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Boarding
School 360
Avon Old Farms School
About:
Nestled within 860 picturesque acres of the Farmington Valley, the Cotswold-inspired village of Avon Old Farms stands as Connecticut's premier boarding school for boys. Founded in 1927 by Theodate Pope Riddle, a trailblazing female architect, our institution embraces her legacy of shaping the leaders of tomorrow. Mrs. Riddle's pioneering spirit laid the foundation for an educational environment that fosters academic excellence and personal growth, which is embodied in our motto, "Aspirando et Perseverando" — to Aspire and to Persevere. At Avon, students are challenged to pursue knowledge and self-improvement while forging enduring bonds of brotherhood that last a lifetime.
Location:
Avon, Connecticut
1927
Year Founded:
Number of Students:
400
Average Class Size:
12
Male
Gender:
Specialty Program(s):
At Avon Old Farms School, we are experts in educating boys, and innovators who use our surroundings to optimize our academic impact on today's Avonians. We dedicate time each day for students to meet with teachers outside of class, and embrace every opportunity to bring our boys into the community to engage in meaningful work with local professionals, artisans, and thought-leaders. We inspire Avonians to discover their passions by digging in, getting their hands dirty, and taking their learning beyond the classroom.
Intersession
Theodate Pope Riddle, the founder of Avon Old Farms, strongly believed that students should work alongside faculty mentors to produce meaningful work.
Intersession, a week-long academic program that occurs at the start of the fourth academic quarter, honors that tradition by offering courses that are often team-taught by faculty and staff on topics outside of the traditional curriculum, but nonetheless relevant and centered on the REAL learning model. Intersession extends the classroom and opens the academic schedule to allow students and faculty to explore a topic of interest in greater detail with an experiential component since field trips and project-based learning feature prominently in the courses.
Intersession Courses
Avon Old Farms offers a different catalog of Intersession Courses each year. Here is a sampling of courses from the past several years:
- Business of Sports: Guest speakers, many from nearby ESPN, teach students the ins and outs of the professional sports world.
- Meal Prep and Cooking 101: Students create menus for different types of occasions, do some grocery shopping, learn the basics of nutrition, visit a local restaurant for some taste testing and a behind-the-scenes look at what it really means to prep, cook, and serve food.
- Genomics: After sequencing their own DNA in the lab, students head to Courtagen in Boston to learn from two of our alumni about cutting edge changes in the world of genetics.
- Personal Finance: Students get a taste of the business aspect of personal finance. Guest speakers and a trip to Goldman Sachs in New York City open the students' perspective to what a career in the world of finance would entail.
AIP Program
The Advanced Independent Project program began in 2016 and allows for students to propose an extended project or area of special interest for them to pursue as their afternoon commitment. Internships in medicine and finance, and intensive studies in art and laboratory science have featured prominently in the AIP program over the years.
- Jackson Laboratory
- Hillstead Museum
- Goldman Sachs, Stratford Dennis ’00
- QHP Capital, JP Rotchford ‘09
- Hartford Hospital Center for Education, Innovation, and Simulation
- Select Physical Therapy
