Articles - Page 2 of 91 - The Mount Observer

(Archive October 2018) Generation Z-A “Youthquake”

By editorialteam on March 25, 2025

By Zach Pavlosky | Editor in Chief

Violence, advanced technology, a volatile economy, and social justice movements are viewed by Dean of Students Jason Zelesky as being the main influencers shaping a new generation of students.

Generation Z is made up of students who were born between 1995 and 2020 and has also been called, “iGen”, “Gen Wii”, and “Net Gen.” Zelesky referred to them as “digital natives” which means that, from birth, they have been exposed to all manner of advanced technology. “A child is learning how to text before they can write with a pencil or crayon,” said Zelesky. read more

(Archive September 2018) Pantoum

By editorialteam on March 25, 2025

By Maurisa Weld

Peace is disturbed, it approaches.
“knock, knock”
Anxiety.
It takes over.

“knock, knock
”who is it?”
“anxiety.”
“no ones home”

Who is it?
The being who controls your thoughts.
No one’s home,
yet I feel something watching.

The being who controls your thoughts
makes your heart pound and hands sweat.

(Archive September 2018) Villanelle: Dumb Duo

By editorialteam on March 25, 2025

By Maurisa Weld

Devastated, the dinosaur drunkenly stumbled
into a half-dreaming parakeet flying lazy low.
Downward ascending deep to the dark floor went the dumb duo.

“DANGIT!” the dino yelled.
“Do you watch where you dawdle?” the bird chirped.
Devastated, the dinosaur drunkenly stumbled.

Parakeet darted to the canopy.
He perched on a twig too weak to hold him. SNAP.
Downward ascending deep to the dark floor went the dumb duo.

(Archive September 2018) Sonnet: Behind a Locked Door

By editorialteam on March 25, 2025

By Maurisa Weld

Everyone has an identity
that goes beyond first names.
Though no one wants to unlock their destiny,
for they are too busy kicking around, playing life’s games.

Fate is behind a locked door.
We wait in hopes to find a key on the ground.
Not changing who we are, making the same mistakes as before
we wait for the door to open when we could easily knock it down.

Pick up the pieces, life is a puzzle.
At first attempt you may not feel like a victor
but with perseverance you will defeat the struggle
and see you have made a beautiful picture. read more

(Archive September 2018) Students Sound Off on Safety

By editorialteam on March 25, 2025

By Alexa Nogueira | Observer Contributor

Campus Police patrol the parking lot at MWCC.
Photo by Brianna Stevens

As the fight to prevent more school shootings continues, students, Chief Kolimaga, and Dean of Students Jason Zelesky each give their perspective on campus safety.

On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being the least safe and 10 being the most safe), the average safety rating across the Gardner and Leominster campuses was an 8.14. Students were asked to offer their different concerns and comforts about campus safety. One of the most common concerns among the students was how open both the Gardner and Leominster campuses are. “It’s a safe school, but it’s concerning that they let anyone wander in and out,” said Katina Grimson. read more

What’s Cookin’ at MWCC

By editorialteam on March 23, 2025

Colcannon

Submitted by Wendy Joubert

A traditional Irish dish made from mashed potatoes and parsnips with fried cabbage folded in. Colcannon is a perfect side dish for your St. Patrick’s Day meal. This recipe was made from ingredients found at Marty’s Market and in their produce boxes.

Ingredients:

8 small red potatoes (about 1 lb.), peeled and quartered

1 cup cabbage (half of a small head), chopped into 1” pieces

1 medium turnip, peeled and chopped into 1” pieces

¼ cup water reserved from the water you boiled the vegetables in

¼ teaspoon chicken bouillon powder

1 tablespoon oil

What’s Cookin’ at MWCC

By editorialteam on March 23, 2025

Aunt Pat’s Irish Soda Bread

Submitted by Desiree Leader

My Aunt Pat was my favorite aunt, and I have many fond memories of her visits when I was a child. She was beautiful, with a gorgeous head of red hair, and so funny. Her visits filled our modest home with joy and laughter. One of the things that I loved about her popping by is that she often brought a loaf of her homemade Irish bread. Her daughter made it a few weeks ago for her mother’s celebration of life and was kind enough to share the recipe with me. I think I will make it tonight, slather a slice in butter, and make myself a nice cup of tea to go with it. Thank you for the memories, Aunt Pat. read more

Black History Month at MWCC: A Capella Singers Debut

By editorialteam on March 23, 2025

By Princess Yeboah | Assistant Editor

A capella singers went above and beyond by introducing essential black history to Mount Wachusett Community College Community on February 26, 2025 at 12:30 P.M. The performance, “And Now I See: Race, Racism, and American Music” was shown by a men’s a capella group, Ball in the House. They hospitably embraced the community with tunes originally sung by black singers and the history behind them such as “Hound Dog”, (Originally by Big Mama Thorton and sung by Elvis), “A Change is Gonna Come”, (Originally by Sam Cooke sung by Bob Dylan) “My Girl” and “This Little Light of Mine.” read more

Review: Into the Woods at TAM

By editorialteam on March 23, 2025

By Benjamin Heffner | Staff Writer

The cast of Into the Woods
Image provided by Theatre at the Mount.

Correction 3/25/25: A previous version of this article omitted that Melissa Gates was an Early Education major. This has been amended.

Theatre at the Mount’s (TAM) latest production, Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods, brings together several classic Brother’s Grimm fairy tales, including Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Rapunzel. Their stories are all tied together in a storyline about a childless baker and his wife seeking to start a family who fall under the witch’s curse. read more

Throwing My Back Out: A Midlife Adventure

By editorialteam on March 23, 2025

By Michelle Gelpi-Balthazar | Observer Contributor

Let me set the scene. I’m bending over to pick up something harmless—maybe a sock or a kid’s toy. Nothing heavy, nothing remotely dangerous. And then it happens: my back seizes up like I just tried to deadlift a grand piano. At that moment, I know two things for sure: 1) I’m not as young as I used to be, and 2) this is going to hurt for days.

Getting older is weird. On the inside, I still feel like I’m in my 20s. I’m still the same person who could stay up all night, eat an entire pizza, and bounce back the next day like it was nothing. But my body? Oh, my body has other plans. These days, I can throw my back out by sneezing too enthusiastically. It’s like my spine is out here doing its best impression of a creaky old door. read more