South Ryegate, Vt - A seven-year-old South Ryegate Newbury Elementary School student, John James Zampieri 11, known affectionately by his mother, other family members, and school chums as “Johnny,” was recently honored for completing a Good Citizen Challenge. For this exceedingly good deed, he and six other contestants from throughout Vermont were recently invited to a full day of activities at Vermont’s State House in Montpelier.

The Good Citizen Challenge is a youth civics exercise created by the Seven Days news organization and launched in 2018 with support from the Vermont Community Foundation. The challenge invites kids in Grades K through 8 to complete activities that teach them about local history, government, and current events.

By the September 2025 deadline, 183 young people from around Vermont had completed a total of 963 activities. This included activities such as picking up trash along a trail, visiting a historic site, reading a community newspaper, or working with someone from a different background.

There were six “Distinguished Citizens” who completed all 25 activities, and they were invited to the Vermont Statehouse to celebrate their achievement and to meet with members of the Vermont legislature.

Johnny Zampieri of South Ryegate was one of the six students who completed the challenge, the youngest. He said he was inspired by his late grandfather, John J. Zampieri, who was a long-time member of the Vermont House of Representatives and who later served as Commissioner of State Buildings and General Services.
Recently, Johnny and his mother, Roxanna, sat down with The Bridge Weekly in a classroom (where his mother teaches music) at the Newbury Elementary School, for an interview about the distinguished award that Johnny received during a recent tour and special Good Citizen Challenge program of the State House.

Johnny explained that he has many interests in life, including building things with Legos, reading, hockey, baseball, soccer, playing the violin, the piano, and the drum kit.

Johnny’s grandfather, affectionately known as Nonno Zampieri, was well known in the Vermont State House, having served there for over 20 years under the administrations of five different governors, both Democrat and Republican.
Although just seven years old, Johnny carries his Italian heritage with family honor, standing proudly with the Zampieri name, which includes his own, John James Zampieri, 11; his grandfather, John James Zampieri; his great-grandfather, Giovanni Zampieri; and his great-great-grandfather, Guerrino Zampieri. Guerrino was a stonecutter from Sant’ Ambrogio di Valpolicella, Northern Italy.

During the exciting day he spent at the State House as a guest with his mother and Aunt Rebecca Zampieri, Esquire, he was given a tour. He also received an award, met with Vermont Governor Phil Scott, Vermont Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers, and Vermont’s Secretary of State Sarah Copeland-Hanzas.

According to Johnny’s mother and aunt, he also received a special bag filled with fun gifts from seven days that included books on democracy, and he announced that he was thankful his mother and aunt were able to attend this very special day with him.

He met with reporters from Seven Days, including Cathy Resmer, who created the program, and during an afternoon session, the House of Representatives recognized him and the part he played in the challenge.
There was a total of 25 challenges he had to complete, and he told The Bridge Weekly that his most challenging event was assisting the nonprofits that benefit the community. For that, he collected eyeglasses for those in need and donated them to the Lions Club. He collected about 65 pairs of glasses and made his own donation drop box for his school. He dropped the glasses off to Mrs. Barbara Dutile, who works with the Lions Club, and received an official donation box from them. He is still collecting eyeglasses for the Lions Club effort.

Another challenge he enjoyed was watching local news and reporting on the news programs that he watched. That included WCAX - TV, and he looks forward to watching it every night. A challenge he also loved was visiting Ryegate Town Clerk Elizabeth Page. The public can look up the birth certificates of his Nonno, John James Zampieri, who he found out was born in South Ryegate at his house! He also loved looking at the land maps and meeting Milo the Dog.

Another of his favorite challenges was visiting Vermont monuments. Johnny likes visiting Vermont monuments and designing his own. He thought it would be a nice idea to have a monument in Ryegate dedicated to the stonecutters who worked there, like his great-great-great Nonno, Guerrino Zampieri.

Another challenge he enjoyed was reading a local newspaper. And, of course, Johnny chose to read The Bridge Weekly. He also collected trash, visited several state parks, and interviewed a journalist.
As the folks who created the Good Citizen Challenge wrote recently, “The world needs more Good Citizens, people who nurture our communities and value our democracy; who listen to and consider different perspectives; who pitch in, help others and take care of the things we all share.”

That sums up Johnny Zampieri, 11.

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