By Jordan Chila | Editor-in-Chief with reporting by Elysian Alder | Editor-in-Chief
Image from MWCC
From Nov. 11–20, 2024, Mount Wachusett Community College held a vote to decide whether to replace its current mascot, Marty the Mountain Lion. Marty became mascot back in 2016 and has had updated designs over the years. The college’s marketing department feels the school could revamp the identity of the mascot to be more tailored to the spirit of MWCC, while some in the community expressed reluctance to see Marty retired.read more
On the national stage, former President Donald Trump secured victory in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, defeating Vice President Kamala Harris to become the 47th president of the United States. Trump became the first president since Grover Cleveland to win two nonconsecutive terms. He earned 312 electoral votes to Harris’ 226, sweeping all seven battleground states. Trump also won the national popular vote, making him the first Republican to do so in 20 years. read more
In June 2024, Bryce Caron graduated from Gardner High School with not only a high school diploma, but college credits as well under his belt. Caron earned his college credits through the North Central Massachusetts Early College Academy, a division of MWCC’s Early College & Dual Enrollment Department. He is now continuing his studies at Springfield College majoring in Psychology with two minors in Athletic Coaching and Sports Analytics. “Dual Enrollment really helped me get an understanding of what to expect at a college level and made the transition from high school to college so easy. I was able to make so many meaningful connections and spend the time I would have spent stressing on the small things with friends,” Caron said.read more
From trombone practice to filming TV news, Ian Dolan has an impressive range of skills. Initially interested in computer-generated imagery (CGI), Dolan, a 19-year-old Mount Wachusett second year student, now works at his town’s cable access outlet, where he conducts interviews and films the nitty gritty of his local town meetings. Dolan has a full schedule. His five MWCC classes and two workdays with Templeton Community Television (TCTV) don’t leave him much time for his passion: the tenor trombone, a rewarding chance encounter that all started back in elementary school.read more
Entering the diverse doors of Mount Wachusett Community College is an ambitious student by the name of Samuel Nieves. Nieves is a full-time student pursuing a degree in Business Administration. He grew up in Andover, Massachusetts where he was raised by his Irish grandmother, but has been living the past eight years of his life in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Nieves comes from a heritage which blends both the Puerto Rican culture and Irish culture. As a proud first-generation American, Samuel Nieves is determined to meet all of his goals. read more
“Here is my turtle Bip dressed up as Leonardo the ninja turtle! He’s a 6 year old painted turtle. He likes to spend his time basking and digging in the gravel for tasty tidbits! His favorite thing is getting shell scritches!”
— Vivian Stronghold, Health Science major
“This is Dobby. His favorite toy is his sock from when he was born. But he does also like his peanut butter filled pacifier.”
— Helene Metivier, Substance Use Counseling (SAC) student
“Her name is Gypsy. She loved carrots, and her favorite word was ‘Food.’ The shelter we adopted Gypsy from told us she might be a Norwegian Elkhound mix. Gypsy loved the winter! Her favorite thing to do was scoop up snow with her mouth while running. It was the cutest thing.”read more
As the leaves begin to change and the fall season settles in, candy, costumes, jack-o’-lanterns, and haunted houses begin to make their comeback—some of the familiar staples of Halloween, celebrated every year on October 31.
The holiday may have its roots in ancient Celtic traditions, particularly the pagan festival of Samhain (pronounced “Sow-in”), which celebrated the transition from the lighter half of the year to the darker half, marking the end of summer and the changing of the seasons, as well as a time when the “veil” between our earthly realm and the spirit world is said to be at its thinnest. While Halloween today is often a gloriously whimsical time for tricks and treats, scary stories, pumpkin picking, and dressing up, it actually shares some similarities with how ancient celebrants of Samhain may have observed their holiday.read more
Photo from Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges
As part of the ongoing workforce development expansion at local community colleges, I had the incredible opportunity to team up with my classmate and fellow Computer Information Systems (CIS) major, Kourtney Tibbets, to serve as instructors for the “IT for Healthcare” course at Greenfield Community College, hand-picked by Dr. Gary Ackerman. For those unfamiliar with Dr. Ackerman, he serves as an adjunct Professor at Mount Wachusett Community College and teaches in the CIS department. Outside of MWCC, Dr. Ackerman is the Director of Teaching and Learning Innovation at Greenfield Community College.read more
MWCC Community Can Look to Brewer Center for Registering Before Deadline
By Jordan Chila | Editor-in-Chief
Photo by Tom Hill Jr.
The 2024 election is fast approaching, and surprisingly, not every state offers same-day voter registration. Massachusetts is one of those states, with a voter registration deadline of October 26, 2024. There are several last-minute ways to register: by mail, in person, or online. Since not everyone in the community is registered, take advantage of the right to vote and register today.
Massachusetts is among the 28 states that don’t offer same-day voter registration, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get your vote in before the deadline. MWCC students can register in person at their local election office or by mail. For those who are registering to vote by mail, be sure that the registration form is postmarked by the deadline date of October 26, 2024. For an even simpler option, there is also the option to register or vote online. Where exactly is one able to find the online registration form? Well, the commonwealth of Massachusetts provides the link here: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/OVR/. It takes about five minutes, and all that is required is valid identification.read more
Deciding the Future of the MCAS Graduation Requirement with Question 2
By Princess Yeboah | Assistant Editor
Photo by Nguyen Dang Hoang Nhu from Unsplash
Question 2 on the election ballot addresses the MCAS testing requirement for high school graduation. This year, Massachusetts voters will decide whether to keep or change the rule that requires students to pass the MCAS to graduate. A “yes” vote would remove the requirement that students pass MCAS, while voting “no” would mean the requirement would still be in effect. According to the Rennie Center Education Research and Policy, the MCAS became a requirement to graduate in 2003. While some find this test motivating, some educators support keeping the test but without making it a graduation requirement.read more
