Avon Central Schools

A huge thank you to Dr. Aaron Steinhauer and Auralia Derhak for coming to speak with our students today about the coming solar eclipse! Steinhauer, an astronomy professor at SUNY Geneseo, and Derhak, one of Steinhauer's students, spoke with Mrs. Laurie McLaughlin’s Earth science and astronomy students about what to expect come the April 8 eclipse and how to stay safe before, during and after totality. The pair also shared some great, online eclipse resources that are available through SUNY Geneseo’s website at the link below. Here in Avon, we’ll be observing the eclipse as part of the Avon Totality Rocks festival. Click on the link below to register for the festival and learn more about the day’s events. Geneseo eclipse resources link: https://eclipse.geneseo.edu/eclipse-resources/ Avon Totality Rocks festival link: https://avontotalityrocks.ticketleap.com/avon/details

Avon students traveled to Genesee Community College yesterday to compete in Tech Wars, an annual event that pits students from school districts across the region against each other in a variety of STEM-based competitions. This year, we had students compete in the bridge design, skimmer car, trebuchet throw, regatta and lumber labyrinth competitions. A special shout out to Sully D. and Nathan H., whose skimmer car, Flyin’ Flame, took third place in the high school division!

Our entire freshman class attended the Global Leadership Conference at Nazareth University today. Held annually for more than a decade, this conference brings students from dozens of local districts together for a day of learning about different cultures, religions and perspectives. Students chose which sessions to attend with topics ranging from Abrahamic faiths and secular humanism to restorative justice and poverty and wealth among many others. Many thanks to Nazareth University and its Hickey Center for Interfaith Studies and Dialogue for hosting our students today!

We stopped by Kristen Donlon’s classroom this afternoon as her kindergarteners planted petunia seeds to eventually help beautify our school! Mr. Mike Garrett took the reins on this lesson, showing our students how much soil and how many seeds to plant in each cup. Once the weather breaks, these petunias are destined for the garden bed near our main Elementary School entrance, next to the flagpole! A huge thank you to Avon’s own J&A Farm Market, which graciously donated the seeds, soil and seedling trays needed to make this possible!

Last batch of photos from our boys basketball team’s postseason run (full album over on our Facebook page) Not the outcome they were looking for against Salamanca but by God did they fight hard. Many thanks to Danette DeNoto for capturing these awesome shots and to every single person who came out to support this Braves team at any point this season. We think Coach Fries said it all: “The number of people that showed up to watch this group down the stretch was really inspiring. It showed how wonderful this community is at supporting our kids, and how easy it was to love this team for how they played the game. It made me very proud to be their coach and live in the Avon community." Link: https://www.facebook.com/media/set?vanity=100064703294390&set=a.804425245057578

Our Elementary School Music Students of the Month for February are fourth grader Luna S. and first grader Marcus D.! Each month, Music Teacher Mrs. Kaylee Corell picks two students of the month - one from third and fourth grade and one from first and second grade. Students are chosen based on how frequently they make Corell’s “Wall of Fame” for things like playing or singing a song well, answering a difficult music question correctly or displaying exceptional behavior and focus. Congratulations, Luna and Marcus!

Congratulations to our 2024 Livingston County Teen Recognition Award winners - all 10(!!!) of them! These annual awards recognize individuals from each of Livingston County’s 17 towns based on community involvement, leadership and being a positive influence on others while overcoming a challenge. Awardees will be recognized at a celebratory dinner April 24 in Lakeville. Click on the link below to read more. Link: https://www.livingstoncounty.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1442&fbclid=IwAR28I74s6bkcbzueD3dCw41wWi3aWIrr6FyUY3O0epz3UaAI-FS_if4FypI

Heavenly harmonies meet habit-forming hilarity in our High School Drama Club’s upcoming production of “Sister Act,” a musical adaption of the beloved 1992 Whoopi Goldberg film! We stopped by rehearsal last night and let’s just say these nuns know how to rock a convent! Performances are Friday, March 15 and Saturday, March 16 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, March 17 at 2 p.m. in our District Auditorium, 191 Clinton St., Avon. Pre-sale tickets are $15 (plus fees) and can be purchased online at the link below. Tickets at the door are $18 for adults and $17 for students and seniors. Children under 4 are free. We hope to see you this weekend! Link: https://www.onthestage.tickets/show/avon-mshs-theatre/65c286543ba64708dd42de97

Shout out to Mrs. Lorrie McLaughlin and her Astronomy class for creating this excellent, eclipse bulletin board outside our High School Library this morning. It’s chock full of information about the upcoming total solar eclipse, which will throw Avon into darkness for 3 minutes and 23 seconds Monday, April 8 beginning at 3:19 p.m. We’ll be celebrating the once-in-a-lifetime event with the Avon Totality Rocks Festival. Learn more about what we’ve got planned at the link below! Link: https://avontotalityrocks.ticketleap.com/avon/details (Photos courtesy of Suzanne Freeman)

Our Level II PageTurners team competed at home today, taking second place with 23 points - behind Cal-Mum, which finished with 26, but ahead of York (21) and Byron Bergen (7). Point totals from today’s competition were combined with the fall scores to determine who would move on to the regional finals. The final standings were: Cal-Mum: 60 points Avon: 56 points York: 49 points Byron Bergen: 22 points “Although only the first place team gets to advance, I am extremely proud of our small but mighty Avon team,” said Coach Jessica Mucci, our Middle School Library Media Specialist. “Most teams had at least 10 kids on them and we only had 4. Our Avon students stepped up to the plate and all of their hard work was shown. Overall it was a great season and I was proud to be their coach.” (Photos courtesy of Jessica Mucci)

Congratulations to the 21 new National Honor Society members who were welcomed to our Avon chapter this afternoon during an induction ceremony in our auditorium. Our current NHS officers spoke on the pillars of the society - leadership, service, character and scholarship - before new members were welcomed to the chapter and administered their oath. Students are invited to apply for membership in Avon’s NHS chapter if they hold a 90-percent cumulative GPA since ninth grade. Invited students then submit a form for the chapter’s advisory committee to review and, ultimately, vote on. Students inducted into the district’s NHS chapter were Delaney B., Panayiota B., Bronwyn C., Hannah C., Dominick G., Joshua H., Caroline H., Ryan H., Nora H., Erin K., Owen L., Leann M., Brody M., Kylie M., Olivia N., David O., Abigail S., Addison U., Isobel B., Alesaundra C. and Henry R.

Your 23-1 Avon Braves travel to Buffalo Saturday, March 9 to take on the 19-5 Salamanca Warriors of Section VI in the Far West Regionals. The winner will punch their ticket to the state semifinals in Glens Falls next week. Tickets are $8 and can be purchased online through GoFan at the link below. The game will also be livestreamed through the NFHS Network at the link below. There is a fee to access the stream. Tip-off is at 1 p.m. at the Buffalo State Sports Arena, 801 Grant St., Buffalo. Tickets link: https://gofan.co/event/1323743?schoolId=NYSHSAAVI&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=rst&referrer_name=activity_scheduler&utm_campaign=rst_schedule_page Livestream link: https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/nysphsaa/gam4539da7029

A huge thank you to Danette DeNoto for making the trip to Canandaigua last night to capture our boys’ 70-48 win over Mynderse Academy in the Class B Regional Qualifier! With the win, your Avon Braves will travel to Buffalo State College this Saturday, March 9, to take on Section VI’s Salamanca (19-5) in the Far West Regionals with a spot in the state semifinals in Glens Falls on the line! Tip-off is at 1 p.m. Keep an eye on this page for ticket and livestreaming information and, as ever, go Braves!

Elementary schoolers kicked off National Read Across America week Monday with a special assembly featuring The UP Guys, Nels Ross and Richie Derwald! Part teachers, part artists, part entertainers and part motivational speakers, Ross and Derwald enthralled our kiddos with their proprietary blend of juggling, music, plate-spinning, dancing and audience participation - all while hammering home the importance of being lifelong readers and learners. As The UP Guys are wont to say: The more you read, the more you know and the more you know, the more you grow!

Our next Family Engagement Night is coming up! On Wednesday, March 27 we’ll be welcoming Tracy Rozanski and Mary White, Prevention Educators from CASA-Trinity, to present “The Science of Youth: Mental Well-Being Resources.” The pair’s talk will center on best practices and topics around developmental milestones and what is considered “normal” growth for mental health in young people. Register for the event using the link below or by scanning the QR code in the accompanying image! Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf7G0f50qCJhMzFP8OL4j-KKR_ZgriCsJpIwq14epqRfzC2Qw/viewform

Grateful to 13-WHAM for making the trip to Avon Elementary School to highlight our Avon Athletes Read program! The idea for this new program was born last year when Library Media Specialist Jessica Mucci noticed that some elementary school students were expressing a disinterest in reading because they play sports. Channel 13 stopped by the library yesterday morning to film Mrs. Liz Stroud’s fourth grade class and chat with Mucci and varsity basketball player Tessa V. about the value of the program. Proud of our staff for developing this worthwhile program and of our students for helping it realize its full potential! Check out 13's story on the program at the link below! Link: https://13wham.com/newsletter-daily/avon-varsity-athletes-inspire-young-students-to-read-in-unique-school-program

Your Avon Braves travel to Canandaigua tomorrow - Tuesday, March 5 - to take on Class B1 champion Mynderse in the Class B Regional Qualifier. Tip-off is at 6:30 p.m. at Canandaigua Academy, 435 East St., Canandaigua. Tickets are $7.30 and can be purchased online through GoFan at the link below. Section V will livestream the game at the link below. There is a fee to access the stream. Tickets link: https://gofan.co/event/1444112?schoolId=NYSPHSAAV Livestream link: https://vcloud.blueframetech.com/broadcast/ppv/1007028

Shout out to senior Jack R., who’s been selected to play in the Section V Boys Ice Hockey Exceptional Senior Game tomorrow at Webster! Jack, who was the Geneseo/Avon/Livonia Lakers’ leading scorer this season, was also named a finalist for this year’s Thomas M. Nichols Scholarship Award. Named for the late co-owner of the Rochester Americans Hockey Club, the award is given annually to a graduating Section V hockey player who’s consistently put forth maximum effort on behalf of his team. Congratulations, Jack!

Few shots from the Braves’ 69-47 win over Marcus Whitman Friday to capture the Section V Class B2 title - Avon's fourth sectional title in five years! Full album over on our Facebook page at the link below. Link: https://www.facebook.com/media/set?set=a.796511009182335&type=3

Your #1-seeded Avon Braves will battle it out with #3 seed Marcus Whitman tomorrow - Friday, March 1 - for the Section V Class B2 Boys Basketball Title! Tip-off is at 5 p.m. at the Blue Cross Arena, 1 War Memorial Sq., Rochester. Tickets are $7.30 and can be purchased online through TicketMaster at the link below or by scanning the accompanying QR code. Section V will also livestream the game. You can access the stream at the link below or by scanning the accompanying QR code. There is a fee to access the stream. The Wildcats went 14-6 through the regular season and earned wins over Rochester Academy Charter School (78-71) and Wellsville (44-33) to book their ticket in the finals. Avon, meanwhile, is 20-1 on the season, its sole loss coming against Lyons back in January. The Braves bested Addison (81-37) in the quarterfinals before battling back against Le Roy in the semifinals to win, 68-64, in overtime. The Braves have gone 3-1 in sectional finals since 2020, their sole loss coming against Northstar Christian in last year’s C1 title game. Friday’s game will be a rematch of the 2021 C1 Championship that the Braves won, 62-56, in overtime. Tickets link: https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/00006055E3786348 Livestream link: https://sectionv.org/sports/2022/10/11/sectionv_broadcast_network.aspx/