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.

Schools

College Scholarships Available from the Watertown Rotary Club

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The following information was provided by the Rotary Club of Watertown:

All residents of Watertown who are high school seniors and applying to college are eligible for Watertown Rotary Scholarships. The amount of each award and the number of scholarships granted are determined on a yearly basis. All eligible residents must submit completed applications, postmarked no later than April 16, 2021, to:

SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEEROTARY CLUB OF WATERTOWNc/o Anthony Donato

42 Arden RoadWATERTOWN, MA 02472

The form must be completed in full and accompanied by a transcript and letter of recommendation to be considered a valid application. Incomplete or late applications will not be reviewed by the Scholarship Committee. All information supplied on this form will be kept strictly confidential.

Government

Watertown’s Capital Budget Includes School Projects, Park Improvements & Mt. Auburn St. Funds

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Watertown Town Hall

Town Council approved $22.2 million in projects and equipment purchases as part of the Fiscal Year 2022 capital spending plan, including funds for the elementary and high school building projects, improvements to Town parks and the Mt. Auburn Street reconstruction. The plan has 33 items on it. The Town Council’s budget policy is to spend between 7.5 and 8 percent of the total Town budget on capital spending. Council Vice President Vincent Piccirilli, who is chair of the Budget & Fiscal Oversight Committee, said the figure would represent 14.02 percent of the projected Town expenditures, or 7.11 percent without the $10.9 million earmarked for the school building projects.

Schools

Watertown Schools Select New Director of Equity & Inclusion

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Watertown Superintendent Dede Galdston announced the selection of the district’s first Director of Equity & Inclusion. The School Committee approved the creation of the position in December following racial bullying incidents that took place at Watertown Middle School in the fall, which led to a highly attended meeting of parents calling for action. Galdston included the following statement in her Superintendent Newsletter:

Introducing Our New Director of Equity & Inclusion

It gives me great pleasure to announce that Dr. Kimberlee Henry was selected as our new Director of Equity & Inclusion for the 2021-2022 school year and beyond. Dr. Henry is a strategic and creative leader who is dedicated to advancing the District’s equity work in this leadership role to help Watertown Public schools become an anti-racist and anti-biased school system. Dr. Henry’s background in public schools as a teacher and principal at both the elementary and secondary levels, and present role as the Principal at the STEM Academy in Lowell, MA have provided her with extensive experiences to take forward in her new role.

Schools

Watertown Schools Requiring COVID Pool Testing for Students Attending In-Person

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Watertown students who attend school in-person will be required to be part of the district’s COVID-19 pool testing when they return to five-days-a-week classes. The School Committee approved the requirement on Monday night. Superintendent Dede Galdston said that the move will help keep students and staff safe. “We have all the strategies in place to prevent infections, but it is a highly infectious disease and our students are not vaccinated yet,” Galdston said. “Let’s do what we can across the board to keep our students and our community safe.”

Schools

Minuteman Student from Watertown Wins Medal at SkillsUSA Competition

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A Watertown student was one of more than a dozen from Minuteman High School who won medals at a recent SkillsUSA Massachusetts competition. The school sent out the following announcement:

Minuteman High School students recently competed against 13 other high schools and were awarded 18 medals in the SkillsUSA Massachusetts District 3 Competition for demonstrating knowledge in their career technical area of study, employability skills and safety. Minuteman brought home six gold medals, seven silver, and five bronze. Twelve students of the 18 students will advance to the SkillsUSA MA States competition to be held in late April at Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School. The winners are listed below, those with asterisks will continue onto the state level competitions:

Competition: Advertising Design

GOLD: Ariana Calder, Design and Visual Communications career major, grade 12, Lancaster*

Competition: Auto Service Technology

BRONZE: Ryan Breen-Aronson, Automotive Technology career major, grade 10, Arlington

Competition: Cabinetmaking

GOLD: Olivia O’Neill, Carpentry career major, grade 10, Lexington*SILVER: Annie Brosnan, Carpentry career major, grade 10, Arlington*

BRONZE: Caleb Begley, Carpentry career major, grade 10, Arlington

Competition: CNC Milling

GOLD: Ellie Vail, Advanced Manufacturing career major, grade 12, Arlington*

SILVER: Jonathan Corbett, Advanced Manufacturing career major, grade 12, Watertown

Competition: CNC Turning

GOLD: Henry Price, Advanced Manufacturing career major, grade 12, Brookline*

BRONZE: Bradley Winters, Advanced Manufacturing career major, grade 11, Lexington

Competition: Commercial Baking

SILVER: Alex Findeis, Culinary Arts career major, grade 10, Belmont*

Competition: Culinary Arts

SILVER: Josh Formaggio, Culinary Arts career major, grade 10, Acton*

Competition: Early Education

BRONZE: Maria DaSilva, Early Education and Teaching career major, grade 11, Arlington

Competition: First Aid

SILVER: Sophia Magdeleno, Health Assisting career major, grade 10, Stow*

Competition: Plumbing

SILVER: Harrison Hathaway, Plumbing and Heating career major, grade 11, Newton*

BRONZE: Marc-Andre Noel, Plumbing and Heating career major, grade 10, Medford

Competition: Robotics and Automation

GOLD: Gabriel Herbertz, Robotics and Automation career major, grade 12, Stow*

GOLD: Peter Loschen, Robotics and Automation career major, grade 12, Winchester*

Competition: Welding

SILVER: Nathan Doherty, Metal Fabrication and Welding career major, grade 12, Lancaster*

Minuteman’s Faculty Advisors for the SkillsUSA Club are Denise D’Ambrosia, teaching assistant, and Clifford Keirstead, carpentry teacher.