2017 - Page 15 of 24

Local Students Recognized at Annual Peace Poetry Contest & Reading Event

May 9, 2017/in Archive/by review

Winners of the Peace Poetry contest from left to right: Kyle Chen, Aubrie Tibert, Malika Meskine and Patricia Zube.

Four local students — and one teacher — received special recognition for their pacifistic poetry at the 9th Annual Northern Essex Community College Peace Poetry Contest & Reading Event. The event was held Friday, May 5, at the Hartleb Technology Center on the college’s Haverhill campus.

The authors and their winning poems are: for grades K–2, “All Together for Peace” by Malika Meskine, Grade 2, The Islamic Academy for Peace, Methuen; for grades 3–5, “What is Peace?” by Kyle Chen, Grade 5, Sanborn Academy, Andover; for grades 6–8, “I am Peace” by Sadia Ghani, The Islamic Academy for Peace, Methuen; for grades 9–12, “I am a Teenager of This Generation” by Aubrie Tibert, Grade 12, Methuen High School, Methuen; and for the adult category, “Peace Is” by first-grade teacher Patricia Zube, Pelham School, Pelham, N.H.

The Peace Poetry Contest, organized by NECC English Professor Paul Saint-Amand, is sponsored by the NECC English department, Division of Foundational Studies and Liberal Arts & Sciences, and the Office of the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs. Saint-Amand, a Vietnam-era veteran who is committed to peace, introduced this peace poetry concept more than 30 years ago when he was teaching in upstate New York. When Saint-Amand relocated to Gloucester and began teaching at NECC, he brought the contest with him.

After both Saint-Amand and NECC President Lane Glenn offered a welcome to all guests and participants, poets laureate Nadine & Ken Delano, of North Andover, delivered the evening’s keynote speech. This was followed by a video presentation from a first-grade class at Haverhill’s Tilton School, entitled “Peaceful People … Peaceful Places.”

NECC Professor Paul Saint-Amand and President Lane Glenn stand with Peace Poetry winner Malika Meskine, Grade 2.

Northern Essex offers an associate degree in liberal arts: writing option, which gives students a solid foundation in writing for various purposes and audiences. The program emphasizes developing an individual style and explores the creative and vocational applications of writing, including creative writing, poetry, nonfiction, technical writing and journalism.

With campuses in Haverhill and Lawrence, Northern Essex Community College offers over 70 associate degree and certificate programs as well as hundreds of noncredit courses designed for personal enrichment and career growth. Each year, 8,500 students are enrolled in credit associate degree and certificate programs on the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses; and another 2,600 take noncredit workforce development and community education classes on campus, and at businesses and community sites across the Merrimack Valley. Northern Essex is the only state college located in the lower Merrimack Valley Region of Massachusetts. For more information, visit the website at www.necc.mass.edu.

NECC Chamber Ensemble to Perform Spring Concert

May 8, 2017/in Archive/by review

NECC Music Professor Christina Dietrich.

Northern Essex Community College’s chamber ensemble, under the direction of Christina Dietrich and Ingrid Marstaller, assistant to the director, will present a Spring Concert on Saturday, May 13, at 7 p.m. in the Hartleb Technology Center on the Haverhill campus, 100 Elliott St.

The performance will feature the works of Bach, Mozart, Schubert, Lloyd-Webber, Zimmer and others. This event is free and open to the public. For further information, contact Christina Dietrich at cdietrich@necc.mass.edu.

Northern Essex offers an associate degree in General Studies: Music Option that provides students with a foundation for success in musical performance, music education and music computer technology. Students build skills in music theory and ear-training, experience music from all cultures and styles, learn how to read and write music, and take part in performance workshops.

With campuses in Haverhill and Lawrence, Northern Essex Community College offers over 70 associate degree and certificate programs as well as hundreds of noncredit courses designed for personal enrichment and career growth. Each year, 8,500 students are enrolled in credit associate degree and certificate programs on the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses; and another 2,600 take noncredit workforce development and community education classes on campus, and at businesses and community sites across the Merrimack Valley. Northern Essex is the only state college located in the lower Merrimack Valley Region of Massachusetts. For more information, visit the website at www.necc.mass.edu.

NECC Student is Honored by Governor at the State House

May 3, 2017/in Archive/by andrea

Governor Charlie Baker and NECC Student Klinbert Garcia, recipient of the 29 Who Shine Award.

Northern Essex Community College Student Klinbert Garcia of Methuen was honored by Governor Charlie Baker at the Massachusetts State House in Boston on Friday, May 5 as an outstanding graduate of the class of 2017.

Each spring, the Department of Higher Education honors one graduate—along with a faculty member of his or her choice—from each of the Commonwealth’s public community colleges, colleges, and universities at a very special “29 Who Shine” event.

Garcia selected his communications professor Amy Callahan as his mentor, writing “It all started with the experience of taking Professor Callahan’s Intro to Communication class, where my inner critical thinking was drawn out through the passion and experience Professor Callahan brought to class every day.”

Born in the Dominican Republic, and raised first in New York and later Lawrence, where he learned and perfected his English by watching cartoons, Klinbert Garcia is a 2014 graduate of Methuen High School and will receive an Associate Degree in Business Transfer with High Honors from Northern Essex on May 20.

After arriving on campus, Garcia was quick to get involved, running for election to the Student Senate; serving as the student representative on the All College Advisory Council Executive Committee; and participating in the Student Leadership Development Program.

Last spring, Garcia launched a successful campaign for student-elected trustee, a position which he has held this academic year.

NECC Graduate Klinbert Garcia with his faculty mentor, NECC Communications Professor Amy Callahan.

Garcia is well-connected to his fellow students and, in his leadership roles, he has effectively advocated for issues that are important to them, such as college affordability and student success.

While at Northern Essex, Garcia has participated in two internships, one with Lawrence Family Resource Center, where he helped at-risk high school students, who were dealing with issues such as mental illness, teen parenthood, and homelessness, to find ways to complete a high school degree despite their challenges, and a second marketing internship with the college’s Study Abroad Program.

Garcia is also a gifted teacher who serves as a math tutor and a supplemental instructor in Statistics, teaching study classes for students in the class.

Garcia is transferring to UMass Boston and majoring in Business Management with a concentration in entrepreneurship, and he recently learned that he is receiving the Foster Furcolo Scholarship, honoring the former governor of Massachusetts.

His plan is to create a company which recycles used clothing from the United States for sale in third world countries, employing distributors in the partner countries to resell the clothes. He will start in the Dominican Republic, his home country, and eventually expand to Puerto Rico and South America and India.

“Klinbert Garcia has made good on Massachusetts taxpayers’ investment in his education,” said Carlos E. Santiago, commissioner of higher education. “Every year the 29 Who Shine remind us that our public college and university graduates represent the future of the Commonwealth. They are here to learn, here to stay, and it is incredibly inspiring to see how each honoree is contributing to our common good.

In May 2011, the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education launched “29 Who Shine,” a program to recognize outstanding students representing each of the 29 public campuses. The honorees, chosen because of their academic achievements and record of student leadership and community service, stand poised to contribute greatly to the civic life and economic well-being of the state. Whether furthering their education or entering careers here in Massachusetts in fields as diverse as education, public policy, medicine, creative arts, and engineering, they truly embody the vibrant future that we all envision for the Commonwealth

Northern Essex faculty and staff nominate students for this honor and Northern Essex President Lane Glenn chooses a candidate. Garcia was nominated by Karen Mitchell, director of the Pathways to Academic and Career Excellence (PACE) Program at Northern Essex.

With campuses in Haverhill and Lawrence, Northern Essex Community College offers over 70 associate degree and certificate programs as well as hundreds of noncredit courses designed for personal enrichment and career growth. Each year, 8,500 students are enrolled in credit associate degree and certificate programs on the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses; and another 2,600 take noncredit workforce development and community education classes on campus, and at businesses and community sites across the Merrimack Valley. Northern Essex is the only state college located in the lower Merrimack Valley Region of Massachusetts. For more information, visit the website at www.necc.mass.edu.

NECC President Kisses a Frog to Raise Money for Student Scholarships

May 3, 2017/in Archive/by Kiley Broadhurst

NECC President Lane Glenn kisses a frog held by Marcy Yeager, executive director of the Quarrybrook Experiential Education Center.

Northern Essex Community College President Lane Glenn will do almost anything to help out a student and he proved that earlier this week when he kissed a frog in front of a couple hundred people attending the general staff meeting.

Glenn was the “winner” of the recent Kiss the Frog fundraiser, which raised over $1,300 for the NECC Professional Association (NECCPA) student scholarship.

Marcy Yeager, executive director at NECC’s Quarrybrook Experiential Education Center, brought the tiny frog from the Quarrybrook facility in Windham, NH to the Haverhill Campus.

Just before leaning in for a kiss, Glenn gave a shout-out to NECC Early Childhood Education student Daniela Chavez-Hernandez, who will receive the $1,000 scholarship.

He said “This one’s for you, Daniela!”

View the video.

Four NECC faculty members plus President Glenn vied for the opportunity to kiss the frog including Sociology Professor Kathy Holmes, Computer and Information Science Professor Ethel Schuster, Chemistry Professor Mike Cross, and Math Professor Steve Proietti. Faculty, staff, and students who donated to the campaign were asked to choose who they would most like to see kiss the frog and Glenn was the winner.

It was a handsome frog.

This year’s NECCPA scholarship for $1000 was awarded to Daniela Chavez-Hernandez of Dracut, an aspiring social worker with an almost perfect grade point average, who has been selected to represent her class as student commencement speaker at the graduation on May 20.

NECCPA is the professional staff and faculty union at Northern Essex, the local chapter of the Massachusetts Community College Council (MCCC). The scholarship is presented annually to a promising student nominated by one of the union members.

NECC Chorus Presents Spring Concert

May 2, 2017/in Archive/by review

The Northern Essex Community College Chorus will present its spring choral concert on Sunday, May 7, at 2 p.m. in Room 103 in the David Hartleb Technology Center on the Haverhill campus, 100 Elliott St.

This event is open to the public. Tickets are $5. They can be purchased at the door.

The Spring Choral Concert is part of the “Performing Arts Series” presented by the Department of Performing Arts at Northern Essex Community College.

Northern Essex offers a certificate in music technology and an associate’s in general studies: music. For additional information on the music certificate or degree programs visit www.necc.mass.edu

For additional information on the concert or for sign language requests contact Alisa Bucchiere at abucchiere@necc.mass.edu or call 978-556-3779.

With campuses in Haverhill and Lawrence, Northern Essex Community College offers over 70 associate degree and certificate programs as well as hundreds of noncredit courses designed for personal enrichment and career growth. Each year, 8,500 students are enrolled in credit associate degree and certificate programs on the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses; and another 2,600 take noncredit workforce development and community education classes on campus, and at businesses and community sites across the Merrimack Valley. Northern Essex is the only state college located in the lower Merrimack Valley Region of Massachusetts. For more information, visit the website at www.necc.mass.edu.

April Trustee Notes

May 1, 2017/in Archive/by Kiley Broadhurst

Trustees opened the April meeting with the election of a new slate of officers. Attorney William Cox was elected vice chair and Marianne Paley Nadel was elected secretary. Jeff Linehan will continue as chair, a position which is appointed by Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker.

NECC is Leader in Competency-Based Education

Last fall, Northern Essex was the first of the Massachusetts public colleges and universities to offer Competency-Based Education (CBE), a method of learning designed especially for busy adults who need flexibility in order to pursue a certificate or degree.

Sixty-one students enrolled in the nine CBE courses offered in the fall and 71 students enrolled in the eight courses offered this spring, according to Kim Burns, dean of academic innovations and interim dean of professional development.

CBE courses follow a “mastery” approach, said Burns. Students are given flexibility within a 15-week period and can start and complete courses online on their own schedule. Each CBE student is assigned a learning coach, who will provide course orientation and advice on how to succeed academically.

Northern Essex currently offers an eight-course certificate in computer applications as well as individual courses as CBE courses.

The college recently received a $180,000 grant from the Department of Higher Education’s Performance Incentive Fund to develop—along with Middlesex Community College— Early Childhood Education classes using the CBE format.

Four Recent Retirees will Receive Emeritus Status

Trustees voted unanimously to honor four recent retirees with emeritus status at the May 20 Commencement Ceremony.

Those recent retirees include: Thomas Fallon, dean emeritus of institutional research & planning; Nita Lamborghini, dean emerita of student life; Betsy Pardo, academic coordinator emerita of English as a Second Language; and Gail Stuart, coordinator emerita of library services.

At Northern Essex, the rank of emeritus is an honor that recognizes sustained excellence in performance, character, and meritorious service to the college. Emeritus status is given to retired college employees based on recommendations by the college’s emeritus committee to President Glenn and approval by the board of trustees.

Report of Administration

President Lane Glenn presented updates on the following:

Strategic Plan Update: Professional Growth

This month’s report focused on the Professional Growth Goal, one of four in the college’s strategic plan, NECC 2020.

This goal team is tasked with increasing opportunities for faculty and staff that encourage professional growth, foster experimentation, and advance curriculum innovation.

To date, the team has introduced adjunct faculty fellows who are helping connect part-time faculty with the resources that are available to support them with teaching and learning.

The group also helped lead the annual Professional Day which was held on Friday, March 31 on the Haverhill Campus. The theme was “Student Voices: Listening and Learning” and more than 200 faculty and staff and 30 students participated. President Glenn called this year’s professional day “one of the best the college has ever had.” “There was a range of students with different experiences and we listened and learned. Our goal was to find out how we can do better.”

Spurk Building Renovation

The Spurk Building on the Haverhill Campus is on schedule for a fall 2017 opening after being closed for a year for renovations.

When complete, the building will feature renovated restrooms, new windows, central air conditioning and more.

Dimitry Building Renovation

Renovation of the Dimitry Building in Lawrence has been postponed. The work is now scheduled to take place spring of 2018 through spring of 2019.

The renovations will include new windows, new siding, parking lot improvements, and new and beautifully landscaped outdoor space.

Communiversity Space

Renovations to the 2nd floor of 420 Common Street will be completed by the end of April, providing new space for the college’s communiversity partners, Regis and Lyndon State College.

Opening this summer, the space will include classrooms plus a computer lab.

“It will become the hub for our communiversity partnerships,” said President Glenn. Northern Essex partners with Regis and Lyndon State to offer bachelor degree completion programs on the Lawrence Campus.

For more information visit the website.

NECC to Hold Laboratory Science Open House

May 1, 2017/in Archive/by review

NECC Professor Kevin Mitchell, third from left, works with left to right NECC lab science students Darrin Perrault of Haverhill, Angie Abreu of Methuen, and Gabriela Santana of Lawrence.

Northern Essex Community College will host a Research Open House for its Laboratory Science Program on Thursday, May 11, from 5 to 8:30 p.m. in room E263 on the Haverhill campus. Interested middle/high school students and teachers, the entire NECC community and the general public are all encouraged to attend this free event.

Attendees will have the opportunity to view hands-on demonstrations, get a tour of the college’s laboratories and speak with students and faculty in the lab science program. The labs will be set up like a miniature science museum, with stations where people can — among other things — learn how to identify fingerprints using a technique called superglue fuming; decapitate a flatworm to see how it regenerates its head; and use a spectrophotometer to determine the amount of a chemical in solution based on the color.

A poster session will be held from 6 to 7 p.m., during which students and alumni will showcase the knowledge and skills they’ve gained through their classwork. All participants will also be entered into a raffle to win one of three Amazon Fire tablets with 8 GB of storage. For more information, or to request sign language interpreting or other access services, contact Kevin Mitchell at kmitchell1@necc.mass.edu.

NECC offers an associate degree in applied sciences that is perfect for anyone looking for a job right after graduation in the exciting field of life sciences as an entry-level laboratory technician. Students in the program gain a strong theoretical background in chemistry and the associated sciences, learn technical lab skills and instrumental analysis, and acquire critical thinking and trouble-shooting skills. Many students also successfully transfer to a four-year college or university to continue their studies.

Aspiring Social Worker Selected as NECC Student Commencement Speaker

May 1, 2017/in Archive/by andrea

Daniela Chavez-Hernandez, NECC’s 2017 Student Commencement Speaker

Daniela Chavez-Hernandez, a Northern Essex Community College Early Childhood Education major with a 3.96 grade point average, has been selected as the student speaker for the college’s 55th Annual Commencement Exercises, which will be held on Saturday, May 20 on the Haverhill Campus. Now living in Dracut, Chavez-Herandez is a former resident of Lawrence.

Born in Mexico, Chavez-Herandez came to the United States when she was 16 years-old, speaking no English. She attended an Arizona high school for two years where she honed her English writing and reading skills.

Chavez-Herandez is the mother of a two-year old daughter and she also works full-time as a pre-school teacher at the Greater Lawrence Community Action Council’s Child Care Center, which provides services to low income families. Still, she has found the time for campus life, as a member of Phi Theta Kappa, a national community college honorary society; treasurer of the Early Childhood Education Club; a student note taker; and a participant in Pathways to Academic and Career Excellence, a federally funded support program for disadvantaged students.

After graduation, Chavez-Herandez plans to transfer to Tufts University. Her goal is to become a social worker and work with underprivileged children, a direction which has been shaped by her work as a pre-school teacher. “I see a need in the community for social workers and I want to continue working with children and families to improve their quality of life through community services and counseling,” she says.

Chavez-Hernandez has taken day, evening, online, and hybrid courses while a student at Northern Essex and she credits her professors and the support she has received from staff for helping her to succeed.

Her father died when she was one-year-old and she and her three sisters were raised by her mother who sometimes worked multiple jobs to support the family. Her mother as well as her younger sister will be coming from Arizona to celebrate her graduation.

Chavez-Hernandez was nominated for this honor by Deirdre Budzyna and Gail Feigenbaum from the Early Childhood Education Program and Kristin Arnold from PACE.

Over 1,000 graduates will receive certificates and associate degrees at the college’s 55th Annual Commencement, which will be help on Saturday, May 20, at 11 a.m. on Northern Essex’s Haverhill Campus.

For more information about the NECC Commencement, visit the website, www.necc.mass.edu/commencement.

Student Art Show Opens

April 27, 2017/in Archive/by review

Honour Kimball of Plaistow, NH won the President’s Purchase Award in the NECC Student Art Show for the photograph of her great grandmother. VP Bill Heineman presented the award.

Close to forty Northern Essex Community College art and design students from throughout the Merrimack Valley and Southern New Hampshire are participating in the Annual Student Art Show on display through Friday, May 19 in the Linda Hummel-Shea ArtSpace in the Bentley Library on the Haverhill campus, 100 Elliott St.

At the opening reception on Thursday, April 27, Honour Kimball of Plaistow, NH was awarded the President’s Purchase Award for a photograph of her great grandmother sipping a glass of water. Her photograph will now be in the college’s permanent art collection.

Receiving honorable mention were Glenn Chickering of Salisbury, MA, for his charcoal/gesso drawing titled “Winged Man”; Donald Guidoboni of Andover for his plaster sculpture titled “Forming Figures for Fire”; and Reniery Santiago of Haverhill for her photograph titled “Baby Blue”.

The show features drawings, paintings, graphic design, photographs, illustrations and three-dimensional work from students in a range of classes in the Art & Design program. Northern Essex Department of Art & Design offers many courses in fine art and design leading to an Associate Degree in General Studies: Art.

Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

For additional information contact Patricia Kidney, chair, Arts & Design Department, at pkidney@necc.mass.edu or Marc Mannheimer, gallery coordinator, mmannheimer@necc.mass.edu.

NECC’s Jazz/Rock Ensemble Presents Spring Concert

April 24, 2017/in Archive/by review

Members of the NECC jazz/rock band will present its spring concert on May 4. Members include Alec Anand of Andover on guitar; Jay Marmol of Lawrence on guitar; Seth Persson of Amesbury on drums and piano; Liza Lynehan of Amesbury on vocals; and Dominic Marraffa of Durham, NH, on drums and piano.

The Northern Essex Community College Jazz/ Rock Ensemble, under the direction of NECC adjunct music professor Michael Lecuyer, will present its spring concert on Thursday, May 4, at 6 p.m. in the Hartleb Technology Center on the Haverhill campus, 100 Elliott St.

This event is free and open to the public.

The ensemble will perform jazz classics covering all genres of jazz, including Be Bop, ballads, modal, Latin, and swing by jazz composers such as Miles Davis, Antonio Jobim, Dave Brubeck, Rodgers & Hart, as well as student composed original pieces.

The NECC Music Club will sell refreshments at the conclusion of the event.

Northern Essex offers an associate degree in General Studies: Music and a certificate in Music Technology.

For additional information contact Lecuyer at mlecuyer@necc.mass.edu