Observer Department: Uncategorized

COVID-19 has torn apart the fabric of trade schools, where online learning fails as a substitute

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The teachers and students at trade and technical high schools have been suffering over the past year due to COVID-19 and the implementation of online learning.   Trade schools like Whittier Technical High School and Essex Agricultural High School have been at the tail end of the changes brought on…

NECC Knights getting back to competition this spring

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As the spring sports semester begins Northern Essex Community College intends to return to competition. The first sports to get this underway will be the men’s basketball team and the women’s volleyball team along with the esports team. After COVID had canceled sports during the fall semester the plan to…

Baseball program adjusts to COVID-19 safety protocols

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Ever since the Coronavirus struck the U.S. last March, the country has had to deal withmany changes in our everyday lives. From wearing masks at all times, to socially distancing in public, to not hanging out in big groups or meeting new people; it is safe to say that our…

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.…

Respiratory care professor, residents react to new COVID rules

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As Massachusetts COVID-19 cases rise, Governor Baker imposed a curfew and updated mask mandate as of Nov. 6. The Department of Public Health made a statement on their website saying, “The Commonwealth’s COVID-19 related hospitalizations and COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) census have more than doubled over the past 2…

NECC hosts town hall for students to hear more about plans for spring semester

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There have been many questions surrounding what the rest of the school year will look like for Northern Essex students and staff. In order to answer some of these questions and clarify what the future looks like for the college, a remote student town hall was held on Nov. 10.…

Social media in the time of COVID-19: How the pandmic has changed the way we use social media in 2020

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    Social media has been part of our daily lives since the early 2000s. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way many of us use it.   Gyani Pradhan Wong Ah Sui, 18, of West Newbury, is in the NECC Exploratory program. He uses Snapchat, Instagram, and WhatsApp.   Prior to the current pandemic he used social…

Social-distancing and lockdown affecting students’ sleep habits

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Online students get more screen time and have a more flexible schedule, but this may be affecting the sleeping habits of students. An Italian study published May 15 in the  Journal of Sleep Research found that,  "...during home confinement, sleep timing markedly changed, with people going to bed and waking…

How working students have adapted to online schooling and learned to balance their schedule

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Studies such as one from  the American College Health Association state that 45% of college students feel like they experience “more than average” stress reveals the mindstate that many college students are in now. Students from all different years in school share advice on how they balance their lives while…

NECC students get out (or mail in) the vote

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With Election Day near, voting is especially critical. If you’ve already voted, whether you mailed it in or went to the polls, you’re good to go. But, if you haven’t it should be your top priority. 2020 has been a rollercoaster of a year, what with the global pandemic and…