Schools

High School Project Featured in Boston News Channel Segment

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A screenshot from the NBC 10 Boston video. Watertown High School, the first Net Zero and LEED Platinum 4.0 high school in the nation, was showcased in a piece on a Boston news channel this week. NBC 10 Boston toured the construction site on Columbia Street for a tour, including the auditorium, gym, and other areas of the new WHS. Superintendent Galdston said Watertown officials wanted the new school to be the flagship, and a leader in climate resiliency and climate leadership. Architect Jim Jordan from Ai3 discussed the challenges of building a high school on a site of a little over 4 acres.

Schools

Watertown Students Earn Honors, Graduate & More

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Watertown students at MCPHS, Hamilton College, Holy Cross, SNHU, Rhode Island, and Muhlenberg College have received honors, graduated or had other achievements. Honors List

MCPHS University

Ayushi Saxena of Watertown, Massachusetts, was recently elected to membership into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society, at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) University. Saxena is among approximately 20,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors are eligible for membership.

Schools

School Building Committee Members Raise New Strategies to Keep Hopes of Middle School Renovation Alive

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Watertown Middle School (Courtesy of Watertown Public Schools)

While the possibility of totally renovating or rebuilding Watertown Middle School appeared to be over, some members of the School Building Committee brought up strategies that they said could still allow the project to happen. The Middle School was a major item on the School Building Committee’s agenda on Sept. 17. The meeting followed the Sept. 9 City Council meeting where City Manager George Proakis told the Council that he would not recommend that Watertown try to rebuild or fully renovate the Middle School.

Schools

Back to School: One School Welcomed a Large Kindergarten, Middle School Renovations Shift, Draft Cellphone Policy

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Cunniff Elementary School has a particularly large number of kindergartners this fall. (Photo by Watertown Public Schools)

Students in Watertown returned to class this month, including a large number of kindergartners on one campus. Back to School nights will be held this week, and the School Committee also heard about a proposal that would prevent students from using cellphones and other devices anytime during the school day. At Monday’s School Committee meeting, Superintendent Dede Galdston thanked the Watertown Schools’ faculty and staff for preparing the schools to welcome students to the 2025-26 School Year. The first day of class was Sept.

Schools

Watertown Student Earns Interdisciplinary Studies Award from Emerson College

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The following announcement was provided by Emerson College:

Emerson College student Nel Blinman of Watertown earned a Marlboro Institute for Liberal Arts & Interdisciplinary Studies Award in spring 2025 at the end of the academic year, recognizing students for their achievements during a ceremony. Blinman, who is majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies and is a member of the Class of 2027, earned the Robert E. Engel Award. The award, established in 2011 in honor of Bob Engel, a Marlboro faculty member for 36 years, is awarded to a student who demonstrates Bob’s passion for the natural world and his keen powers of observation and inquiry as a natural historian. The Marlboro Institute puts the “I” at the center of Emerson students’ education-one that is Individualized, Interdisciplinary, Inquiry-based, and Integrative in approach with respect to the different liberal arts disciplines on offer and their connectivity to the arts and communication strengths of Emerson College. About Emerson College

Emerson College is uniquely dedicated to the arts and communication, educating and inspiring storytellers and artists to impact and advance creative industries and media throughout the world.

Elections

LETTER: Outgoing School Committee Member Endorses Candidates in November’s Election

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To the Watertown Community, 

For the past almost 8 years now, I have had the privilege of serving as a School Committee member here in Watertown, most recently as the vice chair. Those past years have seen the start of perhaps the best superintendent in the state, Dr. Deanne Galdston, the turnover of all 5 principalships with amazing new leaders, and the rebuilding/full renovation of 4 out of 5 of Watertown’s school buildings. To put it lightly — we got a lot done. To this day, I remain incredibly proud of how hard the Watertown community pulled together during the pandemic, making our schools and our city a leader in safe, effective education through a perilous time. We leaned on and learned from each other, and so many people across the entire community pitched in their expertise and time to help guide us.

Schools

Full Middle School Renovation is Off the Table, City Could Turn Focus to a New Senior Center

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Watertown Middle School (Courtesy of Watertown Public Schools)

Watertown cannot afford to totally renovate or rebuild Watertown Middle School, City Manager George Proakis told the City Council this week. At the Sept. 9 Council meeting, Proakis outlined the results of the feasibility study of renovating/rebuilding the middle school. The City budgeted $84.7 million for the middle school project, but the cost estimates for a project that would create a modern school that could accommodate 630 students came in well over $100 million. “I wanted to come here and share with you tonight that after spending a significant time and looking at this from every imaginable perspective, building a $112 million Middle School is not something I feel comfortable recommending that the Council do,” Proakis said.

Schools

Student from Watertown Takes Part in Robotics Program That Solves Problems Facing Appalachia

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Watertown’s Camndon Reed joined the robotics program at West Virginia University after completing a summer program. (Contributed Photo)

A Watertown High School graduate took part in a robotics program to use robotics to solve real-world problems in Appalachia. Camndon Reed got involved in the summer program run by West Virginia University in 2024, and he was featured in a piece in The State Journal. At the time he was attending James Madison University, but after taking part in the program he transferred to WVU. “It was a great experience.