Avonworth School District News
April 2022
Avonworth to Host Two Events as Part of Remake Learning Days Across America
Pre-K/Kindergarten Technology
Avonworth Primary Center will host a Pre-K/ Kindergarten Technology event as part of Remake Learning Days Across America, a family friendly festival to engage caregivers, parents and kids in hands-on activities that build knowledge and spark creativity.
Come and explore various technology options for pre-K and kindergarten age children. This free event will take place on May 12 from 6:30-7:30 pm at the Avonworth Primary Center.
Students will have the opportunity to explore with Bee Bots, Circuit Blocks, Coding with IPads, and video making.
More information about the Pre-K/Kindergarten Technology event.
Look for the Helper Day
Avonworth Elementary School will also participate in Remake Learning Days Across America.
As Mr. Rogers said, “look for the helpers” whenever something is happening! On Friday, May 20th, AES will spend the day utilizing STEAM and Outdoor Learning to be helpers in our community! This will include advocacy projects, community service, and outdoor learning experiences for our students. Local members will come present to our students on a variety of opportunities to get involved, as we work to be positive difference-makers in our community!
More information about the Look for the Helper Day.
Voice of Advocacy Award Winner
The Forum for Western Pennsylvania School Superintendents at the University of Pittsburgh School of Education selected Maureen Frew, digital media specialist at Avonworth Primary Center, as one of their 2022 Voice of Advocacy Award winners!
Excerpt from the University of Pittsburgh's School of Education:
As a digital media specialist at Avonworth Primary Center, Frew seeks out ways to connect maker learning to the school’s curriculum and students’ passions. A veteran teacher with more than 20 years of teaching experience, she hopes to inspire her students with a sense of wonder, excitement, and curiosity.
“I'm completely overwhelmed by this incredible honor,” says Frew. “It's so important for me to be an advocate for children and youth. Children have so much to offer; they are capable of great things at very young ages. I have truly learned more from children than I ever thought possible. They are my guiding force.”
Frew created an afterschool making club at Avonworth Primary Center that led to the #bethekindkid project, in which students make and sell items to benefit charity.
“The message of kindness, spread through the sale of #bethekindkid t-shirts and merchandise, has resulted in thousands of dollars of charitable donations,” says Ralston. “The message of #bethekindkid has spread throughout the region, nation, and world.”
Earth Day Cleanup
Second graders did their part by cleaning up their school grounds.
On To Nationals
Congratulations to 11th graders Mia Burnett, Warren Lillie, and Kayla Turcsanyi for winning in their career clusters. Mia competed in advertising design. Warren and Kayla competed in the surgical sciences and will be traveling to Atlanta, Georgia this summer for the national competition.
Skills USA is a career competition event showcasing the best career and technical education students in the nation that took place in Hershey in early April.
Avonews Earns Awards
For more information, please visit avonewsonline.org to see the Avonews coverage of the event.
Essay Winner
Fellow junior Rohini Pallai finished 3rd and Colin Crawford and Henry Wagner also placed in the top ten.
Students from across Allegheny County in 11th and 12th grade were invited to submit an essay discussing the best ethical approaches for allowing free speech through social media in the 2020's.
Avonworth Music Education Receives National Recognition
For the 5th year in a row now Avonworth School District has received the 2022 Best Communities for Music Education award by the NAMM Foundation.
In order to receive the award a school district must demonstrate a strong commitment to each of the following: music funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, music instruction time, and facilities, all of which are reviewed and verified by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas.
Avonworth's Elementary Band Director and Associate Marching Band Director Ronnie Ziccardi says, "Music education is an irreplaceable part of a student’s day to day education. Some students may struggle with different parts and times of their school day, but in music class they can all feel successful creating music together from our youngest to our oldest learners."
As music advocate Vaughan Fleischfresser has said, “ The Music Department is an alternate universe where pupils are often unrecognisable from who they are outside of it. The shy become confident. The agitated become calm. The lonely become included. The quiet become heard. And the lost become found. Music reveals the real child.”
World Championship Bound
This was the only team from Pennsylvania to qualify. As part of the competitions, robotics teams of high schools students design, build, and program a robot. That robot then competes against other team's designs.
The Girls of Steel robot was named Lightning McQueen!
Ciara served as the Pit Co-lead and said she was happy to see their hard work pay off.
Best in the State
Avonworth's own Jessie Reed was named the 1st chair tuba at the PMEA All-State Orchestra on April 9th.
This means she is the best tuba player in Pennsylvania for the second year in a row.
Congratulations Jessie!
Rewarding Opportunity
They traveled to the Southside to help at Hot Metal Bridge faith community's "The Table," a free meal for the homeless.
The high school students worked non-stop to cook, serve, assist, engage in conversations, clean, each dishes, and learn from community members that came in for a warm meal, a helping hand, or just a safe space to spend some time.
Thank you to advisor Morgan Waddell for coordinating this opportunity!
Arts and Writing Award Winners
Two sophomores have won The Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh the Waldman International Arts and Writing Competition.
Caroline Sweeney won first place in the essay portion.
Ryan Neal won first place in the 3D submission. In addition, Ryan was recognized as the overall winner of all categories and submissions!
Neal describes her submission, "I created a pile of gray butterflies surrounded by barbed wire to symbolize people killed in the concentration camps. The butterfly that still has some color and flies out represents the survivors. The colors are not fully present on the surviving butterfly to symbolize the mental and physical toll it caused on each Holocaust survivor. The butterfly escaping is based on a woman's diary entry about having hope for liberation and not letting this dream go. Being surrounded by dead bodies and still have the will to live shows the Holocaust survivor's extreme resilience."
Both will be recognized at an awards reception. This was a regional competition open to West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio middle school and high school students.
Chase the Antelopes
Over the past few months, students have worked in teams to plan all aspects of the community event. Students on the Sponsorship Team contacted hundreds of local businesses and secured over two dozen sponsors that donated money, prizes for the raffle, or items for the event.
The Promotion Team created flyers to display in local offices and stores and also created a video to promote the race.
The Public Relations Team wrote letters to past participants, gave presentations to high school classes and talked to residents that live on the run/walk course.
The Design Team created almost 100 posters for the event and also designed the t-shirt, medal, and trophies that were used at the event.
Finally, the Registration Team created and managed our website (www.Chasetheantelopes5k.com) and also wrote letters to recruit volunteers for the race.
Now, their big event is finally here! We hope to see you at the 4th Annual Chase the Antelopes 5k & One-Mile Walk, which will benefit the Hannah Milbert Memorial Fund, on Saturday, April 30 at 9 am. More information.
March Madness
Students watched sixteen videos of amazing books read by our staff members.
Once all of the books were read, the brackets were set up, and the voting began!
Students were able to vote using a google form on their iPad.
It was a close battle, but in the end There’s a Giraffe in My Soup by Ross Burach was declared the winner!
Positive Painting Project
The project honors the memory of a young woman named Katie who had a love for art, and a deep caring for her friends and family.
Canvases will be screened with messages of positivity at Ketchup City Creative, then will return to Avonworth to be displayed.
More info on Positive Painting Project can be found at www.paintpositive.org. Big thanks to the Light Initiative for providing funding for the canvases and brushes! We are honored to continue Katie's legacy.
Bass Nation
The event takes place in Ohio on Mosquito Lake.
They are competinig for a spot in the High School National Championship!
Good luck to Nathan Neuherz and Luke Behon!!
American Legion Athletic Award
Both of these seniors are stand out leaders and have made incredible contributions to our programs! Way to go, Lopes!
WPIAL Honors
Congratulations also go out to Jordan Kolenda on earning Post-Gazete WPIAL All-Section honors!
Upcoming Dates to Remember!
4/30: Musical
4/30: Chase the Antelope 5K Race
5/2: AP Testing
5/2: School Board Meeting
5/3: PTA Meeting/Field Day Planning at APC
5/4: Two Hour Delay
5/6: Musical
5/7: Musical
5/9: AP Testing
5/9: School Board Meeting
5/11: AMS Parent Network Meeting
5/12: 3rd Grade Band Instrument Tryouts
5/12: National Honor Society Induction
5/14: Spring Carnival
5/17: AMS/AHS Spring Band Concert
5/18: 4th-6th Grade Spring Band Concert
5/19: AMS/AHS Small Ensemble Concert
5/23: 5th-6th Grade Choir/ Chamber Singers Concert
5/25: AMS/AHS Spring Chorus Concert
5/27: Last Day for Kindergarten Students
5/30: Memorial Day -- No School
5/31: Incoming Kindergarten Visit Day
6/1: Incoming Kindergarten Visit Day
6/3: High School Graduation
Spring Carnival Planned
It will be held on the high school grounds on Thursday, May 26th from 5-9pm.
Games, a bounce house, dunk tank, food trucks and more!
Plan on joining in on the fun! $5 admission.
Art Show!
Please join us May 4th to celebrate the talented artists of Avonworth Middle and High School!
4th Annual Chase the Antelopes
Avonworth High School proudly presents... The Mystery of Edwin Drood!
AES Band Concert!
Also, good luck to all of the musicians who will be performing!