Around Town

School Committee Gives Superintendent Good Evaluation

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Dede Galdston, current assistant superintendent in Billerica, interviewed for the Watertown Superintendent’s job Monday night. Superintendent Dede Galdston received good marks from the School Committee in the evaluation of her second year as the head of the Watertown Public Schools. The School Committee gave Galdston ratings of “proficient” across the board for her overall rating from the seven School Committee members. The ratings required by the state have four levels, from “unsatisfactory” to “exemplary” with proficient second highest. Galdston was also measured on how well she met the six goals agreed to by the School Committee and herself earlier this year.

Building for the Future

Watertown High School Project Moving Forward, Public Meetings Planned

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The multiyear process that will result in a new or renovated Watertown High School got rolling last week when the School Building Committee heard about what it will take to make the project a reality. On July 11, the Owner’s Project Manager for the Watertown High School project, Compass Project Management, met with the School Building Committee to talk about some of the projects they have worked one, and the schedule for the project. Compass is working on a five-phase, 18-month construction project at John F. Kennedy Middle School in Natick, said Tim Bonfatti, president of Compass. “Much like the current Watertown High School it is on a very constricted site, with limited options around it,” Bonfatti said. “And the solution that is going to be built there is going to be built in phases because we can’t complete it within the constrained footprint of that site.”

Around Town

Students from Jewish, German Schools Come Together for Community Project

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An inspirational drawing created by students at the Jewish Community Day School in Watertown and German International School Boston. The following information was provided by Jewish Family & Children’s Service:

This spring, Jewish Family & Children’s Service was thrilled to host a very special group of volunteers. Seventh graders from Jewish Community Day School (JCDS) in Watertown and German International School Boston (GISB) visited our Waltham headquarters to make birthday cards for clients of our Schechter Holocaust Services program. The collaboration between the two schools was part of an ongoing partnership between JCDS and GISB that focuses on Holocaust education. 

A Unique Partnership 

The Holocaust education program between Jewish Community Day School and German International School Boston was first launched in 2017 by Andrea Silton of JCDS and Andreas Weber of GISB. When the two Middle School teachers were put in touch as part of a comparative religion course, they realized that they had a unique opportunity to explore the difficult history between Germans and Jews.

College Honors

Watertown Students Make Dean’s List at University of Maine

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The following information was provided by the University of Maine:

The University of Maine recognized 2,330 students for achieving Dean’s List honors in the spring 2019 semester. Of the students who made the Dean’s List, 1,649 are from Maine, 623 are from 35 other states and 58 are from 30 countries other than the U.S.

Listed below are students who received Dean’s List honors for spring 2019, completing 12 or more credit hours in the semester and earning a grade point average of 3.5 or higher. Two students from Watertown made the Dean’s List: Yonas Butler and Sarah Tymm

Please note that some students have requested that their information not be released; therefore, their names are not included. About University of Maine:

The University of Maine, founded in Orono in 1865, is the state’s land grant and sea grant university. As Maine’s flagship public university, UMaine has a statewide mission of teaching, research and economic development, and community service.

Building for the Future

Energy Efficiency, Sustainability Goals for Watertown’s New Schools

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A rendering of what the new Hosmer Elementary School could look like. The School Building Committee affirmed its commitment to making Watertown’s new elementary schools energy efficient and built in sustainable ways. The committee that is overseeing the school projects at Hosmer, Cunniff and Lowell elementary schools voted unanimously on June 19 to approve sustainability goals for the project. Architect Scott Dunlap from Ai3 also discussed some details of the design and ways they can be efficient and sustainable. The Sustainability Subcommittee of the School Building Committee presented the proposed goal, which called for striving for Net Zero buildings and to reach LEED Gold standards for the sustainability of the projects at the two new school buildings (Cunniff and Hosmer), while efforts would be made to make the Lowell energy efficient and sustainable.

Around Town

Watertown Library Offers a Universe of Summer Reading Options

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A view of what the current Watertown Free Public Library. The Watertown Library provided the following announcement:

Summer reading at the Watertown Free Public Library begins soon! This year’s theme is A Universe of Stories, and we can’t wait to share our stellar book lists, reading challenges, and prizes with you. The library offers summer reading programs for all ages, so whether you’re a fan of CatStronauts, Star Wars, or Stephen Hawking, we’re bound to have something that’s about your speed. And by the way, summer reading isn’t limited to space books!

Bilteracy

Watertown High Students Will Be Able to Show They are Bilingual on their Diplomas

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Watertown High School students will soon be able to have the Seal of Biliteracy on their diplomas and transcripts. Students in the Watertown Public Schools speak 59 languages, Kate Phillipson, director of English as a Second Language Coordinator told the School Committee Monday night. Some learn a language in school, others speak a language other than English at home, and still more take language classes outside of school. “The State Seal of Biliteracy is a nationally and state recognized seal that recognizes graduates that speak, listen, read, and write proficiently in more than one language,” said Adam Silverberg, the district’s World Language Coordinator. The seal will be placed on diplomas and transcripts, Silverberg said, and students could be recognized during graduation.

Schools

Many Watertown Students Among Minuteman Award, Scholarship Winners

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Minuteman High School in Lexington. The following announcement was provided by Minuteman High School:

The following awards and scholarships were presented to members of the Class of 2019 from Minuteman High School in Lexington:

National Honor Society: Noor Alwaz (Watertown), Tazmin Anbar (Watertown), Benjamin Cook (Arlington), Sabrina Correa (Arlington), Arrik Crouse (Acton), Matthew Dunham (Stoneham), Fae Eisenheim (Arlington), Anthony Fiore (Woburn), Seth Flueckiger (Needham), Kimmee Hanson (Lancaster), Adnan Kabir (Arlington), Benjamin Keaton (Concord), Sophia Li (Acton), Judeleen Modestin (Everett), Kaienteres Maracle (Lexington), William McPhee (Winchester), Halle Merkowitz (Peabody), Jennifer Mills (Waltham), Jordan Mills (Waltham), Ethan Moore (Arlington), Lillian Powell (Wayland), Sage Romano (Woburn), Edward Seidman (Watertown), Daniel Spencer (Arlington), Amanda Sullivan (Arlington). Outstanding Vocational Technical Student of the Year: Sophia Li (Acton). Co-sponsored by the Massachusetts Association of Vocational Administrators and the Massachusetts Vocational Association

2019 John & Abigail Adams Scholarship Recipients: Jeffrey Benoit (Lancaster), Tyler Benoit (Lancaster), David Castillo-Ordonez (Watertown), Benjamin Cook (Arlington), Henry Dionne (Concord), Laura Espinosa-Jaramillo (Lincoln), Tyler Ferrin (Tewksbury), Noa Geva (Lexington), Isabel Halstead (Lexington), Samuel Harris (Lncaster), Devon Jones (Arlington), Adnan Kabir (Arlington), Levi Kane (Lancaster), Matthew Larzelere (Stoneham), Sophia Li (Acton), Michael Merrick (Lexington), Jennifer Mills (Waltham), Jordan Mills (Waltham), Ethan Moore (Arlington), Stephen Munroe (Watertown), Lillian Powell (Wayland), Daniel Spencer (Arlington), Amanda Sullivan (Arlington), Zachary Umbsen (Watertown), Elizabeth Whitman-Kinghorn (Lexington), Jeremy Whitman-Kinghorn (Lexington)

Senior Class Officers:

President | Amanda Sullivan (Arlington)Vice President | Erica Grandon (Arlington)Secretary | Tyler Benoit (Lancaster)Treasurer | Jordan Mills (Waltham)

President’s Education Award for Outstanding Academic Excellence: Tazmin Anbar (Watertown), Jeffrey Benoit (Lancaster), Tyler Benoit (Lancaster), Jared Burke (Waltham), Saba Challant (Winchester), Henry Dionne (Concord), Matthew Dunham (Stoneham), Fae Eisenheim (Arlington), Tyler Ferrin (Tewksbury), Noa Geva (Lexington), Kimmee Hanson (Lancaster), Benjamin Keaton (Concord), Sophia Li (Acton), Kaienteres Maracle (Lexington), Halle Merkowitz (Peabody), Michael Merrick (Lexington), Jennifer Mills (Waltham), Jordan Mills (Waltham), Ethan Moore (Arlington), Stephen Munroe (Watertown), Edward Seidman (Watertown), Daniel Spencer (Arlington), Amanda Sullivan (Arlington), Paige Zbyszewski (Arlington)

President’s Education Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement: Luc Barbeau (Medford), Jonathan Benoit (Lancaster), David Castillo-Ordonez (Watertown), Benjamin Cook (Arlington), Jayne Coppola (Lexington), Sabrina Correa (Arlington), Arrik Crouse (Acton), Jenna DeCampo (Arlington), Nicholas Delorey (Concord), Nicholas DeVincent (Sudbury), Jake Dionne (Concord), Laura Espinosa Jaramillo (Linncoln), Lyazzat Feldman (Arlington), Robert Floyd (Lancaster), Sarai Gonzalez (Acton), Erica Grandon (Arlington), Samuel Harris (Lancaster), Adnan Kabir (Arlington), Matthew Larzelere (Stoneham), James Linarte (Watertown), William McPhee (Winchester), Judeleen Modestin (Everett), Andrew Nash (Waltham), Jordyn Nobrega (Burlington), Alexander Northup (Needham), Lillian Powell (Wayland), Sage Romano (Woburn), Ethan Scerra (Concord), Samantha Thebodo (Arlington), Elizabeth Whitman-Kinghorn (Lexington), Jeremy Whitman-Kinghorn (Lexington), Justin Wood (Burlington)

COMMUNITY SERVICE

The Community Service and Interact Club would like to recognize the following students for their outstanding work during Minuteman’s Community Service and Learning Trip. Each of these students volunteered over 45 hours the spring of 2019 in Puerto Rico.