Schools

Group Seeks to Make Watertown High School Safe for Transgender Students

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A group of Watertown High School students has requested that the School Committee add a school district policy for transgender and nonconforming students to make these students feel safe to attend the town’s schools. 

Transgender students do not feel comfortable at Watertown High School, said members of the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) at WHS. “A lot of it was the school culture,” said GSA President and WHS junior Jeremy Holt. “When we decided to put this in place the school culture was not open and accepting (of transgender and nonconforming students).” As part of the new policy, they seek some changes to improve the atmosphere at the school. Some changes include creating gender-neutral bathrooms and locker rooms, teachers using the pronoun preferred by the student when addressing the student, and not telling parents what their preferred sexual identity until the student is comfortable telling them. “The three main goals of the policy are to reduce stigmatization of transgender and gender nonconforming students, maintaining the privacy of all students and fostering cultural competence and professional development for school staff,” WHS junior and GSA member Kira Peterson told the School Committee on Monday night.

Entertainment

Watertown Student Artwork on Display at the Watertown Mall

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Come see how creative Watertown students of all ages can be during the annual Watertown Public Schools Student Art Exhibit. 

The Watertown Mall, 550 Arsenal St., is hosting the art exhibit from April 10-28. Enjoy hundreds of fine art pieces crafted by Watertown students in kindergarten through grade 12. You will be amazed at the breadth and depth of artistic talent on display. Mediums showcased include, but are not limited to: watercolor, crayon, cray pas, pencil, photography, computer art, 3D, ceramics, and paper machè. This event is free to the general public!

Around Town

Group Uniting Efforts to End Homelessness, Hosting Forum on April 26

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Find out about the many ways homelessness impacts our community at a forum hosted by the TriCommunity Coalition to End Homelessness. The group is working to end homelessness in Watertown, Belmont and Waltham. The forum, “Many Faces of Homelessness – We Can All Help” will be held on Sunday, April 26 from 1:30-3:30 p.m. at St. Joseph Parish Hall, 130 Common St. in Belmont.

Schools

See What School Officials Included in the Budget Request for 2015-16

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Watertown school officials have requested a $2.7 million increase for the 2015-16 school year, which includes more than 20 new jobs, new equipment and bolstering technology in the town’s public schools. Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald said the budget includes teachers to reduce class sizes at Cunniff and Hosmer elementary schools, teachers at the high school to strengthen the computer science and environmental science programs, and an Arabic teacher at the high school. The $41.93 million budget, a 6.87 percent increase from 20141-15, was presented to the School Committee on Monday night. Another area of focus for the budget is student support. This includes adding part-time psychologists at Cunniff and Lowell schools, a part time school adjustment counselor at Watertown Middle School, and two part-time psychologists and a behavioral specialist for the special education program.

Around Town

Marathoner Running Boston Race for Operation American Soldier

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The 2015 Boston Marathon will be Peter Walker’s second, but this year he wanted to raise money for a good cause. That’s when he discovered the Watertown-based charity that sends care packages to American troops overseas. Walker searched for a charity and got a suggestion while he was dining. “I was in Conley’s in Watertown talking with someone,” Walker said. “I said it would be nice to run for a foundation.

Boston Marathon Bombing

Boston Marathon Bomber Case Goes to the Jury after Closing Arguments

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Jurors in the case against accused Boston Marathon Bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev heard final arguments from attorneys on Monday, and now must decide his fate. 

Prosecutors said the Tsarnaev brothers “were the mujahedeen, and they were bringing their battle to Boston,” according to an account of the court proceedings in the New York Times.  They said Dzhokhar wanted to “punish America for what it was doing to his people,” according to the Times. Tsarnaev’s defense attorney, however, argued that he was an “adolescent” who just followed his older brother Tamerlan into carrying out the bombings at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Tamerlan was killed in the firefight in Watertown after being run over by Dzhokhar, according to the Boston Globe. The jury of seven women and five men, all white, will consider 30 counts against Tsarnaev, one of which is if he used a weapon of mass destruction.

Around Town

Meet Dic Donohue at the Watertown Strong Blood Drive

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On Saturday, April 11, the Watertown Strong Blood Drive will be held in honor of MBTA Police Officer Dic Donohue. 

When Donohue was injured in the shootout with Boston Marathon Bombing suspects on April 2013, he required more than 46 blood products when Mount Auburn Hospital doctors saved his life. “Trauma patients like Officer Donohue are just one example of why it’s so important to donate blood or platelets,” said the Red Cross announcement. “It’s blood on the shelves that saves lives before, during and after disasters.” Donohue will be on had on Saturday, April 11 the Watertown Strong Blood Drive in Honor of Officer Dic Donohue will be held at Watertown High School, 50 Columbia St. from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

He will be joined by Boston Marathon Bombing Survivor Heather Abbott, Watertown Police Captain Ray Dupuis, Mount Auburn Hospital Vice President, Planning and Marketing Michael O’Connell and American Red Cross Massachusetts Blood Services Region CEO Jeff Meyer.

Letters

LETTER: Health Department Urges Residents to Keep Watertown Clean

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Along with the much anticipated snow melt and onset of Spring, we also anticipate the emergence of debris – paper, cans and bottles, snack bags and wrappers, and, unfortunately, uncollected dog waste – that has remained buried under the blankets, mounds, and banks of snow and ice. Help keep Watertown clean by removing all debris on your property, sidewalks, and other areas around your houses and businesses on a frequent basis as the melting snow exposes it. Assist elderly or disabled neighbors by removing debris on their property. Business and property owners, please clean around dumpsters and rubbish disposal areas and ensure that all debris is properly contained. Survey your dumpsters and rubbish containers for holes, cracks, and other damage that could result in leaks and spillage of waste into parking lots and on public ways.