Chapter 74

School Committee Creating Committee to Study Vocational Education Options for Watertown Students

By |

The School Committee will create a committee to look at options for vocational and technical education available to Watertown students, including programs at Watertown High School, as well as vocational schools in the area. For many years, the primary option for Watertown students looking for training in a trade or other vocational program was Minuteman High School in Lexington. Superintendent Dede Galdston said Minuteman recently built a new school and the past couple years it has been difficult for students from Watertown to get admitted because the city is not a member of the Minuteman District. Programs at WHS

Watertown High School now offers one Chapter 74 Career and Technical Education Program which prepares students to work in a profession, or to pursue further in college. The first group of students, 10 seniors, have been going through the Engineering Technology program since they were sophomores and will finish the program this year, Galdston said.

Schools

Minuteman High School Hosting Virtual, In-Person Tours for Middle Schoolers

By |

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

Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical High School will hold both in-person and virtual events this month for families of middle school-age students who are interested in attending the career technical education high school for the 2022-23 school year. 

“Minuteman students gain a competitive advantage by finding their passion, engaging in hands-on learning experiences, and developing professional skills integrated with robust academics and faculty support,” said Edward A. Bouquillon, Superintendent-Director. “The open house, tours, and information sessions are great opportunities for families to make informed decisions about their students’ high school careers.”

Minuteman High School now offers 19 career technical education majors with the addition of Animal Science this year. Other majors include engineering, biotechnology, environmental science, robotics, culinary arts, cosmetology, plumbing, heating, automotive, carpentry, multimedia, and more. In addition to offering 14 sports teams and 20 clubs and activities, Minuteman provides robust academic programming. Last year, Minuteman received the Massachusetts Reading Award from the Massachusetts Reading Association – the first time a high school has ever received the honor. In 2018, it received a Blue Ribbon School Award from the U.S. Department of Education. 

On Wednesday, November 10, Minuteman will hold its annual “Showcase Day” during the school day.

Art

Minuteman Student from Watertown Wins Award in MWRA Poster Design Contest

By |

The poster designed by Watertown’s Ava Martin, which got an award in the MWRA Poster Contest. Two students from Minuteman High School, including one from Watertown, won awards in the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority (MWRA) poster contest. The annual poster contest asked for posters that publicize the work being done by the MWRA work. “Congratulations to first-place winner Damien Dolan, a rising sophomore from Stow, and third-place winner Ava Martin, a rising junior from Watertown,” said the announcement from Minuteman High School. Both Martin and Dolan are students in Minuteman’s Design and Visual Communications major.

Schools

Minuteman High School Holds In-Person Graduation, See the Watertown Students

By |

Minuteman High SchoolMembers of the Minuteman High School Class of 2021 celebrate after graduation at the Lowell Auditorium. The following piece was provided by Minuteman High School:

On June 4, 138 students from the Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical High School in Lexington graduated in an in-person ceremony at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium, allowing an unlimited number of family members and friends to view the milestone event after the state lifted most COVID-19 gathering restrictions about a week ago. The ceremony was broadcast live on LexMedia; a video will be posted to the YouTube channels of LexMedia and Minuteman High School. The seniors of the Minuteman Class of 2021 have accomplished a lot despite a difficult year and a half – marked by remote and hybrid learning, and a loss of many activities. Thirteen students were named to the National Honor Society (denoted with an asterisks), which recognizes students in the areas of scholarship, service, leadership and character. Additionally, 94 seniors have received scholarships from Minuteman through various organizations and individual donors.

Homepage Featured

Watertown Students Receive Awards at Minuteman High School Ceremony

By |

The following announcement was provided by Minuteman High School:

Minuteman High School has announced the student recipients of annual scholarships and awards for the graduating Class of 2021. The awards recognize outstanding student achievement and support both college and career pursuits. A video of the award presentations is on youtube.com/minutemanhighschool. Minuteman’s graduation ceremony will be held in-person at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium on Friday, June 4, at 2:00 PM. Valedictorian and Salutatorian

The Class of 2021 Valedictorian is Hannah Bardei, an Engineering student from Arlington.

Schools

Watertown Student 1 of 20 from Minuteman High School SkillsUSA Medalists

By |

The following announcement was provided by Minuteman High School:

Twenty students from Minuteman High School and four adult students from Minuteman Technical Institute received medals in the SkillsUSA Massachusetts state competition on Friday, May 7. Three high school students and one adult student will compete in the national SkillsUSA competition in June, which will be held virtually. 

More than 370,000 vocational-technical students participate in SkillsUSA competitions nationwide annually. Students demonstrate their knowledge in their career technical area of study along with employability and safety skills. Minuteman High School Awards:

The three Minuteman High School students who are heading to the national competition are Noah Varghese and Dean O’Brien, Environmental Science majors, and John O’Brien, a Biotechnology major. All three are from Arlington; Dean and John are brothers. Their competition was in the natural resources, agriculture, and food category; their project involved collecting and testing water samples in their community. The following Minuteman High School students also received awards in the SkillsUSA state competition: 

Arya De Francesco of Lexington, grade 9, Design and Visual Communications major: gold medal in sticker design.

Schools

Minuteman High School Celebrating Class of 2021, Holding Limited In-Person Graduation

By |

The following piece was provided by Minuteman High School:

Dear Minuteman High School Community,

As the weather gets warmer and more people are getting vaccinated against COVID-19, there’s a level of optimism and energy that’s palpable. It’s invigorating to see more Minuteman students back in school and deeply satisfying to observe more in-person learning taking place. Spring is also a time to celebrate our seniors – a rite of passage that was greatly limited one year ago. Now, we are better able to plan safe events to honor the Class of 2021. In place of a traditional prom, Minuteman is holding multiple events for the senior class.

Schools

Minuteman Student from Watertown Wins Medal at SkillsUSA Competition

By |

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.