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This page contains testimonials from our former students about their Italian experience at SKHS!
Join the Italian life at SKHS! As you see below, it won't disappoint!
Katherine Lennon
SKHS 2019
My name is Katherine Lennon. Currently, I am enrolled at Bryant University as a freshman. My chosen major is International Business, I decided to go with this major due to my love for languages and international travel. I truly owe my love of languages to South Kingstown High School’s Italian program- a program that while I was only in for a short time, I feel really changed my mindset about global languages. Italian was something I never struggled with because of my wonderful and helpful teachers Signora Caroll and Signora Coutcher. I really felt as though my teachers wanted me to succeed as a student and put the time in to help me do just that. Taking a language is crucial to understanding the many cultures around you, and at SKHS not only is it important- it is also an enjoyable and rewarding experience.
Lily Rosa
SKHS 2018
URI 2022 in Global & Environmental Health and Italian
I studied Italian for all four years at SKHS and was involved in the Italian Club. These experiences are what helped me discover my passion for the beautiful Italian language and culture. Although it was challenging, learning a new language was definitely one of the most rewarding parts of high school for me. Two days after graduating from SKHS I was lucky enough to be able to travel on my own to Naples, Italy for a month where I volunteered at a youth center run by Save the Children Italia. The Italian program at SKHS prepared me to immerse myself in the culture and speak to locals with confidence. I am now continuing my studies at URI and will be returning to volunteer in Naples again in 2020. I am so thankful for everything the Italian program at SKHS taught me and I am excited to discover what other opportunities my Italian studies will provide in the future.
Kayla Waring
SKHS 2015
UConn 2019, Physiology & Neurobiology, Minor in Neuroscience and Molecular Cell Biology
Ciao! Mi chiamo Kayla! I graduated from SKHS in 2015 and studied Italian for 3 years. Italian was always my favorite class; my teachers, classmates, and love for the language kept me excited to go to class. My Italian class was super tight knit, something I loved because we all went from Italian 1-3 in the same class. The Italian teachers made it so easy to love. These teachers are TRUE Italians to their core, and their profound love for the language and culture was infectious. Some of my favorite memories of Italian class were the Italian snacks that were always amazing, singing Christmas carols in Italian around the holidays, and the laughs we all shared watching some of the Italian movies. My favorite project was learning a couple songs from the amazing Italian Star, Jovanotti. I still remember all the words and sing (aka belt out) these songs to this day. While I don’t use Italian in my day to day career, I’m so grateful for the time I spent learning the language and culture as it’s helped me appreciate other cultures. I even still have the Italian keyboard installed on my phone for when I want to text my friends in Italian! If I had to do high school all over again, I’d pick Italian any day!
Christopher Depot
SKHS, 2007
URI, 2011 in Music Education
Studying Italian at SKHS was an invaluable experience for me. Lidia Magliari’s passion for Italian culture has had a lasting impact on my teaching career and my love of world cultures. I continued to study Italian in college with Alfred Crudale. I will never forget when Signorina brought in her parent’s homemade Soppressata. Coming from a culinary family, Signornia’s openness to share her family traditions encouraged me to discover the food of Italy but also to learn more about my own family’s French traditions. At URI, Professor Crudale taught me to appreciate Italian Opera with the likes of Pavarotti and Puccini. As a band director, I utilize the Italian I’ve learned on a daily basis to analyze musical scores in order to teach my students how to interpret the composers intentions as well as interpreting lyrics. As a father, I’ve started teaching my children in Italian with “Testa, spalle, ginocchia e piedi”.
“Lasciatemi cantare, Con la chitarra in mano”
Amanda Velleco
SKHS, 2012
RIC, 2017 in Elementary Education
As I reflect on my high school experience many memories and experiences come to mind. I remember spirit weeks, football games, 4 seasons of playing soccer, Sadie Hawkins, SKpades..,the list could go on. But then there was the 3 years I spent studying Italian. I loved taking Italian almost as much as I loved the teachers who taught it. I ended up joining the Italian Club and even years later events like Festa di San Valentino, Festa della Donna, and Festa della Befana are memories that I still cherish. It wasn’t just a class that I took to fulfill the foreign language requirement or something to add to my college applications. It became a pillar of my time as a Rebel and added value to my overall high school experience. Now that I am a teacher myself, I understand the importance of creating relationships with my students and I often think back to the relationships I had with Signora Magliari [now Carroll] and Signora Coutcher. Those relationships are the reason I loved Italian class and being a part of Italian Club.
Rachel Plummer
SKHS 2014
College of William and Mary, 2018 in Psychology, Minor in Public Health
I studied Italian at SKHS for 4 years, including AP Italian with Signora Carroll in my senior year. Italian class was often the best part of my day – the classroom environment was always fun and engaging, and it was a really rewarding experience to learn Italian with the same group of students every year. I remember at the beginning of every year in high school worrying about which teachers I would have for every class except Italian, because I was so excited about every teacher in the department. Thanks to these wonderful teachers, I grew to love and appreciate Italian culture – I remember all of the cultural celebrations we had in class with delicious food, great music, and even Italian TV shows! I am especially thankful for the immersive experience of AP Italian. Although I was super intimidated at first by the idea of only being able to speak in Italian, not English, in the classroom, it ended up making me such a better Italian speaker and reader. After graduating from college, I traveled to Venice, Florence, and the Amalfi coast and was so excited to speak Italian like a local. In my junior year of college, I studied abroad in Florence for a semester and Florence quickly became my favorite city on earth. I am so beyond thankful for my high school Italian experience, as it introduced me to such a vibrant culture and incredible country.
Bridget Reilly
SKHS 2008
Curry College 2012, Psychology, double minor Communication & Education.
I first knew that I had to spend the rest of my 4 years of high school with Signorina Magliari (Carroll) on the first day of my Spanish 1 class, freshmen year, 2004. What better way to not only take Spanish, but Italian! Signorina pours her heart and soul into her Italian class. Her love and passion for the Italian language and culture is what inspired me to the fullest as her student and beyond. I'm sure all would agree. One of my favorite memories (although there are many) was when I was living in Boston as a Junior in college. Signorina and I met up and saw Jovanotti -live- at the Paradise Rock Club. It was UNREAL. "Tanto, tanto, tanto, tanto, tanto" . I feel like my "Italian life" had come full circle at that very moment. A true testament to Signorina's love of sharing her Italian knowledge goes beyond her classroom. I'm so very lucky to have had her.
I now work in fashion, smack dab in the middle of NYC. And guess what? On some days, I speak more Italian than I do English. My boss is from Milan and I have several colleagues from Italy. My 2.5 year old has also mastered "uno, due, tre & ciao, ciao"
Christine Cauchon
SKHS 2009
URI 2014 in Communications with minors in English and Theater
I studied Italian with Signora Carroll (at the time we simply referred to her as “Signorina!”) and Signora Coutcher for my full four years of High School. Looking back, Italian felt more like an elected after school activity than a class, because the teachers and classmates loved it so much. I looked forward to class every day, because we got to play - with the language, with stories, with culture, etc. Signora Carroll immersed us in everything she could to give us a full and enriched experience, including a trip to Italy as a culmination of all of our learning for four years! If you’re looking for a class and a teacher that goes above and beyond recitation and memorization, I cannot recommend the Italian classes highly enough. They were a true staple of my high school experience and who I am today.
Emma Ardito
SKHS 2015
URI 2018, B.S. Communicative Disorders
URI 2020, M.S. Speech-Language Pathology
Ciao! I studied Italian for four years in high school and it was an incredibly meaningful experience for me. It is evident how much Signora Coutcher and Signora Carroll care about the subject and about their students. I was excited to go to Italian everyday because of their enthusiasm and support. Our class grew very close over the four years we spent together. We had a lot of laughs and we also pushed each other to succeed. I will always cherish my memories of watching Sentieri with Signora Coutcher and singing Domani with Signora Carroll! I developed a love for the Italian language that I still harbor today. I believe that this helped lead me to my current career path, to help individuals communicate more effectively, albeit in English. I am currently finishing my Master’s degree in speech-language pathology at URI. In my free time, I still read books and watch shows in Italian. I will forever be grateful for this amazing experience, and for my teachers who made it possible.
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