Schools

Public Will Have Multiple Chances to Give Input on WHS Construction Project

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Watertown’s School Building Committee has begun looking at the high school renovation/rebuilding project, and the public will have multiple chances to weigh in, beginning in November. The first public meeting about the Watertown High School project will be held Nov. 19 at a time and place to be announced, Town Council President Mark Sideris announced at Wednesday’s School Building Committee meeting. The School Building Committee learned that the process for the WHS project will be different from the one used for the three elementary schools — the other half of Watertown Public School’s Building for the Future. The high school project is part of the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) program, which has many requirements and deadlines to meet.

Principal

WHS Principal Retiring, District Starting Process to Find Successor

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Watertown High School Principal Shirley Lundberg announced she will be retiring at the end of the 2019-20 school year. Her successor will be selected after a process that will begin in December and end in February. Lundberg is in her seventh year leading WHS. She announced her retirement to her staff in the spring and to parents in the first newsletter of the new school year. “This school year will be my last with Watertown, as at the end of it I intend to join my husband in retirement.

Cunniff School

Watertown School Recognized for MCAS Results, No Schools Require Intervention

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Hosmer Elementary School in Watertown. The State recognized a Watertown School for its results on the 2019 MCAS test, and Watertown Middle School improved its scores enough so that it will no longer be under special scrutiny by state officials. Superintendent Dede Galdston gave an overview of the Watertown Public Schools’ results on the statewide standardized test at Monday’s School Committee meeting. “We did very well on the exams,” Galdston said. “I am very proud of the work that was done last year, and we will no longer require assistance or intervention (from the state).”

Schools

Architect Chosen to Design Watertown High School Project

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Meet the new architect, same as the old architect. The firm chosen by the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s Design Selection Panel — Ai3 Architects of Wayland — is the same group designing the three elementary school renovation projects in town. The decision, made at a meeting at MSBA headquarters in Boston on Tuesday, pleased Watertown Public Schools officials, said Watertown Superintendent Dede Galdston. “We are very, very excited that Ai3 was the top ranked design firm selected to work forward with our high school project,” Galdston said. The panel included 13 members appointed by the MSBA, plus three representatives from Watertown — Galdston, Town Manager Michael Driscoll and Town Council President Mark Sideris.

Schools

Architects Vying to Design New Watertown High School Narrowed to Finalists

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The quality of the of architects seeking to design the new Watertown High School pleased Watertown officials as well as members of the state board that chose the finalists. The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) Designer Selection Panel met Tuesday and heard presentations from eight firms vying to be the designer for the WHS project. Three finalists were chosen.

At Wednesday’s Watertown School Building Committee meeting, Superintendent Dede Galdston said the crop of architects impressed the panel, which works with communities from around Massachusetts that have been selected to be in the state school building program. “The Designer Selection Panel said this is the best pool of architects they have seen in quite some time,” Galdston said. “This leads us to believe that Watertown is a hot commodity and people want to work here.”

Schools

Several Architecture Firms Interested in Designing Watertown High School Project

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The search for the architecture firm that will design the new Watertown High School has begun, but they decision will not be completely up to local officials. The project to rebuild or renovate WHS will be part of the Massachusetts School Building Authority process. Through the program, the town will receive significant reimbursement from the state (close to 50 percent) but the MSBA process is a very prescribed one. Watertown has been accepted into the program and the next step is to select the firm for design services. The selection will be made by the MSBA’s Design Panel, which is made up of 16 people.

Building for the Future

Watertown High School Project Moving Forward, Public Meetings Planned

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The multiyear process that will result in a new or renovated Watertown High School got rolling last week when the School Building Committee heard about what it will take to make the project a reality. On July 11, the Owner’s Project Manager for the Watertown High School project, Compass Project Management, met with the School Building Committee to talk about some of the projects they have worked one, and the schedule for the project. Compass is working on a five-phase, 18-month construction project at John F. Kennedy Middle School in Natick, said Tim Bonfatti, president of Compass. “Much like the current Watertown High School it is on a very constricted site, with limited options around it,” Bonfatti said. “And the solution that is going to be built there is going to be built in phases because we can’t complete it within the constrained footprint of that site.”

Bilteracy

Watertown High Students Will Be Able to Show They are Bilingual on their Diplomas

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Watertown High School students will soon be able to have the Seal of Biliteracy on their diplomas and transcripts. Students in the Watertown Public Schools speak 59 languages, Kate Phillipson, director of English as a Second Language Coordinator told the School Committee Monday night. Some learn a language in school, others speak a language other than English at home, and still more take language classes outside of school. “The State Seal of Biliteracy is a nationally and state recognized seal that recognizes graduates that speak, listen, read, and write proficiently in more than one language,” said Adam Silverberg, the district’s World Language Coordinator. The seal will be placed on diplomas and transcripts, Silverberg said, and students could be recognized during graduation.