National Council — Spring ’22 Meeting Recap
The National Council held their Spring meeting on Friday, April 29, 2022. In a sign of the times, this meeting was held in a hybrid format - where close to half of the attendees were present in-person, and the rest were able to attend virtually via Zoom.
The meeting was a welcome opportunity to resume normal business for the National Council, where there was a focus on the transition of the Executive Committee. In addition to new members being elected, a ‘state of the school’ from Mr. Detora, and committee reports for the Engagement, Fundraising, and Admission committees were among the agenda items. A highlight of the meetings were two panel discussions that featured students and a “Women of Avon” faculty panel. Each panel examined the ‘state of the school’ from their perspective.
Executive Committee Updates
During the 2018-19 school year, the Executive Committee of the National Council made the decision to stay in their positions for an extra year to ensure a smooth transition between Mr. LaRocque to Mr. Detora as Head of School. A transition of National Council leadership was slated for the spring of 2020...however, the global pandemic interrupted those plans. It was agreed that the members would retain their positions for the foreseeable future - until more normal operations of the National Council (and Avon Old Farms) could return.
These members of the Executive Committee have served the National Council, and the Avon Old Farms School community selflessly for many years.
The school extends its gratitude to:
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Michael Conroy ’85 - Chair
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Knick Curtis ’63 - Vice-Chair
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Pat McLaughlin P’15 - Treasurer
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Bob Moran ’73 - Secretary
The National Council welcomes the following new executive committee members:
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Rob Gryboski ’88 - Chair
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Andrew Corrigan ’98 - Vice-Chair
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Sabrina Rettaliata P’16, ’21- Treasurer
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Chase Donaldson ’68 - Secretary
New Members
The National Council unanimously elected two new members to join them; Aaron Aryee ’14 and Sarah Gardella P’19.
If you or anyone you know of are interested in learning more about and / or serving on the National Council, please reach out to: Chris Webb WebbC@Avonoldfarms.com or Sarah Blanchard BlanchardS@avonoldfarms.com.
Committee Updates
The National Council has changed the way they are structured to better support Avon Old Farms School. Instituting a 3 -committee structure during the 2020-21 academic year.
The committees are: 1) Engagement, 2) Fundraising, and 3) Admissions. Each committee is tasked with supporting AOF in each of these areas. The committees have been actively working to support AOF since summer 2021.
Finally, the National Council voted on a measure to show their recognition of the great work done by the faculty and staff of Avon Old Farms School. They unanimously voted to provide financial support for the end-of-year faculty and staff celebration, and also to support the AOF student experience next fall during field day.
Thank you to all members of the National Council who were able to attend the meeting.
The next meeting of the National Council will be on November 11-12, 2022 during Homecoming Weekend.