Schools

Watertown Student Awarded Highly Selective Scholarship to do Scientific Research

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Middlebury CollegeBen Morris of Watertown has been named a 2021 Goldwater Scholar. The following announcement was provided by Middlebury College:

Ben Morris ’22, a molecular biology and biochemistry major from Watertown, Massachusetts, has been named a 2021 Goldwater Scholar by the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. The highly selective scholarship is awarded to sophomores and juniors planning research-focused careers in natural sciences, engineering, or mathematics who were nominated by their home institutions. This year, 410 students received the award from an estimated pool of 5,000 candidates. “The Goldwater Scholarship supports the next generation of outstanding researchers in math, science, and engineering,” said Lisa Gates, associate dean of fellowships and research at Middlebury.

Schools

School Building Committee Delays Submitting High School Project, Looking Closer at Where to Put Temporary Site

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Ai3 ArchitectsA rendering of what a two-story modular building could look like on Moxley Field. It could be the temporary location for Watertown High School while a new school is constructed. The submission of the Watertown High School project to the State has been delayed in an effort to look at where the temporary location of the high school will be during construction. 

The School Building Committee had been scheduled to vote on submitting the plan for the WHS project, including the use of Moxley Field as a site for a temporary school site, on Wednesday. Instead, Town Council President Mark Sideris announced the delay of the submission of the project. 

“We have a number of things we have to work out. A lot of concerns have been raised, and we believe the prudent thing to do is to continue talking, continue investigating and continue to have conversations with people to figure out the best approach that will get us a good high school and a good plan to get to that,” Sideris said. 

The proposal called for building the new high school on the current WHS, and moving the students to a temporary school made up of two-story modular classrooms at Moxley Field.

COVID-19

Watertown School Budget Includes Additional Teachers, Funds to Deal with Impact of Pandemic & Diversity Issues

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The Watertown School Budget for the 2021-22 school year includes an additional fourth grade teacher, additional custodians for the new elementary schools and someone to help with the district’s technology. Superintendent Dede Galdston presented the $53.75 million Fiscal Year 2022 budget to the School Committee Monday night, and the Committee will make a vote on Thursday to approve the budget. It will then be presented to the Town Council later in April as part of the FY22 Town Budget. The budget includes 3.5 percent increase in funds from the town, or $1.81 million. To provide a level-service budget, the same level of services in FY22 as the prior year, will cost $53.53 million, Galdston said, leaving $216,157 in funds for additional positions or programs. Much of the increase will be used on salary increases, additional pay for teachers who moved up a step, and increases to deal with enrollment increases.

Charity

Cunniff School PTO Auctioning Bricks from Old School During Fundraiser

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The Cunniff Elementary School PTO announced a fundraiser where you can get a piece of the old school. The event is open to the public. The silent auction where 40 bricks from the old school building can be bid on will run from April 26 to May 7, and will be he held online at https://www.32auctions.com/cunniffbricks

The following information came from the Cunniff PTO:

Our beautiful new Cunniff school facility is currently being built, though the old school will always hold special memories for former and current Cunniff Cougars. The Cunniff PTO is holding a silent auction featuring bricks from the old Cunniff building, and the proceeds will help raise money for classroom supplies, future field trips, social activities, and classroom enrichment programs for our students. Now is your chance to show your Watertown pride and display a piece of school history in your home!

MassBay Community College

MassBay College Offers Free Workshops for High Schoolers on Academic Success

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The following information was provided by MassBay Community College:

MassBay Community College Office of Corporate Partnership and Workforce Development will offer academic success workshops during April vacation week for local high school students to become familiar with learning in a remote college environment. The three free workshops (descriptions below) will be held on a virtual platform and will cover topics that are frequent barriers to a student’s success. “We want every student to be an academic success story, but not every student has the foundational understanding on how to be successful in college,” said MassBay Director of Corporate Partnerships and Workforce Development, Phara Boyer. “After hearing feedback from our students on how they have been able to do well in their classes during the pandemic, we wanted to share the tips and tricks to ensure high school students entering college learn best practices for their future college experience. We hope high school students will join us for a few hours during their April break and use the content of these workshops to position themselves for a great academic future.”

Here are the workshop dates and descriptions:

The “How to Succeed as a Remote Learner” workshop will explain to students what it means to be a remote and online learner in a college environment, tips for success in remote and online courses, and strategies to optimize learning in a virtual environment.

Schools

Architects Looked at Several Options for Temporary High School Before Choosing Moxley Field

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A rendering of what a two-story modular building could look like on Moxley Field. It would be the temporary location for Watertown High School while a new school is constructed. Planners of the new Watertown High School looked at a variety of options for the school’s temporary location during construction before landing on the Moxley Field site next to Watertown Middle School, the School Building Committee heard Wednesday night. Architect James Jordan, from Ai3 Architects, said he had heard some concern that designers immediately jumped toward the two options presented at the last meeting — Moxley Field and the property where Phillips School is located — without looking at other options. Some residents complained that the decision to use Moxley Field was made without having a public meeting beforehand where all abutting residents would be alerted.

Letters

LETTER: Opposition to Plan to Put Temporary High School on Field Named for Marine Killed in Vietnam

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The following letter was submitted by Marilyn Petitto Devaney:

The School building Committee has been holding Zoom meetings. Unfortunately, like my neighbors I didn’t’ know. There are about twelve houses across the Street on Westminster Avenue from the PFC Moxley playground. No letter was ever sent to the abutters to notify them of any meetings or their decision. They have made their decision without input.

Schools

MassBay College Gets Grant to Help Subsidize Full Cost for 30 Students

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The following information was provided by MassBay Community College:

MassBay Community College is pleased to announce it has been awarded $79,990 from the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education (DHE) for the Training Resources and Internship Network (TRAIN) grant program. This grant is designed to support long-term unemployed, under-employed, and new entrant adult workers who seek to enter and reenter the workforce and address regional workforce shortages. MassBay will use these funds to subsidize all costs for 30 students to attend MassBay’s Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Program. “MassBay’s CNA program has been providing students with the training they need to succeed in the growing healthcare industry,” said MassBay Director of Corporate Partnership and Workforce Development, Phara Boyer. “Certified Nursing Assistants are in-demand, with local employers reaching out every week to hire our students when they complete our program because they know our graduates have the know-how and compassion to provide excellent care.