Christine Fougerousse has returned to Arlington High. For those unfamiliar with our new Advanced Class coordinator, this statement might not yet warrant the enthusiasm it ought, but as this edifying presence works her way around the campus, the student body will catch on very quickly. The newest edition to the Colt family is one of experience, zest and vision, and I sat down with her to discuss her career and plans for the position.

Fougerousse is no stranger to our school, having commenced her employment at AHS.

“I did my student teaching here, and I worked here from 2000-2011 as an English teacher. When IB first came to campus I was one of two English teachers to be part of the program,” Fougerousse said.

Fougerousse esteemed her experience working under the advanced curriculum.

“The autonomy I got as an IB teacher, it was the first time I felt like a professional,” she said.

Eventually, Fougerousse decided to further her studies by pursuing a Master’s degree in urban affairs with an emphasis on education policy. As part of her research, Fougerousse went to observe the methods of a successful school.

“I did a case study on a high poverty high performing campus. I wondered ‘how do they build a culture of success?’,” she said.

The secret, Fougerousse found, was really very simple. It was all about the attitude of the teachers.

“Caring teachers matter. The message carried around on campus was that every teacher truly believed that every single one of those kids could succeed. Everyone truly believed that,” Fougerousse said. “We have a good bit of that here.”

After completing her Master’s, Fougerousse turned her fiery gaze towards politics.

“The most recent thing I did was work on a political campaign of Cole Ballweg, who was running for State Representative. He was very pro-public education,” she said.

Once the campaign was over, Fougerousse’s finesse was fortuitously drawn back to high school.

“When this job opened up it was the perfect time, and I don’t ignore things that seem serendipitous,” she said.

Now that she’s back, Fougerousse’s goal is to promote the culture of engagement in education.

“Getting as many students involved in some kind of advanced class is the idea,” she said. “With the end result of students feeling that higher education is accessible.”