2014 - Page 5 of 25

NECC Play Explores London During the Blitz

October 30, 2014/in Archive/by review

John Rodgers of Derry, NH and Hannah Heckman-McKenna of Salem, NH newsroom

John Rodgers of Derry, NH and Hannah Heckman-McKenna of Salem, NH, will appear in the Top Notch Players’ production of “Front”.

England during World War II is the setting of the Top Notch Players’ fall production “Front” which will be performed November 7 & 8, and 14 & 15 at 7:30 p.m. November 13 at 4 p.m. and November 16 at 3 p.m. in the Chester Hawrylciw Theater on the third floor of the Spurk Building on the Haverhill campus.

Tickets are $10 for general admission and $8 for seniors and students. Tickets can be purchased at the door or through www.mvarts.info

Written by Robert Caisley, it received the 1996 Kennedy Center/Fourth Freedom Forum Playwriting Award

Trevon Gilchrist of Haverhill and Katie Formosi of Groveland appear in “Front” at NECC.

The story moves between various locations, in and around London and revolves around a number of struggling individuals and families as they come to terms with war and the horrors and tragedies it provides. This includes Judith, a proud matriarch, who works in a factory that makes bomb detonators, her missing husband, Frank, and their two children, Angie and Tom, who are forced to grow up much too quickly. A number of other war-torn individuals are also profiled, each butting heads with the raging war.

This production will be directed by NECC theater professor Jim Murphy.

The cast includes:

Danville, NH

Ben Chretien

Derry, NH

John Rodgers

Amanda Kehoe –stage manager

Georgetown

Rossibel Kurz

Groveland

Katie Formosi

Haverhill

Trevon Gilchrist

Hudson, NH

Paul Kelly

Lawrence

Stephanie Bisono

Kiara Pichardo

Michael Ross

Newburyport

Christian Doyle

Jon Gray

Connor Miller

Newmarket, NH

Robert Mantegani

Salem, NH

Ally Catanzaro

Arianna Crawford

Hannah Heckman McKenna

Kelly Schwing

Tewksbury

Sarah Bird

NECC Employees Recognized for Years of Service

October 28, 2014/in Archive/by review

Retiree Charlene Boucher, retiree Linda Hummel-Shea, Jean Poth, vice president of institutional advancement who represented NECC President Lane Glenn at the event, and retiree Pat Demers.

A total of 129 Northern Essex Community College faculty and staff were recognized for their service to the college at a luncheon on Friday, Oct. 24, in the Hartleb Technology Center on the Haverhill campus.

Jean Poth, vice president of NECC’s Institutional Advancement, welcomed the group and presented awards to employees celebrating 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 years.

There were 10 faculty and staff members retiring this year including Patricia M. Bird, Bradford, human resources, 17 years; Charlene R. Boucher, Methuen, Life Long Learning, nine years; Michael Broughton, Plaistow, NH, computer information science, 35 years; Patricia Demers, Peabody, health professions, 10 years; Gail Gadd, Bradford, advising center, 17 years; Linda Hummel-Shea, Boxford, assistant dean, 33 years; Francine P. Pappalardo, Salem, NH, practical nursing, 32 years; Susan Pelletier, Andover, arts, business, communication & technology, 23 years; Mary Shattuck, Newburyport, workforce development & continuing education, 8 years; and Wayne Kibbe, Merrimack, NH, business administration, 11 years.

View a full list of NECC employees recognized by the college for their years of service.

Hosted by Office of Human Resource Development, this luncheon is held annually.

HC Media Funds Two NECC Scholarships

October 28, 2014/in Archive/by review

HC Media donate $10,000 for two $5000 scholarships.

Executive director of HC Media Darlene Beal, NECC President Lane Glenn, Carol Verney, chair of the HC Media Board of Trustees, and Jean Poth, NECC vice president of Institutional Advancement are continuing their partnership. President Glenn accepts a $10,000 check from Beal that will be used to fund two scholarships.

For the third year, Haverhill Community Media (HC Media) will award two $5,000 scholarships to two graduates of Northern Essex Community College who are graduating with a focus on media communications and are continuing a four-year education at a four-year institution.

“We’ve had a really wonderful collaboration with Northern Essex for many years, and we’re thrilled to again offer this scholarship which will help local residents pursue their dreams,” says Darlene Beal, executive director of HC Media.

The most recent NECC students to receive these scholarships both graduated from NECC’s liberal arts: journalism/communication program in May 2014. Everson Taveras of Haverhill transferred to Emerson College and Matt Gingras of Amesbury is enrolled at UMass Amherst. Both students wrote for the Observer, NECC’s student newspaper.

Gingras says he has wanted to work in sports media for as long as he can remember. He worked as the sports editor of the Observer and is credited with turning the sports section into a robust, readable section. He went on to serve as the paper’s editor-in-chief.

Taveras, who graduated from the same program, also wrote for the Observer. He says his interest in a career in media stems from a desire to share information with people, particularly the truth.

“The HC Media Scholarship assists these NECC alumni with defraying the costs of their continued college education,” says Jean Poth, vice president of Institutional Advancement.

The scholarships are not the only way HC Media is partnering with Northern Essex. For many years, NECC courses, such as Television Production and New Media, have been taught at HC Media’s Haverhill studios. The collaboration provides hands-on training on state-of-the-art equipment for NECC students as well as a steady stream of volunteers for HC Media.

Courses are taught by two NECC alumni—Matt Belfiore, ‘93, chief operations manager at HC Media, and Ray Naroian, ‘96, an instructor at NECC who is also the video producer at Haverhill Public Schools.

“It’s nice when you can link the different schools,” says Beal, adding that many volunteers start at HC Media as young as 12 years old, then go on to Haverhill High School and Northern Essex.

Beal herself is a graduate of NECC (‘89). She attended Northern Essex in her mid-20s unsure of what she wanted to study. After some experimenting, she fell in love with English and journalism, and went on to earn a scholarship and transfer to Boston University where she earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism. “If it wasn’t for Northern Essex, I never would have gone to BU,” Beal adds.

“The partnership with NECC is important because both HC Media and NECC share a belief in the value of education, want to engage our citizenry, and are committed to the community,” says Beal.

“Establishing a scholarship can be a very appropriate way of honoring an individual,” said Poth. “A scholarship also is a very effective way of giving back to the community since the great majority of our students are from the Merrimack Valley.”

To establish a permanent endowed scholarship, donors must make a minimum pledge of $10,000. For more information, contact Poth at 978 556-3624 or jpoth@necc.mass.edu.

Watch the HC Media video of President Glenn accepting the check from Carol Verney, HC Media chair of the board of trustees.

NECC Helps Mom Find Right Balance

October 27, 2014/in Archive/by review

Marie Phillips, a single mom who decided to return to school, credits Northern Essex
with helping her balance school and life.

Though she graduated from Haverhill High School in 1998 and enrolled at NECC, life
events, including the birth of her daughter and marriage, interrupted her education.

Over a decade later, Marie found herself a single mother raising her special needs
daughter alone, delivering newspapers, and needing a change. “I began wondering
where my life went so wrong, and how I ended up with a job that was worth so little.
I decided, in that moment, that I would find a way to go back to school at NECC,”
Marie said.

Once enrolled at NECC, Marie was determined to achieve her dream of being a kindergarten teacher. During her time at NECC, Marie was involved in numerous activities including the
student support program Pathways to Academic & Career Excellence (PACE).
She was also a Presidential Student Ambassador, President of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, an international honor society, and a team leader in the JumpStart Program, a national early education organization that helps children develop language and literacy skills.

Early Childhood Education Graduate Marie Phillips

Without programs such as PACE at NECC, Marie knows she would not have been
able to balance school and life so successfully. “The PACE program has taught me many
important skills and strategies for balancing all of my responsibilities. Being as involved
as I am at NECC definitely takes a lot of careful planning and time management,”
Marie says.

Marie also credits everyone she has met at NECC for her success. “The NECC community
saw so much more in me than I was able to see and brought it out,” Marie says. She now
thinks of the NECC community as her own family, “NECC is a place where everyone
truly cares about one another.”

Marie received her Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education in May, and
will transfer to Salem State University to pursue her Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood
Education in the fall.

NECC Alumnus to Host Book Signing and Discussion

October 27, 2014/in Archive/by review

Ron Guilmette.

Northern Essex Community College alumnus Ron Guilmette, avid kayaker and self-published author, will visit NECC’s Haverhill campus on Monday, November 10th to discuss his debut book “The Islands of Winnipesaukee”, co-authored by nephew Jay Leccese of Stoneham, Massachusetts. A brief signing and reception will follow.

Free and open to the public, the event will take place in the Hartleb Technology Center, 100 Elliott Street, Haverhill, from 12-2 p.m. Copies of the book will be available on site for sale.

Guilmette, a long-time resident of Salisbury, graduated from Northern Essex in 1974 with an associate degree in criminal justice and went on to fulfill a successful 32-year career as a police officer and Massachusetts state trooper. Upon retiring from the State Police force in 1999, he taught criminology courses at UMass Lowell and later Merrimack College, where he additionally worked as chief of police. Guilmette holds a master’s degree from Anna Maria College and throughout the years has maintained a close relationship with NECC. He currently serves as the alumni-elected member of the Board of Trustees and as an active member of the Alumni Advisory Board.

“The Islands of Winnipesaukee” Book Cover.

“The Islands of Winnipesaukee” is an 11 x 9.5” coffee table book featuring color photos of and facts about each of Lake Winnipesaukee’s 260-plus islands. Inspired by his and Leccese’s cross-lake kayaking adventures, the book succinctly resolves the mystery of just how many islands dot the beloved New Hampshire lake. Stories and fun facts accompany each picture highlighted in the collection.

Guillmette was recently featured on NH Chronicle.

For additional information about the event, please contact Lindsey Mayo, Director of Alumni and Donor Relations, at 978-556-3621 or via e-mail at lmayo@necc.mass.edu

Local Residents Named Presidential Scholars at NECC

October 23, 2014/in Archive/by review

Front row (left to right): An Nguyen, Roscel Mesta, Nathalie Lora, Nicholas John Desrocher, and Taylor Turgeon
Back row (left to right): Natasha Costello, Jennifer Alper, Bill Moynihan, Alexandra Vilorio, Lane Glenn, Mark Forman, Mary Ellen Daly O’Brien, Peter Dulchinos, Daniel Baronowski, and Hitanshu Patel

Twelve local 2014 high school graduates have been accepted to the Presidential Scholars Program at Northern Essex Community College.

In its 15^th year, the Presidential Scholars Program is designed to reward motivated high school students who will be attending Northern Essex. Students are selected based on their high school academic record and recommendations from high school guidance counselors and teachers.

“Our Presidential Scholars Program targets academically motivated high school graduates who have decided to start their college education at Northern Essex,” said Lane Glenn, president of Northern Essex. “Most plan to transfer to a four-year college or university after getting an associate’s degree from Northern Essex.”

Recipients, their families, and their guidance counselors were invited to attend a dinner on October 16 at the college. Lane Glenn, president of Northern Essex, Grace Young, dean, academic advising, articulation, testing, transfer and TRIO, and Jean Poth, vice-president institutional advancement and executive director of the NECC Foundation, Inc spoke at the event.

In addition to the honor of being named to this selective program, students receive a $1,000 scholarship from the college. At the dinner, Poth announced that starting this year, the Presidential Scholarship will be renewable for a second year, for students who maintain a minimum GPA of 2.5.

Presidential Scholars are also paired with an administrator or faculty member from the college who serves as a mentor and resource. The Scholars are encouraged to participate in a variety of enrichment programs offered at Northern Essex, including the Student Leadership Development Program, the Student Ambassador Program, and the college’s Honors Experience Program.

To be eligible, students must have a minimum 2.5 grade point average in high school and be nominated by a high school guidance counselor, teacher, or principal. Each must plan to earn an associate’s degree at Northern Essex before transferring to a four-year Massachusetts state college or university.

This year’s Presidential Scholars include:

Georgetown

Taylor Turgeon, Georgetown High School, General Studies

Haverhill

Jennifer Alper, Haverhill High School, General Studies

Roscel Mesta, Haverhill High School, General Studies: Health Specialization

Alexandra Santana, Haverhill High School, General Studies: Health Specialization

Lawrence

Natasha Costello, Lawrence High School, Accounting

Nathalie Lora, Lawrence International High School, Criminal Justice

Adriana Monterroso, Greater Lawrence Technical High School, General Studies: Health Specialization

Alexandra Vilorio, Lawrence High School, General Studies

Methuen

Daniel Baronowski, Methuen High School, Liberal Arts

An Nguyen, Methuen High School, General Studies: Health Specialization

Hitanshu Patel, Methuen High School, General Studies: Health Specialization

Salisbury

Nicholas John Desrocher, Triton High School, General Studies

For more information on the NECC Presidential Scholars Program, contact Lindsay Graham at scholarships@necc.mass.edu or 978-556-3629.

Affordable Education Brightens Amesbury Man’s Future

October 22, 2014/in Archive/by review

NECC Graduate Matt Valli

When Matt Valli decided to return to college, he found the price tag on a Northern Essex education fit his budget.

The Amesbury resident says a college education seemed unattainable until he enrolled at NECC.

“Affordability was huge for me … I was living on my own and couldn’t afford much of anything. Northern Essex made a brighter future possible,” the 26-year-old says.

After assessing his life, the 2006 Pentucket High School graduate started visualizing a future beyond the unrewarding jobs and personal troubles. “I wasn’t content,” he says. “I wasn’t happy when I looked at my future. It wasn’t what I wanted. I wasn’t satisfied.”

So, he imagined a future surrounded by healthy, active people. Matt admits he never pushed himself academically in high school, but sports were a constant in his young life. He started running in earnest, which only fueled his decision to surround himself with like-minded individuals.

He applied to NECC’s General Studies: Movement Science Program with designs on becoming a physical education teacher/coach, and secured a job with the Greater Boston Running Store where he is surrounded by fellow runners.

In 2011 he started at NECC in basic developmental classes that, he says, helped him adjust to college life. He completed an internship with the NECC Sport & Fitness Center and assisted the alumni office in NECC’s Second Annual Campus Classic 5k and Fun Run.

Matt graduated in May with high honors and is transferring to Salem State University.

“Everything about NECC was right for me,” he says. “From the small classrooms to the writing center to its close proximity to home … I came here, took it slow, and excelled and built my confidence.”

Former NECC Baseball Captain Saves a Life

October 21, 2014/in Archive/by review

NECC alumnus and former Knights’ baseball captain Manny Cabral donated bone marrow to Rebecca Dolan of Columbus, Ohio.

Northern Essex Community College alumnus Manny Cabral of Tewksbury could have walked right by the bone marrow registry table back in July of 2010, but then he wouldn’t have walked across the NECC athletic field this weekend with the 32-year-old Ohio woman whose life he saved.

But on Sunday, there was the 23-year-old, surrounded by his family members and hers, as they headed to the NECC Alumni Day baseball game and home run derby where “paying it forward” played predominantly in the theme of the day. NECC baseball coach Jeff Mejia, lifted by the Knights’ back to back trips to the NJCAA Division III World Series where they finished 8^th in 2013 and 6^th in 2014, thanked alumni and athletes for participating in the day’s events.

“Our dream is to create a networking system of alumni for business and life,” Mejia said. “We preach being a good citizen both on and off the field. Everyone has the capacity to make a difference in this world.”

He offered Cabral, a former Knights’ captain and Outstanding Alumni Award winner, who selflessly donated bone marrow over the 2012 holidays to a then anonymous host, as the very definition of a good citizen.

Ryan Decker of Salem, NH, an NECC sophomore majoring in liberal arts threw a pitch during the NECC Alumni Day Game.

Cabral, who had Tommy John surgery just three weeks ago, is currently a senior at Daniel Webster College. He is an unlikely though not reluctant hero in a tale that spans more than four years. Back in the summer of 2010 he and a friend stumbled upon the bone marrow registry while walking the mall and enrolled as donors. The following year, a Columbus, Ohio woman, Rebecca Dolan, was diagnosed with Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria or (PNH), a rare, life-threatening disease of the blood characterized by the destruction of red blood cells. She was treated at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center which took the proactive step of testing her two sisters as possible bone marrow donors in the unlikely event that the worst happened and she would require a bone marrow transplant to survive.

Neither was a match.

By January 2012, the worst did happen and her PNH diagnosis was further complicated by a diagnosis of moderate aplastic anemia. She was given a Horse ATG treatment. Six months later, it was clear that a bone marrow transplant was necessary.

Meanwhile, Cabral, who had graduated from NECC after a stellar baseball career that earned him a scholarship to Texas Southern University, was notified that he was a donor match. He arranged to have a medical procedure to extract the bone marrow while he was home for the holidays. Dolan received the marrow in January of 2013. Other than a few medical setbacks, the transplant was a success. She has returned to her job as a graphic designer at The Ohio State University.

A year after the procedure she contacted the registry to locate the donor. About the same time, Cabral was contacting the registry to locate the host. He was told there was a five-year, wait period. So, he was surprised when Dolan emailed him with a succinct message “…I’m alive because of you.”

Her timing couldn’t have been better. Cabral, who up until then kept his role in the transplant low key, was preparing to share their story during his ethics class the very next day. So, when Dolan emailed, Cabral emailed back. They agreed to meet. Dolan, her two sisters, mom, step-dad, and dad flew to Boston on Friday, Oct. 17, and drove to Manny’s aunt’s home. They wanted to say thank you.

“They welcomed us like we were family,” Dolan says. “There was an instant family connection. I just wanted to be able to say thank you. It has all been so surreal. It is like I am living in an augmented reality.”

Dolan and her family came bearing gifts. A baseball bat crafted by her dad, a sweatshirt blanket created by her mom, and the largest treasure, a book compiled and designed by Dolan using her infographic skills. The book is filled with more than 100 thank you notes written to Cabral from Dolan’s family, friends, and colleagues; thank you letters written by Dolan while she was undergoing treatment; photos of the bone marrow; detailed copies of her medical data; and even a family photo of them holding cards that spelled out “Thank you Manny.”

The book is both a chronicle of the bone marrow transplant as well as a vehicle for Dolan to try and understand the disease. It also offered her a way of taking control over her situation.

But most of all it is a thank you.

“I really wanted to show Manny that his decision didn’t just touch my life, but all our lives”

Alumni Day

This was NECC’s second baseball alumni day. More than 17 alumni and their parents and families attended. Players from 2003, 2005, as well as members of NECC’s NJCAA Division III World Series teams of 2012, 2013, and 2014 attended.

Alumnus and former baseball standout Dan Bonito won the home run derby with three homeruns over the right field fence. Former NECC coach Chris Shanahan, who coached during the 2012 World Series attended and coached the alumni team.

“It was a wonderful day with a lot of memory sharing,” said Sue MacAvoy, NECC Athletic Director. “Everyone had a great time. The day ended with a BBQ. Current and former players sat together and shared stories.”

Bestselling Author Reads Children’s Book

October 21, 2014/in Archive/by review

Nicholas and Tessa Parker with ‘Tuesday’

Jumpstart NECC hosted the “New York Times” bestselling author, former U.S. Army Captain Luis Carlos Montalván and his service dog named Tuesday on Monday, October 6th at Imajine That in Lawrence.

Captain Montalván is a 17 year U.S. Army veteran. He and Tuesday read their new children’s book, “Tuesday Tucks Me In” to local families and students. Guests were able to witness the loyal bond and love that Luis and Tuesday share. Tuesday enjoyed a mini grooming session by Montalván, complete with his favorite chicken flavored toothpaste. Tuesday then demonstrated his retrieval skills by helping Montalván with his cane and various other items.

Jumpstart is a national early education organization that recruits and trains college students and community corps members to serve preschool children in low-income neighborhoods. Jumpstart’s proven curriculum helps children develop the language and literacy skills they need to be ready for kindergarten, setting them on a path to close the achievement gap before it is too late.

This semester 11 NECC students are participating in Jumpstart, working at Community Day Early Learning Center in Lawrence.

Jumpstart NECC has copies of “Tuesday Tucks Me In” available. All proceeds benefit Jumpstart. If you are interested in purchasing a book to support Jumpstart please contact Site Manager, Melissa Chandonnet at 978-656-3404 or mchandonnet@necc.mass.edu

To learn more about Montalván and Tuesday visit www.tuesdaytucksmein.com.

National Grid Promotes Energy Careers

October 21, 2014/in Archive/by review

James Bell of National Grid talks to NECC students about careers in the energy field.

There are careers in the energy industry.

That is the message that representatives from National Grid brought with them when they spoke to more than a dozen Northern Essex Community College engineering students and their professors this week.

“The workforce in the energy field is aging,” said James Bell, a mechanical engineer who works in the new products and energy services group at National Grid, “We need young bright, innovative, individuals to fill these spots.”

Bell, along with three other National Grid employees, is taking the “there are careers in energy” message to colleges campuses. Each shared his or her own career path within the energy industry. While Bell studied engineering in college, Eliza Davis was a political science major, Mona Chandra, was an architect, and May Moy was an industrial engineer. Each had a circuitous route to a career in the energy field, but each noted that they found a field in which they developed a deep interest.

They encouraged the students to visit the National Grid website and research the internship opportunities. A solid GPA as well as special certifications like LEED certification will help boost their chances of securing an internship they said.

The presentation included an overview of National Grid which is an international company that employs 28,000 people. It has 3.4 million electric customers and 3.6 natural gas customers throughout New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. The company delivers natural gas and electricity, promotes energy conservation, as well as promotes innovative solutions to reduce energy usage through new technologies and energy efficiency programs.

Branscombe Dubina, 20, of Groveland, was one civil engineering student interested in what they had to say. “I thought it was a really good presentation,” he said. “It sounds like there might be some good opportunities for internships. I will definitely be following up.”

“I didn’t know National Grid was all about energy efficiency,” said Dipal Patel, 19, of Salisbury, an electrical engineering student. “They are more than just about power,”

Northern Essex offers an Associate of Science Degrees in Electronic Technology,

Electronic Technology: Computer Systems, and Engineering Science as well as certificates Computer Aided Drafting and Electronic Equipment Technology.

NECC Play Explores London During the Blitz

NECC Employees Recognized for Years of Service

HC Media Funds Two NECC Scholarships

NECC Helps Mom Find Right Balance

NECC Alumnus to Host Book Signing and Discussion

Local Residents Named Presidential Scholars at NECC

Affordable Education Brightens Amesbury Man’s Future

Former NECC Baseball Captain Saves a Life

Bestselling Author Reads Children’s Book

National Grid Promotes Energy Careers

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