Students, Parents Get a Look Inside the Temporary Watertown High School After Ribbon Cutting

The temporary campus for Watertown High School at PFC Richard Moxley Field opened after a ribbon cutting on Aug. 31 by, from left, Superintendent Dede Galdston, Principal Joel Giacobozzi, Assistant Superintendent Steve Magoon, and City Council President Mark Sideris. (Photo by Maya Shwayder)

The huge, empty hallways smelled like the wood aisle at Home Depot. Large boxes – empty and not – lined most corridors, and all the computers and monitors in the media room were still wrapped in plastic. But nonetheless the modular Watertown High School at PFC Richard Moxley Field held its grand opening five days before the first day of school, complete with a red ribbon and giant scissors to cut it.

Enrollment Up at All Levels in Watertown Schools, Especially at the High School

Enrollment is up at Watertown High School, despite moving into the temporary location at PFC Ricard Moxley Field. (Courtesy by City of Watertown)

Watertown’s schools are growing at all levels, and some classes at two elementary schools are near or at capacity, Superintendent Dede Galdston told the School Committee. The biggest growth, however, is at the secondary level. Typically, School officials wait until September to provide the first enrollment report to the School Committee, Galdston said, but she wanted to inform members before school started incase they receive questions about it. “Our enrollment is up,” Galdston said.

Changes to Watertown Schools Attendance Policies, Other Policies at Middle and High Schools

The new school year brings new policies for the Watertown Public Schools, including families being asked to report student absences with an online form, new rules for tardies at the high school, and actions for middle school students failing math and English Language Arts. The School Committee heard about changes to the student handbooks at Watertown Public Schools starting this fall at the Aug. 21 meeting. Absences

Superintendent Dede Galdston said that the big change for the procedures when a student is absent is filling out and sending in a Google form online. “If you have an excused absence, any absence, you have to fill out a form, a Google form, instead of an email or phone call,” Galdston said.

Public Invited to Ribbon Cutting & Tour of Temporary High School at Moxley Field

A view of the temporary Watertown High School at Moxley Field from a presentation to the School Building Committee. (Courtesy of the Watertown Schools)

The public can get an inside look at the place where Watertown High School students will call home for the next three years. A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held at the Watertown High School at Pvt. First Class Moxley Field on Thursday, Aug. 31 at 4:30 p.m.

“The public is welcome and invited to see what beautiful work has been done there for our temporary high school,” City Council President Mark Sideris said.

Watertown High School Prepping for Life at Temporary Campus at Moxley, Other Locations

A view of the temporary Watertown High School at Moxley Field from a presentation to the School Building Committee. (Courtesy of the Watertown Schools)

The final touches are being made on the temporary campus in preparation for Watertown High School students to return to class on Sept. 5, and the students and staff alike will have to adapt to their new digs, which include sites outside the modular campus at Moxley Field. Principal Joel Giacobozzi told the WHS community that they will have to adjust to a new way of “doing school,” in the introduction in the student handbook (see below). Meanwhile, construction crews continue to work to get the two-story school made from prefabricated modules ready for class.

Former Students, Educators Get Final Look Around Watertown High School

Photo by Charlie BreitrosePeople lined up to get one last look at Watertown High School before it is torn down. The hallways of Watertown High School buzzed with activity one last time last week, as former students, teachers, even principals took a look around the old school and shared memories. The school, parts of which date back to the 1920s, will be torn down in the fall to make way for a brand new, state-of-the-art building. While many looked back on their memories at WHS fondly, most agreed it was time to say goodbye on June 22. Photo by Charlie BreitroseFormer students and staff milled around the hallways at Watertown High School one last time.

Watertown Students Get Their Chance to Run Their Own Radio Station

Watertown High School senior Henry Broadstone got experience as a radio DJ during WHS’s pilot program through the High School Radio Project. (Photo by Todd Robbins). A group of Watertown High School students got a taste of what it’s like to be a radio DJ, putting together their own shows and recording song introductions, banter between tracks, and even interviews with fellow hosts. Their work can be heard on a streaming audio station that airs 24/7. The students from Watertown, along with a high school in Nebraska, were the first to test the High School Radio Project program, designed to empower students with the opportunity to experiment with radio as a potential career, said WHS Radio & Television Broadcasting Teacher Todd Robbins.

Watertown High Class of 1964 Planning Reunion, Started Facebook Page

Watertown High School

The following information was provided by the WHS Class of 1964:

ATTENTION 1964 classmates! A Facebook page has been created for updates regarding our 60th Reunion, to be held sometime in September, 2024. 

The page name is: 

Watertown, MA – Class of 1964 – Reunion. 

Plans are proceeding and as you can imagine, it is a bit daunting to locate and contact classmates. It would be greatly appreciated if you are still in contact with former students to pass on this information. An email address has been provided on the FB page.