Celebrate
Avondale School District 2015-2016
Celebrate
Looking Back ~ Looking Forward
A message from the Superintendent Dear Avondale Staff and Community, As the 2015-2016 school year draws to a close, I reflect on what an outstanding year this has been for the Avondale school community. Our Class of 2016 finished up their K-12 school experience with offers of more than $5.1 million in scholarships as they move on to the post-secondary chapters of their lives. This is HUGE testament to the quality of instruction from our hard-working, dedicated staff. This year marked the pivotal year for discussing and planning the directionality of the Avondale School District over the next several years through the Avondale 2020 Strategic Planning Process. This year-long community conversation and planning has resulted in five goal areas that will transform the district instructionally, programmatically, and culturally. Future emphasis of the district is immersed in providing relevant learning experiences that optimize workplace skill demands and project-based instruction. This year also marked the year of great successes within our arts and athletics programs, with countless superior ratings in our choirs and bands, numerous visual arts awards, and all-league and all-state athletes within our athletics programs. We are proud of the vast array of opportunities we afford to students to explore and expound upon within their interest areas. Our staff strongly guides students in the sharpening of their talents and skills, academically, artistically, and athletically. We thank our community greatly for the time, efforts, and dedication toward volunteering and fundraising to help make our programs the quality they are, maximizing opportunities for our students. This has been a great year to celebrate all that is Avondale and all that is to become as we embark on a new era of enhancing our educational opportunities for our students. Sincerely,
James V. Schwarz, Ph.D. Superintendent, Avondale School District Superintendent James V. Schwarz, Ph.D. Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Carmen Kennedy Assistant Superintendent for Financial Services Frank Lams Assistant Superintendent for Student Services Martin Alwardt Human Resources Consultant Larry Westley
Board of Education Ken Hedrick, President Sid Lockhart, Vice President Terry Lang, Secretary Scott Bittinger, Treasurer Sean Johnson, Trustee Stephen Sucher, Trustee Cynthia Tischer, Trustee
2016 Graduates
Avondale High School Avondale Academy
Avondale SKILL Program
Avondale’s first cohort of Early College students graduated with either a Certification or an Associates Degree from Oakland Community College along with their diploma from Avondale High School.
Raquel Adams, Andrew Baraiac, Justin Erickson, Alyssa Fisk, Daija Gore, Alaya Graham, Malanee Grant, Paige Hollis and Rachael Porter
Class of 2016 Top Scholars
Scholarship
Avondale Class of 2016 Valedictorian, Alexandra Brinker of Rochester Hills, is the daughter of Steven and Diane Brinker. Alexandra is a founding member of the Avondale High School robotics team, the RoboJackets, and the head of electrical and pneumatic systems for the team. She helped the RoboJackets to their first appearance at the USFIRST World Championship this year where they took the division title. During her senior year, Alexandra interned at Emabond and assisted in the construction of electrical panels for ultrasonic welding machines. She was a member of the National Honor Society, is graduating with a 4.0 GPA and will be attending Lawrence Technological University to pursue an engineering degree. Gabrielle Schwerin is graduating Salutatorian with a 3.99 GPA. Gabrielle will be attending the Honors College at Oakland University in the fall to study nursing, specializing in Gerontology. During her time at Avondale High School, she was a member of the National Honor Society, the National Spanish Honor Society, and the Multiply Club as well as a Lady Jacket basketball player from freshman to senior year – winning scholar awards every year and a Purple and Gold Award. She is a two-time recipient of the annual Avondale Youth Assistance Award – once for personal achievement and once for community service. Gabrielle lives with her parents, Steven and Jill Schwerin in Auburn Hills. Kennedy Desotell, the daughter of Rick and Kim Desotell, resides in Rochester Hills and graduates from Avondale High School with a 3.97 GPA. Kennedy has been accepted into the Honors College at Wayne State University with a presidential scholarship. There she will major in biological sciences with a focus on laboratory research and a minor in French. While at Avondale, Kennedy served as vice president of the Gay-Straight Alliance in her junior year and the group’s president during her senior year. Adam Gongol, son of Mark and Laura Gongol of Troy, is graduating with a GPA of 3.96. Adam will attend the Honors College at Michigan State University to study computer science. He was a three-year member of the National Honor Society, a two-year member of the National Spanish Honor Society, and an active member in Class Board throughout high school. Adam also spent his senior year taking computer science classes at Oakland Community College. A member of Varsity cross country, Adam was also on the Debate Team and in the Recycle Club. Born in Quebec, Canada, Florence Grypinich, resides in Rochester Hills with her parents Pierre Grypinich and Nathalie Chabot. Florence will be attending the Honors College at Wayne State University for pre-med while majoring in Spanish. A member of the Avondale Varsity swim team for four years, she served as team captain in her junior and senior years and was a League Champion. She was also a member of the track team and the tennis team and active in the National Honor Society, and the National Spanish Honor Society. Florence won the Auburn Hills Chamber of Commerce Excellence in Education Award and was named a Student of the Month as a sophomore. She is graduating with a 3.96 GPA.
Scholarship
National Merit Scholar, Andy Jiang from Rochester Hills, was an active leader and athlete at Avondale High School. He has been on the Class Board for four years, in Leadership for three years and was a member of the National Honor Society and the National Spanish Honor Society. In addition, Andy played Varsity tennis, was on the Varsity swim team, the Varsity golf team and the Varsity track team. He was also a member of the Debate Club, Amnesty International and the Recycling Club. He will be attending the University of Michigan to study computer engineering and computer science. Andy is graduating with a 3.96 GPA and he is the son of Bing Jiang and Flora Qian. Alexander Larson is graduating with a 3.92 GPA and will be attending Michigan State University in the fall to major in finance. He is the son of Steve and Beth Larson and resides in Rochester Hills. Alexander was on the Varsity cross country team for four years, earning the Purple and Gold Award during his freshman year. In addition, he was a member of the track team during his freshman and sophomore years. He was an active member of the Avondale Student Leadership program during his junior and senior years. Additionally, he was a member of the National Honor Society and the National Spanish Honor Society as well as the Debate Club and the Recycling Club. Graduating with a 3.95 GPA, Brittany Mae resides in Rochester Hills with her parents, Richard and Lin Mae. During her high school years, Brittany was a member of the National Honor Society, the National Spanish Honor Society and the Leadership Program. She was also on the Varsity track team where she received the Scholar Athlete Award and was a State Qualifier. Brittany will be attending Michigan State University in the fall and plans to study engineering and Spanish. Maxx Mayhew is the son of Gary and Ann Mayhew of Rochester Hills and has attended Avondale School District schools for thirteen years. Maxx is an Eagle Scout from Troop 123 and was a Boy Scout from the age of ten. As a Scout, he participated in many service projects including making picnic tables for a school in Pontiac – a project that he planned and managed. Graduating with a 3.94 GPA, Maxx plans to study engineering at Oakland University where he was chosen to receive a presidential scholarship. Divya Ramanathan is graduating with a 3.90 GPA. She is the daughter of Ram and Sharada Ramanathan and resides in Auburn Hills. She plans to attend the College of Engineering at Michigan State University to major in computer science engineering. While an Avondale student, Divya was active in many school organizations including Debate Club and Amnesty International where she served as president for both groups. In addition, she was a member of the National Honor Society, Avondale Leadership and the Avondale Kids Against Hunger organization. Divya received the 2016 Youth Recognition Award for Community Service; the Outstanding Youth Citizen Award from the Auburn Hills Morning Optimist Club; and has been recognized for community service by State of Michigan Senator Marty Knollenberg and the Oakland County Board of Commissioners.
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. Nelson Mandela
Ryan Rocca, the son of Anthony and Jacquelyn Rocca of Troy, will be attending West Point Military Academy to study mechanical engineering and military science. Ryan was a member of the National German Honor Society and the National Honor Society where he served as vice president for the group. He was also captain of the tennis team and captain of the wrestling team for two years. Ryan has earned three Purple and Gold Awards, was named All-League twice and eclipsed the 100-win mark in wrestling. He graduates with a 3.96 GPA.
Scholarship
A member of the Avondale robotics team, the RoboJackets, Frank Suriano is the son of John and Candace Suriano of Auburn Hills. Frank was also a member of the Avondale Marching Band, the Jazz Band and the Symphonic Band. He was the section leader in each group and played French horn for the Zenith Brass Ensemble. Graduating with a 3.91 GPA, Frank will be attending Oakland University in the fall where he plans to study engineering.
Edu Usoro, is the daughter of Patrick and Ini Usoro of Troy. She has been an active member of several school organizations and athletic teams during her tenure including the Varsity track and field team for three years and a member of the Rochester Soccer Club for two years. Edu was also a member of Class Board, Amnesty International and Leadership Class. She has been an integral part of Avondale Kids Against Hunger, vice president of the Debate Club and president of the National Honor Society. She was the Youth Representative for Avondale Youth Assistance, tutored students at Deerfield Elementary, and coordinated blood drives with the Red Cross. Edu received the Scholar Athlete Award, the Outstanding Service to the Avondale Community Award, the AYA Community Service Award and the Outstanding Youth Recognition Award. Graduating with a 3.95 GPA, Edu will attend Michigan State University in the fall to study biochemistry.
The daughter of Michael Winter and Mary Beth Lewinski, Katherine Winter resides in Troy and graduates from Avondale High School with a 3.93 GPA. Katherine was a drum major in the school band and a driver on the school’s robotics team, the RoboJackets. She has been nominated for and attended the Congress of Future Science and Technology Leaders and has received multiple awards in the MITES competitions, including 2nd, 4th, and 5th place recognitions on a regional level, and two honorable mentions on a state level. In addition, Katherine won the Michigan Department of Education 2016 Breaking Traditions Award and is a runner-up for The Detroit News/CATCH Outstanding Graduates Award.
The Avondale High School Class of 2016 was offered more than $5.1 million in scholarship awards.
************************** 94% of the Avondale High School Class of 2016 have committed to continuing their education.
National Honor Society Officers & Current Members
Scholarship
Edu Usoro ~ President Alexa Alonso ~ Secretary Andy Jiang ~ Treasurer Kathryn Wagner ~ Parlimentarian Julia Rosander ~ Secretary Brianna Aiello Alexa Alonso Dominic Amatulli Shelby Arnold Harshitha Balaji Caroline Brancheau Alexandra Brinker Jarrett Buikema Amanda Ceglarz Jonathan Conley Keisha Damani Calvin Dennis Jason Dickey Kassidy Embrey Adam Gongol Florence Grypinich Riya Gupta Jalen Harrold Graceanne Horton
Catherine Javier Andy Jiang Nicholas Joo Shahroz Khan Hannah Kroesche Alex Larson Brittany Mae Susan Magana Adam Mansfield Max Marzolf Jordan Milliron Bridgette Morris Selena Nault Mitchell Nichols Tessa Raber Nicholas Rahbany Rohitha Rajasekar Divya Ramanathan Saim Rehman
Ryan Rocca Julia Rosander Rachel Rudzinski Addie Saltarelli Claire Salviati Gabriella Schwerin Zaeem Shuttari Laura Silverman Alissa Smith Aparna Sumanth Amanda Tuttle Edu Usoro Nerissa Villapando Kathryn Wagner Tristan Wright Rachel Yencha Maggie Youngs Joyce Yu Benjamin Zaremba
Inductees Corey Alonso Mohiuddin Baig Nathan Buchanan Samantha Ekleberry Ryan Feng Audrey Franklin Isabella Garces Adam Good Cullen Hamer
Anne Hinman Aaron Hopson Gaurav Kaul Emma Koberstein Jenna Larson Jordan Lockhart Zachary Loyd Reanna Orzechowski Meghan Parkinson
Olivia Patch Emily Plumer Cindy Quach Grace Ann Schwerin Aisha Shamim Deven Tayal Grabielle Toomajian Rachel Yagley Caitlin Zaremba
Faculty Advisors ~ Mia Davila and David Masen
Scholarship * Leadership * Service * Character
National Junior Honor Society Eighth Graders ~ One year of service
Scholarship
Christian Burke Cameron Carey Rachel Hamilton Ashwin Hariharan Samantha Hart Dana Holt Esha Kaul Abigail Lipski
Audrey Lubman Owen May Brendan Pagel Niki Patel Jasil Pearson Grace Pia Becky Piepszak Joanna Pjetri
Thomas Quach Joseph Rosasco Paige Schuster Sydney Smith Alexandra Sokana Annabelle Tyrrell Micaiah Whitaker
Eighth Graders ~ Two years of service Alexander Bach Hannah Bahorski Foster Caragay Michael Ceglarz Noelle Chan Austin Davies Amanda Dowd Jad Fakhoury Avani Govindswamy
Gordy Gwilt Allyssa Jewett Thomas Kosovec Claire Matthews Sage Nichols Emma Pfeiffer Jenna Plumer Hania Rehman Thejas Rengaswamy
Siddharth Saravanan Nikita Shetti Joanna Simon Madyson Sowell Kelly Traskal Preethi Venkatesan Sarah Wojtowicz Jack Youngs Qijia Zhou
Seventh Graders Catherine Cabot Ryan Darovitz Kayla Eggen Brian Good Caroline Gratsch Connor Grosz Ava Hall Ben Hall Ryan Honig Anjika Jain
Andrea Jankowski Juni Javier Costa Kosmas Hannah Lam Hope Lewis Joshua Mae Abigail Masen Taryn McClelland Emily O’Deven
Jodie Paczkowski Logan Pizzurro Nathan Poplars Adam Rocca Connor Rownd Ethan Schneider Abhijai Singh Gabe Stach Ajay Sumanth
Faculty Advisors ~ Maria Kopicki and Mary Nofs
National Art Honor Society Officers & Current Members Marissa Yagley ~ President
Scholarship
Hannah Kroesche ~ Vice President Katarina Medcoff ~ Secretary & Historian Katie Muczynski ~ Treasurer Alissa Smith ~ Parliamentarian Brooke Blanchette Dana Reickel Jade Gielecki Elizabeth Ochoa
Inductees Mariya Ahmed
Ayvette Ibarra
Morgan Chapman
Joel Kurkowski
Traniece Chatman
Katy Lei
Olivia Chronowski
Jordan Lockhart
Dasia Clark
Dustin Meyer
Crystal Czarniecki
Kelly Muse
Keisha Damani
Selena Nault
Elizabeth Dwelle
Meghan Parkinson
William Fahoome
Julia Rosander
Audrey Franklin
Rachel Swink
Simone Green
Dana Vulaj
Reuben Hardiman
Lauren Walsh
Elka Hutcheson
Rachel Yencha
Faculty Advisor ~ Leigh Wright
Spanish Honor Society
Scholarship
Alexa Alonso
Susan Magana
Ashley Andrews
Andrane Milici
Adam Gongol
Rohitha Rajasekar
Florence Grypinich
Gabrielle Schwerin
Andy Jiang
Alissa Smith
Alex Larson
Aparna Sumanth
Brittany Mae Faculty Advisor ~ Linda Schattmaier
German Honor Society Delta Epsilon Phi
Allison West
Mohiuddin Baig
Kathryn Wagner
Katarina Medcoff
Hannah Sparks
Bridget Cona
Ben Lockard
Matt Crabtree
Dominic Amatulli
Zach Mulka
Tess Chargo
Jason Dickey
Nicholas Joo
Mya Collins
Jenna Larson
Gabrielle Loche
Samantha Ekleberry
Zach Senac
Emma Koberstein
Nerissa Villapando
Faculty Advisor ~ Gina Furnari
French Honors All “A’s” achieved in four years studying the French language
Harshita Balaji
Maxx Mayhew
Nabihah Chowdhury
Sarah Monahan
Kennedy Desotell
Jacqueline Monroy
Fatoumata Fofana
Divya Ramanathan
Victor Lee
Christian Richert
Anson Leung
Julia Rosander
James Lica
Edu Usoro
Faculty Advisor ~ Laura Bradshaw
Avondale High School Forensics MIFA Individual Events - Regionals: Entire team qualified for State Finals
Scholarship
Sarah Monahan, Alex Haddad, Conor Lovell, Antonio Vettraino, Elka Hutcheson, Daniel Barr, Rachel Jones and Chloe Stark- 1st Place for “The Diary of Anne Frank” Reanna Orzechowski - 1st Place for “Rain” Poem Harrison - 2nd Place for “Mistletoe” Chris Larson - ”Impromptu” MIFA State Tournament: Reanna Orzechowski and Poem Harrison - Semi-finalists
Individual competitions: Michigan Speech Coaches (MSC) Annual Speech Tournament: Poem Harrison - 4th Place
Faculty Advisor ~ Edmond Guay Coach ~ Rusty Daugherty
Future Problem Solving
Scholarship
Avondale Future Problem Solvers compete at State and International Competitions State Competition: 4th grader Anish Jain - semifinalist medal 7th grader Anjika Jain - 2nd place middle division booklet writer Sophomore Gloria Stach - 2nd place senior individual booklet writer 8th grader Avani Govindswamy - design winner 8th graders Thejas Rengaswamy, Thomas Quach, Qijia Zhou and Avani Govindswamy - 2nd place skit 7th graders Brian Good, Caroline Gratsch, Mackenzie Loyd and J.J. Williams - 2nd place skit Sophomores Adam Good, Zachary Loyd, Abel Palathuruthil and Olivia Patch - 1st place skit and 4th place booklet writing
Other participants in the State Competition: 8th graders Niki Patel, Preddthi Venkatesan and Micaiah Whitaker Freshmen Akhil Reddy Sophomore Deekshitha Balaji
International Competition:
Anjika Jain - 3rd Place middle division booklet writer Gloria Stach - 1st place ranking in the first round and a 3rd place ranking in the second round
Faculty Advisor ~ Laura Phou
Auburn Hills Morning Optimist Club Oratorical Contest Middle School students who participated in the annual Optimist Oratorical Contest: Hannah Bahorski, Amanda Dowd, Ava Hall, Esha Kaul, Samantha Lloyd, Elena Toomajian, Sydney Smith, Qijia Zhou, Jad Fakhoury, David Ghitas , Gordy Gwilt, Alex Mueller, Brendan Pagel, Thejas Rengaswamy,
Scholarship
Ajay Sumanth and Jack Youngs. Students Esha Kaul and Alex Mueller took first place in the contest.
Pontiac Optimist Club Oratorical Contest Avondale High School junior, Casey Anderson, (pictured here second from the left) took 1st Place in the annual competition.
Middle School Spelling Bee Top Students
Scholarship
From left to right: second place Ambar Younce, Madison Grenier, Dorian Robinson and first place Qijia Zhou
Middle School Geography Bee Top Students
From left to right: runner-up Nathan Buchanan and 1st place Ajay Sumanth
Career and Technology
Career and Technical Education Michigan Industrial Technology Education Society (MITES) State Competition and Conference Jace Westerfield earned a Divisional Award as well as a first place for his electricity project. A Divisional Award is given to the best project out of all juniors and seniors from all projects in the Electricity division. Deven Queen placed first for his open frame shed model. Molly Toger and Isabella Stenger placed first for their creative circuit in the electrical group category. Other students who placed at the event were: Mohiuddin Baig for his architectural model Caleb Demos for his electricity circuit trainer Caitlin Blomberg for her electricity wall trainer Bryan Banaylo for his architectural model Adam Mansfield for his architectural model
Caleb Demos, Deven Queen, Bryan Banaylo and Mohiuddin Baig with their MITES awards after the state-wide competition.
Oakland Schools Technical Campus Michigan 2016 Breaking Traditions Merit Award Katherine Winter, Mechatronics, Engineering and Emerging Technologies
Michigan 2016 Breaking Traditions Award Certificate Myah Hall, Mechatronics, Engineering and Emerging Technologies
Skills USA State Qualifier Melissa Lee, Commercial Baking 2nd Place
Skills USA State Qualifier Jodee Reyes, Culinary 2nd Place
Avondale High School RoboJackets
Avondale High School robotics team finishes in top 1% at FIRST World Championship
Technology
RoboJackets shine on international stage AHS Students: Seniors Mohiuddin Baig, Alexandra Brinker, Victor Lee, Viraj Nakum , Frank Suriano and Katherine Winter; juniors Hayvin Bolton, Catherine Javier, Zaeem Shuttari and Clayton Spevak; sophomores Ryan Feng and Richard Zhovner; and freshmen Noah Baliat, Nathan Dowden and Adam Passalacqua Mentors and Coaches: Kenneth Abbott from Tweddle Group who over-sees the team; RoboJacket’s Head Coach, Allison Kneisler of NRG Youth Focus; Adlai Milbitz, Lead Engineer, TA-Systems; Tyrone Gallagher, Software and CAD Engineer, General Dynamics; Peter Bonucci, Programming Engineer, Chrysler; Steve Logan, Mechanical Engineer, FCA; and Jason Weihman, Mechanical Engineer, VEX Robotics Sponsors: Plastic Engineering and Technical Services in Auburn Hills, Fiat Chrysler Automotive, ABB Robotics and the Avondale Education Foundation
Avondale Middle School Mechanical Mustangs
Alyssa Goff Avani Govindswamy Kelsey Wallace
Technology
Preethi Venkatesan Niki Patel Thomas Quach Gavin Rhodes Anthony Palombit Logan Hale Parker Pompura Robert Dix Abhi Nuthalapati Alex Bach Colin Bruce Cameron Carey Rishabh Chandel Ryan Darovitz Stepheno Kizy Johnny Olszak Gabriel Meza-Delarosa David Wolfley Joseph Reseigh
Performing Arts
Avondale High School Avondale Theatre Company District and Division II Regional Festival: Avondale Theatre Company earns six ONE ratings Individual Awards: Conor Lovell and Meghan Gwilt ~ Excellent Awards (acting) Ashley Andrews ~ Excellent Award (costume design and execution) The cast of Sweet Nothing in my Ear ~ Superior Award (ensemble performance) Rachel Jones and Chloe Stark ~ Superior Award (acting) Nick Wrenn and Molly Toger ~ Superior Award (set design) Sarah Monahan ~ Superior Award (program design) Maggie Youngs ~ Superior Award (original musical score) MIFA State Theatre Festival Finals: Avondale Theatre Company picks up a 3rd place trophy and the “Gold Truck Award” Individual Awards: Conor Lovell and Antonio Vettraino ~ Excellent Award (acting) Josh Miller ~ Excellent Award (light design) Ian Krueger, Alex Haddad, Rachel Jones and Chloe Stark ~ Superior Awards (acting) Maggie Youngs ~ Superior Award (original music composition) Sarah Monahan ~ Superior Award (program design) Josh Miller and Robin Coker ~ Superior Award (projection image design) Company chosen for 3rd Fringe performance: The Avondale Theatre Company (ATC) was selected by members of the American High School Theatre Festival to represent the state of Michigan at the 2016 Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland. The Fringe is the largest international arts festival in the world and this is the third time ATC has been selected to participate. In 1996, the group was the first high school in the State to be honored by being selected and in 2000, the company was chosen again.
At the Fringe Festival, the company will perform two one-act plays: Wiley and the Hairy Man and the musical, Captain Louie, Jr.
Director ~ Edmond Guay
Performing Arts
Avondale Theatre Company
Performing Arts
Avondale Theatre Company
Performing Arts
Avondale Middle School Theatre Company
Director ~ Deanna Johnson
Theatre is a mirror, a sharp reflection of society. Yasmina Reza
Performing Arts
Avondale Vocal Music Director ~ Kevin Cornwell Student Teacher ~ Chris Brody
High School Mixed Chorus District Festival ~ Excellent State Festival ~ Excellent
High School Women’s Chorus District Festival ~ Excellent State Festival ~ Superior
High School Women of Concert Choir District Festival ~ Superior State Festival ~ Excellent
Michigan School Vocal Music Association Honor Choirs
High School Concert Choir
Kevin Cornwell II MSVMA Regional Honor Choir MSVMA State Honor Choir MSVMA All-State Honor Choir
High School Men of Avondale
Ashley Andrews MSVMA Regional Honor Choir MSVMA State Honor Choir
District Festival ~ Excellent State Festival ~ Superior
District Festival ~ Superior State Festival ~ Superior Selected to perform at Comerica Park
Paul Murphy MSVMA Regional Honor Choir MSVMA State Honor Choir
Performing Arts
Avondale Vocal Music MSVMA Solo and Ensemble ~ District Festival High School Large Ensemble Men of Avondale – Superior Sweet Sounds of 12– Excellent
Small Ensembles Ashley Andrews and Sarah Monahan – Superior Grace Giuro and Mackayla Wright – Excellent
Soloists Vanessa Allen – Excellent Ashley Andrews – Superior Lauren Andrus – Excellent Chandler Archer – Excellent Daniel Barr – Superior Caitlin Blomberg – Excellent Tess Chargo – Superior Nick Christy – Excellent Robin Coker – Good with a superior distinction (GS) Bridget Cona – Excellent Keva Cornwell – Excellent Kevin Cornwell II – Superior Maizy Czartorski – Excellent Camille Davis – Excellent Kynnedi Fuqua – Excellent Grace Giuro – Excellent Carly Gordon - Superior Anne Hinman – Excellent Elka Hutcheson – Excellent Rachel Jones – Superior Byron King – Good with a superior distinction (GS) Jenna Larson – Excellent
Conor Lovell – Excellent Miranda Miller – Excellent Sarah Monahan – Excellent Paul Murphy – Excellent Daniel Oudin – Good with a superior distinction (GS) Jenna Ozerities – Superior Jessica Parent – Excellent Ethan Sangalang – Excellent Hannah Sparks Good with a superior distinction (GS) Abby Tang – Excellent Rachel Taragaturi – Good with a superior distinction (GS) Nolan Tatomir – Excellent Mackenzie Tillison – Excellent Naya Waljroh – Excellent Cheyenne Westover – Excellent Autumn Wing – Good with a superior distinction (GS) Zoe Williams – Excellent Kyra Wilson – Excellent Annie Youngs – Excellent Adrina Zaitona – Excellent Ricky Zhovner – Excellent
Performing Arts
Avondale Vocal Music MSVMA Solo and Ensemble ~ State Festival High School Ensembles Men of Avondale – Excellent Sweet Sounds of 12– Excellent
Small Ensembles Ashley Andrews and Sarah Monahan – Excellent Grace Giuro and Mackayla Wright – Good
Soloists Vanessa Allen – Excellent Ashley Andrews – Excellent Lauren Andrus – Superior Chandler Archer – Excellent Daniel Barr – Superior Caitlin Blomberg – Good Tess Chargo – Excellent Nick Christy – Superior Robin Coker – Good Keva Cornwell – Good Kevin Cornwell II – Superior Maizy Czartorski – Excellent Camille Davis – Excellent Kynnedi Fuqua – Good Grace Giuro – Excellent Carly Gordon – Excellent
Anne Hinman – Good Rachel Jones – Excellent Byron King II – Good Conor Lovell – Good Miranda Miller – Excellent Sarah Monahan – Superior Rating Paul Murphy – Excellent Rating Daniel Oudin – Good Rating Jenna Larson – Good Rating Jenna Ozerities – Good Rating Abby Tang – Good Rating Mackenzie Tillison – Excellent Rating Cheyenne Westover – Excellent Rating Zoe Williams – Excellent Rating Annie Youngs – Superior Rating Adrina Zaitona – Excellent Rating
Words make you think. Music makes you feel. A song makes you feel a thought. E.Y. Harburg
Performing Arts
Avondale Vocal Music Middle School 7th Grade Choir District Festival ~ Excellent
Middle School 8th Grade Choir District Festival ~ Excellent
Middle School 8th Grade Treble Choir District Festival ~ Excellent
Middle School Mixed Choir
Concert in the Parks 1st Place Superior Trophy Best Overall Middle School Choir Trophy Kennedi Robinson ~ Most Outstanding Vocalist Award
District Festival ~ Soloists Katy Christy – Excellent Rating Megan Dwelle – Excellent Rating Lexis Price – Excellent Rating Jack Youngs – Superior Rating Abigail Lipski – Excellent Rating McKayla Major – Excellent Rating Rebecca Piepszak – Excellent Rating Kennedi Robinson – Excellent Rating Thomas Snook – Excellent Rating Bria Campbell – Good Rating Rachel Hamilton – Good Rating Mackenzie Harrod – Good Rating
Performing Arts
Avondale Instrumental Music Director ~ Joshua Neuenschwander
Middle School 7th Grade Symphonic Band 8th Grade Wind Ensemble High School Marching Band District Festival ~ Excellent High School Concert Band District Festival ~ Good High School Symphonic Band District Festival ~ Excellent High School Percussion Ensemble District Festival ~All “As” First Division Rating State Festival ~ All “As” First Division Rating High School Chamber Winds District Festival ~ First Division Rating State Festival Honors Aparna Sumanth Division 1 Rating ~ State Flute Soloist Alex Dickey Division 1 Rating State Freshman Soloist
Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent. Victor Hugo
Performing Arts
Avondale Instrumental Music
Avondale High School Art Department
2D Design, 3D Design, Drawing & Painting 1&11, Ceramics 1&11, Metals Design 1&11
Visual Arts
Scholastic Art Awards Selena Nault ~ Gold Key Abigail Tang ~ Gold Key Brooke Blanchette ~ Silver Key Hannah Kroesche ~ Silver Key Zachary Loyd ~ Silver Key Isabella Fucinari ~ Silver Key Mohiuddin Baig ~ Silver Key Ashley Palyzayia ~ Honorable Mention
High School Art Teachers Leigh Wright and Ryan Woodard
Avondale High School Advanced Placement Drawing, 2D Design, 3D Design, Portfolios
Visual Arts
AP Awards and Scholarships Isabella Stenger ~ Janet Davison Scholarship Abby Tang ~ Helen Schodowski Memorial Scholarship Katy Lei ~ Helen Schodowski Memorial Scholarship Brooke Blanchette ~ Helen Schodowski Memorial Scholarship Bella Fucinari – Brad Glass Award Selena Nault – George Cooper Award
The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things but their inward significance. Aristotle
Avondale High School Fall Athletics
Athletics
Ben Zaremba Cross Country All League All State
Ben Baraiac Cross Country All League All State
Ethan Bierer Cross Country All League
Jerimiah Evans Football All League
Robbie Ginther Football All League
Tyler Grosz Football All League
Derrick Hinton Football All League
Chris Keys Football All League
Oliver Mathes Football All League
Kolby Williams Football All League
Derek Dawson Soccer All League All State - Honorable Mention
Owen Killewald Soccer All League All State - Honorable Mention
Erik Gaytan Soccer All League
Dante’ White Soccer All League
Nathan Reichenbach Tennis OAA White 1st Team
Emma Ahern Volleyball All League
Caroline Brancheau Volleyball All League
Rachel Yencha Volleyball All League
Avondale High School Winter Athletics Emil Nkemdilim-Dantzler Swimming OAA Blue Division All State
Athletics
Alissa Smith Basketball All League
Jordyn Jones Cheer All League
Stone Rogers Swimming All League
Jalen Latham Basketball All League
Olivia Patch Cheer All League
Kyler Cantu Wrestling All League
Josh Moshier Wrestling All League
Caity Zaremba Gymnastics All League
Selena Nault Cheer All League
Case Cunnings Wrestling All League
Ryan Rocca Wrestling All League
Hannah Russell Gymnastics All League
Brendan Embrey Hockey All League
Cameron Noell Hailey Thompson Cheer Cheer All League All League
Kyle Gray Wrestling All League
Brendan Roe Wrestling All League
Stephan Jackson Wrestling All League
Dolan Vincent Wrestling All League
Kelsey Walk Cheer All League
Adam Mather Wrestling All League
Danny Vincent Wrestling All League
Avondale High School Spring Athletics
Jerimiah Evans Track and Field All League All State
Alexis Brown Track and Field All League All State
Athletics
Travis Janes Baseball All District All League All State
Kayla Adams Track and Field All League
Madeleine Bahorski Track and Field All League
Liz Beckas Track and Field All League
Noah Burton Track and Field All League
Chance Chatman Track and Field All League
Alaya Freeman Track and Field All League
Adam Good Track and Field All League
John Garrison Track and Field All League
Reuben Hardiman Track and Field All League
Jenna Haskins Track and Field All League
Suzanne Pfeiffer Track and Field All League
Emily Plumer Track and Field All League
Le’Mott Thomas Track and Field All League
Ben Zaremba Track and Field All League
Sebastian Jackson Track and Field All League
Jordan Milliron Tennis All League
Maddie Harrod Tennis All League
Athletics
Brooke Blanchette Softball All League
Chris Andrus Baseball All League
Amanda Ceglarz Softball All League
Brad Kavka Baseball All District All League
Bridgette Morris Tennis All League
Cindy Quach Tennis All League
Sarah Denis Softball All League
Adam Mansfield Baseball All League
Julia Rosander Tennis All League
Alexa Murphy Softball All League
Matt Moy Baseball All League
Jacob Pershern Baseball All District All League
Spencer Henderson Lacrosse All League
Danny Vincent Lacrosse All League
Colin Miller Golf All League
Olivia Chronowski Soccer All League
Emma Hanawalt Soccer All League
Rachel Swink Soccer All League
Team Honors 2015-2016
Athletics
Wrestling OAA Blue Champions
Baseball OAA Blue Champions We all have dreams, in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline and effort. Jesse Owens
Team Honors 2015-2016 AHS Varsity Cheer Team
Athletics
First Place at Oakland County D2 Division Championships
Selected to perform at the 2016 Valero Alamo Bowl in San Antonio
Avondale Middle School
8th Grade Volleyball 2016 - Undefeated
Athletics
AMS Competitive Cheer: 1st Place Tri-County Championships 3rd Place Mardi Gras Mambo Cheer 3rd Place Royal Oak Raven Rally Cheer 3rd Place Rochester Royal Rumble
AMS Track 2016 - Undefeated 2016 - Rochester City Meet Champions 8th Grade Football 15/16 Record: 3 - 3 7th Grade Football 15/16 Record: 1 - 5 7th Grade Girls Basketball 15/16 Record: 0 - 16 8th Grade Girls Basketball 7th Grade Boys Basketball 15/16 Record: 3 - 9 8th Grade Boys Basketball 7th Grade Volleyball 15/16 Record: 4 - 4 - 1 8th Grade Volleyball 15/16 Record: UNDEFEATED Boys Track 15/16 Record: UNDEFEATED Girls Track 15/16 Record: 3 - 3
Wrestling 15/16 Record: 5th Oakland County Tournament Outstanding Wrestlers: - Torey Coleman 20 - 0 - Dayton Truitt 17 - 7 - Jason Cory 8 - 0 - Miguel Garcia 15 - 4 - Shane Dawson 16 - 6 - Allan Croskey 16 - 8
Elementary School Physical Education Beyond the Curriculum Jump Rope for Heart / Hoops for Heart During the 2015-2016 school year, Avondale elementary schools teamed up to raise almost $34,000 for the American Heart Association during annual Jump Rope for Heart and Hoops for Heart events.
Athletics
District-wide 5th Grade Basketball League
The 2015-2016 school year marked the first year of interdistrict basketball open to all fifth-graders across the district. Students from Auburn Elementary, Deerfield Elementary, R. Grant Graham Elementary and Woodland Elementary came together to work on basketball and team building skills; make new friends; and have FUN! Games were played at the Middle School (and one special night at the high school - the big house) in front of parents, grandparents, siblings, and district staff. League Coordinator ~ Gary Novak Coaches ~ Kristen Little, Melissa Fortino, Cathy Klein, Terry Higgins, Melissa Comfort-Davis, John Pagel, Molly Vesper, Michael Mondalek
Leadership and Service
Avondale High School During Caring and Sharing Week Leadership 101 students collected 3761 cans of food.
The Make-A-Wish volleyball tournament, organized and run by Leadership 101 students, raised $6,000 to help grant wishes for children with life-threatening conditions.
Proceeds from the Mr. Avondale Night went to assist a local family who suffered a tragic loss. Avondale Kids Against Hunger packed 100,000 meals for local families and children living in Haiti.
Leadership 101 Students also volunteered at Grace Centers of Hope, Auburn Elementary, American House, St. Paul’s United Methodist Church and helped with the Hearts and Hands 5K Fun Run.
Leadership and Service
Avondale Middle School Students in the AMS Leadership Class and members of the AMS Student Council supported many organizations during the 2015-2016 school year through fundraising or service. Leadership students are charged with identifying a community or world need and then creating an action plan that addresses the need. During the 2015-2016 school year, the students did fundraising or volunteered to support many initiatives and organizations including: God’s Helping Hands Kids Against Hunger Children’s Hospital of Troy Water for Flint Guardian Angel Medical Service Dogs Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Bridge Buddies Michigan Humane Society Angels of Hope American Heart Association Make-A-Wish Foundation American Heart Association Avondale PTOs
Avondale Middle School Student Council
Leadership and Service
Avondale Middle School Youth in Government AMS students competed against 600 peers from across the state during the State Youth In Government Conference at the Capitol in Lansing. This was the first year of AMS participation in Youth in Government, an experience designed to engage middle school students in becoming thoughtful and active citizens versed in the principles of a democratic society while increasing their knowledge of how a bill becomes a law. During the conference, each student played an active role including Avondale eighth-grader Qijia Zhou who was elected by her peers from all over Michigan to serve as Speaker of the House. Students who wrote bills selected for consideration:
Students involved in the Political Compromise Program:
Students who served as Committee Chairs:
Hannah Bahorski Foster Caragay Noelle Chan Kelli Crippen Austin Davies Jordyn Dillon Amanda Dowd Jad Fakhoury Rachel Hamilton Rebecca Hartrick Thomas Kosovec Nike Patel Thomas Quach Joey Rosasco Siddharth Saravanan Joey Secord Joanna Simon Elena Toomajian Kelly Traskal Preethi Venkatesan Jack Youngs Abigail Zaremba
Lauren Black Emily Bommarito Vivek Chanduri Benjamin Hall Ethan Schneider
Anjika Jain Declan Nowakowski Ajay Sumanth
Leadership and Service
Avondale Elementary Schools Little ones with big hearts, leading and serving.
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has. Margaret Mead
Teachers of the Year
Avondale School District 2016 Teachers of the Year Elementary School: Ms. Kathryn Stock, Title I Interventionist, R. Grant Graham Elementary From her letter of nomination: Mrs. Stock motivates her students and her colleagues. She is always on top of the latest research and technology which she uses to engage her students. Kathie sets high expectations and then holds her students accountable - increasing their participation and motivation. She has open-communication with the parents of her students and uses an individual approach to address each child’s individual needs. Middle School: Mr. John Biegun, Science Teacher, Avondale Middle School From his letter of nomination: John Biegun leads with high expectations for his students in order to foster a growth mindset. He challenges students with rigor to meet their potential and by doing so he gets great results from them. He has a great understanding of the science curriculum, excellent control of his classes, and is creative in his instructional delivery which helps to further engage students. High School: Mr. Kevin Cornwell, Vocal Music Teacher, Avondale High School From his letter of nomination: Kevin Cornwell has an unwavering commitment to his students. He makes himself available for any students who show they want to better themselves. He pushes his students to do their best. Not only has he done an outstanding job teaching the curriculum and directing beautiful performances, he also teaches each of his students lessons about life, humanity, and about themselves.
Strategic Planning
Throughout the 2015-2016 school year, staff members, administrators, parents, students, partners and community members provided input through surveys and work sessions to design the Strategic Plan, Avondale 2020. The goal of the planning process was to identify the direction of the District within the framework of its mission and vision and outline the goals, strategies and actions that will ensure the plan’s implementation.
Five Focus Areas Identified During the Process Student Learning and Growth Professional Learning Collaboration, Mentoring and Partnerships Financial Environment Branding and Marketing Avondale School District Mission Statement The Avondale School District, will cultivate innovation, foster strong relationships, and engage ALL students in real-world experiences to inspire and empower tomorrow’s leaders and responsible citizens.
Avondale School District Vision The Avondale School District, in partnership with the community, prepares ALL students to be lifelong learners and to achieve success in a globalized society.
Avondale School District Belief Statements
Student success is the focus of everything we do.
All students can learn and achieve within a high quality, rigorous and engaging curriculum.
Collaboration with the community (parents, businesses, community-at-large) is a vital component of our students’ success.
We value, celebrate, and incorporate diversity as a means to prepare students for success in a global, ever-changing world.
Learning must incorporate critical thinking skills, problem solving, risk-taking, and authentic experiences.
Our credibility is based on honesty, integrity, accountability, and transparency.
Trusting relationships, effective communication, and ongoing collaboration strengthen the foundation of our community.
We believe that lifelong learning fosters the development of cognitive, emotional, and social growth.
Design Thinking
Minds-on and Hands-on This school year, Avondale teachers continued to transform their approach to teaching by intentionally integrating more student-centered learning experiences. Design Thinking is an example of a new approach to student learning. By utilizing specific techniques and mindsets, Design Thinking develops a student’s creative confidence. Students engage in learning experiences that embrace minds-on and hands-on “design challenges” organized around real world problems. Working to identify problems and generate solutions for design challenges allows students to learn to frame their thinking around the mindsets of developing empathy, promoting a bias toward action, encouraging ideation, and working in a culture of thinking. Thinking leads to learning! The design challenges engage students in a variety of activities to help them improve their collaboration skills and develop their metacognitive awareness. Through the Design Thinking process, students learn to identify, address, and generate solutions to challenges they face in their 21st Century everyday life experiences and they see the value of successfully implementing these changes to impact their world.
Design Challenges Students taking Honors Algebra 2 used Design Thinking to create logos for each curriculum department at the high school. The steps in the Design Thinking process include: understand, observe, define, ideate, prototype and test.
Students spent a day in downtown Auburn Hills to redesign the lunch time experience.
Avondale High School Geometry students were challenged with redesigning product packaging and creating commercials that capture why the redesigned packaging is an improvement.
Avondale/OU Partnership
During the 2015-2016 school year, the Avondale/Oakland University Partnership was evident across the District as students from the Oakland University School of Education and Human Services and the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine engaged with Avondale students in Kindergarten through high school. In addition, students in the OU International Studies; Business; Engineering; and Music, Theatre and Dance programs supported enrichment opportunities in and out of the classroom as well as curriculum initiatives in our elementary schools. Oakland University athletes shared their time too as guest readers around the District.
Avondale Youth Assistance
Avondale Youth Assistance (AYA) is a non-profit community service organization committed to strengthening youth and families and reducing the incidence of juvenile delinquency, child neglect and abuse through community involvement. Their mission is accomplished through the longstanding relationship with the Avondale School District, local municipalities and the Oakland County Circuit Court Family Division which provides a caseworker to offer counseling to children and their families in Avondale. A board of community volunteers support this mission by providing programs for Avondale students that include Youth Recognition, honoring student volunteerism and personal achievement; Mentors Plus, matching youngsters with a caring adult; and after– school and summer KAMP (Kids Academic Mentoring Program) providing academic support.
In April, 2016 Avondale Youth Assistance joined forces with the Avondale SKILL Program, the Avondale Academy and Avondale Middle School to show support for Child Abuse Prevention Month. The group planted hundreds of blue pinwheels as part of the national initiative.
More than 100 students received special recognition this year at the 49th Annual Youth Recognition Awards Night in April, 2016.
Two times during the 2015-2016 school year, AYA teamed up with the Auburn Hills Morning Optimist Club, The Auburn Hills Police Department and Avondale School District to provide special shopping trips for our youngsters.
Avondale School District 2016 Retirees A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops. Henry Brooks Adams
Thank you
Carolyn Benson
Aileen Bloom
Sherry Brocklebank
Joyce Cantu
Julie Carlson
Diane Cribbs
Mia Davila
Anne Duff
Thank you
Maria Dwyer
Mary Lynne Foster
MaryKay Frank
Charles Granger
Barbara Granger
Todd Henderson
Larysa Hnatiuk
Carolyn Johnson
Thank you
Kathryn McCarter
Charles Tisler
Kathy VandereEzen
David Watkins
Every child deserves a champion - an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best that they can possible be. ~ Rita F. Pierson
Announcements
2016-2017 Student Registration Schedule Registration is for RETURNING STUDENTS ONLY AVONDALE HIGH SCHOOL (248) 537-6100 Registration forms will be available on the High School website: https://sites.google.com/a/avondaleschools.org/ahs/ AFTER August 3, 2016. Please download, complete, and bring all necessary forms on your registration day.
AM
PM
TUESDAY August 23
WEDNESDAY August 24
MONDAY August 29
SENIOR Registration 8:00 am -10:15 am
FRESHMAN Registration Registration/Orientation 8:30 am - 11:00 am
Late Registration for ALL students 8:00 am - 11:00 am
Report to Auditorium: 8:30 am Orientation Ends: 11:00 am
NEW to the District By Appointment Only Counseling Office
JUNIOR Registration 12:00 - 2:15 pm
SOPHOMORE Registration 12:00 - 2:15 pm
AVONDALE MIDDLE SCHOOL (248) 537-6300 6th Grade Registration, Orientation and Pictures: Tuesday, August 23, 2016 (Please note that the times are divided by last name.) 8:30 am - 10:00 am A-K (Last Name) 10:30 am - 12:30 pm Orientation ALL 6th Grade Students 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm L-Z (Last Name) 7th Grade Registration and Pictures: Wednesday, August 24, 2016
9:00 am - 11:00 am and 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
8th Grade Registration and Pictures: Wednesday, August 24, 2016
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
MAKE-UP Registration and Pictures: Monday, August 29, 2016
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Additional information and photo information will be sent home in the August mailing.
AVONDALE ACADEMY (248) 537-6600 Registration: August 23, 24 and 25, 2016
8:00 am—1:00 pm
Parents must accompany students and bring a driver’s license with current address. Please note that the Avondale Academy office will be open during the Summer on Wednesdays at 8:00 am.
Announcements
Avondale School District will have two referendums on the August 2, 2016 election ballot - a NON-HOMESTEAD MILLAGE RENEWAL and a SINKING FUND RENEWAL. The information below summarizes these two issues. If you have questions, please contact Annette McAvoy at (248) 537-6025.
Visit us our website at www.avondaleschools.org.
Avondale School District 2940 Waukegan Street Auburn Hills, Michigan 48326
(248) 537-6000
