Around Town

Watertown Boys & Girls Club Names Youth of the Year, Awards Scholarship in Memory of Former Winner

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Watertown Boys & Girls Club’s 2025 Youth of the Year Jenna Houjazy and the judges: Jaqueline Sullivan, Stephanie Venizelos, and Carey Conkey-Finn. (Contributed Photo)

The Watertown Boys & Girls Club recently celebrated the achievements of several club members and awarded the 2025 Youth of the Year. Also, for the first time the club presented a scholarship award for the club’s aquatics program named for a former Youth of the Year winner who passed away last year. See more details in the announcement from the Watertown Boys & Girls Club. Watertown Boys & Girls Club hosted its annual “Rising Stars” Youth of the Year celebration on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, recognizing the outstanding achievements and leadership of some of its youth members.

Around Town

Group Holding “Tesla Takedown” Protest in Watertown

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The Tesla Takedown in Watertown on March 1. (Copyright 2025 Joshua Touster)

The Tesla Takedown group will be holding a protest in Watertown on March 15. See the announcement provided by William Beckett. We are protesting Elon Musk/Tesla. Unelected Elon is using his DOGE to dismantle programs including programs for vulnerable children and veterans.

Around Town

Girls On the Run Comes to Watertown, See How to Participate

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The Watertown Recreation Department will be organizing a team for Girls on the Run, with a run at the end of the program. See more information in the announcement from the organizer. Girls on the Run is a program designed to inspire third, fourth and fifth grade girls of all abilities to embrace their inner strength and make meaningful connections with others. Trained coaches use physical activity and dynamic discussions to build social, emotional and physical skills while encouraging healthy habits for life. After 8 weeks of training, the girls will compete in a celebratory 5k on the Boston Common on May 31st.

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Watertown Receives State Cooling Corridors Grant to Plant Trees

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Launch of the Cooling Corridors Program in Chicopee, MA, in 2024 (Contributed Photo)

Watertown was one of the communities to receive a grant to plant trees as part of the state’s Cooling Corridors program. See more information in the announcement from the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, below. The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced over $1.3 million in grants from the Cooling Corridors program, which focuses on planting trees along popular walking routes and in environmental justice neighborhoods across Massachusetts. The funding, through the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ (EEA) Division of Conservation Services, will go to 13 municipalities and one nonprofit organization to combat the rising heat residents are experiencing due to climate change. The program prioritizes planting trees in environmental justice (EJ) neighborhoods – communities that often face more environmental challenges – and along paths that connect people to important places like schools, healthcare providers, and senior centers. 

“Investing in green spaces is vital for the health and well-being of our residents,” said Governor Maura Healey.

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Brahma Kumaris Meditation Center Hosting Special Interfaith Program

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The Brahma Kumaris Meditation Center will host a special interfaith program on Saturday, March 15. See more in the information provided by the BK Meditation Center, below. The event features Father and Professor Francis X. Clooney of the Harvard Divinity School, a Catholic priest and lifelong scholar of Hinduism. Also appearing will be Dr. Kala Iyengar, director of the Peace Village Learning and Retreat Center, and Stan Strickland, associate professor of voice at Berklee College of Music. The event will be at the BK Meditation Center, 75 Common St., Watertown,

For more information call 617-926-1230 or email info@bknewengland.org.

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Russell Cooperative Preschool to Launch Extended Day Option This Fall

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The following announcement was provided by Russell Cooperative Preschool:

Exciting additions are coming to Russell Cooperative Preschool this fall with the launch of an Extended Day option designed to offer families more flexibility. Beginning in September 2025, Russell will offer an Extended Day option from 2 to 4 PM, with families able to choose from one to five days per week and the ability to add days as needed. For nearly 50 years, Russell Cooperative Preschool has been a cornerstone of early childhood education in Watertown. Established in 1975 by a group of parents committed to providing a warm, supportive, and open learning environment, Russell has remained steadfast in its mission to foster social, emotional, and creative growth through play-based learning.A Natural Extension of a Time-Tested Philosophy

Russell’s Extended Day option will be in addition to its existing curriculum, designed to further support young learners’ exploration, creativity, and independence. With children ranging in age from 3 to 5 years old, Russell offers flexible scheduling options, allowing families to select a school routine that best meets their needs.

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Miniature Golf Fundraiser at Greek Church Will Benefit Brain Cancer Research

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On Saturday, March 15, from noon-4 p.m. the Watertown Greek church’s function hall will be turned into “Fun for the Hole Family,” an 18-hole miniature golf course as part of a fundraiser for Brain Cancer research. The event will be held at the Watertown Taxiarchae/Archangels Greek Orthodox Church, 25 Bigelow Ave. There will also be food, prizes and Greek and American music. The fundraiser is being held in honor and as a tribute to Thomas Tsekrekas, who passed away from Brain Cancer, according to his son Jimmy. “He was a longtime President of a Greek charity called ‘Ahepa’ (which I’ve now taken over),” said Jimmy Tsekrekas. “The charity has existed for over 60 years, and its main purpose is to do charitable work within the community, and spread the Greek philosophy of “philantrōpos.”

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Watertown Community Foundation Realigns Grant Programs to Focus on Impact

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The Watertown Community Foundation provided the following announcement:

As a result of a year-long strategic planning process, the Watertown Community Foundation (WCF) has realigned their grant program to focus on three key areas: Essential Needs to support Watertown’s most vulnerable residents; Community Engagement to increase access and engagement to community life and programs in Watertown, and Education and Youth Development. “During 2024, the board and staff of the Watertown Community Foundation participated in a year-long strategic planning process to look at how well our grant programs were working for the Watertown community. Where were they strong? How could they be better? What new areas needed our support?” said Lauren Coughlin Unsworth, Board Co-President of the Foundation.