Avon Old Farms
Encyclopedia
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
for boys located in Avon
Avon, Connecticut
Avon is a town in the Farmington Valley region of Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. , the town had a population of 18,098.Avon is a suburb of Hartford. Avon Old Farms School, a prestigious boarding school, is located there. In 2005, Avon was named the third-safest town in America by...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. It was founded by Theodate Pope Riddle
Theodate Pope Riddle
Theodate Pope Riddle was an American architect. She was one of the first American women architects as well as a survivor of the Lusitania.-Life:...
, an RMS Lusitania
RMS Lusitania
RMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by John Brown and Company of Clydebank, Scotland. The ship entered passenger service with the Cunard Line on 26 August 1907 and continued on the line's heavily-traveled passenger service between Liverpool, England and New...
survivor and a master architect. It opened in 1927 and closed for a period during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
to serve as a convalescent hospital for blind veterans. The current headmaster is Mr. Kenneth H. LaRocque, a Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy is a private secondary school located in Exeter, New Hampshire, in the United States.Exeter is noted for its application of Harkness education, a system based on a conference format of teacher and student interaction, similar to the Socratic method of learning through asking...
and Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
graduate.
Avon draws its boys from all over the world; 76% of them are boarders.
Academics
Twelve Advanced Placement courses are offered in history, English, chemistry, physics, biology, art, French, Spanish, environmental science, government, calculus, economics, and other subjects. In order to receive a diploma, students are required to complete four years of English, three years of history, three years of science including laboratory work, three years of math, two years of the same foreign language, two years of electives, and one course in the fine arts. The average class size is 12 students, and the student-teacher ratio is 6:1. 100% of the students matriculate to college.Athletics
Avon offers a wide variety of sports in the fall, winter, and spring seasons. Students can participate in various skill levels of soccer, football, cross country, basketball, hockey, wrestling, squash, skiing, swimming, riflery, track, baseball, golf, tennis, and lacrosse. The official school mascot is the Winged Beaver with "winged" being specifically pronounced "wing-ed".Avon is also best known for its ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
program, which has won a record eight Division 1 New England Championships (four between 2004 and 2008) and produced NHL players such as Hockey Hall of Fame
Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
member Brian Leetch
Brian Leetch
Brian Joseph Leetch is a retired American professional ice hockey defenseman who played 18 National Hockey League seasons with the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Boston Bruins. He is generally considered one of the top defensemen in NHL history, being particularly noted for his...
, as well as Jonathan Quick
Jonathan Quick
Jonathan Douglas "Jon" Quick is an American professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...
, Chris Higgins
Christopher Higgins
Christopher Higgins is an American professional ice hockey winger with the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League . While playing college hockey, he was selected 14th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft...
, and others. Coach John Gardner
John Gardner
John Champlin Gardner, Jr. was an American novelist, essayist, literary critic and university professor. He is perhaps most noted for his novel Grendel, a retelling of the Beowulf myth from the monster's point of view....
is in his 32nd season as the team's coach and been with the team for all eight championships. He currently has a record of 603–178–29. On December 21, 2009, Avon played Taft School in the first ever hockey game played at Fenway Park
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
. Avon won its eighth Division 1 Hockey New England Championship on March 7, 2010, beating Northfield Mount Hermon 4–1.
Over the last seven years, soccer at Avon has become a highly successful program with three New England Division 1 Championship appearances resulting in two championships. The Avon Old Farms Soccer team has made the playoffs six times consecutively between 2003-2008 setting the school's record for consecutive soccer playoff appearances. In addition, the team has won the New England Division 1 championship twice (2005 & 2007). In 2008 the winged beavers lost 2–0 to a very strong Hotchkiss team in the New England Division 1 championship.
Avon has also had a very successful lacrosse program over the years. The program was built by nationally recognized coach Skip Flanagan (coach at the 2008 high school all star game). Since Coach Flanagan left the school Ted Garber was the coach and again brought great success to the program. Coach Flangan returned as the Winged Beaver's lacrosse coach in the spring of 2010 and the Winged Beavers were nationally ranked as high as 8th during the season and finished 12th in the nation.
Campus
A new student center and athletic complex was recently completed in October 2006. A 500-seat performing arts center was completed in March 2007. Together, the two facilities cost more than $30 million and are part of an alumnus initiative to improve the campus.Theodate Pope Riddle, the founder and architect, designed all of the original buildings at the school. Most of them still remain in use as dormitories and classrooms made out of a unique reddish sandstone from a local quarry.
Notable alumni
- Cam AtkinsonCam AtkinsonCameron Atkinson is an American professional ice hockey player. He is currently playing with the Springfield Falcons in the American Hockey League....
, NHL Player, forward for the Columbus Blue JacketsColumbus Blue JacketsThe Columbus Blue Jackets are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio, United States. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
. - Deon AndersonDeon AndersonDeon Terry Anderson is a Free Agent American football fullback who most recently played for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He attended and played college football at the University of Connecticut after graduating from the Avon Old Farms School in 2002. He was drafted in the...
, NFL Player, fullback for the Miami DolphinsMiami DolphinsThe Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. - Nick BoninoNick BoninoNick Bonino is an American professional ice hockey Center currently playing for the Anaheim Ducks.-Playing career:Bonino began his high school career at Farmington High School in Connecticut, where he amassed 91 points in 24 games as a junior and led the school to its first state championship...
NHL Anaheim DucksAnaheim DucksThe Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California, USA. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
forward. - Kirk BrowningKirk BrowningKirk Browning was an American television director and producer who had hundreds of productions to his credit, including 185 broadcasts of Live from Lincoln Center....
, Television director. - Kristian BushKristian BushKristian Merrill Bush is an American folk rock and country musician. From 1990 to 2001, Kristian was a member of the folk rock duo Billy Pilgrim along with Andrew Hyra...
, singer, SugarlandSugarland (band)Sugarland, an American country music duo, is composed of singer–songwriters Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush . Sugarland was founded in 2002 by Kristen Hall with Bush and ultimately became a trio after hiring Jennifer Nettles as lead singer...
. - Niko DimitrakosNiko DimitrakosNicholas Dimitrakos is a Greek-American professional ice hockey right winger, currently signed with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on a 25 game PTO contract.-Playing career:...
, Hockey player for Skelleftea AIKSkellefteå AIKSkellefteå AIK Hockey is a Swedish professional ice hockey club from Skellefteå, playing in the Swedish elite league Elitserien.- History :...
in the Swedish elite league ElitserienElitserienElitserien, is a professional ice hockey league composed of twelve teams in Sweden...
. - Brian FarrellBrian Farrell (ice hockey)Brian Farrell is a retired American professional hockey player. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the fifth round of the 1990 NHL Entry Draft.-Career:...
, professional hockey player. - Jeff Hamilton, Hockey player for HC Lugano, & Toronto Maple LeafsToronto Maple LeafsThe Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, Chicago BlackhawksChicago BlackhawksThe Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
and Carolina HurricanesCarolina HurricanesThe Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League , and play their home games at the 18,680-seat RBC Center...
of the NHL. - Chris HetheringtonChris HetheringtonChris Ray Hetherington is a former American football fullback in the NFL who last played for the San Francisco 49ers. He went to Yale University. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1996. He then played for the Indianapolis Colts from 1996 to 1998...
, NFL player. - Christopher HigginsChristopher HigginsChristopher Higgins is an American professional ice hockey winger with the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League . While playing college hockey, he was selected 14th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft...
, former assistant captain for the Montreal CanadiensMontreal CanadiensThe Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
, currently playing with the Vancouver CanucksVancouver CanucksThe Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
. - Matt LashoffMatt LashoffMatt Robert Lashoff is an American professional ice hockey defenseman and professional musician currently playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL. Matt's younger brother, Brian Lashoff, is a prospect for the Detroit Red Wings....
, NHL player for the Toronto Maple LeafsToronto Maple LeafsThe Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
. - Brian LeetchBrian LeetchBrian Joseph Leetch is a retired American professional ice hockey defenseman who played 18 National Hockey League seasons with the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Boston Bruins. He is generally considered one of the top defensemen in NHL history, being particularly noted for his...
, NHL, played for the New York RangersNew York RangersThe New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
and inductee into the Hockey Hall of FameHockey Hall of FameThe Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
. - John Gillespie Magee, Jr.John Gillespie Magee, Jr.John Gillespie Magee, Jr. was an American aviator and poet who died as a result of a mid-air collision over Lincolnshire during World War II. He was serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force, which he joined before the United States officially entered the war. He is most famous for his poem "High...
, Aviator and poet, famous for his poem High Flight. - Juan NievesJuan NievesJuan Manuel Nieves Cruz is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who, on April 15, 1987 against the Baltimore Orioles, became the second-youngest player in major league history to throw a no-hitter, and so far the only Milwaukee Brewer to do so.He was signed by the Brewers after graduating...
, former major league baseball pitcher, pitched the only no hitter ever for the Milwaukee BrewersMilwaukee BrewersThe Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. - Michael NouriMichael NouriMichael Nouri is an American television and film actor. He may be best known for his role as Nick Hurley, in the 1983 film Flashdance. He has had recurring roles in numerous television series, including NCIS as Eli David, the father of Mossad officer Ziva David, The O.C. as Dr...
, stage and screen actor, star of FlashdanceFlashdanceAnother song used in the film, "Maniac", was also nominated for an Academy Award. It was written by Michael Sembello and Dennis Matkosky, and was inspired by the 1980 horror film Maniac. The lyrics about a killer on the loose were rewritten so that it could be used in Flashdance...
, formerly on the cast of The O.C.The O.C.The O.C. is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on the Fox television network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 21, 2007, running a total of four seasons...
. - Jon Quick, NHL Los Angeles KingsLos Angeles KingsThe Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
goalie, 2010 U.S. Olympic team member. - David Roberts (ice hockey player), NHL player, St. Louis Blues, Edmonton OilersEdmonton OilersThe Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
, Vancouver CanucksVancouver CanucksThe Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
, retired. - Pete SeegerPete SeegerPeter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
, folksinger; inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of FameRock and Roll Hall of FameThe Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
. - Austin SperryAustin SperryAustin Sperry , is an American sailor and together with John Dane III was the winner of the 2007 U.S. Olympic Trials, securing their place in sailing at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Star class. At a young age, he began sailing with his father on Star boats, on the San Francisco Bay...
, Member of the U.S. Olympic Sailing team for Beijing 2008. - Richard YatesRichard Yates (novelist)Richard Yates was an American novelist and short story writer, known for his exploration of mid-20th century life.-Life:...
, author of Revolutionary RoadRevolutionary RoadRevolutionary Road, the first novel of author Richard Yates, was a finalist for the National Book Award in 1962 along with Catch-22 and The Moviegoer. When it was published by Atlantic-Little, Brown in 1961, it received critical acclaim, and the New York Times reviewed it as "beautifully crafted.....
and of A Good SchoolA Good SchoolA Good School is a novel by Richard Yates first published in 1978. It is set at a fictional Connecticut prep school in the early 1940s and relates the coming of age of a group of mainly WASP boys who at the same time prepare themselves, if half-heartedly, to go to war immediately after graduation...
. - Jared DeMichielJared DeMichielJared DeMichiel is a former American professional ice hockey goaltender, currently a volunteer goaltending coach for the RIT Tigers women's ice hockey team.-Awards and honors:*Atlantic Hockey First All-Star Team *2010 AHA All-Tournament Team...
, Led RIT Ice Hockey team to first Frozen Four in their history. Currently in ECHLECHLThe ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...
Publications
The school's student newspaper, The Avon Record has a staff of six editors, two advisers, and over twenty-five staff writers. The Record publishes 8-16 page issues almost every month.The school's annual literary magazine The Hippocrene highlights artistic and literary works by students.
The Avonian is a publications designed specifically for Alumni. Avon also has an alumnus e-newsletter. Both publications are created by faculty.
The Winged Beaver is the school's yearbook. It has won awards several times from the ASPA (American Scholastic Press Association).