Schools

WHS Robotics Team Will Demonstrate its Robots at Driveathon

By |

The Watertown High School Robotics Team will be demonstrating their robots at the WHS Gym 

The Watertown High School Robotics Team sent out the following information:

Come join the WHS Robotics Team for a Drive­a­thon, Alumni Reunion & Robot Rodeo on December 15, 2018 at 11 a.m.

Students, mentors and alums will divide into three member drive teams to see how many laps they can drive a robot around the course on the basketball court, including traversing obstacles during a five minute time period. Pledges can be made for the number of laps completed by a drive team within the time limit or a lump sum donation made. Several team robots will be on display for family, friends and sponsors to view. Why not give driving a robot a try too? All are welcome!

Schools

Two Watertown High School Students Named National Merit Commended Students

By |

Two Watertown High School seniors received recognition from National Merit Program for being among the top scorers on the PSAT. Nathan Follett and Robert Leonard were named Commended Students in the 2019 National Merit Program, based on their scores on the 2017 PSAT (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test), Superintendent Dede Galdston announced at this week’s School Committee meeting. Approximately 1.6 million students took the PSAT in 2017, and the top 50,000 were identified by the National Merit Program. “They are approximately in the top 3 percent of students in the nation,” Galdston said. School Committee Chairman John Portz added, “Congratulations to both of you.

Schools

Town Council Approves Funding for Study & Schematic Design for New High School

By |

A significant hurdle was cleared on the path to building a new, or renovating the current, Watertown High School when the Town Council approved $1.6 million in funding for the project’s feasibility study and schematic design. 

Last week, the Town Council unanimously approved the funding for what is the end of the first of eight modules required by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), said Superintendent Dede Galdston. The high school project was accepted into the MSBA’s process in December 2017. Since that time school officials have been taking the necessary steps, including creating a school building committee (the same one as for the 3 elementary school projects), documenting maintenance practices, and setting an enrollment. Galdston said, when completed, the high school will be able to accommodate 720 students. Currently the high school has about 660 students.

Schools

Watertown High School Robotics Team Excels at Beantown Blitz Competition

By |

On Oct. 6, the Watertown High School Robotics Team competed in Beantown Blitz in Revere where after a long day of competition they were able to advance to the final match and achieve a second place alliance finish in a closely contested final! Seventeen teams from around the New England region attended the competition and joined in three team alliances against other alliances to score points with their robots by strategically and efficiently placing game cubes in Exchanges, Switches and Scales. After competing in nine qualifying matches, the team moved on to the elimination matches. In the semi­final match, the WHS Robotics team’s alliance handily won the round 2­0 in a best of three.

Cunniff School

Elementary, High School Projects Take Steps Forward at School Building Committee

By |

Two votes by the School Building Committee on Wednesday night moved the projects at Watertown’s three elementary schools and at the high school a step closer to being a reality. The projects to renovate and make additions to Hosmer, Lowell and Cunniff elementary schools, which have schematic designs, are ahead of the Watertown High School project, for which designs have yet to be drawn up. High School Project
Wednesday night, the School Building Committee, which oversees the projects, gave its approval to spend $1.6 million on the preliminary design and hiring an owner’s project manager for the WHS project. The Town Council will be asked to give final approval for the money at its Nov. 13 meeting, said Superintendent Dede Galdston.

Government

DPW Announces Temporary Walking Routes to WHS During Common Street Project

By |

The Watertown Department of Public Works provided this update on the Common Street road project:

Over the summer, the Town has begun construction along Common Street from Mount Auburn Street to the Church Street/Orchard Street intersection, including portions of Columbia Street and Spring Street as part of the Common Street improvement project. The scope of the project includes the full reconstruction of each roadway with the objective of increasing safety and improving operations for all users within this corridor. General information is available at the Town’s web-site: http://www.watertowndpw.org/173/Common-Street

Construction will continue during the fall. As students are heading back to school, safety through the active construction zone is paramount. DPW, working with the School Department and Police Department Traffic Division, has developed a temporary pedestrian safety and control plan (See photo above).

Around Town

Watertown High School Strives to Bring Attention to Faded Banner Honoring WWI Veterans

By |

Hidden in plain sight at Watertown High School is a banner dating back 100 years, made to honor the town residents who went to serve in World War I, as well as, those who died in the “War to End All Wars.” The banner is located in a glass case, not far from the top of the central staircase on the second floor of the high school. It caught the interest of Kraig Gustafson, the AP U.S. History teacher and the district’s grade 6-12 Social Studies Coordinator. He also wanted to do something to honor others who served in the military at that time and since then. Once bordered with bright red with a white center and hundreds of stars some of which form the letters W-H-S, the banner now appears in different shades of gray.

Schools

WHS Class of 2018: A Tight Knit Group of Students Who Care About Each Other

By |

The message from the graduation speeches on Friday evening was that Watertown High School’s Class of 2018 is a tight group that supports and celebrates each other, putting the whole group ahead of any one individual. When describing the graduating class, Principal Shirley Lundberg used a Ralph Waldo Emerson quote that finishes: “… To know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived, that is to have succeeded.” “Class of 2018, you have not only only embraced that philosophy, but as a class you have made it your mission,” Lundberg said. This year’s senior class has shown how much they care about each other, Lundberg said.