When Colchester High School senior Tullia Mamenga and her mother first moved to America from Gabon, fleeing conflicts in surrounding countries, it was a fresh start and an opportunity for a better life. Tullia was just seven years old. Along with that fresh start came uncertainty and hardships. “My mom had to first start off in housekeeping and work her way up to the job she’s in now,” explained Tullia. Money has always been tight, which presents many obstacles for the mother-daughter duo. Seeing her mother persevere while continuing to educate herself is motivating to Tullia.
After their midyear arrival in the States, Tullia repeated 2nd-grade at Union Memorial School. The extra time is often imperative to new Americans to help them acclimate to school culture and to learn English. “I think a pivotal time for me was in middle school. My algebra teacher, Mr. Simmons, was probably the first teacher that made me feel like I could be a good student,” she says with a smile. “He was like, ‘You got this, you can do this, you just need to practice, you’re good.’ That reassurance that I could do it was validation that I wasn’t stupid.”
The insecurity that Tullia describes is common among English learners. “Going through the pressures of having to talk to others and being in school and really just working to be a better person than your parents were,” she explains, “there was always that pressure. My mom came here because she wanted a better education for me and needing to living up to that expectation was important.”
Fast forward to her senior year, her class schedule is full of advanced placement courses, she is the reigning Vermont State Debate Champion, she competes on the school’s track and field team, she was chosen to attend the prestigious HOBY Youth Leadership conference, and she continues to be involved in her church, particularly with the youth group.
Tullia aspires to become a doctor but the thought of college expenses overwhelmed her and her mother. “I’m not only looking at college but I’m also looking at med school which is a whole other entity that’s going to cost a lot more money.” Exceptional student or not, finances continued to be a stressor as the pair started looking at colleges last year. Accruing substantial debt to send Tullia to college would put them back in the type of living situation they had worked so hard to overcome.
“Seeing that whole process [of what her mom went through] was very inspirational to me but it also taught me that debt and bills can really impact your living circumstances and the opportunities that you have access to. That’s what stressed me out about college. I didn’t want my mom or I to go through that whole phase again of being uncertain about what we could afford. That was a very stressful situation.”
At the encouragement of her guidance counselor, Tullia applied for a QuestBridge College Match Scholarship. The organization connects the nation’s most exceptional, low-income youth with leading institutions of higher education. Recipients of the College Match Scholarship are granted admission to one of QuestBridge’s college partners with a full, four-year scholarship. It covers every cent attributed to attending college including tuition, fees, room and board, books and supplies, and travel expenses. Out of 14,926 applicants, only 1,127 students were selected as Match Scholarship Recipients. Tullia was one of them; she was matched with Colby College. “We were both crying when we found out. I’m really grateful and thankful. It’s still so surreal, I can’t believe it.” Tullia shares.
Tullia is the first Colchester High School student to receive a College Match Scholarship. Principal Heather Baron is thrilled for her. “Tullia is an incredible young woman with a bright future. This scholarship is a recognition of her hard work and promise as a young adult. In addition to being an amazing opportunity for Tullia, Colby will be lucky to count her as one of their own,” says Principal Baron.
When asked, Tullia is assured in her advice to rising students at Colchester High School. “Building strong bonds with your teachers and your guidance counselors is really what’s going to help you out. Not only in getting work done but also getting different opportunities. If I didn’t know Ms. Pastore or Mr. Hall, I probably wouldn’t have known about QuestBridge and I wouldn’t have gotten the scholarship.”
Now that the news is setting in, she can take a deep breath for the first time since she started thinking about college. “It feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. It opens up a lot more doors for me, in the sense of achieving more than I probably would have if I hadn’t received the scholarship. I’m really excited for the future.”
and Guidance Counselor Julie Pastore
Chad DeMagistris was chosen by a panel of CSD faculty, staff, parents, and students to fill the role of Colchester High School Assistant Principal. Chad has been an educator for 11 years, all at Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, VA. 
The district is equally excited to announce that Melissa “Brooke” King has been selected to round out the administrative team at Malletts Bay School. Brooke comes to the district following nearly 14 years with neighboring Burlington School District. Brooke started her education at the University of South Florida, initially focusing her studies on Marine Biology before deciding to pursue a degree in elementary education. Most recently, she completed her Masters in Education for School Leadership at Saint Michael’s College. Over Brooke’s 14 years with Burlington School District she has served as a primary grade teacher, an English language teacher, and notably directed a program from newly arrived Americans. 
The story of Fiddler on the Roof centers on Tevye, the father of five daughters, and his attempts to maintain his Jewish religious and cultural traditions as outside influences encroach upon the family’s lives. He must cope with the strong-willed actions of his three older daughters, who wish to marry for love – each one’s choice of a husband moves further away from the customs of his faith – and with the edict of the Tsar that evicts the Jews from the village.
Students from Colchester Middle School will offer an amusingly different way to think about everyone’s favorite fairy tale characters through their production of Into the Woods Junior. The musical centers on a baker and his wife, who wish to have a child; Cinderella, who wishes to attend the King’s festival; and Jack, who wishes his cow would give milk. When the baker and his wife learn that they cannot have a child because of a witch’s curse, the two set off on a journey to break the curse and wind up changed forever.
After an extensive search process that included a committee of highly-respected faculty, parents, school board members and administrators, Ms. Burke emerged as the outstanding choice to lead Malletts Bay School.
Join family, friends, and neighbors at the Colchester Winter Carnival, coming up on ![IMG_2663 [Edited]](https://csdspotlight.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/img_2663-edited.jpg)
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families, this is an evening full of entertainment and extreme talent from Colchester residents. Based on the hit TV talent show, “American’s Got Talent,” these local acts will perform and be scored by age groups. Judges will choose the winners, and cash prizes are awarded to the top three finishers in each category. 2018 Judges include WCAX Meteorologist Sharon Meyer, Miss Vermont 2015 Alayna Westcom, and Colchester Superintendent Amy Minor! Acts were chosen through an audition process in January. Thank you to Sheppard Custom Homes, our major sponsor for this event! Location: Theatre; Overflow seating & live stream in Cafeteria.
non-profit 501(c)3 Veterans Service Organization whose mission is to support and advocate for our Soldiers and Veterans while also being dedicated to honoring and assisting families of our Fallen. $15.00 entry fee. 2018 Judges include Governor Phil Scott, Senator Dick Mazza, Colchester Police Chief Jennifer Morrison, and Becky Holtz of COTS. The top 3 will win a gift card to a local establishment & bragging rights. Stop by the Colchester Parks & Recreation Office to sign up or download a Chili Contest Entry Form from the Parks & Rec website or at: 
I have traveled by train, ferry 
Norwegian students are also surprised to learn about the large variety of extracurriculars opportunities that exist within American schools. By contrast, Norwegian teens play sports on town teams and are involved in private clubs for theater, arts, and music. So unlike in Colchester, the schools here are pretty quiet once the academic day has ended. Further, the students pay fees to participate in sports and everyone is welcome to play on the teams; there are no cuts. Students travel quite far for games and tournaments— sometimes even to other countries! Most teachers and students I talk with are very intrigued by (and perhaps even a little envious of!) the sense of community and spirit that school-sponsored extracurriculars foster in the USA.
Most Norwegians see the US as a great ally. Occupied by the Nazis during WWII and constantly under threat due to their border with Russia during the Cold War, Norwegians tend to hold America’s commitment to preserving democracy abroad in high regard. This helps explain Norwegians’ keen interest in the American political system and current events. Almost daily students express concerns about the threat of nuclear war. One teacher recently told me, “Our society is inextricably linked to American values. Destabilization in the American world means destabilization everywhere.”
lifelong learner in ways I never imagined I would. Every day I meet people from all walks of life who challenge my assumptions and force me to think differently. In the classroom I’ve been tested with questions that are complex and heart wrenching. “Are you proud to be an American? Is it harder to be an immigrant in America or Norway? Do you think the USA could learn anything from the Norwegian prison system?” I am at once a spokesperson for the US and a private citizen living abroad. Striking that balance has been the great challenge of this job, but an enriching experience all around.
Senator William Fulbright created the Fulbright Foundation in 1946 to promote mutual understanding in the post-WWII world. The value of this program and other opportunities for cross-cultural exchange has become abundantly clear to me. Often students will tell me I’m the first real American they have ever met, and that I helped them think differently about the US, perhaps even to second guess their stereotypes and biases. I am humbled and proud to be in this role. My work seems to be fulfilling Senator Fulbright’s vision:
I am deeply grateful to both my colleagues at CHS and the Colchester community for allowing me to pursue this educational opportunity. While most days I have to pinch myself just to make sure I’m not dreaming, the work is never easy and most evenings I collapse onto a hotel bed, exhausted from teaching, traveling, and navigating a foreign country on my own.
Auditions for Colchester’s Got Talent 2018 will be held one night only on 
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They do some incredible things for our community all year round and Thanksgiving is no exception. For the past 10 years, they’ve collected and purchased goods to make 25 complete Thanksgiving meals for families throughout the district (including the turkeys!). They also include other items such as pasta, soups, and peanut butter to help beyond just the traditional Thanksgiving meal.
The Burnham Memorial Library is once again partnering with the Colchester-Milton Rotary Club on their annual Holiday Gift Basket Project. The baskets will be filled with food and other items to help families in need have food on their tables during the holiday season. These baskets also include books for all the kids and teens in these families. Please help us to make this happen by dropping off your new (or very gently used) books at one of our drop-off locations. Bins have been placed in the lobbies of all Colchester schools, Town Offices and at the Burnham Library. We will be collecting books donations until Wednesday, November 29
loyal Colchester residents, who have continued to be wonderful, reliable supporters of the food shelf. They would like to be able to offer dinner fixings along with a turkey to food shelf clients and are looking for boxed scalloped potatoes, turkey gravy, green bean casserole ingredients, boxed stuffing mix, cranberry sauce, and turkeys.
School resource officers Christian Mellen and Mark Jacobs have spent the beginning of the week touring classrooms at Malletts Bay School telling the story behind the Red Ribbon Campaign and this year’s slogan: your future is key so stay drug free.
and neighbors began to wear red badges of satin. Parents, sick of the destruction of alcohol and other drugs, had begun forming coalitions. Some of these new coalitions took Camarena as their model and embraced his belief that one person can make a difference. These coalitions also adopted the symbol of Camarena’s memory, the red ribbon. In Colchester, officers handed out red bracelets to students to wear as a symbol of support and commitment to their community.
After sharing Kiki’s story, Officer Mellen facilitated a discussion with students to encourage them to examine their own communities, both at school and at home, to see how they could make a positive impact. The students proposed cleaning up trash in common areas, donating food or time to a charity, contributing to small acts of kindness like holding a door open for someone, and being a “upstander” to bullying.
Typically, families have to cover the exam cost and provide transportation to and from a testing facility on a Saturday. Thanks to a $5,000 grant from the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation, CHS was able to cover the cost for all students and administer the exam right at CHS during the school day. This gave all students, regardless of their ability to pay, the opportunity to prepare for the SAT.
The Spotlight 