District D

LETTER: Candidate for District D Council Seat Serves as Library Trustee, Worked as Legislative Aide

By |

Emily Izzo announced her candidacy for the District D Town Council seat. It is with great enthusiasm that I announce my candidacy for District D Town Councilor. My name is Emily Izzo and I am a lifelong Watertown resident who grew up in the west end and attended Cunniff Elementary School, Watertown Middle School and Watertown High School, graduating in 2008. After graduating from Assumption College, where I majored in Political Science and History and minored in Sociology, I began my career in public service working for State Representative John Lawn. First as a legislative aide and later as Chief of Staff, my work with residents and elected officials to enact good government policies reaffirmed in me what public service is all about.

Homepage Featured

10 Students Honored During 53rd Lt. Paul Sullivan Scholarship Ceremony

By |

Watertown’s Lt. Paul Sullivan was killed in Vietnam in 1968, and a scholarship in his name has been given out for 53 years. The following announcement was provided by the Lt. Paul Sullivan Scholarship Committee:

The Lt. Paul Sullivan Scholarship Committee is pleased to announce the winners of the 53rd Scholarship awards. Paul was a member of Sacred Heart Parish in Watertown and a graduate of St. Mary’s High School in Waltham in 1961. He was a 1965 graduate of Boston College. During those years he participated on many area athletic teams, most notably in the areas of basketball and baseball. He worked for the Watertown Recreation Department as a park instructor.

Gold Star Mothers

LETTER: Gold Star Mothers President Opposes Using Moxley Field for Temporary High School

By |

Dear School Committee,

My name is Robin Abbott and I am the President of the Department of Massachusetts/Rhode Island American Gold Star Mothers. I write to express my deep sadness and anger that Moxley park and field is being considered for your swing space project. As an American Gold Star Mother, we devote what is left of our broken lives strengthening one another and working to ensure the memory of all veterans is never forgotten. You have no idea how painstaking it is to try to have a bridge or corner block, let alone a park, memorialized to the fallen. It takes an actual act of congress.

Letters

LETTER: Nephew of Richard Moxley Asks School Officials Not to Put Temporary WHS on Field Named for Vietnam Vet

By |

I am writing to you about the use of Moxley Field as a location for a temporary high school while a new state of the art high school is built for the kids of Watertown. Moxley Field is named after my uncle, PFC Richard Stephen Moxley. All of Richie’s immediate family have passed away, and I wanted to reach out to you before a final decision is made. Growing up in Watertown after his death, most people I met would mention Uncle Richie fondly and share how they had known him or grown up with him. Moxley Field is a dedicated reminder of his ultimate sacrifice in the Vietnam War, and the sacrifices of others.

Letters

LETTER: Group of Parents Support Using Moxley Field as Site for Temporary High School

By |

As WPS parents, We are writing in support of the proposal to build a new WHS on its current site and to use a section of Moxley Park as swing space during construction. There are many important reasons for this choice: this proposal will provide the best possible educational experience for students during construction; it will minimize the construction timeline; it will create the space needed to build a state-of-the-art, 21st Century high school for Watertown; and, it will reduce overall project costs. This investment requires temporary sacrifices from abutters, students and families. We are all sharing this burden, but the benefits far outweigh the temporary inconveniences. This project will benefit the entire Watertown community for generations to come.

Around Town

Watertown-Based Women’s Health Organization Names New Member of Board of Directors

By |

The following announcement was provided by Pathfinder International:

Pathfinder International is excited to announce that Nayé Bathily has joined its Board of Directors. An experienced leader in advocacy and diplomacy, Ms. Bathily has a deep and abiding passion for reproductive health and years of experience serving at-risk women and girls. She also possesses an acute understanding of public policy. As Senior Officer for External Affairs and Head of Global Parliamentary Engagement at the World Bank, Ms. Bathily leads advocacy and high-level outreach to key governmental stakeholders around the world. While there, she helped create the World Bank’s Parliamentary Network and the International Monetary Fund, which aids lawmakers in advocating for increased accountability and transparency in development financing. She has also worked extensively within World Bank donor (e.g. Europe, U.S.) and program regions (e.g. Africa, Asia, Latin America).

Schools

Watertown Student 1 of 20 from Minuteman High School SkillsUSA Medalists

By |

The following announcement was provided by Minuteman High School:

Twenty students from Minuteman High School and four adult students from Minuteman Technical Institute received medals in the SkillsUSA Massachusetts state competition on Friday, May 7. Three high school students and one adult student will compete in the national SkillsUSA competition in June, which will be held virtually. 

More than 370,000 vocational-technical students participate in SkillsUSA competitions nationwide annually. Students demonstrate their knowledge in their career technical area of study along with employability and safety skills. Minuteman High School Awards:

The three Minuteman High School students who are heading to the national competition are Noah Varghese and Dean O’Brien, Environmental Science majors, and John O’Brien, a Biotechnology major. All three are from Arlington; Dean and John are brothers. Their competition was in the natural resources, agriculture, and food category; their project involved collecting and testing water samples in their community. The following Minuteman High School students also received awards in the SkillsUSA state competition: 

Arya De Francesco of Lexington, grade 9, Design and Visual Communications major: gold medal in sticker design.

Entertainment

Revels, Perkins School for the Blind Present 20th Annual Springtime Concert

By |

The following information was provided by Revels:

“Ships are safest in harbor – but that is not what ships are built for.”  

Since the whole world has been confined during the pandemic it’s time to invite you to join us for our 20th annual springtime collaboration with the talented Perkins School community – and this year, we are going to sea!   

Revels and Perkins School for the Blind started collaborating on seasonal celebrations and springtime music programs over two decades ago when the Revels offices moved to Watertown. Over time, the event has blossomed into an annual tradition and is one of the most memorable and rewarding events of the year for us and the audiences we serve. Normally held in-person on the Perkins campus, this year’s production serves up old songs through new technology as our combined choruses – their voices freshly and safely recorded – present A Virtual Sea Revels Adventure, a maritime tale with sea songs, poetry and chanteys galore!  

With Revels Artistic Director Paddy Swanson as our guide, song leader David Coffin as our chanteyman and Perkins students and Revels singers our bold crew, we will board ship, haul sails, man the pumps and face the perils and thrills of an ocean voyage in a sailing ship. You can sing with us or just come along for the ride; we just can’t wait to get out on the ocean!­­­­ 

This year’s performers include:

David Coffin, chanteyman

Patrick Swanson, Narrator

The Revels Singers

The Revels Children 

and

The Perkins Secondary Program Chorus, Arnie Harris, director

Through this virtual production and the many live collaborations throughout the years, Revels and Perkins School for the Blind are delighted to demonstrate the power of traditional music, song and ritual to bridge cultures and eliminate boundaries.