Christy L. Coloutti

Northwest Primary School
Rutland City Public Schools
Rutland, Vermont
christy.coloutti@rcpsvt.org

Following a decade of leadership at Proctor Elementary School, Christy Coloutti took the helm at K-2 Northwest Primary School (NPS) one year ago. Among her first actions as principal was establishing a “CARE closet” to ensure that all NPS students, 100 percent of whom receive free and reduced-price meals, have access to sufficient clothing, backpacks, food, and hygiene supplies. Drawing on prior experience as a classroom teacher, special educator, and special education administrator, this initiative reflects Coloutti’s recognition that trauma and isolation deprive students of academic opportunity. At Proctor, Coloutti’s implementation of MTSS earned recognition by the Vermont Agency of Education, in part for the program’s rigorous inclusion of students with disabilities. Embracing a Plan-Do-Study-Act approach to instruction, the program helped to close literacy gaps at Proctor and increase engagement through targeted, differentiated teaching practices. A local disability advocacy group heartened by these efforts approached Coloutti to launch Let’s Be Fair, an event focused on building connections and understanding between students and adults with disabilities. While at Proctor, the school embarked on a first-in-the-state partnership with the Tarrant institute to increase student engagement and community involvement through tech-rich, student-centered, project-based learning through the introduction of a Makerspace and student-led, real-world projects of interest. Coloutti earned an M.Ed. from Castleton University and a B.A. in General and Special Education from Castleton State College and holds a superintendent’s certification from the Vermont Agency of Education.