Schools

Asbestos Found in Walls of Watertown High School, Effort to Remove it Underway

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An inspection of Watertown High School discovered that the plaster on the walls contain asbestos, Superintendent Dede Galdston announced Monday, and the district has started determining the best way to deal with the hazardous material. 

The inspection was conducted by a firm hired by the Watertown Public Schools as part of complying with the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA). Galdston sent a letter about the asbestos to Watertown High School parents, and read it at Monday’s School Committee meeting. “During these inspections it was determined that the skim coat plaster at the high school contains some amount of asbestos,” Galdston said. “While previous reports did not identify asbestos in the plaster, more recent sampling and analytical methods have improved such that the levels of asbestos in plaster can now be detected.” All the plaster in the school is being examined to determine the extent of the asbestos, Galdston told the School Committee.

Schools

High School Moves a Step Closer to Being Accepted Into State Building Program

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For the fourth time this year Watertown Public School officials applied to have the renovation Watertown High School partially funded by the state, and this time the project has caught the eye of state officials who will come take a closer look at the aging campus. While WHS has not yet been invited to be part of the MSBA program, in which close to half the cost would be reimbursed by the state, Superintendent Dede Galdston said she is excited to see it being considered. “A group from the state will come to the district to interview people and have an architect come look at the building to determine if it’s one of the buildings that will get funding,” Galdston told the School Committee Monday night. “It is pretty exciting we made the first cut.” If the school makes the list of schools to be accepted into the state program, the work really begins for Watertown officials.

Charity

Watertown-Belmont Chamber Awards Four Scholarships to High School Seniors

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The Watertown-Belmont Chamber of Commerce awards scholarships annually to Belmont and Watertown high school seniors planning to attend college. The WBCC announced the winners. This year the Chamber received multiple applications from Watertown and Belmont seniors. A volunteer scholarship committee comprising members of the Chamber’s board of directors, Katherine Rafferty, Mount Auburn Hospital; Pamela Giannatsis, Tufts Health Plan; and Sandy Penchansky, of Watertown Savings Bank read each application and selected the award recipients. Here are this year’s award recipients:

WBCC Scholarship

o   $1,000 to a Watertown High School (WHS) senior and Watertown Resident: Bailey Herrera Samayoa

o   $1,000 to a Belmont High School (BHS) senior and Belmont Resident: Colleen Murphy

The Barclay Good Citizen Scholarship

o   $500 to a High School senior boy and Watertown Resident: Sam Carton

o   $500 to a High School senior girl and Watertown Resident: Stella Varnum

Congratulations to our recipients!

Mascot

Committee Narrows Down Possible Mascots/Logos for Watertown High School

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Knights, Colonists, American Indians, foxes, bobcats, and many more – these are some of the choices that the Watertown High School Mascot Screening Committee has to choose from for the school’s new logo. 

The group of students, alumni, parents and school staff met Tuesday night to review the 17 submissions for the new WHS mascot/logo, and shortened the list for the graphic designer working with the group to have some ideas. The submissions came from students and others in town, said School Committee Vice Chair Kendra Foley, who is chairing the Mascot Screening Committee. One even came from a fifth grader. The group was asked what characteristics they wanted the mascot to have. One of the students on the committee, Abbie Peterson, said she wanted to show that Watertown is “a strong community, we don’t let anything hold us back and we strive to be the best.”

Schools

WHS Student Overcomes Learning Challenges to Graduate with Honors

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Rosdom Kaligian, center, overcame dyslexia and autism to graduate from Watertown High School with honors. When the seniors at Watertown High School graduated on Friday, there was one graduate who overcame some major challenges to not only finish high school but do so with honors. 

Rosdom Kaligian has severe dyslexia and also is autistic. His parents considered placing him in an out-of-district special education program, his mother Barbara Aghamianz said, but he convinced them to keep him at WHS. “I think people forget how hard it is for these kids to graduate, let alone be successful.” Barbara said.

Class of 2017

Congratulations to the 2017 Watertown High School Graduates!

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Inside a packed gymnasium, the 160 members of the Watertown High School Class of 2017 graduated on Friday evening. Here is the Class of 2017:

+ = Cum Laude Society

* = National Honor Society

Sajda Mohammad Abbas

Michelle Anahid Aftandilian

Rachel Armineh Aftandilian

Aaseia Ahmed

Sidar Akisik

Celeste Marie Alberico

Evamarie Anna Alessandroni +*

Mahdi Gawdat Alhady *

Brian John Amedio

Faryal Amin *

Elizabeth Kelly Arauz *

Andres Fernando Arenas *

Ani Rose Aroyian

Sarine Marie Ashjian *

Genrikh Eduard Askaryan *

Maria Athanasopoulos

Vangelis Athanasopoulos

Christopher John Baccari *

Natalia Balan

Christopher Samuel Eric Banks

Emma McLaughlin Bannon *

Marie Hugena Barolette

Ryan Everett Barry

Josemaria Terefenko Beagan

Catherine Ann Bedig

Robert Benjamin Belli

Muwonge Douglas Birigwa

Larissa Maria Bittencourt

Noah Anthony Brennan

Conor Francis Britton

Benjamin David Bunnell

Lauren Taylor Burns *

Anthony Daniel Camilli

Bryan Leonardo Canales-Alfaro

Cathrin Casandra Canales-Alfaro

Anthony Stephen Cardarelli

Daniel Joseph Carito *

Samuel Benjamin Carton +*

Alexis Rae Catsoulis +*

Thanapat Chanthon

Taylar Lynn Chase

Joe Abdo Chebli

Lara Ferreira Chiste *

Joseph Chomthakham

Dante Joseph Cimino

Alexan Cinar *

Fancesse Cledomin

David Oleg Conlon *

Eli Alex Cook

Christina Maria D’Agostino

Gabrielle Lynne Dalton

Julia Silva Dario

Jackson Faber DaSilva

James Thomas DeRocher

Kiran Din

Sofia Maria Teresa DiPace

Maksim Doe

Julia Noelle Dunoyer +*

Elias Dimitrios Fabrikarakis

Teal Fechtor-Pradines

Anthony Franciel Feliz

Aurora Jeanette Fidler

Nicole Lara Frisoli +*

Antonio Miguel Galang

Colin Patrick Gardiner *

Areg Andre-Bared Ghahraman

Isaac Blustein Gibbons *

Sarah Elizabeth Greim +*

John Frederick Griffin

Artem Vagifovich Grigoryan

Ian Michael Groh

Mayra Camila Guerra

Sara Gyulakian +*

Jayden Anthony Hairston *

Bailey Samantha Herrera Samayoa

Francis Edward Hession

Helene Emilio Hoxha +*

Isaac Preston Huff *

Sabir Hussain

Khadeen Natatia Inniss

Nareg Alex Kalaydjian

Rosdom Vrej Kaligian *

Dimitrios Nicholas Kalmanides

Leslie Merrill Kay

Congratulations to the #Watertown High School Class of 2017 on your graduation! pic.twitter.com/GPNkkSbcj4
— Watertown News (@WatertownMANews) June 3, 2017

Gregory Shant Kazanjian

Vasken Sarkis Kebabjian

Jenna Destiny Kelly

Kourtney Rose Kennedy

Saqib Kahn

Seema Naz Khan

Yasir Khan *

Stefanos Alkiviadis Kiorpes +*

Zelal Kort

Fatima ez Zahra Kouchaoui

Hajar Kouchaoui

Eli Moshe Krieger *

Lance Christopher Kuo

Catherine Dawn LeBlanc

Tatum Ngoke Ting Lee

Sammy Jay Leitner

Benjamin Siring Lowry +*

Gautam Mannan

Thayna Caetano Marcos

Hovig Sarkis Margosian

Melissa Cunha Martins

Miriam Victoria Matevosian

Karina Louise McAdam *

Samantha Camryn McFarland *

Hanna Lee McMahon

Jenna Rose McMahon

Parsa Medhati

Carlos Rodrigues Menezes

Lily Mills *

Juan Carlos Morales-Gonzalez

Rodrigo Andre Moscoso

Shannon Mae Murphy +*

Lisa Elizabeth Nantongo

Paula Guimaraes Nascimento

Emerson Shaye O’Connor

Ryan Kinsale O’Reilly +*

Marina Osipova

Annie Mariam Pepanyan

Ava Bryce Peters

James Stephen Piccirilli *

Gabriel Alejandro Pino

Cassidy Lee Pirozzi

Vasiliki Vana Pistoftzian *

Talene Marie Pogharian +*

Max Vitaliy Potseluev

Elsie Jenny Prespolis

Sanan Khan Rafiq

Destiney Valentine Reardon

Cythia Evelis Rentas

Ahmed Abdulkader Rifai

Zachary Sarkis Rimsa

Andrea Stephanie Rios

Kaitlyn Nicole Robbins

Fatima Hassan Roda *

Ruby Xiao Rosenwasser *

Jillian Marie Russo

Elizabeth Santourian

Berk Sezgin

Yuri Arkadavich Shakhverdov

Reid Ignacio Shanabrook *

Brendan Sean Shanahan

Lori Dikranuhi Shirinian *

Alex Henry Smith

Jake Scot Soares

Kelvin Martins Soares

Garen Harout Soukiasian

Nicholas Joseph Stanizzi

Joshua Barry Stewart

Aidan Brown Sullivan

Nathalia Alejandra Tapia

Joseph Erik Tardif

Dora E. Tejada

Janaki Thangaraj +*

Emmanuel James Theodore

Stella Nicole Varnum +*

Olivia Nicole Venezia +*

School Start Time

Task Force Examining How to Push Back the Start of Class at WHS Each Day

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A task force has been formed to look at how the Watertown Public Schools would change the time that schools start each day, in particular having the high school start later. Interim Superintendent John Brackett created the group following the work of another committee that met last year to look at the benefits and drawbacks of changing school start times. Brackett said the research shows teens are better able to learn later in the morning, but right now the high school starts begins at 7:55 a.m., while the elementary schools start later – either at 8:15 or 8:30 a.m. Watertown Middle School starts classes at 7:40 a.m.

The subject is being explored at other schools, too, Brackett said. “There is a lot of talk, but it is more talk than action on changes of start times,” Brackett said. To examine what it will take to change the start time of schools, Brackett formed the School Start Time Implementation Task Force.