Around Town

Dress Up for Halloween Comicfest at Watertown Comic Store

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Watertown’s Comic Stop will host Halloween Comicfest 2018 on Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018. Guests are invited to dress up and come down to the store, located at 134A Main St. from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“It’s just like Free Comic Book Day but with an awesome Halloween theme,” according to the event announcement on Facebook. Graphic artist Dave Hudon will be drawing at the event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will raise money for Buddy Dog Humane Society.

Schools

Watertown Students Get a Taste of Science, Technology & More During STEM Week

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In an effort to boost interest by students in STEM education — science, technology, engineering and math — the Baker-Polito Administration declared Oct. 22-26, 2018 STEM Week. The Watertown Public Schools organized a range of events for students in elementary, middle and high school, including field trips to local companies, panels of professionals, and design challenges. Some of the students and classes attending the events are from STEM subjects, but there are others from classes like civics and economics. Laura Alderson Rotondo, the district’s Career Technical Education (CTE) coordinator, said she would have liked to have gotten every student in the district involved in the STEM Week activities, but having started planning in September it was not possible.

Cunniff School

School Committee Excited by Improvement on MCAS Shown by Watertown Elementary Students

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The elementary school results on the 2018 MCAS test pleased the School Committee, particularly the improvement by students over the last year. Watertown’s principals and administrators presented the results at Monday night’s School Committee meeting. Efforts were made after last year’s MCAS results, said Assistant Superintendent of Teaching, Learning and Assessment Theresa McGuinness. “Last year, when we met to discuss the scores we realized we had a curriculum alignment problem,” McGuinness said.  “We met to see how we could make changes.” The growth in the scores particularly stood out, she said.

Charity

Watertown Teen Receives Special Bike That Will Allow Him to Ride With His Dad

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A young man from Watertown recently received a special bike from the ATI Foundation as part of the American Physical Therapy Association’s (APTA) annual continuing education conference in Providence. Toni Calisir is a teen battling an undiagnosed medical genetic condition similar to muscular dystrophy, a disorder that impacts muscle use and significantly impacts mobility, according to the ATI Foundation. His condition leaves him with weakness from head to toe; he uses a wheelchair most of the time, needs maximum assistant with mobility and is non-verbal. The bike was a surprise for Toni, who will be able to ride the adaptive bike with his dad. It will also allow Toni to enjoy simple pleasures and outdoor activities just like other teens his age.

Arts

Early Music Group Led by Watertown Man First American Group to Win “British Grammy”

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On Sept. 13, Watertown resident Scott Metcalfe and the group he directs, Blue Heron, made history by winning a prestigious British classical music award.  

The group, mostly made up of people from around Boston, or who used to live in the area, won the Gramophone Classical Music Award in the Early Music category. “We’re the first non-European group to win the Early Music award in the 41 years it has been awarded,” Metcalfe said. Metcalfe flew over to collect the award. “It was amazing,” Metcalfe said.

Sports

WHS Sports: Football Ends Regular Season, Boy’s Soccer Clinches Tourney

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Watertown senior quarterback Nick McDermott and sophomore running back Shakel Inniss each scored touchdowns, but the Raiders’ comeback effort fell short against Wakefield Friday night. Watertown High School’s 21-13 loss at Victory Field drops the Raiders to 1-6 on the year, and into an unfamiliar position for the team under coach John Cacace. The Raiders look like they will miss the MIAA Div. 5 North tournament for the first time in several years, and — with four games remaining — will have a losing record. The Boston Globe’s High School Football Power Rankings has Watertown ranked 10th in Div.