Remembering Samuel Collington

Samuel Collington, a senior political science major, was fatally shot at Park Avenue near Susquehanna on Nov. 28, The Temple News reported.

Collington was opinionated, often engaging in political debates with friends and he was so well-known in his hometown that his sister, Bailey Collington, was frequently referred to as “Sam’s sister,” she said.

“Even if for the rest of my life, all I was, was Sam Collington’s sister, that would still be an honor in itself,” she added.

Collington was a born leader, said Tina Moore, an Advanced Placement European history teacher and a class of 2018 adviser at Interboro High School, who taught Collington during his freshman and sophomore years.

“You have certain students that, when they come into your life, like, you know, there’s no one else like that and they’re special and there’s something different about them and Sam was one of those students,” Moore said.

He was passionate and he continuously brought that passion into the classroom when they discussed current events or held debates, she added. 

Collington volunteered for voter registration, served as class president during his junior and senior years, served as the president of the Political Science Society at Temple, and interned for Philadelphia City Commissioner Omar Sabir.

Andy Costanzo, the student council adviser and the activities coordinator at Interboro, doesn’t know of a student leader better than Collington, he said. 

After the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, Collington was the first student to approach Interboro faculty and ask what action the school could take, Costanzo said.

The walkout Collington and other student leaders planned included a speech he delivered and releasing 17 balloons in order to honor the 17 victims, Costanzo added. 

He was the essence of what we try to instill in the student leaders we have, Costanzo said.

When Deborah Ann Schnellenbach, Collington’s AP English high school teacher, offered Collington a school library book about Henry Kissinger, he was hesitant to accept it because he believed it would be stealing, Schnellenbach said.

“Sam was a man of integrity, ethics and morals,” she added.

Collington lived a life of service and purpose, Schnellenbach said. 

“For you Sam, we will fight your causes. For you Sam, we will tell your story,” she added.

Samuel Collington was 21 years old.