FEATURED ALUMNUS: BRIAN MALCHOFF '07

Brian Malchoff '07 was born and raised in West Hartford, and much of his childhood was spent playing hockey in the Jennings Fairchild Rink on the Avon Old Farms campus. Naturally, Avon has always been his second home, so when it came time to look at high schools, he joined the community officially in the fall of 2003 as a freshman day-student.

"I played varsity hockey, varsity lacrosse, and was an active leader in the school's peer-tutoring program," Malchoff remembered. "Following Avon, I attended Williams College, a small liberal arts school in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts. I earned a B.A. in psychology in the spring of 2011."

Then, the following academic year, he returned to the Old Farms campus - this time as a math teacher.

"Many of my fondest memories come from my time as a student at Avon Old Farms – those were the best four years of my life," he explained. "I think I wanted to come back to be a part of that community again. I missed the brotherhood, the relationships with my peers, and with the faculty."

Malchoff explained that the transition from student to teacher was difficult, as he never realized how much preparation went into each class, each practice, and each advisee. But, his institutional knowledge of how the school operated at least gave him a running start.

"As a faculty member now, I am committed to passing on the same type of experience to today's students that I had years ago," he said. "Not much has changed on campus with the exception of all the new facilities. And that to me is a good thing – Avon holds on to what works."

Currently, Malchoff teaches two sections of precalculus and two more of calculus. He also coaches varsity B hockey in the winter and varsity lacrosse in the spring. During Avon's Intersession, he helped lead a group of young men in learning how to fly fish, one of Malchoff's passions.

In anticipating his 10-year reunion, Malchoff believed he would see some of the same faces he has seen on campus in the past.

"The class of 2007 has a core group of men who come back each year, regardless of if it is a milestone reunion or not," he said. "We have a great time together and I think getting back onto the campus helps alumni reignite some of our memories and lessons learned here."

For a recap of the 2017 alumni reunion, or for an album of photos, visit avonoldfarms.com/reunion.