Drug Prevention

Watertown High School Students Pledge to be Alcohol & Drug Free

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More than 70 Watertown High School students have pledged to be drug and alcohol free, and in return they will be part of a new group at the school which has special events and they will get discounts at local businesses. 

The kickoff meeting Raiders Against Drugs Society, or RADS, took place in late May with an assembly lead by student leaders at Watertown High School. The students discussed the goal of RADS, and the benefits – including discounts at stores, meetings with raffles and door prizes, special trips and more. To be a part of RADS, students must sign a pledge saying they will be alcohol and drug free. At the end of the school-wide assembly, the organizers asked for a show of hands of people who would take the pledge and join RADS. “Close to 80 students signed up on the first day,” said Donna Ruseckas, the Watertown Public School’s director of Wellness & Extended Services.

Missing Person

Watertown Police Seek Information About Missing 15-Year-Old Girl

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Watertown Police seek information about a missing 15-year-old Watertown girl who was last seen on June 4. 

Watertown Police sent out the following information:

On June 5, 2017 at 8 a.m., Jeelsy Feliz was reported missing by family members. Jeelsy is a 15 year old, Hispanic female, approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall, 130 pounds with shoulder length black hair. Unknown clothing description at the time she was reported missing. Jeelsy is believed to have traveled to the Queens/Brooklyn Borough of New York City. Jeelsy goes by several names, to include Jeelsy Feliz-Morales, Jeelsy Morales, and Yese Rodriguez. Attached is an image of Jeelsy using the ATM located at 171 Watertown St.,Watertown, MA on June 4, 2017 at 4:57 p.m. where she was accompanied by an unknown black male.

Government

Board of Health Considering Making New Tobacco Rules After Hearing from WHS Students

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After hearing about research collected by some Watertown High School students, the Watertown Board of Health will look at possible changes to the town’s tobacco regulations. The students are Watertown Youth Coalition Peer Leaders – a program of the Wayside Multi-Service Center – and also take part in a statewide movement of youth fighting tobacco in their communities, said Dawn Graham, media and prevention specialist with Wayside. As part of the statewide anti-tobacco effort, called The 84 Movement, the students mapped where tobacco retailers are in town, and their proximity to schools, parks and places where teens hang out. “They found that there are more tobacco retailers in Watertown than there are schools, parks, and other teen hangouts combined,” Graham said. “They were concerned to see that most places teens spend time – including Watertown High School – are less than a 5 minute walk away from a retailer and that there is currently no cap on the number of retailers that can be in Watertown.”

Schools

WHS Student Overcomes Learning Challenges to Graduate with Honors

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Rosdom Kaligian, center, overcame dyslexia and autism to graduate from Watertown High School with honors. When the seniors at Watertown High School graduated on Friday, there was one graduate who overcame some major challenges to not only finish high school but do so with honors. 

Rosdom Kaligian has severe dyslexia and also is autistic. His parents considered placing him in an out-of-district special education program, his mother Barbara Aghamianz said, but he convinced them to keep him at WHS. “I think people forget how hard it is for these kids to graduate, let alone be successful.” Barbara said.

Sports

WHS Sports: Softball Battles to the End, Runners Compete in All-State Meet

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After a successful regular, Watertown High School’s softball team made the MIAA State Tournament for the first time since 2013 and almost pulled off a win in their game against Arlington. 

The Raiders fell behind 5-0 in the game at Arlington on Thursday, but like they have this season Watertown battled back. Destiny Santalucia hit a triple to drive in Caroline Costa and Cali McMahon. Lauren Burns got a hit to center an scored Santalucia to bring the game within two runs. In the fourth, the Spy Ponders added to their lead, but with the  bases loaded with two outs in the fifth Stella Papadopoulos got on base and sent Christine Zhu home to score. Costa got a hit to score Jacquie Furbish making the score 6-5 Arlington.

Around Town

Local Substance Abuse Prevention Group Conducting Parent Survey

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Wayside Multi-Service Center is conducting a parent survey about alcohol, tobacco and drugs. The anonymous survey asks about how parents talk with children about these subjects. The survey is part of the Substance Abuse Prevention Collaborative and is being offered to  parents in Watertown, Belmont, Brookline, and Waltham, and is is intended to prevent underage drinking and other drug use, according to Wayside. “Research has shown that addressing the issue of underage drinking reduces the risk that youth will go on to misuse other substances,” the introduction to the survey reads. To find the Substance Abuse Prevention Collaborative survey click here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SAPCParent

If you have any questions or need resources please contact Stephanie Sunderland-Ramsey at 617-926-3600 Ext.

Arrests

Police Log: Woman Looses $150K to Lottery Scam, Man Assaults Officers

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests
May 24, 12:47 p.m.: Police received a report of a man sleeping in the doorway of CVS on Main Street. Officers checked on his wellbeing and then looked at his record and found he had an outstanding warrant. When the man was brought to the police station to be booked, he became very uncooperative, and attempted to hit and kick officers. During the struggle he spit in one of the officer’s faces.

Real Estate

Find Out About the Seven Watertown Homes the Sold This Week

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Watertown had several homes sell this week, see information below. $910,000 – 60 Katherine Road, 2 unit, 11 total room, 4 total bedroom, 2 Family – 2 Units Up/Down multi-family home

$600,000 – 99 Watertown St. Unit 99, 7 room, 3 bedroom, 1 full & 1 half bathroom, 2/3 Family condo/townhouse

$474,500 – 35 Cleveland Road, 5 room, 2 bedroom, 1 full & 1 half bathroom, Ranch single-family home

$741,000 – 32 Fairview Ave. Unit 32, 7 room, 3 bedroom, 2 full & 2 half bathroom, Townhouse condo/townhouse

Sponsored by:

$789,900 – 272 Palfrey St. Unit 272, 6 room, 3 bedroom, 2 full & 1 half bathroom, Townhouse condo/townhouse

$900,000 – 199 Coolidge Unit 509, 7 room, 3 bedroom, 2 full & 1 half bathroom, High-Rise condo/townhouse

$790,000 – 276 Palfrey St.