Auburn School District No. 408
915 4th Street Northeast, Auburn, WA  98002

2/16/07

NEWS RELEASE
Auburn School District's Board of Directors Honors
Fifth Grader Mari Colella

The Auburn School District Board of Directors will recognize Mari Colella, a fifth grader at Lea Hill Elementary School, for being an outstanding student on Monday, February 26, at 7 p.m. in the board room at the James P. Fugate Administration Building.

Mari Colella is a student unlike any other, according to her teacher Ms. Romberg, “I’ve never had a student who has taken such control of her own learning, who plays an active role in her learning. Mari clearly asks for help in areas she wants to improve in. She knows what she needs help with and what she wants to excel in.”

While Mari exhibits exceptional communication skills, she is also a hard worker. “She’s the type of person who works not twice but three times as hard as others,” says Ms. Romberg. Ms. Romberg recalls many times Mari has approached her to let her know what she wants to improve on, and her idea of how she can achieve this. One day Mari told Ms. Romberg she felt like she was missing the storyline of a book she was reading in Ms. Dutoit’s class. Mari suggested to Ms. Romberg that she begin listening to the book on tape to help her understand the storyline. “She tells me what she needs assistance with and then offers solutions; it’s truly amazing,” remarks Ms. Romberg.

Ms. Dutoit, another one of Mari’s teachers, praises Mari for her resourcefulness and maturity. “Because Mari puts forth such tremendous effort in her class work, she is seeing results.” Recently Mari received 9 out of 10 points on a writing assignment in Ms. Dutoit’s class. “Mari has made huge strides over the last year. She makes it clear to me when she understands concepts and assignments in my class, but she also lets me know when she needs additional assistance,” praises Ms. Dutoit.

Besides her academic success, Mari is responsible and polite and a friend to everyone. She treats others kindly and is always looking out for her fellow classmates. She has a great memory, too. “If we’re heading to music class or another subject and need to wrap something up in class upon our return, Mari will remind me where we left off or what we need to do,” says Ms. Dutoit. She is also a great problem solver; she doesn’t look to others to solve her problems for her. If it were up to Ms. Dutoit, she thinks it would be awesome to teach a classroom full of Mari’s.

According to Mari, “I feel like I’ve grown in the past year because I feel like my grades have improved this year. Some things are challenging and some are easier. I’m enjoying school. I’m also on the basketball team for Mr. Hess.” That she is. Mari loves sports. She also participates in cup stacking. Mari is a team player both on and off the court, which is sure to serve her well later in life—not to mention her strong work ethic, self-awareness and superb problem-solving skills.

For more information contact Amy Spence, public information officer, at (253) 931-4713.