Avon Old Farms

Infobox Private School
name = Avon Old


established = 1927
type = Private, single-sex (all-boys) boarding & day|Private, Boarding school|Boarding, Day school
religion = None
head_name = Headmaster
head = Kenneth H. LaRocque
city = Avon
state = Connecticut|CT
country = USA
motto= "Aspirando et Perseverando"
campus = 1000 acres (4 km²)
enrollment = 398 students (9 - 12, PG) 77% Boarding
faculty = 60 teachers
class = 12 students
ratio = 6:1
year = 2008
SAT = 2400
Endowment = $38 million
Acceptance Rate = 44%

athletics = 15 varsity interscholastic sports teams (36 interscholastic teams total)
colors = Crimson and Blue
mascot = Winged Beaver
homepage = [http://www.avonoldfarms.com/ www.avonoldfarms.com]

Avon Old Farms is a single-sex boarding school for boys located in Avon, Connecticut. It was founded by Theodate Pope Riddle, an RMS Lusitania survivor and a master architect. It opened in 1927 and closed for a period during World War II to serve as a convalescent hospital for blind veterans. The current headmaster is Mr. Kenneth H. LaRocque, a Phillips Exeter Academy and Harvard University graduate.

Avon draws its boys from all over the country; 77% of them are boarders.

Academics

Eighteen 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 twelve 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.

Avon is most known for its rowdy fans. It has been noted that for a first round playoff hockey game in 2004 the Avon rink held over 3000 people when the school only has an enrollement of 390 plus or minus.

Avon is also best known for its Ice Hockey program, which has won a record 7 New England Championships (4 in the last 5 years) and produced NHL Players Brian Leetch and Chris Higgins among others. Coach John Gardner is in his 32nd season as the teams coach and been with the team for all 7 Championships. He currently has a record of 603-178-29.

Avon is also recognized for its lacrosse program, formerly led by Head Coach Ted Garber. Garber is the son of the legendary University of Massachusetts coach Dick Garber, for whom the Minutemen's Garber Field is named. Ted has been selected as a Western New England Coach of the Year as well as a national high school lacrosse all-star game head coach multiple times during his tenure as head coach at Avon Old Farms. Garber currently holds a coaching position with the Boston Cannons in the MLL. As of 2008, Bartollo Governati, former Merrimack College coach takes over the head coach position as of 2008. Soccer at Avon over the last 4 years has become as big as hockey. The Avon Old Farms Soccer team has made the playoffs 4 times consecutively in the last four years setting the school's record for consecutive soccer playoff appearances. In addition, in these last four years the team has won the New England Division 1 championship twice which are also the only two championships in the soccer programs long history. The program's first championship came in 2005 with a team of complete overachievers and since then the program has recruited many college bound soccer players to make the 2007 team the best team Avon has seen in its history, as a result they won the 2007 championship against BB&N 1-0 where Justin Davies slotted in the golden goal with just 44 seconds remaining in the second OT.

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 of the original buildings at the school 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 redish sandstone from a local quary. Most notable of these buildings is the Refectory; the schools cafeteria that looks much like the great hall in the famous Harry Potter books.

Notable alumni

* Jeff Hamilton, undrafted NHL player, Yale graduate, playing for the Carolina Hurricanes
* Niko Dimitrakos, fifth round San Jose Sharks draft pick (155th overall) in 1999, playing for the Philadelphia Phantoms (AHL)
* Juan Nieves, former major league baseball pitcher, pitched Milwaukee Brewers only no hitter
* Brian Leetch, legendary first round NHL draft pick by the NY Rangers in 1986(ninth overall), Played the first 17 of 19 Pro seasons for the NY Rangers before playing parts of his final two seasons for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Boston Bruins. Had #2 retired on January 24th, 2008 by the New York Rangers for his years of dedicated service to the NY Rangers.
* Pete Seeger, folksinger; inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
* Christopher Higgins, first round NHL draft pick in 2002, player for the Montreal Canadiens
* Brad Ausmus, MLB player for the San Diego Padres, Detroit Tigers, and the Houston Astros. He has won three gold gloves for the Houston Astros
* D'Lo Brown, professional wrestler; World Wrestling Entertainment
* Chris Hetherington, NFL player
* Jon Quick, NHL third round draft pick, Los Angeles Kings goalie
* Michael Nouri, actor, Formerly on the cast of The O.C. as Dr. Neil Roberts
* John Magee, poet
* Richard Yates, author of Revolutionary Road
* Stephen Lash, chairman of the auction house Christie's
* Kristian Bush, singer- Sugarland (band)
* Matt Martin, NHL player, Toronto Maple Leafs, retired
* David Roberts (ice hockey player), NHL player, St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, retired
* Deon Anderson, NFL Player, fullback, 6th round draft pick 2007 of the Dallas Cowboys
* Nick Bonino, NHL Draft pick 2007 (San Jose Sharks), Boston University hockey player
* Rob Gryboski, Sanford Bernstein
* Todd Carroll, Actor
* Tobias Salmelainen, Professional ice hockey, currently playing for Jokerit in the FNL
* Dorian Price, Ultimate Fighter
* Matt Lashoff, NHL First Round Draft pick(22nd overall) by the Boston Bruins, NHL player for the Boston Bruins
* Brett Garber, Major League Lacrosse Player, former UMass lacrosse player, Boston Cannons 2007 draft pick (38th overall), currently plays for the Boston Cannons, grandson of Legendary UMass coach Dick Garber
* Andrew Baris, player

Publications

The schools student newspaper, "The Avon Record" has a staff of six editors, two advisors, and over twenty-five staff writers. "The Record" publishes 8-12 page issues almost every month.

The school's annual literary magazine "The Hippocrene" highlights artistic and literary works by students.

"Stay Tuned" is the school's student-run music review magazine. It is publishes about twice a year.

"The Avonian" is a publications designed specifically for Alumni. Avon also has an alumnus e-newsletter. Both publications are created by faculty.

External links

* [http://www.avonoldfarms.com/ Avon Old Farms website]
* [http://www.schoolfair.tv/ct_avon_old_farms_school.html Avon Old Farms School Admissions Video on SchoolFair.tv]
* [http://www.boardingschoolreview.com/school_ov/school_id/38 Boarding School Review]
* [http://www.hillstead.org/history/theodate.html Learn about founder Theodate Pope Riddle at Hill-Stead Museum, Farmington, Connecticut]