Dear AHS Families,

On Monday, our country will celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Not only is it a federal holiday, but it is also designated by Congress as a national day of service – a “day on, not a day off.” So while we may not have school, we are encouraging our students to act in service to others to provide meaningful change to the community. This is a concept that our AHS students are very familiar with.

Last week, four of our amazing students, Liam Alexe, Rohan Badrinath, Gabriel DaCunha and Cole Milardo received their Eagle Scout pins at an Eagle Court of Honor ceremony held at the West Avon Congregational Church. To earn the rank of Eagle Scout, one must earn a minimum of 21 merit badges, demonstrate Scout Spirit, as well as leadership within their troop. Furthermore, they they must plan, develop, and lead a service project—the Eagle Project—that demonstrates both leadership and a commitment to duty. One of our boys' projects included working with the town of Avon to help contribute to the building of playgrounds at one of our elementary schools.

At the start of this school year, one of our Sophomores, Sreetama Kushari made the decision to establish a Red Cross Club to help AHS students learn life saving skills and be able to respond effectively in case of emergencies. Last December, AHS' American Red Cross Club was officially placed on the map as the only high school club in the Farmington Valley area.

In the same vein, two of our Wellness teachers, Ms. Katie Fisher, and Ms. Cheryl Edwards, went to training to become CPR certified. They then turned around and decided to offer CPR certification to our seniors in their wellness classes.

Finally, on Wednesday of this week, one of our seniors, Juliana Portal conducted research for her capstone project where she wanted to discover how "the practice of art therapy can have an impact on teenagers with mental health issues" To answer this question, she planned 3 separate paint/art nights paired with a mental health survey to be given before and after the activity. She stated that she observed many students who were dealing with stress or anxiety and wanted to help.

It is evident that our community believes in service, no matter how big or small. So for MLK day in 2023, I encourage you all to remember that Monday isn't a day off, but a day on, where we seek out opportunities for service to move us closer to Dr. King's dream of recognizing the interconnectedness and interdependence of all humanity. As Dr. King once said "Everybody can be great because everybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.”

In service,

Dr. Lockhart