Armenian Genocide

106 Year Old Woman Shares Haunting Tale of Surviving the Armenian Genocide

By |

Seeing the cheerful personality and smile on the face of Asdghig Alemian’s face, you would never know the horrors and harsh conditions she lived through as a young girl. At the age of just five, Alemian watched family members die, was separated from her mother and made a harrowing journey just to be taken in by an abusive Turkish family. Now, at age 106, the Weymouth resident is one of the “last surviving survivors of the Armenian Genocide,” said Roxanne Makasdjian, a member of GenEd Board of Directors and UC Berkeley Manager of Broadcast Communications who interviewed Alemian at the Armenian Museum of America in Watertown. The interview was part of a day-long program by The Genocide Education Project, called “Understanding the Armenian Genocide through Primary Sources,” to teach educators about the Armenian Genocide and was attended by teachers from the Watertown Public Schools, St. Stephen’s Armenian School, and other schools in the Boston area.

Around Town

Free Mental Health First Aid Training Offered to Resident Age 50 and Over

By |

A workshop on how to spot the signs of mental health disorders for residents age 50 and over will be offered by the Wayside Multi Service Center in June. The FREE Mental Health First Aid Training for Watertown residents age 50 and over will take place June 28 AND 29, 5-9 p.m.

Participants must attend both days for certification

Location: Watertown High School – Alumni Room, 50 Columbia Road, Watertown

A person you know could be experiencing a mental health or substance use problem. Learn an action plan to help. Older adults have high rates of late-onset mental health disorders, like anxiety and depression, and low rates of identification and treatment. Learn how to help a friend, family member, coworker or neighbor in need. Get trained AND certified in Mental Health First Aid.

Around Town

Watertown Savings Branch Manager Named a Community Bank Hero

By |

Watertown Savings Bank (WSB) Assistant Vice President and Branch Manager William Burgess has been named a Community Bank Hero by The Warren Group and Banker & Tradesman. Community Bank Heroes is an annual award that honors the achievements, commitment and dedication of financial professionals who go above and beyond for their institution and community. Eleven other Massachusetts community bankers also received the award. “It is a pleasure to recognize and honor the hard work and dedication of this year’s recipients of the Community Bank Heroes Award,” said Timothy M. Warren Jr., CEO of the Warren Group. “Each individual’s approach to their profession represents a true passion for their work and an admirable commitment to the communities in which they serve.”

Burgess has worked for WSB for 23 years, starting out as a teller.

Abused Dog

Fund Created for Sully, the Abused Dog Found in Watertown

By |

A fund has been set up to raise money for the care and recovery of “Sully Doe,” the abused pit bull found emaciated at Home Depot in Watertown on June 4. 

Watertown Animal Control Officer Karen O’Reilly said she has been amazed by the level of concern people have shown for Sully. “There has been an incredible outpouring of love and concern for Sully,” O’Reilly announced on the Watertown Animal Control Facebook page. “We have been thankfully inundated with calls from great people as far away as California asking to donate to his care.” For now, O’Reilly is caring for the dog, who was only half the weight he was supposed to be when he was found, and had what appeared to be cigarette burns on him. “He is staying with me so I can keep a close eye on him,” O’Reilly said.

Around Town

PETA Offers $5,000 for Info Leading to Arrest of Abuser of Watertown Dog

By |

The animal rights group PETA has stepped forward to offer $5,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for abusing the dog found in Watertown. 

The story of “Sully Doe” – the emaciated dog with possible cigarette burns found at Home Depot – has spread far past Watertown and been met with sadness and disdain. On Wednesday, PETA announced it would offer the reward. Sully, a young pit bull, was taken in by the Watertown Animal Control Officer on June 4 and then taken to a veterinarian for treatment. The 1-year old dog had several wounds that appeared to be cigarette burns on his chest and hind legs, and notches cut into his ears. He weighed only 26 pounds, which is about half the expected weight for a dog of his size.

Around Town

New England Patriots Honor Watertown Charity That Helps the Troops

By |

Operation American Soldier received an award from the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation for its work sending care packages to American servicemen and women across the globe from its base at the Marine Corps League’s Charles J. Shutt Detachment in Watertown. Founder Wendy Rocca was one of 26 recipients of the Myra Kraft Community MVP Award at a luncheon held on June 2 at Gillette Stadium. Among those on hand were Patriots Owner Bob Kraft, QB Tom Brady and tight end Rob Gonkowski. “It was a wonderful, memorable experience!” Rocca said.

Around Town

24 Groups Receive Share of $75K from Watertown Community Foundation

By |

On June 2, the Watertown Community Foundation (WCF) held a reception for its 24 spring grantees at the Arsenal Center for the Arts where it distributed over $75,000. Since WCF’s founding in 2003, it has awarded over $725,000 in grants to nonprofits serving Watertown. At the event, WCF Board Co-President, David Siegel, introduced newly hired Executive Director, Jennie Bass. Then as he handed out the checks, outgoing Executive Director, Michael Schade, stated, “We are fortunate to have these outstanding organizations working to make Watertown a special town, and we are lucky our Community Foundation exists to help support them.”

All of the grants are funded from WCF’s Arsenal Education Income Fund. 13 Educational Program Grants totaling $22,943 were given to:

Cunniff Elementary School for an afterschool parent-child book club fostering reading for pleasure and academic success.

Around Town

School Officials Have New Plan for Addressing Overcrowding Next Fall

By |

After hearing the concerns of parents about a proposal to move preschool, Pre-K and even kindergarten classes around the district, Watertown School officials presented a second plan, which got better – but still mixed – reviews at a packed meeting at Watertown High School Monday night. The new plan calls for moving one Early Steps Integrated Preschool class from Hosmer Elementary School to the Phillips Building (an old school on Common Street) which along with another Early Steps class already slated to be at the Phillips. In addition, one PreK class each from Cunniff, Lowell and Hosmer elementary schools would move to the Phillips, too, Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald said. The first proposal was more complicated, and called for more moves, including moving all the Early Steps classes from the Hosmer to the Phillips, and moving Pre-K classes from the Lowell and the Cunniff. It also proposed moving a Cunniff kindergarten over to the Hosmer, and later a second Cunniff kindergarten was proposed to move, too.