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The Mount Observer

(Archive December 2018) ADHD Students Want Change ASAP

By editorialteam on April 1, 2025

By Gabriela Villa | Observer Contributor

Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) often struggle with the kind of focus required for traditional school work.
Image by amenclinicsphotos ac on flickr

Hyperfocus, hyperactivity, the ability to think multiple thoughts at once, and spontaneity are the markers of creative genius, so why do we treat ADHD children like a problem? 

Children with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder) are challenging parents, teachers, and the entire educational system to rethink the way learning is conducted.

We currently have an educational system that forces children to focus on only what it wants them to focus on, stealing their focus away from what could make them passionate, happy, and creative. read more

(Archive December 2018) Alpha Beta Gamma: Down to Business

By editorialteam on April 1, 2025

By Mark Revesai | Observer Contributor

See the Alpha Beta Gamma bulletin board for more info on the organization and upcoming events.
Photo by Betsabee Torres

Networking and leadership opportunities are just a couple of benefits of becoming a member of the International Business Honors Society, Alpha Beta Gamma.

The chapter raises funds that are donated to different charities throughout the year including Relay for Life, the MWCC food bank, the Red Cross and the Gardner CAC food bank. Funds are raised by holding bake sales, raffles and other fundraising efforts.

Professor Linda Bolduc, the club adviser, said students benefit immensely by becoming members. The club is a part of the Greater Gardner Chamber of Commerce, which allows members to network with the business world and it is one of the most active clubs on the campus.  read more

(Archive December 2018) Child Care Center Supports Student Parents

By editorialteam on April 1, 2025

By Gabriela Villa | Observer Contributor

A portrait of the Jim and Peggy Garrison, whose donations greatly assisted with the creation of MWCC’s childcare center, sits proudly in the window of the center itself.
Photo by Betsabee Torres

The Garrison Center provides peace of mind for students with children.

Children from low income families or family members with disabilities get first consideration for the daycare, which individualizes the curriculum according to each child’s needs.

Student parents don’t have to be full-time students in order for their children to go to the daycare center, but depending on the number of classes they are taking the cost of the daycare center can be reduced.  read more

(Archive December 2018) Sophia’s Recipe for Saltine Toffee

By editorialteam on April 1, 2025

Ingredients: 

  • Saltine crackers, approx. 1 sleeve
  • 1 cup unsalted butter 
  • 1 cup light brown sugar 
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup peanut butter chips
  • 1 cup chopped nuts and/or crushed candy*

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a rimmed baking sheet or jelly roll pan with parchment or aluminum foil. Place saltines side by side in a single layer covering the entire cookie sheet.

2) Combine butter and brown sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring continuously. 

3) Boil for 3 minutes while stirring continuously. 

4) Pour mixture over saltines in baking sheet and transfer sheet to oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes.

5) Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with the chocolate and peanut butter chips. Let stand for 5 minutes or until chips are melted. read more

(Archive December 2018) Shopping for Christmas? You Don’t Want to Miss This!

By editorialteam on April 1, 2025

By Brittany Eldridge | Observer Contributor

Photo by Tyler Delgado @photosbyty

With the holidays rapidly approaching, professors and students provided advice on how to create low-cost holiday gifts using skills they learned in their classes.

Leslie Cullen, a Graphic Design Professor, said that graphic designers can use their graphic design software and fine art skills to customize t-shirts, greeting cards, mugs, bags, blankets, calendars, and virtually anything. Students can design their own greeting cards and print them on cardstock at their homes or by using a printing website such as cafepress.com or personalizationmall.com. If the student has a family member with a favorite character or particular interest, then they can design a t-shirt based on that interest and print them through a printing website or local shop. read more

(Archive December 2018) Mark Revesai: Setbacks, Hurt Backs, and Comebacks

By editorialteam on April 1, 2025

By Zach Pavlosky | Editor in Chief

Mark Revasi
Photo by Betsabee Torres

Mark Revesai, Accounting major at Nichols College, talked about the obstacles he’s had to overcome throughout his life and how he stayed positive despite the setbacks.

Revesai, 51, worked as an internal auditor back in his home country of Zimbabwe where he received his banking certification from the Institute of Bankers. In 2002, Revesai came to the U.S.

Revesai wanted to continue working in accounting at MWCC, saying, “Most auditors have accounting backgrounds and, therefore, it would be the best way for me to get back to the audit field.” However, they denied his credentials and he had no option but to start from scratch. read more

(Archive December 2018) David Wyman: Political Poet Shares His Passion

By editorialteam on April 1, 2025

By Alexa Russo | Observer Contributor

Professor David Wyman
Photo by Betsabee Torres

David Wyman, English Professor, poet and father, offered advice for students who want to get published and who are looking for an audience.

Wyman said his poetry book, Proletariat Sunrise, was a “discovery” for him. He learned what his writing style was like and he said that he also gained new insights. His book contains things he thinks about, which Wyman says is not the mainstream poetry. Wyman writes political poetry, which is where he said he found his audience.  read more

(Archive December 2018) ‘Reef’er Madness

By editorialteam on April 1, 2025

By Cassie Roy | Assistant Editor

Coral bleaching is a serious issue affecting large amounts of the Great Barrier Reef, as well as other coral reefs throughout the Earth’s oceans.
Image by Acropora, via Wikimedia

The Great Barrier Reef, located off the coast of Australia, is almost at the end of its’ road as it bleaches away its’ remaining color.

The coral reef is approximately 500,000 years old. As of 1998, the reef was filled with beautiful colors that is a result of the 600 types of hard and soft coral that are stacked on each other to create the reef. Over the past 20 years, a process called bleaching has slowly replaced these colors with a solid white coating.

The process of bleaching occurs when the oceans waters raise in temperature, sometimes by just a few degrees. According to the great barrier reefs website, when the water gets too warm the coral excrete the algae that lives inside them which causes the coral to turn completely white. As a result, the coral is also no longer living. The reef currently stretches about 1,400 miles long and losing this destroys the homes, food, and mating grounds for all varieties of fish. read more

(Archive December 2018) A Dire Warning Concerning Global Warming

By editorialteam on April 1, 2025

By Dylan Cernoia | Observer Contributor

Hurricane Florence passed over the Carolinas in early September.
Image from Wikimedia

In the wake of the two hurricanes, Michael and Florence, that hit the East Coast in 2018, one professor said that these storms might be proof of a much larger problem.

Tom Montagno, Biology professor, said global warming is contributing to the severity of the two hurricanes that hit Florida. Global warming has many negative effects including melting polar ice caps, causing water levels to rise, and flooding. However, it also creates warmer oceans, which Montagno said, “fuels a hurricane.” “That’s why that last hurricane became a tropical storm to almost a category 5 hurricane in two days,” said Montagno. read more

(Archive December 2018) Awareness Campaign Addresses Suicidal Pain

By editorialteam on April 1, 2025

By Mark Revesai | Observer Contributor

Image by amenclinicphotos ac on flickr

Leominster campus students taking Introduction to Psychology embarked on a suicide awareness campaign as part of their service learning that culminated in a display on the Gardner campus.

The students picked suicide awareness because each one of them who participated had a story to tell about suicide and how it affected them individually and as a group. They wanted to talk about how people with suicidal thoughts were all around us, and we should listen to them and pay attention to what they have to say. read more