Schools

WHS Student Overcomes Learning Challenges to Graduate with Honors

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Rosdom Kaligian, center, overcame dyslexia and autism to graduate from Watertown High School with honors. When the seniors at Watertown High School graduated on Friday, there was one graduate who overcame some major challenges to not only finish high school but do so with honors. 

Rosdom Kaligian has severe dyslexia and also is autistic. His parents considered placing him in an out-of-district special education program, his mother Barbara Aghamianz said, but he convinced them to keep him at WHS. “I think people forget how hard it is for these kids to graduate, let alone be successful.” Barbara said.

Class of 2017

Congratulations to the 2017 Watertown High School Graduates!

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Inside a packed gymnasium, the 160 members of the Watertown High School Class of 2017 graduated on Friday evening. Here is the Class of 2017:

+ = Cum Laude Society

* = National Honor Society

Sajda Mohammad Abbas

Michelle Anahid Aftandilian

Rachel Armineh Aftandilian

Aaseia Ahmed

Sidar Akisik

Celeste Marie Alberico

Evamarie Anna Alessandroni +*

Mahdi Gawdat Alhady *

Brian John Amedio

Faryal Amin *

Elizabeth Kelly Arauz *

Andres Fernando Arenas *

Ani Rose Aroyian

Sarine Marie Ashjian *

Genrikh Eduard Askaryan *

Maria Athanasopoulos

Vangelis Athanasopoulos

Christopher John Baccari *

Natalia Balan

Christopher Samuel Eric Banks

Emma McLaughlin Bannon *

Marie Hugena Barolette

Ryan Everett Barry

Josemaria Terefenko Beagan

Catherine Ann Bedig

Robert Benjamin Belli

Muwonge Douglas Birigwa

Larissa Maria Bittencourt

Noah Anthony Brennan

Conor Francis Britton

Benjamin David Bunnell

Lauren Taylor Burns *

Anthony Daniel Camilli

Bryan Leonardo Canales-Alfaro

Cathrin Casandra Canales-Alfaro

Anthony Stephen Cardarelli

Daniel Joseph Carito *

Samuel Benjamin Carton +*

Alexis Rae Catsoulis +*

Thanapat Chanthon

Taylar Lynn Chase

Joe Abdo Chebli

Lara Ferreira Chiste *

Joseph Chomthakham

Dante Joseph Cimino

Alexan Cinar *

Fancesse Cledomin

David Oleg Conlon *

Eli Alex Cook

Christina Maria D’Agostino

Gabrielle Lynne Dalton

Julia Silva Dario

Jackson Faber DaSilva

James Thomas DeRocher

Kiran Din

Sofia Maria Teresa DiPace

Maksim Doe

Julia Noelle Dunoyer +*

Elias Dimitrios Fabrikarakis

Teal Fechtor-Pradines

Anthony Franciel Feliz

Aurora Jeanette Fidler

Nicole Lara Frisoli +*

Antonio Miguel Galang

Colin Patrick Gardiner *

Areg Andre-Bared Ghahraman

Isaac Blustein Gibbons *

Sarah Elizabeth Greim +*

John Frederick Griffin

Artem Vagifovich Grigoryan

Ian Michael Groh

Mayra Camila Guerra

Sara Gyulakian +*

Jayden Anthony Hairston *

Bailey Samantha Herrera Samayoa

Francis Edward Hession

Helene Emilio Hoxha +*

Isaac Preston Huff *

Sabir Hussain

Khadeen Natatia Inniss

Nareg Alex Kalaydjian

Rosdom Vrej Kaligian *

Dimitrios Nicholas Kalmanides

Leslie Merrill Kay

Congratulations to the #Watertown High School Class of 2017 on your graduation! pic.twitter.com/GPNkkSbcj4
— Watertown News (@WatertownMANews) June 3, 2017

Gregory Shant Kazanjian

Vasken Sarkis Kebabjian

Jenna Destiny Kelly

Kourtney Rose Kennedy

Saqib Kahn

Seema Naz Khan

Yasir Khan *

Stefanos Alkiviadis Kiorpes +*

Zelal Kort

Fatima ez Zahra Kouchaoui

Hajar Kouchaoui

Eli Moshe Krieger *

Lance Christopher Kuo

Catherine Dawn LeBlanc

Tatum Ngoke Ting Lee

Sammy Jay Leitner

Benjamin Siring Lowry +*

Gautam Mannan

Thayna Caetano Marcos

Hovig Sarkis Margosian

Melissa Cunha Martins

Miriam Victoria Matevosian

Karina Louise McAdam *

Samantha Camryn McFarland *

Hanna Lee McMahon

Jenna Rose McMahon

Parsa Medhati

Carlos Rodrigues Menezes

Lily Mills *

Juan Carlos Morales-Gonzalez

Rodrigo Andre Moscoso

Shannon Mae Murphy +*

Lisa Elizabeth Nantongo

Paula Guimaraes Nascimento

Emerson Shaye O’Connor

Ryan Kinsale O’Reilly +*

Marina Osipova

Annie Mariam Pepanyan

Ava Bryce Peters

James Stephen Piccirilli *

Gabriel Alejandro Pino

Cassidy Lee Pirozzi

Vasiliki Vana Pistoftzian *

Talene Marie Pogharian +*

Max Vitaliy Potseluev

Elsie Jenny Prespolis

Sanan Khan Rafiq

Destiney Valentine Reardon

Cythia Evelis Rentas

Ahmed Abdulkader Rifai

Zachary Sarkis Rimsa

Andrea Stephanie Rios

Kaitlyn Nicole Robbins

Fatima Hassan Roda *

Ruby Xiao Rosenwasser *

Jillian Marie Russo

Elizabeth Santourian

Berk Sezgin

Yuri Arkadavich Shakhverdov

Reid Ignacio Shanabrook *

Brendan Sean Shanahan

Lori Dikranuhi Shirinian *

Alex Henry Smith

Jake Scot Soares

Kelvin Martins Soares

Garen Harout Soukiasian

Nicholas Joseph Stanizzi

Joshua Barry Stewart

Aidan Brown Sullivan

Nathalia Alejandra Tapia

Joseph Erik Tardif

Dora E. Tejada

Janaki Thangaraj +*

Emmanuel James Theodore

Stella Nicole Varnum +*

Olivia Nicole Venezia +*

Police/Fire

Daisy Troop from Cunniff School Donates Stuffed Animals to Police

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Girl Scout Daisy Troop 62586, from the Cunniff School, donated stuffed animals, toys, art supplies and books they collected to create S.A.F.E. (stuffed animals for emergencies) boxes for the Watertown Police Department, according to a troop leader. Officer Kerilyn Amedio then came to our meeting to tell us about being a police officer, and the girls presented her with their donations. Back row-left to right-
Lila DiFrancesco, Brooke Levine, Julie Pipitone, Officer Kerilyn Amedio, Olivia Moylan, Maddie Rooney, Amanda Vieira
Front-left to right- Paige Croft, Charlotte Holland, Mie Lim, Dana Brisson, Josepha Contreras,
Not pictured- Maya Torres Henry

Schools

Watertown Resident Receives Scholarship from Society of CPAs

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The Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants (MSCPA) today announced a Watertown resident has been awarded a scholarship from the MSCPA Educational Foundation. The students will each receive up to $2,500 to further his or her accounting education. The mission of the MSCPA’s Educational Foundation is to inspire and support the next generation ofCPAs in Massachusetts. This year, the Educational Foundation reached its highest level of scholarship funding at $127,500, more than any previous year. Fifty students were selected for the 2017 round of scholarships.

Government

School Committee Member Leaving Town, Creating an Opening on the Board

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Watertown School Committee member Candace Miller announced this week she will be leaving town and the School Committee, too, this summer. 

Miller will leave less than two years into her four year term, so an opening will be left on the School Committee. Because of the timing, Town Clerk John Flynn said the Watertown Town Charter offers are a couple of options for filling the seat. The Town Charter reads “If a vacancy shall occur on the school committee during the first 24 months of the term for which the school committee member is are elected, the vacancy shall be filled by a held forthwith and no earlier than 64 days from the day the election is called.” The charter gives the Town Council the option of voting to have he vacancy filled by appointment by the remaining members of the School Committee. To move ahead with this option, six Councilors would need to vote for the option.

Schools

Watertown Preschool Running Summer Program Full of Fun, Learning

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A Watertown early childhood center will offer 11 week-long sessions, each with a different theme, but all designed to be fun for the children. The Goddard School in Watertown will offer its summer program for children ages 6 weeks to 6 years from June 19 and runs through the end of August. While the school is part of a group of nationwide early childhood development centers, most will not have a summer camp of this style, said Sunny Verma, who owns and runs the school along with his wife Simmi. “We are a new school – we’ve been around for seven months,” Verma said. “Most new schools would be conservative and have a more generic theme.”

School Start Time

Task Force Examining How to Push Back the Start of Class at WHS Each Day

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A task force has been formed to look at how the Watertown Public Schools would change the time that schools start each day, in particular having the high school start later. Interim Superintendent John Brackett created the group following the work of another committee that met last year to look at the benefits and drawbacks of changing school start times. Brackett said the research shows teens are better able to learn later in the morning, but right now the high school starts begins at 7:55 a.m., while the elementary schools start later – either at 8:15 or 8:30 a.m. Watertown Middle School starts classes at 7:40 a.m.

The subject is being explored at other schools, too, Brackett said. “There is a lot of talk, but it is more talk than action on changes of start times,” Brackett said. To examine what it will take to change the start time of schools, Brackett formed the School Start Time Implementation Task Force.