Schools

Watertown Student Named to First Semester Dean’s List at Holy Cross

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Olivia Venezia, a first year student at the College of the Holy Cross, has been named to the Dean’s List for the first semester of 2017-18 academic year, the college announced. 

She is the daughter of Michael and Rosanna Venezia of Watertown. She has not declared a major. The Watertown High School graduate also plays on the Holy Cross varsity field hockey team. The College of the Holy Cross (www.holycross.edu), located in Worcester, Mass., is among the nation’s leading liberal arts institutions. A highly selective, four-year, exclusively undergraduate college of 2,900 students, Holy Cross is renowned for offering a rigorous, personalized education in the Jesuit, Catholic tradition.

Police/Fire

Exam for Middlesex Sheriff’s Correctional Officers to be Held in February

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Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian announced the next Correction Officer entrance exam will be held Saturday, February 24 in Lowell, Mass. Individuals interested in registering for the exam may do so by visiting the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office website (www.middlesexsheriff.org) betweenJanuary 25 and 1 p.m. on February 15. There is no charge for the exam, however advance registration is required. “The Middlesex Sheriff’s Office has become a recognized leader in the field of corrections and we are seeking highly qualified, motivated men and women to join our team,” said Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian. Applicants must be 21 years of age, a resident of Massachusetts by the date of the exam and eligible to work in the United States in compliance with federal law.  Individuals must also have a high school degree or equivalent certificate and possess a valid motor vehicle license.

Around Town

Grant Information Session for Groups Providing Services for Older Adults in Watertown

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Groups that provide services to older adults in Watertown can get help applying for grants from the Marshall Home Fund. The Fund sent out the following information:

Do you provide services or programs for older adults living in Watertown?  If so, consider attending the Marshall Home Fund’s annual Grant Information Session on February 8, 12:30-2:00 p.m. in the WSB room, Watertown Public Library, 123 Main St., Watertown. (Snow date February 13). The Marshall Home Fund provides modest grants to public and non-profit organizations addressing the health, housing, transportation and well being of adults 55 and older. Come learn about our 2018 priorities and our revised grant application, which will be due March 16, 2018.

Environment

OP-ED: Sen. Brownsberger Looks at Local Flooding Risks From Climate Change

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As a legislator, I’ve been concerned to reduce our contributions to climate change.  Over the last few weeks, I’ve been trying to better understand the local flooding risks caused by the climate changes we seem unable to prevent. It’s hard to know how much the seas are going to rise. First, no one knows how much the people of the world will be able to reduce carbon emissions. Second, even within a given emissions scenario, the uncertainties are considerable.  For example, if we just assume continually growing emissions, the estimates of probable local sea level rise vary by a factor of two from 3.2 feet to 7.4 feet by 2100. Much of Boston lies quite low, so these uncertainties matter.

Around Town

Tour Life-Friendly Gardens at Homes Around Watertown

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Organizers of the Life-Friendly Garden Tour sent out the following announcement:

Imagine a Sunday afternoon in May, redbud and dogwood in blossom, tulips and late narcissus in bloom, where bees are buzzing, robins are singing, and either you are welcoming others to enjoy and learn from your chemical-free garden or yard, or you are the visitor, viewing flourishing plantings and learning from your host or hostess about healthy, earth-friendly gardens.On Sunday May 6 from 2:00 – 5:00 p.m., a chemical-free, admission-free garden tour will be sponsored by Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice, and the Environment. This will be the 20th Life-Friendly Garden Tour since the first one in 2007. Owners of the sites on the tour will share their growing spaces, large and small, where plants of all kinds thrive best without the use of synthetic chemicals – pesticides, fungicides, herbicides. “Cide” means kill and these products threaten the wellbeing of plants and animals, and of the planet. Synthetic fertilizers do indeed feed the plant, but at the expense of the soil, which it degrades.

Around Town

Watertown Community Foundation Co-President Emcees 18th Unity Breakfast

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Darshna Varia, Watertown Community Foundation Co-President, was selected as the Honorary Convener for the 18th Annual Unity Breakfast, held on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to celebrate Dr. King’s vision, the foundation announced. The Breakfast draws hundreds every year, and on January 15, 2018 over four hundred attendees were welcomed with Varia’s reflections of her own exposure to Kingian thought and action. Having grown up in Kenya, Varia described her own introduction to the power of resistance to oppression with the 1990 release from prison of African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela. As many Americans may have recalled where they were when Dr. King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech, she recounted the sense of energy and possibility many in Africa felt when Mandela was freed. She noted that increasingly attendees would remember other visionary leaders, inspired by Dr. King, making it all the more important for each generation to recall King’s dream, to take stock of the work necessary to make it real, and to recommit itself to the task.

Letters

LETTER: Kneeling During Pledge is Not Un-American, It Stands Up for Others

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Taking a knee is not disrespecting the flag. Nor is it disrespecting the sacrifices of those who have served. Rather it is exercising one of the freedoms that our forefathers fought to preserve. Freedom is like a muscle – it must be exercised or it will atrophy.  Exercising one’s right to protest peacefully is in fact honoring the sacrifices of those who have preceded us.

Around Town

Find Out How to Apply for Jobs With Watertown Recreation

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The Watertown Recreation Department announced it is now accepting applications for the following positions for the 2018 calendar year. This includes immediate employment as a part time member of the staff throughout the year or seasonal work during the summer months. Applicants must be entering the 9th grade (Fall 2018) or older to be considered. Positions Available: Program Directors, Program Supervisors, Program Staff, Program Counselors, Counselor in Training, Nurse, Specialists, Pequossette Staff, Park Instructors, Program Staff and Park Rangers. For all new applicants, the following documentation must be completed and returned to the Watertown Recreation Department as soon as employment is desired on or before Friday, April 20, 2018
• Cover Letter (Word Document)
• Current Resume (Word Document)
• Letter of Reference
• Application for Employment – Recreation Section Included
• All new candidates will be interviewed by the Director of Recreation
• All returning seasonal employees must provide documentation for First Aid, AED and CPR
• New hires will have 6 months from their date of employment to complete First Aid, AED and CPR Certification
• All applicants will also complete CORI and SORI forms, and other documents as part of the application process.