All posts by Katherine Townsend, Correspondent

Features, Home Page News Bytes

Who comes to the rescue when charities need help?

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A feature on the Andrew Curry Green Lake Swim

2020 was a rollercoaster of emotions and struggles for everybody. It was difficult for people to continue to do the things they love, while staying inside in attempts to protect themselves and the people around them. There are many organizations that are still trying to recover from the damage that COVID-19 did, one of those organizations being nonprofit charities.

Since the outbreak in March of 2020, nonprofit charities have experienced extreme declines in contributions, in person events, ability to serve in person, and more. Many events to help clientele one on one, were cancelled. Directors of these organizations were set back months, and left helpless because of this devastating situation that was out of their hands. The demand for help got higher, while the available volunteers and resources were dwindling. Charity organizations did the best they could throughout the past year to stay afloat and provide help to those in need.

Michelle Merrit is one of the directors of the Andrew Curry Green Lake Swim, offering help to locals who experienced the impact of the 9/11 attack. She is 22 years old and started working as a volunteer for charities when she was only 14. Similar to other people her age who volunteer, she never expected helping others to be as rewarding as it is. She volunteered at many charities like The George McGee Foundation and the Key Foundation throughout her high school career. She was introduced to ACG Lake Swim in 2015 and has been helping out there ever since, until she was promoted to a director position in 2020. Merritt says, ‘I have always loved working for charities and giving back to the community. The Andrew Curry Green Lake swim is a charity that helps the families of 9/11 victims in the local area. Andrew Curry Green was a friend and a brother to many and sadly passed away on 9/11. We run this charity to remember him and give back in his name’. After being a loyal member of the Lake Swim community for many years, it was difficult for her to watch it endure the struggles of 2020.

This local charity, Andrew Curry Green Lake Swim, is known for hosting events with many opportunities to help people across M.A. and N.H.. Merritt says ‘The financial aid that we give to help these families is always heartwarming. But the best part is seeing how tight knit and close the local communities are with each other. It really has become a staple and a highlight of the community’. The mission for this charity came about in 2004 when the directors wanted to remember Green’s legacy in a perfect way. The mission statement is, “To create a place to remember how Andrew lived.” Lake Swim has been extremely successful since it has been open, so when the COVID-19 outbreak happened, it was a bummer for everyone involved.

Similarly to everyone else, Lake Swim has dealt with a lot of stress this past year due to COVID-19. Many events that were planned throughout the duration of 2020 were cancelled and it became very hard for team members of Lake Swim to find willing volunteers. Merritt says, ‘It has been extremely hard this past year for the charity. Our 2020 event was cancelled due to COVID-19. The event was the lake swim, canoe race, and cookout on Northwood Lake, N.H.. Each participant has to raise money or be sponsored to swim the three miles across the lake. With new restrictions it limited the size of gatherings. So we felt that the best decision was to cancel the event’. The lack of preparation that many institutions, including charities like Lake Swim, had before chaos struck in the beginning of 2020 made it that much more difficult to pick up the pace when things started to become normal again.

As time passes, more restrictions are being lifted and more vaccinations are being distributed, which allows charities just like Lake Swim to see a brighter future for themselves. People began volunteering again around August 2020 which allowed Lake Swim to plan some events to help the families of 9/11 victims. Though things are not completely back to normal there is hope for all of the charities who struggled the past year. Merrit says, ‘The struggles we faced and extra hard work we had to put in made the aftermath that much more beneficial. It gave us a drive to make the next events more engaging and personal for everyone. In 2020 everyone struggled, and with Lake Swim we were able to create virtual community events that provided some normalcy. It was a difficult process but in the end became very beneficial for us’. The experience of the past year made volunteers like Merritt remember why they donate their time to work for this charity, it gave them more drive and passion to create new innovative events.

Merritt and all the other members of Lake Swim are happy to see the progress pick up again after the unwarranted chaos of the past year. The future for Lake Swim is bright and it is still open to new volunteers or donations to whomever is interested. There are plenty of ways for a person to help this charity, like donating your money, your time, or the direct link to their informational website to learn more. Merritt and all other members of the team at Lake Swim says help of any kind is welcome, especially after the hard year everyone collectively experienced. To receive any further information about Lake Swim, anyone can send inquiries to Merritt directly at mmerritt@gmail.com or visit the Andrew Curry Green Lake Swim website here.

 

 

Campus Life, Home Page Featured News

Virtual events help students stay connected

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Northern Essex Community College has held numerous virtual events ever since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak last March. Planned events like this allow the NECC community to feel togetherness, even when classes are remote. Virtual events have been orchestrated for a little over a year now by the Coordinator of Student Activities, Stephanie Haskell. It is extremely important for her, and the entire community of NECC, to allow students to have events that keep them in the loop with each other.

Along with many other themed virtual events, the college will be hosting a Trivia Night on May 3. Although the theme for this night is currently a secret, it is sure to be a fun event that everyone will enjoy. All members of the community are encouraged to participate in this event. Trivia Night is a competition with other community colleges in the area. All members of the NECC community can be a part of this fun event and many other events via Zoom. Any and all students and faculty members are welcome to join with a super simple signup through link.

Trivia Night is a collaborative event where members of NECC go against numerous other community colleges from places like Mass., R.I., and N.H.. The Board of Student Activities has received many good reviews about the virtual events, like Trivia Night,  that have gone on the past year. ‘Our students love Trivia Night and have told me so. It’s fun because in-between rounds we put all the students from all of the community colleges into smaller breakout rooms and they get to meet and talk with other community college students… I think students like winning prizes too as well as bragging rights. One of the months we won overall out of the 17 community colleges that are invited to participate’ says Stephanie Haskell.

Despite more and more COVID-19 vaccinations being distributed, there are still many people who want to stay inside to ensure the safety of themselves and the people around them. There is no better way to stay inside and entertained, but still feel connected to the members of your community. Stephanie says, ‘I know personally how hard it is to be stuck in the house so providing a fun outlet is worth the time and energy for our students to have some fun and meet other students’. Events like Trivia Night are perfect for current and past students, faculty, and family members!

As the weather is getting nicer, the Board of Student Activities did plan less events for the springtime. This allowed many other clubs to plan virtual events for the community to attend. But there are plans for more exciting virtual events this upcoming summer. ‘I plan to host virtual events this summer… I hope that once more vaccines are administered we will be able to host more on campus for students but I have not gotten approval to do so yet from the college’ says Stephanie. The semester is nearing an end, but there are still plenty of events to look forward to from NECC.

COVID-19 vaccinations are constantly becoming available for more people throughout the states. The CDC is still advising people who have or have not not gotten vaccinated to ‘avoid crowds and stay six feet away from others’. For members of the community who are trying to stay socially distant and inside, events like this one are the perfect plan. NECC not only offers virtual Trivia Night, but also virtual escape rooms, virtual movie nights, and more! This event can be found easily on the Northern Essex Community College website, along with all the other events!

It can be difficult to feel connected with the community with everything going on in the world, but connecting with other students and participating in fun events like Trivia Night definitely helps! To participate in Trivia Night on May 3, hit this link. The organizers of this event would be more than excited to answer any questions you may have as well. For inquiries, feel free to contact the Coordinator of Student Activities, Stephanie Haskell, at shaskell@necc.mass.edu.

Along with the upcoming Trivia Night, there are many more fun opportunities for NECC students to get involved. One of those being the Community College Spring Virtual Festival that includes five music variety acts and prizes! This event will be hosted on May 5 and 6th from  6 p.m. – 7 p.m. on Zoom. Register with your NECC email here.

The Community Outreach Group will also host a Game of Thrones virtual trivia event on April 30 from 7 to 8 p.m.

According to email from COG, “in addition to being crowned the ultimate victor, you can benefit The National Alliance on Mental Illness in Massachusetts. www.namimass.org.” There will be prizes for best thematic dress and for the winner of the trivia contest. Zoom address: https://zoom.us/j/95143555455
Passcode: 755024

Contact Gage Prezioso at 00320591@student.necc.edu or Meredith Gunning at mgunning@necc.mass.edu for additional questions about the COG trivia night.

 

Opinion

Stop Asian hate

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Racially motivated hate crimes have been happening often, especially since the beginning of COVID-19. There has been an outrageous amount of Asian hate and discrimination because of the continuous claims that the virus outbreak had a connection to China. Many people said racially insensitive things like referring to COVID-19 as the ‘China virus’, amongst other things that were heavily led back to political figure, Donald Trump. The past year had been filled with racist actions from all over the country, but more recently in Atlanta, Georgia.

There were eight people shot and killed at two spas in Atlanta on March 16, 2021, six of which were Asian women. The man taken into custody for this crime had a sex addiction and claimed the spa attack was meant to “remove temptation.”

This opened a deeper discussion of Asian women being extremely sexualized by American culture. Harmeet Kaur of CNN.com said, “…history of misogyny and stereotypes that are all too familiar for Asian and Asian American women. They’re fetishized and hypersexualized.”

This incident sparked anger in a lot of Asian people all over the country and later led law enforcement to wonder if the motive was a possible racially motivated hate crime.

Community leaders in various areas say that there is fear evoked in a lot of Asian people this past year after racially motivated hate crimes in America skyrocket.

There have been more than double the amount of attacks targeted at Asian people this year compared to last, and many experts say that there were many others that were not reported. There has been a lot of verbal harassment and avoidance, amongst the physical assaults as well.

At a recent Stop Asian Hate protest in Los Angeles County, a white man drove by saying racially insensitive things. This incident was investigated by law enforcement as a potential hate crime. None of the people at the protest reported any injuries, but had a shared experience of discomfort and disappointment in their community.

These specific incidents have gathered a lot of people’s attention to the issue that has been happening for far too long.

The hashtag #StopAsianHate started trending on social media to show support to all Asians being especially affected by this incident.

Social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter have highlighted some organizations that were created to support the Asian community and end anti Asian prejudice. Many helpful links, articles, and places to donate can be found through this hashtag.

The past year has been monumental for the strides made for racial equality.

It is devastating that lives were lost in order for a discussion to be started on the racial divide in this country. Difficult conversations need to happen in order for change to be invoked into the insensitive society that was created.

Arts and Entertainment

Super Bowl Sunday 2021

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This past year has been difficult for people everywhere. Every rising  month seems to come with an unexpected curveball. With Super Bowl Sunday being held in February 2021, this was a big surprise for a lot of people.

Throughout the year 2020 people were forced to transfer to online work, school, and even social gatherings. This past December, the CDC advised everyone to stay at home for the holidays and avoid travel. This made a lot of people wonder what was in store for upcoming months.

The Super Bowl is the biggest and most watched sports game in America and sports fans everywhere were excited to tune in. Mark Gallant of Merrimac, MA said, “With all the chaos of last year, I’m happy to be a part of something that feels normal. Even though it will be a little different without the crowd, it’ll still be fun!” Expectedly so, Super Bowl Sunday 2021 would be completely different from previous years.

The Raymond James Stadium is the home stadium for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and is able to hold over 65,000 people. Since not even close to that many people would be present in the stadium, the NFL planned  something interactive for football fans to participate in. This year the NFL offered a deal for 22,000 fans to submit a photo of themselves and have it shown in a real seat at the stadium for the slim price of $100! These fans will also be sent a link to view themselves in the crowd and were put in an auction to potentially win tickets to the Super Bowl in 2022. A portion of the money collected from this was donated to local charities. This was a fun, COVID-19 friendly trend for fans to participate in.

Even with a creative spin and an entertaining halftime show, there was an overwhelming decrease in views on CBS. ESPN.com says “92 million people tuned in… add[ing] in a record number of people who streamed the game online and CBS said the total audience was 96.4 million.” Past years had viewing numbers as high as 100 million making this year a huge surprise to streaming services. A big number of people who watched this past Sunday were over livestream instead of cable; possibly due to the many Zoom Super Bowl parties!

 

Campus Life

Connecting with the community during the holidays

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Northern Essex Community College hosted a holiday themed movied night in December.  The community was encouraged to participate in the showing of the movie, The Holiday, being shown via Zoom. Any and all students and faculty members are welcome to join with a super simple signup through link.

The organizer of this recurring movie night, Stephanie Haskell, actually calls it Theater Thursday. For members of the community who are trying to stay inside, this is a perfect plan for every other Thursday night during the holiday season.

This event can be found easily on the Northern Essex Community College website, along with many other events! . There is no better way to stay cozy and entertained than watching a holiday movie with the members of your community. “I am always looking for a way to stay a part of my college’s community and this movie night is right up my alley,” says NECC Alumni Emma Formosi. Theater Thursday is perfect for current and past students, faculty, and family members!

It can be difficult to get into the spirit with everything going on in the world, but watching a holiday movie definitely helps!  The organizers of this event would be more than excited to answer any questions you may have as well. For inquiries, feel free to contact Kalyn Ryll at kryll@necc.mass.edu.

 

Campus Life, Home Page News Bytes

Connecting with the community during the holidays

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Northern Essex Community College hosted a holiday themed movie night on Dec. 17. The community was encouraged to participate in the showing of the movie, The Holiday, being shown via Zoom. Any and all students and faculty members were welcome to join with a super simple signup through a link.

The organizer of this recurring movie night, Stephanie Haskell, actually calls it Theater Thursday. For members of the community who are trying to stay inside, this is a perfect plan for every other Thursday night during the holiday season.

This event can be found easily on the Northern Essex Community College website, along with many other events! This time of year is when COVID-19 cases are striking and people are being asked to stay inside. There is no better way to stay cozy and entertained than watching a holiday movie with the members of your community.

“I am always looking for a way to stay a part of my college’s community and this movie night is right up my alley,” says NECC Alumni Emma Formosi. Theater Thursday is perfect for current and past students, faculty, and family members!

It can be difficult to get into the spirit with everything going on in the world, but watching a holiday movie definitely helps!

For inquiries and mor information about Movie Night, feel free to contact Kalyn Ryll at kryll@necc.mass.edu.

 

Campus Life, Home Page News Bytes

NECC to host holiday trivia night

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The time of year when people gather with family the most has arrived, but because of COVID-19, this year is a little different.

Charlie Baker, governor of Massachusetts, has made multiple restrictions for gatherings and outings. To bring some entertainment for people who are stuck inside, Northern Essex Community College has organized a trivia night.

NECC has been hosting events like this one for months in attempts to lift the community’s spirits up.

Student, Cadrin Comeau, said “I didn’t know NECC was doing anything for the holiday season, but I will have to check it out.”

Trivia night is a great way for students to relieve the stress that finals bring, while social distancing in their home!

The event will be held over Zoom this upcoming Friday, Dec. 11th at 6:30 p.m. The winner of Trivia Night will be awarded a Yankee Candle gift basket worth $250! Donations will also be accepted, According to an announcement about the event:  “All proceeds go to Fidelity House Inc, CRC–helping the families raising children with disabilities in the Merrimack Valley area who are facing food and economic insecurity”.

Northern Essex Community College planned a lot of fun events for the holiday season and continues to plan more for the future.

Students are extremely grateful that their community is taking the time to plan events that they can attend in their home.

Sarah Blaine, second year student, says “So many things have been cancelled for me this year, I’m glad I’m able to do something from my home!”

There will be many more interactive activities within the next few months, available to view on the NECC Observer and on the Student Life secton of the NECC website.

If interested in attending Trivia Night, here is the Zoom information:

Meeting ID: 943 3104 9602 Passcode: 319473

 

Campus Life, Uncategorized

College students are coming home for the holidays, and some are not happy about it

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As COVID-19 cases continue to rise, college campuses are preparing to send students home for the winter. Many Massachusetts colleges are already primarily online, but plan to transfer to remote learning after Thanksgiving.

College students will stay home and complete their courses online until the second semester starting in February.

A lot of college students are not happy about coming home for the winter. Some are even planning on cheating the system and returning to their college towns after Thanksgiving break.

One student, Ashley Thistlewood, from Plymouth State University said “I’m going to stay home for a bit, but then I think I’m going to live [in New Hampshire] for most of break because I have a job here.”

A lot of students have adjusted to life in these college areas, and do not want COVID-19 to ruin it for them.

Sending college students home was just one of the plans enforced in order to keep communities in Massachusetts safe.

Charlie Baker, governor of Massachusetts, released a statement with many guidelines for the upcoming months. Some of these regulations are a stay at home order from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., along with restaurants and other establishments ordered to close by 9:30 p.m. every night.

With the COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts being over 200,000 as of the fourth week of November, colleges are doing all they can to keep students safe.

Traveling is extremely dangerous during this time, but campuses are giving students time to quarantine in between traveling.