Anne Watson

Anne Watson
Mayor of Montpelier, Vermont
Assumed office
March 2018
Preceded by John Hollar
Personal details
Born Essex, Vermont
Political party Non-partisan
Alma mater Pennsylvania State University
University of Vermont

Anne Watson is an American teacher and politician. She has served as Mayor of Montpelier, Vermont since March 2018.[1][2] Watson is an award-winning physics teacher at Montpelier High School.[3] She served on the Montpelier city council for several years before running unopposed for mayor in late 2017. [4][5]

In 2010, Watson launched an eventually successful campaign with the Vermont Youth Ultimate League to recognize Ultimate Frisbee as an official varsity-level sport in Vermont's high schools.[6]

In April 2018, Watson was named in a blog article on the REI website as one of "five of the coolest mountain-town mayors" in the United States.[7]

Biography

Watson was born in Essex, Vermont. She received her bachelor's degree in mathematics, with a minor in physics, from Penn State University in 2003.[8] Watson next enrolled at the University of Vermont, where she completed a one-year master's degree in secondary education with a specialty in science.[8]

Teacher

Watson joined the faculty of Montpelier High School as a physics teacher in 2004.[8][9]

Watson having completed 5 years fellowship became a Senior Fellow at the Knowles Teacher Initiative.[9][10] [11] In 2010 she received certification from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards and became one of the 118,000 certified teachers in America. 3.3% of American teachers are board certified.[12][10]

In 2015, Watson appeared before the State Education Committee to advocate for a plan in which students from China would spend a year in Montpelier, attending the local high school.[13] She proposed that the students would be housed in the dormitories of the Vermont College of Fine Arts.[13] She received a Rowland Foundation Fellowship to further work on this proposal.[13][14]

Coach and sports activist

Watson coaches "Ultimate" (once known as Ultimate Frisbee).[6] Under her coaching, the Men's Ultimate team advanced to the Vermont finals five times from 2010 to 2017, and the Women's Ultimate team won the Vermont-wide title in 2017.[15]

In 2010, Watson launched a campaign with the Vermont Youth Ultimate League to recognize Ultimate Frisbee as an official varsity-level sport in Vermont's high schools.[6] Watson, who had played Ultimate (as it's commonly known) in college and coaches the sport at Montpelier High School, led a seven year state lobbying effort on behalf of the sport.[6][8] Her efforts proved successful on November 3, 2017, when the Vermont Principals Association, which supervises the state's high school sports programs, unanimously approved Ultimate Frisbee as a full varsity sport, beginning in the Spring 2019 season.[6] The approval made Vermont the first state in the country to recognize Ultimate Frisbee as a varsity sport.[6][8][15] The approval ensures that players are not charged to participate, and that coaches are paid and provided with safety training.[6]

Watson has been widely credited with Ultimate's landmark varsity recognition through her campaign.[7][6][8][15][16][17]

Political career

Watson entered politics in 2012 when she was appointed to the vacant District 2 seat on the Montpelier City Council.[8] She served three terms on the city council from 2012 until she left office to become mayor in 2018.[8]

On November 2, 2017, three-term incumbent Montpelier Mayor John Hollar announced that he would not seek re-election to a fourth term in the forthcoming March 2018 mayoral election.[18] Days later, Watson, who was serving as President of the Montpelier City Council at the time, announced her candidacy on November 6, 2017, to succeed Hollar.[19][20]

Watson campaigned on a platform with a focus on finances, infrastructure, the environment, and development.[8] "Montpelier is a place where we have twice as many jobs as residents, and that's not even adjusting for job-age residents,” Watson says. “Many more people commute here to work than live here, and if we can make it more affordable and accessible for people to live here, it’ll help reduce carbon emissions. If we can enhance recreational options so they don't have to drive far to get to them, that will also help."[7]

Watson was elected unopposed for mayor in March 2018. She followed John Hollar, who in turn followed state Rep. Mary Hooper, who served from 2004 to 2012.[20]

Publications

  • Watson, Anne (April–May 2007). "Asking Authentic Questions with Tangible Consequences". The Science Teacher. Washington. 74 (4).
  • Toolin, Regina; Watson, Anne (April–May 2010). "Students for Sustainable Energy". The Science Teacher. Washington. 77 (4): 27–31.
  • Toolin, Regina; Watson, Anne (8 July 2010). "Conducting Sustainable Energy Projects in Secondary Science Classrooms". Science Activities. 47 (2): 47–53. doi:10.1080/00368120903383158.

Notes

  1. ↑ WCAX 2018.
  2. ↑ "City Council & Mayor". City of Montpelier, Vermont. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  3. ↑ "An Interview with Montpelier's New Mayor, Anne Watson". The Bridge. April 19, 2018. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Montpelier Council President Running Unopposed for Mayor". Seattle Times. Associated Press. February 13, 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  5. ↑ "Anne Watson to Run for Mayor of Montpelier". Vermont Business Magazine. November 7, 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Ring, Wilson (November 6, 2017). "Vermont First State to Recognize "Ultimate" as Varsity Sport". Daily Hampshire Gazette. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2018-05-01. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 Cutts, Joe (2018-04-26). "5 of the Coolest Mountain-Town Mayors". REI. Archived from the original on 2018-04-26. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Mills, Stephen (2018-02-12). "Watson to run unchallenged for Capital City mayor". Barre Montpelier Times Argus. Archived from the original on 2018-05-06. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
  9. 1 2 "Anne Watson: Senior Fellow". Knowles Teacher Initative. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  10. 1 2 "Montpelier Teacher Earns Prestigious Certification". Barre Montpelier Times Argus. December 23, 2010. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  11. ↑ "Fellowship FAQs - Fellowship Program & Eligibility | Knowles". Knowles Teacher Initiative. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  12. ↑ "National Board Certification Overview". National Board for professional Teaching Standards site. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  13. 1 2 3 Nixon, Amy Ash (March 9, 2015). "International Students may Help Fill Empty School Chairs". VT Digger. Vermont Journalism Trust. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  14. ↑ "Grants Awarded". The Rowland Fellowship. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  15. 1 2 3 Mills, Stephen (2017-11-07). "Vermont schools catch Ultimate Frisbee". Associated Press. Rutland Herald. Archived from the original on 2018-05-06. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
  16. ↑ Eisenhood, Charlie (2017-11-03). "Vermont Becomes First State To Approve Ultimate As High School Varsity Sport". Ultiworld. Archived from the original on 2017-11-10. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
  17. ↑ "Vermont recognizes "ultimate" Frisbee as high school varsity sport". Associated Press. Tampa Bay Times. 2017-11-06. Archived from the original on 2018-05-06. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
  18. ↑ Polhamos, Mike (2017-11-01). "Montpelier's Mayor Hollar won't seek another term". Vermont Digger. Archived from the original on 2018-01-11. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
  19. ↑ "Anne Watson Announces Candidacy for Mayor of Montpelier". The Bridge. 2017-11-06. Archived from the original on 2017-11-07. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
  20. 1 2 Polhamos, Mike (2017-11-06). "Montpelier council president making run at mayoral vacancy". Vermont Digger. Archived from the original on 2018-02-11. Retrieved 2018-05-06.

Works cited

  • "Watson takes over as Montpelier mayor". WCAX. March 16, 2018. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  • Official website
    • "Anne Watson for Mayor – Montpelier, VT – Vote March 6, 2018". Retrieved April 29, 2018.
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