After a two-year hiatus, Northern Essex Community College will once again present the Charles Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol” in the newly renovated Chester Hawrylciw Theater.

Ebenezer Scrooge, the Cratchit Family, and all the other Dickensian characters will come to life on a refurbished stage on the third floor of the Spurk Building on the Haverhill campus, 100 Elliot St.

“We are excited to be bringing this show back,” said Alisa Bucchiere, NECC music professor and one of the four Madrigal singers in the play. The Merrimac resident prompted the resurrection of the play.

There was a bit of nostalgia between Bucchiere and NECC Early Childhood Professor Deirdre Budzyna and her husband John and children Erin, Maggie, and Colin, all of who have played different characters over the 15 years it was performed.

This year, John and Deirdre Budzyna of Newburyport, are directing the play and Bucchiere is musical director. Alumnus Mark Morrison of Haverhill will play Scrooge a role he brought to life back in 2012.

“We have done this show many, many times,” she said. “Truth be told I kept nudging them until the Budzyna clan said yes,” she said. “It will be a bit of a celebration too, to be in the new theater space because it is so different than it used to be, and with a nod to the future so that NECC’s “A Christmas Carol” production can help fund future theater productions and enable the current theater students to continue to go to the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival each year.”

The show will be performed Friday, Dec. 8 at 7 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 9 at 3 and 7 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 10, at 3 p.m.

Tickets will be available at the door. They can also be purchased through MKTIX.org at

Ticket prices are $12 for adults, $10 for student/seniors and free for children under the age of 5.

The NECC production was originally presented as a onetime fundraiser for the performing arts department by now retired husband and wife NECC Professors Jim Murphy and Susan Sanders. The play was so successful, it became an NECC community event each holiday season with faculty, staff, students, and their family members auditioning for roles.

For additional information contact Bucchiere.

The cast includes:

Amesbury

Dick Wilkins and Christmas Future: Patrick Doherty

Fred’s Housekeeper: Bonnie Surowiec

Andover:

Boy in Street: Jordan Mathew

Danville, NH

Guest 1 & Laundress: Katherine Burrell

East Hampstead

Bob Cratchit: David Dutilly

East Kingston

Mrs. Cratchit: Sarah Courchesne

Young Ebenezer: Malcolm Courchesne

Ignorance and Boy in Street: Simon Courchesne

Exeter, NH

Christmas Past: Kallie Mayo

Belinda and Want: Reilly Mayo

Haverhill

Ebenezer Scrooge: Mark Morrison

Madrigal Singer D and Guest 3: Geehae Moon

Merrimac

Madrigal Singer A: Alisa Bucchiere

Fred: Bryan Marden

Charity Man: Bill Gaylardo

Methuen

Belle: Rebecca Malas

Newbury

Belle’s Husband: Justin Kelly

Newburyport

Jacob Marley: John Budzyna

Fred’s Wife: Anna Marcheterre

Plaistow, NH

Old Joe and Fezziwig: Todd Buckley

Martha: Olivia Buckley

Tewksbury

Madrigal Singer C: Chip Bliss

Included in the cast are:

Madrigal Singer B: Noah Caezza

Fan: Kairi Bohanan

Young Scrooge: Armando Belliard

Mrs. Fezziwig: Melissa Juchniewicz

Peter: Lincoln Bohanan

Tiny Tim: Melina Bohanan

When Northern Essex Community College journalism/communications student Cleo Brigham had the opportunity to meet NBC Boston chief meteorologist Matt Noyes, a Haverhill resident, at commencement last year, she shared that she would be looking for an internship.

Noyes, who was the 2017 commencement speaker, suggested Brigham send him her writing samples and her resume, which she quickly followed up on.

That brief encounter led to an internship this semester with NBC Boston’s Special Investigation Unit, an experience that has helped shaped Brigham’s career plans.

“I used to think I wanted to be in print, but this has opened me up to the video side of the field,” says Brigham, a former editor of the Observer, NECC’s student newspaper.  “It’s important to be versatile, the more skills you have the more valuable you are.”

As one of two interns in her department, Brigham has a variety of responsibilities.  A lot of her work has been with “NBC Boston Responds”, which handles the concerns of consumers.  Viewers submit consumer complaints and Brigham researches those complaints and transcribes broadcast interviews, pulling key quotes and important facts for the reporters.

“In broadcast, you can’t tell everything.  I go through the interview footage, which can be up to a half hour in length, and get the reporters everything they need to write the story.”

She says one of the most exciting aspects of her internship is going on shoots with the reporters and camerapersons.  “I get to go in the field, watch the interviews, and see how they set up.”  So far, she has assisted with two lifestyle shoots, one on a new restaurant located in Salem, MA, and the second on a new boutique fitness center on Newbury St. in Boston.

It may seem like this opportunity fell into her lap, but landing this internship took persistence, she says.  “When I met Matt, I thought this was meant to be,” she says.  “But it took a month and a half to hear back, and I got discouraged.”  Noyes emailed her promising to seek out internships and, within an hour, she heard back from him with a lead on her internship.

After graduating from Marshwood High School in Eliot, Maine in 2014, Brigham took a gap year before enrolling at Northern Essex, based on the reputation of its journalism program.

She says she was “revitalized” here at Northern Essex.  “I took journalism with Mary Jo Shaffer and mass communications with Amy Callahan.  I started as a staff writer for the Observer and the following semester, I was editor in chief; writing editorials, doing research, designing the paper, and copy editing.”

Brigham is finishing up a couple of classes at Northern Essex this semester and in the spring she plans to transfer, either to Emerson College or Suffolk University, where she will continue her journalism studies and build her skills in video production.

Brigham always knew she wanted to be a journalist and her experiences at Northern Essex and NBC Boston have confirmed that.  “I know that I instinctively like to inform people and share knowledge, which is why journalism is such a good fit for me.”

Northern Essex offers an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts with a journalism/communication option, which prepares students for transfer and for careers in print or broadcast journalism, including jobs with newspapers, magazines, publishing, television or radio. For more information, contact enrollment services, admissions@necc.mass.edu or 978 556-3700.

For more information about the college’s internship program contact Ashley Moore at amoore@necc.mass.edu or 978-556-3946.

Those weeks in between semesters can be a great time for catching up or jumping ahead on college credits. Northern Essex Community College will again offer its annual winter intersession, a series of accelerated credit courses offered online or on campus throughout the month of January.

NECC is now registering students for the more than two dozen courses available online or at the Lawrence Riverwalk campus, 360 Merrimack St. The intersession is open to NECC students and students from other colleges or universities.

Most courses are suitable for a wide range of majors and fulfill core liberal arts requirements at two-year and four-year institutions. This year’s intersession on campus courses include First Year Seminar and Public Speaking as two-week intensives ending January 12. Online courses, running from January 2 through January 26, include Cultural Anthropology, Human Nutrition and Health, Macro and Micro Economics, Introduction to Music, Introduction to Psychology, US History II, and Statistics as well as other courses. For a complete list and for additional information, visit the Winter Intersession page.

To learn more about NECC, please visit the website or call 978 965-3900 or email at admissions@necc.mass.edu.

Northern Essex Community College’s Women of NECC will host its annual holiday luncheon with guest speaker Boston journalist Maria Stephanos on Monday, Dec. 4, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Andover Country Club, 60 Canterbury St., Andover.

Stephanos, who grew-up in Groveland, has more than 25 years of experience covering New England. She is an on-air television journalist with WCVB Channel 5. She will discuss her award-winning career as a Boston news anchor during a special presentation.

Tickets are $45. Proceeds will benefit the Women of NECC”S scholarship fund. The afternoon will include a raffle and silent auction.

For tickets or additional mail contact Lori Smerdon at lsmerdon@necc.mass.edu or call 978-556-3789.

Three Northern Essex Community College employees, Christopher Amaru of Haverhill, Michael Kolotila of Danville, NH, and Sarah Comiskey of Beverly recently received the employee recognition award for the fourth quarter.

The Employee Recognition Award recognizes the many and varied contributions of the college’s nearly 700 employees. Employees are selected each quarter based on recommendations from supervisors and co-workers. Recipients receive a $150 certificate to the restaurant or mall of his or her choice.

Amaru, a lead developer in NECC’s Management Information Systems (MIS) department for the last eight years, previously worked as a staff associate in NECC’s finance department for seven years.

Tracy Fitzgerald, NECC’s payroll director, in nominating Amaru, noted how, after working on a recent project with him, she realized just how invaluable he is to the college. She wrote in her nomination, “After meeting with other colleges I realized just how much time Chris has saved the payroll office every pay period. Other colleges take days to pull together reports and spreadsheets that I can get in a matter of minutes.”

Amaru holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Western Michigan University.

A 24-year employee of NECC, Kolotila is a senior system analyst and adjunct faculty member. He was nominated by co-worker Cherie Hagen who wrote in her nomination, “Michael is often in the front lines, setting the example in teamwork, cooperation, brilliance in his knowledge and abilities, as well as humility and humor. He consistently lets others know he can and will help, before ever being asked… (Michael) has been “a major player and key advisor in the advancements and successes of the college…his standards remain high at all times.”

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology from Eastern Michigan University, a Master of Science in Mycology from Michigan State University, a Doctorate of Philosophy in Medical Mycology, and an Associate of Science in programming from Northern Essex.

Comiskey, a four-year employee of Northern Essex, is an administrative assistant in the institutional advancement office. She received eight nominations.

In her nomination Jean Poth, vice president of institutional advancement wrote, “Sarah has consistently high work standards. Sarah is a perfectionist in her work and regularly meets or exceeds all of her goals…she has consistently high on the job performance. Her writing and editing skills working with the marketing department have in particular, received praise from a variety of college leaders…Sarah also takes an innovative approach to tasks. She always strives to find ways to do things smarter, faster, and easier…Sarah has excellent problem solving techniques. She regularly works with our students during alumni phonathons and has to train, answer questions and address problems on the spot. Sarah has a service oriented approach to her job. She helps out whenever and wherever it is needed. Sarah is warm, friendly, cooperative, courteous, and professional in her manner.”

She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Writing from Ithaca College and a Master of Arts in Publishing from Emerson College.