All posts by Jeremy Isabelle, Correspondent

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Essex County young adults share their thoughts on local government

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In our education system we are taught primarily about how our federal government works, but what about how our local government works?

I spoke with some of the young adults of Essex County to see how much they know about their local governments, what they would like to learn further about, and any questions that they would ask their mayors.

First, I spoke with Mirrorajah Metcalfe, a 19-year-old NECC student. When asked about what she already knows about local government she had this to say, “Honestly, I know next to nothing about local government.” We then talked about how if Metcalfe could speak to her mayor, she would ask him, “What has he changed for the better during his term in office?”

Metcalfe also had said “I would be interested to hear about how the Fire Departments and Police Departments work. They look super interesting in TV shows.”

Next, I spoke with Matheus Batista, an 18-year-old NECC student. When asked about what Batista already knows about Local Government, he had this to say, “Not much honestly. I know there are obviously issues here and there and I’m interested in knowing about how these governments will be able to resolve them.” We then discussed questions he would ask his mayor; Batista’s responses suggested his interest in how a mayor would handle COVID related issues in terms of reopening schools safely.

Batista, when asked about what departments of local government he would be most interested in learning about, replied, “Probably police stations. I’ve noticed that police controversy has been a big issue in this country within the last twelve months, so I’d be interested in seeing how the people of the local police station function within their everyday routine.”

Lastly, I spoke with Jessica Whittemore, a 22-year-old single mother from Amesbury, about her thoughts on local government. When asked what she already knows about local government, Whittemore responded, “I know that there’s a mayor, a City Hall and a Town Council.” When asked about one thing she would ask her local mayor, she responded with, “Why are our taxes being spent on new police cruisers and schooling facilities, rather than other areas deemed necessary?”

Lastly, Whittemore said she would like to learn more about how the Superintendent’s Office works in a local government.

For the most part we see that the young adults of Essex county do not quite understand how their local governments work, but they are vastly interested in the innerworkings of the systems that govern life within a community and are teeming with questions for their elected officials.

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A youthful Christmas

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It is that time of the year again… Christmas season is upon us. The holidays have a way of brining us back to the childhood memories of family and presents.

For the holiday spirit we thought it would be nice to interview kids ranging from ages 3-10 about their up-and-coming Christmas celebrations and whether they thought they were on the naughty or nice list this year.

Chelsea Leissner is a 3-year-old from Massachusetts who loves watching Frosty the Snowman at this time of the year. When we asked Leissner about what she would like for Christmas she responded, “Bubble Guppy toys and Baby Alive doll.”

We also asked Leissner about what she and her family have done in preparation for Christmas, she answered back, “Decoration rides. Decorating the Christmas tree… We’re making cookies for Santa and a gingerbread house.”

When asked whether she believed she was on the naughty or nice list, Leissner blurted out in an excited fashion, “Nice!”

Leissner quotes a video she received from Santa as her source for this belief.

Next, we spoke with Hunter Ago, a 7-year-old from New Hampshire who enjoys playing with his cats Milo and Maze.

We asked him what he would like from Santa for Christmas this year, to which Ago responded with, “Brand new monster trucks from Hot Wheels.”

When asked how he has prepared for this Christmas, Ago answered back with, “By getting presents for my mom and dad. I also decorated my tree and some cookies as well.”

Ago, when asked about his thoughts on whether he was on the naughty or nice, list responded quickly with, “I don’t know. Just have to wait and see.”

Last but not least we spoke with Madison Martin, a 10-year-old from Massachusetts who loves to bake during her holiday season.

Martin, when asked about what she would like for Christmas, responded back with, “That’s hard, I think Mario World 3D for the Nintendo Switch. Also, Mario Party and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. I love Mario.”

When asked about how she was preparing for the Christmas season, Martin replied, “Decorating the tree, I love doing that. We do a lot of baking; I make dog cookies for my dog and I make cookies for my mom as well.”

We also asked Martin if she believed she was on Santa’s naughty or nice list, to which she responded, “Uhm a little bit of both. Mostly nice though!”

Hopefully, reading this article brought you some holiday joy and a sense of nostalgia for the holiday seasons of the past. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 

 

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Single parenting in modern America

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According to the U.S Census, single parent families make up around 32% of the 11 million families that have children under the age of 18, with single mothers being the primary parent in 8.5 million of these families.

With this significant number we thought it would be interesting to talk with single mothers on their greatest joys and challenges of raising a child by themselves. We will speak to mothers in a variety of age groups to try and hear from all walks of life.

Jessica Whittemore is a 22-year-old single mother who lives in Amesbury, Massachusetts, with her 2-year-old daughter Chelsea. When asked about one of her greatest joys of parenting Whittemore had this to say, “Chelsea’s personality, she is a wicked funny 2-year-old with a great deal of sass, I also love to play with her and her toys.”

When I asked Whittemore about what some of her challenges are with single parenting she responded with this, “Just being able to get the kids to listen to you, as well as just being able to afford what she needs.”

Whittemore said that her support circle consists of her family; While Whittemore is at work they can drive Chelsea to necessary appointments and watch after her.

Pam Maliszewski is a 41-year-old single mother who lives in Amesbury, Massachusetts, with her 12-year-old daughter Ali Maliszewski. When asked about what one of her greatest joys of parenting was, she responded with this, “You have a friend for life, no matter how mad they may seem at you one minute, you will always have a friend for life.”

When Maliszewski was asked about some the challenges of single parenting she said “Probably not being able to see her as much as I would like to see her, and the differing rules between her father’s house and my house.”

Maliszewski’s support circle consists of her mother and Kristen Isabelle, who has been her best friend for over a decade.

Lastly, we spoke to Sarah Zellen a 21-year-old single mom from Amesbury, Massachusetts, with her 2-year-old Addie. When asked about what she enjoys most about parenting Zellen replied, “My greatest joy of motherhood is knowing that we have a bond that is greater than anything in the world.”

When asked about some of the challenges of being a single mother and how it affects her mentally she responded with a variety of challenges to be had, such as the energy of a 2-year-old compared to that of an adult, and the financial aspect of raising a child.

When asked about her support circle Zellen responded with “I have a huge support system, I live at home with my mom and brothers and they help me anyway they can. On top of this, my grandparents have been overwhelmingly supportive, and my friends have functioned almost as an extension to my family.”

After speaking to these single mothers I noticed a trend where the mothers could talk almost endlessly on the joys of parenting, but when asked about the challenges of single parenting they seemed to think much longer about exactly what the said challenges were.

At the same time, this inside look provides a deeper insight on mothers from a variety of age groups and how they have been able to raise their children in a tender, loving environment despite being on their own.

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A different kind of Thanksgiving

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As we currently experience an upward trend of new COVID-19 cases, NECC students begin to prepare accordingly with the Mass.gov Safety Guidelines for their Thanksgiving celebrations.

We spoke with NECC students on how their plans have changed for Thanksgiving and if it has affected whether their excitement for the holiday has been greatly altered due to the new set of guidelines in place.

Nisaly Gonzalez, a 22-year-old North Andover resident and fulltime NECC student, typically spends Thanksgiving with a large gathering of family and friends. When asked how COVID-19 is affecting her Thanksgiving plans she had this to say, “Corona has affected my plans by limiting our family gathering to just my parents and my sister.”

Gonzalez also stated that the limitations on their gathering has not diminished the Gonzalez family’s excitement.

Next, we spoke with Robert Smith, a second semester NECC student who typically spends his Thanksgiving with a quaint family gathering at his grandmother’s house.

When asked about his plans for this year, Smith responded, “My Thanksgiving plans this year are to get one of those turkey dinners through the supermarket. It will be the same food, but with less people at my house. I will still call my grandmother and aunt to wish them a Happy Thanksgiving.”

Smith also said he would watch former Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade’s on YouTube to supplement his yearly viewing.

In our final interview we talked to Caitlyn Baker, a 20-year-old NECC transfer student who is usually either working for extra pay on Thanksgiving or at home. When asked whether her plans were changed due to COVID-19, Baker answered back with, “My plans are not going to be changed due to having such a small family.”

Baker had also stated that “I enjoy Thanksgiving, it’s time off from school, extra pay, and time with my actual immediate family, which is hard to find especially since my parents have owned their own business together for 23 years.”

After talking with NECC students and affiliates I realized that people’s plans may have changed, but it does not seem to have subtracted from the excitement for the holiday.

I also noticed that if there was a major change in somebody’s plans, they learned to adapt to the situation at hand and remain excited for Thanksgiving.

Have a Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving!

For more information about the Massachusetts guidelines, visit:

Mass.gov Thanksgiving during COVID-19: https://www.mass.gov/news/thanksgiving-during-covid-19

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Credibility, the seemingly lost art form

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In the case of the last couple of weeks we have seen headlines suggesting Osama Bin Laden is still alive, that there is a cabal of Democrat pedophiles running Washington D.C, and lastly the controversial Hunter Biden emails.

Headlines such as these have been causing NECC students to be wary of the media and some to even reevaluate their definitions of credibility and their thoughts on what the criteria for fake news is. Some students have even proposed ideas as to combat it.

When asked what consists as fake news, 22-year-old North Andover resident and full time NECC student Nisaly Gonzalez said, “Fake news really lacks data, they lack credible sources, and they tend to have conflicting facts.”

Gonzalez enjoys watching both Fox News and CNN to get a good balance of the facts.

Mirrorajah Metcalfe is a 19-year-old part time NECC student from Haverhill, who recently moved from Las Vegas, NV. When asked about how she determines credibility, she had this to say, “In order to determine credibility one must do their own research, form their own opinion, and try to steer clear of the influential narratives.”

Metcalfe also said when asked about the dangers that fake news impose on our society, “Fake news makes you start to not trust the media, which is alarming because that is where we go for our information on the world.”

Amesbury resident and part time NECC student Paige Bateman just got done celebrating her 19th birthday when the Hunter Biden emails surfaced.

Bateman when asked about her ideas on how to combat fake news had this to say, “I feel like there could have been more education in school on identifying the source of the story and really doing your due diligence on checking out the story’s claims and the story’s sources motives.”

Bateman also said that the news sources she typically turns to when she does read the news is The New York Times.

Fake news seems to be like a computer virus, we cannot always easily identify it, but we are able to remove the virus once it has done its damage. In this day and age, a verification of the facts is evermore important for a functioning democratic society.

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Staving off cabin fever in the time of COVID

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In a world on pause, what is one to do? Americans are resorting to an assortment of various activities to stave off cabin fever during the outbreak of COVID-19.

Have people been able to stay productive, healthy, and happy during the quarantine? Can people have benefited from the pandemic, whether it be a new skill picked or a personal achievement they have reached?

Find out how locals such as yourself have remained entertained during this deadly outbreak.

One 15-year-old, Julia Isabelle has decided to embark on a time travel journey, through her writings that is. “I am currently writing a story on a women who has to travel back in time to save the one she loves from dying in a duel, it is sort of going to be like Groundhog Day,” Isabelle says about her story.

Without the extra time afforded to her by the pandemic, Isabelle does not know if she would have even thought about writing the story otherwise.

Merrimack College Junior, Carissa Whittemore has spent her time by painting and creating more artwork than she has ever done before. Whittemore said that “I never really painted before the pandemic, or at least not nearly as much as I am now.”

When asked how they have been able to stay in contact with their friends both Whittemore and Isabelle responded by saying social media apps, such as Snapchat or Instagram have played a great role in staying connected with one another.

During this pandemic, many of us have seemed to retreat to the indoors, but Kristen Doringer has resorted to rather chilling walks. Doringer has started new walking routes through the cemeteries to find key figure’s graves.

Doringer said “I lost 30Ibs by walking to key figures resting places such as John Greenleaf Whittier.”

During the pandemic it seems that many of people have learned a new skill, perfected a preexisting skill, or reached personal milestones. But when asked if they would say they enjoyed their time during the outbreak, not even one could say they did, despite the new ventures each have delved into. At least the skills learned during this time will carry on, almost as a token of remembrance of our time away from our daily grinds.