Avon Old Farms School is a single-sex boarding school for boys located in Avon, Connecticut, United States. Theodate Pope Riddle was one of the first female architects in America and was the creator of Avon Old Farms. The school was originally run by the Pope-Brooks Foundation, which was founded in part by Theodate. 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 Kenneth H. LaRocque. Avon Old Farms is in the Founders League.
History
Avon Old Farms School was founded by Theodate Pope Riddle, Connecticut's first licensed female architect. She founded the school in 1927. Influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement and the ideals of the old New England farm, Riddle designed and supervised the building of the school over a span of 10 years, from 1918 to 1927, which cost her over $7,000,000 to complete.
The original stone and oak architecture is modeled after English Cotswold and Tudor styles using traditional English methods with many of the materials hewn from the school's property. The school sits upon 900 acres, with the Farmington River to the east.
In the founding years, Avon combined English and American secondary school traditions with a radical modern curriculum. Riddle closed the school during World War II when it was converted to Old Farms Convalescent Hospital for blinded Army veterans.
Avon re-opened as a boys' school in 1948.
The school has grown from 48 boys at its opening in 1927 to 400 boys in grades 9â€"12 and postgraduates. The school mascot is the winged beaver, and the school’s motto is "Aspirando et Perseverando," from the Latin, to aspire and to persevere.
Athletics
Avon ice hockey teams have won eight Division 1 New England Championships (four between 2004 and 2008). In the 2015â€"16 season, the Winged Beavers won the Founders League and landed third in the USHR standings. Avon produced NHL players such as Hockey Hall of Fame member Brian Leetch, as well as Jonathan Quick, Chris Higgins, Cam Atkinson, and Nick Bonino. Coach John Gardner has a record of 603â€"178â€"29. On December 21, 2009, Avon played Taft School in the first hockey game played at Fenway Park. In 2012 Jonathan Quick joined fellow alumni Brian Leetch (1994) as a winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy.
Avon's lacrosse team was coached by Skip Flanagan. After Coach Flanagan left the school, Ted Garber became head coach. In 2015 the Avon lacrosse program saw its best team yet. Avon's varsity team finished with a 15-2 record. They also won the Western New England and the Founders League. The 2015 team was also rated as the number one team in New England and one of the best programs in the "Elite 25" by USA Today
Football alumni Michael Cox went on to play for the UMass Minutemen. Cox was later drafted by the New York Giants football team on April 27, 2013, during the 2013 NFL Draft. Former Boston Red Sox pitching coach Juan Nieves was a baseball alumni who played primarily for the Milwaukee Brewers. Other notable football alumni include Chicago Bear Khaseem Greene, Chargers backup quarterback Mike Hermann, and former New York Giants lineman Jack Calcaterra.
The Hartford Whalers held their training facilities at Avon Old Farms from 1991 to 1997 when they relocated to North Carolina.
Notable alumni
- Cam Atkinson, NHL forward for the Columbus Blue Jackets
- Deon Anderson, former NFL fullback for the Dallas Cowboys. In 2013, won the Heavyweight Championship for the Real Cage Fighting Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)
- David Bigelow '44, Co-Chairman and Co-CEO R.C. Bigelow Tea Company
- Nick Bonino, NHL forward for the Nashville Predators
- Jazz Cartier, notable Canadian Hip-Hop/Rap artist
- Chip Brian, American entrepreneur
- Kristian Bush, musician, member of Grammy Award-winning country music duo Sugarland
- Michael Cox, NFL running back for the New York Giants
- Khaseem Greene, NFL linebacker for the Chicago Bears
- Jeff Hamilton '96, played in the NHL, AHL and professional hockey leagues of Europe
- Mike Hermann, former NFL quarterback for the San Diego Chargers
- Chris Hetherington, former American football fullback in the NFL who last played for the San Francisco 49ers
- Chris Higgins, NHL left winger for the Vancouver Canucks
- Alex Hitz '87, celebrity chef, cookbook author, philanthropist and founder of the luxury gourmet food product line The Beverly Hills Kitchen
- Ambassador Stuart Holliday, President and CEO of Meridian International Center, former U.S. Ambassador for Special Political Affairs at the United Nations and Special Assistant to President George W. Bush
- Andre Jones, football player defensive back for the Pittsburgh Power
- Brian Leetch, former NHL defenseman for the New York Rangers, enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame
- John Gillespie Magee, author of the aviation poem High Flight
- Matt Martin '90, former NHL player Toronto Maple Leafs
- Kevin McKernan '91, scientist and entrepreneur, honored at the White House for his part in mapping the human genome
- Daniel New, professional ice hockey defenceman
- Juan Nieves, former MLB pitcher Milwaukee Brewers, also former Pitching Coach for the Boston Red Sox
- Michael Nouri '64, American television and film actor.
- Brad Peltz, professional hockey player
- Jonathan Quick, NHL goaltender for the Los Angeles Kings
- David Roberts '89, former NHL player St. Louis Blues
- Pete Seeger, Grammy Award-winning folk singer, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee (1996)
- Austin Sperry '96, American sailor and winner of the 2007 U.S. Olympic Trials
- George Springer, outfielder for the Houston Astros
- Brett Stegmaier '02, professional golfer
- Richard Yates, novelist, author of Revolutionary Road, ghostwriter for Robert F. Kennedy
References
External links
- Official website
