Fall 2021 Avonian

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A Brother to All Avonians K E V I N D R I S C O L L’ S L A S T I N G I M PA C T O N T H E AV O N O L D FA R M S SCHOOL COMMUNITY

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contents COVER STORY

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The Kevin Driscoll ’72, P’08 Brotherhood Scholarship

FEATURES

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Remembering 9/11

Meet the Student Council

The All-Boys Advantage

Meet the New Chairman of the Board

SPOTLIGHTS

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FEATURED ARTIST:

STAFF SPOTLIGHT:

Xander Ratledge ’22

Patrick Miller ’07 and Mickoy Nichol ’14

16 FEATURED ATHLETE:

Marco Scarano ’22

28 STUDENT SPOTLIGHT:

James Morr ’22

46 ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT:

Tony Minella ’94

The Avonian // FALL 2021

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from the EDITOR

DEPARTMENTS

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Head of School

Village Green

Athletics

The Elephant

Remembers

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Class Notes

Parting Shot

FOLLOW US /AvonOldFarms

Sid Clark '65. Jorge Consuegra '51, P'77, '80, GP'11, '14.

Bill Kron H'07, P'89. Frank Leavitt '52, P'76, GP'15. Seth Mendell '52. Since joining the Avon Old Farms School staff in August 2016, I have learned about many of the iconic figures in Avon’s history. Their names surface time and again through current faculty, alumni, and other school leaders. I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know one of those figures myself, as he is still a fixture on the Avon campus: Kevin Driscoll ’72, P’08.

Teacher. Mentor. Coach. Driscoll is not only a quintessential Avonian and the faithful parent of an alumnus, Blaise ’08, but also a triple threat when it comes to boarding school staff. While transitioning to a role in the Alumni & Development Office, Driscoll maintained his mentorship role as a student advisor. This fall, the Avon community was gifted with the opportunity to welcome him back to a role he was born for: coaching football.

In this edition of the Avonian, I’ve compiled a variety of perspectives on Coach’s return to the gridiron: first, a profile of varsity football captain, Marco Scarano; next, a visit with two men familiar with Driscoll both as coach and colleague: Patrick Miller ’07, dean of enrollment, and Mickoy Nichol ’14, assistant director of admission.

Alumnus Tony Minella ’94 reminisces about his relationship with Driscoll as a high school coach and shares the ways that relationship endured through the years. I also visited the archives to look at a record year for Old Farms football: the “Elephant Remembers” focuses on the 1990 football championship.

To say that it’s been a special fall here at Avon is an understatement. Of course, the school community is still navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, but fall provided plenty of excitement, both on and off the fields. Now, who’s ready for some hockey?

@AvonOldFarms /AvonOldFarms

Aspirando et perseverando,

avon.old.farms

JACQUELINE KELLER, EDITOR

Search Group: Avon Old Farms School Alumni Association avonoldfarms.smugmug.com

kellerj@avonoldfarms.com (860) 404-4381

Established 1927

HEAD OF SCHOOL

Jim Detora P’12 ASSOCIATE HEAD OF SCHOOL

Robert J. Whitty ’87, P’16 EDITOR

Jacqueline Keller ALUMNI NOTES

Kaitlyn Pratt The Avonian is published for the alumni, parents, grandparents, and friends of Avon Old Farms School. It is distributed to approximately 7,000 readers. All rights reserved.

AVON OLD FARMS SCHOOL

500 Old Farms Road Avon, CT 06001 www.avonoldfarms.com (860) 404-4100 ADMISSIONS

(800) 464-2866 admissions@avonoldfarms.com ALUMNI

We enjoy hearing from you!

Please send us your latest news and notes: EMAIL:

alumni@avonoldfarms.com PHONE:

(800) 336-8195 WEBSITE:

www.avonoldfarms.com/classnotes EMAIL

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.

Avon Old Farms School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. 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.

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FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

Greetings!

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y the time you read this issue of the Avonian, our 2021–22 school year will be well underway, and I’m happy to share that it’s been a great fall semester thus far. Students arrived in September with renewed energy and enthusiasm for our beloved Avon Old Farms traditions and Brotherhood experiences that were sorely missed over the past year. It is a breath of fresh air to have a sense of normalcy on campus once again with an active sports season, visitors to campus, and many fall activities keeping the boys busy.

The fall football season is in full swing with Kevin Driscoll '72, P'08 leading the charge as head varsity football coach. It’s been great to see many of you return to campus to support Kevin and cheer on the team this season. At the time of writing this letter, varsity is looking strong at 3–1, and we are hopeful to make a New England Championship run.

Without an on-campus reunion for the past two years, our community is very excited to welcome a large number of alumni back to the Farm for our 2022 Reunion on June 3–5. I can’t wait to have alumni here for a fun weekend together and hope you will consider bringing your families with you to experience all Avon has to offer.

It is my pleasure to introduce Glenn Sieber H'19, P'17 as our new chairman of the Board of Directors. He has served in many capacities at Avon Old Farms as a faculty member and brings a wealth of experience along with a keen business acumen as we tackle the future needs of our school. We look forward to his leadership as we approach the centennial of the school.

As we prepare for Thanksgiving break, I hope you and your loved ones have a chance to reconnect with family and friends over the holiday. We have much to be thankful for this year.

I hope to see you on campus for one of our upcoming events!

Aspirando et perseverando!

JIM DETORA P’12

Head of School

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village green

The Avonian // FALL 2021

MOVING IN:

Fall 2021

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his fall, 304 Avonians moved into the dormitories that will be their homes for the next several months.

Some moved into dorms that will be home for the next four years. Over two beautiful September days, an army of monitors assisted newcomers, while returners relied on friends and family for the heavy lifting. Avon also saw 101 day students arrive on campus to complete the registration process before the first full day of classes on Thursday, September 9. The year began with students from 31 states and 21 countries and featured 53 legacy students and 18 sets of brothers. One hundred and thirty students were new to Avon this year.

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FEATURED ARTIST

XANDER RATLEDGE ’22 Taking It to the Limits: Pushing His Boundaries Every Day

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any Avonian readers are familiar with the Renaissance man concept—a person who possesses many talents or areas of knowledge. The modest artist Xander Ratledge, a senior from Aptos, Calif., is the first to deny he has talent.

However, in the true spirit of a Renaissance man, Xander pushes himself well beyond his comfort zone in several areas of school life, and there he does his best work.

• During a cross country race, running with an injury he hadn’t told his coach about, Xander pushed harder because he knew it would be his last race of the season—and set a personal best by 4 minutes.

• As a freshman, Xander felt some familiar anxieties creeping in when he needed to speak in front of a class, so he signed up for theater to overcome his fear—and took the audience on a crazy ride (literally—he rode a tricycle around on the Adams stage) through his role as A Nasty, Interesting Man / Lord of the Underworld in a production of Eurydice.

• Feeling isolated, depressed, and stuck during the long at-home months of the pandemic, Xander picked up his camera, documented his family’s struggle, and won two Scholastic Art Awards for digital photography: a gold and a silver key.

With this track record, it’s easy for onlookers to think, “Wow, this young man is talented; he excels at everything he does!” Although that may be true, this success is hard-earned and perhaps a bit misleading. On the

surface, Xander is a cross country runner, an actor, a photographer, and an academic. However, bubbling just below the facade of a jovial smile every day are feelings of worry and angst that Xander continually battles.

“In everything I do, there’s a lot of fighting against my natural inclination to stay quiet and hide. Instead, I choose to be loud, outgoing, and a little ridiculous at times to prove to myself that I make my own decisions, not the doubts inside my head.”

Xander planned to attend public high school as his two older siblings had done, but that didn’t seem like a good option given his past experiences.

In grade school, he was subjected to severe bullying, to the point that he dropped out of eighth grade. However, he knew he still needed a plan for high school. “One day, my stepdad

mentioned Avon Old Farms School rather flippantly, a boarding school on the other side of the country where his own grandfather had once gone and some distant cousin had once taught,” explains Xander.

“I went online to look it up and immediately thought it was better than anything else.”

Xander recalls going to the website and thinking how cool it would be to live inside one of those massive brick dormitories of the Pope Quadrangle. He watched the B-roll of boys walking and talking, smiles illuminating their faces. “They had coats and ties on, which at the time I thought was a bit ridiculous, but I could tell that Avon had structure because of that dress code, which I was interested in,” he continues. “And the vibe of all the

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students was one of warmth and camaraderie, so I began convincing my parents that I wanted to go there.”

After an on-campus tour during which Xander recalls visiting an engaging Latin class with Jake Spearman—who kept a Nerf gun at his desk to use when kids got too rowdy—Xander was impressed with the comfortable relationships he observed between the students and the teacher. He knew it was a place he could belong.

That fall, he enrolled as a freshman.

Armed with a fresh start, he began a journey of self-discovery and reinvention. He took responsibility for his feelings and actions, deciding that he would not let his inner emotions define what he was capable of: he would write his own story. He also took charge of his academics and says that the boarding school lifestyle helped him with that. “I like that I can study in my room, and if I’m lost or confused, I can ask my roommate or sneak down the hall and ask my other buddy what’s going on.

I like waking up and being with all my friends, right there. We’re together, always. It’s just really comforting.”

In trying new things, he discovered passions and ways of expressing himself through art when words were insufficient. “Art, in general, is vital for me. I don’t really see any other reason for everything else. Art is how we express ourselves; it’s how I express myself. And whether that’s through photography or through theater or whatever else I might pick up, I like to be able to look into myself and show it somehow. Words are useful to some extent, but when you look at a really good painting and you can see the emotion in the brush-

strokes, you can feel that, which is difficult to capture anywhere else.”

Xander’s love of art began with drawing his freshman year, but because he had so many creative ideas, he rarely finished a piece. By sophomore year, he wanted to expand his abilities and enrolled in dark room photography. As a junior, he took digital photography. This past year, during the COVID-19 pandemic, digital photography became a lifeline.

Disconnected from friends who comforted him, the sport he had

come to love, and the ability to perform at all, depression began to creep back in. Sometimes it was a struggle to get out of bed, let alone go to class online.

But Cristina Pinton, Xander’s photography teacher, kept pushing, reminding him to grab his camera.

“It was hard to pick up the camera at first because I didn't know what I wanted to show,” he explains. “But once I figured it out, it was relieving.

It let me know that things were OK. The first photo I took was of myself lying in my bed,” shares Xander. “I just

The Avonian // FALL 2021

I like that I can study in my room, and if I’m lost or confused, I can ask my roommate or sneak down the hall and ask my other buddy what’s going on.

I like waking up and being with all my friends, right there. We’re together, always. It’s just really comforting.

grabbed the camera, reached up above myself, took several shots, and then edited one to hand in. That was all I needed. I liked what I saw and what it was saying. I was up, and I was ready. I wanted to take more.”

Xander used his art to find relief from the tight grip of the pandemic. “It was an acknowledgment of the feelings that I have and that I’m allowed to have them.”

Xander’s award-winning photos came from the same period. Feeling a sense of purpose for his images, he used his skills and his feelings to capture his family’s journey during the pandemic. “My family struggled during the pandemic, especially the little ones,” he explains. “They were out of school and unable to socialize.

My little brother is emotional, just like I am; he gets depressed, and he shouldn’t get depressed, he’s just 6 years old. It’s a real hardship for us as a family when he’s not doing well. But I knew what he was going through.

I understood it. I photographed him a lot, the dread that he was feeling. In one photo, I focused on the emptiness in his eyes as he watched TV, waiting for something else to happen.”

Xander takes the same approach to the annual poetry recitation competition. He doesn’t just commit

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a poem to memory: he studies the poet, learns what was going on in her or his life at the time of writing, and puts great effort into understanding a poem’s meaning so he can bring the lines to life and be the poet in that moment. He has plans for this year’s annual poetry recitation contest, which he lost last year by one vote.

“I’m really happy with how I did last year, and I’m going to win this year, so it’s fine,” he laughed. “Mr. Dowling gave me a great tip: one student a few years ago began learning his poetry at Thanksgiving, so by the time the competition came around, there was no competition.”

This fall, Xander is excited for a return to normalcy. He is enrolled in AP photography and plans to participate in a play each season, either at Avon or Miss Porter’s, to make up for lost time. “Being able to experience that amount of fear while also having an incredible amount of fun made me more OK with the fact that I will get anxious. At the end of the day, I can do well and enjoy myself on stage, even with the anxiety lingering.”

As he looks ahead to the rest of his senior year and beyond, he’s also enjoying taking some time to look back and reminisce. Before COVID-19 became a household term, Xander

enjoyed simple memories of relaxing times at Avon—one was of his first night on campus. After moving in as a freshman, Xander recalls students playing volleyball on Jamerson Green.

He went outside to watch and met fellow freshman Yunha Kim. “I sat down next to him on a bench. We just chatted, and we connected so quickly. I felt comfortable. That’s something that I’ll always remember: being there, the sun setting, and me and Yunha just having a chat on a bench. It’s a great memory and one that I’ll hold forever of my time at Avon and how it came to be a place where I found myself, my passions, and my friends.”

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REMEMBERING

9/11

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n Friday, September 10, Dr. Chris Doyle, a history teacher at Avon Old Farms School, took to the microphone at Morning Meeting to remind the community of the significance of the next day: the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City; the Pentagon in greater Washington, D.C.; and the crash of a fourth hijacked jetliner in rural Pennsylvania.

“Over time, Avon’s commemorations of 9/11 took on a ritualistic quality,” said Doyle. “It became customary for a member of the history department to note the date and say a few words along the lines

of what I just said. We had a minute of silence for the dead and, later, for members of the military killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We remembered one of our own, Richard H. ‘Woody’ Woodwell ’75, who lost his life in the terror attacks.

Major Bourgault began holding a run up and down the stairs behind the field house. The goal was to replicate running the number of stairs from the bottom to the top of the Trade Center and to suffer just a tiny bit of what the first responders endured that day. The run takes place as the sun comes up on September 11. It’s a moving tribute that many of us participate in. All of this is fitting

and appropriate. This year, though, we feel a need to do more.”

To that end, this fall the History Department engaged students in three conversations about 9/11 as history. On September 15, Doc Doyle led a session on the causes of the 9/11 attacks. In the second session, on the 22nd, other members of the history department discussed the effects of 9/11 on the United States and the world. “Of course, 9/11 led to two wars: in Afghanistan and Iraq.

But it also had deeper, more subtle effects,” he explained. “For example, it shaped the kind of movies and TV we watched—think about TV shows like 24 and films ranging from Zero

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VILLAGE GREEN

REMEMBERING 9/11

Dark 30 to The Hurt Locker and Lone Survivor—and think about the values those films project. Ideas from TV and movies shape culture; they form what in German is called the Zeitgeist—the spirit of the age.”

In the third session on the 29th, the conversation focused on interpreting the larger importance of 9/11 for history and the present moment and took a larger view of how 9/11 continues to matter and what it means.

We are grateful that Dr. Doyle organized these special lessons so that we ensure the next generation never forgets.

9/11 STAIR CLIMB

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or the fifth time, on Saturday, September 11, 2021, the Avon Old Farms family rose early to complete a challenge of physical and mental toughness honoring those who ran into the World Trade Center’s twin towers 20 years ago and never returned. The challenge is running the steps of the Veterans Tribute stairway 20 times, equal to the number of stairs to the top of the twin towers: 2,226.

“I first heard of a 9/11 stair climb from a friend in the Bristol school system, and I thought to myself, ‘Why didn’t I think of that?” shares Major John Bourgault '80, P'09. “That year, I rose early and ran the stairs 20 times by myself. The next year, we had 10 or so students who had heard about it and wanted to join in. Each year since, it’s grown in turnout.”

The Avon stair climb is not a timed race but a way for the community to honor and remember the first responders who selflessly gave their lives so that others might live. Major explains that as a history teacher and a veteran, seeing today’s youth so eager to participate in the commemorative event is encouraging. Their patriotism and willingness to give a little bit to honor those who lost it all reminds him of why Avon is the best school for boys.

Former president George W. Bush said, “One of the worst days in America’s history saw some of the bravest acts in Americans’ history.

We’ll always honor the heroes of 9/11.” This is just one physical act Avon employs to do just that.

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TIMES RUNNING THE VETERANS TRIBUTE STAIRWAY

2,226

STAIRS

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FIELD DAY

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he first major tradition to welcome students back to campus each year is Field Day, when the student body heads down to the athletic fields to compete for the coveted Field Day championship title and trophy. This year, students competed in 14 events: cornhole, volleyball, stickball, free

The Avonian // FALL 2021

throws, three-pointers, the tire flip, soccer, ultimate frisbee, closest to the pin, pull-ups, bench press, tug-of-war, 4x100 relay, and a 100-yard dash. Brown House rose victorious in the end, with a 1-point lead over the runner up, Diogenes Dormitory.

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ATHLETICS

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From a young age, I was playing soccer, but I started to get too physical for the game. …

When some of my friends started playing football, I joined them and fell in love with it from the very beginning.

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FEATURED ATHLETE

MARCO SCARANO ’22

Varsity Football Captain and Princeton Commit Leads Winged Beavers into Battle

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hen asked at the start of the school year about the 2021 football season at Avon Old Farms, senior Marco Scarano’s first few sentences included the words New England Championship. That all-in attitude earned him a spot at the top of the Winged Beavers’ roster and a spot on Princeton University’s as well. An Ivy-League commit since February 2021, Marco entered his senior year with an enviable clarity of mind and sense of purpose: lead his team to the best season it was capable of and create bonds to last a lifetime.

“Between Coach Driscoll coming back for an encore season with us this fall and Coach Jon Wholley joining the staff before he takes over as head coach next year, the entire team was really excited all summer to get back to campus and get to it,” he shares, noting that players from outside the immediate area had flown in early and were living with local teammates to attend captain’s practices even before pre-season sports camp began.

“Last year, with COVID, a lot of students were struggling to find ways to show colleges what they could do. This year, we came ready to play.”

Coach Pierce Brennan recruited Marco as a repeat sophomore in the fall of 2019.

At his public high school in Berlin, Conn., Marco had been a two-year starter and named all-state. However, he wasn’t always a football player. Marco explains that he initially played soccer, following in his grandfather’s footsteps. “My grandfather played for the Milan junior team in Italy, and my parents tell me that’s where my athletic genes come from,” he explains. “From a young age, I was playing soccer, but I started to get too physical for the game. I was playing up a level or two to be on my older brother’s team. When some of my friends started playing football, I joined them and fell in love with it from the very beginning.”

As soon as he donned the Avon Old Farms jersey, Marco learned that Avon was not just about football—nor just about the Brotherhood. There was a lot more to the quiet village of 400 boys. “I realized that in addition to being at a stronger academic institution and one that had more-advanced facilities than my public school, the culture at Avon was really helping me grow as a person. Now, when I talk to players we’re trying to recruit

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for our team, I try to explain that to them,” he says. “I share that it’s all the things between class and practice that make for a truly inspiring experience: it’s hanging out on the weekends with the guys; it's the conversations in Diogenes Dorm with someone who is different from you, who comes from a place you’ve never seen before, that open your eyes and help you think bigger.”

Marco also says his Avon experience taught him to lead, on and off the field. His interactions with students and faculty

Of course, I have dreams of the NFL, but I want to have a solid education that I can rely upon.

Living near New York City and having a background in finance will hopefully set me up for professional success in case football doesn’t.

challenge him to approach the world with a more mature attitude and help him follow in his mentors’ footsteps of setting the bar high and encouraging others to do their best to reach it. He leads by example: a stellar student, his schedule is full of honors and AP courses; as a student volunteer, he’s a Big Brother to incoming new students and a dorm monitor. He’s also a founding leader of SNAP: the Strength Nutrition and Performance Club, which he and classmate Jack Maas organized to help show their brothers the importance of physical and mental health.

“We were seeing a ton of kids in the weight room not getting the results they wanted, and we thought it was important to share how to do things the right and healthy way,” he says. “We’ve done presentations on nutrition, vitamins, hydration, sleep, recovery work, and the molecular chemistry

The Avonian // FALL 2021

of working out. We’re trying to help other kids get to where they want to be.”

As those who know him can attest, Marco is all about helping each classmate he meets be his best self, and that leadership quality has been crucial during a transition period on the football sidelines. As one of the few returning players on the varsity football roster this fall, Marco explains how speaking with incoming players on Zoom and touring campus with them allows him to assure newcomers that they won’t regret the Avon experience. He also took on the job of sharing the legacy of Coach Kevin Driscoll with his new teammates. “For kids on campus, it takes no time at all to hear about Coach Driscoll and how he is the best football coach in Avon history. When the announcement came that he would be returning to the gridiron this fall, the look on our coaches’ faces said it all: it was going to be a great year. Seeing how much of an impact Coach Driscoll had on my coaches’ lives let me know how important this season will be in my life moving forward—just the chance to play for a coach like him would be life-changing. I want everyone else on the team to know that, too.”

Marco is most excited about the extra energy Coach Driscoll’s return will bring to Ryan Field: he hopes alumni will fill the stands alongside current students—the crowd’s spirit at a game gives the team even more reason to leave it all on the field. He recalls the big night game of 2019 when his schoolmates filled the stands, and their cheers filled the air. That night was one for the memory books, and he knows that adding the alumni community to that this year will be a special experience during his senior season.

Looking ahead, Marco plans to study finance, or possibly engineering, at Princeton, where he will continue his career as a wide receiver. Aware that he’ll be attending one of the finest academic institutions in the

In the end, it’s about having a great attitude every day and caring more about the team than the individual. That’s the champion mindset. country, he’s not taking his educational opportunities lightly. “Of course, I have dreams of the NFL, but I want to have a solid education that I can rely upon. Living near New York City and having a background in finance will hopefully set me up for professional success in case football doesn’t.”

Of course, everyone at Avon wishes Marco the best of luck as he finishes his high school career and cannot wait to root for him in the future, wherever his path may lead. His wisdom will no doubt take him far. “In the end, it’s about having a great attitude every day and caring more about the team than the individual,” he says. “That’s the champion mindset.”

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Kevin Driscoll ’72, P’08 Brotherhood Scholarship

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THE AVON BROTHERHOOD

The community of men linked by their common experience at Avon. Avonians are challenged to aspire and persevere in the quest for knowledge and self-improvement. Through their journey, students enjoy the unwavering support of their classmates and forge fraternal bonds that last a lifetime.

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evin Driscoll '72, P'08 is the standard by which people measure the Avon Brotherhood. He is an Avonian in every respect: an alumnus, a parent, a teacher, a coach, a mentor. However, more than the titles, what resonates with those who know him is that Driscoll has always gone above and beyond for his brothers. He is truly selfless, and in the end, that’s what the Brotherhood is all about. Brothers come first. No man is left behind. The ways in which we differ are more important than the ways in which we are alike. To Driscoll, the Avon Brotherhood is more than a catchphrase; it’s a way of life, one he commits to through and through.

When he arrived in the fall of 1971, he and his brother Joe were the first of many Driscolls to enroll in Avon Old Farms School. In fact, he is one of 14 Driscolls to walk through Avon's campus, including his son, Blaise '08; six brothers: Joseph '72, Mark '73, John '75, James '77, Thomas

'79, and Michael '81; and six nephews: Kevin '06, Michael '08, John '09, Stephen '11, Francis '14, and Francis '17.

Kevin and his wife, Maria, also have a daughter, Margaret.

Kevin came to play football and get his grades up before heading off to college. He found something much deeper.

“There were no computers, no cell phones, and not nearly as many televisions when I was a student,” recalls Driscoll. “Because of that, my classmates and I spent a lot of time together in the dorms and developed eternal bonds of friendship. Outside, we were always dreaming up a new game—roof ball, day boy football. You name it, we tried it.” That tradition of forming eternal bonds is what he has spent his life’s work maintaining.

Driscoll returned to Avon in 1978. During his early professional years at Avon, he taught math and served as director of residential life and dean of students. In those roles, alumni and colleagues recall, he focused on building

COACH TODD HOLT '74, TRAINER BUD GOUVEIA, CAPTAIN BRIAN CONROY ’82, P’20, COACH KEVIN DRISCOLL, CAPTAIN JERRY GARVEY '82, AND COACH JOHN GARDNER POSE FOR A POST-GAME PHOTO.

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THE KEVIN DRISCOLL ’72, P’08 BROTHERHOOD SCHOLARSHIP

PAT ASHE ’91 AND COACH DRISCOLL TAKE A KNEE DURING PRACTICE DRILLS.

STUDENTS DAVID FURRUCCI, ROD RINKER '85, BILLY CALLAWAY '85, AND MICHAEL TARDIO POSE WITH KEVIN DRISCOLL IN HIS CLASSROOM.

COACH DRISCOLL MENTORS DANNY CERDA ’97 ON THE SIDELINES.

relationships with students and giving time and attention to those who needed it most. “Kevin always took the time to talk to that kid who needed a shoulder to cry on,” comments Head of School Jim Detora. “His closest relationships are with those who needed a big brother.

Kevin’s care and attention has undoubtedly changed the trajectory of many lives.”

As dean, Driscoll introduced and encouraged vertical housing, a residential-life initiative promoting camaraderie between older students and underclassmen. He also implemented enrichment hour, a daily teacher-student interaction period after dinner, and the residential life program, which featured inspiring guests speaking on

community-based themes. As a coach, he was never an X’s and O’s guy; his attention was on building camaraderie, trust, and fraternal bonds among his players.

Driscoll’s approach resonated with students in the 1980s and ’90s and still resonates today. On any given day, kids filled his office during lunch, simply to spend time in his presence. Colleagues recall that while he was on duty running dorm check, no one was ever “missing” because everyone was with him. If a kid was late to class, it was probably because he was on a Dunkin’ Donuts run with Driscoll. Today, students still hang out in his office: advisees, players, and others who simply need a comfortable place to land during their day. He’s at Morning Meeting and meals in the Riddle Refectory. He goes to every football game and attends alumni events across the country. He’s at weddings. He’s at funerals. When a brother calls—whether to say hello or ask for advice or seek solace—Driscoll answers. When he does, no one ever doubts that he is present in that moment, dedicating himself to whatever story is unfolding.

At the end of the day, whenever someone asks “Why?” regarding his loyalty to Avon, he reflects on his experiences as a student and those he helped create. Experiences people share create bonds that keep them together. The Brotherhood exists because of the experiences Avon offers,

The Avonian // FALL 2021

THE DRISCOLL FAMILY CELEBRATES BLAISE'S GRADUATION FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT.

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“The varsity football players in the fall of 2021 all are incredibly fortunate because they have one chance to play for one of the most special people and certainly an iconic Avonian: Coach Kevin Driscoll. My association with Coach Driscoll—my experience as an Avon football player—has dramatically shaped my life positively over the last 40 years. When I heard that he was coming back, I was excited for the school, for Kevin, and for the players because this is a special moment. Any success I’ve had throughout the course of my life—the seeds germinated here at Avon Old Farms.

And much of that has to do with the support, guidance, and energy that was fed to me by Coach Driscoll.”

— B R I A N C O N R OY ’ 8 2 , P ’ 2 0

experiences such as Chapel, Morning Meeting, sit-down meals, the Boar’s Head Festival. Today, after close to 50 years of living and breathing all that is Avon, Driscoll can still return to his time as a student and those experiences every time he walks into Eagle Dormitory. "The lifestyle at Avon is exactly what young boys need—for me, for my son, and for today's boys, I still see it working wonders," he says. “That’s what I’ve worked to strengthen.”

So, what, exactly, makes an Avon experience unique?

Turn once again to Driscoll’s character to see what works.

“Kevin embodies all that we love about the Brotherhood,” says Detora. “He’s always watching out for the students.

The same is true for all our alumni: he gives them time and attention and puts them before himself. I am sure there have been plenty of nights when he didn’t go home until it was very late. He’s always been selfless. He was always the student advocate, and kids knew that, and

they trusted him. He has that natural ability to sit down for five minutes, and people think they’ve known him for a lifetime. He puts people at ease, and he instills confidence. That’s what the Brotherhood does.”

As Driscoll completes his last year on the Avon football field and full-time work at Avon, we invite you to support the Kevin Driscoll '72, P’08 Brotherhood Scholarship. This scholarship, originally founded in 1998, has supported young men who actively contribute to the Avon community to enhance the spirit of Brotherhood.

Our goal is to raise two million dollars, making this one of the largest scholarships in the school's history.

“This is our way of honoring Kevin, his legacy, and his 44 years of service to the Avon Brotherhood,” shares Detora.

“I suspect that while Kevin will be retiring from full-time work on campus, he will remain on campus doing his part to help us out with the centennial celebration.”

To learn more about the Kevin Driscoll Brotherhood Scholarship, please visit www.avonoldfarms.com/KD

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Q&A

WITH THE STUDENT COUNCIL

2021–22 STUDENT COUNCIL SENIOR LEADERSHIP Warden: James Morr Vice Warden: Jack Mass Corresponding Secretary: Javier Calderon Recording Secretary/Treasurer: Max Cohen Juniors: Thomas Baldini, Francis Hagood, and Stratt Pratt Sophomores: Ryan Hornyak and Hudson Miller

We asked these student leaders a few questions about their roles and their plans for the future of Avon. Here’s what they had to say:

What led you to become interested in becoming a Student Council member?

JAMES MORR ’22: Coming in my freshman year, I knew how highly praised the Student Council was. My big brother, Nolan ’19, explained the difference that the Student Council helps make on campus, and that immediately caught my attention! Avon is such an amazing place, and knowing that I could help make it even greater was something I knew I wanted to do right away.

JAVIER CALDERON ’22: I was going to stay

at Avon for only one more year and then return to Mexico to graduate from high school. But after seeing the huge positive impact Avon had on me, I decided to stay and graduate with my brothers. I was interested in becoming a Student Council member because I want to help and improve my community as much as it has helped me.

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FEATURE

What do you as a leader bring to this position that will help promote growth in the students around you?

STRATTON PRATT ’23: Avon says that boys are relational

learners, and that's true. As a Student Council member who has gone through multiple different experiences in my life, I can connect to my peers here on a personal level. I use my experiences in the past to show my friends how I grew from them and help them do the same.

RYAN HORNYAK ’24:

I bring inclusiveness and positivity as well as respect for the traditions here at Avon and how they help us grow, just as the students who came before us. I also have a belief in our community and how the Brotherhood will help us with lifelong lessons in how to work together.

What current issues are you eager to work on?

FRANCIS HAGOOD ’23: The most prominent issue our council

is working toward is rebounding from the coronavirus pandemic that has impacted the world. Who doesn’t want to return to normalcy? Unfortunately, it is a rather pressing issue because our rising seniors are really the only ones who can remember a full year of a COVID-free Avon, and it is our duty to step up to ensure that the traditions and culture that were once compromised by the coronavirus return to campus.

RYAN HORNYAK ’24:

AOF is a school with tradition. COVID-19 has interrupted some of that tradition and community. I want to focus on bringing as much of that as possible back to the students so they can have the full school experience.

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How will you improve the AOF experience for your fellow students?

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JOHN MASS ’22: There’s no question that everyone who walks

this campus has a deep appreciation for Avon, but every student has unique goals and circumstances. As a leader at Avon, I try my absolute best to sympathize with those around me, but with the platform of the Student Council, I am able to advocate for my peers and help them accomplish their goals to the best of their ability.

THOMAS BALDINI ’23: I will help create events where the

Brotherhood can do things together and enjoy school as much as possible.

STRATTON PRATT ’23: Two things that I think go a long way in

improving the AOF experience are simple: kindness and listening.

Every time an upperclassman I've never talked to before has a short conversation with me during the commute between classes, it reminds me of how great the Brotherhood here is and brightens my day. By simply talking to new people and reaching out a helping hand, I'm confident it will improve everyone's day. I'm also a keen listener. I enjoy listening to people's input and will do my best to see those suggestions, complaints, and desires realized.

Anything you want people to know about you?

MAXIMILIAN COHEN ’22: Though it is a great honor to have

been elected by my peers, being a leader is not confined to my label as a Council member. Being elected is a privilege, proving how my work was seen by others. I listened to my brothers when I was not a representative, and I continue to listen to my brothers now. This year’s Student Council is built not on a foundation of unreasonable promises but on the determination of leaders who stand up for the principles of the school.

HUDSON MILLER ’24:

I am extremely excited to be joining the Student Council! I will represent the school and my brothers to the best of my ability, and I am excited to see what possibilities the future holds.

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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

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James Morr ’22, Warden

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That … is what I’ve made my goal this year as warden of the school: after a year and a half of COVID-19 restrictions, I want to ensure that the Class of 2025 is shown what Avon is all about and has the same experience that I—and generations of Avonians before me—had as a freshman.

ike students all over the world, the AOF Class of 2022 returned to campus this fall with a unique experience: it’s the only class on campus that experienced a full pre-COVID year. They’re the only students who know all the traditions and have experienced them in all their glory—from the excitement of a night football game whiteout and the Christmas Hockey Classic to the Boar’s Head Festival and Vespers. As the leader of his class and the entire student body, this year’s warden, James Morr ’22, has made it his mission to ensure everything he knows about Avon will pass to the classes coming after his. Despite the daunting task ahead, Avon Old Farms faculty, staff, and students think he’s the right man for the job.

James Morr , of Colebrook, Conn., attended the Avon Old Farms summer baseball camp as a grade schooler; he’s also the younger brother of Nolan Morr ’19 and a son of Jackie Morr, controller in Avon’s business office.

From an early age, James honed his skills on Avon’s baseball diamond, watched his brother perform in the Brown Auditorium, and studied in his mom’s office in the Pope Quadrangle.

“Spending four years in a place that means so much to both my brother and my mom has been really special,” shares James. “I remember

when I was younger, Nolan would come home at night and talk about the Avon Brotherhood, and I hoped it was something I could one day be a part of and experience too.”

When James arrived on campus as a student in fall 2018, he got his first taste of the Brotherhood. As an admission ambassador, he now explains to prospective families that there isn’t a hierarchy among students.

When he was a new student, upperclassmen didn't lord their power over him or his classmates; instead, they shared their own stories and aimed to make the Avon experience one that every student loves. “That, in a nutshell, is what I’ve made my goal this year as warden of the school: after a year and a half of COVID-19 restrictions, I want to ensure that the Class of 2025 is shown what Avon is all about and has the same experience that I—and generations of Avonians before me—had as a freshman.”

One such tradition includes a campus favorite: AOF stickball. James was lucky enough to inherit the Goon Squad stickball team from his brother, who inherited it from Brady Williamson ’16. Mickoy Nichol ’14, now assistant director of admission, was also a member of the squad.

Coach John Gardner, the leader of Avon stickball, explains that the team goes pretty far back and traditionally

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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

To get the most out of the Avon experience, you have to be here, and I mean really be present. …

It’s the little things in between the scheduled events that fill out the Avon experience, and you have to be willing to dive in headfirst to make the most of it.

had been a day-student team. “The Squad has never won the coveted stickball championship, despite one year having MLB all-star and World Series MVP George Springer ’08 on the team,” comments Gardner.

Despite never claiming the title, being part of something spanning generations is one more example of an Avon tradition that James won’t let die on his watch. “Playing for the Goon Squad on Jamerson Green made me feel like I’ve really become a part of a legacy here at Avon, and it’s those types of feelings that I want the underclassmen to start developing,” says James. “When springtime comes, I’ll have to see which freshmen on my team are fit to carry on the tradition.”

At the other end of campus on Carpenter Field, James embraced another tradition as a pitcher for the Winged Beavers varsity baseball team.

James’s brother and father both pitched in high school, which is where his passion for the sport sprouted.

Despite Avon’s inability to have a formal season last spring, the Winged Beavers played varsity baseball for 20 games, 14 of which AOF won. James looks forward to playing a full season his senior year. This fall, the Founders League returned to a full competitive season, which revived school camaraderie. All Avonians hope it continues for the rest of the year.

“In the fall of 2018, one of my best memories was the Friday night football game under the lights against Salisbury,” recalls James. “Usually, Captain Avon leads the rally cry, but he was on the field that night, and the entire school made sure to show up for him. It was the biggest game of the year against our rivals on our home field, and I’m pretty sure every

kid in school was there. The whole atmosphere was electric all night long, despite the freezing cold.” That night when the final buzzer sounded and Avon had won 31–28, the entire study body charged the field in pure ecstasy. No one who was there will ever forget it.

“Those are the kinds of memories I’ll never forget, but I also know that it’s also not just about the games. It’s about being a part of what’s happening here,” he explains.

James knows it's all about being present. As an underclassman, even as a day student, he spent some nights in the dorms crashing in an empty bunk or sleeping on the floor of a buddy’s room. He truly was a “boarder without a bed,” as the mantra goes. That fearlessness when it came to jumping in paid back time and time again. “The upperclassmen

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Success isn’t about one person; success is about the support you have.

It’s about all being in it together. It’s about relationships. In baseball, it's the chemistry that makes a winning team.

never hesitated to include me. I’ll always remember spending the night in the Brown Annex Dorm playing poker with Troy Donohue ’20, Aiden Finateri ’21, Tyler Gordon ’21, and Alec Riggle ’20,” he says with a smile.

This year, as warden, James dug into his role and made the move to living on campus. He wants to lead by example and be here for all of it—day

in and day out. He also recognizes that being warden doesn’t end with the student body: he’s a pivotal connection to the faculty and the on-campus community that are a big part of making Avon all it can be. “To get the most out of the Avon experience, you have to be here, and I mean really be present,” he explains. “Sports, classes, dinners, enrichment, and the

down time. Knowing the names of the faculty kids, knowing where each boarder lives, knowing who’s in each other's hall. It’s the little things in between the scheduled events that fill out the Avon experience, and you have to be willing to dive in headfirst to make the most of it.”

When he first heard about the warden position, James recalls, he thought it was a monumental responsibility. Now a senior, he has grown into a young man fit for the role: one who serves students and the school and knows it’s a lot more than a one-person job. “Success isn’t about one person; success is about the support you have. It’s about all being in it together. It’s about relationships.

In baseball, it's the chemistry that makes a winning team. This year, the Student Council is the strongest team I’ve been a part of. The underclassmen have a lot of confidence and are willing to jump in. I’m really excited for what we can, together, accomplish for the school and ensure that no Avon tradition is lost. It’s a task the Student Council is up for along with the entire Class of 2022.”

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P

eople all over the world are worrying about their kids. Experts say the impacts of more than a year of remote learning, physical distancing, and canceled events on school-age kids might not be understood for years to come. In a world full of unknowns, what are the solutions? As educators strive to do their best to meet students’ needs, they turn to colleagues for help, guidance, and advice. Laura McKenna, a writer for Edutopia, is shining a light on what works in education. In “Are We Facing a Mental Health Crisis for Boys?” she suggests that ways to help boys today are already in place in many all-boys schools. “Boys can benefit from a school culture that destigmatizes mental health issues, creates opportunities to connect with other boys, confronts ingrained masculine stereotypes, and provides support from adults who understand their needs.” Such practices are very familiar to Avon Old Farms School.

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THE ALL-BOYS ADVANTAGE

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All-boys schools create environments in which young men still exploring their own identities feel safe enough to take risks and push their boundaries.

McKenna cited a Washington, D.C., school counselor who says, “Sometimes, even when boys have the emotional wonderful community full of role models, and it is our language and recognize flaws in societal goal to ensure that every new Avonian finds multiple norms, they still conceal their emotions in people on campus that [he] can look up to and learn order to fit in.” However, in an all-boys from, whether they be members of the faculty or environment, labels—theater kid, jock, geek— students. With a surplus of great leaders for young are irrelevant because each boy is empowered to men, we know that our boys can grow into find his voice through his successful individuals, whatever their pursuit.” everyday school experiences.

With the help of a supportive faculty and In an all-boys environment, experienced student leaders, younger boys the more categories a take leaps of faith after hearing that they student fits into, the better. might discover new passions. The supportRenaissance men are ive, all-boys, low stakes/high reward celebrated. environment makes exploration more “At the beginning of comfortable. As a result, when the every school year, we football quarterback takes the stage on emphasize to students the opening night of the winter play at an importance of getting all-boys school and the roar of his involved quickly, trying new teammates fills the theater, a smile things, and making the will always spread across his face. most of their time on our In her article, McKenna quotes campus, as four years will Andrew Reiner, author of Better fly by,” shares Head of Boys, Better Men: The New School Jim Detora. “We are a

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“With a surplus of great leaders for young men, we know that our boys can grow into successful individuals, whatever their pursuit.”

– J I M D E TO R A

Masculinity That Creates Greater Courage and Emotional Resiliency, as saying that even with opportunities to connect, sometimes boys find being emotionally vulnerable difficult, especially with other boys. All-boys environments, however, have built-in systems to encourage connections among male peers. When teammates show up on opening night of the school play, Avonians call it “the Brotherhood.”

This camaraderie is another aspect of an all-boys environment. The emphasis on shared experiences that extend to all students and alumni helps create a spirited, supportive culture.

Many people see this first in athletics, in which fans encourage their teams with energy and passion. Teachers see it in the classrooms and in the dormitories, where students genuinely celebrate each other’s successes, freely offer help to classmates who feel challenged, and support each other as they all navigate the journey of adolescence.

In a single-sex environment, effectively educating boys about what being a man means and interpreting manhood in today’s world is critical. Empathy and the ability to understand and share feelings with other human beings is important.

Schools for boys show them that being frustrated is OK and asking for assistance is OK. But beyond that, the value of resiliency is paramount. Boys learn that how they react and move forward is an important reflection of their character. At Avon, teachers and staff know how to work with adolescent boys to hone this key character trait; Avon also has professionals on call if they are needed.

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THE ALL-BOYS ADVANTAGE

As relational learners, boys appreciate the ways teachers collaborate in their successes and value the total immersion in and commitment to the community. w

By educating students about what “being a Taking a multidimensional approach to the faculty role is one man means,” boys schools provide empathetic way of encouraging genuine connections between students foundations on which young men can construct and teachers: when teachers are also coaches, dorm parents, promising futures for themselves and others. Some and the people students share meals with, they establish of this work goes on through special programming lines of trust. during evenings and weekends in which boys discuss As relational learners, boys appreciate the ways mental health, masculinity, and drug and alcohol abuse, teachers collaborate in their successes and value the among other things. In a private, all-boys school, teachers total immersion in and commitment to the community. can make classroom choices that carry these motifs To effectively lead boys, teachers assure their students forward. In the curriculum, that can mean catering to boys’ that they care and are devoted to their individual interests, often choosing literature that present different success. Single-sex schools challenge boys inside models of masculinity. By creating empathetic school cultures the classroom and support them in equal measure both in and out of the classroom, all-boys schools can help with compassion, empathy, and constructive young men learn to listen and to speak openly. In environments feedback for personal growth in all-boys built on connection, boys naturally relate better to one another in communities and beyond. the classroom and build stronger bonds.

“In an all-boys setting where young men The backbone of what makes this so successful is another are able to build strong relationships with cornerstone of the all-boys school environment: relational learning. the faculty, our boys find it easier to express

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curricular design and methods of instruction to maximize impactful learning. That means seeking opportunities for hands-on learning; using humor; finding ways to incorporate movement, color, and sound into lessons; and finding ways to harness and take advantage of boys’ natural energy and curiosity. unique and maybe unpopular ideas in group settings An active environment also allows boys because of the trust that has been built,” comments the space to harness their emotions as they Ahmad Cantrell, Avon’s new director of diversity, struggle with a concept. All-boys schools equity, and inclusion. “When our teachers bring current embrace active learning to engage more events into the classroom, boys think critically about the than just the mind inside the classtopic and any alternative perspectives. They dive more room. Mobile, invigorating, and deeply into ideas through a new lens and come to their own energetic lessons are the key to conclusions. That’s made possible through the relationships creating a vibrant learning environthat exist on our campus.” ment for boys.

At an all-boys school, educators can also celebrate the Many boys are competitive by differences in students and recognize that they have a wide nature. All-boys schools utilize range of interests, abilities, and sensibilities. Teachers at all-boys these ambitious spirits during schools are effective at noticing and responding to the differences the academic day and tailor they observe in boys. For teachers to be effective, they must be teaching styles to boys. In aware of the specific circumstances of each day and understand class, boys work together— how individual students learn and grow. Only when students feel as a class or in small known and valued can they completely commit to the content of groups—on various classes, activities, or groups. Teachers in all-boys classrooms can choose projects spanning

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THE ALL-BOYS ADVANTAGE

Every aspect of an all-boys program is engineered to guide and challenge boys to find their niches and passions in life.

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academic disciplines. Throughout this process, boys learn to work with different people and understand which roles they can best adopt when working in group settings. The goal is that boys will find their voices within small groups and during in-class presentations.

Whether participating in class or auditioning for a musical, trying something new is never easy—especially for teenage boys.

However, in an all-boys environment, just one simple moment of willingness is needed for a young man to step outside his comfort zone and reap the benefits that a boys’ school can offer. Every aspect of an all-boys program is engineered to guide and challenge boys to find their niches and passions in life. Boys are free to discover their true identities by exploring school life without reservations. Boys learn to think beyond themselves and take the empathy mindset out into the world. Alumni confirm that this approach to education was essential in their paths to adulthood: graduates are not only lifelong learners but also leading citizens in their communities and solid men.

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MEET THE NEW CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD:

Glenn Sieber H’19, P’17

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n 2007, Glenn Sieber H'19, P'17 left his previous life as a financial services executive at Accenture and joined the Avon Old Farms School Mathematics Department, becoming the department chair. Back in 2019, in a feature article for the Spring 2019 Avonian, he shared this: “I thought I would be here for one year and then transition to the public school system, but within my first few weeks of teaching at AOF, I fell in love with the school and my students.” Avon is now proud to call this beloved former faculty member chairman of the Board of Directors.

Avon is lucky to have gained Sieber's support since his first year on campus in many areas.

He believes in the Avon mission and has done much to embody it. He served as interim director of alumni and development as well as interim chief financial officer. He coordinated the strategic planning initiative for the board and in 2019 joined the board after retiring from teaching. Last spring, when former chairperson Marty Cole decided to retire, Sieber was Head of School Jim Detora’s first pick.

Before the fall semester began, Sieber visited campus during the opening faculty meetings to share some insights with the staff. He opened by talking about how great seeing so many familiar faces was. He then shared three messages: • He said he knows from personal experience how special Avon is. He recalled how his youngest son, Kevin ’17, grew into a young man with confidence and leadership skills who became warden of the school— something Sieber never would have imagined. He spoke about how the entire community supported him and his family

through the painful loss of his wife, Barb, when she passed away from cancer. He then shared that, even today, the number of former students who reach out to say thanks or seek advice amazes him. “Those experiences are far more rewarding for me than any financial bonus I received during my career in corporate America.”

• Second, he explained that a Board of Directors is different from a Board of Trustees. Their job begins and ends with hiring and managing the head of school and ensuring that the person sticks to the approved strategic plan and does everything to ensure the school’s financial success.

• Last, he offered a heartfelt thank-you to all the employees who made the 2020–21 school year happen and for ensuring that the 2021–22 school year will be filled with positive memories for the students. “The magic of Avon comes from those who teach, coach, and monitor the dorms. You all are who make it a good or bad experience for our boys. So, on behalf of the Board, thank you. We are proud of our faculty, and you have our complete support.”

Sieber also commented that he hoped that becoming chair would not mean he had to cut ties with the current faculty, who remain friends. To his pleasure, Detora said just the opposite. “I know Glenn will do a great job because of his close ties with our faculty and school, not in spite of them,” commented Detora. “Our leadership needs to know the school intimately, and who will do that better than a former businessman and faculty member?”

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STAFF SPOTLIGHT

Patrick Miller ’07 AND

Mickoy Nichol ’14

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AT

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the start of the 2021–22 school year, 16 faculty and staff members know the school intimately as alumni. A few credit Kevin Driscoll ’72, P’08 with their return to Avon Old Farms. Dean of Enrollment Patrick Miller ’07 and Assistant Director of Admission Mickoy Nichol ’14 are two of those alumni.

Both played football during their highschool years, and their stories include similar markers: they landed at Avon as freshmen and excelled throughout their time here. They both matriculated to colleges where they continued their football careers. Patrick studied business and marketing, and Mickoy pursued sociology and education. Neither had thoughts about returning to Avon Old Farms School for work right after college, but Driscoll knew they were Avonians through and through and suggested otherwise. Both returned and have never looked back.

However, each man has a unique story, as does everyone who joins the Avon community.

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STAFF SPOTLIGHT

PATRICK MILLER ’07

Patrick Miller met Kevin Driscoll as a youngster when he befriended Driscoll’s son, Blaise ’08, at Pine Grove Elementary. By nature, Patrick was a quiet kid who enjoyed sports and never questioned following his siblings to the local high school.

“Then one day my dad suggested we look at Avon,” says Patrick. “I, of course, had been on campus to hang out with Blaise, but I never thought that it might one day be a place for me.”

Similarly, once Patrick was at

Avon, he never thought he would play football. His experience with the game was limited to touch football at recess, but when Driscoll suggested he try out for the team, Patrick obliged.

“For me, the best thing about football at Avon was that it actually wasn’t about the game when you played for Kevin. It was a metaphor for life,” he explains. “It was about being a good human, a good teammate. It was about relationships and having confidence in yourself.”

For an introvert, that new-found confidence was life changing. A four-year day student, Patrick lettered in three varsity sports: football, basketball, and baseball. In his senior year, he was named co-captain of the varsity basketball and varsity baseball teams and earned the Tim Straus

Award and Three Sport Athlete Award.

He was accepted at Fordham University, where he was a four-year member of the varsity football team, earning a Patriot League championship along the way. After graduation, he began his job search.

“I was interviewed on Wall Street, at Aetna, at Macy’s; I threw my hat into the ring of just about every industry.

But when I spoke with my father about it, I explained that nothing felt like a good fit. I didn’t want to do any of it. I didn’t want to sit in a cubicle in a skyrise in a city,” he says. “Ultimately, I called KD and asked for some advice. He said to me, ‘Patrick, you’ll be good at anything. But just so you know, there’s an opening in our admission office here at Avon. Maybe you could come here, save up some

The Avonian // FALL 2021

money while you figure out your next move.’ That was 10 years ago.”

Miller started as an assistant director, then became an associate.

Next, he was the director of financial aid, and now he’s Avon’s dean of enrollment. He explains that he, and many of the other alumni who come back to Avon for work, are lucky because they know exactly what they’re getting into. “I don’t wait for the weekends, and I’m not complaining how much I hate my job like so many guys I know,” he says. “I know that working at Avon isn’t a job; it’s a way

of life. And it’s the best one for me.”

Since his years as a student at Avon, Miller says not much about the culture or the students Avon serves best has changed, and a big part of that are the characters here at Avon who keep things steady, including Driscoll. “We had a PG coming in this year from California, and he couldn't wait to play for Kevin,” laughs Miller.

“There’s definitely an aura about him that kids gravitate toward. I can recall during lunch, his Barnes classroom was packed to the brim with students.

Not to sit and talk about football;

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they simply wanted to be in his presence as much as possible.”

Miller shares that Driscoll brings the same energy to the admission office. When he talks to a prospective student, the conversation isn’t about football. He asks about family, what a student likes to read, and what he struggles with most. He asks what a boy hopes to get out of his Avon experience—and that studentcentered approach builds bonds.

“It’s that culture that Kevin helped build that brought me back to Avon and has kept me here,” Miller says.

For me, the best thing about football at Avon was that it actually wasn’t about the game when you played for Kevin. It was a metaphor for life. It was about being a good human, a good teammate. It was about relationships and having confidence in yourself.

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STAFF SPOTLIGHT

MICKOY NICHOL ’14

On the field, Coach wasn’t an X's and O's guy. He wasn’t telling you where to run. But he was teaching you technique.

He instilled great values that made you want to compete harder for him, for the team, for the school. He would coach you on how to be a better teammate, a better person. And that’s what stuck the most.

Mickoy Nichol didn’t grow up down the street and never played in the Pope Quadrangle as a young boy. He came to the United States from Jamaica in 2006 and lived on Cape Cod. His father’s boss had five kids in boarding schools, and at his suggestion, the Nichol family began looking at single-sex secondary schools.

“We visited the campuses of Salisbury, Trinity-Pawling, and Avon all in one day, and it was on that day that I met Coach Driscoll,” says Nichol.

“Unlike Patrick, who came in as a soccer player and had never put on football pads, I played both but was dreaming of playing college football already. I just didn’t know how likely that was going to be. As soon as I met

Coach, I knew I wanted to play for him. The decision was made. And then he helped with what came next.”

During his first year at Avon, Nichol played JV football, and Driscoll came to watch. The next year, he was pulled up to varsity. As soon as Nichol made Driscoll’s team, Coach was connecting him with coaches and teaching him how to have the serious conversations that could direct the next four years of his life and the opportunities that would come after.

“On the field, Coach wasn’t an X's and O's guy. He wasn’t telling you where to run. But he was teaching you technique,” shares Nichol. “He instilled great values that made you want to compete harder for him, for

the team, for the school. He would coach you on how to be a better teammate, a better person. And that’s what stuck the most.”

Nichol comments that Driscoll’s coaching method allowed everyone to shine, which allowed each team to be successful. “Kevin was big on growth. He wanted his players to grow and not just one-dimensionally.

He wanted you to try new positions and wanted you to be a football player, not just a running back. He’d also encourage us to do other things on campus, too, not just football.”

Nichol played football for four years at Avon and was a captain as a senior. He made First Team All-NEPSAC basketball for two years

The Avonian // FALL 2021

and ran track-and-field for four years.

He was a member of the Student Council and served as warden his senior year. He was deeply invested in the Avon Outreach program, volunteering with Habitat for Humanity and heading up the Toys for Tots fund-raiser as a senior. He attended Bates College, where he continued with football and trackand-field. As a sociology major with a minor in education, he volunteered at local schools and youth services in Lewiston, providing the students with an external resource for homework help and aid in the college application process.

As with Miller, Nichol never planned to return to Avon right out of college, even though he was voted most likely to return to work at Avon by his class. As a Bates senior, he was about to embark on a job shadowing at Suffield Academy to explore the world of education as a career. Around the same time, he stopped by Avon to

45

Watching boys come in as ninth graders, then grow over four years, and finally seeing them go out and take to the world is our business, and it’s a satisfying one.

watch a Thanksgiving bowl game.

When he shared with Driscoll what he was doing back in the area, Coach’s words were, “Why don’t you come back to Avon?”

In the following days, after returning to Bates, Nichol received a call from Driscoll and several other Avon greats. “I think they must have been in the Refectory because I was talking to Kevin, hearing him say I should really consider coming back to Avon, and then he passed the phone to Peter Evans and then to Ken LaRocque and then to Rob Dowling. Rob actually was the one who convinced me to come for at least the interview.”

Even though Nichol was determined not to return straight to Avon— he wanted to gain some outside experience before returning to Avon

in, say, 20 years or so—he agreed to the interview and found himself sitting down with a former coach: Patrick Miller.

“Coming back that day, I realized that I love this place and how much Avon did for me. I was the first in my family to go to college. Avon did that for me. And having the opportunity in an admission office and the position to open doors for young men to come to a school like this was all I needed to make my decision.”

Nichol shares that seeing things from the other side illuminated the importance of the admission office and how it shapes the future of the school. “I’d love to offer every good young man who walks through our doors a spot at Avon, but we can’t,” he says. “But, maybe one day, our endowment and support from fellow alumni will allow that to become a reality.”

Outside the admission office, Nichol coaches varsity football. Avon football is near and dear to him, and being a part of today’s players’ lives outside the admission process is important. He says the football field is certainly a place to do that. “I wanted to create bonds with today’s Avonians, as Kevin and Patrick did with me, but at the end of the day, being able to go down to the field is the greatest feeling. Helping young players perfect their craft is what it's all about, as a school and as a coach.

Watching boys come in as ninth graders, then grow over four years, and finally seeing them go out and take to the world is our business, and it’s a satisfying one.”

46

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Tony Minella ’94 I

n the fall of 1991, a naïve 15-year-old from California transferred to a school on the opposite side of the country to play hockey and football. He recalls arriving for sports camp, exchanging hellos, and grabbing dinner in the Riddle Refectory before heading to the gym, grabbing his basics from trainer Marcus Rinaldi, and congregating on the bleachers in the gym for a program-wide meeting with Kevin Driscoll, the head varsity football coach of back-to-back undefeated seasons. Welcome to Avon Old Farms.

“KD walked out and just tore into the whole program,” recalls Tony Minella ’94, for whom that welcome is a strong memory. “He started slow, but a crescendo was building before he finally erupted, pointing his finger at us in the bleachers, eyes bulging out of his head, saying, ‘Yeah we’ll probably win some football

games this season,’ but he didn’t care what our record was or how many seasons the varsity team has been undefeated. He drilled into us ‘No one on this this football team is walking around campus thinking that he’s better than anyone else!’”

“I believe my very first thought was, ‘What did I just get myself into?’ But, looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing. What an awesome tone to set on the very first day. My good friend John McAuliffe has a similar recollection; he and I have talked about the impression that first meeting left on us.”

When a family chooses Avon Old Farms, it’s often for a very specific reason: a renowned program, nationally ranked hockey team, close to home, or far away. For Tony, the decision to travel cross-country to attend boarding school was three-pronged: first, as a Boston transplant living in California, he wanted to get back to the East Coast to play hockey, something that wasn’t the most accessible on the West Coast. Second, both his parents and his extended family lived in Bristol, so the Farmington Valley was a bit of a second home. Third, as a predominately B student at Campolindo High School in Moraga, Calif., he and his parents felt the structured environment Avon could provide would be academically beneficial.

“Initially, the catalyst for exploring boarding school was hockey. We did some research, and I ended up applying to Avon, Westminster, and Taft,” explains Minella, now the co-founder and president of Eldridge and a resident of Darien, Conn., where he lives with his wife, Sage, and

The Avonian // FALL 2021

their three sons: Jake, Declan, and Cameron.

“Luckily, I felt the most comfortable at Avon because that was the only school that accepted me outright. So, I transferred there for my sophomore year.”

However, upon arriving, Tony needed to play on a competitive team in the fall, so he joined ranks with a sport he had picked up as a high school freshman: football.

“The next morning after KD’s speech, my buddy David Nelson, a junior soccer player, came to Eagle 308 and knocked on the door at 5 a.m. to wake me up. We stumbled to the athletic fields, and I ran perimeters with the football team. It was a whole new level for me.

I intermittently cried myself to sleep the first few weeks—I was homesick, the environment was intense, and I was anxious to see if I could keep up academically. It was a whirlwind. But quickly enough I discovered friendships with both students and teachers; the structure that Avon provided—and KD really emphasized in athletics—created an environment in which I found it easy to succeed.”

Away from home, Tony wanted to make his parents proud by doing well in school.

That desire to succeed motivated him to take full advantage of the mandatory study halls. “At home I thought of myself as an athlete who got OK grades. Good enough to keep my parents off my back but nothing remarkable. At Avon I learned that if I applied myself, great grades were achievable. I ended up developing a tremendous sense of confidence academically, and ultimately excelled and earned cum laude honors. In the third trimester I remember my advisor Bill Kron telling me, rather succinctly, that as a junior I was to enroll in honors courses for the fall. I was struck by how matter of fact his statement was. It was the

At Avon I learned that if I applied myself, great grades were achievable. I ended up developing a tremendous sense of confidence academically and ultimately excelled and earned cum laude honors.

47

48

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

first time anyone had put significant stock in my academic ability. It felt good.”

But not everything went according to plan.

Although Tony became a stronger and quicker athlete over his Avon career and excelled on the gridiron (perhaps thanks to Coach Fizanno screaming Vince Lombardi quotes on the sidelines), he was repeatedly

The overall hockey experience at Avon helped me redefine how I saw myself and how to find opportunity in challenges.

cut from the varsity hockey team, which was one of the initial reasons for applying to New England boarding schools.

“My sophomore year I came out of the fall football season excited to get on the ice, but within 40 minutes in the rink, I was cut. I went into the locker room and literally puked in the trash can,” he shared. “Coming off football, I was not in hockey shape, and I was devastated. I dropped down to JV and then to thirds! I had come to play hockey, and that was a big part of my identity at the time.”

Tony stuck it out and worked hard. That same season, he was called up to play JV and was the last cut his junior year but had a blast

playing for Coach McCarthy on varsity B. As a senior, he was offered a spot on varsity.

“I realized that I could ride the bench on varsity my senior year or actually have fun and be on the first line with varsity B. So, I decided to drop down. The overall hockey experience at Avon helped me redefine how I saw myself and how to find opportunity in challenges.”

Avon prides itself on that characterbuilding to this day and likes to think that it is a community effort. Tony recalled many friends and faculty who influenced his time at Avon.

“From Kevin Driscoll’s pre-season speech, to Coach Gardner’s algebra classroom, to being a waiter at table D-3 with Sid Clark, each person helped me appreciate the tenacity and toughness the Avon experience develops in young men.”

He also recalls the lasting effect of his history classes with Peter Evans H'18, P'98 and Art Custer P'04, '05, '10; biology with Christine Demusz; and the important time away from classes, too, spending time with friends. He laughingly remembered dormitory antics with his sophomore roommates Jake Ryan ’94 and Alvin Negron; his brother Marc Minella; and friends Cory Sheldon, Pete Sperger ’94, John Brennan ’94, Tom Funk ’94, John McAuliffe ’95, Austin Sperry ’96, and Jeff Hamilton ’96.

Minella also comments on building friendships with fellow Avonians Mike Mullin ’91 and Danny New ’08 and the fact that Hamilton, Brennan, New, and he and a host of others play some outdoor hockey together as often as weather permits. On top of that, Avon guys have also played a part in Minella’s sons’ lives, too.

“Danny New coaches my son Declan and has done a ton of work with all three of my boys. Jeff Hamilton runs the Connecticut Jr. Rangers, with 500 kids in his program, and he coaches with Marty St. Louis on a team for mid-Fairfield, another program with 400 kids,”

The Avonian // FALL 2021

he says. “Jeff, Marty, Danny, and all the coaches here in the area are doing a great job developing talent, and I think you’ll start to see some kids making a real name for themselves.”

After graduating from Avon in 1994, Minella went on to Bowdoin College, where he majored in economics, with a minor in American history. He attended Bowdoin at the same time as fellow Winged Beavers Billy Austin’92, Mike Treat ’93, John McAuliffe ’95, Mike Fish ’95, and Mark Caruso ’96.

“I developed strong relationships at Bowdoin—I met my wife, Sage, there and still interact weekly with a number of my classmates. I owe Avon a debt of gratitude for helping me get there—I certainly wouldn’t have been accepted coming from Campolindo.

Art Custer (a Bowdoin grad), Kevin Driscoll, and my college counselor, Peter Evans, each played a huge role in my acceptance. Overall, Avon developed in me the confidence, strength of mind, and competitiveness that have served me well in life.”

After starting out as an investment banking analyst at Merrill Lynch in 1998, Minella spent 18 months at Penske Capital, then joined Guggenheim Partners in 2001. He spent 12 years there, rising to co-head of corporate credit at Guggenheim Investments and co-chair of the Investment Committee, before becoming the chief investment officer at Security Benefit,

a 129-year-old insurance company. In 2015, he co-founded Eldridge, headquartered in Greenwich, Conn., which invests in businesses across the insurance, asset management, technology, mobility, sports and gaming, media and music, real estate, and consumer landscapes. As Eldridge’s president, Minella currently serves on the board of, or is actively involved with, various Eldridge businesses, including Security Benefit.

Now a successful businessman, he is happy to see Kevin Driscoll embracing his role in the Alumni & Development Office, making important connections to all the alumni he taught and coached over the years.

“It’s been great to reconnect with Kevin, and hearing that he would be returning to coach was really exciting. A big part of how I think about Avon Old Farms today is a function of KD,” he says. “Kevin gave out a lot of tough love yet was a big softie at the same time. He really got me to focus on personal prioritization and self-improvement by emphasizing what was important in the moment. It wasn’t just about football; he’s focused on developing strong young men. What really mattered was the bonds that we formulated along the way. This year’s team is very lucky to have him back—he’s a coach’s coach; and I’d love to see my boys play for him, but I guess I’ll just have to settle for the victory he’ll deliver the Winged Beavers over my sons’ school, Brunswick, at his final home game. That’ll earn me some bragging rights for the year.”

49

Overall, Avon developed in me the confidence, strength of mind, and competitiveness that have served me well in life.

the

50

elephant remembers SEASON RECAP

Taken from the 1990–91 Athletic Summary

T

he 1990 varsity football team finished the season with a perfect 8-0 record and an undisputed Erickson League Championship. Led by Captain Pat Ashe, the Avon team set the standards of excellence by which all Avon teams are judged.

The offense, led by quarterback Jason Parker, was a quick-hitting and scoring group. The offensive line of Peter Giannakoulis, Sean Hankard, Ryan Hankard, Sam Holcombe, and Billy Austin was a powerful group that consistently opened holes for running backs Robert Johnson, Mark Nerich, Lee Huguley, and Brian Wilhelm.

When Parker went to the air, he had a fleet-footed and surehanded group of receivers in Chris Hetherington, John Denery, Rob Dowling, Taj Lewis, Alec Duncan, and Don and Rob Hornish. In the clutch, Parker could always go to Big Rob Dowling, whose fine blocking and timely catches always managed to pull the team out of tough situations.

The defense was a whirligig of attack and destroy. The line of Pat Ashe, Todd Ferrier, Giannakoulis, Sean Hankard, and Derek Schwartz manhandled opposing linemen and was often in the enemy’s backfield before the quarterback handed off the ball. If a running back did get through the

The Avonian // FALL 2021

line, he was in for some tough times because the linebacker crew of Ryan Hankard, Holcombe, Bill Austin, and Mark Nerich sent fear through opposing teams with their cone-crushing tackles. The air routes were well protected by three outstanding defensive backs: Chris Hetherington, Robert Johnson, and Taj Lewis. They were virtually impossible to beat and always willing to deliver the big blow in crunch times.

The excellence of this team was not relegated to the football field. The seniors’ leadership off the field and academic excellence should be a model for all underclassmen to strive to emulate. We will greatly miss all of the graduating seniors and will closely follow their careers.

Chris Hetherington Yale Peter Giannakoulis U. Penn Rob Dowling Trinity Pat Ashe Trinity Sean Hankard Trinity Mark Nerich Fordham Sam Holcombe Lafayette Mike Riva Bates Jason Parker West Point Rob Hornish UNH Don Hornish UNH Robert Johnson Syracuse Special thanks to Captain Pat Ashe whose leadership, tenacity, and commitment to excellence was the heart and soul of an outstanding team.

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52

class notes

A SMALL AVON GROUP—RUSS LALLIER ’03, LUIS TORRES ’01, BRIAN PAGANINI, MIKE FISH ’95, LUKE ARCHAMBAULT ’04—SPENT THE DAY AT SILO RIDGE IN AMENIA, NEW YORK, PLAYING A ROUND OF GOLF AT ONE OF THE NICEST COURSES IN THE COUNTRY. THANKS TO THE KIND HOST, LUIS TORRES ’01.

50s ’50 HARVEY S. RUBIN

Head Class Ambassador HARVO2516@VERIZON.NET ’51 WARREN T. FORD SR.

Co-Head Class Ambassador jodir@aol.com ’52 SETH F. MENDELL

Head Class Ambassador sethalicemendell@gmail.com ’54 DOUGLAS H. MACPHERSON

Head Class Ambassador dhmacpherson@verizon.net

’55 EDWARD J. HAWIE

Co-Head Class Ambassador ehawie@bellsouth.net ’55 CLEON M. SHUTT JR.

Co-Head Class Ambassador chipsamerica@hotmail.com ’56 CHARLES R. SCAGLIONE

Head Class Ambassador scag3328@gmail.com ’59 CHARLES W. DAVIS

Co-Head Class Ambassador cwdavis@waretec.com ’59 DOUGLAS B. MARSHALL

Co-Head Class Ambassador douglas.marshall@raveis.com

60s ’60 RICHARD L. WILLIAMS

Head Class Ambassador rclumberclan@aol.com ’61 GEORGE F. HENSCHEL JR.

Head Class Ambassador gfhjr@aol.com ’62 ALAN D. ROZINSKY

Head Class Ambassador alroz@lycos.com ’63 JACK R. STOKVIS

Head Class Ambassador smarts@galaxy.net

THE CLASS OF 1961 PREPARED THIS DIGITAL BOOKLET AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO AN ON-CAMPUS 60TH REUNION.

The Avonian // FALL 2021

53

AVON MEN MET FOR LUNCH IN MATUNUCK, RHODE ISLAND. LEFT TO RIGHT: JAKE GRESH ’16, KEVIN DRISCOLL ’72, TOM GRESH ’90, BRIAN REGAN ’88.

’64 W. BRADFORD HARWOOD III

Head Class Ambassador wbhtcc@aol.com ’65 PERRY BENSON JR.

Head Class Ambassador pbenson@jacobswyper.com ’66 MICHAEL D. BARKER

Head Class Ambassador barkermike@aol.com ’67 JAMES W. CORRIGAN

Co-Head Class Ambassador cecorrigan86@gmail.com ’67 WILLIAM F. ROBERTS JR.

Co-Head Class Ambassador wfroberts@fast.net COOKIE BOYD ’67 is currently

the lead starter at the country’s number one new golf course, the Sheep Ranch, at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Ore. He is also a fiction writer, and his second book, Lost and Found, was just released. There is even a short mention of his beloved school. ’68 CHASE DONALDSON

Head Class Ambassador cfdifly@gmail.com ’69 DAVID F. COLEMAN

Head Class Ambassador davidcoleman1150@gmail.com

70s ’70 HARRIS H. BUCKLIN III

Head Class Ambassador hbucklin3@gmail.com ’71 TIMOTHY B. BEEBLE

JOHN MARTINSON ’73, ON A RECENT ROAD TRIP TO TOUR COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY (FORT COLLINS) WITH HIS DAUGHTER, HAD THE GOOD FORTUNE TO VISIT WITH AVON CLASSMATE ROB OSBORN ’73, WHO PREPARED AN AWESOME BREAKFAST. JOHN’S DAUGHTER WILL ATTEND COLLEGE THERE THIS FALL, SO HE HOPES TO SEE A LOT MORE OF ROB SOON.

Co-Head Class Ambassador tbeeble@aol.com ’71 HENRY R. COONS

Co-Head Class Ambassador henrycoons29@yahoo.com ’72 KEVIN J. DRISCOLL

Head Class Ambassador driscollk@avonoldfarms.com ’73 CHRISTOPHER L. ATKINS

Co-Head Class Ambassador catkins702@gmail.com ’73 ROBERT H. MORAN JR.

Co-Head Class Ambassador bobbymo@cox.net ’74 GEORGE J. GIANNONI

Co-Head Class Ambassador ggiannoni@cox.net ’74 EDWARD P. MOLLOY

Co-Head Class Ambassador Tmolloy@ArraySoftware.com ’75 THOMAS B. BYRNE III

CoHead Class Ambassador tbyrne@thomasbyrne.com

’75 GORDON F. LINKE

TOM BYRNE ’75 is happy to

Co-Head Class Ambassador gflinke@gmail.com

report his daughter Kelsey will be married in 2021 in Philadelphia.

She is a Villanova graduate and is wrapping up her doctor of nursing practice (DNP) degree. Tom enjoys frequent travel to Cape Cod, where he has a second home and has transitioned his business to 100 percent virtual, allowing for future travel.

GEOFF ANDERSON ’75 and

his wife have two grandchildren, the light of their lives, and enjoy helping them grow. Geoff still works at the Connecticut Police Academy as the combatives instructor, along with teaching several other courses, but looks forward to retirement.

RANDY BECKER ’75 says his

life now revolves around supporting his daughter Sara at college and learning to be an empty nester. Randy is still COO at Little Spurs Pediatric Urgent Care.

He still remembers the trips to the dictionary in Sidney Clark’s class to look up words he didn’t know the meanings of.

DAVE JACK ’75 looked to publish his seventh book, Where Is My Home, this summer. It is about two fireflies that lose their way home because of habitat loss.

Fireflies are disappearing around the globe, and it’s not dark enough for them to flash to each other, which is how they communicate and mate. The book is fictional but meant to educate young readers.

54

CLASS NOTES

JAMES OSBORNE '75 CELEBRATES A SPECIAL MOMENT WITH HIS DAUGHTER, ALANA, AS HE WALKS HER DOWN THE AISLE ON HER BIG DAY.

AL O’CONNOR ’75 took a break

’77 JORGE E. CONSUEGRA JR.

from world travels because of the coronavirus but reports he and Anne have spent hours hiking in the beautiful Lake Tahoe area and beyond.

Co-Head Class Ambassador jconsuegra29@gmail.com

JAMES OSBORNE ’75 has been

hunkered down at his cousin’s in Arizona. He binge-watched numerous shows and set up a home gym, working out four to five times a week. James has also been sketching out the construct for book number two.

TIM TRAUTMAN ’75 expresses

his sincere thanks to the many classmates and Avon contacts who reached out to him on the passing of his father, George. All Avonians are saddened at the loss of this iconic Avon Old Farms leader. On the joyous side, Tim, a three-time grandfather, retired in 2019, sold his Simsbury house, and moved to Scituate, Mass. ’76 ALEXANDER N. WORLEY

Head Class Ambassador alexworley1989@gmail.com

IN JULY, THIS GROUP CAME TOGETHER FOR A GREAT LUNCH AT THE LYFORD CLUB, NASSAU, THE BAHAMAS. LEFT TO RIGHT: JORGE CONSUEGRA ’77, P’11; MARIA CONSUEGRA P’11; FRIEND OF NEIL MACTAGGART ’78 (CENTER); TARA MACTAGGART; NEIL MACTAGGART ’78.

’77 FREDERICK M. MICHEL

Co-Head Class Ambassador frederickoffrederick@comcast.net ’78 JOHN M. GARVEY

Head Class Ambassador jmgarvey@garvspace.com JOHN GARVEY ’78 was a

member of the launch team that conducted the first successful orbital mission of the Virgin Orbit LauncherOne (L1) rocket this past January. The L1 is the first rocket featuring liquid propulsion to be "air launched," in this case from the Cosmic Girl, a 747-carrier aircraft.

The flight originated from the Mojave Air and Space Port, and the drop occurred off the coast of Southern California. ’79 ANTHONY M. GRAY

Co-Head Class Ambassador tgray@tonygray.net ’79 SCOTT B. LINKE

Co-Head Class Ambassador scottblinke@comcast.net

GEORGE IVERSON ’79 AND TOM DRISCOLL ’79 RECONNECTED AT A LOCAL CROSSFIT GYM ON THE JERSEY SHORE. TOM, A LONGTIME MEMBER, COMMENTED ON GEORGE’S FIRST DAY: “GEORGE HAS RECENTLY DROPPED WEIGHT AND SURPRISED ME WITH HIS CONDITIONING. HE MAY NOT BE IN HIS HIGH SCHOOL SHAPE, BUT HE KILLED THIS WORKOUT.”

The Avonian // FALL 2021

GARVIN BROWN ’87 AND HIS WIFE, STEFFIE, STOPPED BY CAMPUS IN EARLY SEPTEMBER. THEY CURRENTLY LIVE IN LONDON BUT TRAVEL TO THE AREA TO VISIT THEIR CHILDREN, WHO ARE AT MCGILL AND DARTMOUTH.

80s ’80 THOMAS E. DAVEY JR.

Head Class Ambassador thomasdaveyjr@gmail.com ’81 SAMUEL C. BOOKBINDER IV

’83 WILLIAM E. ESCHERT

Co-Head Class Ambassador Billeschert@gmail.com ’83 RICHARD C. GREGORY

Co-Head Class Ambassador rick@rcgregory.com

Head Class Ambassador samuel.bookbinder@wfadvisors. com

’84 JOHN S. GORDON

’82 BRIAN B. CONROY

’85 SAM L. RUBENSTEIN

Co-Head Class Ambassador brianconroy1@mac.com

Head Class Ambassador SRubenstein127@gmail.com

’82 GREGORY T. FISH

’86 STEPHEN R. GORMAN

Co-Head Class Ambassador greg@gregorytfishllc.com

Head Class Ambassador stephen.r.gorman@gmail.com

Head Class Ambassador falconatlfan@gmail.com

FEDERICO SCHAD ’88 VISITED CAMPUS WITH HIS WIFE, NICOLE; DAUGHTER, VERA; AND MARIA NAJRI (NIECE OF EDUARDO NAJRI-MOLINI ’95) ON THEIR WAY TO A RIDING CAMP AT THE ETHEL WALKER SCHOOL.

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56

CLASS NOTES

ROB DOWLING ’91, P’22; CHRIS HETHERINGTON ’91; AND TODD FERRIER ’91 CONNECTED IN LOS ANGELES IN JUNE 2021.

ERIC HILL ’00 AND ROB DOWLING ’91, P’22 CELEBRATED A 2021 MADISON, CONN., SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP THIS SUMMER. ERIC WAS AN OFFENSIVE FORCE ON THE TEAM ALL SEASON, AND, DESPITE BEING THE SLOWEST RUNNER IN THE LEAGUE, ROB CONTRIBUTED AS WELL.

SHAWN LABONTE ’95 AND HIS WIFE, MARIANNA, VISITED AVON ON THEIR WAY TO DROPPING OFF THEIR DAUGHTER, SOPHIA, AT THE ETHEL WALKER SCHOOL. GOOD LUCK, SOPHIA!

’87 HAROLD R. BEACHAM JR.

’92 WILLIAM P. AUSTIN

’97 KYLE R. YOUNGQUIST

’01 NICHOLAS H. LAROCQUE

Head Class Ambassador hal.beacham44@comcast.net

Co-Head Class Ambassador wpaustin55@gmail.com

Co-Head Class Ambassador bigkyleyoungquist@gmail.com

Co-Head Class Ambassador larocque.nicholas@gmail.com

’88 SHAWN E. ATKINSON

’92 DAMIEN J. EGAN

’98 J. ANDREW CORRIGAN

’02 WILLIAM N. PALMER

Co-Head Class Ambassador shawnatki@gmail.com

Co-Head Class Ambassador degan2@hotmail.com

Head Class Ambassador jamesandrewcorrigan@gmail.com

Head Class Ambassador wnpalmer@gmail.com

’88 PETER D. REED

’93 LANCE A. CASHION

’99 DAVID R. GRYBOSKI

’03 JAMES T. TANG

Co-Head Class Ambassador pdreed18@gmail.com

Co-Head Class Ambassador lancec@christchapelbc.org

Co-Head Class Ambassador david@ghgdevelopment.com

Head Class Ambassador jamesttang@gmail.com

CHRIS STONE ’88 and David

’93 ADAM K. CLINE

’99 STEPHEN A. ZAPPONE

’04 LUKE R. ARCHAMBAULT

Co-Head Class Ambassador adamcline50@gmail.com

Co-Head Class Ambassador zappones@yahoo.com

Co-Head Class Ambassador archambaultl@avonoldfarms.com

’94 GRAHAM C. FULLER

00s

’04 MATTHEW H. MORAN

Fox (StoneFox Architects) recently had their work published in Architectural Digest (www. architecturaldigest.com/story/ stonefox-connecticuthouse) and Galerie Magazine (www.galeriemagazine.com/ stonefox-phelan-palm-beach/). ’89 ROBERT M. WILEMAN

Head Class Ambassador rmw@wilemanagency.com

90s ’90 PETER J. DECKERS

Head Class Ambassador deckersp@avonoldfarms.com ’91 ROBERT A. DOWLING JR.

Head Class Ambassador dowlingr@avonoldfarms.com

Co-Head Class Ambassador grahamcraigfuller@gmail.com ’94 PAUL M. GOZZO

Co-Head Class Ambassador 11pgoz@gmail.com ’95 JOHN P. MCAULIFFE

Co-Head Class Ambassador john.mcauliffe@sig.com ’95 ANTHONY D. SILVESTRO

Co-Head Class Ambassador tony.silvestro@insperity.com ’96 MARK A. CARUSO

Head Class Ambassador mcaruso@gmail.com ’97 TIMOTHY B. STAY

Co-Head Class Ambassador timothystay@gmail.com

’00 MICHAEL J. O'NEILL

Co-Head Class Ambassador michaeloneill27@yahoo.com ’00 DANIEL J. SEIDEN

Co-Head Class Ambassador seidend@gmail.com

Co-Head Class Ambassador matthew.h.moran@gmail.com ’05 ANDREW B. LAWRENCE

Co-Head Class Ambassador mooklawrence@gmail.com ’05 DANE G. LEMERIS

Co-Head Class Ambassador dlemeris@gmail.com

MATT BISCALDI ’00 welcomed a son, Roman John Biscaldi, into the world on March 22, 2021.

’06 KEVIN T. DRISCOLL

’01 CHRISTOPHER D. COLEMAN

’06 JOSHUA P. PAVANO

Co-Head Class Ambassador christopherdcoleman@gmail.com

Co-Head Class Ambassador kevin.t.driscoll@gmail.com Co-Head Class Ambassador jpavano@gmail.com ’07 CASEY R. COONS

Co-Head Class Ambassador caseycoons4@gmail.com

The Avonian // FALL 2021

57

CLASSMATES FROM 2004 GOT TOGETHER AT THE JAYNE RANCH FOR AN END OF COVID/START OF SUMMER PARTY TO TELL AOF STORIES, RIDE SOME FOUR-WHEELERS, AND INTRODUCE THEIR SONS TO THEIR FUTURE CLASSMATES AND FRIENDS. FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: GILMAN CALLSEN ’04, LUCIAS AND BENNETT CALLSEN, PATRICK SHERIDAN ’04, DUKE AND BLAKE SHERIDAN, ALEXANDER ROTHAUS ’04, LUKE ARCHAMBAULT ’04, LINCOLN ARCHAMBAULT, WES JAYNE ’04, DECLAN AND WYATT JAYNE.

DUSTIN LOWERY ’01 RECEIVED HIS M.D. ON MAY 15, 2021, FROM UNIFORMED SERVICES UNIVERSITY IN BETHESDA, MD. HIS RESIDENCY WILL BE IN PSYCHIATRY. DR. LOWERY IS ALSO A CAPTAIN IN THE ARMY. HE AND HIS WIFE, LISA, HAVE THREE SONS.

GLENN STEVENS ’01 SAW HIS SON HENRY CHANNEL HIS INNER JONATHAN QUICK ’05 WHEN HENRY PICKED UP HIS FIRST WIN AS GOALTENDER FOR THE KINGS IN THE ANDOVER, MASS., MITE HOUSE LEAGUE. THEY SKATE AT PHILLIPS ANDOVER, WHICH GLENN SAYS DOES NOT COMPARE TO THE CATHEDRAL THAT IS THE AOF JENNINGS-FAIRCHILD RINK. HENRY HOPES TO ONE DAY SEE QUICK UP CLOSE IN ACTION WHEN HE PLAYS HIS BELOVED BOSTON BRUINS.

MICHAEL RECCHIA ’07 AND GABRIELLA SCHIRALDI MARRIED ON AUGUST 14, 2021, IN YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO. AFTER A BEAUTIFUL WEDDING CEREMONY AT OUR LADY OF MOUNT BASILICA, FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND A STRONG CONTINGENT OF THE AVON BROTHERHOOD ENJOYED A WONDERFUL RECEPTION AT THE DEYOR PERFORMING ARTS CENTER. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE RECCHIAS!

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CLASS NOTES

LEFT TO RIGHT: TAYLOR MALFITANO ’06; WESLEY JAYNE ’04; BRONSON KELLY ’11; LUKE ARCHAMBAULT ’04; LUIS TORRES ’01 (HOST); JIM DETORA P ’12; MATT BISCALDI ’00; TOM RETTALIATA P ’16, ’21; PORTER DOWLING ’12; AND JOSH WITHERILL.

MIKE RUBIN ’07 AND AMANDA KOHALMI MARRIED ON JULY 3, 2021, AT THE SALTWATER FARM VINEYARD IN STONINGTON, CONN. FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND SEVERAL MEMBERS OF THE AVON OLD FARMS BROTHERHOOD JOINED THEM.

The Avonian // FALL 2021

59

CASEY COONS ’07 and his wife, Kristen, welcomed baby girl Avery Jane Coons on May 15, 2021. ’07 TYLER C. HADDAD

Co-Head Class Ambassador tyler.c.haddad@gmail.com ’08 DOUGLAS J. BEYER

Co-Head Class Ambassador dbeyer11789@gmail.com ’08 WILL H. HENDRICKS

Co-Head Class Ambassador willheatonhendricks@gmail.com ’09 JOHN B. BEATH

Co-Head Class Ambassador beathj@gmail.com ’09 JAKE R. BOURGAULT

Co-Head Class Ambassador jake.bourgault@gmail.com

10s ’10 PATRICK D. HAMPTON

Head Class Ambassador pdavishampton@gmail.com

HA SMITH ’10 WELCOMED DAUGHTER EMERSON ANNE SMITH TO THE WORLD ON OCTOBER 25, 2020.

’11 HARRISON M. LYONS

Co-Head Class Ambassador hlyons@suffolk.com ’11 OLIVER K. ROTHMANN

Co-Head Class Ambassador ollie.rothmann33@gmail.com

JOHN BOURGAULT '80 AND HIS WIFE, ANNA, MET DAN PALAZZO ’12 AND HIS BRIDE, REBECCA, AT THE NORTH HOUSE IN AVON, CONN. THE COUPLE RECENTLY RETURNED TO CONNECTICUT AFTER SPENDING SEVERAL YEARS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, WHERE DAN WAS A POLICE OFFICER IN CARLSBAD. AFTER THE RECENT BIRTH OF THEIR SON, GIANNI, THEY DECIDED TO RETURN EAST TO RAISE THEIR SON IN THE PRESENCE AND LOVE OF THEIR FAMILIES. THEY JUST BOUGHT A HOUSE IN BERLIN AND HOPE TO VISIT AVON OFTEN.

20s

’12 CONNOR P. DOYLE

’16 MATTHEW T. HORTON

Co-Head Class Ambassador doyle12187@gmail.com

Co-Head Class Ambassador horton_matt@bentley.edu

’12 JOHN D. SHAMBURGER

’16 ALESSO R. MARCOGLIESE

’20 AUGUSTUS G. SHAMBURGER

Co-Head Class Ambassador shamburgerd@gmail.com

Co-Head Class Ambassador alessio.marcogliese@gmail.com

Head Class Ambassador shammyg12@gmail.com

’13 WILSON P. MEYER

’17 KEVIN A. SIEBER

’21 WILLIAM B. SMALLEY

Co-Head Class Ambassador wilsonpmeyer@gmail.com

Head Class Ambassador ksieber@friars.providence.edu

Co-Head Class Ambassador

’13 JOHN VAN ALLEN III

’18 KEVIN E. HUVELDT

Co-Head Class Ambassador jjghyu@gmail.com

Head Class Ambassador kevinhuveldt4@gmail.com

’14 MICKOY R. NICHOL

’19 MAXWELL A. MILLER

Co-Head Class Ambassador nicholm@avonoldfarms.com

Head Class Ambassador mmiller20413@gmail.com

’14 RYAN D. PHILLIPS

SPENCER KNIGHT ’19 became the youngest goalie to start an NHL playoff game since 1992, taking the ice to save the Florida Panthers in May. The result: 36 saves in a 4-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Co-Head Class Ambassador rydphillips@gmail.com ’15 WILLIAM C. DAVIS

Co-Head Class Ambassador cdavis7@me.com ’15 CHRISTIAN E. DI ANTONIO

Co-Head Class Ambassador diantoniochristian@gmail.com

’21 PATRICK “PJ” A. NEAL

Co-Head Class Ambassador

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PARTING SHOT For everything there is a season. The Village Green’s vista is a wonderful place to reflect and to give thanks for bringing our community together again on our beautiful campus.

NON-PROFIT U.S. POSTAGE

PAID PERMIT # 130 SPRINGFIELD, MA

500 Old Farms Road Avon, Connecticut 06001 www.avonoldfarms.com

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

Parents If this issue is addressed to your son or to your family, but your son no longer maintains an address at your home, please reach out to us with the correct address.

Email us at: alumni@avonoldfarms.com or use our form online at: www.avonoldfarms.com/UpdateAddress

STUDENT ART: THE KID BY PETER SIANA ’23