Avon Local Schools May 2023

It's the last full month of the 2022-2023 school year!

Thank you to everyone who came out for our district Art Show last month. I am always in awe of the talent we have in our schools. Thank you to all of our district art teachers for bringing out the creativity in our students.

This month we are celebrating our dedicated staff with a variety of appreciation days and recognition events. We are grateful for each and every member of our Eagle team. If you see a staff member, please stop and say 'thank you.' Our district excels because of the dedicated and caring individuals we have in Avon. THANK YOU.

To our seniors and their families....soak up the next few weeks. It's going to fly by and before you know it, you will walking across the stage to receive your diploma and closing your Avon schools chapter. Finish strong Class of 2023!

Reminder to follow our new Avon Local Schools Facebook page. It's a great way to stay up-to-date on the latest happenings from around our district.

As always, if there are any questions/concerns, please call or email.

Soar Eagles!

Sincerely,

Ben Hodge

May 16: BOE meeting at 6 p.m.

May 17: Eagle Pride Day

May 27: Avon Eagle Run presented by Bendix

May 29: No school (Memorial Day)

June 1: Commencement

June 7: Last day of school

For a complete list of district events, click here.

We wanted to take a moment to say 'thank you' for taking the time to fill out our District Climate Survey. The results indicate that we live in an amazing community that supports our schools in all aspects with 96.5 percent of the responses indicating a High-Good- Overall Opinion of our school district.

It is a team approach to creating such a positive school climate and it cannot be achieved without all of our stakeholders having an active role. Even with positive results, we are always looking to improve our great district. An analysis of the survey results highlighted areas our district can improve upon: School safety, communication of financial data and Performing Arts Center events, and additional pathways at AHS and beyond with counselor support. In an effort to improve, we have added additional communication columns in our district newsletter that speak directly to financial information, safety updates and PAC upcoming events. It is our goal to highlight these areas in various forms of communication including social media through our district Facebook page and our superintendent's Twitter feed. Our Avon High School administrative and teacher leadership teams are brainstorming ideas to improve opportunities for Eagles during their AHS years and beyond. New JVS programming will be coming to our AHS campus and the Bridges program will be reinstated for the 2023-2024 school year. These two programs will be incredibly beneficial to our Eagles that look to learn trades, apprentices and/or enter the workforce.

HB123, otherwise known as the Safety and Violence Education Act, is a comprehensive approach to involving the Ohio departments of Education, Public Safety, Mental Health and Addiction Services and Attorney General’s Office. The law has multiple components including threat assessment teams and plans, anonymous reporting tool and preventive curriculum requirements. The goal is to provide both a physical and emotionally safe environment for students and staff. Click here for additional information. Starting in the 2023-2024 school year, in every grade level from grades 6 through 12 and continuing each subsequent year, school districts must include at least one hour (or one standard class period) per school year of evidence-based instruction in each of the following topics:

+ Suicide awareness and prevention

+ Safety training and violence prevention

+ Social inclusion

As a district, we must use a training program approved by the Ohio Department of Education. Avon Local Schools has elected to use the programs associated with the Sandy Hook Promise Say Something and Start with Hello. Parents may opt their children out of the instruction. Safety continues to be the district’s top priority. We know this is a collaborative effort between our students, staff, community and first responders. #seesomethingsaysomething

Each year the district receives various federal, state, and local grants to offset operating costs and implement new learning opportunities. In fiscal year 2023 we have been awarded over $4.5 million in new funding, plus we had $1.2 million in carry over funding from fiscal year 2022. Most of our grant funding is used for regular operating expenses to offset costs to our General Fund, which is largely funded by local taxpayers. In fiscal year 2023, we have used grant funding for salaries and many capital projects, including costly roof repairs. On the safety side, $495,000 of our grant funding this year comes from school safety grants that we are using to safeguard our buildings.

If you have any additional financial questions, please send me an email, foxs@avoneagles.org

The Avon Local Schools is pleased to announce that a remarkable four Avon High School juniors have earned the highest possible ACT composite score of 36. The students are Ishani Kishorepuria, 16; Jay Kneiss, 17; Cameron Lam, 16; and Justin Schwab, 17. Congratulations!

About one-quarter of 1 percent of students who take the ACT earn a top score. In the U.S. high school graduating Class of 2022, only 3,376 out of 1.34 million students who took the ACT earned a top composite score of 36.

"It is very exciting for our school to have four students in the same year earn a perfect 36 on the ACT," said Kristina Dobos Buller, Avon High School principal. "These students excel both in and outside of the classroom. This achievement is a testament to the hard work and dedication they place on their academics. They are all friends and it is truly a pleasure to watch them share this achievement together. I look forward to many more great things next year when they are seniors. Congratulations also to their parents and families."

The ACT consists of tests in English, mathematics, reading and science, each scored on a scale of 1–36. A student's composite score is the average of the four test scores.

Ishani Kishorepuria, 16

Favorite subject: Math

High school activities: Tennis, Future Scholars of Medicine Club, Model UN (United Nations)

Hobbies: Indian dancing

College(s) of interest: The Ohio State University, Case Western Reserve University, Duke University

Possible major(s): Biology or chemistry. She would like to be a doctor.

Advice for peers: “Don’t put that much pressure on yourself…you might end up surprising yourself.”

Parents: Praveen and Avantika Kishorepuria

Jay Kneiss, 17

Favorite subject(s): Math, science, physics

High school activities: Tennis, Avon Electric Orchestra (guitar), Model UN (United Nations)

Hobbies: Tennis, guitar, writing, travel (he has been to several national parks)

College(s) of interest: University of Rochester, Brown University

Possible major(s): Astrophysics. He would also like to be a physics professor at a college

Advice for peers: “At Avon we have a good education system. If you just listen to your teachers and try on your homework, you are going to be fine.”

Parents: John and Karen Kneiss

Cameron Lam, 16

Favorite subject: Math

High school activities: Orchestra (violin), Avon Electric Orchestra, tennis, eSports Team

Hobbies: Tennis, violin, eSports

College(s) of interest: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Northwestern University, University of Rochester

Possible major(s): Something math related

Advice for peers: “Take classes you enjoy. Find people that do the same stuff as you. I am in the same classes with at least one of these people (the three other ACT students). I am never alone in my classes.”

Parents: Simon and Lois Lam

Justin Schwab, 17

Favorite subject(s): English, AP (Advanced Placement) seminar

High school activities: Environmental Club (president), Avon Electric Orchestra, Student Council, Book Club, Literature Club

Hobbies: Writing (he has won numerous national and regional scholastic writing honors)

College(s) of interest: Kenyon College, Princeton University

Possible major(s): Possibly something in Humanities or Sociology

Advice for peers: “It’s a good idea to play to your strengths. Find something that you are really interested in, then find a way to relate that to school and then you are going to be actually enjoying the things that you have to do.”

Parents: John and Tiffany Schwab

Kishorepuria, Kneiss, and Lam have attended the Avon Local Schools since kindergarten. Schwab moved to Avon when he was in eighth-grade. The students also hope to start a Pickleball Club at the high school in the fall.

Congratulations to the 17 AHS juniors who will either be named a 2024 National Merit Commended Scholar or Semifinalist next fall!

The students are: Allison Day, Wisam El Mogaber, Simona Jacono, Daniel Jurca, Ishani Kishorepuria, Jay Kneiss, Elena Ko, Cameron Lam, Eli Leder, Luke Lemaster, Sophie Ng, Ada Ortan, Jackson Ourednik, Ella Papanikolaou, Anika Pundir, Adam Schumacher, and Justin Schwab.

(not all are pictured).

Each year the North Coast Rotary sponsors the 4 Way Test Essay Contest for area students. Congratulations to the students listed below for earning top honors at Avon Middle School. The students received a certificate and cash prize. Thank you North Coast Rotary for all you do for kids!

Fatma Abdelnaby, grade 8 - First Place

Essay topic: Learning from Divorce

Isabella Gentile, grade 7 - Second Place

Essay topic: National Holidays

Reagan Sudik, grade 7 - Third Place

Essay topic: Assessing Thoughts Using the Four Way Test Before Speaking

We have several positions available within our district, with many offering flexible hours. For more information, click here.

Stay connected with Parks & Rec by signing up for e-blasts! To sign up, visit www.cityofavon.com, click on Parks & Rec., click on “Stay Connected”

Below are upcoming programs available from the city's Parks & Rec department (click images for more details).