The new MassReconnect program, which encourages students 25 and up to complete their degrees for free, is credited with increasing community college enrollment. One local student taking part tells WHAV about how going back to school shattered some myths and gave him confidence.

Thirty-nine-year-old Pedro Rentas is taking advantage of the program to attend Northern Essex Community College and was surprised to learn there are students older than him taking part.

“Yes! I was happy about it. When I got to my first class, accounting, I was surprised. I wasn’t expecting that, I was afraid of my age, and being around kids and teenagers, but not at all. It was pretty good. It was comfortable,” he says during a recent appearance on WHAV’s “Win for Breakfast” program.

A recent report on MassReconnect, introduced by Gov. Maura T. Healey’s administration, shows enrollment by students ages 25 and older increased nearly 45%, and pushed overall enrollment up 8% during its first year, reversing a decade of decline.

Rentas, who moved here from the Dominican Republic nine years ago years, says Northern Essex Community College makes it easy for people going back to school.

“People like me, that are coming from different countries, maybe you need your high school diploma. They also have a system that they can get your diploma from your country. So, it’s not excuse for you to not go back to school. They are doing everything, and helping in every way for people to come back to school, and be part of the community, and bring more to the community,” he explains.

Rentas had some college experience in the Dominican Republic, but was not able to complete his degree. He says he wouldn’t have gone back to college without the MassReconnect program.

“The school is really good. Northern Essex Community College, and I know for a lot of people my age going back to school is a little bit scary, but not at all. They make you feel comfortable. The whole staff at Northern Essex is great.”

Rentas made the Dean’s List last semester and has one more to go before he earns his associate degree in Business. He’s doing more than just taking classes. He’s enjoying the complete college experience. He was elected to serve on the Student Government Association, assuming the marketing chair.

“Right now we are taking classes. They’re getting me ready. So, I’m going to be supporting the students with all the events—all programs they have. Sharing all the information on social media. Sharing pictures, sharing stories about all our students,” he notes.

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Essex County Habitat for Humanity is at work developing a duplex with affordable three-bedroom units in Haverhill’s Mount Washington neighborhood, but has hope for another local project as well.

Habitat for Humanity’s Director of Charitable Giving Kevin Hudson appeared Monday on WHAV’s “Win for Breakfast” program to discuss plans for the 41-43 Curtis St., Haverhill site.

“We will start excavation over the summer and get the foundation in and, once we do that, we’ll start building the home and volunteers can help us frame,” he says.

Both units, valued at $245,000 each, have approximately 1,200 square feet with three bedrooms, two full bathrooms and a single-car garage. Those interested in getting one of the sets of keys must be first-time homebuyers, have a qualifying household income and be willing to contribute 240-360 hours of “sweat equity.” Applications are due by Friday, Aug. 16, at noon. There will be both an in-person and a remote information session for those interested and wish to learn about the Habitat Homebuyer program process. The in-person session takes place Thursday, July 18, 6 p.m., at Haverhill Public Library’s Johnson Auditorium 99 Main St. A remote session takes place Saturday, July 20, 10 a.m., via Microsoft Teams. More information is available at essexcountyhabitat.org/applying.

Hudson adds the search is on for more land in Haverhill.

“We are currently looking at a couple of properties in the Mount Washington-area. Stay tuned. The site is secured for one of them, and we are just trying to figure out if it’s monetarily feasible and if we can afford it.”

Habitat for Humanity relies on donations. Stepping up for the Haverhill project is Reworld, formerly Covanta. Area Asset Manager Mark Van Weelden says, “The Essex County Habitat for Humanity has many home projects planned in and around Haverhill this year. These underfunded projects deliver positive results in our community and are most worthy of our participation and financial support. I encourage others to work alongside a future homeowner and to financially support these projects.”

Hudson says volunteers are also critical for success. He credits students from Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School.

“Absolutely, you have to be 16 to be on the job site and then you have to be over 18 to use any of the power tools, but we definitely welcome them. There’s plenty of other stuff to do.”

Hudson finds he doesn’t have to start from the beginning when he talks about his organization.

“I think the Habitat for Humanity name is well known. A lot of people associate it with (former U.S. President) Jimmy Carter. Our vision is that someday everyone will have a safe place to live. It had been around, but Jimmy Carter really put it front and center. He was a volunteer up until about two years ago.”

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Clean River Project founder Rocky Morrison seeks to redouble his organization’s efforts to keep the Merrimack River free of discarded mattresses, syringes, cars and mountains of trash.

Appearing last week on WHAV’s “Win for Breakfast” program, Morrison says his group is the only one undertaking this kind of work below the water’s surface and communities should help pay for it.

“We started 20 years ago cleaning up the Merrimack River, back in Methuen, as a scavenger hunt and it grew into a nonprofit. Here we are 20 years later. We pull about 100 tons a year. We have 86 vehicles pulled from the Merrimack River so far—our goal is 100. We’ve been in Haverhill waterways for several years and we are hoping to get a contract back with the City of Haverhill,” he tells listeners.

Morrison says the Clean River Project had a contract with Haverhill in the past, but was unable to reach a renewal agreement. Morrison points to a federal government settlement with pharmaceutical companies that gives communities a source of money to attack the job.

“Lawrence, Haverhill and Lowell and the cities and towns that are receiving this opioid money settlement, and it’s supposed to be going towards cleaning up the hypodermic needles, parts, stuff like that. I know Lawrence is using it to clean up the Merrimack River. Methuen is looking at it. Haverhill received over $400,000 for the past four years, combined. So, they could actually use some of this money to clean up the Merrimack River, and Haverhill really needs it.”

Besides government grants, Morrison gets volunteer help from small civic groups as well as large corporations such as Watts Water Technologies of North Andover, 3M and Keurig Coffee. Morrison says Haverhill is at the receiving end of items put into the Merrimack from upriver. Longtime sponsor Reworld, formerly known as Covanta, recently pledged continuing support.

“Rocky Morrison and his crew are relentless each year in their commitment to keep our Merrimack River watershed free from trash. We look forward in expanding our partnership and participation in the river clean ups each year,” said Reworld Area Asset Manager Mark Van Weelden.

“Basically anything that comes out of Lawrence, like the Spicket River in Lawrence, they throw everything down there—tires, TVs, mattresses, and it washes to Haverhill. It goes onto the shoreline and sits there. We had the booms out there and were collecting all that. Then, we had the boat with the hydraulic arm that would grab the mattresses off the bottom. They weigh 1,000 pounds when they are on the bottom of the river. You have to have the right equipment, and that’s what we are doing out here. We are putting the booms in and collecting the stuff,” Morrison says.

There’s more information about Clean River Project online at CleanRiverProject.org.

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The Groveland Council on Aging’s “EngAGEment Celebration and Symposium” this Saturday, features an address by Dr. Katharine Esty, author of “Eightysomethings,” workshops and connections to community resources.

Groveland Council on Aging Director Alyssa Lee visited WHAV’s “Win for Breakfast” show recently to welcome attendance at the free event and explain its purpose.

“That is an opportunity to celebrate and promote community engagement and well being among older adults. It’s an opportunity for the community to connect with local organizations as well as community members and just have general resources of the wealth of information that is around in our community to support our older adults in our community as well as care partners,” she said.

Lee emphasizes the event is not just open to seniors and Groveland residents, but also to caregivers and those in surrounding communities.

Esty talks about finding unexpected happiness in aging. Conversations and interactive workshops also center on aspects of aging, including community living, caregiver support, understanding Alzheimer’s and dementia and exercise.

The EngAGEment Celebration and Symposium takes place Saturday, June 29, from 10:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at Pentucket Regional High School, 24 Main St., West Newbury. Lunch will be provided.

After the event, Groveland’s Council on Aging won’t be slowing down this summer. Lee encourages everyone to read its newsletter online.

“So in July and August, our newsletter comes out next month, which is on the town of Groveland website, there are lots of great trips, we have a van trip going out, we have lots of educational programs, including a transportation seminar where there’s an opportunity to learn about all of the free, and paid for, services to make sure older adults can stay connected to their community.”

Staying active is another important aspect to aging. She said there is a yoga program held outdoors on days when the weather is nice. There is also an exercise program that is a little more active, in addition to some social activities.

“We do have cornhole and ping pong and we will have those as drop in opportunities starting in July, I think 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.”

Before becoming Groveland’s Council on Aging Director, Lee was involved on the arts. “Before that my professional career was focused on arts administration in the classical arts world. I had spent my career in Boston, most recently as executive director of Project Step, located in Symphony Hall, which was an amazing experience. Also, there is a big overlap between the classical music constituents and older adults, and I’m really glad to be where I am now.”

Those interested in attending Saturday’s EngAGEment Celebration and Symposium are advised to register by calling 978-372-1101 or visiting here.

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School graduation season offers a time for reflection, planning and often some heartwarming stories, but it was considerably more for 82-year-old Jean Spurr of Groveland.

Spurr was awarded an honorary diploma June 1 from Georgetown High School where she was a member of the class of 1959 at graduation ceremonies on Saturday morning. She recently told WHAV listeners the unusual and heartfelt experience of how she came to finally don cap and gown and participate in high school graduation.

Spurr and her companion, Steven D. Sardella of Haverhill, were guests on WHAV’s “Win for Breakfast” program. Earlier this year, Sardella had an idea about a special birthday gift for Spurr. He asked the Georgetown School Committee to grant her an honorary diploma based on her life experience. The School Committee unanimously agreed and everything fell into place.

“They gave me a cap and gown and a flower. The superintendent, everyone, was just so nice to me there. They treated me with so much respect. They were just awesome,” she said. “(The ceremony was) in back at the Perley High School—the Perley Elementary now, but it was the Perley High School where I went to school.”

Spurr explained how she had an excellent attendance record, but fell just a few credits short of graduating. Instead of attending an extra year of school, as was the case back then, she married and moved to Groveland where she raised a family, waitressed for 30 years and eventually came to own the Groveland Square Diner. She also drove a school bus for nearly 20 years, worked for the Groveland Highway Department and currently volunteers at the town clerk’s office.

Spurr earlier considered attempts at earning her diploma earlier. “I had all my books for the GED, and I tried at different times during my years to try it. For some reason, I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t do it!”

She said the diploma will have a special spot in her home.

“Yes I do, I have it home. I’m going to put it right in my living room where everybody can see it and I can look at it every day. It’s beautiful. I can’t describe how I feel! It’s just mind boggling to me how nice everyone was. My family was there. I’m very grateful.”

Spurr was joined by family as School Committee Chairman Michael Hinchliffe presented her with a diploma during this year’s Georgetown graduation ceremonies. Spurr strode across the stage to accept her diploma, share hugs with School Committee members and administrators and briefly thanked all those in attendance.

“Jean your journey is one of unwavering spirit and love for your community. You have served with grace, faced life’s challenges head on, and now you come before us a graduate,” Hinchliffe said in remarks during the ceremony. “This diploma is a symbol of your life long journey of learning and service.”

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When it comes to reaching out with a helping hand, a Haverhill church is reaching out halfway across the world to help orphaned children.

West Church is sending 15 people today on a mission trip to Moldova, a small country sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine. Leading the group is church Director of Outreach Mark Cottrell. Speaking recently on WHAV’s “Win for Breakfast” program, he explains how the 767 Broadway church became involved.

“For a number of years we’ve supported a ministry in Moldova, a gentleman named Oleg Reutki—he’s a pastor over there—and he runs a number of orphanages. They call them transition homes, mostly young girls being ministered to them.”

Cottrell adds Oleg runs an organization called New Hope Eurasia. “He has invited us to come over and serve in the orphanages. We’ll actually be staying right in the transition homes. We’ll be bringing all sorts of different supplies. We’ll be bringing clothing and shoes, and all sorts of needed things that he would like to have us bring to the orphans. We will be running a Bible school for them in two different locations.”

Cottrell also says the West Church group will be doing some outreach, and serving Ukrainian refugees in the country. When asked about the safety of making the trip to Moldova, Cottrell had these words.

“We’re warned, but we are relying on our host Oleg to know the lay of the land and, if anything was bad, I trust him to say ‘please don’t come.’ But, there have been rumors and rumors of war for Moldova since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine two years ago, and really the news hasn’t changed too much.”

To help with the trip, Cottrell says they received a generous donation from Reworld, formally known as Covanta. Reworld Haverhill’s Area Asset Manager Mark Van Weelden told WHAV the company is “pleased to be able to support the activities of these dedicated volunteers. Hopefully, the kids impacted by these acts of kindness can see a world reimagined.”

West Church also received help with supplies, including from a dentist who donated 200 toothbrushes and toothpaste. West Church normally runs missions every year, mostly to Latin America for construction projects, but the trip to Moldova, working with orphans and refugees, is bringing in people who wouldn’t normally make a missionary trip.

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If you are looking to show off your creativity in the kitchen, you may be interested in using a “secret weapon” to make it easier.

This Saturday and Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Carolyn’s Farm Kitchen hosts an open house at the new storefront location. Owner Carolyn Grieco was a guest this past Wednesday on WHAV’s “Win for Breakfast” program, where she announced she will be opening a location at 800 Broadway in Haverhill.

“A lot of my customers know me for baking at the market, as well as the products, but it is not a bakery. I used to own a bakery many years ago in Middleton. It was great, we ended up selling it. It was a lot. I was at a point where either I had to move into a larger space and grow, and at that time we decided to sell it. That was probably 25 years ago we sold it. So, as I get a little bit older, being in the food business beats you up physically, for sure, and I’m finding that. I feel that this next phase is really sustainable for myself,” she explains.

Over the years, Carolyn’s Farm Kitchen has been a mainstay at the Haverhill Farmer’s Market and other markets in the area. Though she is known for her baked goods, Grieco says her passion is making the mixes that make it easier for people to make their own baked goods.

“These are all original tried and true recipes I’ve developed over the years, over my career. I went to culinary school well over 30 years ago. These are all my babies! They are all original recipes, all tried and true, and I really designed them for simplicity. My tag line, if I had one, would be ‘simple seasonal scratch baking’ and that’s it. They are meant to be simple, one bowl assembly. You add a few additional ingredients, especially local farm fruit you can get at the farmers market or one of the local farms here in Haverhill, and they are package to oven in five minutes.”

There’s more at CarolynsFarmKitchen.com and on her Facebook and Instagram accounts.

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The next time you have a chance to hear someone play the piano, just remember that instrument had its beginnings years earlier in a factory that could put it all together, piece by piece. It comes as a surprise to many people that such a place exists in Haverhill—the Mason & Hamlin Piano Co.

The company’s creative director, Nathan Mabanglo-Burgett, whose family owns the on Duncan Street business, was a recent guest on WHAV’s “Win for Breakfast” program

“Yeah, we are kind of a hidden gem in Haverhill—not many people know that there is a piano factory located in Haverhill. We started in 1854 in Boston, Massachusetts, had a couple of different homes, but in 1980 we relocated to Haverhill, Massachusetts.”

When it comes to making a piano, he says many steps must be taken.

“One part is woodworking. Other parts are you need to be able to make a plate, you need people to press a lot of different parts of the piano into different forms. There’s a lot that goes into the piano making process, and it takes over one year to make one piano,” he explains.

And then to make it look as good as it sounds

“We do all the finishing in Haverhill. We have a whole floor dedicated to polishing, spraying, sanding the finishes”

Inside the piano are the strings, that Mabanglo-Burgett says are purchased from the Mapes Piano String Company in Elizabethton, Tenn. To make those strings “sing” they are struck by a hammer, covered with felt.

It’s quite interesting. They take a long roll of felt and they need to condense down to the size of those inch, or two inch, hammers that strike the strings, and that really controls the tone of the piano, in many ways. We don’t make them in Haverhill. There are many specialties, that one, I forget the exact name of the company, but we have a specialty blend, a special recipe for our hammers. A lot of R & D went into making them, a special order just for making Hamlin pianos.”

And talking about research and development, Mason & Hamlin Pianos are created first in the mind of a designer.

“There aren’t many piano designers left in the world but our piano designer has been with the company for over 40 years. His name is Bruce Clark. He’s very skilled and he really understood what Mason Hamlin pianos were in the 1920s and took all of those features and started incorporating into every single piano we have.”

With the amount of thought, time and craftsmanship going into each piano, Mabanglo-Burgett says pricing can vary widely.

“Usually pianos are kind of broken into three different categories. One is more in the beginner area, that might be around $10,000-$20,000; then you kind of a mid-grade between $20,000 and$60,000; and then you have the premier pianos of the world, and that ranges from $80,000 to $200,000 depending on the piano maker. Our pianos range in that premier piano area.”

Mabanglo-Burgett says tours of the Mason & Hamlin Piano Company on Duncan Street in Haverhill are available, and information may be found at MasonHamlin.com.

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