The NECC Observer is looking to hire a Lawrence editor who would write stories specifically about the Lawrence campus.
The student must have taken or currently be enrolled in journalism 1 and should have some past writing experience and available samples.
Contact faculty advisor Mary Jo Shafer at mshafer@necc.mass.edu for more information.
A spam email has been circulating about upgrading to 4GB of space.
This is not an email from NECC. Move the email to the SPAM folder and do not forward the email to anyone.
Contact servicedesk@necc.mass.edu with any questions.
When students reach their senior year of high school, the pressure to choose a college to further their education can be a very stressful time. Psychology major Maddi Wilson of Salem, N.H. is one of many students who was in this predicament.
Wilson previously attended Campbell High School in Litchfield, N.H. and graduated with honors. She was looking into four-year universities such as The University of New Hampshire, Southern New Hampshire University, and Plymouth State University. Though after extensive back and forth decisions whether to stay home and commute, or go away for school she made her decision to attend NECC.
“I felt it would be better off if I stayed home for the first two years of college, and so far it has worked out very well for me,” says Wilson.
She stays in Salem, N.H. on weekdays with her grandparents so she can commute back. Then on the weekends, she goes home to Litchfield where her parents and brother are.
Wilson is a psychology major who has already mapped out exactly how she wants to complete her time here at NECC.
“I wanted to get my core classes completed first, save money, and then further my education at a four-year university,” says Wilson.
Choosing psychology as her major was an easy choice. Wilson enjoys learning about specific illnesses and mental diseases that can affect a person.
“I find the mental predicament some people are in fascinating. I want to work where I can really help people. I want to make a difference,” says Wilson.
While Wilson spends most of her weekdays studying for classes and exams, the rest of the time is spent at her part time job, or working out at the gym.
“I work at Guess at the Merrimack Outlets in Merrimack, N.H. It takes up most of my weeknights and weekends. I try to fit some gym time in there too, I like to keep in shape,” says Wilson.
Some people may not know that Wilson is also an avid concertgoer. She attends small concerts mainly for alternative bands at venues such as the Paradise Rock Club, or The House of Blues in Boston.
“My biggest concert I’ve been to was Ed Sheeran in New York City, NY at Madison Square Garden. Words cannot describe the experience I had, and the atmosphere I was in. He is my go-to artist when it comes to studying, too,” says Wilson.
Like most students who choose to stay home their first years of college, she balances a part time job, school work, and tries to fit in a social life.
“When I first made the choice to stay home, I was really happy. Then, I got worried that I wasn’t going to make new friends, or really have that college experience,” says Wilson.
As far as her social life goes, she sees friends who come home for the weekend, and visits one of her best friends up at the University of New England.
A year later finishing up her first full year of college, Wilson is more than satisfied with where she is.
“Definitely the best life choice I’ve made so far. I am living at home having home cooked meals, saving money by not being away, I’ve made some great new friends, and I’m making money by working. It’s been a win win situation all the way around,” says Wilson.
She continues talking about the difficulty and hardships that most seniors today go through when it comes down to choosing colleges.
“Some parents, and teachers do not understand the pressure that most of us are put through,” says Wilson.
Student athletes are especially pressured. Some are accepted to multiple colleges, with possible scholarship offers. When it comes to the decision on what they want to choose, it can be very stressful. Parents have to give their input, friends give their opinions, and coaches also want a say in the matter.
“I was a student athlete in high school. I was a cheerleader, and played softball. I know I was not going to go to college for either, but I saw what some athletes went through,” says Wilson.
“If I could give advise to anyone going through this, I would definitely tell them to put all opinions aside and go with what you feel is right. No matter how much people may disapprove, or turn their nose up, it is best to go with the gut feeling that you know is right.”
Right now, Wilson has one year left at NECC. She is planning on taking 10 classes over the course of two semesters in the fall of 2014 and spring of 2015.
Monday signified the last day of classes for the spring 2014 semester. For many students of NECC, they will be walking away from the Haverhill or Lawrence campuses and move on to a four year school.
Many students will take summer classes. Some will move on and head straight to work. There’s no “right” way to move on from school — everyone has their own plan. The important part of those plans are to stick with them and to fight for what you want to do.
For those who take advantage of a summer off, make it count. Go to the beach if you want. Go every day. Go hiking, go boating. It may be the last chance you have to goof off, and you’ll want to make the most of it.
The time spent in school can be an amazingly positive time as long as you want it to be. Like everything, your perception and opinion will make the difference in how you react to it. Take finals seriously, and when they’re done, the time spent goofing off will feel even better.
Things will change very fast for everyone. Many of us are headed to four year schools, where the comfort of small classrooms and personal relationships with professors may be a thing of the past. The drive to class will now be the walk over from the dorm for people who are moving away to school.
NECC opens a lot of doors. If you take advantage of those openings, your college experience will be significantly better. Not only for your years at NECC, but the years you spend elsewhere.
Make the most of your vacation, if you’re taking one. If you take summer classes, have fun with them. NECC keeps a lot of their services open during the summer, so head over to the gym or math center and get involved.
Don’t let yesterday’s mistake cost you tomorrow’s success. Say “so what?” Shrug it off, keep your head on your shoulders and things will work out.
The only one who is going to do things for you is ultimately you. Have fun, take class, personal life, and work seriously.
NECC is a good place. I had fun here, and met a lot of great people. They put me in a great position to succeed.
He resists the oppressive wind; his lungs, accustomed to the attacks, continue to operate efficiently without interruption. Liberating sweat bleeds through a blue and gold shirt, whipping. A sensation of rich fire burns through his legs. He is running for his life, a means by which health and happiness drive his legs to extend beyond the demands that come with being the college president: the responsibilities, the meetings; the frustration of witnessing, in plain view, the destruction of what could have potentially been a great concept.
It can be difficult to accept failure, even more so when it clouds judgment and critical thinking. Looking back, he finds he is not alone in the fight. A group of similarly dressed runners pump their arms and moderate their breathing to endure the formidable, seemingly unending journey that they, despite all obstacles, pain, are willing to see through. Beyond escape, he finds himself, amid the President’s running club, calm and collected, in knowledge that the hardest part has yet to come.
As with any high position or lofty title, the role of college president comes with a significant amount of recognition and responsibility. Since replacing Dr. David Hartleb, who retired June 30, 2011, after whom the Technology Center is named, Glenn has taken the role as NECC’s fourth president to new heights.
Glenn’s accomplishments, as president for only three years, have been unprecedented. He has consistently and effectively focused his authority into progressing student success, support for underprepared students, among other things. Most notably, he expanded the college’s relationships with local high schools and partnered with local employers, such as Raytheon, to develop programs that deliver the skills most needed in the job market.
Indeed, Glenn has come a long way from serving as NECC’s vice president of academic affairs since 2006. In fact, it only preludes what else he has done for the college, which include, but are not limited to, the following: putting in place the college’s associate of science degree in lab science. The program was developed in partnership with 10 local employers, and an innovative Early College Program at Amesbury High School, which has been called a statewide model. Glenn also spearheaded NECC Riverwalk, bringing together credit programs, adult literacy programs, and non credit personal enrichment and career programs in one location for the first time.
Of course, without taking away credit where it is due, Glenn didn’t just develop the uncanny ability to convert opportunities into results overnight. Prior to coming to NECC, Glenn was dean of academic and student services at Oakland Community College in Michigan. He has also served as director of learning services at Lansing Community College, also in Michigan.
Yet these are all things we’ve always known about Glenn (except for that last bit, of course). Because of his involvement in many events and decisions related to the college, few have seen what Glenn is like outside of being president. Without too much difficulty, it’s easy to recall the dark blazer, the pleated pants brisking through the Haverhill Campus on a day without remembrance — the charming, winning attitude that breaks through even the most coy and standoffish of people, with an air of ease that lowers even an enemy’s defense to allow for genuity, of the highest caliber, to have its day — the practiced yet naturally alluring smile pasted, brightly and smartly, on the college’s website or the NECC Observer. Yet there’s very little known about the person behind the smile, and what troubling thoughts occasionally slip through the rigid, optimist creed Glenn lives by and holds himself to.
He’s a man who never seems to be in one place for too long, slipping in and out of rooms, smoothing through the orderly chaos of a meeting or an unexpected encounter with yet another suit smiling and shaking his hand. Sanity, ebbing and flowing, holds his tongue in place. Regardless of sitting through a luncheon or speaking at an event, this is business as usual, and President Lane Glenn is no novice: the business of leading a life that begins with a handshake and ends with a smile is second nature to the NECC President.
So is establishing relationships and bringing people together. Two weeks ago, Glenn and others celebrated Gov. Deval Patrick’s announcement of $1.2 million going to Greater Lawrence Vocational Technical High School to rebuild their machining labs. According to Ernie Greenslade, Director of Public Relations, it was the result of a conversation Glenn had with s Greg Bialecki, Massachusetts’ Secretary of Housing and Economic Development. Upon a chance encounter, Glenn saw Bialecki and reached out to him about the machining program at Greater Lawrence Vocational Technical High School. It is a non credit program that receives grants so that it can be offered, but with little to no up to date equipment to train people on, it has been near to impossible to manage.
“We’re trying, there’s this demand, there’s jobs available, but we just don’t have the equipment to train people for these jobs,” said Greenslade. Shortly after, NECC partnered with Greater Lawrence, along with some machining businesses, and wrote a grant for $1.2 million to fund the machining program.
“He doesn’t want the credit, he just wants to make it happen,” said Greenslade.
But even the most successful of people have experienced failure of one form or another, suffered from some mistake, and Glenn is no exception.
“I think the problem that someone like Lane Glenn occasionally faces, because they’re so optimistic, so much of an idealist, is that they may sometimes fail to prioritize and set a reachable goal for their ideas,” said Greenslade.
As a dreamer, Glenn has sometimes fallen short of his goals. It has resulted in unborn seeds that could have blossomed into a grant for people in need, a program in demand but without supply. In spite of his past error and failures, Glenn maintains, unbroken, his vision of helping people and making a difference.
He’s running by himself now, the competitive beast within unraveled and hungry. The loops, white lines organize and measure the outburst of athletic energy. For a while. Eventually, he allows himself to be consumed by the moment, to coarse through his veins. The pain unleashes him into the element. He is in his domain, where nothing survives except the light of his optimism.
Glenn runs faster; his legs ignite, his breathing thickens. And suddenly, suddenly he feels nothing: a height of inexplicable feeling whites out and numbs everything, solidifying, to great pleasure, the chaotically beautiful crescendo of his transformation. And suddenly, Glenn is no longer running. He is free.
Walkers and runners were welcome, and 189 of them participated in the race, including NECC president Lane Glenn who placed 16th out of 83 male runners, with a time of 22:15.
Different running groups like Merrimack Valley Striders and North Shore Striders were also present at the race, representing their team.
Members of the NECC community were also encouraged to represent the school while running the race.
Overall first place winner for the Campus Classic 5k was Jon Fiva, age 35, from Cambridge with a time of 17:01. Second place winner was Larry Fowle, age 31, with a time of 17:30. In third place was Connor Hayden, age 26, from Bradford with a time of 19:28. And following closely behind him was 11 year old Sean Kay from melrose with a time of 19:50.
First place in overall female winners was Kirsten Kortz, age 35, of Somerville with a time of 21:20. Second place was Nancy Corsaro, age 55, from Methuen with a time of 21:50. Third place was Laura Seddon, age 29, from Amesbury with a time of 22:27. And in fourth was Kristina Richard, age 22, from Peabody, with a time of 23:01.
Alan Segermain, age 59, from the Merrimack Valley Striders said the race was on “A beautiful day, a nice course, a nice field.”
He said the people racing, the volunteers, and the crowd were all “friendly and inviting,” and he enjoyed running the 5k with his fellow striders.
Segermain’s time was 28:27 and was placed 40th out of 83 male participants.
This was Segermain’s and the Merrimack Valley Striders’ second time coming to the Campus Classic.
Segermain said that Merrimack Valley Striders have more than 20 runners.
He said about 6 of them met in Methuen before the 5k and rode to the campus on bikes to warm up before the race.
Some runners even ran to the campus to prepare for the 5k. “We get here by running or riding,” Segermain said.
Dave Leonard, age 61, another Merrimack Valley Strider said that he came back this year to make up for the year before, where during the race he had fallen over a speed bump.
Leonard said his goal was to “run the race upright,” this year, and he succeeded. Leonard’s finished in 55th place out of 83 male runners with a time of 32:36.
Chuck McAllister, age 38, placed 49 out of 83 with a time of 31:24. McAllister ran 23 miles before coming to the Campus Classic 5k and participating in the race. He said “I went the long way,” to get the Haverhill campus. He said he is preparing for a 50 mile race that is coming up. He said the 23 miles was great, but the 5k was horrible.
If you are planning on attending a sporting event anytime soon, stay for the whole game. Sporting events are long, get over it. If you are planning to go to a sporting event, whether it is a Red Sox, Bruins or NECC game of any sort, plan ahead. Make the necessary arrangements and mental preparations you need in order to stay for the entire event.
People come up with a million reasons not to stay the whole time, but why go if you are just going to skip the end; it is the best part!
Consider this, you see a trailer for the new Avengers movie and freak out. This is the movie you have been waiting to see since the first Avengers movie ended and now it is almost here. You go online and order tickets to the midnight premiere months in advance. Then, once you are there, you realize you still have work the next day and need to sleep at some point. As a result, you decide to leave halfway through and end up missing the best part of the movie you have been waiting years to see. Does that make sense? The answer is NO! If you make the conscious decision to attend an event such as, in this case, a movie or a sporting event then you must understand the consequences.
Some may say, “I leave early to skip the traffic.” This is a misjudgment because there are at least a thousand other fans in the ball park with the same mindset that take off at the same time creating the traffic everyone is trying to avoid.
Others will submit that they need to get up early for class or work the next day; too bad! As stated before, you must attend these events preparing for the consequences. If you have class or work the next morning be prepared to be exhausted throughout the day. Grab an extra cup of coffee, energy drink, or just call out sick, but do not leave the game early.
Instead, grab a few beers and some friends and watch it at someone’s house. That way, when you decide you need rest for the following day, you can go to bed and DVR the end of the game so you don’t miss what everyone is talking about the next day around the water cooler.
WEEI reported a situation recently that radio personality Howard Stern attended a basketball game at Madison Square Garden where the New York Knicks hosted the Brooklyn Nets. He understood that he needed to get up at 4:30 AM but insisted on going to the game. Then, when he left his court-side seats at the end of the third quarter in a close game, he was called out by the TNT commentator, Stan Van Gundy, on live television. Stern was offended and lashed out at Van Gundy on his radio show.
Any number of fans would love to see that game from those seats, don’t waste the tickets by leaving early. You have already spent a fortune on travel expenses and the tickets themselves, but what is the point if you don’t appreciate the full value of the event.
Let’s say the opponent is not the greatest and maybe someone gave you the tickets just to unload them because of the opponent, this doesn’t mean the game couldn’t potentially be an instant classic regardless of who is playing. It happens all the time where one of the top teams gets taken down by the underdog.
One day, years later, when you look back at the game everyone still remembers, you can say you were there and you experienced it in person, unless you slip out three-quarters of the way in. I’d also argue, if you don’t care about the game because of the opponent then you shouldn’t go in the first place.
One of the biggest reasons fans leave a game early is because they assume the game is over based on the score and time remaining. There are many examples of this being false. Just this past year on October 13 the New Orleans Saints were playing the New England Patriots in Foxboro, MA and had the ball with a four point lead and under four minutes remaining in the game. A large number of fans left the stadium thinking the game was lost and immediately regretted the decision because with no time left on the clock Tom Brady threw a touchdown pass to give them the win.
On the same day, the Red Sox faced a similar situation when they were down late in the ball game but turned it around. As the Patriots did, the Red Sox came up clutch and walked off with the win thanks to a home run, courtesy of David Ortiz. The examples go on and on, but the point is if you leave a game before the final out whistle or buzzer then you are a fool.
On a final note, yes I understand athletes get paid millions of dollars to play a game but they still put in hard work day-in, day-out to put on a good show for you; show some respect. By leaving early you belittle their efforts as a professional. That’s like leaving the dentist half-way through a cleaning because you’re not a fan of his/her jokes.
Sporting events are supposed to be a fun experience, one that allows you to escape from your everyday life and, by leaving early, you are depriving yourself of that extra time to deny reality and see an amazing event.
If you plan on leaving before the end of a game then don’t bother showing up to begin with. The effort to get there is no longer worth it and therefore you should save your money for something you feel is worth your time.
The tragedy of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings is something that hasn’t been wasted on those affected by it. Runners that day were thrown into a warzone. It was well documented that people who had just run 26.2 miles continued on to hospitals to donate blood. The City of Boston shut itself down to pursue two suspects in relation to the bombing.
NECC professor Linda Desjardins ran in both the 2013 and 2014 Boston Marathons. In fact, the 2014 race was her seventh Boston Marathon, and her 14th marathon in total. Running has always been something that Desjardins used to get away and to feel free.
“I started running in 1977. I ran four marathons in between ‘81-’83,” said Desjardins. “Then I stopped competing altogether, but I kept running.”
In fact, when she turned 60, she decided to run a half marathon just because it was a nice day out. She signed up the day of the race and surprised herself with how she did. “ I didn’t think anything of it and I ended up winning my age group,” she said.
2014 was a different environment than past Boston Marathons. Desjardins said that security made the event feel more strict and tight than it had in years past. “We couldn’t carry any kind of bags. We could only have what we were wearing,” she said. “You couldn’t check a bag with things you might want like a cell phone, a jacket, your car keys; you had to keep it on you. There were security checks to get on the bus, to get off the bus and to get in to Runner’s Village.”
What the race added in security, it more than made up for in support. Once Desjardins hit the ground running, she said the crowd was incredibly supportive. “This was my seventh Boston, and I have never, never seen so many people,” she said. “It was like being in a big parade for 26 miles because people were 10, 20, 30 deep in key areas. It was incredibly well supported.”
In 2013, Desjardins was stopped short six-tenths of a mile before the finish line. She had completed more than 25 miles before the bombing had forced her to stop short. When she got to that spot this year, Desjardins said she expected to cry.
“I thought when I got to where I was stopped last year I was going to burst out crying,” she said.
“I was thinking, ‘How can I run and cry at the same time? I don’t know if I can.’
“When I hit that spot, I was all prepared to be sad, but instead I got the biggest smile on my face and I couldn’t wipe it off,” she said. I just thought, ‘I’ve got this! I’m finishing this, and I’m finishing in style!’”
Desjardins will never forget the tragedy of the 2013 race; it would be impossible to. However, with the running of the 2014 race and all of the people there in support, it’s easier for her to look forward.
“I didn’t think it was going to provide closure, but it really did,” said Desjardins. “Like, 2013 is in the past. I’m going to remember it, but it’s not going to hang over me like a dark cloud like it has over the past year. I feel like I ran past it. I feel like we took back our marathon, I really do.”
The end of the semester is finally here, so brings the conclusion to the NECC baseball regular season. The end of the regular season means just one thing — playoffs. The Knights stand at 17-11.
Entering the tournament as the second seed, the Knights are mentally ready to take it as far as possible this year. “I’m really excited about the playoffs. It’s a chance to show every team what we are really about. Nothing is going to stop us from getting ours,” said outfielder Elmidio Crisostome.
The Knights started off their 2014 season with the mindset of making it back to the NCJAA Division III World Series. Under head coach Jeff Mejia, nearly nothing seems impossible for the Knights. Mejia has proven that he was the perfect fit for the program. He came it, took charge, and molded the team into a potential championship team.
“Our main goal is to get back to the World Series down in Texas,” said Crisostome. “Our short term goal is to win the playoffs.”
Not only has Mejia been a great coach for the Knights, but he has also become a very close friend, a sense of guidance for the young players. He has pushed them to their full potential on and off the field, making sure they are focusing on their studies.
Coming off a slow start this season, Crisostome has been a great contributor for the Knights. Batting at .312, Crisostome has two home runs, eight RBI and eight stolen bases. “I get up offensively and defensively and just try to help my team out in any way I possibly can,” said Crisostome.
The team as a whole feels as if they could have done better. They are happy that they are in the playoffs, but not completely proud of their 17-11 record. The Knights have the potential to go undefeated but this season just as another season took a little extra time to get into the swing of things.
Right-hand pitcher Zachary Beckwith made his return to the mound this season after missing the 2013 postseason due to an injury. Ever since Beckwith stepped foot on the mound again, he’s been nothing but a force for the Knights. Very few players come back after an injury and exert the power and strength that Beckwith has shown on the hill. Beckwith stands with a 1.31 ERA thus far, notching 26 strikeouts and has only walking five.
Pitcher Ryan McAuliffe has been in the Knights rotation. Anytime McAuliffe steps foot on the hill, he transforms himself into a strikeout machine. McAuliffe has team-high 43 strikeouts for the Knights, with only nine walks and giving up only one home run.
Holding the teams highest average, Jonathan DeLaCruz has dominated at the diamond. Batting at .357, DeLaCruz has been a great asset for the team. The NECC outfielder has had big hit after big hit in 2014. DeLaCruz leads the team with three home runs and with 15 RBI. Putting his speed to work at the bases, DeLaCruz has 11 stolen bases. “Stealing has to be one of my favorite things to do on the field,” said DeLaCruz.
Catcher Harrison Smoske has also put on a show on the bases. Leading the team with 16 stolen bases, batting .349 and recording 14 RBI.
The Knights team this season is full of go-getters. The players started working off in the off-
season and continued to work even harder once the season started. The Knights is a team full of diversity and outstanding talent, and they want nothing but a championship and that’s what they are after.
“We won’t stop [until] we get it,” said pitcher Mauricio Peralta.
Knight’s baseball players on Mejia:
“Coach Mejia is one of the best coaches I’ve ever had, on and off the field. It’s been an honor to be coached by him,” said Crisostome.
“I am very grateful and have been blessed to have an amazing guy such as Mejia. I look up to him. Coach was a major contributor in the successful season that I had last year and for the team as a whole seeing that we made it to the NJCAA World Series in his first year coaching at NECC,” said DeLaCruz.
“Coach Mejia is the man! He’s a smart man and also a great baseball expert. He makes it all worth it coming here to NECC. I’ve learned so many valuable things from him, not only in regards to baseball but also in life,” said Peralta.
“It’s been a pleasure playing for Coach Mejia. He’s a guy who’s been around the game for a very long time and knows exactly what he’s doing,” said shortstop Trevor Bouvier.
“He is a great coach. Last year he turned this team around; he’s been nothing but great to me and to the team, “ said Beckwith.
It’s safe to say that the NECC squad thinks Mejia is simply great.
A year ago, Harrison Smoske had caught one game in his life. Flash forward to the end of NECC’s 2014 season, and Smoske has been the Knights full time catcher. The Burlington High graduate has impressed not only his coaches this year, but his teammates as well. His offense speaks for itself, as Smoske is hitting .349 with a homerun, 14 RBI and leads the Knights with 14 stolen bases. Entering the season, though, it was a question of how he would hold up behind the plate. For that, Smoske has done just fine.
“Honestly, I think I’m doing pretty well,” said Smoske. “Definitely after Florida I gained a lot of confidence. Our pitchers can throw, I can catch, let’s do this. It got easier.”
The effort that Smoske has put in all year hasn’t been wasted on his teammates. Despite never catching, his pitchers have found him to be a natural to throw to.
“He hasn’t caught in a while and he’s been working his butt of in practice and done a good job,” said Dan Peters, one of NECC’s sophomore pitchers. “His work ethic is phenomenal.”
Smoske has been one of the most consistent players that NECC has had this season. He slumped early in the season, going hitless in five straight games. After that, though, His batting average dipped from a season-low .143 on March 18 to a blistering .384 on April 24. In the Knights’ first conference game of the season, Smoske homered against Quinsigamond for his only four-bagger of the season.
The competition difference between high school and college was something Smoske says was minimal.
“Compared to high school, honestly, it’s been the same or a little bit worse. I saw better pitching in high school. That’s about the only difference.”
The Knights catcher has been one of the most energetic pieces of the team since Florida. His electricity on the basepaths is just a taste of what he’s normally like.
“He’s very intense and has a lot of energy,” said Peters. “He brings a lot of energy to the field and it’s fun. I like that about him, it’s funny.”
Currently, NECC sits at 16-11 and enter the NJCAA Region XXI Regional Tournament on May 9. In each of the past two years, NECC has won regionals and went down to Texas to compete in the NJCAA World Series. Smoske thinks a three-peat is inevitable.
“I think Texas is a definite. I think it’s a definite,” he said. “I don’t see us losing to Massasoit. If we have McAuliffe or Beckwith on the mound, I don’t see us losing.”
