Schools

Contract Extension for Architect of School Projects, Board Wants Change of Project Managers

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The plan for the Hosmer School campus presented to the School Building Committee on Jan. 23. The firm has been hired to do the final designs for the three elementary school projects. The School Building Committee said it was very pleased with the work of the architect for the three elementary school projects, so much so they would like to have Ai3 do the high school too. The reviews of the owner’s project manager, however, were not so positive, and the board will seek a new firm as the projects move forward.

Schools

Watertown Student Makes Fall Dean’s List at UMaine

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The University of Maine recognized 2,388 students for achieving Dean’s List honors in the fall 2018 semester. Of the students who made the Dean’s List, 1,666 are from Maine, 669 are from 34 other states and 53 are from 25 countries other than the U.S.

Listed below is the student from Watertown who received Dean’s List honors for fall 2018, completing 12 or more credit hours in the semester and earning a grade point average of 3.5 or higher. Yonas Butler

Please note that some students have requested that their information not be released; therefore, their names are not included

Allison Donovan

Norwood Man Arrested in Connection with Hit and Run That Killed Watertown Educator

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Allison Donovan Watertown Public School’s K-8 Literacy Coordinator and long-time educator, died after being hit in a hit-and-run incident. The following information was provided by the Middlesex District Attorney’s office:

Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan, Somerville Chief of Police David Fallon and Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone today announced that Edward Clark, 55, of Norwood, has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident causing death, in connection with the fatal hit-and-run that occurred on Powder House Boulevard on February 8. The preliminary investigation suggests at approximately 7:16 p.m. Clark was allegedly operating a 2003 black Ford F150 pick-up truck traveling eastbound on Powder House Boulevard, when he allegedly struck two females, who were in the crosswalk at the intersection of Powder House Boulevard and Hardan Road, before fleeing the scene. Somerville Police subsequently responded and both women were transported to area hospitals. Allison Donovan, 40, of Somerville, was transported to Mount Auburn Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Allison Donovan

OBIT: Allison Donovan, 40, Watertown School Administrator, Scholarship Created in Her Memory

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Allison Donovan Watertown Public School’s K-8 Literacy Coordinator and long-time educator, died after being hit in a hit-and-run incident. The following obituary came from the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home:

Allison Jane Donovan, a woman who devoted her life to nurturing children as a teacher and administrator, passed away tragically on Friday night, February 8, 2019. She was 40 years old. Allison was born in Cambridge, the daughter of Richard and Janice Donovan. She grew up in Burlington and had resided in Somerville for the past 15 years. She was a member of the Burlington High School Class of 1996 where she excelled as a student and as a member of the gymnastics team. 

Allison’s mother, Janice, was a strong role model for her. Janice was a teacher in the Burlington School system for many years. Allison went to her mother’s alma mater, Lesley University, where she earned her Bachelor Science Degree in Education, Master’s Degree, and Graduate Certificate in Literacy for the Classroom. Like her mother, teaching was her passion, her life, and her love. She spent 12 years as an elementary education teacher at the Hosmer Elementary School, Watertown, teaching at various grade levels.

Letters

LETTER: Resident Not Happy With District’s Response to Asbestos in Schools

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Dear Editor,

In the concluding paragraph of your February 7, 2019 “… Schools are Safe” article, Town Council President Mark Sideris proffered a blanket criticism:

“I see comments that are completely false and people take it as what is true, but it’s not.”

In fairness, can you ask Council President Sideris to be specific? Whose comments? What’s “not true”? Can Mary Russo – or anyone who is being accused of making “completely false” statements – be given a chance to respond? Please note that Mary Russo, a long-time respected teacher and resident, forced the Watertown Public Schools administration to comply with the law by filing a complaint in 2017 with the state Department of Labor Standards. The state issued sanctions and fines. The school administration did not just “decide to do another survey” as the Superintendent claims.  Watertown had no choice. Leaving out that context disrespects Ms. Russo and undermines the ability of citizens and the press to fairly judge the credibility of the parties making statements about these issues. 

Thanks for your consideration. Sincerely,Paul Davis

Around Town

Watertown School Administrator Killed by Hit-and-Run Driver in Somerville

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Allison Donovan Watertown Public School’s K-8 Literacy Coordinator and long-time educator, died after being hit in a hit-and-run incident. Watertown school administrator Allison Donovan died after being struck by a pickup truck in a hit-and-run incident in Somerville. She served multiple roles in her time in Watertown, most recently as the districts’ K-8 Literacy Coordinator. The Middlesex District Attorney’s office announced that Donovan was one of two pedestrians struck in West Somerville on Friday night at approximately 7:16 p.m. She was taken to Mount Auburn Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. She was 40 years old.

Perfection Towing

New Phys. Ed. Option to be Offered for Watertown High Students

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A requirement by the state that Massachusetts students must take a physical education class each year of high school has complicated schedules, especially for seniors, but Waterotwn school officials are introduced new alternatives to help the situation. On Monday, Joe Lampman, the district’s Coordinator of Health, Physical Education and Wellness, and WHS Principal Shirley Lundberg presented a new alternative to the School Committee that could allow students to take an alternative class, while still fulling the PE requirement. They also presented new classes that include wellness as well as physical education as part of the change to the WHS Program of Studies. When the requirement that students must have at least a semester of physical education each year of high school started five years ago it was not popular, Lampman recalled. “I taught senior PE when I first started five years ago,” Lampman said.

Asbestos

School Officials Confident Asbestos Hazards Have Been Dealt With, Schools are Safe

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Responding to concerns of parents and staff, the Watertown Public Schools administration presented a report on asbestos in the town’s schools on Monday night. Afterward, School Committee members said they are confident that Watertown’s students and teachers are safe from asbestos exposure. Many of the calls and emails came after an online petition started by people concerned about asbestos in the Watertown Public Schools. The petition cites the suffering of a former Watertown teacher, and calls for the closing of the Watertown High School and Watertown Middle School buildings until the asbestos hazards are identified and dealt with. Because Watertown’s schools were built during the “age of asbestos,” Superintendent Dede Galdston said, asbestos is certainly something to be concerned with.