She's got sixth-grade smarts

COLEBROOK — She may be just 11 years old, but Monica Swartley is a smart, caring and well-spoken young lady. Currently in the sixth grade at the Colebrook Consolidated School (CCS), Monica was chosen by Superintendent Jay Chittum to receive the 2008 Superintendent Award. Monica is also involved in several volunteer activities.

The oldest daughter of Vernon and Wendy Swartley, Monica has lived in Colebrook all her life. Her younger twin sisters, Erica and Marissa, are in the fourth grade at CCS.

Monica earns high marks on her report cards and helps other students as a mentor. On Tuesdays she works with first-grade students on various projects, including playing word games and helping them with special projects and assignments. Recently she began working with an advanced kindergartener on Thursdays with reading assignments and projects. Her favorite subject in school is reading, with math a close second.

“I like to read a lot, even when it’s not for homework. I could just sit down for five hours and read,� said Monica, who enjoys adventure and science fiction books. Her favorite authors are J.K. Rowling and Avi.

Monica is interested in the French horn, which she has studied for the last two years. She participates in the school band and serves as a band director for the elementary school. Next month she will audition for the Northwestern Regional Middle School Music Festival.

Monica enjoys playing soccer, softball and basketball.

In her free time, Monica does craft projects and recently won the Colebrook Lion’s Club Peace Poster Contest. She also enjoys volunteering. In past years she has enjoyed participating in Colebrook Clean-Up Day, which she said was “fun,� and organizing the fifth-grade United Fund Food Drive.

While Monica was aware that the school’s superintendent awarded an outstanding student with the Superintendent’s Award each year, she said she never gave it much thought.

“I was really surprised,� Monica said about being chosen. She added she enjoyed the dinner reception for the winners, where she was treated with a baked stuffed shrimp dinner.

As for her future goals, Monica is considering attending college to become a veterinarian.

“I like animals a lot. I used to take horseback riding lessons when I was really little,â€� said Monica, who enjoys hanging out with her pet rabbit, snails and lizards.  

Monica will attend Northwestern Regional Middle School next year as a seventh-grader.

 

Latest News

A scenic 32-mile loop through Litchfield County

Whenever I need to get a quick but scenic bicycle ride but don’t have time to organize a group ride that involves driving to a meeting point, I just turn right out of my driveway. That begins a 32-mile loop through some of the prettiest scenery in northern Litchfield County.

I ride south on Undermountain Road (Route 41 South) into Salisbury and turn right on Main Street (Route 44 West). If I’m meeting friends, we gather at the parking area on the west side of Salisbury Town Hall where parking is never a problem.

Keep ReadingShow less
Biking Ancramdale to Copake

This is a lovely ride that loops from Ancramdale north to Copake and back. At just over 23 miles and about 1,300 feet of elevation gain, it’s a perfect route for intermediate recreational riders and takes about two hours to complete. It’s entirely on quiet roads with little traffic, winding through rolling hills, open countryside, picturesque farms and several lakes.

Along the way, you’ll pass a couple of farmstands that are worth a quick visit. There is only one hill that might be described as steep, but it is quite short — probably less than a quarter-mile.

Keep ReadingShow less
Taking on Tanglewood

Aerial view of The Shed at Tanglewood in Lenox, Mass.

Provided

Now is the perfect time to plan ahead for symphonic music this summer at Tanglewood in Lenox, Massachusetts. Here are a few highlights from the classical programming.

Saturday, July 5: Shed Opening Night at 8 p.m. Andris Nelsons conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra as Daniil Trifonov plays piano in an All-Rachmaninoff program. The Piano Concerto No. 3 was completed in 1909 and was written specifically to be debuted in the composer’s American tour, at another time of unrest and upheaval in Russia. Trifonev is well-equipped to take on what is considered among the most technically difficult piano pieces. This program also includes Symphonic Dances, a work encapsulating many ideas and much nostalgia.

Keep ReadingShow less
James H. Fox

SHARON — James H. Fox, resident of Sharon, passed away on May 30, 2025, at Vassar Brothers Hospital.

Born in New York, New York, to Herbert Fox and Margaret Moser, James grew up in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. He spent his summers in Gaylordsville, Connecticut, where he developed a deep connection to the community.

Keep ReadingShow less