Schools

Watertown Student Makes Honor Roll at State’s Largest Virtual School

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TEC Connections Academy (TECCA), the Commonwealth’s largest virtual school, announced its first-ever Honor Roll and High Honor Roll, recognizing more than 350 students for their academic excellence. Based in Walpole, TECCA serves over 1,300 students from across Massachusetts in grades K-12 and employs more than 50 teachers and support personnel. “I am so proud of our TECCA students for their continued academic achievements,” said TECCA Superintendent Adam Goldberg. “From the staff committed to giving our students an excellent education, to the families who work every day behind the scenes to support students, our Honor and High Honor Roll recognize the hard work of the entire TECCA community.”

Students on Honor Roll and High Honor Roll, like Olympe Nalbandian of Watertown, maintained a high grade average in the previous semester and were honored last week during a virtual award ceremony. The first-ever Honor Roll builds on TECCA’s recent milestones.

Charity

Watertown-Belmont Chamber Hosting $10,000 Raffle

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Now is your chance to get your tickets for the Watertown-Belmont Chamber of Commerce’s $10,000 Raffle. The raffle takes place Friday, March 24, 2017, from 7-10 p.m. at Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (VHB), 101 Walnut Street, Watertown, MA

The Grand Prize is $10,000. The evening will include a 50/50 split the pot and additional raffles. The evening features catered light faire, music, beer and wine. Only 300 tickets at $100 each will be sold.

Entertainment

Pianist Performing Music from the Harlem Renaissance at the Library

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The Watertown Free Public Library will host a pianist who will perform a variety of music from the Harlem Renaissance as part of the events associated with the One Book, One Watertown book Homegoing. The library sent out the following announcement:

Due to unforseen circumstances, the Uptown String Quartet will not be able to perform this Sunday as planned. We didn’t want to leave you without a fun Sunday afternoon of music, so we’ve invited Piano Phil DeVille to perform in the same time slot. Piano Phil DeVille will take a musical journey through the sounds of the Harlem Renaissance. From Eubie Blake’s Ragtime stylings, through early Boogie, and onto the titans of Harlem Stride: Willie “The Lion” Smith, Fats Waller, and James P. Johnson.

Government

LETTER: Council Would Overstep its Authority by Making the Town a Sanctuary City

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Open Letter to Honorable Watertown Town Council President and Councilors,

I’m writing to weigh in, as a Watertown Citizen, Taxpayer, and Voter on any possible measure that would declare Watertown a Sanctuary City or in anyway and or any measure that uses the Watertown Town Council as a partisan vehicle to make statements about Federal Immigration Policy. The Town Council is elected to govern Watertown. That being the case, its role is limited to municipal issues. While Public Safety and the actions of our Police Department fall within the purview of the Council’s authority, anything remotely connected for Federal Immigration Law or National Security is far beyond the scope of the Council’s Authority. Further passing proclamations, resolutions, or ordinances that make political statements, in order to appease partisan special interest groups, is nothing short of an abhorrent abuse of the Town Council’s time and the Town’s resources.

Around Town

Watertown Boys & Girls Club Announces Youth of the Year Winner

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Watertown Boys & Girls Club hosted their annual “Youth of the Year” event and selected Club member, Kat Nilov as their winner, who will move on to compete at the state-level. Youth of the Year, a national Boys & Girls Clubs initiative, is a recognition program that celebrates the incredible achievements of Club members ages 14-18. This year, four Watertown Club members were chosen as candidates based on their active participation and excellent character. Noah Brennan, Sajda Abbas, Kat Nilov, and Didar Jajan are all a constant presence at the Whites Avenue site, acting as positive role models for the Club’s youth members. Each candidate was asked to write a two-page essay sharing how the Club has impacted them and to prepare a brief speech.

Around Town

Watertown Youth Coalition Hosts a Film on Growing up in the Digital Age

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The film Screenagers is coming to the Watertown Free Public Library on Thursday, March 23, from 7-8:30 p.m., the Watertown Youth Coalition announced.Screenagers reveals how tech time impacts kids’ development and offers solutions on how adults can empower kids to best navigate the digital world and find balance. The target audience is middle school students and their parents, but this is appropriate for all ages. Join us for a screening followed by a panel discussion led by youth. Seating is limited and this is expected to be a SOLD OUT Event. Tickets are FREE but you must reserve your spot ahead of time.

Around Town

Watertown Library to Close for 2 Days During 4 Weeks of Carpet Replacement

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The carpets at the Watertown Free Public Library will be replaced beginning Monday, March 13 and installation will continue until Friday, April 7, library officials announced. This four week project will impact access to certain parts of the building. We will remain open for the duration of the project with the exception of Thursday, April 6 and Friday, April 7 when the library will be closed both days. During the installation patrons can expect limited access to areas of the building on weekdays from opening at 9 a.m. until around 3 p.m. after which all areas of the library should be accessible. Library staff will do as much as possible to help retrieve materials from any areas that are affected.

Entertainment

3 Artists Featured in Latest Exhibit at Room 83 Spring, ‘Life: from life’

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The latest exhibition at the Room 83 Spring gallery features the work of three artists. Life: from life runs from March 9 to April 22, and there will be a reception on Saturday, March 11, from 3-5 p.m. Gallery Hours: Thursdays 3-5 p.m., Saturdays 1-4 p.m. or by appointment. The gallery sent out the following information:

Room 83 Spring is pleased to present Life: from life, a show exploring the intimacies of proximity and place in contemporary portraiture and interiors. In paintings by Laura Chasman and Nancy Gruskin, and sculpture by Leslie Sills, the domestic domain is celebrated as a deeply personal cache, tender, trend-free, timeless. From Alice Neel to Alex Katz, Fairfield Porter to David Park, Marisol to Mapplethorpe – Chasman, Gruskin, and Sills extend a lineage attesting to the visual richness of familial inspiration. Friends and family could be a loaded subject.