National Merit Scholars

Eight Watertown High Seniors Honored by Named National Merit Scholarship Program

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Eight Watertown High School seniors have been named National Merit Scholarship Commended Students, which is the most in one year that anyone at the high school can recall, Principal Joel Giacobozzi told the School Committee this week. Watertown High School sent out the following announcement:

The principal, Joel Giacobozzi, of Watertown High School announced that eight seniors have been named Commended Students in the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program. A Letter of Commendation from the school and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), which conducts the program, has been mailed toeach scholastically talented senior. About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2021 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 scorers of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2021 competition by taking the 2019

Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).The following seniors have received this Letter of Commendation and a follow-up phone call from Principal Giacobozzi:

Henry YusemThomas PowderlyMaud NeeleyHarriet NeeleyRita HackettCarolyn GulleyAllison FitzpatrickDyanne Bonyuet

Schools

Height of New High School Concerns Neighbors, Residents Want Parking for Senior Center

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One of the options for how Watertown High School may sit on the current site, on the left, and across the street where now the Phillips Building and the Senior Center sit. The architect said the illustration is for massing, and not the design of the buildings. Residents who saw the latest proposal for the new Watertown High School were put-off by the size of the academic building that would be built on the site of the Phillips School and Senior Center, under the currently scenario currently favored by the School Building Committee. The plans were presented during the fourth Community Forum for the WHS project, held virtually on Oct. 8.

Community Forum

Designs for New High School Discussed, Community Forum Being Held Thursday

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One of the options for how Watertown High School may sit on the current site, on the left, and across the street where now the Phillips Building and the Senior Center sit. The architect said the illustration is for massing, and not the design of the buildings. Questions about the impact of a four story high school, and parking at the new Watertown High School arose at Wednesday’s School Building Committee meeting. Designers of the new high school showed more detailed ideas of how the new school could be constructed on the current site during the online meeting. The planned Watertown High School project will be discussed at a virtual Community Forum on Thursday, Oct.

Schools

Building Committee Eliminates Potential Location for New High School

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A rendering of Option 1A, where Watertown High School’s academic building would be built on the current site, and would have a large green space in front along Columbia Street. The design of the new high school has not been settled, but Watertown High School will not be built on Victory Field. The School Building Committee voted Wednesday, Sept. 2, to eliminate options for the new school to go on the sports and field complex on Orchard Street. The Committee also saw some scenarios where the main academic building would be built on the current WHS site.

Building for the Future

Residents Lean Toward New High School on Current Site, Against Renovating School

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A rendering of what a new high school could look like if it’s built on the current site and the Phillips School site. In this option, 3D, a bridge would link the buildings on the third floor. Many participants in a virtual forum on the Watertown High School project favored building a new high school on a combination of the current property and the site across the street where the Phillips School sits. They also spoke out against renovating the current school. At the forum held on July 29, architects also discussed a third possibility of putting a new school on part of the Victory Field complex, which did not get much support from attendees of the Zoom meeting.

Building for the Future

See How to Join the Community Forum on Watertown High School Project on July 29

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A rendering of what a new high school could look like if it’s built on the current site and the Phillips School site. In this option, a bridge would link the buildings on the third floor. The following information was provided by the Watertown Public Schools:

The Watertown School Building Committee (SBC) invites you to its 4th community forum to discuss the High School Building Project. This is an opportunity for community members to learn more about the shortlist of options that have been advanced for further study leading up to a final decision in November of 2020. We will also be discussing upcoming opportunities for the community to stay informed and participate in the process.

High School Project

Forum on Watertown High School Planned; Building Committee Doesn’t Like Renovation Option

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A mockup of what Watertown High School could look like if the current school was renovated and expanded. A new gym would be built on the Phillips School site, and a parking garage would go on the corner near Barnard Avenue (bottom right). An option of renovating and expanding the existing Watertown High School got bad reactions from the School Building Committee Wednesday night. The committee also saw more details of building a new school on part of the Victory Field complex. The planning for rebuilding or renovating the high school will be discussed further during a virtual Community Forum to be held on Wednesday, July 29 at 6 p.m. During the forum, the public will have a chance to voice its opinions on the options.

Class of 2020

WHS Class of 2020 Graduates Awarded Seal of Biliteracy for First Time

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One of the signs that went up around town to celebrate Watertown High School’s graduating seniors. A dozen Watertown High School graduates got an extra honor when they graduated in June — the Seal of Biliteracy. The students who got the seal had to show they could speak, understand, read and write in both4 English and another language. They showed this by getting certain scores on the standardized tests like the MCAS, and ones for other languages. The Seal of Biliteracy has been adopted by 39 states and in Washington, D.C..