AVON — As the town of Avon continues to grow, so too does the school corporation here.
School officials and others recently gathered to celebrate the opening of the Avon Advanced Learning Center with a dedication ceremony.
”This is a special night in the history of our school corporation,”Superintendent Dr. Tim Ogle said. “The Avon Advanced Learning Center really has its roots in a November 2005 decision by the school board of trustees to adopt a long-term facility plan. That facility plan led to the construction of three schools that will provide the capacity to get us through the foreseeable future.”
He said school officials looked for guidance in all directions.
”Back in 2005, there was literature and research about the effectiveness of the senioryear in a K-12 school program,” Ogle said. “Dr. Peggy Clark, our director of secondary education, led a committee of community folks, some faculty members, and a few administrators.”
That committee reported to the school board in 2006. In November of that year, the school board made the decision to build the AALC to provide a transition program from the senior year of high school to college.
Avon High School Principal Rick Adcock said he has become accustomed to the school corporation’s growth.
”Four years ago, the school board decided to expand the high school,” Adcock said. “This is my eighth year here. I came in 2003 and we had 1,300 students at that time. Ever since I have been here, essentially allthat I have known is building.”
In 2006, the school completed a 600-student addition to the west side of the high school, taking the capacity to 2,400 students. By the time the addition opened, however, predictions were that the school could have up to 3,000 students in the next five years.
Adcock said the opportunities and excitement of the AALC will likely rekindle the drive in 12th graders who are suffering from “senioritis.”
He said the students at the center work on laptops, have addition freedoms and small class sizes, giving them more of a college-like atmosphere.
AHS senior Michael Etienne served on the student advisory committee for the AALC.
”As a 2011 senior, I consider myself to be very lucky,” Etienne said. “We are the first class with the opportunityto utilize the AALC. So far, I’ve found the institution to be really beneficial on a day-to-day basis. The laptops really give us a leg up in the future, setting us up for college and allthe way to the business world.”
School board president Gary Brinkman said the AALC demonstrates the commitment of the corporation to its students.
”The world that our grandfathers knew at 18 years of age is much different than our teen-agers and young adults live in today,” Brinkman said. “Both eras have their challenges, as they all do. However, today there is anticipation for our students to be competitive in the workforce and in college. The expectation remains that our young people today will achieve a high level of educational knowledge, learning skills, and experience.”
ryan.palencer@flyergroup.com
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