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Watertown Students Receive Awards at Minuteman High School Ceremony

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The following announcement was provided by Minuteman High School:

Minuteman High School has announced the student recipients of annual scholarships and awards for the graduating Class of 2021. The awards recognize outstanding student achievement and support both college and career pursuits. A video of the award presentations is on youtube.com/minutemanhighschool. Minuteman’s graduation ceremony will be held in-person at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium on Friday, June 4, at 2:00 PM. Valedictorian and Salutatorian

The Class of 2021 Valedictorian is Hannah Bardei, an Engineering student from Arlington.

Letters

LETTER: Parents Urge School Building Committee to Approve Plan for New High School

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To the Editor of Watertown News:

We are writing to express our strong support for moving forward with plans to build a new high school in Watertown — including a temporary high school on Moxley Field while the new high school is under construction. We are in dire need of a new high school—parts of the current building were constructed in 1925 and 1950! The old age and dated design of the building significantly restricts the educational programs available to our students. In 2016, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), the school accreditation agency, put Watertown on warning because of the poor conditions of our high school. It is imperative that we get a new high school built and in use as soon as possible for the benefit of our students.

Schools

LETTER: Former Recreation Director Suggests Using Old Hosmer Building for Temporary High School

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The following letter was originally sent to Watertown Public Schools officials:

Good Day,

How many students will be in the swing space high school while construction is going on of the new high school? How many students can the soon to be old Hosmer School hold? Portable classrooms can be placed on the Chauncey St. side of the Hosmer to handle the needed classroom and other activities needed to keep grades 9 to 12 together. I would think this arrangement would still save the town many millions of dollars.

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10 Students Honored During 53rd Lt. Paul Sullivan Scholarship Ceremony

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Watertown’s Lt. Paul Sullivan was killed in Vietnam in 1968, and a scholarship in his name has been given out for 53 years. The following announcement was provided by the Lt. Paul Sullivan Scholarship Committee:

The Lt. Paul Sullivan Scholarship Committee is pleased to announce the winners of the 53rd Scholarship awards. Paul was a member of Sacred Heart Parish in Watertown and a graduate of St. Mary’s High School in Waltham in 1961. He was a 1965 graduate of Boston College. During those years he participated on many area athletic teams, most notably in the areas of basketball and baseball. He worked for the Watertown Recreation Department as a park instructor.

Gold Star Mothers

LETTER: Gold Star Mothers President Opposes Using Moxley Field for Temporary High School

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Dear School Committee,

My name is Robin Abbott and I am the President of the Department of Massachusetts/Rhode Island American Gold Star Mothers. I write to express my deep sadness and anger that Moxley park and field is being considered for your swing space project. As an American Gold Star Mother, we devote what is left of our broken lives strengthening one another and working to ensure the memory of all veterans is never forgotten. You have no idea how painstaking it is to try to have a bridge or corner block, let alone a park, memorialized to the fallen. It takes an actual act of congress.

Letters

LETTER: Nephew of Richard Moxley Asks School Officials Not to Put Temporary WHS on Field Named for Vietnam Vet

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I am writing to you about the use of Moxley Field as a location for a temporary high school while a new state of the art high school is built for the kids of Watertown. Moxley Field is named after my uncle, PFC Richard Stephen Moxley. All of Richie’s immediate family have passed away, and I wanted to reach out to you before a final decision is made. Growing up in Watertown after his death, most people I met would mention Uncle Richie fondly and share how they had known him or grown up with him. Moxley Field is a dedicated reminder of his ultimate sacrifice in the Vietnam War, and the sacrifices of others.

Letters

LETTER: Group of Parents Support Using Moxley Field as Site for Temporary High School

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As WPS parents, We are writing in support of the proposal to build a new WHS on its current site and to use a section of Moxley Park as swing space during construction. There are many important reasons for this choice: this proposal will provide the best possible educational experience for students during construction; it will minimize the construction timeline; it will create the space needed to build a state-of-the-art, 21st Century high school for Watertown; and, it will reduce overall project costs. This investment requires temporary sacrifices from abutters, students and families. We are all sharing this burden, but the benefits far outweigh the temporary inconveniences. This project will benefit the entire Watertown community for generations to come.

Schools

Watertown High School Graduation to be In-Person, Seniors Will Have Prom, Other Events

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Charlie BreitroseThe Watertown High School’s Class of 2021 will hold an in-person graduation ceremony at Victory Field with no limits on guests. Pictured here, the Class of 2014 celebrates. Watertown High School’s graduation ceremony will return to Victory Field in 2021, with full attendance, and the senior class will also get to attend prom, the senior barbecue and other events. The Class of 2021 will graduate on Friday, June 4 at 6 p.m. at Victory Field, announced WHS Principal Joel Giacobozzi on Tuesday. There had been discussions about limiting the number of guests each student could invite, but with the change in the state’s COVID-19 guidelines the school will not limit the number of people attending the ceremony.