Schools

Hosmer Students Help Plant a Tree on Campus for Arbor Day

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Rarely does a tree get so much attention, but this week a group of 80 fourth graders from Hosmer Elementary School crowded around a young tree, freshly planted outside the school in honor of Arbor Day. 

Watertown resident and landscape architect David Jay organized the event, and made sure each of the students left with a sapling to plant in their own yard. In past years, Watertown’s Tree Warden organized tree plantings at the town’s elementary schools, but there is no warden at the moment. Jay stepped in this year on behalf of Trees for Watertown, a citizens group which advocates for trees. The dwarf apple tree was in place by the time many students arrived, but a group of children helped Jay remove the grass around the tree, making sure to shake the dirt from the sod back onto the ground around the tree. Then the students shoveled mulch around it.

Fiscal Year 2019 Budget

Town Adding Several New Positions in Proposed Fiscal Year 2019 Budget

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Next year’s proposed Watertown Town Budget includes funding for a few new positions, including an environmental planner, a forestry supervisor, positions at the Senior Center, and an additional police officer. A new department, shared by the Town and Schools, will be formed, and money has been set aside to start the reconstruction of four Watertown Schools. Town Manager Michael Driscoll presented the budget, his 26th in Watertown, to the Town Council on Tuesday night. The Fiscal Year 2019 budget will be $139.55 million, a $6.997 million increase over the current Fiscal year, or 5.28 percent. It includes a 5 percent increase in the education budget, 2.5 percent more for Municipal Departments, and adds more than $1 million to the budget for Public Safety — Police and Fire.

Building for the Future

Costs for Elementary School Projects Much Higher Than Original Estimates

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The Watertown School Committee learned that the estimates for the elementary school building projects underestimated the costs by $50 million or more. 

The School Building Committee that oversees the Building for the Future school building projects heard a presentation from architects Ai3 earlier in April and part of the presentation focused on the cost. The estimate for rebuilding or renovating the three elementary schools would be $170 million to $180 million, School Committee Chairman John Portz said. The original cost range was $80 million to $120 million, Portz said, and Town Manager Michael Driscoll has committed the town to cover up to $120 million from the Town budget. That would mean residents would not be asked to pass an override, which would increase property taxes to pay for the project. Strategies for how to handle the increased costs have not yet been discussed, Portz said.

Around Town

Youth Coalition Discusses Study of Alcohol, Drug Use by Young People in Watertown

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On Wednesday evening, April 11, 2018, members of the Watertown Health Department, Town Council, School Committee, Police, and Recreation Departments, Wayside Multi­Service Center staff, Watertown Youth Coalition Peer Leaders, local clergy, youth, parents, and other interested community members joined together to hear a presentation and to discuss data from the most
recent Watertown Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). This survey was administered in the Spring of 2017. The YRBS is a health behavior survey usually given every other year to students in grades 7 through 12. The survey seeks to understand not only what risky behaviors the youth may be engaging in (use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, non­-medical use of prescription drugs, etc.), but also to better understand the perception of harm related to these activities. The survey also asks questions concerning stress levels, mental health (including thoughts of suicide), bullying, sexual activity, nutrition, and exercise.

Entertainment

Three Watertown Musicians Performing with Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras

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Three Watertown musicians will perform with theBoston Youth Symphony Orchestras (BYSO) during the organization’s spring concert at Symphony Hall, and one will be traveling to Germany to perform. 

The performers from Watertown are:

Name, City, State, Age, Instrument

Alexander Feltner Harrison, Watertown, MA, 17, Cello
Julia Greim, Watertown, MA, 17, Viola
Joseph MacDonald, Watertown, MA, 14, Violin *

* Denotes that student is performing with Leipzig Choirs in this April 29 Concert at Symphony Hall

The BYSO sent out the following information:

The Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras celebrates its 60th anniversary during the 2017-18 season. The mission and vision remains much the same as when Dr. Marvin Rabin started the (Greater) Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra in
1958: to encourage musical excellence in a professional and supportive environment by providing the highest quality orchestra training and performance opportunities to qualified musicians, grades K-12, while making its programs
accessible to underserved communities through financial assistance and outreach. At its founding in 1958, BYSO was a single orchestra of 80 young players. Today, it is one of the country’s most highly regarded youth orchestra programs, an organization at the vanguard of music education that serves over 600 students each year. On April 29, 2018 at 3:30 p.m. at Symphony Hall in Boston, many of BYSO’s young musicians will have the opportunity to perform in a joint concert with choral students from Leipzig, Germany as part of an international exchange and in honor of BYSO’s 60th anniversary season.

Perkins School for the Blind

Perkins Hosts 24-Hour ‘Hackathon’ to Create New Technology for the Blind

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{The following report was provided by Perkins School for the Blind}
After 24 hours of non-stop problem-solving, collaboration and software development, Perkins School for the Blind crowned the winners of its first-ever hackathon on Saturday. The grand prize winning design, a tactile lever device that allows coders with visual impairment to feel what their data trends look like, was one of 22 entries from college students across the United States and Canada who gathered at Perkins’ campus to develop innovative tech-based solutions to problems facing the visually impaired community in work, education and daily life. Throughout the event, more than 100 students worked in teams to solve one of six challenges inspired by the real-life experiences of blind individuals. A panel of expert judges scored the resulting designs. Other prize-winning designs included accessible apps like SonifEye, which allows coders with visual impairment to hear changes in data; Seats, which helps students locate empty seats in a cafeteria; Ezform, which allows individuals who are blind to fill out paper forms electronically; OvenBot, which helps users locate buttons on a digital display; B-Fit, which connect people with visual impairment with “spotters” at the gym; and iSee, which provides information on dining hall menus and allows users to connect with friends.

MassBay Community College

Watertown High Grad Excelling in Honors Program at MassBay College

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{The following report was provided by MassBay Community College}
Michelle Gallego, of Watertown, never thought she would have the time or the grades to be able to take honors courses in college, but she proved herself wrong and has taken four honors courses here at MassBay. The Watertown High graduate studied at Emerson College briefly before financial reasons forced her to take leave to work full-time. When she started to miss the academia setting, she decided to take classes at MassBay to continue what she loved – learning. Since being at MassBay, Gallego, a Humanities major, has taken Honors Freshman English I and II, American History I and Spanish in the Community: Service Learning and Travel Abroad. “The honors courses I’ve taken here have been my absolute favorite classes,” said Gallego.

MassBay Community College

MassBay Community College Hosting Open House for Prospective Students

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MassBay Community College announced it will hold its annual Spring Open House on Saturday, April 28, 2018 at 10 a.m. President David Podell along with faculty, staff and students will be on hand to greet and welcome prospective students and their families to the Wellesley Hills campus. The Spring Open House is an opportunity for prospective students to meet and talk with current students, faculty, and staff to learn about the 70 degree and certificate programs offered at MassBay and transfer opportunities after MassBay. Prospective students are encouraged to attend to learn more about student clubs and organizations, the admissions and financial aid process, and talk with academic divisions. The Open House will include a self-guided tour of campus, mock classes, information sessions, student and alumni panel discussions, information for veterans, on-the-spot admissions, and more. WHAT: MassBay Community College Spring Open House

WHERE: MassBay Community College, 50 Oakland St., Wellesley Hills, MA

WHEN: Saturday, April 28, 2018

TIME: 10 a.m. (registration starts at 9:15 a.m.)

Prospective students can learn more about the event and RSVP at www.MassBay.edu/OpenHouse or call the Office of Admissions at 781-239-2500.