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Sports

Jeff Mejia named assistant athletic director

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Baseball coach takes on new role

Northern Essex Community College Athletic Director Dan Blair has announced that baseball coach Jeff Mejia has joined the department on a full-time basis as Assistant Athletic Director effective August 14th.

In a restructuring of the department, Mejia’s primary roles will consist of supervising the colleges Fitness Center (which is currently undergoing a renovation), serving as the department’s recruiting/retention coordinator and academic liaison and assisting with athletic compliance.

Additionally, Mejia will assist in scheduling, departmental fundraising and the strategic growth of the Knights athletic program.

Mejia will continue to serve as the college’s baseball coach where he has amassed a 142-78 (.672%) record in seven seasons and produced 11 All-Americans and 37 First Team All-Region selections.

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am looking forward to this expanded role within the athletic department and working across campus to continue the growth and success of our athletic program…
– Jeff Mejia

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“Jeff’s success on the field speaks for itself and his skillset will be a tremendous asset to the entire athletic program on a full-time basis.

As we continue to grow and enhance our overall program I look forward to incorporating his expertise as we serve the students of the Merrimack Valley and beyond,” said Blair

Mejia added, “I am both excited and humbled to take the Assistant Athletic Director position at Northern Essex Community College.  I am looking forward to this expanded role within the athletic department and working across campus to continue the growth and success of our athletic program within our Northern Essex community.”

Mejia holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Salem State College in Sports Fitness and Leisure Studies, with a concentration in Coaching.

He also served in the United States Army and served in Operation Desert Storm.

He and his wife Colleen currently reside in North Reading with their two children, Jeff Jr. a sophomore on the UMass-Lowell baseball team and Isabella a freshman at Clemson University.

Northern Essex Community College competes as a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and sponsors nine varsity intercollegiate sports including baseball, men’s basketball, golf, softball, women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s cross country and men’s and women’s track and field.

News

Presidential Scholarship winners

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Twenty-seven local 2015 high school graduates were accepted to Northern Essex Community College’s Presidential Scholars Program, an honors program devoted to high academic achievement. The 16-year-old program is designed to reward motivated high school students who will be attending NECC.

“Most plan to transfer to a four-year college or university after getting an associate’s degree from Northern Essex.” said Lane Glenn, president of NECC.

Admission to the program includes a $1,000 scholarship, which is renewable provided the recipient maintain a GPA of 2.5 or higher while attending NECC. Accepted students also receive a staff or faculty mentor who acts as an academic resource throughout the student’s time on campus.

This year’s Presidential Scholars include students from Haverhill, Lawrence, Methuen, Plaistow, N.H.,  and other surroundings town and cities. For more information on the NECC Presidential Scholars Program, please contact Lindsay Graham at scholarships@necc.mass.edu or at (978) 556-3629.

Haverhill

Haverhill High School

Gabrielle Ouellette, General Studies: Health Specialization

Wyatt Pepe, Law Enforcement Certificate

Xionnett Pla, Accounting

Haverhill Technical High School

Abigail Monson: Liberal Arts

Lawrence

Finance High School

Lindsey Costello, Early Childhood Education

Greater Lawrence Technical High School

Janelle Lopez, General Studies, Health Specialization

Glendaliz Restos, General Studies, Health Specialization

Jacqueline Rosales, Liberal Arts

Central Catholic High School

Chelsea Lynch, Liberal Arts

Lawrence International High School

Lys Ortiz, General Studies, Health Specialization

Crisleidy Paula, Liberal Arts, Psychology Option

Methuen

Methuen High School

Rocherly Difo, Early Childhood Education

Ariorca Herrera Abreu, Liberal Arts, Middle-High School Teaching Option

Rayhon Perez, Biology

Deric Sutton, General Studies, Health Specialization

Newbury

Triton High School

Joseph Simon Liberal Arts

Newburyport

Newburyport High School

Caitlyn Cole, General Studies, Art

North Andover

North Andover High School

Joseph Donofrio, Business Management

Plaistow New Hampshire

Timberlane Regional High School

Aurora Sidor, General Studies, Business Option

Salem New Hampshire

Salem High School

Erin Lehner, Liberal Arts, Theater Option

West Newbury

Pentucket High School

Emily Galligan, Biology

Boxford

Masconomet Regional High School

Megan Gibson, Engineering Science

Derry, New Hampshire

Pinkerton Academy

Anthony Bowers, General Studies, Individualized Option

Georgetown

Georgetown High School

Abby Sippel, Liberal Arts

Groveland

Pentucket Regional High School

Madison Lesiczka, Early Childhood Education

Natalie Scott, Liberal Arts

News

Tutoring Center’s Schedule for Finals Week

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The Tutoring Center’s schedules for final-exam week are now available online at www.necc.mass.edu/academics/support-services/tutoring/tutoring-schedules/tutoring-final-exam-schedule.

The Tutoring Center is open to all NECC students at no additional cost.

NECC students also have access to Smarthinking online tutoring. For information about Smarthinking, visit www.necc.mass.edu/academics/support-services/tutoring/tutoring-schedules/smarthinking/.

Call the Tutoring Center at 978-556-3411 or emailtutoringcenter@necc.mass.edu with any questions.

Uncategorized

Android App Inventor Workshop

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The CIS department at NECC is holding an Android App Inventor Workshop on June 9, 10 and 11 at 420 Common St. in Lawrence.

The workshop will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Students will need to have a Google account for the workshop.

AppInventor for Android is web application originally created by Google and now maintained by MIT media lab. It uses a blocks based language, similar to Scratch, to create applications that can run on Android devices.

Completed Apps can be uploaded to the Google Play Store. Android devices will be available for use.

More information can be found at appinventor.mit.edu/explore/
To register, go to http://goo.gl/forms/cy7zGFETp1 or email mpenta@necc.mass.edu

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Network Night for Graduates

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NECC will be hosting a network night for graduates on Thursday, May 14th from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Hartleb Technology Center.

Area business professionals and potential employers will be present, and local businesswoman Rosalin Acosta will be doing a presentation titled “Why Networking Matters.”

The dress is business casual. Those interested should register at at www.eventbrite.com/e/necc-graduates-networking-event-registration-16003661382

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Food Drive for Homeless

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The NECC chapter of PSI BETA, the National Community College Honor Society, is collecting food for the Emmaus Homeless Shelter in Haverhill from April 27th to May 4th.

Boxes will be located in the C-Building in Haverhill and the Dimitry Building in Lawrence. Most people are very generous during the holiday season and go on vacation in the summer, but people are still hungry and supplies are low, so please give generously.

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Top Notch Players Performances

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The NECC Top Notch Players and the Children’s Theater class will be presenting performances on May 1 & 2 in the Chester W, Hawrylciw Theater 3rd floor of the Spurk Building, Haverhill campus.
“Stuart Little” by E.B. White will be presented by the Children’s Theater class on Friday, May 1 at 10:30 a.m., Saturday May 2, at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the Chester W. Hawrylciw Theater.
Admission is free. Contact Jim Murphy for further information at jmurphy@necc.mass.edu or (978) 556-3377.
The Top Notch Players will perform 8 short plays directed by NECC students on Friday and Saturday, May 1 and 2 in the Chester W. Hawrylciw Theater at 7:30 p.m.. Admission is $8 for students and senior citizens and $10 for General Admission.
Tickets are available at the door only. Contact Susan Sanders for further information at ssanders@necc.mass.edu or (978) 556-3374.

News

Kayaking Trip

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The Department of Athletics and Recreation paddle is hosting a Kayaking trip to the Merrimack River on Thursday, May 14.
Attendees will be leaving NECC at 8 a.m. to head north and enjoy a day on the river. The cost is $20 and includes transportation and a 5 mile paddle in either a kayak or 2-person canoe.
Attendees should bring snacks and a lunch.
See Maureen Saliba in D104, msaliba@necc.mass.edu, or John Daly, jdaly@necc.mass.edu, in LA 103 to sign up and pay. Payment is due by Monday, May 4th.

News

NECC to Commemorate Abraham Lincoln

 

NECC will commemorate the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln 150 years later on Tuesday, April 14 at the Hartleb Technology Center, Room 103A on the Haverhill campus.

The program will run from 9:15 a.m. to about 12:30 p.m. with a variety of events, which are free and open to the public. This program is part of the 2014 – 2015 Speakers’ Series, “Movers, Shakers and Opinion Makers,” that is supported by the NECC Fund as well as Academic and Student Affairs.
Activities include the following:
-9:15 a.m.: Opening ceremony will be held with a welcome from President Lane Glenn, remarks on Lincoln by Richard Padova and a reading of the Gettysburg Address by Theater Professor Jim Murphy.
-9:45 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.: Guest speaker Dr. Heather Cox Richardson, Professor of History at Boston College, an expert in 19th century America and the Civil War and the author of five books about American politics, will give a presentation entitled “Abraham Lincoln and the Meaning of America.”
-10:45 a.m. to noon: A panel discussion featuring Professors Stephen Russell (“The Merrimack Valley in the Civil War”); Andrew Morse (“Lincoln and the Legislature”); and Thomas Greene (“Stake of the Union: Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter”) will be held.
-noon: A staged reading of Act 3, Scene 2 of “Our American Cousin” will be held, followed by a moment of silence and conclusion of the activities.
-9:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: A special display of Lincoln-related items from Richard Padova’s private collection will be available for viewing, which include a ballot that was cast in Ohio for President Lincoln’s re-election on November 8th, 1864; a playbill for “Our American Cousin” that was printed on the morning of April 15th, 1865 and circulated on the streets of Washington, DC to drum up ticket sales, after Mary Todd Lincoln informed John Ford that she and the president would be attending that evening’s performance at Ford’s Theater; and a handbill that was printed announcing Lincoln’s assassination with a memorial poem written by George DeWolfe, the Wandering Poet, of Nashua, N.H.

For more information, contact the organizer, Richard Padova, faculty member in the Global Studies Department at 978-556-3297 or rpadova@necc.mass.edu.

Sports

Knights win the championship

 

NECC's baseball team, the Knights, jump and hug each other after a victory on the baseball diamond.
The NECC Knights jump for joy as they win the championship game. Photo courtesy of NECC Newsroom
In a winner-take-all second game on Sunday, Daniel Bonito (Swampscott) twirled a three-hitter to give the Northern Essex Community College baseball team the Region XXI Championship over Massasoit Community College at Colombo Field. As a result, Northern Essex will be heading to the NJCAA World Series in Texas for the third consecutive season.

Massasoit captured game one, 12-5, to force the deciding game, which the Knights won by a score of 8-2 to send NECC (20-12) to the NJCAA World Series for the third straight season.

“It was a long tough day. It was a battle. Both teams were great. Massasoit showed why they were the No. 1 team. In the first game there was nothing we could do, they just beat us,” Northern Essex head coach Jeff Mejia said. “It was a battle between two really, really good teams and it was just a pleasure to be a part of that. As a coach, I feel honored to coach these guys. We have a great group of hard working kids.”

After Massasoit put up 12 runs in game one, the top-seeded Warriors had a difficult time all day with Bonito. The southpaw was outstanding on the bump for the Knights, going the distance surrendering just three hits and yielding two unearned runs. Bonito struck out seven and worked around six walks and one hit by pitch.

In fact, Bonito walked the bases loaded on two occasions — in the second and ninth innings — but he escaped both threats unscathed.

“We say that a lot about Danny, that is is effectively wild,” Mejia said. “But then he gets in a groove and he is tough to hit. He was heavily recruited out of high school as a pitcher, but I also liked his swing. When he came here (after transferring from Western New England College), I told him you’ll have a chance to swing and pitch and he told me ‘just let me know when I need to win the big one’. He stopped a three-game losing streak for us earlier in the year and today was obviously his biggest game of the season for us.”

Bonito did not allow a hit until two outs in the fourth on a double by Matt Levasseur. The only other hits Massasoit could muster came on an infield single in the fifth and two-out single in the eighth.

“I honestly just tried to stay calm,” Bonito said. “I’m one of the oldest guys on the team. I’ve been there (in pressure situations) before. I just concentrated on throwing strikes and getting my outs and having my fielders help me out.”

Massasoit starter David Tarr and Bonito matched zeroes until the top of the fifth, when the Warriors scored two unearned runs.

However, NECC bounced right back in the bottom of the frame when leadoff hitter Jonathan De La Cruz (Haverhill) connected for a two-homer homer to knot the score at 2-2.

Bonito settled down after the fifth. The sophomore retired the side in order in the sixth and seventh frames as part sending down 10 straight Warrior batters from the fifth through the eighth innings.

In the sixth, the Knights put up a three-spot thanks to a two-run triple by Michael Crisostome (Lynn) and RBI single from David Quazada (Lawrence) to take the lead for good.

Leading 5-2 in the last of the eighth, NECC added some insurance, as MacDaniel Singleton (Everett) cashed in with a bases clearing double to round out the scoring on the day, 8-2 in favor of the Knights.

“It is obviously a great feeling to go to the World Series and I’m really excited to go with this group of guys,” Bonito said. “That is a good Massasoit team and it was nice to finally beat them.”

The Warriors had defeated the Knights four consecutive times this season, before they claimed the most important one, sending NECC to the NJCAA World Series for the third straight season.