Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/category/schools/)
The main entrance to the new Watertown High School on Columbia Street. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)
The new Watertown High School will welcome students for the beginning of School in September, and the public will be able to take a look around before the first day of classes. The first day of school is Sept. 8, 2026, but a grand opening for the new High School will take place on Sept. 2 at 3 p.m., said City Council President Mark Sideris, who is chair of the School Building Committee.
Watertown’s Director of Student Services will be stepping down before the beginning of school in September. The announcement came after parents of students in the special education program aired their complaints at the second straight School Committee meeting. A group of more than 100 parents also signed a petition requesting that the School Committee take a vote of no confidence for the Director of Student Services, who oversees the special education program. At the meeting on July 22, members of the School Committee requested that the Watertown School administration make special education its priority. Some committee members also asked for the creation of a subcommittee to focus on special education so that they can hear directly from parents, students and others.
Watertown students earned honors at Dean College, URI, WPI, Saint Anselm, Plymouth State, and Maryland Global Campus; and graduated from Georgia Tech, Framingham State, and Hartford. The following information came from the colleges and universities. Honors
Dean College
Isabella Nitschke of Watertown has earned a place on the President’s List for the Spring 2026 semester. Students named to the President’s List have demonstrated a serious commitment to their studies while at Dean College. The President’s List recognizes full-time students who have earned a perfect semester grade point average (GPA) of 4.0.
Graduate Hugh celebrates with Perkins Chair of the Board Steve Pelletier, left, and Massachusetts Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll during the 2026 commencement ceremony. (Courtesy of Perkins)
Perkins School for the Blind celebrated the Class of 2026 during a graduation ceremony on Friday, and the commencement speaker was one of the highest elected officials in Massachusetts. See more in the announcement from the Perkins School for the Blind, below. Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll delivered the commencement address to the graduating class of Perkins School for the Blind on Friday, June 26, 2026. Perkins School for the Blind, a global leader in education services for children and young adults with disabilities, celebrated 18 graduates this year as they prepare for the next stage of their lives.
The sign for the temporary Watertown High School at PFC Richard Moxley Field. (Courtesy by City of Watertown)
Watertown High School students, alumni, and parents of students who took part in the Armenian language program urged School officials to bolster the program for fear of losing the classes that are more than just about learning a language. At Monday’s School Committee meeting, several people spoke about the Armenian classes, which are part of the World Language offerings at the High School. During the meeting, the School Committee also heard a report about the district’s World Language Program, a survey of what languages students and parents are interested in, and the progress of students who have been in the elementary school Spanish immersion program. The speaker noted that the Armenian teacher recently resigned, and said that having students with four levels of proficiency in the same class is not something that other languages or subjects would have to do.
Perkins School for the Blind President and CEO David Barth, right, speaks with a student during the White Cane Walk. (Courtesy of Perkins School for the Blind)
David Barth did not take the most direct route to becoming Perkins School for the Blind’s President and CEO, but he told Watertown News that the work helping some of the most vulnerable children get the education, services, and rights that they deserve is something he has done during his whole career. Barth joined the Perkins team in September 2025, after many years working on behalf of children around the globe with the U.S. government (including USAID) and non-governmental organizations, most recently as Vice President of International Programs at Save the Children. Barth is Perkins’ 11th director, and he said taking over an institution with a long and storied history of work for the blind and visually impaired is an awesome responsibility. “So this job is a privilege, because you get to conduct this orchestra of really, really, really talented people who are really, really committed,” Barth said.
Watertown’s Lily Carpenter received her diploma at the Fontbonne graduation. (Photo by Faith Ninivaggi)
Watertown’s Lily Carpenter graduated from Fontbonne, The Early College of Boston, and delivered a speech about her experience at the school, where she transferred after her previous school closed. See more details in the announcement from Fontbonne, below. Fontbonne, The Early College of Boston, a leading all-girls Catholic school, celebrated the extraordinary achievements of its Class of 2026 at the school’s 69th Commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 21, 2026 in the Fontbonne CSJ Center. Seniors received their diplomas before family, friends, faculty, staff, the Sisters of St.
A group of Hosmer Elementary School students met at Casey Park on Fridays this Spring to form a Bike Bus and ride to school. (Contributed Photo)
During the spring, a group of students and their families rode their bicycles from the Southside to Hosmer Elementary School, forming what became known as the Bike Bus. The first Bike Bus took place on May 1, and continued every Friday (weather permitting) and concluded on Thursday, June 18 before the Juneteenth holiday. “The kids would start at Casey Park and make multiple stops along their way to Hosmer to pick up more friends,” said Maureen Schrader. “This all stemmed from Jennifer Beatty’s son, Rory, wanting to ride his bike to school.”
The large W adorns the wall of the glass stairwell near the intersection of Common and Spring streets. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)
On a tour of the nearly completed new Watertown High School, a group saw classrooms that look ready to host classes, along with some of the gems of the new building: the gymnasium, the auditorium, and a two-story media center (a.k.a. the library). Christy Murphy of owner project management firm Vertex gave an update on the status of the project before the group toured the building. “We are about 97% complete, that’s in dollars, but there’s a lot of details (left). So, as we’re walking around, you’re going to see spaces that are shockingly done — some furniture’s here — finishes,” Murphy said.
