Head of School

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

Greetings!

Afresh start—or so it felt—as the boys arrived on campus this fall eager to embrace the new school year free from restrictions. In many ways, I feel the same excitement I did my first year as head of school when the next bright chapter of Avon Old Farms was upon us. We are now able to turn the page with optimism and enthusiasm and look ahead to incredible opportunities for our Avonians and Mrs. Riddle’s campus.

One such Avonian, whose philanthropic vision and passion for learning can be felt throughout our campus, is the late Gilman Ordway ’44. In this issue, we celebrate the life and legacy of Gilman—for whom the Ordway Art Gallery and the Ordway Science and Technology Center were named after Gil and his wife, Marge, were the lead donors. In 2010, Gilman Ordway was recognized with the Avon Old Farms Distinguished Alumnus Award. The Ordway family roots at Avon extend to his grandson Gilman Callsen ’04 and Ordway’s daughter Kitty Ordway (Gilman Callsen’s mother) who joined the Board of Directors in 2002.

In this issue we highlight Marie Delnicki P’81, ’87, a beloved staff member with an impressive 46-year career at Avon. Over the last decade, Marie served as registrar helping countless students with the admissions process and easing anxiety as they took the SAT and ACT with her calming presence. Aside from her work on campus, Marie is also the proud parent of two Avonians, Mark ’81 and Eric ’87. Marie’s dedication and love of Avon is evident in the many cherished relationships she’s built over the years, and we celebrate all of her accomplishments across our campus.

The fall has been exciting with our varsity football team beginning the season on new turf with new stadium lighting for evening football games. Our Visiting Author Program brought astronaut and author Mike Massimino to campus in late September to discuss his book, Spaceman, to the delight of our students and faculty. His tales of space and firsthand accounts left all of us in awe. And the renovation of Diogenes Dorm has been an exciting unveiling and one that you will read more about further in this issue.

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

Aspirando et perseverando,

JIM DETORA P’12 Head of School