Schools

Watertown Engineering Teacher Learning About STEM Careers in Construction Sector

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WHS engineering and robotics teacher Jason Welch

The following announcement was provided by Associated General Contractors of Mass.:

Associated General Contractors of Massachusetts (AGC MA) will present its fifth annual Building Advancement Externship (BAE) program from Monday, August 4 – Friday, August 8. The program exposes educators to a wide array of STEM-based careers in the construction sector and prompts greater awareness of professional work opportunities for young people. Jason Welch, engineering and robotics teacher at Watertown High School, is one of 15 educators to be selected for the program. “Participants in AGC MA’s annual Building Advancement Externship become well-informed and passionate advocates for the construction industry, eager and able to share its many diverse and fulfilling opportunities with students,” says John Ferrante, CEO at AGC MA. “The participation and enthusiasm of our membership has been essential to the program’s success, and reflects its value in developing and strengthening the regional construction workforce.”

Participants in the 2025 AGC MA Building Advancement Externship include:

* Andrew DeLuca, Greater Lawrence Tech

* Eric Furlong, Wahconah Regional High School

* Josh Greeley, Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School

* Grace Haggstrom, Randolph High School

* Jacob Humiston, South Hadley High School

* Timothy Lavin, Charlestown High School

* Joseph Migliore, Greater Lowell Technical High School

* Maureen O’Donnell, Boston Community Leadership Academy

* Julie O’Leary, Framingham High School

* Keith Powers, Bristol Plymouth Regional Technical High School

* Tracey Schryba, Franklin County Technical School

* Mario Sousa, Salem High School

* Melissa St. Pierre, BMC Durfee High School

* Heather Toomey, Lynn Vocational Technical Institute

* Jason Welch, Watertown High School

The 2025 Building Externship is supported and presented by BOND, Colantonio Inc., Collier’s Engineering & Design, Columbia, Consigli Construction, Dimeo Construction Company, Erland Construction Inc., Fontaine Brothers, Inc., North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, Turner Construction, and Walsh Brothers, with support from Building Mass Careers, Building Pathways, Center for Smart Building Technology at Roxbury Community College, Fitchburg State University, Franklin Cummings Technical College, Mass CEC, Christa McAuliffe Center for Integrated Science Learning at Framingham State University, Wentworth Institute of Technology, Worcester Polytech Institute of Technology, and YouthBuild Boston.

Schools

Students from Watertown Make Dean’s List, Graduate from College

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Watertown students made the dean’s list at UMass-Amherst, Roger Williams, Tufts, and William & Mary. Also, local students received their degrees from Plymouth State and Tufts. Dean’s List

UMass-Amherst

The following students from Watertown were named to the Spring 2025 Dean’s List at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Students are appointed to the Dean’s List at the end of a semester in which they have completed a minimum of 12 graded credits and have earned a grade point average of 3.500 or better.  Gayane Badalyan Gabriela Bondaryk Philip Centola Aidan Conneely Lana Curic Carina DeLorio Riley Donlan Ronan Greene Levon Gukasyan Benjamin Heep Jackson Helie Olivia Hoover Rosha Jalalian Saeb Awais Khan Ilana Krebs Robert Martirosyan Veronica Merhy Selina Nebiye Roy Nicolas Sophia Noble Ruari O’Sullivan Vishakha Rath Giulia Salvucci Oscar Shepard Adelle Sheynkman Mason Smith Benjamin Surenian Daniel Tattrie Gregory Venizelos Anna Zarkadas

Roger Williams

Bella Johnson, of Watertown, MA 02472 has been named to the Spring 2025 Dean’s List at Roger Williams University, in Bristol, R.I. Full-time students who complete 12 or more credits per semester and earn a grade point average of 3.4 or higher are placed on the Dean’s List that semester.

Elections

LETTER: School Committee Candidate Joins Race, Lays Out Priorities

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Sheila Krishnan (Photo by Cydney Scott)

My name is Sheila Krishnan, and I’m excited to share my candidacy for one of the three School Committee seats up for election in Watertown this November. I have long appreciated the role that public education plays in contributing to a thriving, healthy democracy as someone who has worked in public health and higher education for over 17 years. Over the past five years, I have been an active Watertown Public Schools parent volunteer and community member through a variety of roles. Understanding how decisions are made in our district is important to me, not only for my children but so that I can advocate on behalf of students and families in the district. Now more than ever, having engaged, informed citizens will be vital to the future of our communities and the challenges we face ahead.

Schools

Watertown College Graduates from WPI, Hamilton, MassBay Emmanuel, William & Mary

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Clipartpanda.com

Students from Watertown graduated from several colleges in the spring of 2025. See the list below. WPI

On Friday, May 16, Emily Azevedo, who majored in Biology and Biotechnology, was bestowed a bachelor’s degree at WPI’s 156th Commencement. Nearly 1,300 undergraduate degrees were awarded during the ceremony. President Grace J. Wang, PhD, and Board of Trustees Chair William Fitzgerald presided over the exercises.

Schools

See Which Watertown Students Made the Dean’s List, Earned College Honors During Spring 2025

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Dozens of Watertown students earned honors at their colleges or universities during the spring semester of 2025. See the announcements sent by their institutions below. SNHU

It is with great pleasure that Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) congratulates the following students on being named to the Spring 2025 President’s List. The spring terms run from January to May. Full-time undergraduate students who have earned a minimum grade-point average of 3.700 and above for the reporting term are named to the President’s List.

Schools

School Committee Hears Results of Survey of Watertown Students, Parents & Teachers

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At the Watertown School Committee’s June 23 meeting, school leaders coalesced to tackle a diverse agenda – from contract renewals to electronic device usage in school – while taking another look into how students, families, and teachers experience life in the Watertown School System. 5Essentials Survey

The centerpiece of the evening was the unveiling of results from the district’s 5Essentials Survey, a response-based study developed by the University of Chicago Consortium which collects feedback from students, guardians, and teachers on the district’s instructional climate, school culture, and other key metrics. Now in its fourth year of implementation in Watertown, the survey has proven to be a vital tool in shaping school policy and improving classroom practices. According to the memo supplied by Superintendent Deanne Galdston, “the 5Essentials framework identifies five core components that, when present and strong, reliably predict school improvement and student outcomes.”

These five essential components are: Supportive Environment, Ambitious Instruction, Collaborative Teachers, Effective Leaders, and Involved Families. More details about the 2024-25 5Essentials Study can be found here.

Schools

Cost Estimates for Watertown Middle School Project Concern Building Committee

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A vision of what a new Watertown Middle School could look like created by Ai3 Architects and presented to the School Committee. Members of the School Building Committee expressed concerns over the cost of the proposals for rebuilding or renovating and expanding Watertown Middle School. On June 18, Ai3 Architects presented the preliminary cost estimates for the project, and the two “preferred” option came in more than $30 million above the amount of money set aside by the City: $84.7 million. The “add/reno” option would keep the newer section of the Middle School. That includes the auditorium and gymnasium, both of which would receive “comprehensive renovations.”

Schools

Students at Jewish Day School Create Traveling Holocaust Museum

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One of the suitcases that are part of the Unpacking History – a Mobile Holocaust Memorial created by students at the Jewish Community Day School of Boston in Watertown. (Courtesy of JCDS)

Students at the Jewish Community Day School of Boston, located in Watertown, packed years of facts, artifacts and personal experiences into six small suitcases and a jewelry case to create a traveling Holocaust museum. The project, called “Unpacking History – A Mobile Holocaust Memorial,” is the creation of the eighth-graders at the JCDS. Each of the suitcases has a different theme, with one about the rise of Nazis in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s, another about roles played in the Holocaust by companies which are still familiar brands, propaganda, stories of Jews living in Germany at the time, photos, and more. Some of the displays have audio and even video components.