Summit County Republican Women have been actively developing a social media presence in order to increase awareness of our organization and provide resources to our mountain community. Our website, www.summitgopwomen.org, offers information about our officers, meetings, book recommendations, reliable news sources, and much more. On Facebook, Summit County Colorado Republican Women, encourages group participation and allows individuals to post current news items, legislative efforts, other items of interest, and opinions. Recognizing that Facebook reaches an older demographic, we were encouraged to begin posting on Instagram to reach young women. One of our new members helped create https://www.instagram.com/coloradocaringconservatives/ which adds an important dimension to our communications. In March, we initiated a monthly newsletter, SummitUp, which we email directly to all members and post on our website as a pdf. The newsletter keeps our membership informed of upcoming activities and helps build a sense of community and friendship.
SCRW has also been involved in local school board races, encouraging strong conservatives to run for office and supporting them. National School Board Coalition Chairman Ted Mische will be conducting school board training on June 5th and 6th at the Colorado Mountain College in Breckenridge from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. The goal of the training is to help parents and members learn how to flip progressive school boards. Contact our president, Tess Scalise, for more information at tesssellssummit@gmail.com.
(Breckenridge, CO --) Education was the focus of the March 4 Lincoln Day Dinner, organized by the Summit County Republicans and Summit County Republican Women. Featuring Kristi Burton Brown, Colorado GOP chair; Courtney Potter, Adams County school board member; and Dr. Brenda Dickhoner, CEO and president of Ready Colorado, the event emphasized that “education is the golden thread” of success for our children.
Brown emphasized, “Education is one of the civil rights issues of the day,” and she stated that every child has a right to the best possible education whether through public schools, charter schools, private schools, or home schooling. Citing poor student performance results on statewide tests, she asked the concerned attendees what Republicans can do about education. “We must make education a top priority in Colorado. We can bring real solutions to the problems with education today.” One of those solutions is to stop the state from shutting down charter schools. Another is to make sure that school choice is in the constitution in Colorado. She concluded, “Let’s fix it for our kids! We can get this done!”
Potter provided the perspective of a school board member, noting that parents need to become more involved with school boards and what is happening in the classroom. “For a long time, we were not paying attention to what our kids are learning,” she observed. She encouraged parents and community members to get involved through a variety of volunteer opportunities, including classroom, cafeteria, playground, and janitorial assistance.
Dickhoner, formerly a policy expert at the Colorado Department of Education, delivered the keynote address, highlighting Ready Colorado’s role in supporting and defending bold education reform. Dedicated to ensuring that every child in Colorado receives the education they deserve, core principals of the organization include parent choice, focusing on the needs of students and families, accountability by teachers, schools and districts for student performance outcomes, and availability of meaningful information about school districts, schools, and teachers.
The relevance of this topic to our local children and families was explained by Mike Tabb, past chair of the Summit County Republicans. “The majority of Summit County school students do not meet state standards for reading, writing, and math. It is long past time for our school board to stop its obsession with identity politics and educate our kids in the academic fundamentals that will ensure they can compete successfully in this world,” he said.
“Education is one of the most important issues of our time, determining the future of our children and our country,” added Tess Scalise, president of the Summit County Republican Women. “That is why we dedicated this year’s Lincoln Day Dinner to this vital issue. Covid lockdowns and failing schools have resulted in poor student performance, and we must all work together to solve this problem and give all our children their best chance for success.”
Photo: Kristi Burton Brown, Colorado GOP chair, was a featured speaker at the Lincoln Day Dinner on Saturday night in Silverthorne. She stated, “Education is one of the civil rights issues of the day.” She ended her speech saying, “Let’s fix it for our kids! We can get this done!”
The annual GOP Picnic was held at TYL Ranch on July 31, 2021. Almost 150 people attended and enjoyed BBQ and some great guest speakers.
Guest speaker Greg Lopez, GOP candidate for Governor of Colorado.
Colorado GOP Chairperson, Kristi Burton Brown spoke about ways we can make a difference.
GOP Women were well represented and had some great promotional items on sale, including new insulated wine glasses.
Garnett updated us on all the activities the women have been participating in this past year.
Mike and his committee did a great job of coordinating another successful picnic.
BRECKENRIDGE — Outfitted with masks, signs and American flags, several dozen Summit County community members made their way to the Breckenridge Police Department on Friday, Aug. 7, to rally in support of local law enforcement.
Summit County Republican Women enjoy time together on a boat ride on Lake Dillon,
enjoying the fresh air and under the bluebird skies,
in our beautiful mountain community.
Summit County Republican Women board members met with Senator Cory Gardner at the recent Summit GOP picnic.
Summit County Republican Women are pleased to honor Summit High School senior McKenna Rorex as their 2022 Constitutional Scholar and scholarship winner.
“McKenna impressed us with her well-researched essay in which she explained the difference between a democracy and a republic,” said Summit County Republican Women President Tess Scalise. “She clearly understands how a republic protects the interests of the minority and prevents tyranny of the majority. In addition, McKenna is an outstanding scholar, student athlete, and leader.”
Rorex earned Gold Level Honor Society recognition all four years of high school. She is also a member of the Science National Honor Society, the Math Honor Society, and the National Art Honor Society. She is a member of the Tech Club and competed in the Technology Student Association statewide competition, qualifying for nationals. This talented young woman also captained the Summit High School volleyball team for two years.
Rorex has been accepted at both the University of Arizona and University of Colorado Boulder and plans to study neuroscience and psychological science as a double major. One of her goals is “to start mental health outreach to kids at an early age – to get kids the help they need to do well and grow.”
When asked if researching and writing the essay for the Republican Women’s scholarship had any impact on her views, Rorex confirmed that it did. “I am working on a speech in my English class now about tyranny of the majority – specifically how the rural counties are unrepresented in Proposition 114.” The proposition regards the reintroduction of wolves into Colorado.
Photo: Summit High School senior McKenna Rorex was recently named the Summit County Republican Women’s 2022 Constitutional Scholar and awarded a college scholarship. (From left to right: Summit County Republican Women President Tess Scalise, Charlotte Rorex, 2022 Constitutional Scholar McKenna Rorex)
Summit County Republican Women awarded Summit High School graduate Caleb Mallory with its 2021 Constitutional Scholar Award and Scholarship. Mallory plans to attend the University of San Diego’s ROTC program in the fall.
Summit County Republican Women Honor Caleb Mallory with
Its 2021 Constitutional Scholar Award and Scholarship
(Breckenridge, CO) –Summit County Republican Women were pleased to honor Summit High School senior Caleb Mallory with its 2021 Constitutional Scholar Award and scholarship.
“In addition to his outstanding academic record and volunteer service to the community, we were extremely impressed with Caleb’s essay,” explains Garnett Payne, president of the Republican women’s organization. “We asked students to write why our nation’s Founders chose to create a republic instead of a pure democracy. Caleb’s response demonstrated a high level of research and his deep understanding of the choice our Founders made.”
In one part of Mallory’s essay, he wrote, “A republic recognizes the issues surrounding a pure democracy, and while still holding importance around majority rule, protects the minority of the country that didn’t end up winning an election…. Overall, a republic protects the will of all the population of a nation, to an extent, while a pure democracy only protects the majority’s rule.”
Frequently volunteering with Summit Youth Hockey, Fairview Horse Rescue in Fairplay, and the Explorer’s Program with the Breckenridge Sheriff’s Office, Mallory also served as secretary for the high school Optimist Club and played varsity hockey and lacrosse. He wants to continue serving others and this country in the years ahead. He plans to attend the University of San Diego in the fall and participate in the ROTC program there, becoming an officer in the U.S. Army after college graduation. Beyond active duty in the military, he is considering other future career options including law, criminal justice, the FBI, the Peace Corps, and missionary work.
“I want to have a large-scale, beneficial impact on America and society,” says Mallory, “as I feel a debt to America due to all the amazing things America has done for me. My big thing is I want to find a way to unite America and end the negative bipartisan relations in this great country. I think it is much more important that everybody starts identifying themselves as proud Americans rather than Republicans or Democrats, conservatives or liberals. All these smaller collectives only divide the country and disallow for America’s future success.”
Summit County Republican Women is a friendly, conservative, outgoing group of women, who are dedicated to serving our country and the local community. For more information, please email the group at info@SummitGOPWomen.org or visit www.SummitGOPWomen.org.
Photo: Summit High School senior Caleb Mallory was recently named the Summit County Republican Women’s 2021 Constitutional Scholar and awarded a college scholarship. L to R: Jini Clare; Michele Mallory; Caleb's mother, Caleb; Dee James and Barb Tabb
Check out the article published in the Summit Daily about our latest project. So happy to be helping not only local businesses but also the people who need the most help.