Commencement 2015

36 Pages·2015·11.49 MB·English

SUMMER 2015
Commencement 2015
THE BLUE BLAZER BALL • AVON IN THE COMMUNITY • REUNION 2015
AVON OLD FARMS SCHOOL
ESTABLISHED 1927
HEADMASTER
Kenneth H. LaRocque
ASSOCIATE HEADMASTER
John T. Gardner
EDITOR
Morgan C. Cugell
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
Glenn Sieber
DESIGNER
2k Design
www.2kDesign.com
ALUMNI NOTES
Lizabeth Abramson
VillaThge e Green PHOTOGRAPHERS
Seshu Badrinath
Michael Dembicer
Stephen Guglielmo ’15
PRINTER
Benchemark Printing, Inc.,
Schenectady, NY
CONTRIBUTORS
contents Thanks to everyone who contributed to this magazine.
Special thanks to Anne Black, Kim Crocker, Sue Evans,
and Brendon Welker ’91.
The Village Green is published for the alumni, parents,
and friends of Avon Old Farms School. It is distributed to
approximately 8,000 readers. All rights reserved.
1
AVON OLD FARMS SCHOOL
500 Old Farms Road
Headmaster Avon, CT 06001
www.avonoldfarms.com
[phone]
2 14 2 ADMISSION
[phone]
[email protected]
News and
ALUMNI
Notes We enjoy hearing from you!
Please send us your latest news and notes:
The Blue Blazer Ball Commencement Email: [email protected]
Phone: [phone]
6 Fax: [phone]
EMAIL
Athletics Members of the administration and faculty can be emailed
by using the following formula: last name + first initial
@avonoldfarms.com. The directory on the school
website also includes email links.
28
Avon Old Farms School admits students of any race, color,
The Last national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and
activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school.
20 26 Word It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic
origin, disabilities, or sexual orientation in the administration of its
educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs,
and athletic and other school-administered programs.
Reunion The Athletic
Hall of Fame
rDear Readers,
o The
tWelcome back! This issue of The Village Green offers a look back at last spring even
i Avonian
das we now prepare for the coming school year. The Blue Blazer Ball, Reunion,
Commencement, and more provided a fitting, celebratory conclusion to what was a Online
e
successful, memorable 2014–2015 school year, and I hope that you will enjoy the words
eand images that follow. Find past issues of
h
It was my pleasure to fill in as editor for this issue as Morgan Cugell was on The Avonian online at
t www.avonoldfarms.
maternity leave—congratulations to her and her husband, Brian Cugell, on the birth of

com/avonian
mtheir baby girl, Maren Grace Cugell, born April 29, 2015!
As always, your feedback is welcomed.
o
r
Aspirando et perseverando,
f
Graham Callaghan ’95
[email protected] Find us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter
860-404-4299 Cover photo: The 82nd Commencement Exercises. www.facebook.com @avonoldfarms
Photo by Michael Dembicer. /avonoldfarms
from
the
Headmaster
by Kenneth H. LaRocque
Greetings.

I hope that this issue of The Village Green helps bring to against cancer. And, on May 6th , we hosted Grandparents
life some of the exciting events we enjoyed on campus over Day on campus and enjoyed a record turnout.
the course of the past few months. From our Push-ups In the sporting arena, our athletes excelled again this
for Patriots program, to the Blue Blazer Ball, to the Relay spring. The varsity baseball team once again won its league
for Life, to Grandparents Day, to Alumni Weekend, to championship, as did our varsity lacrosse team, finishing its
Commencement, this spring was filled with the spirit of season as the top ranked team in Western New England.
tradition that makes Avon Old Farms such a unique and In the arts, we were proud of our actors who put on an
special community. Our students, faculty, administration, impressive production of Shakespeare’s Othello early in May.
parents, and staff joined together numerous times to host On Commencement weekend, we were equally proud of
successfully hundreds of visitors to campus. the creative talent on display at our art show in the Tiernan
Among the highlights of the spring term included the Room. Our students’ work with pottery, photography,
election of Marty Cole as the Chairman of our Board of architecture, woodworking, painting, and drawing greatly
Directors at the spring Board of Directors meeting, and impressed all who stopped by the exhibit. On Saturday
inducting Perry Bromwell ’82, Chris Higgins ’01, Jonathan afternoon of that weekend, our Commencement Concert
Quick ’05, as well as the tennis team from 2003, the hockey was memorable from every perspective, and moved the
team from 2004, and the hockey team from 2005 into our audience to standing ovations on more than one occasion.
Athletic Hall of Fame during Alumni Weekend. On April On the picture perfect Sunday morning of May 24th,
25th, the Parents of Avon hosted the annual Blue Blazer on our Village Green, the Honorable Richard J. Leon,
Ball, which raised a record amount of money to benefit our United States District Judge for the District of Columbia,
Student Enrichment Fund. From Saturday morning, April delivered our Commencement Address to the Class of 2015
11th and continuing for 24 hours, Major John Bourgault and their guests. The festive graduation ceremonies were
’80, Rob Whitty ’87, and Jim Detora led a host of students an appropriate ending to an extremely successful year at
and other faculty and staff in our Push-ups For Patriots Avon Old Farms. The 2014-15 school year will read as a rich
initiative, and we raised over $21,000 for the Semper Fi chapter in our School’s history and one in which we never
Fund to support wounded US Marines and their families. wavered from our mission of building men of character.
On May 1st our school community joined with The Ethel Thank you for your continuing interest in and support
Walker School and Miss Porter’s School to host our Relay of Avon Old Farms!
for Life event, and raised over $40,000 to help in the fight
Do you know a possible future Avonian?

Please tell him and his family about our fall Open Houses on October 13 and November 3.
RSVP information can be found on our website: www.avonoldfarms.com
The Village Green Summer 2015 1
News
and
Notes

Blue Blazer Ball
The
Celebrating AOF Students and Spring
T h e 2015 Blue Blazer Ball was a lively and successful
evening, artfully crafted by the Parents of Avon, and led by
Co-Presidents Bruce MacMillian P’14, P’15 and Tammy
Papadopoulos P’10, P’12 & P’15.
For the second year, the event showcased the school’s commitment
to sustainability and conservation efforts. “A Taste of New England: A
Farm-to-Table Feast” boasted seasonal flavors from local growers and food
artisans; wine and beer tasting in the Commons Room;
a formal dinner in Riddle Refectory; and door prize giveaways. The
always-exciting live auction once again provided guests with plenty of
opportunities to support Avon, and by the end of the evening, more than
$140,000 had been raised for the Student Enrichment Fund.
2 Summer 2015 The Village Green
AOF PARENTS ASSOCIATION
MISSION STATEMENT
With the concurrence of Avon Old Farms School’s
Headmaster and the Avon Old Farms School’s
Board of Directors, and in accordance with the
School’s philosophy, the mission of the Avon Old
Farms Parents Association is to promote camaraderie
and a sense of community among its families and
friends and enhance the academic, athletic, and
extra-curricular experiences of the Men of Avon.
The Village Green Summer 2015 3
News
and
AVON
Notes IN THE

COMMUNITY
Relay Life
Prior to the remembrance lap, Vincent Caputo ’16
for and AJ Caputo ’17 spoke to the memory of their
mother. Always a solemn and touching part of the
evening, the silent lap that followed was lit by
luminaries lining the Village Green.
On Saturday, May 2nd and The Luminary Ceremony appropriately honored the
Sunday, May 3rd, Avon hosted memories of those who had lost their fight to cancer, but
yet another successful Relay for the evening, too, was a celebration of those who have won
Life with The Ethel Walker their fights against the disease, those who are courageously
School and Miss Porter’s School. fighting the disease today, and the strong hope for a cure.
The three Farmington Valley The collaborative efforts of Avon Old Farms,
schools joined forces to raise Ethel Walker School, and Miss Porter’s School made
money, awareness, and support for a meaningful event in the spirit of support and
for the American Cancer generosity and hope.
Society and cancer research. All told, 283 participants
formed 35 separate teams and raised over $40,000.
Inflatable slides and bounce houses and a dunk
tank were among the early-evening entertainment set up
on the Village Green as the event got underway under
clear, cool skies. Spirits were high as teams gathered
and organized. Christian Di Antonio ’15, head of Avon
Outreach and lead event coordinator on the Avon side,
welcomed everyone and offered some opening remarks of
gratitude. From that point forward, the teams walked laps,
one representative from each team walking at all times to
signify the ongoing search for a cure for cancer.
4 Summer 2015 The Village Green
Push ups
-
Patriots
for
In an attempt to “keep it interesting” Major
John Bourgault ’80 came up with a new
twist for the seventh annual Push-Ups for
Patriots event. Last year the goal was to
do 20,000 push-ups in 24 hours by doing
approximately 12 push-ups a minute. This
year, Major Bourgault added a running
component and moved the event to the
Field House so participants could jog a
length of the basketball court between sets
of push-ups. The math came out to 15,000
push-ups and 50 miles in the 24-hour
period. Joining Major Bourgault for the
duration were Rob Whitty ’87 and Jim
Detora. Students, faculty, and friends
participated throughout the night. The
event raised over $21,000 this year for the
Semper Fi Fund, bringing the total to
over $100,000 in donations to this charity
in the seven years of the event.
Spring Play
Othello
This April, the Avon Old School,
Farms Theatre Company including Luke
produced Shakespeare’s O’Connor ’16
Othello in the storied Adams Theater. The play was directed (Cassio), Holden
by Gayle Robinson and Bradford Carpenter P’15, who Worth ’16
were assisted for the season by Ben Custer ’10 and (Roderigo) and
professional actor and director Erik Bloomquist. The show Andrew Waltzer
benefitted hugely from the generous donation of the (Brabantio/
Rothschild family, which allowed the school to hire Mr. Gratiano). All the
Bloomquist. Erik’s experience, vision, and creativity not actors gave
only made Othello one of Avon’s finest productions in energetic,
recent memory, it also contributed greatly to the students’ impassioned
development as actors and for that the theater department performances
wishes to give the Rothschild family a huge thank you. highlighted by a
The cast was led by Charlie Carpenter ’15 (Iago) and minimalist set and atmospheric sound design that
Ben Griffith ’16 (Othello) who put in a tremendous allowed their performances to shine.
amount of work to learn two of Shakespeare’s toughest Avon’s actors proved once again that with a dedicated,
parts over only four weeks. Supporting them were a host intelligent cast, Shakespeare’s words still have the power to
of talented young actors from Avon and Miss Porter’s move an audience over four hundred years later.
The Village Green Summer 2015 55
News
and
Notes

Spring Art Trip
Boston
On Thursday, April 16th, the devastating earthquake that hit Eastern Japan in 2011.
a group of 42 visual art Many of the boys wandered around other parts of the
and the students visited Boston museum, briefly visiting rooms dedicated to Picasso, Da
Arts for a day of arts awareness Vinci, 18th-Century Romanticism, and more.
and participation. In the After a lunch break at Symphony Hall, the boys then
morning, they visited headed to a non-profit organization called Artists For
the Museum of Fine Arts Humanity, where founders Rob Gibbs—aka Problak—and
and discussed hot questions surrounding modern and Jason Talbot spoke about the necessity for a safe, creative
conceptual art, such as, “What IS this? Anybody can space for young folks, and their success at creating a
draw that,” and “Why is it in a museum?” The group self-sustaining business for teen artists. Since 1991, Artists
saw works by artists such as Andy Warhol and Japanese For Humanity has empowered and employed Boston teens
printmaker Katsushika Hokusai, and a collaborative in an intensive program of arts, creativity, and enterprise.
exhibit with film/photography and sculpture inspired by AFH partners youth with professional artists and designers
6 Summer 2015 The Village Green
Grandparents
Day
Grandparents Day 2015 was a
tremendous success with about 260
grandparents and “important others” in
attendance. With tulips still in bloom and cherry blossoms
just emerging, spring had finally arrived at Avon Old Farms
School, and the campus was spectacularly beautiful.
Coffee and danish were served in the Riddle Refectory
as grandparents arrived. At 9:00 a.m. grandsons and
grandparents began the trek from class to class, attending
three in all. Next, a concert and poetry recitation was held
in the Brown Auditorium following the Headmaster’s
greeting and remarks from Grandparents Chairmen Bill
and Mary Walker. A hastily assembled Sing-ed Beaver
group (several of the group were unable to attend due to
AP exams that morning) performed their acapella magic to
the delight of all. Next, Steven Thibault ’16 recited “Scars
to the New Boyfriend” by Rudy Francisco followed by
Andrew Liptrot ’18 who recited “Ulysses” by Alfred, Lord
Tennyson as the jazz band quietly assembled on stage to
treat the audience to their set.
to design, create, and sell art products. To conclude the program for the day, grandparents and
After a tour of the space, including a digital their grandsons enjoyed a delicious lunch in the Field House.
photography studio, darkroom, woodshop, screen Those who were able stay on into the afternoon
printing set-up, and expansive painting studio, and then had the option to have an in-depth tour of
an outdoor demonstration of proper manipulation campus conducted by Peter Evans, a 44-year veteran
of artist spray paint, students tried their hands faculty member who has worn many hats in his years
at spray painting on mini canvas pieces using here—history teacher, Director of Athletics, Varsity
stencils and other experimental techniques, with baseball coach, Dean and Director of Development. His
the help of talented AFH mentors. knowledge of the campus and its architecture, combined
At the end of the day, the boys had some with his tremendous sense of humor, make his tours
time to explore Boston on their own, and made extremely entertaining and educational.
the trek back to Avon campus satisfied, and The lacrosse, baseball, tennis, and golf teams at all
artistically and happily drained from the day. levels had contests that beautiful warm spring afternoon.
Our athletes performed spectacularly across the board
winning eight of our 11 matches.
The Village Green Summer 2015 7
Athletics
Season Highlights
Spring Sports Wrap-up
Banner Seasons for
Baseball and Lacrosse
A von finished the year with an impressive John Witkowski, Hayden Manning, and Michael Gianci
spring sports season, compiling a 78% were among the best in the league, while underclassmen
winning percentage. The baseball team Garrett Stonehouse ’16 and Stephen Thibault ’16 anchored
(20-2) and the lacrosse team (15-2) an infield that made not only the routine plays, but also
enjoyed particular success this spring, each capturing league the spectacular. A thrilling victory at Choate behind gutsy
championships outright. pitching by Matt Gill ’16 and Ryan Worthington ’16, and
Of the 2015 baseball team, Coach Dowling remarks, clutch extra-inning, back-to-back doubles by Ben Johnston ’15
“The team possessed excellent chemistry and was led by an and Dan Paul ’16 secured the Colonial League title late in
extraordinarily strong group of seniors. This bunch was not the season. The 2015 campaign will be one to remember.
only a collection of very talented individual players, but also The lacrosse team was able to deliver on lofty pre-season
played the game with a focused determination as a team.” praise that included a national ranking and consequently
The dominant season featured a 13-0 start, and the team’s had Avon as the team to beat before the season even began.
only two losses came by one run each. The 2015 squad Coach Stern offered this perspective on the resulting
was truly a complete team, featuring a powerful offense led challenges that the team faced, “Just about every team that
by seniors Chris Davis (.366 BA), Derek Kasperzyk (.385 we played went into the game thinking it was the Super
BA), and Matt Millea (.421 BA, team-leader in HR’s). The Bowl, so we had to come, day in and day out, focused and
pitching staff and defense were playing our best ball.” Incredible
no less impressive. Senior individual talent and dedicated team
pitchers Andrew Gnazzo, effort carried the day and enabled the
8 Summer 2015 The Village Green