Schools

Watertown High Class of 1964 Looking at Holding 60th Reunion

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The Watertown High School Class of 1964 sent out the following announcement:

Happy New Year 1964 WHS Classmates! We’re in the very initial stages of determining whether there’s enough interest to plan for our 60th class reunion in 2024? An email (whs1964reunion@yahoo.com) has been created to let us know of your interest in attending. When emailing us, please provide the best contact information and if your name has changed, please advise what your name was while at WHS. If you’re still in touch with former classmates who may not see this notice, please inform them of this event.

Schools

Construction Underway at Temporary High School Site at Moxley Field

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Public Schools, and was part of the Superintendent’s Update:

Construction activity is picking up at Moxley Field, the temporary Watertown High School site beginning next school year. Crews are preparing the property for the installation of the modular buildings, which is expected to begin in January. The new modular high school will house the entire Watertown High School population while the new school building is under construction. Construction is taking place between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Deliveries to the site will not be permitted during Middle School morning dropoff and afternoon pickup to minimize disruption in the neighborhood. You can watch the most recent community forum on the Moxley construction efforts here and view a detailed presentation on the project timeline below.

Schools

Former Basketball Star Tells WHS Students How Drugs Ruined His Career & His Work to Prevent Substance Abuse

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Charlie BreitroseFormer basketball star Chris Herren spoke to Watertown High School students about the pitfalls of drinking and drug use. The entire student body recently squeezed into the Watertown High School gymnasium to hear the story of a basketball superstar from Massachusetts whose career was derailed by his need to drug use problems.

Chris Herren starred at Durfee High School in Fall River before heading to Boston College and Fresno State. He was drafted by the Denver Nuggets, and then was traded to his hometown team: the Boston Celtics. But while it appeared his career was on the rise, his personal life was crashing. Now Herren spends 220 days a year visiting schools, sports teams, and other groups to tell his story, and the pitfalls of drugs and alcohol.

Government

City Manager Commits to Building a New High School Without Sacrificing Education or Green Features

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Ai3 ArchitectsA rendering of the main entrance to Watertown High School from Columbia Street. Watertown has plans to build a new high school which will create enough energy to cover the amount needed to operate the building, be equipped with state of the art equipment and technology, and will educate students for decades to come. Even facing climbing construction costs, City Manager George Proakis vowed that the new school will be built.

Watertown will get a significant portion of the new high school reimbursed —  $44.2 million — by the State through the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA). The cost of the project approved by the state was $138.6 million, but since the approval in March the cost of construction has escalated. In July, the School Building Committee approved “value engineering” steps to use less costly materials and reduce the scope of the project to keep it on budget.

Schools

Watertown Schools See Influx of Students at Elementary, High School Levels

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Charlie BreitroseThe new school building at Cunniff Elementary School, along with the new Hosmer School have seen an increase of enrollment this fall. Watertown High School has also grown. More students arrived at the Watertown Public Schools than expected this fall, requiring the addition of some new classes, teachers and support staff. Superintendent Dede Galdston told the School Committee on Monday that she believes the district’s new schools are part of the draw. The 2022-23 school year is the first that students will spend the whole year in the new Cunniff and Hosmer elementary school buildings.

Around Town

Council Approves $4 Million to Help Cover Rising Cost of High School Project

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Ai3 ArchitectsAn illustration of what the outside of the new Watertown High School will look like. The cost of constructing the new Watertown High School has risen since the budget was sent to state officials, and one of the steps to cover the gap of $14.47 million was taken Tuesday when the City Council approved transferring $4.175 million

City Council President Mark Sideris, who chairs the School Building Committee, said that the rising cost of construction was a major part of the increase in the project budget over the $138.6 million budget approved by the Massachusetts School Building Authority. “We on the School Building Committee have been working since 2018 on school projects. Our first set of projects went very well, and are still on, or slightly under, budget and came in earlier than expected,” Sideris said. “When we got to the high school COVID happened.

Class of 2022

Watertown High Class of 2022’s Sprit & Kindness Celebrated at Graduation

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Charlie BreitroseWatertown High School Senior Leah Knipper-Davis hugs teacher David Mastro at the 2022 graduation ceremony. Many obstacles and challenges could have derailed Watertown High School’s Class of 2022, but the unstoppable group of students made the best of very difficult times to be an inspiration to themselves and the WHS faculty. Friday evening, the seniors received their diploma at the graduation ceremony at Victory Field. See the list of graduates by clicking here. Class Valedictorian Taylor Lambo said that she will look back on the times of joy, big and small, when she was “truly present,” and just enjoying the moment.