Schools

School Committee to Look at Ways to Make Overnight Field Trips Affordable for All Students

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Watertown Public School music students perform at Bandarama. Those in high school take a trip to New York every two years. The School Committee approved a field trip for Watertown High School music students to spend a weekend in New York, but had concerns about the price and making sure that all students can participate. The trip to the Big Apple has become a biannual tradition for the chorus, band, and orchestra. The trip includes a performance and workshop with professional musicians, a Broadway show, a dinner/dance cruise around the Statue of Liberty, visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and walking around Central Park.

Police/Fire

Police Log: Wallet Stolen Out of Car, Counterfeit Bills Used at Target

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Jan. 16, 1 p.m.: A Riverside Street resident moved her husband’s vehicle onto the street at 8:30 a.m. and left it running and unlocked. She came back out a half hour later and her wallet was missing out of the purse she left on the front passenger seat. It contained credit cards and her driver’s license.

Schools

Following False Alarms Watertown Schools to Hold Emergency Drills, Also Seek to Improve Communication System

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After a series of false alarms in the security systems at Watertown’s new schools, the district plans to hold drills for the students, and will look for ways to avoid more incidents in the future. The Watertown Public Schools opened two brand new elementary schools, a third underwent a major renovation and expansion, and students at the high school have a new, temporary home. The new buildings also have new technology, including a multi-hazard notification system, said Superintendent Dede Galdston. All four new schools have had false alarms, she said, some due to wiring and other when the panic button was pressed by mistake. “We want to make sure people understand that these happen and that we will do to prevent that from happening again,” Galdston said.

Government

Replacing Watertown Senior Center Included in City’s 5-Year Capital Plan

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Courtesy of the City of WatertownThe City’s Capital Improvement Plan includes replacing the Watertown Senior Center. Building a new Senior Center made the list of projects planned to be undertaken by the City of Watertown over the next five years, Watertown City Manager George Proakis at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. Proakis presented the Fiscal Year 2025-29 Capital Improvement Plan, which includes $210 million of projects with $93 million of general obligation bonds to cover part of the cost. Senior Center

The City explored replacing the Senior Center in 2022 as part of a review of the Phillips Building site. That study by Ai3 Architects, done during the planning for the new Watertown High School, looked at tearing down the former Phillips School, but Proakis said that would be too disruptive for the Watertown Public Schools administration, as well as Watertown Cable that now resides in the basement.

Government

Watertown Hires Familiar Face to be New City Clerk

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Noelle Gilligan, right, has been named Watertown’s City Clerk. Here she gave the oath to the School Committee members, from left, Rachel Kay, Kendra Foley, and Lisa Capoccia, when Gilligan was the interim clerk. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

The City of Watertown sent out the following announcement:

Congratulations to Noelle Gilligan, who has been appointed and sworn in as Watertown’s new City Clerk, effective today, Monday, January 22, 2024. Noelle has been a key member of the Clerk’s Office staff for five years, providing customer service while coordinating many aspects of licensing and elections, first working with City Clerk, John Flynn, and then with Janet Murphy, who recently left the office. Noelle stepped up into the new Deputy Clerk role, and quickly hit the ground running when it came time to become Acting City Clerk, organizing important documents, and leading an effective city election this past November.

Around Town

Food Insecurity in Watertown: Hunger is a Multi-Faceted Problem — It Won’t Magically Go Away

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The Watertown Food Pantry set up outside the United Methodist Church while its facility was being repaired. (Photo by Kathy Cunningham)

For the last several weeks, Watertown News, in conjunction with Watertown Cable Access Television, published six stories in a series called “Watertown’s Hidden Problem: Food Insecurity Among Us.” (See part one here). In the course of reporting these stories on food and hunger in our community, one absolute fact has emerged: how indelibly intertwined the problem of food insecurity is with other challenges. Food is too expensive. If you can afford food, it might only be cheap, low-nutrient food.

Around Town

Library Chooses Best Selling Author’s Title for One Book, One Watertown

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Library:

This year, the Watertown Free Public Library’s One Book, One Watertown selection invites us to consider what happens when we reject hostility and dread to embrace compassion and curiosity. Our Missing Hearts by bestselling author Celeste Ng is a poignant tale of family survival, and a powerful refusal to abandon hope. All community members are invited to check out the book from the Library, and join in themed programs during the month of March. This year’s community read will culminate in “An Evening with Celeste Ng” on Thursday, March 21 at the Watertown Free Public Library, free to all. Registration begins on March 1st. Our Missing Hearts can be reserved in the Library catalog at watertownlib.org.

Around Town

Unity Breakfast Honors Refugee Support Group, Local Activists During 2024 MLK Day Event

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A group that provides support to refugees, a resident who created a group for LGBTQ+ people, and longtime social activists were honored during the 2024 Watertown Unity Breakfast. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Watertown held the annual celebration of the civil rights leader’s work for the 24th time. It is organized by the World in Watertown. As with the past three years, the 2024 version was held virtually with a broadcast on Jan. 15.