Charity

Sign Up for the 2020 Watertown Town-Wide Spelling Bee

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The 10th annual Watertown Town-wide Spelling Bee is coming up and teams can sign up now. This year’s spelling bee will be on Sunday, March 29 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and it will be held at the Hosmer Elementary School Auditorium. The money raise during the spelling bee will go to help the Watertown Public Schools. The spelling be is open to all Watertown elementary school students in grades 1 through 5. To register team of three students costs $60, and T-shirts are available for $15.

Around Town

Eversource Seeks Entries for 7th Annual Student Challenge

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The following announcement was provided by Eversource:

Writing a poem, drawing a cartoon strip, or creating a superhero are just three ways Eversource is encouraging students to demonstrate their knowledge of energy efficiency. The energy company is reminding students that submissions are still being accepted for its seventh annual Student Challenge. The contest promotes energy conservation, energy efficiency and sustainability and is open to kindergarten to high school students in its Massachusetts electric communities. The deadline for registration is March 17, 2020. All entries must be received or postmarked by March 27, 2020. “From posters and poems to persuasive speeches and community projects, Massachusetts students continue to impress us year after year with their entries and ‘energy smarts,’” said Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer Penni Conner.

Bus

Applications Available for 52nd Annual Lt. Paul Sullivan Scholarship

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Lt. Paul Sullivan was killed in Vietnam in 1968, and a scholarship in his name has been given out for more than 50 years. The following information was provided by the the Lt. Paul Sullivan Scholarship Committee:

Applications for the 52nd Annual Lt. Paul Sullivan Scholarship is now on line: https://sites.google.com/view/lt-paul-j-sullivan-scholarship

The application deadline is April 16, 2020The top scholarship is $5,000Additional scholarships will be awarded.Last year there were 9 scholarships totaling $23,500We are looking for student-athletes who are actively involved in their school, religion, and community. All Watertown students, from any area high school, who meet the requirements, are eligible. Students from Newton, Waltham, Belmont and Cambridge who live within the areas of Sacred Heart, Newton, Sacred Heart, Watertown, St. Mary, Waltham, St.

Schools

Middle Schoolers Can Learn About Careers at Minuteman After-School Program

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Middle school students can learn about the career pathways offered by Minuteman High School at after school programs in March. The following announcement was provided by Minuteman High School:

Minuteman High School will hold an after-school program for middle school students in March that provides an opportunity to explore hands-on, project-based, career and technical education, which will expose students to the career majors Minuteman has to offer. Registration is now open for the Career Pathway Program for Middle Schoolers, which will be held Mondays and Wednesdays in March — March 9, 11, 16, and 18 — from 4:15-6:15 p.m. This program provides bus transportation from each in-district middle school to and from Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical High School, 258 Marrett Road (Route 2A), Lexington. The Career Pathway Program for Middle Schoolers provides the following courses, which mirror those offered to Minuteman’s high school students:

Culinary Arts and Hospitality: Students will be exposed to project-based learning in the fields of culinary and baking inside Minuteman’s new stainless-steel kitchen and bakery. Trades and Transportation: This pathway allows students to spend one day in each of Minuteman’s four trades and transportation career majors: electrical, carpentry/construction, automotive, and plumbing/heating.

Chicago

WHS Bringing the Song, Dance and Fun of the Musical “Chicago” to the Stage

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Watertown High School seniors Toni Carton, left, and Yeraz Kaligian play the leads in school’s production of “Chicago.” When Watertown High School Drama teacher Kacie Kirkpatrick picked Chicago as the spring musical, she hoped to generate excitement. Judging by the reception she got from her leads, she succeeded. Chicago, the High School Edition, will hit the WHS stage on Feb. 28, 29 and March 1.

Schools

Recipes Wanted for Middle School PTO’s International Cookbook

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Middle School PTO:

We Want Your Recipes! For Watertown Middle School’s International Cookbook

The Watertown Middle School PTO is embarking on a very ambitious fundraising effort and we need your help. The vision is to create a cookbook that will celebrate the cultural diversity that is Watertown. Food is a wonderful way to bring people together! Sharing recipes is just one way to understand the heritage of our friends, neighbors and our community.

Fiscal 2021 Budget

Prelim School Budget Adds Handful of Positions, Most of Increase Goes to “Level Service”

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The School Committee got the first look at next year’s school budget, and while the Town Manager has allotted a 5 percent increase, most of the increase will be used to maintain the same level of services as the current school year. There will be a handful of positions added to the district. On Monday night, Heidi Perkins, the district’s Director of Finance and Operations, told the School Committee that nearly 95 percent of the $2.52 million increase for Fiscal Year 2021 (the 2020-21 school year) will go to maintaining a level service budget. The total budget is $52.9 million. “Available for the FY21 budget priorities will be $145,022, or 5.8 percent of the 5 percent increase,” Perkins said.

Schools

Building Committee Narrowing Sites for New Watertown High School Soon

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An illustration of how Watertown High School could be built on both sides of Common Street. In this scenario, the main academic building replaces the former Phillips School, while the gym, auditorium and Senior Center go on the current WHS site. The black white triangle is the historic cemetery next to WHS. The final decision on the site of the new Watertown High School is still months away, but the final list of places to be considered will be decided by the end of February. Architects and school officials have been looking at possible places where the new WHS could be built. They considered Town owned properties large enough to build a high school.