Around Town

Watertown Cable Employee Honored as Emerging Leader

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Watertown Cable Access TVWatertown Cable Access TV Assistant Director Andrea Santopietro received the 2022 Emerging Leader Award from the Alliance for Community Media. The following announcement was provided by Watertown Cable Access:

Watertown Cable Access Corp. (WCA-TV) is very excited to announce that its Assistant Director, Andrea Santopietro, has received the 2022 Emerging Leader Award from the Alliance for Community Media (ACM). Andrea accepted her award during the national ACM conference in Chicago at the end of June. 

The national ACM conference brings together representatives from public access television stations and media centers from all over the country for three days of networking, vendor presentations, workshops, and awards recognition. 

“Ever since joining WCA-TV Andrea has brought fresh ideas, a spirit of collaboration, and a willingness not only to learn more, but to share her knowledge with volunteers, coworkers, and community organizations,” said WCA-TV Executive Director Helen Chatel. 

The Emerging Leader Award recognizes a professional who is under 40 years of age working in the field of community media who demonstrates the values of building community through media on a consistent basis. 

“I am so honored to have received this award, and I will continue to work hard in making my community and organization the best that it can be,” Andrea said. 

Mike Wassenaar, President & CEO at Alliance for Community Media and Andre Santopietro, Assistant Director of WCA-TV at the awards ceremony in Chicago. Addressing the audience during an awards ceremony in Chicago, Andrea reflected on her role with WCA-TV, which includes coordinating coverage and broadcast of Watertown’s municipal meetings, organizing and teaching workshops, and working with volunteers to help them produce programming. 

“Even with the administrative responsibility of an Assistant Director, I am still able to do what I love and incorporate it in my day to day life at the station,” Andrea said.

Around Town

New Youth Engagement Specialist Joins Watertown Youth Coalition

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Watertown Youth CoalitionRaphael Marinho joined the Watertown Youth Coalition as the Youth Engagement Specialist. The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Youth Coalition:

Raphael Marinho is the new Youth Engagement Specialist at Wayside Multi-Service Center and will be working with Watertown Youth in two capacities: as the Watertown Youth Coalition Peer Leadership Advisor and will also be available to intervene with youth engaged in or at-risk for substance misuse. He will screen, assess, and refer youth to appropriate programs and activities that support their health and wellness. Raphael immigrated from Brazil to get his college education in the U.S., where he studied psychology and acquired a master’s degree in Community Social Psychology. Through a work-study opportunity at an early literacy program, he found his passion for education and community work with at-risk youth and immigrant families.

Around Town

Call for Artists to Create Images of Edible Plants Found in Watertown

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The following information was provided by the City of Watertown:

The Watertown Public Arts & Culture Committee is pleased to launch the first project of Edible Watertown, a long-term interdisciplinary project that promotes awareness of our local environment through community engagement and the artistic and scientific exploration of plants native to Watertown. Edible Watertown aims to uplift the importance of native flora and their ecosystems to connect people with the environment right outside their door. The community connections created by this local movement, in response to the global issue of climate change, will encourage us all to be better stewards of the environment and increase recognition of the known natural gifts in our community. About “Edible Watertown: Plants of Our Past”

In Plants of our Past, 10 artists will be selected to each create a 2-dimensional artwork, one for each of 10 native edible plants in Watertown:

1.    Bearberry2.    Bee Balm3.    Daylily4.    Garlic Chives5.    Mountain Mint6.    Wintergreen7.    Mayapple8.    Red Bud9.    Elderberry10.  Huckleberry

Artists will be selected anonymously by a jury that includes the Edible Watertown Subcommittee of the Public Arts & Culture Committee. Artists will be selected based on a review of their previous work, their ability to complete projects on time (as evidenced by their resumes), their alignment with the Public Arts & Culture Committee’s mission and values and/or Edible Watertown (as evidenced by their artist statement and/or bio) and weighted by their proximity to Watertown.

Around Town

Assisted Living Facility in Historic Building Gets Improvements Under New Leaders

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The Brigham House assisted living community is housed in Watertown’s former East Junior High School. Residents of the Brigham House assisted living community in Watertown live in a historic building, but the century-plus old facility has gotten some sprucing up recently. The credit for the improvements to the Brigham House goes to some people new to their positions at the community, which is run by HallKeen Management. Wendy Nollman took over as executive director at the Brigham House in early April. She has already left her mark, said Tabitha Jones, sales specialist at HallKeen.

Around Town

Watertown Artists Invited to Learn About Online Networking Tool

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Watertown artists are invited to learn about making connections, marketing themselves, and how to use the online database called Creative Ground. The virtual networking event will be presented by the Watertown Public Arts & Culture Committee and the Watertown Business Coalition. The session takes take place on Monday, July 18, from 7-8 p.m. on Zoom. Creative Ground 2.0 is a relaunch of an online database of New England artists and cultural organizations hosted by the New England Foundation for the Arts, said Watertown Public Arts & Culture Planner Liz Helfer. “It’s a wonderful tool for artists to be found for different opportunities across the region, and a way for organizations to find artists and other organizations to work with,” Helfer said.

Around Town

Charles River Chamber Hosting Free Networking Event in Watertown

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The Charles River Chamber will host a free coffee networking event at Arsenal Yards in July. Make connections at the event at the River Green near Roche Bros. in Arsenal Yards. Also joining the event will be the Watertown Business Coalition. Members of both groups and non-members are welcome

The Charles River Chamber serves Watertown, Newton, Needham, and Wellesley.