Schools

2 Grades at Minuteman High School Return to In-Person Learning

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Minuteman High School sophomores Olivia O’Neill and Annie Bronson work on a carpentry project on March 1, 2021. The following information was provided by Minuteman High School:

March 2021

Dear Minuteman High School Community,

We’re beginning the month on an exciting note: We’ve safely brought back more students for daily in-person learning and we’ve begun the acceptance process for next year’s ninth graders. It was a great feeling to welcome more students back into our new building on March 1, when we increased to two grades of students receiving in-person instruction. Safety and science have been at the forefront of our planning, and the commitment of students and staff to wear masks and follow safety precautions is allowing students to learn in a safe and healthy environment. There is no replacement for in-person learning, which is critical for growing academic, career technical education (CTE), and social-emotional skills – along with fostering a sense of normalcy.

Police/Fire

Superintendent Responds to Anti-Police Video Shown at Middle School

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Watertown Middle School

Watertown Superintendent Dede Galdston sent a letter on Saturday about the showing of a video with an anti-police bias to a class at Watertown Middle School in February. The video came to light last week on the Turtle Boy website. Follow Watertown News this week for more coverage. The following is the text of Galdston’s letter:

Good evening, WPS Parents, Guardians, Faculty, and Staff:

I recently became aware of an incident that occurred in a Watertown Middle School Community Meeting in which students were shown a video with a strong anti-police sentiment. The video, along with the follow-up discussion, did damage to our school and community, was hurtful to students and families; for that, we are deeply sorry.

Entertainment

Small Saves Has Hockey on the Brain in This Week’s Cartoon

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James DeMarco grew up in Watertown and became a goaltender at age 5. It’s his life’s passion to stand between the pipes and keep the puck out of the net. Combining this with the love of cartooning Small Saves emerged in 1991 and took on a life of his own. “To play goal–then come home and draw Small Saves — is my ideal definition of a good day.”

Entertainment

New Rep’s Virtual Interactive Play Focuses on Indigenous History

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“Moving Play” Playwright, Mwalim Morgan J. Peters (Mashpee Wampanoag), and Director Jaime Carrillo (Aymara). The following announcement was provided by New Rep Theatre:

On March 18, New Repertory Theatre, the Pigsgusset Initiative, and the Watertown Free Public Library invite you to a dynamic community conversation about local Indigenous history and the role of Indigenous culture keepers in challenging narratives that attempt to erase them. In May 2021, New Repertory Theatre will premiere their second Moving Play, centering on local Indigenous history. This virtual, interactive event affords members of the community an opportunity to speak with the Moving Play Playwright, Mwalim Morgan J. Peters (Mashpee Wampanoag), and Director, Jaime Carrillo (Aymara). Dr. Mishy Lesser, of the Upstander Project and the Pigsgusset Initiative, will moderate this inspired dialogue, which includes participation from the audience.

Arts

See How to Find Art Works Created for Watertown’s Drive-by Exhibit

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The following announcement came from the organizers of YardArt Waterotwn:

YardArt Watertown 2021 is the first annual outdoor art exhibition featuring the work of over 120 artists and art enthusiasts. The town-wide exhibit begins Friday, March 5th and runs through April 2nd and features a variety of art projects displayed on residents’ front yards and porches. The free, self-guided tour is a COVID-safe community event for anyone walking or driving through Watertown. YardArt locations are marked by yard signs and will appear on an interactive online map (coming soon, click here), along with creators’ statements and photos. A special temporary sculpture exhibit is on display at the Commander’s Mansion at Arsenal on the Charles.

Entertainment

Mosesian Center for the Arts Reimagining Itself in 2021

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The following announcement was provided by the Mosesian Center for the Arts:

Closed since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mosesian Center for the Arts has had to reimagine its programming. In the past year, the nonprofit has kept its virtual doors open, however, for programs like Watertown Children’s Theatre, providing exceptional online production opportunities and classes, and for free online content, including an Annual Meeting, on its website and social media. The MCA has even reimagined itself with a new Executive Director, Darren Farrington, who joined the arts center last August. “In this year of upending change for the arts and all of our community,” Farrington said in an announcement to the center’s membership, “the MCA is embracing the opportunity for more change. We’ve been reimagining the look and functionality of our building itself.”

Since last summer, the MCA has quietly been conducting a feasibility study with architects from Sasaki Associates for a renovation of lobby and gallery spaces, classrooms, and administrative offices.

Around Town

March at the Library: Ask Doctors About COVID, New Rep Moving Play & Trivia Night

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The Watertown Free Public Library. The following information was provided by the Watertown Library:

On Thursday, March 18, the New Repertory Theatre, the Pigsgusset Initiative, and the Watertown Free Public Library invite you to a dynamic community conversation with culture keepers about local Indigenous history. In May, the New Rep will premiere their second Moving Play, written by Mwalim Morgan J. Peters (Mashpee Wampanoag), and directed by Jaime Carrillo (Aymara). This event is a unique opportunity to hear from the playwright and director as they discuss challenging narratives that attempt to erase them. We hope you will join us, virtually, for an inspired, interactive, dialog moderated by Dr. Mishy Lesser of The Upstander Project.

Letters

LETTER: Group Seeks Racial Equity in Policing in Watertown

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The following piece was provided by the Watertown Joint Police Reform Group:

Given the national dialogue about the disparate impact policing has had on people of color throughout our history, it should come as no surprise that Watertown is also impacted by systemic racism. For example, in 2018-19 Black residents were arrested at a rate 5-6 times their percentage of the Watertown population. Watertown Joint Police Reform Group (WJPRG) is a coalition of four grassroots citizen groups that has been working on police reform proposals since last summer. The coalition comprises Uplift Watertown, Watertown Citizens for Black Lives (WCBL), the Kingian Response Team Working Group on Non-Violence Training, and the Kingian Response Team Working Group on a Watertown Police Department (WPD) Community Advisory Board. The group hopes to raise awareness among town residents of the practical ways that the WPD could address the disparate impacts of policing on people of color.