Education

Northern Essex Community College Wins $20K Grant to Create CTE Teacher Apprenticeship

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Northern Essex Community College last week won a $20,000 state grant to develop a career technical education teacher apprenticeship. The College was selected as one of 31 organizations to train and place a total of nearly 300 apprentices and pre-apprentices across the state under the Grants for Registered Apprenticeship Opportunities in Workforce, or GROW for short. “Registered apprenticeship is a proven workforce development strategy that benefits both workers and employers by combining paid, on-the-job training with classroom instruction and opportunities for career advancement,” said Labor Secretary Lauren E. Jones. “Through our GROW grants, we’re expanding apprenticeship opportunities beyond the traditional building trades and into high-demand sectors like health care, manufacturing, clean energy and life sciences.”

Nearby, Community Day Care Center of Lawrence was awarded $32,500 to train and place 10 pre-apprenticeships in early childhood education. Urban College of Boston, which serves local students through its online program, was awarded $50,000 to develop Boston Care Corps for elder care.

Business Bulletin

Bennett, Dragomaretski Join River Run Services

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Stacey Bennett and Renata Dragomaretski have joined River Run Services as vice president, performance marketing manager and assistant vice president, commercial loan servicing manager respectively. River Run Services is under the umbrella of River Run Bancorp and supports affiliated banks Newburyport Bank, Pentucket Bank and Rollstone Bank & Trust. Bennett, of Ipswich, brings more than 20 years of experience in digital marketing, performance strategy and measurement and client and team leadership to her role. She will lead integrated marketing campaign planning and execution, overseeing project management, marketing collateral and creative partner relationships across River Run’s affiliated banks. Dragomaretski brings to her new role 17 years of experience in retail banking and more than five years of experience in commercial loan servicing.

Haverhill

Haverhill Councilors Hear Plans for Downtown Statue of Poet, Abolitionist Whittier

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Haverhill city councilors this week received their first glimpse of a plan to erect a downtown statue of Haverhill’s favorite son, abolitionist and poet John Greenleaf Whittier. Raymond F. Comeau, a former president of the Trustees of the John Greenleaf Whittier Homestead, gave councilors a broad outline of why the public would benefit from Whittier’s recognition. “The list of Whittier’s virtues is long, and it includes honesty, humility, courage, perseverance, righteousness and self-reliance. This is why his contemporaries elected him to the Massachusetts House of Representatives and elicited his aid in the founding of the national Republican Party; and why Harvard invited him to serve two terms as an overseer and awarded him an honorary doctor of laws degree,” Comeau explained. Comeau was joined by two other former presidents of Whittier’s Haverhill birthplace, Arthur H. Veasey III and Tim Coco.

Business Bulletin

Haverhill Coalition Plans Downtown Business Focus Groups

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A coalition of city and regional leaders and business groups plan two focus group sessions to, in organizers’ words, “open up the discussion to build momentum in our downtown.”

Downtown business focus groups take place Wednesday, Nov. 4, at noon, at the offices of the Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce, 29 Washington St., and, 4 p.m., at The Hill Downtown Tavern, 35 Washington St. Discussions are under the auspices of Haverhill Mayor Melinda E. Barrett and the Economic Development Task Force and involve the Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce, Greater Haverhill Foundation and Merrimack Valley Planning Commission. Those wishing to learn more or reserve a seat at one of the focus group sessions are asked to call Haverhill’s Economic Development and Planning office at 978-374-2330.

Community Spotlight

Haverhill Pride Plans Pride of the Patch Halloween Afternoon

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Haverhill Pride is spending Saturday afternoon at Crescent Farms for Pride of the Patch. The Halloween fundraiser, in support the 2027 Pride Parade and Celebration and year-round queer programming, features a 7.5-acre corn maze, hayrides, pumpkin decorating, a costume contest and music from DJ PJ. Pride of the Patch takes place Saturday, Oct. 31, from noon to 5 p.m., at Crescent Farms, 140 Willow Ave., Haverhill. The schedule calls for exploring the farm, taking hayrides, navigating the corn maze and pumpkin picking, noon to 2 p.m.; costume contest check-in and lineup, 2:30-3 p.m.; costume contest, 4 p.m.; and raffle drawings and wrap-up, 4-5 p.m.

Admission is $40 per person and tickets are available online via givebutter.com.

Community Spotlight

Haverhill Police to Collect Food During Saturday’s Stuff a Cruiser Day

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The Haverhill Police Department will be out in force during its 10th Stuff a Cruiser Day, Saturday, collecting food donations for area food pantries. Officers will station cruisers between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 31, at Market Basket locations at Westgate Plaza, Central Plaza and Rivers Edge Plaza in Haverhill. Residents are asked to contribute such non-perishable items as canned fruits, vegetables, soups and hams; frozen turkeys and chickens; paper goods; cranberry sauce: potatoes: yams: boxed stuffing mix: pasta:  pasta sauce; baked beans; and cereals.

Education

Families Can Comment on Whittier Middle and Tilton Elementary School Plans

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Parents, students, and the public have opportunities to learn about, and weigh in on, the options to replace Haverhill’s John Greenleaf Whittier School and possibly John C. Tilton School as well. As WHAV reported Oct. 12, officials will brief residents and accept feedback at a Massachusetts School Building Authority gathering Thursday, Nov. 5, starting at 6 p.m., at the middle school, 256 Concord St, Haverhill. Haverhill School Superintendent Margaret Marotta told the School Committee the building project is moving into the design phase.

Business Bulletin

Carbone’s CiderFeast Boston Opens Nov. 14

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Haverhill’s Jimmy Carbone is bringing CiderFeast to the South Boston Lithuanian Citizens’ Association for its fifth year, the final stop of the 2026 CiderFeast East Coast Tour. This year’s lineup of hard cider with cideries from Massachusetts and beyond brings together Cape Cod’s Sandy Neck Cider Co., Long View Ciderhouse from Rogers Orchards, Absolem Cider Company, Citizen Cider and others. Attendees can compare pours; meet participating cidermakers; and learn how fruit varieties, growing regions and production methods shape each cider. They can also pair their pours with foods from Mei Mei Dumplings, Loco Taqueria & Oyster Bar, Craic Sauce and Tipsy Scoop, plus cider doughnuts from Hilltop Orchards. CiderFeast Boston takes place Saturday, Nov.