AVON OLD FARMS SCHOOL AVON, CONNECTICUT HEAD OF SCHOOL POSITION START DATE: JULY 1, 2019 www.avonoldfarms.com Mission Avon Old Farms School strives to be the best college preparatory school for boys by cultivating young men of integrity who honor wisdom, justice, inclusion, service, and the pursuit of truth. OVERVIEW Avon Old Farms School, an independent boarding school for boys in grades 9-12, seeks a Headmaster who will embrace the school’s mission of educating young men and exemplify the school’s core values. In a spirited community of learners, Avon offers students unwavering support and fraternal bonds that last a lifetime. The school strives to be the top college prep boys boarding school in the country, inspiring boys and helping them along the road to self-discovery, independence, and manhood. The school knows and understands boys and has created an educational and social environment where boys can thrive, learn, and explore in an atmosphere of brotherhood. The school’s founder, Theodate Pope Riddle, one of America’s first licensed female architects, designed the school and its early curriculum and approach to learning. Her personal fortitude and educational vision in 1927 created the groundwork for an institution that continues to challenge boys in the pursuit of knowledge and self-improvement. In January, Ken LaRocque announced his retirement, effective at the end of the 2019 school year, representing 38 years at the school, 21 of them as Headmaster. The Board of Directors, together with a Search Committee, is seeking a new Headmaster who will be responsible for leading Avon as it continues its mission of leading boys on the journey to becoming men. The ideal candidate will be an experienced and dynamic educator who can balance a forward-thinking vision with a steadfast commitment to Avon’s beloved history and traditions. Avon wishes to see candidates for the position who will engage in the education and welfare of boys, who are committed to the boarding school model, embrace the school’s mission of “cultivating young men of integrity, who honor wisdom, justice, inclusion, service, and the pursuit of truth,” and who exemplify the school’s core values of brotherhood, scholarship, integrity, and sportsmanship. Nestled in the school’s 860 forested acres on a hilltop overlooking the Farmington River, the Avon campus, with its Cotswold inspired architecture, provides state of the art facilities carefully placed The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates 1 [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com among the exquisitely crafted original campus buildings. The campus itself reflects both the school’s powerful sense of tradition while also equipping its 62 faculty and 409 students (from 28 states and 24 countries) with the tools and ambience to excel and flourish educationally. Experience Avon’s excellence in action here. THE SCHOOL In 1917, Theodate Pope Riddle (a graduate of Miss Porter’s School) purchased 3,000 acres of land — an area known as “Old Farms” – atop a ridge overlooking the Farmington River. Soon after, Riddle designed and began building Avon Old Farms School, as an “indestructible school for boys,” in its distinctive Cotswold Tudor style, using materials gathered from quarries, fields, and forests on site. Construction took nearly a decade using craftsmen from England as well as the local area. The school opened in 1927 as a boys’ school that would be on the leading edge of educational philosophy and thought. In the early years, Avon combined the best of English and American secondary school traditions with Riddle’s progressive ideas about curriculum, fostering initiative, willpower, and individual thinking. Her chosen school mascot, the Winged Beaver, reflects the school’s motto Aspirando et Perseverando, – “Aspiring and Persevering.” In her notes on educational policies for the early years, Riddle explained her desire to create leaders, independent in thought and strong in moral principles. In 1944 Mrs. Riddle, a patriot and close acquaintance of Franklin D. Roosevelt, decided to close her school in order to aid the war effort. The school campus served as a military hospital where some 800 veterans blinded during battle were rehabilitated. The Old Farms Convalescent Hospital gained national prominence for establishing new protocols in supporting individuals who lost their sight as adults. Many of these same protocols are still used by vision professionals today. The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates 2 [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com Avon Old Farms reopened as a school for boys in 1948. Initially, the school faced major obstacles, but under the leadership and personal dedication of headmaster, Don Pierpont, the school returned to life. In 1969, George Trautman took over as headmaster and fulfilled a mandate from the board to build a strong athletic program and school pride. Throughout the Pierpont and Trautman tenures, traditions remained central: sit-down meals, coats and ties, regular all-school meetings, and of course, the commitment to the education of boys. Over those years Avon attracted a talented and diverse student body and a dedicated faculty, strengthened the school’s endowment, modernized original buildings, and carefully added new facilities. Since 1998, Headmaster Ken LaRocque has continued that legacy while balancing the school’s strong athletics with a robust academic program that included a vibrant arts program, a commitment to cultivating community service, student leadership, and an atmosphere of respect and kindness. Avon Old Farms has developed into one of New England’s leading boarding schools. It is in some ways a singular kind of New England school – a throwback in some important ways and yet very modern in others. The wide range of alumni have included Richard Yates (novelist), Jaye Adams (aka Jazz Cartier…hip hop recording artist), Brian Leech and Jonathan Quick (NHL stars), George Springer (2017 MLB World Series MVP), David Bigelow (founder, Bigelow Tea), and Pete Seeger (folk singer). A student-to-teacher ratio of 6:1 and average class size of 12 means students receive the individual attention they need for success. In 2016-2017, 34% of Avon Old Farms students collectively received more than $4.4 million in financial aid grants. The endowment is currently around $60 million. The school will celebrate its centennial in 2027. Over the last two decades, Avon has gained in many ways and matured in terms of identity and mission. AOF is associated with the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools (CAIS), the International Boys School Coalition (IBSC), National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), SPHERE Consortium, and The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS). The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates 3 [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com College Matriculation Avon Old Farms graduates are currently enrolled at the following colleges and universities, among others: American University Amherst College Bates College Boston College Boston University Brown University Carnegie Mellon University Colby College Colgate University Columbia University Dartmouth College Dennison University Duke University Elon College George Washington University Georgetown University Harvard College Haverford College Johns Hopkins Kenyon College ACADEMICS Lafayette College Lehigh University The curriculum at Avon Old Farms takes its shape McGill University Middlebury College around a central belief: that all boys are relational New York University learners. Students are supported and encouraged to Northwestern University discover their true identities through the exploration of Penn State University all aspects of school life. Part of the goal is to help each Princeton University boy find his voice. While the core curriculum is traditional, Sarah Lawrence College the approach is not. The English department seeks to Skidmore College cultivate empathy in young men through meaningful Swarthmore College conversations in the classroom. The science curriculum’s Tufts University two main objectives are to promote and sustain natural Union College curiosity in the many areas of science and to develop United States Air Force Academy United States Military Academy (West Point) the student’s ability to explore, discover, and investigate University of California at Berkeley the fundamental truths of nature. The approach to University of Colorado at Boulder teaching history focuses on a critical study of the past to University of Michigan bring depth and perspective to the great issues of today. University of Notre Dame In math, students develop strong problem-solving and University of Pennsylvania critical-thinking skills designed to empower students to University of San Francisco find success not only in mathematics but also in other University of Virginia disciplines. At Avon, the arts are more than paint on a Vanderbilt University canvas, pixels on a screen, notes in the air, or chords Villanova University Virginia Tech in the hand – boys experience a journey of creative Wake Forest University discovery through personal programs allowing them to Wesleyan University explore their undiscovered talents. Xavier University The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates 4 [email protected] | www.carneysandoe.com Avon also offers a dynamic range of STEAM-related courses, including 3-D CAD Design, Computer Programming, Robotics, Engineering, and Digital Media and Production. In the afternoons, boys