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The Mount Observer
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Creative Writing at MWCC
By Daniel Dow | Editor in Chief
Greetings MWCC students,
Moving forward, the Mount Observer will feature a creating writing section spotlighting students’ poetry and short stories. In an effort to drive creativity and to interact with our community the paper will also post a writing prompt each month that is selected at random by rolling writing dice. Dice will be rolled to create a prompt for each of the five w’s (who, what, when, where, and why); the author will then need to use each of the rolled themes in their creative piece, which should be around 1000 words. When completed, your pieces can be submitted to mountobserver@mwcc.mass.edu and the journalism team will choose the most relevant, creative, and polished pieces to publish. All members of the college are encouraged to participate in this activity!
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Resources for COVID-19
Stay safe and stay healthy!
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”
– Teddy Roosevelt
In an effort to keep all healthy and safe during this COVID-19 pandemic, Student Services is advising students to contact us via phone 978-630-9855 or email studentservices@mwcc.mass.edu for assistance. We are here to help! Our staff and offices are available virtually Monday through Friday from 8 am – 4 pm. We are monitoring email and voicemail and will get back to you as soon as possible.
We will continue to offer the support services that we know are important to you. While we may not be able to meet with you face-to-face, we can connect with you on the phone, over email, or virtually. Counseling Services is also still available and students can reach out to Melissa Manzi, our College Counselor via email at m_manzi@mwcc.mass.edu.
Celebrating Earth Day with Student Photos of Wildlife
Photos by Gary Brayboy
Photos by Kent Yang
By Desiree Leader | Observer Contributor
What have you done?
her eyes pool
with the depths of the ocean,
petroleum clinging to the outer rim.
She buries her dreams
in single use plastics
discarded by the roadside…
still half-full with the only water left
that’s clean enough to drink.
What have they done?
She turns to look at her
ungrateful children.
She has given them her all –
and they have taken it…
Polluted the oceans.
Depleted the forests.
Killed the animals for their meat and
sport, hunted to near-extinction.
Aging HVAC System Disrupts Budget as Well as Student Focus
By Kevin Hayes | Observer Contributor
With an HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system that has sections more than fifty years old, facilities management and students are both quick to acknowledge the daily in-classroom consequences that the current HVAC infrastructure at the Mount presents. In terms of dollars, the financial implications could be staggering. However, there is also a cost for students, inhibiting their potential ability to focus in the classroom, which could put pressure on the college to move sooner rather than later.
Forever Chemicals Threaten Westminster
By Elysian Alder | Editor-in-Chief
In February of 2022, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) found that private drinking water wells in homes along Bean Porridge Hill Road in Westminster had PFAS levels 50 times what state regulations consider safe to drink. “PFAS have been found in at least 169 public water systems in 95 cities and towns, and most of them have exceeded the state’s legal limit,” explained Madison Latiolais, a community organizer working for Community Action Works, an environmental nonprofit based in Boston that provides training and resources to communities and individuals with environmental concerns. “Westminster has some of the highest levels of PFAS in Massachusetts,” she added. The contamination concerns in Westminster prompt the question: How does Mount Wachusett Community College address water safety?
Profile: Alessandro DiVito
By Kevin Hayes | Observer Contributor
Alessandro DiVito, a 20-year-old student at MWCC majoring in English with a concentration in professional writing, shows promising talent as a writer. DiVito, who works as a youth mentor over the summer, is already well on his way, having three books currently in progress. Centered on sci-fi and time travel, their titles are: The Adventures of Jerry Rodger, Tyrone’s Multiversal Adventures and Mabel’s Uncharted Adventures.
But DiVito didn’t just wake up one day and say, ‘I think I’ll be a writer or mentor young people someday.’ His passion stemmed from his experiences with adversity. DiVito persevered through childhood bullying and a horrific stalking-like encounter with an older student when he was in the seventh grade, DiVito was in search of some way to deal with this trauma. Fortunately for DiVito, he has a close, supportive family. He also stumbled into a program called Thriveworks, which he found out about through the THRIVE Center at the Mount.
Properly Disposing of Electronics
By Kent Yang | Staff Writer
Since the early twentieth century, electronic waste has existed alongside technologies such as telephones and radios, which utilized vacuum tubes. However, at the time, there wasn’t much concern for the environment regarding electronic waste. It wasn’t until 1976, when the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) went into effect, that the disposal of e-waste into landfills became illegal. The purpose of the RCRA was to protect the environment and human health from the toxicity and hazards of waste disposal.
The Values of MWCC Student Sabrina Alonso
By Elysian Alder | Editor-in-Chief
Sabrina Alonso, a 29-year-old student majoring in human services at Mount Wachusett Community College (MWCC), is driven by her passion for helping others. “Ever since I was younger, I always naturally had compassion for people,” said Alonso. “I love to make people’s lives easier as much as I can, even if it is something simple like listening to them.”
Originally from Uruguay, South America, Alonso moved to the United States at the age of 7, bringing with her a strong sense of determination and empathy instilled by her mother. “The most influential woman in my life is my mother because 22 years ago, she came to the U.S., leaving her birth land behind to give me a better future,” she shared. “She’s the most influential woman in my life and my best friend.”
LaChance Library Prioritizes Student Experiences for Library Services
By Cody Mercarter | Observer Contributor
The LaChance Library is the go-to place for a quiet study spot, with chairs and tables scattered throughout and shelves towering over even the tallest people at MWCC. Students seem to have no say in what books come in or what they need the most. But that is soon changing.
According to Robert Koch, Assistant Dean of the Collaborative Learning Commons, “We’re going to come up with a user experience board at the entry to the library. When you come in, there will be survey questions and opportunities to tell us more about what you need, not just in terms of the books, but in terms of the space and the services.” Koch has only been with MWCC since November of 2021, but he has always tried to put the students first, and this experience board demonstrates that.
By Kent Yang | Staff Writer
Imagine a technology so advanced that words can conjure breathtaking worlds, complete with sights and sounds mirroring reality. Well, now it’s possible, or at least it will be soon, with Sora by OpenAI.
OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company that aims to ensure artificial intelligence will benefit all of humanity. Sora is an artificial intelligence model capable of translating text into videos up to 1 minute long, simulating the physics and dynamics of our reality. This AI model not only comprehends text but also grasps its nature and how it exists in the real world too.
Empowering Education Through IT and Grit
By Kent Yang | Staff Writer
Kourtney Tibbets, an extremely motivated Computer Information System student at Mount Wachusett Community College, is driven by her overwhelming passion for the IT industry and education sector. Tibbets is a dual enrollment student, also attending Southern New Hampshire University in addition to the Mount.
She hails from southern New Hampshire and has an incredibly diverse heritage stemming from Northern Europe and Nigeria. “I have been to the United Kingdom but looking forward to exploring both Europe and Nigeria,” she said. “I am excited to learn more of my heritage! I was proud to learn that [my great-great-great grandfather] also fought in the Civil War for the Union Army. It is amazing to be able to connect my heritage to a specific time in American history.”