Avon High School (Connecticut)

Avon High School

Avon High teaches its students to use their minds well.
Address
510 West Avon Road
Avon, Connecticut, 06001
United States
Information
Founded 1958
School district Avon Public Schools
Principal Christopher Tranberg
Faculty 67
Grades 9-12
Enrollment about 1200
Student to teacher ratio 15:1
School color(s) Blue and White
Athletics conference North Central Connecticut Conference
Mascot Falcon
Accreditation NEASC
Average SAT scores avg. 1717 (2011)
Website www.avon.k12.ct.us/AvonHigh

Avon High School is a high school in Avon, Connecticut, United States serving grades 9–12. As one of the five schools in the Avon Public School system, its only feeder school is Avon Middle School. The student population is about 1200, but projections see huge increases for future enrollment. Because of this, the school has undergone extensive renovations. As of the 2014–2015 school year, the principal is Christopher Tranberg

Renovation

The school started its new renovation project in 2006 and was completed in the fall of 2008. The school had been renovated once before, an effort that was completed in 1997. The new renovation includes the addition of classrooms, a second gymnasium, a new kitchen and cafeteria, orchestra room, several media centers, and interior cosmetic changes.

The following areas are currently open: both gyms (new and old), the bathrooms and lobby area around the new gym, the new cafeteria and kitchen, and a new wing of classrooms on a third floor.

An indoor track and a softball field were proposed, but were canceled due to a lack of funding.

Academics

Academic departments include Math, Social Studies, English, Science, World Languages, Health, Visual Arts, Music, and Physical Education. There are 67 subject area teachers.[1]

In order to graduate, students must earn a minimum of 22.5 credits according to the following distribution:[2]

Avon High School is notable for its AP Science program, encouraging top scholars of the school to take AP Science classes in their first year of the particular discipline of science, somewhat uncommon of AP Sciences, due to their rigor. Avon High School is notorious for receiving a high 5 rate in the AP Sciences, particularly AP Chemistry. However, due to the first year nature of these AP Science classes, they take up 2 periods of the day, unlike any other course offered at the high school. Many of the top scholars of the school are rather irked by the lack of accreditation awarded by these classes though, as they only receive 1.25 credits as opposed to the 1 credit given to single period non-AP science courses. This extra .25 credit is seen by the student population as a mere meaningless token for their doubled time commitment both in school and out of school, and is insufficient to allow for even the slightest reduction in number of classes necessary.

The capstone of the Avon High education is the Senior Mastery Project, a required component of the 12th Grade Humanities curriculum. Students spend one semester researching a topic of interest with the close guidance of a faculty adviser. The semester culminates with an extended essay explaining the research, a visual presentation to be displayed in the library, and a 30-minute presentation during Senior Mastery Night.

World languages are not required, but are encouraged. Languages offered include Spanish, French, Greekm and Latin. Arts credits are also not required, but most students elect to take at least one arts unit. Most departments offer electives in addition to the core curriculum. Past offerings have included Law, Genocide, Writing Workshop, Anatomy and Physiology, and Marine Biology.

Arts

Arts offerings include music, visual arts, and theater arts.

The music offerings at Avon High School have expanded in recent years. Ensembles currently include:[3]

Bands

Choirs

Orchestras

Other musical opportunities include the jazz band, American School Band Directors Association festivals, American Choral Directors Association festivals, Connecticut Music Educators Association Northern Regional and All-State Festivals, and the New England Music Festival Association's festival (NEMFA).

Activities

The Avon High website notes that, "Avon High offers a great variety of extracurricular activities for students to get involved. A wide array of sports teams is well complemented by an eclectic mix of school clubs and groups."[4] Popular extracurricular activities include Student Government, the Avon Volunteers On Newness (A.V.O.N.) Club, Diversity Club, FIRST Robotics Team, Katie's Club, Model United Nations, National Honor Society, Gay-Straight Alliance, debate club, cooking club, Peer Support Club, and Yearbook. The Model U.N. club has been successful in local and state level competitions, and the Robotics Team, the ÜberBots, regularly competes in local, New England, and International FIRST Competitions.[5]

Traditions

Avon has many unofficial student traditions that have lasted over the years. Some of the most commonly observed traditions include seniors decorating their cars on the first day of school. Senior girls also wear dresses and tiaras on the first day of classes. For the homecoming pep rally, the upperclassmen wear creative outfits reflecting AHS colors. Juniors wear blue, seniors wear any color, and sophomores wear white, while freshman do not dress up in theme oriented outfits, as they simply wear school colors. Only seniors are permitted to dress up for Halloween, the celebration of which surrounds the senior parade through the hallways of the school for faculty and underclassmen. For graduation, girls wear white and boys wear blue. Most seniors decorate their caps for the graduation ceremony. The school mascot is the falcon and the colors are blue and white. The yearbook is called the NOVA, which is Avon spelled backward.

Sports

Avon High School has an extensive and successful athletics program that frequently earns recognition in the North Central Connecticut Conference and the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference. Several athletes have earned All-American status and many athletes go on to have successful collegiate athletic careers. Offerings include cheerleading (co-ed), cross country (boys and girls), field hockey, football, soccer (boys and girls), volleyball, crew, basketball (boys and girls), ice hockey (joint program with Farmington and Windsor), swimming, wrestling (co-ed), baseball, golf (boys and girls), lacrosse (boys and girls), softball, tennis (boys and girls), and track (boys and girls).[6]

Facilities for field hockey, football, cheerleading, volleyball, basketball, wrestling, track, and girls lacrosse are located at the high school. Boys lacrosse and girls tennis play at the middle school. Soccer, softball, and cross country have home bases at the Fisher's Meadow recreational facility.

Strong sports rivals include Canton High School, Farmington High School, Simsbury High School, and Suffield High School.

Recent notable accomplishments by Avon High athletic teams include several CIAC state championships. Teams that have not won a state championship that are known for their strong performances include boys lacrosse, girls lacrosse, and volleyball.

CIAC state championships

Year Team Class Runner-up
2012 Boys Tennis M Joel Barlow High School
2011 Girls Soccer L Farmington High School
2011 Boys Tennis M Stonington High School
2008 Girls Basketball M Morgan High School
2005 Boys Basketball Div. III Fairfield Ludlowe High School
2003 Girls Soccer M Joel Barlow High School
2002 Girls Soccer M Waterford High School
2001 Girls Soccer M Lauralton Hall
2000 Boys Soccer M Lewis Mills High School
1995 Wrestling S Canton High
1994 Wrestling S Rocky Hill
1994 Boys Track and Field S Rocky Hill
1993 Wrestling S Nonnewaug
1993 Boys Soccer M Lewis Mills High School
1991 Boys Track and Field S Litchfield
1990 Wrestling S Terryville
1989 Boys Soccer M Joel Barlow High School
1989 Wrestling S Platt High
1988 Boys Basketball S Windsor Locks High School
1988 Boys Soccer M Stonington High School
1987 Boys Soccer M Waterford High School
1987 Girls Cross Country M
1987 Wrestling S Berlin High
1985 Boys Soccer M Brookfield High School
1985 Girls Cross Country M
1985 Girls Cross Country Open
1985 Boys Golf Div. II
1984 Boys Soccer M Joel Barlow High School
1984 Field Hockey S Weston High School
1984 Girls Cross Country M
1984 Girls Cross Country Open
1983 Field Hockey S Old Saybrook high school
1983 Wrestling S Derby High
1982 Wrestling S Pulaski High-New Britain
1980 Boys Track and Field S (tie) Stafford High School, Litchfield High
1979 Boys Track and Field S Litchfield
1976 Boys Soccer M Middletown High School
1968 Baseball S Cromwell High School
1966 Boys Track and Field S
1968 Baseball S Cromwell High School
1964 Boys Track and Field S
1962 Baseball S Coventry High School

Source: CIAC. http://www.casciac.org/

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ Staff Directory for Avon High School
  2. ↑ AHS Guidance: Avon Public Schools CT
  3. ↑ New Page 1
  4. ↑ Avon High Extracurricular Activities
  5. ↑ Avon High School Robotics Team
  6. ↑ Avon High Athletics
  7. ↑ Riley, Lori (August 21, 2010). "McNeill Helps Beat To Victory Over Breakers In Women's Soccer". Hartford Courant. Retrieved May 24, 2014.

External links

Coordinates: 41°47′00″N 72°51′44″W / 41.7833°N 72.8623°W