Schools

Watertown Schools Announce Finalists for Superintendent Position

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The Watertown School Committee is pleased to announce that two candidates for the position of School Superintendent have been recommended by the Search Committee for its consideration. The candidates are:
• Deanne Galdston, Ed.D. of Newton, currently Assistant Superintendent, Billerica Public Schools
• Arthur Unobskey, Ed.D. of Lexington, currently Assistant Superintendent, Gloucester Public Schools
At the February 13, 2017 School Committee meeting the names of these finalists will be formally presented to the School Committee. The Committee will discuss the ensuing process for interviewing and ultimately selecting one person as the new Superintendent, to start July 1, 2017. Each candidate will be invited to Watertown for a one-day visit that includes a tour of the school buildings, educator and community forums, and an interview with the School Committee. The tentative dates set for these visits are Thursday, March 2 and Monday, March 6.

Schools

Watertown Girl Named Student of the Term by Minuteman High School

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Minuteman High School has selected four outstanding students as Students of the Term for Term Two of the current school year, including one from Watertown, according to the school. This honor is awarded every term to one student from each grade level based upon nominations from teachers. The criteria include exceptional academic achievement and good citizenship, according to Assistant Principal Brian Tildsley. The students chosen are freshman Paul Gleason of Wayland, sophomore Tazmin Anbar of Watertown, junior Brodie Hawkes of Waltham and senior Catherine Maxwell of Arlington. All four were given certificates in recognition of this award, had a photo taken with the teachers who nominated them and were treated to lunch at Minuteman’s student-run restaurant, The Fife & Drum.

Snow Emergency

Watertown Declares Snow Emergency, Schools Closed

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A major storm will hit Watertown Thursday, and already schools have been closed and a snow emergency has been declared. 

The Watertown Public Schools will be closed Thursday, according to the list of school closings on WCVB’s website. Also, there will be no evening activities. Snow Emergency
A winter weather event is predicted with high winds and 8-14 inches of snow accumulation in our area. The Superintendent of Public Works has declared a snow emergency effective 6 a.m. Thursday, February 9, 2017 and will remain in effect until further notice. Parking Ban

On street parking will be banned and any motor vehicle left on the street will be subject to towing until further notice.

Dean's List

Watertown Student Makes Dean’s List at the University of Maine

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The University of Maine recognized 2,298 students for achieving Dean’s List honors in the fall 2016 semester. Of the students who made the Dean’s List, 1,714 are from Maine, 523 are from 31 other states and 61 are from 27 countries other than the U.S.

Among the students who received Dean’s List honors for fall 2016, completing 12 or more credit hours in the semester and earning a grade point average of 3.5 or higher, was Watertown’s Cody Orvik.

Entertainment

Plumbing Museum Hosting Exhibition of Work by First Artist-in-Residence

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On February 23, 2017, the Plumbing Museum will premiere the work of Ryan Leitner, an inaugural artist and participant in the Manoog Family Artist-in-Residency program, the museum announced. Leitner’s two-month long exhibition in the museum will showcase a series of artworks created during his three-month residency in Watertown as part of the new program launched last fall in partnership with J.C. Cannistraro. Entitled Past the Curtain to See the Bones, Leitner’s exhibition will explore the architecture and archive of the Plumbing Museum through his signature style of painting and sculpture. Leading up to his residency, Leitner’s work has explored the act of traveling thorough a confined space. “I got tired of looking outside of the box for new material, so I dug deeper within it” explains Leitner.

Entertainment

Watertown Boys & Girls Club Hosting Kids Night Out This Friday

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Watertown Boys & Girls Club will host another “Kids Night Out” event on Friday, February 10 from 7-10 p.m. Kids can be dropped off at the Club that night and enjoy a variety of activities! The night will include cookie decorating, free swim, nail painting, tattoos, popcorn & movie, pony hops and games! This event serves as a fundraiser for the Watertown Wavemakers swim team – all proceeds will help them cover the cost of traveling to St. Petersburg, Fla., for the National Boys & Girls Club Swim Meet this April. The event is open to children ages 6 to 12.

Government

LETTER: Watertown Tree Group Opposes Removal of Trees Along Path

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The existence of substantial shade trees on Cambridge property along Watertown’s Linear Park may not have been planned, but the positive environmental and community contributions of these trees to Watertown are very real and quantifiable.  Using the USDA Forest Service’s program i-Tree, a large healthy urban tree is typically assessed at many thousands of dollars in cumulative services and benefits. Regarding Cambridge’s asserted necessity to take these trees down, we must question how likely it is that shade tree species which typically have a maximum root depth of 18 inches can damage a water main that is reportedly as many as 8-10 feet underground. Cambridge is undertaking takedown of these trees, and official Watertown is acquiescing, with no public acknowlegement of the extent of negative impact this large-scale degradation of green infrastructure will have in the heart of Watertown:  damage to wildlife corridor, elimination of cooling summer shade for neighboring homes, the loss of natural interest and calming beauty which these tall trees have provided for pedestrians taking this quiet path through the congested center of Watertown. On the Cambridge City Arborist website as well as on Cambridge streets, we see evidence that Cambridge increasingly recognizes and invests in the valuable infrastructural role urban trees play in managing stormwater and in cooling urban hardscape in summer, as well as in providing beauty and a restorative connection with nature for its citizens – within its own city borders. Does Cambridge equally recognize the value of preserving shade trees on their property in Watertown?

Government

Watertown Recreation Department Seeks Summer Employees

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The Watertown Recreation Department is now accepting applications for the following positions for the 2017 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 2017) or older to be considered. Positions Available: Program Directors, Program Supervisors, Program Staff, Program Counselors, Counselor in Training, Nurse, Specialists, Pequossette Staff, Park Instructors, and Park Rangers. For all new applicants, the following documentation must be completed and returned to the Watertown Recreation Department on or before Friday, March 10, 2017

• 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.