Charity

Watertown High Robotics Club Honored for Support of Relay for Life

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The Watertown High School KwarQs formed to compete in FIRST Robotics competitions, but they have also established a legacy for community service. Their volunteerism was honored by the American Cancer Society for their work at the Watertown Newton Waltham Relay for Life.  

The club start in 2011, and every year 10-20 KwarQs have taken part, said Jennifer Braun, community manager for the Relay for Life. “They have been great. They help set up and take down after the event,” Braun said. “If we need help, we say, ‘Go grab some KwarQs, they will help us.'”

KwarQs coach Nic Smits said that Relay for Life is just one of the charitable events which the team joins.

Elections

Find Out About the Candidates for Watertown School Committee

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One of the most competitive races on the Watertown Town Election ballot is for School Committee, with five people competing for three seat. Watertown News reached out to the five candidates to find out why they are running, their qualifications and their opinions on some issues facing the Watertown Public Schools. To see the Q&A click on the name of each candidate (in random order):
Michael Shepard
Kendra Foley
Julie McMahon
Eileen Hsu-Balzer
Candace Miller
The election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 3. You can also find out more about the School Committee candidates at two upcoming candidate forums. See details by clicking here.

Elections

School Committee Candidate Q&A: Candace Miller

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Candace Miller is running for a seat on the School Committee. The Watertown Election will be held on Nov. 3. 1) What inspired you to run for School Committee? Since my daughter’s first day at the Lowell Elementary in 2008, I have been active in Watertown Public Schools.

Elections

School Committee Q&A: Eileen Hsu-Balzer

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Eileen Hsu-Balzer is running for re-election to the School Committee. The Watertown Election will be held on Nov. 3. 1) What inspired you to run for School Committee? Public schools not only opened doors for me, they showed me where the doors I wanted were.

Elections

School Committee Candidate Q&A: Kendra Foley

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Kendra Foley is running for a seat on the School Committee. The election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 3. 1) What inspired you to run for School Committee? I am running for School Committee because I value education – for my three young children, for the children and families in Watertown and for the health and vibrancy of our town.

Elections

School Committee Candidate Q&A: Michael Shepard

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Michael Shepard is running for reelection to the School Committee. The election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 3. 1) What inspired you to run for School Committee? When I first ran for school committee in 2011, I was drawn to four main issues which I felt needed to be addressed: resolving the teacher’s contract, budget concerns, appointing a new superintendent and expanding special education programming.

Schools

Watertown Schools Have Plan to Improve the Few Lower MCAS Scores

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Watertown’s students performed better or the same as the state average on the most recent MCAS test, except for in middle school science. The district has already started rolling out ways to improve those results. Watertown students fared better than the state average on the 10th grade MCAS math test with 82 percent compared to 78 percent for the state in the Proficient or Advanced categories, which are passing scores. The 10th graders were just below the state average on the MCAS English Language Arts (ELA) with 90 percent passing, compared to 91 for the state. In fifth grade math, Watertown was above the state on the MCAS, with 52 percent passing compared to 51 percent for the state.