Neighbor News
Recipient of 2nd Annual Colin B. Foote Memorial Scholarship Named
Saunderstown resident and Prout Student Michael Piscione Awarded $1,000 Scholarship for his Passion for U.S. History

South Kingstown, RI – June 18, 2018 - Robin and Maryann Foote are pleased to announce that the second annual ‘Colin B. Foote Memorial Scholarship for Excellence in History’ has been awarded to Saunderstown resident Michael Piscione for his passion for U.S. history. Michael will enter his senior year at The Prout School in the fall of 2018.
“We are so pleased to have the Colin B. Foote Memorial Scholarship awarded to such a fine student,” said Robin Foote, Colin’s father. “Colin’s love for U.S. history developed while he attended Prout as a young man and helped to shape his path into teaching and then into the communications field. Both Maryann and I could not be prouder of Michael.”
Michael is interested in pursuing a college degree in engineering or computer science, with a minor in history. “During my freshman year, I discovered my passion for history and it has only continued to grow,” said Michael. “I love learning about the struggles and the perseverance of people who have shaped nations. To know someone or something beyond just face value is what has always intrigued me throughout my journey to find out more about our past.”
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The Prout School is the only high school in Rhode Island to offer International Baccalaureate (IB) courses. “Michael recently took a world-history course that involves the study of a variety of types of history, including political, economic, social and cultural. The course requires students to study and compare examples from different regions of the world, helping to foster international mindedness,” said David Estes, Principal, The Prout School.
Michael is part of the Prout robotics team, which won the Rhode Island state championship this year and traveled to the regional competition in Scranton, PA. He is a peer tutor for math and is the vice president of the French Club. Outside of school, Michael enjoys skiing, golf and traveling with his family.
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The Colin B. Foote Memorial Scholarship for Excellence in History was established in May 2017 in the memory of Robin and Maryann’s son Colin, a Prout School graduate of the class of 2001 who was killed on May 16, 2010 by a habitual traffic offender who had 19 prior traffic citations yet was still driving. The annual scholarship is awarded to an outstanding rising senior at The Prout School in Wakefield, RI, who demonstrates a passion for and special interest in United States history.
Colin thrived at The Prout School and was inducted into the National Honor Society. He was an officer on the student council, a four-year member of the varsity volleyball team and ski club. Colin was involved with the theater group and co-produced a mini feature-film, "A Soldier's Destiny," with a group of his classmates. Colin was also very active with the school's Model Legislature at the State House, participating in Mock Legislature, and was Secretary of his senior class. During high school, Colin volunteered for three years at the Frosty Drew Nature Center in Charlestown, RI educating young children about the natural environment of the coastal ponds. He then became Director of Frosty Drew.
After Prout, Colin attended Connecticut College where he was vice president of his junior and senior year classes and was very active as a Student Senator and a proud member of the Young Republicans. Colin graduated Cum Laude in 2005, with a double-major Bachelor of Science degree, in history and American studies with a minor in film studies.
After Connecticut College, Colin was employed as a public relations account manager at the Providence office of the Boston-based Regan Communications Group. Colin enjoyed travel to many locations in the United States, Europe and the Caribbean. His passion was restoring and driving classic 1970s cars and motorcycles, skiing and beholding the beauty of nature.
About The Prout School
Founded in 1966, The Prout School is a Catholic, diocesan, coeducational, college-preparatory high school. The school, which enrolls approximately 425 students from all Rhode Island communities and parts of CT, sits on a beautiful 25-acre campus in Wakefield. The Prout School is a member of NEASC and is Rhode Island’s only International Baccalaureate School. For more information, visit www.theproutschool.org.
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Pictured left to right:
Michael Piscione (center, blue shirt and tie) is flanked by his father, Ron Piscione and mother, Melissa Piscione. Maryann Foote (in pink) and Robin Foote (far right, checked shirt) join extended members of the Piscione family.