Sports

Watertown High School Sports Teams Using Alternate Facilities During 3 Years of Construction

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Natalie Nigito PhotographyWatertown High School’s football team begins the 2023 season with a road game in New Hampshire. They finished the 2022 season playing Belmont on the home field of the Boston Red Sox. Moving to a temporary school and dealing with a field undergoing a turf replacement has required Watertown High School’s athletics program to be creative. Watertown High School moved out of the old building on Columbia Street into the temporary modular school at PFC Richard Moxley Field for the start of the 2023-24 school year. WHS will also make use of facilities at the nearby Watertown Middle School, including for some of the sports programs. The new high school is expected to take three years to be constructed, and will be built on the same site as the old school.

Schools

Students, Parents Get a Look Inside the Temporary Watertown High School After Ribbon Cutting

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The temporary campus for Watertown High School at PFC Richard Moxley Field opened after a ribbon cutting on Aug. 31 by, from left, Superintendent Dede Galdston, Principal Joel Giacobozzi, Assistant Superintendent Steve Magoon, and City Council President Mark Sideris. (Photo by Maya Shwayder)

The huge, empty hallways smelled like the wood aisle at Home Depot. Large boxes – empty and not – lined most corridors, and all the computers and monitors in the media room were still wrapped in plastic. But nonetheless the modular Watertown High School at PFC Richard Moxley Field held its grand opening five days before the first day of school, complete with a red ribbon and giant scissors to cut it.

Police/Fire

Watertown Fire Department to Mark Anniversary of 9/11 with Remembrance Ceremony

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The Watertown Fire Department will mark the anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001 with a ceremony at the Fire Station on Main Street. The City of Watertown sent out the following announcement:

The Fire Department will hold a brief ceremony on Monday, Sept. 11, 2023 at Fire Station Headquarters, located at 99 Main St., to remember the 343 FDNY firefighters lost Sept. 11, 2001, along with thousands of innocent people on the 22nd anniversary of the terrorist attacks.

Around Town

Rocker Tells Bruce Springsteen About His Watertown Origins on Stage at Gillette Stadium

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During Bruce Springsteen’s recent concert at Gillette Stadium, one of the members of the E Street Band revealed that he was born not just in the Boston area, but in Watertown. During the band’s performance of “Glory Days” the band asked the crowd “Do you want to go home?” to which guitarist Steven Van Zandt responded, “You know, I was born here,” according to a report on Boston.com. Springsteen responded, “In Boston?” And, Van Zandt specified, “Yeah, Watertown!” 

According to the report, he spent his first several years before moving to New Jersey.

Around Town

See How Labor Day Impacts Watertown City Facilities & Services

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Watertown LibraryThe Watertown Free Public Library. Multiple City-run facilities in Watertown will be closed on Monday for Labor Day, and the holiday will impact trash and recycling pick-up. The City of Watertown announced:

Watertown City Hall and Senior Center are closed in observance Labor Day, on Monday, September 4, 2023. Please note: Trash and recycling pickup is delayed one day. The schedule is Tuesday, September 5 – Saturday, September 9, 2023.

Around Town

Watertown Resident Hopes to Get A Second Wish to Visit Disney

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Watertown’s Brian Manning hopes to get A Second Wish. When Watertown resident Brian Manning first went to Disney World he faced a seizure that left him hospitalized. Years later he is hoping to make his return with help from the organization A Second Wish By Demetrius. A Second Wish By Demetrius is dedicated to impacting the lives of children ages 6 to 18 with life threatening illnesses by helping them grant a wish of their choices. Previous wishes granted have ranged from traveling to Disney World to meeting various professional athletes and celebrities.

Schools

Enrollment Up at All Levels in Watertown Schools, Especially at the High School

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Enrollment is up at Watertown High School, despite moving into the temporary location at PFC Ricard Moxley Field. (Courtesy by City of Watertown)

Watertown’s schools are growing at all levels, and some classes at two elementary schools are near or at capacity, Superintendent Dede Galdston told the School Committee. The biggest growth, however, is at the secondary level. Typically, School officials wait until September to provide the first enrollment report to the School Committee, Galdston said, but she wanted to inform members before school started incase they receive questions about it. “Our enrollment is up,” Galdston said.

Around Town

LETTER: Grassroots Housing Group Hosting Launch Event

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It’s becoming harder and harder to remain a member of this community. 

Every year, rising rents force more working families out while middle class and even affluent neighbors can’t afford to purchase a home, nevermind expand their families. Those looking to downsize after retirement, or hoping to age with dignity in the city they love, can’t find homes that work for them. Young people driven away, families in financial distress, longtime residents exiled from their hometown: this is the face of the housing crisis in Watertown. It is a dilemma that threatens our well-being, economic futures, and our community. It is also a challenge that we can rise to overcome, together.