Observer Department: Features


What skis and snowboards can teach you: Life lessons in the snow mountain

Students Lauren Rafferty, this reporter Daniela Valdivia-Terres and alum Chris Drew had fun during the Ski Trip which was organized and lead by Engineering Professor Doug Leaffer. About 1.5 hours away from NECC Haverhill campus, Mount Sunapee in Newbury in western New Hampshire was the chosen place to spend a…

Five people standing on a ski mountain on skis and snowboards


Zyel Silva: The story of a young real estate agent

Have you ever felt like you were put on earth for one very specific reason? For 24-year old Zyel Silva, according to his blurb on the Chinatti Realty website, this reason is “to improve the quality of the lives of those around (him).” Silva is an up and coming real…


Observer alum wins award

22-year-old Jose Rodriguez  is a journalism graduate of Northern Essex Community College who is now pursuing his bachelor’s degree at Salem State University, where he is majoring in Media and Communication minoring in Journalism. Rodriguez is the former Editor-in-Chief and Sports Editor of the NECC Observer. Recently Rodriguez has also…


Peace Poetry contest winners celebrated

At NECC’s Haverhill campus Tech Building the 15th Annual Peace Poetry contest was held the night of May 4. The contestants' ages ranged from first graders to college students with three top place winners for each age category. Brought together for the first. time in perso since the 2020 pandemic…


Professor Profile: Tom Greene

Fifty-four-year-old Thomas Greene is the chair of the NECC English department and professor as well as a short-story writer, gamer and vampire history fanatic. Greene also has an established a lengthy academic profile. Greene first obtained a bachelor’s degree from Trinity college in San Antonio “My undergraduate school was a…


From immigrant to business owner

Editor’s Note: Journalism student Kia Dimakis wrote this profile of her grandfather, Antonios Dimakis, and his business, Mark’s Deli. Her father, Stavros Dimakis, is the current owner of the business. Mark’s Deli’s original owner, Antonios Dimakis, recently turned 90. Known for its bustling businesses in the downtown area, Haverhill has…


Spring semester 2023 draws to an end

The spring college semester is always an exciting time of year, and nowhere is that more evident than at Northern Essex Community College (NECC). As the days grow longer and warmer, students and faculty alike are filled with a sense of anticipation as they prepare to wrap up the academic…


Plagiarism and how to avoid it

The NECC Library is hosting a continuing series of workshops to help students define, identify and avoid plagiarism when completing assignments. One workshop was held on April 11. Susan Leonardi, an Instruction and Research Librarian at Northern Essex hosted a zoom call and discussed the importance of the use of…


Balancing work and school by finding jobs close by

It is no secret that college is expensive, and many students have to work while enrolled. In Haverhill, however, there are some full-time students who find it a mutually beneficial relationship to be working close to school, and at small local businesses. 20-year-old student, Nicole Sabando, works as a waitress…


Chief Hobbs reflects on community policing

Chief Hobbs from the Northern Essex Community College Public Safety Department values community engagement. “Building relations within the community to address their needs and help them improve the quality of life is a core value of policing” Chief Hobbs said as he sat across from me, calmly with a comforting…