historical pop sensation Michael Jackson and directed by John Landis.

Before the professor played the video she distributed a worksheet with a list of questions that were organized into 5 parts: General understanding, horror themes, music and dance, film techniques and storytelling and a reflection piece. 

The purpose of the worksheet is to keep the students “involved (by) answering questions to connect with different art forms” found in the music video, which “allows them to (use their) critical thinking (skills) to answer the questions,” said Charest.

 After the music video finished playing and the students completed their worksheets, the class used “the art of conversation” to review each question, said Charest. 

By analyzing the music video, the students were able to identify horror creatures and tropes like zombies and werewolves. In addition, many of the students categorized the choreography as both fun and fearful. 

The students collaboratively agreed that with the music videos use of different camera angles, lighting and sound effect it was suspenseful to watch.  

As a result of the meaningful class discussions, this group of early college students not only benefit from “getting college credit (in high school, but) this (course) exposes them to art, music, nature (and) philosophy” said Charest. 

To showcase the skills the students have obtained throughout this course, they are required to complete a final project presentation. 

The project entails each student to create their own “Liberal Arts or Humanities course” and present it to the class as if they were the professor for the day, said Charest. 

The goal of the final presentation is for the students to pick a topic that peaks “their interest” that will reflect their understanding of the “Liberal Arts and Humanities” and help build their confidence towards utilizing their critical thinking skills, said Charest. 

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Deep dive into the classroom

 
Environmentalists find solutions towards global change

This week on A Deep Dive Into The Classroom, environmentalists at Northern Essex Community College are piling into the seats in room E263 to study air pollution and its effect on the Earth.

Professor Mark Reinhold writing on the blackboard
Professor Mark Reinhold writing on a whiteboard on Oct. 21 in room E263 teaching a class about the direction that wind travels. Photos byCampus Life Editor Emma Ruggiero

In order for the students to study the current “state of the planet,” Department of Natural Science Professor Mark Reinhold said he believes it is important for “students (to) understand the spheres (that are) involved” with the planet. The spheres of the Earth include: The lithosphere (land), atmosphere (air), biosphere (living organisms) and hydrosphere (water).

One of Earth’s spheres that is broken down into finer and thorough detail is the atmosphere. The Earth’s atmosphere has five significant layers and Reinhold’s Environmental Issues course’s mission is to study air pollution in the first layer of the atmosphere: The troposphere.

The students’ objective is to “look at evidence” that covers a variety of topics related to air pollution, such as carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, tropospheric ozone, lead, nitrogen dioxide and particulate pollution. The vital point in studying these topics is for the students to discover the reasoning behind air pollution in the troposphere, global issues associated with this type of pollution and identify how it can be reduced, said Reinhold.

One factor that comes into play when considering air pollution are the impacts of acid rain, which is a form of pollution. During one of Reinhold’s Environmental Issues classes he described the process of acid rain and how it works. To make this explanation more understandable, the professor conducted a visual presentation where he acquired a small bottle of acid in the classroom and poured it onto a rock. As a result, a chemical reaction occurred, which caused the rock to dissolve, erode and release a steaming sensation.

“Professor Reinhold’s enthusiasm” towards his course lectures, presentations and class engagement hold great significance to one student in particular, Clarie Brady, because it provides her with “a more in depth perspective about climate change,” said Brady.

Regardless of the small enrollment in the course, students have created tight knitted friendships that have strengthened their teamwork skills in order to guide them on a path of success to finding solutions towards positive environmental global change.

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Deep dive into the classroom

 
Professor Meredith Gunning is writing on the blackboard
This class explores the “Philosophy of Happiness.”  Professor Meredith Gunning writes on the board during her class on Sept. 26 in C105, Spurk building. Photo by Campus Life Editor Emma Ruggiero

Students and professors provide an exclusive behind the scenes look into their classrooms.

Classes are back in full swing at Northern Essex Community College!

The parking lots are packed, student success services and centers are helping students get settled into the fall semester and classrooms are full of in-depth discussions between students and professors.

Among the several courses offered at NECC, one of them is exploring a meaningful topic.

This semester the Philosophy of Happiness course taught by Meredith Gunning will examine “different perspectives on what counts as happiness, along with how to attain it in the flow of everyday life” explained the course description on the NECC Blackboard page.

In addition, students will have the opportunity to study “Various philosophers, psychologists, writers, spiritual leaders and figures in pop culture” continued the course description.

The course is starting the semester off and setting a foundation by asking what is happiness?

There are an endless number of possible answers and responses to this question. During one of the classes, the students collaborated to create a definition of happiness.

They said it is a combination of “pleasure and meaning” that requires an individual to pivot “inward” to understand themselves, and to pivot “outward (towards) developing deep and long term connections” with other people, said the students in the Philosophy of Happiness class.

By teaching this course, Professor Gunning is “hoping” her students “get to read perspectives that they wouldn’t have otherwise and to get a variety of views on happiness and thinking through their own thoughts about views they (do or do not) agree with” said Gunning.

The structure of the course “is not just geared to thinking of happiness, but trying to get to try out different strategies” related to “improving the quality of (student’s) lives,” said Gunning.

As the rest of the semester goes on, the Philosophy of Happiness course will unravel “what is most important (to them personally,) and look through the perspectives that resonate and (the ones that) don’t resonate (and with that,) hopefully [the class will] reach a deeper, longer lasting state of well being” said Gunning.