The CoOL council met on Sept. 17 to discuss the upcoming semester. | NECC Observer
College isn’t just for young adults anymore. NECC has a volunteer organization known as the College of Older Learners, or CoOL, for people 50 or older who want to remain intellectually active.
“I was teaching at the college, and I did a sabbatical on lifelong learning and came up with this model with my cohort Peter Spellman who also helped me start it,” said George Medelinskas, co-founder of CoOL and former NECC teacher.
CoOL was founded in Feb. 2011 and has so far offered 85 different seminars. Seminars are $30 each, and they run for two hours a class for six weeks. The seminars run during both fall and spring semesters.
Teachers of seminars are paid a $10 stipend, and the rest of the money generated goes to NECC.
“It’s a volunteer organization,” said CoOL council chair Nancy Clark, “there’s a lot of work and time that goes into it, but it’s great that the college gives us the space and time.”
“The goal was to get people to stretch,” said Medelinskas. “By that I mean if you’re not good in science, maybe take a climate change course. “If you’re really shy, take the senior theater course.”
“School isn’t just for younger people,” said Clark. “Or middle aged people. It’s for older people.”
The Haverhill Public Library is currently hosting an art exhibit featuring original graphic novels created by NECC students. The work was produced during the spring 2014 semester class entitled “Art and Literature of the Graphic Novel,” a learning community course co-taught by professors Ginger Hurajt and Marc Mannheimer.
In this project, students wrote and illustrated short graphic stories, which were then compiled into the first volume of “Tales From the Valley.” This 44 page book is a collection of 21 of these stories and was produced and published on the Haverhill campus.
“The hardest part was learning to transfer what you’ve written into a picture that still tells the same story,” said Benjamin Pintor. He has been doodling illustrations for as long as he can remember, though he previously had little experience with writing his own story for which to provide the illustration.
Pintor is currently majoring in general studies with a focus on art and industrial design. He enjoyed the project and plans to pursue a career that allows him to use his artistic talent.
Also featured is Dylan McDougall, an art major who was inspired at a very young age by a brother who was always drawing. As well as a love for drawing, McDougall found poetry to be an invaluable outlet when experiencing difficult times throughout his life.
McDougall is currently preparing to launch his own original clothing line called “Smile Just Because,” which will feature designs transferred to t-shirts and hats, for starters. While he is not clear about exactly what his long term career plans are, he said “my biggest goal is to change the world.”
Currently a liberal arts major, Yosmarlin Infante didn’t realize she could draw until she took a high school art class at the age of 14. As she improved, she began to look for ways to incorporate her love of drawing and her love of film.
Her favorite part of the class is that she finally learned how drawing can be connected to her career plans. “As an aspiring film producer, I can use my own storyboards to pitch my own ideas.” she said. Infante plans to transfer to the film program at Fitchburg State College after graduation.
A reception was held on Sept. 11, 5 to 7 p.m. in the library’s Johnson Auditorium, allowing visitors to purchase the book and meet the artists and view the storyboards they created. Artwork will remain on display along the second floor gallery at the Haverhill Public Library until Sept. 30.
To purchase a book for $5, or for more information, contact Marc Mannheimer at mmannheimer@necc.mass.edu.
Whether playing or watching, sports are a great way to come together over a common goal: to beat the opposing team.
Unfortunately, some of the sports at NECC have had trouble filling their rosters. Volleyball may not even be able to put a competitive team out there this year. Students’ schedules are full, their resources are limited, and for any number of reasons not every team can draw enough student athletes to the court.
At NECC, the women’s teams — which include softball, volleyball, basketball and track and field — have had trouble drawing interest.
“It’s kind of sad to see the potential talent walking all around the campus,” said Sue MacAvoy, the NECC athletic director. “If people are interested, they need to come by.”
Many students may think that joining a team is going to impact them academically. MacAvoy says this just isn’t true, pointing out that, often, teams come together to study as a group. They do this to build camaraderie and also for academic support.
The Athletic Department also works with the college to put on different workshops for student-athletes throughout the year, to help with time management and studying. MacAvoy also points out that she has all the lists of the various tutors on campus, and she is quick to point any student in the right direction the minute they feel they are having academic issues.
Transportation is another big issue among all college students, not just student athletes. Potential athletes may feel like they not be able to make it to every practice and/or game due to lack of transportation. MacAvoy says that the NECC shuttle service operates throughout both cities and travels to both campuses. It also runs into the evening, meaning athletes will still be able to get home from practice. The NECC shuttle is free for anyone with a valid NECC ID.
The main issue, according to MacAvoy, is that many athletes coming from Division 1 high school athletics in the area are burnt out. They don’t want to play sports anymore.
It’s common in highly competitive high school sports for student athletes to lose the drive to compete after graduating. MacAvoy goes on to detail how she’s spoken with many athletes who simply say they played too much between high school, AAU teams, and travel teams. The sports they played took up all their free time, and they just didn’t want to do it anymore.
There are many obstacles to building teams, but things are already beginning to turn around. The creation of the softball team shows that there are a growing number of women who want to compete, and after a one-year hiatus, the women’s basketball team appears on track to come out and compete right away. This doesn’t mean the battle is over by any means, but it’s a start. MacAvoy isn’t stopping anytime soon, constantly recruiting and spreading the word about college athletics.
When asked how she appeals to potential student-athletes, MacAvoy said, “Just like the classes are different from high school, and the school is different, so are the sports here at Northern Essex.”
The softball team plans to begin practice for their fall scrimmage season this week. The basketball team still has a tentative schedule for the time being. This doesn’t mean that students shouldn’t come try out, though. MacAvoy and all the coaches urge anyone interested in playing to contact the athletic office as soon as possible, or stop by practice any time. The Athletic Department is located in the Sport and Fitness Center on the Haverhill campus.
Student senate is currently looking for more members. There are five available seats in the senate. Nomination petitions for eligibility must be turned in by Sept. 19. Contact Dina Brown at dbrown@necc.mass.edu for more information.
Student Senate meetings are held every weds. from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in room A112 on Haverhill campus in the library and room L244 in Lawrence. The meetings are united through a video conference.
Judith Gently – Hannah Heckman-McKenna Frank Gently – John Rodgers Angie Gently – Katie Formosi Tom Gently – John Gray Joan – Kiara Pichardo Brian & Flag Soldier + – Gabby Cordero
Alister + – Benigno Agusto
J.C. Smuts – Rob Mantegani
Mr. Mann – Christian Doyle
Mrs. Briggs – Ally Catanzaro
Mr. Briggs – Conor Miller
Mrs. Hilyard + – Kelly Schwing
Viv + – Patricia Ramirez
Sir Charles & Frakker – Michael Ross
Lucy & Mrs. Kyme – Rossibel Kurz
Aussie Soldier – Paul Kelly
Angie’s Soldier – Trevon Gilcrist
Nellie + – Ari Crawford
Mira + – Sarah Bird
Sheila + – Stephanie Bisono
Bela – Luisa Jimenez
Sept. 10 was the #internetslowdown when many websites shared their opinion on the net neutrality decision that will be made my Tom Wheeler and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Sept. 15.
Net neutrality is the assurance that the internet remains free without effecting loading speeds. Internet service providers, or ISPs, should not be allowed to block or limit websites of their choosing.
Some corporate owned sites like Netflix are against the loss of net neutrality because they would have to pay money to have loading speeds suitable to the needs of their sites. Netflix prices would likely go up if net neutrality were threatened because Netflix is a streaming site that relies on fast loading speeds. They may have to pay extra money to get the speeds they want from ISPs.
The #internetslowdown movement sent the message that many sites do not want to pay “protection money” for faster speeds and that the internet should remain open to all.
If net neutrality is effected or eliminated, some sites may be slowed down to the point where they are unusable or blocked altogether. Students may not be able to access the sites they can normally access.
The Sport and Fitness Center on Haverhill campus now has a donation run Keurig brewer. Photo by Faith Gregory
The Sport and Fitness Center on Haverhill campus now has a Keurig brewer that provides free coffee, tea or hot chocolate to students.The brewer is located in the front lobby and accepts donations to keep it running.
A snack bar is also available to students in the Sport and Fitness Center.
There are no hours posted saying when the snack bar is open, and the Keurig brewer was not in the Sport and Fitness Center when the snack bar was closed.
It is currently unknown who is sponsoring the donation-run Keurig machine.
Following are the upcoming NECC varsity meetings and tryouts available to all enrolled NECC students.
Volleyball: currently running practices Mon. through Fri. from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Stop by practice on the Haverhill campus by the Sport and Fitness Center if interested
Baseball: tryouts are Saturday, Sept. 6 at 9 a.m. on the baseball field on Haverhill campus
Softball: meeting on Monday, Sept. 8 at 3 p.m. in the lobby of the Sport and Fitness Center on Haverhill campus
Men’s basketball: meeting on Monday, Sept. 8 at 4 p.m. in D129 (Sport and Fitness Center) on Haverhill campus
Women’s basketball: meeting on Monday, Sept. 15 at noon in D129 (Sport and Fitness Center) on Haverhill campus
Track & field: Meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 8 at 5 p.m. in the lobby of the Sport and Fitness Center on Haverhill Campus
NECC’s baseball team did incredibly well last season. Courtesy of NECC Newsroom
The 2014-2015 sports year is ready to get underway in a couple of weeks at Northern Essex, and there is a lot of excitement surrounding the Knights this year.
After great years by all of the Knights’ teams, including the men’s basketball (runner-up in the state tournament) and men’s baseball (6th place finish at the NJCAA World Series and two All-American honorees), the excitement around campus is greater than ever.
This fall, baseball and softball will have a small season of practices and scrimmages to get prepared for the spring season. In addition, women’s volleyball begins their season September 17 at Bunker Hill Community College, with the men’s and women’s basketball seasons following at the beginning of November.
On August 19, 49 potential student athletes met with coaches and athletic director Sue MacAvoy for an orientation to the sports year.
According to MacAvoy, topics covered in the meeting included eligibility, commitment, time management, and resources at NECC.
To celebrate the opening of the sports year, the Observer is bringing readers a preview of each team, as well as information on the coaches and results from last season.
Women’s Volleyball
There is plenty of excitement surrounding the volleyball team this year with many students interested in becoming Knights.
The season is coming up quickly, with practice starting on Wednesday, September 3 and the first game two weeks later, a September 17 conference battle at Bunker Hill Community College.
The Knights’ first home game comes September 24, another conference matchup against Holyoke Community College.
The Knights will take part in several tournaments this season, including the NHTI tournament at New Hampshire Technical Institute in Concord, N.H. the weekend of September 26 through September 28, the Dig Pink tournament at Community College of Rhode Island in Providence, R.I. on Saturday, October 11, hosting the MCCAC tournament at Northern Essex on Saturday, October 18, and the NJCAA Regional tournament at Northern Essex on Saturday, October 25.
Players interested in joining the volleyball team should report to practice Friday, September 5 or see Sue MacAvoy in room D123 of the Sports and Fitness Center.
Women’s Basketball
After not being able to field a team last season due to lack of players, excitement is once again swirling around the Knights basketball team.
Over the past year, head coach Brent Bass has been recruiting players from around the region, pushing the Knights’ philosophy of good basketball and a quality education. His main goal is to see that his recruiting is taking effect.
When asked about his recruiting efforts and the possibility of getting a full squad, coach Bass said,
“There’s a ton of bodies out there, it’s just a matter of connecting with them and getting them to come out and play here.”
Bass went on to state that the message that he’s been giving to all his potential players is,
“We’re not here just to play, this is a viable collegiate option for these players.”
This season looks to be a challenging one as the Knights look to get back into the competitive swing of things, with six of their first ten divisional games on the road, including one at perennial powerhouse Roxbury Community College.
While a full season would have to be considered a successful one, the goal is still to put a competitive team out on the floor. Once that is established, coach Bass is confident that he can build on that.
All players who are interested in joining the women’s basketball team should attend the meeting with coach Bass on Monday, September 15 at noon in room D129 of the Sports and Fitness Center.
Softball
Entering their second season since reforming in early 2014, the Knights’ softball team is looking to make big improvements.
Last season, the Knights fielded their first team in decades, and the results weren’t ideal.
Despite their 0-8 record, however, the buzz has been getting louder around the building of the team.
Every player on the 16-person roster in the spring was a freshman, meaning that there is an abundance of returning players to the team, as well as the new recruits from coach Robert Gillespie.
This is the foundation coach Gillespie is building on, and the Knights look to make a real competitive leap this season.
The team will have a fall practice and scrimmage season to prepare for the upcoming spring season.
Players who are interested in playing are urged to contact coach Robert Gillespie.
Coach Gillespie is very excited about the new year and is constantly looking for new players to join the team and help make a difference. He is constantly networking, saying, “We can use as much publicity as we can get this year.”
Baseball
For the third time in three years, and the fourth time in the last eight, the Knights’ baseball team went to the NJCAA Division III World Series in Tyler, Texas.
After winning their first game in the tournament, they lost their next two, getting eliminated and finishing with a 21-14 record, good enough for sixth in the nation.
The buzz surrounding the team is as loud as ever, as the Knights look to make yet another trip to Texas next spring.
In addition to their championship-level play, the Knights also had two All-Americans on their roster.
Zack Beckwith received 2nd team All-American honors before graduating and transferring to UMass Boston, while Dan Peters received Academic All-American honors before graduating and transferring to Rivier College.
The Knights will also be having a fall practice and scrimmage season to get ready for the upcoming season. Information on scheduled games will be printed as it becomes available.
This season should prove to be an exciting one for all the Knights’ teams, with plenty of wins and celebrations in the near future.
Be sure to come out and support the Knights whenever possible and show your true team spirit. Information on teams and schedules can be found at the athletic department’s new website,
athletics.necc.mass.edu.
Important correction: In the print version, the term “lady Knights” is used. The Observer has been informed that the women’s teams should be referred to has just, “the Knights,” and we have made the correction online accordingly. Edited Sept. 4.
