Posts tagged as “campus life”

(Archive March 2019) Ashley Spring: The Beat of Her Own Drum

By editorialteam on April 3, 2025

By Rachel Williams | Observer Contributor

Photo by Betsabee Torres

Ashley Spring, a Media Arts and Technology major, talked about how she incorporates hobbies into her busy life.

Spring said that learning how to play the drums and axe throwing are new hobbies for her. She has been practicing Irish step dancing for about 15 years and she “absolutely loves it.”

Spring said that she commutes from Lynn every day. After classes, she usually goes to the Fitness Center before leaving for her 1-2 hour drive home. Once she gets home, she spends time doing her homework. read more

(Archive March 2019) Connor Garrity: A Star is Born

By editorialteam on April 3, 2025

By Rachel Fortier | Observer Contributor

Photo by Betsabee Torres

Conner Garrity, an MRTV major, talked about his passion for film and directing.

Garrity loved watching PG-13 movies when he was growing up, his favorite being Rocky. “They helped me grow,” said Garrity. He said that the movie made a significant impact on his life.

Garrity enjoys watching movies on HBO and Netflix. He said it gives him inspiration to write screenplays. “One day I will shoot my own films,” said Garrity.

When Garrity isn’t working on screenplays he spends time working at the Marlboro Regional Theater. read more

(Archive March 2019) Library Migration Builds a Better Foundation

By editorialteam on April 3, 2025

By Sophia Schlegelmilch | Editor in Chief

The rest area outside the LaChance Library
Photos by Betsabee Torres

The LaChance Library aims to better serve students’ needs by migrating to a new library network this summer.

Jess Mynes, Assistant Dean of Library Services and Technology, said MWCC is one of two schools joining the Higher Education Libraries of Massachusetts (HELM) consortium this year. The new network will give students and faculty access to a larger catalog of academic materials and will allow resource sharing between a growing number of Massachusetts college libraries. read more

(Archive March 2019) The MWCC Commute: You Won’t Get Far on Foot

By editorialteam on April 3, 2025

By Sophia Schlegelmilch | Editor in Chief

The MART bus station in Parking Lot B on the Gardner campus
Photo by Betsabee Torres

For MWCC students who can’t get to school by car, commuting can pose some major challenges.

“Forty percent of MWCC students don’t live in a community that’s served by MART,” said Dean of Students Jason Zelesky at a Transportation Information and Listening session in early February.

“We serve 29 cities and towns, most of which are not served by MART at all,” said Zelesky.

According to Shelley Nicholson, Director of the Brewer Center for Civic Learning and Community Engagement, information gathered from several listening sessions and surveys indicated that the biggest obstacle for students who don’t commute by car is the conflict between class schedules and the MART bus schedule. read more

(Archive February 2019) Knowing Write Where to Start

By editorialteam on April 3, 2025

By Brittany Eldridge | Observer Contributor

MWCC’s Literary Arts Journal, *A Certain Slant*, which is compiled and released annually.
Photo by Thomas Hill Jr.

Three local writers shared their advice on seeking a career as a professional writer.

Michelle Valois, English professor, stressed the writer’s need for supports such as professors, friends, and relatives. Students can discover other supports through online communities or by starting their own writing groups. Supports can provide students with advice on where to send work as well as feedback on how to improve their work.

Student writers can be proactive by starting their own book clubs. Valois suggested meeting with a group of writers at a library or coffee shop. She also advised that students choose and discuss books in a book club of the same subject matter they wish to write in. read more

(Archive February 2019) Recycling: The Drastic Plastic Issue

By editorialteam on April 3, 2025

By Cassie Roy | Observer Contributor

Two projects, Larry the plastic bag sea turtle (above) and the giant plastic water bottle (below) can be found on campus. Each promotes awareness of the growing problems with plastic pollution.
Photos by Thomas Hill Jr.

The sign explaining Larry the plastic turtle
Photo by Thomas Hill Jr.

Plastic- we all know it, we all use it, we all buy it, but that’s the problem.

According to plastic-pollution.org, over 8.3 billion tons of plastic resides on our Earth. A study conducted in 2013 showed that an average of approximately 299 million tons of plastic gets produced and added onto the growing pile of waste each year. That same study estimated that by 2025 we would be able to line one hundred plastic bags per foot along every coastline on Earth. That’s about 372,000 miles of land covered in waste that will take over five hundred years to be broken down and recycled back into the Earth. read more

(Archive February 2019) Learn Today, Lead Tomorrow

By editorialteam on April 3, 2025

By Gabriela Villa | Observer Contributor

The MWCC Garrison Center for Early Childhood Education
Photo by Thomas Hill Jr.

The Garrison Center is a federally licensed and accredited preschool available to students and faculty with children.

According to Laura Cameron, teacher supervisor at the Garrison Center, teachers tailor the curriculum to each child’s needs, based on where they need more attention, or where they demonstrate ability or interest.

Part of the curriculum incorporates a program called “Seeds of Stem” which consists of two week-long studies, according to Cameron. The first week is called “Science Week” when children are taught concepts such as “sink or float.” The next week is called “Problem Week” where they are presented with a problem and need to use what they learned in science week to solve the problem. read more

(Archive February 2019) Two Heads are Better Than One

By editorialteam on April 3, 2025

By Brittany Eldridge | Observer Contributor

The Tutoring Center in the LaChance Library at MWCC
Photo by Thomas Hill Jr.

Tutoring services offer to help students with homework, papers, and studying for exams.

Stephanie Marchetti, Director of Academic Support and Testing Services, said that tutors can help students become better note takers and test takers. She recommended starting with a writing tutor.

Tutors can help students prepare for exams, edit students’ papers, and give students advice on how to study.

According to Marchetti, there are three types of tutors available to students — peer, paraprofessional and professional tutors. read more

(Archive February 2019) Can’t Sleep, Must Tweet: Limiting Screen Time

By editorialteam on April 3, 2025

By Brittany Eldridge | Observer Contributor

Some people find limiting screen time difficult.
Photo by Jeremy Keith from flickr

Despite studies connecting increased screen time with various health issues, college students cannot avoid technology.

In September, Apple introduced Screen Time, an IOS 12 feature, which provides Apple device users with daily and weekly reports. According to the Apple website, these reports show users which categories of apps they use most and how much time they spend in each app. The feature lets users limit the time they spend on their device and on specific apps. read more

(Archive February 2019) Go Green: A Global Warning!

By editorialteam on April 3, 2025

By Dylan Cernoia | Observer Contributor

It’s an undeniable fact that climate change is a major issue facing us today and MWCC is making moves to help students learn how to better respect the environment.

MWCC has an entire club dedicated to the environment called the Green Society. President of the Green Society and MWCC student Christine Nelson talked about the club’s main goals saying “We aim to problem-solve. I love that the Mount has wind turbines and solar panels to reduce the school’s fossil fuel usage. But there is more we can do for the environment.” read more