May 23, 2021
Dear Senior Parents,
This is not the email I want to be sending with graduation one week away, but last evening there was a significant situation involving vandalism, inappropriate language, and poor judgement. Clearly, this is not the way we want to end a challenging school year and, quite honestly, we expect much more from our students as I know you do, too. To say that we are disheartened by the situation would be an understatement.
However, we understand that boys make mistakes, and they need to be held accountable with an opportunity to redeem themselves. In fact, many students have asked for a redemptive opportunity this week. In a year filled with many tough decisions, this is one of the most difficult. While the easy decision would be to send all of the seniors home and have them return for the awards ceremony and graduation, I have decided to give those seniors an opportunity to regain trust and finish their time at Avon the right way.
This afternoon I met with the boarding seniors and gave each of them the option to leave campus today and return next Saturday if they cannot meet the expectations for the week. I will be meeting with the day students tomorrow. The expectations are clear: they need to follow all school rules and participate in the programs we have set up for the week. The goal of senior week is to give the Class of 2021 the opportunity to spend time together and bond after a year filled with masks and social distancing.
Please have a conversation with your son and discuss whether or not he wants to participate in senior week. I was very clear—students who stay on campus and break any rules will not walk or participate at graduation. This is an important conversation as we want all of our seniors to walk across the stage on Sunday.
Thank you for your support. It has been a remarkable year, and I continue to be proud of the entire community and do not want an isolated situation to be the defining moment of the school year.
Aspirando et perseverando, Jim Detora P'12 Head of School |