Quad cleanup!

by Morgan Harris

First snowfall (after)

by Morgan Harris

Weather Report by Mike Nicolia ’12 (10/29/11)

First snowfall (before)

by Morgan Harris

The beautiful quad gets its first snowfall of the ’11-’12 schoolyear.

The New Avon Sound

“Apache”
Jerry Lordan
Arranged by Rob Volo

Keeper Seeber

Last year the Avon soccer team suffered the loss of Max Weiner, a four year varsity goalie and New England Finals veteran. It seemed that Avon goalkeeping would never recover.  After all, who could possibly fill the well-worn and extremely prestigious cleats left behind by such a critical player?  Avon found its answer in the young and stalwart Brad Seeber, a sophomore from Avon who spent last year largely unnoticed while in the shadow of Weiner.  This year, however, he fills the hole astonishingly, earning shutouts against top-notch teams such as NMH and Brunswick, and always spearheading the defense with diving horizontal saves and mortar shell punts.  Recently, Seeber’s efforts landed him the Athlete of the Week award for his outstanding performance defending the New England Champions, NMH.  Now Seeber looks to the rest of the season as Avon’s chances of a playoff opportunity increase with every save he makes.

The Mythical Winged Beaver Explained

by Nate Usich ’13

Widely considered an odd mascot, the winged beaver is seen around much of the Avon campus. He, and it is almost undoubtedly a he, lies proudly on the school seal. He stands erect above the headmasters house. He appears at all the football games. He is portrayed as a fierce creature on the varsity hockey jerseys. He is a clear symbol of AOF. But what exactly does this legendary creature symbolize? How did such an idea come about? This reporter met with Mr. Custer to find out the answers.

It all began in the mind of our founder, Theadate Pope Riddle. The beaver, indigenous to this area, was a clear choice to represent the school she imagined. It was determined, motivated, and persevered (hence the preserviando in the school motto). But she obviously felt something was missing. So with the possible inspiration from eagle dormitory, and the less appealing but still prevalent pelican dormitory, she added on the necessary wings onto the beaver. The wings of the eagle (or pelican) symbolized the aspiration of ones self to soar. This is where the Aspirando comes from. So why choose those two creatures and put them together to create  the most feared creature in history?

The idea that these creatures were meant to portray was easily related to the life of the Avonian. To fly above the average potential and to persevere in every day life is related to anything from sports to clubs to academics. The Winged Beaver’s uniqueness can also be related to this school. If you go around the country and even around the world, you will not find many schools that look and feel like Avon. And the other obvious copies of this great place have Doors to represent them. Very unique. But the Winged beaver of this school is a unique symbol that has a rich history with an even more meaningful message. And sometimes… at the crack of dawn in the cool winter mornings, you can see it flying across the horizon.

Club TED, an Idea Worth Spreading

by Zaid Ahmad ’14

An idea. It can come from anywhere. It can come from an experience, a dream, a solution, a sudden insight. It can cause revolutions, spark reforms, and change how people view the world. But most remarkably, an idea can spread. Ideas need places to go, where their founders can present them, and let them grow. And, perhaps the most important place that these ideas can form and move is in Club TED, a group of peope who welcome ideas into their community foster them, and release them into the world.

Though TED conferences are held in many different places and are headed by many different peoples, one really important place for ideas to be presented is a school, especially one like Avon. Here, ideas can not only be recognized for their worth and be discussed with interest, they can be used to teach students in a way so unique it is unrecognizable and to help student’s grow in ways that are inconceivable, or at least that is what two avid teachers of English and history think.

Mr. Green and Mr. Harris think TED talks are an invaluable resource, and as teachers who are constantly striving to teach students based on their passion to discover their intellect, they think that the cutting edge knowledge from the ideas presented at TED conferences can be very important to the growth of Avonians and fundamental to their understanding of the world.

Cross Country off to an Inspiring Start

by Will White ’13

Although many around campus may not know, the Avon Cross Country team is having one of its best seasons in recent memory. The team has been diligently working day in and day out and seeing promising results. The Winged Beaver Cross-Country team has over 40 members this year ranging from freshman to experienced senior runners. Four captains and three coaches have lead the Cross-Country team this year. Captains Harrison Wasserbauer ’12, Matt Yacovino ’12, Jeremy Ross ’12 and Vincent DeBlasio have pushed the team hard this year. All but one member of the coaching staff is new to the team this year. Assistant coaches Rob Whitty ’87 and Matt Biggart ’02 are doing a great job as new coaches. This year’s head coach, Joseph Lampe, is carrying on the legacy of previous head coach Mr. John Bourgault ’80.

Many returning runners came to campus before school began, enduring grueling three-a-days and soggy conditions. At the end of preseason, the team participated in its first competition against Kent and Hotchkiss. The Winged Beavers came in second, beating Kent and losing to Hotchkiss. Sophomore Alex Arnheiter finished in first for the Winged Beavers.

The Four T’s

by Dan Leckie ’14

On Saturday, September 24, the students of Avon Old Farms had the opportunity to listen to Jeff Yalden speak about our core value this year: self-discipline. He has spoken to over 3,000 audiences world-wide at levels ranging from elementary school students, college students, teachers.  Mr. Yalden draws from his life experiences, being in the Marines, appearing on MTV’s Made and teaching teenagers life lessons. No matter how painful his experiences were, Mr. Yalden does not hesitate to share them with students to help them learn about life. Mr. Yalden had to surmount incredible odds over the course of his life to become the praise-worthy man he is today.

Mr. Yalden opened up his presentation by remarking on the beauty of our auditorium, and how fortunate the students of Avon are to attend a school with such abundant opportunities. He urged the students to understand that few other people have the opportunities being granted to them.
Right from the start Mr. Yalden expressed enthusiasm for the information he shared. His mission was clear: he wanted to influence each student and encourage him to become a better person in one aspect of life or another.