Dear Avon High School Community,
We are now into the early stages of getting ready for the 2020-2021 school year. Two weeks ago grade level assemblies were held to review the course registration process. Students received the working copy of the Course of Studies and a planning sheet. This week teachers set aside time during class to meet with students individually to discuss their recommendation for next year’s course. (Please note that not all courses require a teacher recommendation.)
The week of February 24-28 students will log into PowerSchool to register for the course they were recommended for and the electives that they wish to take next year. Starting March 2, students who wish to override the teacher recommendation can pick up the form in guidance and start the process for making an informed decision. The process is designed to facilitate conversations between the student, parent, teacher, counselor, and, if needed, the department coordinator. The goal is for an informed decision.
Below in the Falcon, you will find that the school counseling department has outlined step by step directions for students on the registration process. If your child has any questions, his/her school counselor is available to support him/her in the process. Encourage your child to reach out, if needed.
Also listed below is information on the March 7 Spring Semi-Formal!! Hats off to the student leadership group for their dedication in expanding the work of student government. Encourage your child to join us at the semi-formal - it is well worth the evening with classmates.
Congratulations to Max Raha and Jack Martin, who became State Champions (in the Long Jump and 1600m, respectively) at Saturday's Class M Championship Indoor Track & Field meet. They will be joined by Tyler Hinrichs in the 600m and the 4x400m relay team of Hinrichs, Martin, Hari Patchigolla, and Anish Rajamanickam in competition at the State Open Championships this coming Saturday. - Mr. Fusco
Conratulations to the following students on making the All State Music Festival Luke Choi, Jackson Jobe, Taemin Kim, Mark Wang, Julia Zheng, Daniel Cuyler, Melody Grant, Bella Johnson, Lucie Lopez, Marcel Paige and Maya Parady! - Mr. Ismail
Congratulations to Abby St. Onge for the great accomplishment of scoring her 1000th point. Abby is the 12th basketball player to achieve this accomplishment.
Ms. Lane and Ms. Twohig
Just a remind to keep checking the AHS Information page and the Guidance page for updates on scholarships that are available for graduating seniors. See the link below.
Excellent job by Sophia Aguilar for putting together a "Stop the Stigma" Mental Health awareness event during the girls basketball game against Farmington for her capstone. The event was put together to raise awareness and provide information about mental health.
Student Government will hold a semi-formal on Saturday, March 7 in the cafeteria from 7:00 - 10:30 pm. There will be a professional DJ, a photo booth, and light refreshments. Tickets are $15 and will be sold outside the cafeteria during lunches. All students are welcome.
Avon High School invites you to attend their annual Senior Capstone Presentation Nights on March 12th and March 26th. Both events begin at 6:30 pm at Avon High School. The Capstone Presentations are presented by AHS seniors and are the culmination of months of research. Seniors choose a research topic that is based on a personal passion and peaks their intellectual curiosity. Seniors then independently research and develop a product demonstrating mastery of that subject area and present their findings to an audience of their peers, teachers and community members. Stay tuned for a detailed list of upcoming projects for both presentation nights! Hope to see you there!
Project Graduation 2020 Update…….
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Paint Art Social fundraiser held at Raymour & Flanigan on 2/7. Everyone enjoyed a fun night practicing their artistic talents while supporting a wonderful program!
Our next restaurant fundraiser will be held at Luna Pizza, 530 Bushy Hill Rd. Simsbury on Wednesday, 2/26/20. Dine in or take out all day from 11:30AM – 9:00PM and a portion of the sales will go to Project Graduation. Don’t forget to mention us when you order. You can also order online. Thank you for supporting our seniors.
By now you have received an email asking for donations: whether monetary, prizes, gifts, or volunteer hours....all for the end of year party to be held the night of graduation. As we mentioned, this party is made possible completely by donations and volunteers and is a great way to celebrate their years at AHS. Please consider helping in any way.
Check out AHS Project Graduation facebook page for upcoming meeting dates and fundraising opportunities.
Forensic Science - Ms. Kosinski
Students are analyzing various mock crime scenes, searching for and collecting evidence in Forensic Science.
The Social Studies department was honored to welcome Holocaust survior Leon Chameides, MD as a guest speaker at Avon High School. Dr. Chameides spoke with Mr. McDermott's ECE/AP European History class, Ms. Zajac's Human Right in a Modern World class, and Mr. Abrams' Genocide and Human Behavior class.
Dr. Chameides was born on June 24, 1935 in Katowice, Poland, where his father, Kalman Chameides, served as chief rabbi. In August 1942, Leon’s father met with the Metropolitan Andrei Sheptytski (1865-1944), the head of the Uniate Church in Ukraine, as part of an effort to hide several hundred Torah scrolls saved by the community in Lwow. In the course of the meeting, Sheptytski agreed to shelter Leon (age 7) and his brother, Herbert (age 9), under the protection of the church.
Leon and Herbert immigrated to England in 1946. Leon immigrated to the United States in 1949, entering medical school in the first class at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. In 1967, he moved to Hartford, and served as the founding Chair of Pediatric Cardiology at Hartford Hospital and Connecticut Children’s Medical Center for 30 years, as Chair of Pediatrics at Hartford Hospital for 10 years, and as Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. Dr. Chameides is known as the father of “pediatric resuscitation” a technique he developed in the field.
Dr. Chameides has also become a dedicated Holocaust educator, authoring the book Strangers in Many Lands: The Story of a Jewish Family in Turbulent Times and most recently On the Edge of the Abyss: A Polish Rabbi Speaks to His Community on the Eve of the Shoah, a translation of his father’s sermons and essays as Rabbi of Katowice.
Mr. McDermott's AP class will be working directly with Dr. Chamdides to create a project that will be incorporated into the Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) commemoration on Sunday, April 26th at Emanuel Synagogue in West Hartford..Our students understand the enormous responsibility involved on a project of this magnitude and are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with someone of the stature of Dr. Chameides. - Ms. Sanborn
Visual Arts - Ms. Glick
The following artists have their work displayed at Ordway Gallery at Avon Old Farms. Opening reception is Friday, February 21st at 6pm.
Molly Bramwell
“Just Desserts”
Sydney Gardner
“Sweet Dreams”
Zarina Qureshi
“Union”
Christiana Tweedt
“Journey”
Introduction to Theatre students are into their set painting unit and are starting to paint set pieces for Shrek! This musical will be presented at the end of April. - Ms. Paterson
Algebra 1B - Ms. Lawlor
Students in Algebra 1B completed an escape room challenge that required them to complete three tasks to unlock a secret code. One of the tasks pictured shows students completing a polynomial Tarsia Puzzle.
Are you curious about our AHS Internship Program? Would you like to speak with a student about their internship experience? Then please join us at the Avon High School Gallery this Tuesday, February 25, 2020 from 6-7 pm to see the informal poster presentations of our Fall student interns.
Avon High School’s Investment Team, the Dividend Aristocrats, was named as one of 12 finalists in the Knowledge@Wharton High School Investment Competition. Its four members are Daniyal Athar, Alvin Guo, Nicholas Yarnall, and Walden Yan. They competed for ten weeks against 700 other high school teams from around the globe, managing a simulated hundred-thousand dollar portfolio. They were evaluated on several metrics including performance, strategy, how well they met the needs of their client, and on a final fifteen-page report. Now, they will be going on to an on-site final at Wharton San Francisco where they will be pitching their investment skills to a live panel of judges.
Please follow AHS Athletics on Twitter @AHS_Falcons.
Upcoming Athletic Events:
Boys Basketball Feb.21st Simsbury(Senior Night), Feb. 24th @Farmington 6:45pm
Girls Basketball CIAC Class MM Tournament on March 2nd Site and Time TBA
Wrestling Feb. 21st and 22nd Class M Championships @Guilford 4:00pm/9:00am
State Open Championships Feb 28th /29th @ Floyd Little Athletic Center, New Haven
Swimming and Diving Feb.22nd E.O. Smith, 2:30pm @Cornerstone Aquatics Center
Feb. 24th at Plainville High against Southington 6:00pm. (Avon is the home team.)
Girls Ice Hockey Feb. 21st @East Catholic 8:20pm(Newington), Feb.24th at Suffield 8:10pm CCC Semifinals(Enfield Twin Rinks)
Boys Ice Hockey Feb.22 @North Branford 7:30pm, Feb.26th @Northwest Catholic 8:10pm(ISCC) Feb. 29th @East Catholic 3:20pm (Cromwell)
Indoor Track Feb. 22nd CIAC State Open Championships 12:00pm Floyd Little Athletic Center, New Haven
All CIAC State Tournament games will be posted on the CIAC website. Go to www.casciac.org and click on the Tournament Central link.
Please come out and support our student athletes!
Congratulations to girls basketball senior Abby St. Onge who scored her 1000th career point against Farmington on February 18th. Abby becomes only the sixth female player in school history to reach this milestone.
Congratulations to Indoor Track athletes, Jack Martin and Max Raha. Jack was the Class M champion in the 1600meters and while Max earned the same honor in the Boys Long Jump. Max and Jack became the first individual Indoor State Champions since 1982.
Spring sports begin on March 21st. *Pitchers and catchers for baseball start on March 14th. Please make sure you register online ASAP!
Please feel free to contact the athletic office if you have any questions or concerns.860-404-4747.