Charity

Community Foundation Awards $74K in Grants to Local Groups

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On June 16, at a reception for its 25 spring grantees, the Watertown Community Foundation (WCF) celebrated by distributing checks totaling $74,050.  In the twelve years since WCF was founded, WCF has awarded over $600,000 in grants to organizations serving Watertown. WCF Grant Committee Co-Chair, Rob Kelly, stated, “The Foundation is extremely happy to be able to recognize and financially support the outstanding contributions that these programs and organizations make to our vibrant community.”

All of the grants are funded from WCF’s Arsenal Education Income Fund. 13 Educational Program Grants totaling $23,550 were given to:

Friends of Watertown Music to ensure that instruments are available for Watertown’s free instruction program that starts in fourth grade. Historical Society of Watertown to publish a Watertown self-guided bicycle tour booklet, “Wheels Along the River.”
Improbable Players to present six theater workshops about substance abuse prevention and healthy choices for Watertown Middle School eighth graders. Perkins School for the Blind for their Watertown newspaper accessibility project.

Charity

Local Foundation Awards Grant to Help Music in Watertown Schools

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The Watertown Community Foundation awarded a grant to help the music program in the Watertown Public Schools. The Friends of Watertown Music announced this week that they were awarded one of the Watertown Community Foundation’s 2015 Educational Program Grants. “Our $2,250 grant will be used to purchase musical instruments and repair existing instruments so that more children will be able to participate in the excellent instrument program which is offered for free to all students in Watertown’s public schools, starting in fourth grade,” the Friends said in an announcement. Find out more about Watertown Community Foundation on their Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/WatertownCommunityFoundation – or visit the Watertown Community Foundation’s website www.watertownfoundation.org.

Schools

Watertown Athletes Honored, League Champ Recognized

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Playing a high school sport requires a lot of effort, dedication and time, so playing three sports a year for four years is a feat that deserves being honored, which is what Watertown High School Athletic Director Michael Lahiff did this week. A dozen Raiders received the Athletic Director’s Award for participating in sports every season for their whole career at Monday’s School Committee meeting. Lahiff created the award to encourage more participation in a small high school. This year’s award winners are:

Brendan Berkeley – golf, hockey and baseball

Anthony Busconi – golf, hockey and lacrosse

Angel Carrion – football, basketball and lacrosse

Brian DallaCosta – football, basketball and indoor and outdoor track

Molly Day – soccer, indoor and outdoor track

Keegan Duguay – field hockey, indoor and outdoor track

Nick Giordano – football, hockey and lacrosse

Najmul Sahar Kahn – field hockey, indoor and outdoor track

Emily Loprete – field hockey, hockey and lacrosse

Austin Farry – football, hockey and baseball

Prosper Lubega – cross country, soccer, indoor and outdoor track

James McDonald – golf, basketball, indoor track and baseball
Girls’ Lacrosse
Watertown’s latest Middlesex League champions also received their due from the School Committee. The girls’ lacrosse team won its third straight title this year, and made it to the State Tournament where it won its first ever tournament game.

Schools

WHS Athletic Hall of Fame Announces Inductees for 2015!

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The Watertown High School Athletic Hall of Fame’s class of 2015 includes a pair of teams and half a dozen athletes – including four sisters! Inductees for this year’s celebration to be held at the Hellenic Cultural Center on Saturday Oct. 17, include six athletes and two teams.

For the first time in its distinguished history, the HOF will induct four talented sisters from the same family, including Bethany Rogers, ’95, Jane Rogers, ’98, Catherine Rogers, ’00, and Mary Rogers, ’03. As players and coaches, the fantastic foursome in field hockey contributed multiple All-Scholastic and MVP awards, 25 Middlesex League titles, 21 Div. II North Section titles, and 12 State Championships.

Schools

Friends of Watertown Music Seeking Instrument Donations

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If you have a musical instrument that you are not using, the Friends of Watertown Music can help you find a home. On Thursday, June 18, the group will be accepting musical instrument donations at Watertown Middle School, 68 Waverley Ave. “You can help by pulling that lonely saxophone or trumpet out of the back of the closet and bringing it to the Middle School next Thursday evening. All instruments for either the band or strings program will be accepted, and you will be given a receipt for your donation,” the Friends’ announcement said. Contact Friends of Watertown Music at hellowatertownmusic@gmail.com with questions or if you would like to help.

Schools

See Which Teachers Were Honored at the Watertown High School Graduation

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Several teachers received awards and recognition during the graduation ceremony for the Watertown High School Class of 2015 on Friday. Honorees included teachers at the high school and other schools around the district. The big award – Teacher of the Year – went to WHS music teacher Daniel Jordan, who was nominated by the faculty and staff at the high school. He has been a teacher at the high school for more than 20 years, and leads the band in concerts at the school, at athletic events, and special ceremonies such as the WHS Memorial Day Ceremony, said WHS Principal Shirley Lundberg

Jordan is always happy to collaborate with other teachers at the school. “I am really speechless,” Jordan said.

Schools

See Photos from Watertown High School Graduation 2015

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Watertown High School’s Class of 2015 celebrated completing their school career, and said good bye during Friday’s graduation ceremony. In front of packed stands at at Victory Field, 181 students received their diplomas. (See the list of graduates here). Valedictorian Molly Day noted that students spent more than 4,500 hours on campus during their four years at WHS. The school provided them with some perspectives that not every high schooler gets.