Five Northern Essex Community College employees were recently named recipients of the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development Awards for Excellence. They were: Cynthia "CJ" Crivaro of Bradford, a faculty member in the behavioral sciences department; Ann Grandmaison of Nashua, N.H., the electronic services librarian in Bentley Library on the Haverhill campus; John Sabbagh of Methuen, a faculty member in the accounting program; Nancy Nickerson of Methuen, a faculty member in the math department; and Timothy Barnes of Tewksbury, an adjunct faculty member in the business department.
The awards recognize teaching excellence and are presented annually at National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development's annual conference, which is in May in Austin, Texas. Northern Essex recipients are nominated by their peers and/or supervisors based on the quality of their teaching, their success with students, their community involvement and their creativeness and inventiveness.
"Northern Essex is known for the quality of its teaching," said NECC President David Hartleb. "And the NISOD recipients are the cream of the crop. These faculty and staff are passionate about what they do and student success is their priority."
Author to speak at NECC commencement
Meredith Hall, author of the New York Times best seller "Without a Map," will be the featured speaker at Northern Essex Community College's commencement on May 17 on the Haverhill campus.
Hall's memoir details her life, beginning in 1965, when she learns she is pregnant at the age of 16. Her private story explores her personal relationships, as well as her travels in the wake of the unexpected pregnancy.
Hall was a nontraditional student when she returned to college at the age of 40. She graduated Bowdoin College when she was 44 and went on to earn a master's degree from the University of New Hampshire. A memoirist-in-residence in the MFA program at UNH, Hall has close connections to Haverhill having spent many of her childhood weekends at her grandparents' home on Fountain Street. Her mother was a graduate of Haverhill High School and her grandmother worked for Ornsteen Shoe, a local shoe manufacturer.
Hall won the 2005 Pushcart Prize for her first essay "Killing Chickens," which also was a Notable Essay in "The Best American Essays 2005." She was awarded the $50,000 Gift of Freedom Award from A Room of Her Own Foundation that same year. She spent her grant period in San Francisco, where she wrote her memoir and started a collection of short stories as well as a novel.
School holds open house
Boxford Academy is starting student recruitment for the 2008-2009 school year. Interested families are invited to an open house on Feb. 14 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Boxford Academy is a prekindergarten to grade five Christian school that has been serving North Shore and Merrimack Valley families for more than a decade. Class sizes are small so that each student receives individual attention and has abundant opportunities to participate and lead.
For additional information, call 978-887-8390 or visit online at www.boxfordacademy.org.
Ruth's House seeks volunteers
If you have free time, a pickup truck, van or sport utility vehicle, Ruth's House in Haverhill could use your help. Please call Ida at Ruth's House at 978-521-5575.
Ruth's House, a nonprofit, nondenominational thrift store, also is accepting donations of pots, pans, dishes, bedding and towels. Items can be dropped off Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Ruth's House is closed on Sunday and Monday. Ruth's House is at 26-30 Lafayette Square.
