Schools

Watertown Schools See Influx of Students at Elementary, High School Levels

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Charlie BreitroseThe new school building at Cunniff Elementary School, along with the new Hosmer School have seen an increase of enrollment this fall. Watertown High School has also grown. More students arrived at the Watertown Public Schools than expected this fall, requiring the addition of some new classes, teachers and support staff. Superintendent Dede Galdston told the School Committee on Monday that she believes the district’s new schools are part of the draw. The 2022-23 school year is the first that students will spend the whole year in the new Cunniff and Hosmer elementary school buildings.

Around Town

Council Approves $4 Million to Help Cover Rising Cost of High School Project

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Ai3 ArchitectsAn illustration of what the outside of the new Watertown High School will look like. The cost of constructing the new Watertown High School has risen since the budget was sent to state officials, and one of the steps to cover the gap of $14.47 million was taken Tuesday when the City Council approved transferring $4.175 million

City Council President Mark Sideris, who chairs the School Building Committee, said that the rising cost of construction was a major part of the increase in the project budget over the $138.6 million budget approved by the Massachusetts School Building Authority. “We on the School Building Committee have been working since 2018 on school projects. Our first set of projects went very well, and are still on, or slightly under, budget and came in earlier than expected,” Sideris said. “When we got to the high school COVID happened.

Class of 2022

Watertown High Class of 2022’s Sprit & Kindness Celebrated at Graduation

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Charlie BreitroseWatertown High School Senior Leah Knipper-Davis hugs teacher David Mastro at the 2022 graduation ceremony. Many obstacles and challenges could have derailed Watertown High School’s Class of 2022, but the unstoppable group of students made the best of very difficult times to be an inspiration to themselves and the WHS faculty. Friday evening, the seniors received their diploma at the graduation ceremony at Victory Field. See the list of graduates by clicking here. Class Valedictorian Taylor Lambo said that she will look back on the times of joy, big and small, when she was “truly present,” and just enjoying the moment.

Around Town

Congrats to the 2022 Watertown High School Graduates

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Members of the Watertown High School Class of 2022 throw their caps in the air. Congratulations to the 149 members of Watertown High School’s Class of 2022! The seniors graduated at Victory Field Friday evening. The Class of 2022

(+ Cum Laude Society, # National Honor Society, * Seal of Biliteracy, % Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction)

Millicent Anne Abboud

Marc Abizeid Daou

Jasmine Amani Affany

Kawish Ahmad

Mahera Ahmed

Mashaim Ahmed *

Alishba Amin #

Mason Benjamin Andrade #

Mary Anoush Ashbahian #*

Ariana Rose Aufiero

Gabriel Avedis Avakian #

Yaren Basboga

Bailey O’Connell Beirne

Livia Freire Brandao %

Theresa Elizabeth Cabral

Karys Elizabeth Cafua

Colin Vincent Campbell

Margaret Ann Cavanaugh #

Jesse Francis Cavarretta #

Philip Richard Centola +#*

Paula Cepeda-Taco *

William Cohen Connolly

Lara Catherine Cordeiro #

Michael Thomas Cormier-Luce

May Gelband Cort

Joseph Rocco Cottone

Madison Lee Cummings #

Sadie Elizabeth Currier-Brown

Maria Vitoria Lima DaSilva *

Gregory Aram Davidian

Edgardo Raul De La Cruz Chambergo *

Emanuel Filipe de Oliveira Carvalho

Marcelo Candido de Oliveira

Walef Emanuel Soares De Paula

Ali Abbas Dia

Devin Vinicio Diaz

Matthew Steven DiDucca

Brenden Sean Donovan

Zineb Drouzi *

Ana Ruth Duarte Cordero

William Edward Dyszczyk

Antonia Grace Erickson

Melissa Nicole Escamilla Flores

Catherine Rose Penczar Fabian +#

Claire Elizabeth Penczar Fabian +#

Emma Lindsey Fallon #

Sean Francis Finn

Sophia Raquel Garapetian

Audrey Ann Oliva Garland

Merideth Pauline Green +#

Manka Mehmedova Hadzhieva *

Joseph Patrick Haggerty

Daniella Andrea Hagopian

Anas Mohammed Haloui

Benjamin Harrison Heep

Fathema Heidari

Mona Ali Houjazy +#*

Noah John Houjazy

Viktorya Hovhannisyan %

Deion Howe

The WHS seniors enter Victory Field for Friday’s graduation ceremony. Eleni Sarah Hum +#

Dayra Yecenia Jimon

Jenna Julianna-Brussell Johnson

William Anthony Jokic *

Jack Christopher Jones +#

Catherine Sauda Namudu Jumba %

Alize Jatuporn Kamkaew

Lena Marie Karaguesian #

Hirusha Akalanka Karunaratne

Eva Carter Kelleher

Teju Kim

Leah Evelyn Knipper-Davis +#

David Khachek Kostikian

Niv Amelie Krasnow +#

Pierre Paul Frederick Labossiere

Taylor Allyn Lambo +#

Anthony James Lampasona

Devlynne Alexandra Loder

Bianca Romina Lopez Polanco *

Sabrina Siomara Lopez +#%

Carly Morgan MacCormack +#

Malcolm Thomas MacDonald

Michael Andersen MacNeill #

Alejandro Harry Maguire

Rio Joseph Maguire

Tobias Christopher Magzelci

Ameir Hasan Mahmoud

Gianna Rose Mariano

Nathan Eli Master

Sean Anthony James McCusker

Maressa De Oliveira Meireles *

Mercy Daliana Mejia Pocon %

Anna Maria Michaelidis

Ellie Marie Monahan

Luiz Henrique Dos Santos Mota

Ngaatendwe T.G Moyo

Aryaman Narendra Nagaraj

Caio Negreli *

Isabella Joy Nitschke

Jared Thomas Norton

Patrick Kizito Nsubuga

Giancarlo Nunez

Kara Ann O’Neil

Da’jon G’Vonni Offutt

Melissa Elizeth Orosco Barrios *

Colin Paul Owens

Zachary Hiro Paquette

Ronak Mukesh Patel

Adam Christopher Patterson

Andrea Elizabeth Penalis

Camndon James Reed

Lameh Abdulkader Rifai

Beatriz Oliveira Rocha

Lucas Negrini Rogge *

Cristina Isabel Romero

Neythanial Rosario

Patrick Joseph Rourke

Isaac Lambert Russo

Rey Enrique Sanchez Soto

Yunel Yunior Sanchez Soto

Ramon Marshall Sara

Sargis Sedrakyan #

Ivy Rose Williams Seek +#

Shivani Sharma #

Lucy A Simonian

Joseph Scott Spinelli

Aram Shant Stepanian

Ari Steve Stepanian

Laura Elizabeth Terry

Watertown’s seniors gathered for the last time to get their diplomas on Friday evening.

Life Science

Hundreds of Watertown Students Inspired by Local Innovators

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Watertown CoLabNisha Patel of Arranta Bio addressed a class at Watertown High School about a career in science. The following piece was provided by Watertown’s Innovation Career Collaboration:

In this first year of CoLAB, Watertown’s Innovation Career Collaboration, 10 young scientists from five Watertown companies led 49 career exploration sessions at Watertown High School. These real-world discussions kicked off an effort to create a career development community for Watertown students to access the resources they need to build satisfying careers in the innovation economy. Hoping to open the eyes of students to the wealth of careers available to them here in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), a few volunteers from Watertown life science companies and Watertown High School started talking in mid-2021. By June 2022, we had reached virtually every biology, chemistry, and math class at the school – over 750 student-hours.

Schools

Watertown High School PTSO All-Night Party is Back, Funded by Donations

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown High School PTSO:

The Watertown High School PTSO is excited to bring back the All-Night Party for the Class of 2022. Our goal is to provide a safe place for all of our students to celebrate together one last time, free of chemical substance or alcohol, under adult supervision. The All-Night Party is supported by donations and ticket sales. It features entertainment, food and fun-filled activities for our graduating seniors. Teachers, parents, civic and community members volunteer their time as chaperones.

Armenia

Watertown Teacher Traveling to Armenia With Genocide Education Project

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Watertown High School English teacher Jess DePamphilis will travel to Armenia this summer to learn about the Armenian Genocide. A Watertown High School English teacher will travel to Armenia this summer as part of a program sponsored by The Genocide Education Project. Jess DePamphilis was chosen as one of 17 secondary level teachers from 14 states chosen to be GenEd Teacher Fellows. The group will spend 10 days in Armenia in July to take part in a professional development program based at the Armenian Genocide Museum and Institute. While in Armenia the group will be based in Yerevan, the capital city.

Engineering

Watertown Robotics Team Earns Honors for Success in Competition & Team Spirit

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Travis NorrisThe Watertown High School Robotics Team celebrated after becoming a finalist at the FIRST Robotics Greater Boston Event and winning the Team Spirit Award. A small but dedicated group of Watertown High School students designed, programmed, and piloted a robot that competed and fared well against competition from around Eastern Massachusetts. And the WHS Robotics Team enjoyed one of its most successful years in 2022. The team reached the final of the knockout stage of the Greater Boston Event in late March. This is the farthest the team has ever advanced in its history.