The El-Hefni Allied Health and Technology Building may have been designed to house NECC’s health programs, but several times a year, camera crews roll in and the sleek 21st Century building at 414 Common St. in Lawrence is transformed into a hospital, doctors’ offices, and a professional building.

While Allison Gagne, NECC’s event coordinator, admits to hoping the building would serve a dual purpose, this isn’t what she had in mind.

“I never set out to market the building for this,” she said. “I had hoped that local fire and police departments, and physicians would use the facilities for training purposes.”

But in 2014, when she took a call from a location scout, it set in motion a new role for the Allied Health & Technology Center which had just opened that spring. Outfitted with high-tech equipment including simulated mannequins and an embedded ambulance on the first floor, it first caught the attention of a German made-for-television film crew.

Three scenes from the movie “Forget Me Not,” featuring German actors speaking German while portraying Americans, were filmed by the Van Wormer Production Company. The halls and several of the rooms were pressed into service as a DNA lab and a neurologist’s office.

The location scout recommended Gagne upload photos of the building and campuses to two websites – Mass Film Office and New England Film. She did, and now several times a year she is contacted about the possibility of production crews shooting scenes on campus. The German production company alone, has returned six times.

To date, Gagne estimates more than $100,000 has been raised from the location rentals.

Commercials for companies from W.B. Mason to U.S. Cellular as well as a local utility have been filmed at NECC.

Boston area film directors Clifford and Griffin Nash said El-Hefni is attractive to production companies like theirs for a number of reasons.

“We wanted the hospital look, with the space to hold a crew of 30 or more, which we can’t really do in a real hospital,” Cliff Nash said. “The school has been more than accommodating to our needs. It helps that Allison speaks our language. She knows just what we need to load and unload our equipment.”

A private parking lot, off-street parking, and easy access to the building are all pluses in the eyes of the film companies.

“Plus there are lots of props here…mannequins…fake blood…lots of medical equipment as well as people who know how to use it,” he said. “This building has a Boston feel only it’s outside of Boston.”

Last summer it was the Haverhill campus that was receiving attention, when the German production company descended on the Elliott Street location shooting interior and exterior shots.

The buildings and campuses aren’t the only ones captured on film. A recent film shoot employed a half dozen NECC students as extras. Nina Sigurdardotter, 29, of Haverhill was one of those students.

“I just had to walk back and forth in a scene,” the health specialization student said. “I didn’t have to speak which was good because I am shy.”

She agreed with psychology major Johanan Ruelas, 20, also of Haverhill, it was a fun way to earn $150 a day.

“It was really fun,” he said. “I was kind of shy at first, but it was a nice way to meet other Northern Essex students and staff.”

As accommodating as the college is to the production companies, Gagne said, it is of utmost important that there is no interruption with the school’s scheduled classes and activities.

“They have to respect our space, our students, and our faculty and staff” she said. “I tell them to leave it better than they found it.”

Like when they frosted windows in one of the rooms and Gagne asked them to leave the enhancement.

Sometimes they will paint a room for a particular scene and then repaint it to its original color before they leave, she said.

For additional information on renting NECC buildings or campuses, contact Gagne at agagne@necc.mass.edu

 

 

Original poetry promoting an understanding of peace is being sought for Northern Essex Community College’s 12th Annual Peace Poetry Contest and Reading.

Students from K-12 classrooms (both public and private) and those adults affiliated with these schools are invited to create and submit original poems on the subject of peace.

Twelve years ago, when, now retired, NECC English Professor Paul Saint-Amand introduced the contest to the community, he had hopes of a “good response.” Since then, more than 10,000 poems and nearly 1,000 works of art, focusing on peace, have been submitted. Since his retirement, the contest is now coordinated by NECC English Professor Elle Yarborough.

This year’s contest deadline is Friday, March 13, 2020, by 5 p.m. The reading event for winning submissions will be held Friday, May 1, 2020 from 6 to 8 pm. in the Hartleb Technology Center on the Haverhill Campus, 100 Elliott St. First place winners in each age division will be invited to read their poems. All submissions will be published in a poetry chap book.

“Taking over as coordinator for the Peace Poetry Contest has been an incredible honor,” said Yarborough. “Last year was my first year in this role and it was the first time that I read all of the poems submitted–almost 1,000 of them last year and I read every single one.  Reading each of these poems was exceptionally uplifting; what an incredible experience it is to read these poems when they are submitted and then, in May, to listen to the students read their work.  The poems and the artwork give me so much hope for the future and I know that the members of the audience felt the same way.  My hope is that, this year, even more writers will participate and share their writing and their hopes for our future.”

The Peace Poetry Contest & Reading is a program offered under the Service Learning umbrella at NECC. Its goal is to honor the ideal of peace through the creation and submission of works on the topic.

For additional information, contact Yarborough at eyarborough@necc.mass.edu Entries can be mailed to peacepoetry@necc.mass.edu or NECC Peace Poetry Contest, 100 Elliott Street/Spurk Building Room 317, Haverhill, MA 01830-2399.

This contest is sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Student and Academic Affairs, Division of Liberal Arts, the English Department, and Service Learning Committee.

 

The music program at Northern Essex Community College will present two free piano master classes/workshops on the art of piano playing, led by NECC Music Professor Christina Dietrich, on Sunday, March 8 at 6 p.m. and Saturday, April 18, at 6 p.m. in the Hartleb Technology Center on the Haverhill campus, 100 Elliott Street.

The master classes, which are open to pianists of all levels, are designed to provide students with a chance to perform and learn in a cooperative group setting. The session will explore piano performance and preparation techniques and cover a range of solo piano works as well as instrumental and vocal works with piano accompaniment.

Dietrich maintains a longstanding career as a soloist and educator. She has performed on such stages as Symphony Hall, the Lincoln Center, and Jordan Hall. In addition to her faculty position at Northern Essex, she serves as piano department chair at Indian Hill Music, founder/director of the Chopin Conservatory of Music on the North Shore, and as adjunct professor at Mount Wachusett Community College. She also is the artistic director of the Steinway Society of Massachusetts.

She holds advanced degrees in music from the New England Conservatory of Music and Boston University. She was awarded a Steinway & Sons Top Teacher Award for 2017 and 2018. Most recently, she was designated a Steinway Ambassador for M. Steinert & Sons.

Northern Essex offers an associate degree in general studies: music option and a certificate in music technology.

 

Athletes who are considering college are invited to learn more about the 12 varsity sports offered at Northern Essex Community College at an NECC Knights’ Athletics Open House on Tuesday evening, March 10 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. in Pentucket Bank Lecture Hall in the Spurk Building on the Haverhill Campus, 100 Elliott St.

The open house will include tours of the campus (5 to 6 p.m.), a presentation on academic programs and student support services (6 to 6:45 p.m.), a student athlete panel (6:45 to 7:15 p.m.), and a tour of the fitness center and opportunity to meet with coaches (7:15 p.m.).

Northern Essex Community College competes as a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and sponsors  varsity intercollegiate sports including baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, softball, women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s soccer, Esports and men’s and women’s track and field. For more information on Northern Essex Community College Athletics please visit the official website of Northern Essex Athletics.

To learn more about this event or register for the event, visit   If you have further questions, contact Enrollment Services, admissions@necc.mass.edu or 978 556-3700.

To learn more about athletic opportunities at Northern Essex, contact Dan Blair at 978-556-3820 or email him at dblair@necc.mass.edu