
Avonworth School District News
May/June 2024
Congratulations to the Avonworth High School Class of 2024!
The Avonworth School District graduation ceremony was held on Friday, May 31st. We wish the best of luck to all of our graduates. We are so proud of you!
For more photos from graduation, check out our Facebook Album.
AMS "Schools To Watch" Celebration
Avonworth Middle School had a fun "Schools To Watch" celebration at the end of the school year. All 7th and 8th grade students had the opportunity attend. The event was followed by a pep rally to celebrate this impressive accomplishment.
In addition to a local celebration at school, Dr. Mike Hall, AMS Principal, and Dr. Kaitlin Remensky, Assistant Principal, represented the school at the National Forum Schools to Watch conference in Washington D.C. where they received the official National Recognition at a ceremony on June 21.
Congratulations to AMS!
Wisdom Corridor Celebration
Avonworth students, staff and families celebrated the work they did to create their own Wisdom Corridors throughout the district in June. This special event was held at Heinz History Center. It included activities, food and drinks, and recognition of all the wisdom corridor feature schools, including Avonworth Primary Center, Avonworth Elementary School and Avonworth High School.
When Primary Center Principal, Dr. Scott Miller, first learned about the Wisdom Corridor project, he knew it would be something awesome for APC students and staff alike. He shared the idea with APC teacher Mrs. Maureen Frew who couldn't wait to get started turning this dream into a reality.
Simply put, the Wisdom Corridor Project is an international effort to make sure every voice is heard, and every student is valued.
Thanks to generous support from the Grable Foundation and Project FUEL, Avonworth Primary Center students and staff created their own Wisdom Corridor in the hallway at their school. Not only did APC create their own Wisdom Corridor, but they also became the model for numerous other schools in the Pittsburgh region to do the same. Together, they helped facilitate 26 Wisdom Corridors across 22 schools representing 15 school districts in Western PA.
View photos of the event on Facebook.
Incredible Feat!
Avonworth's spring musical production of Into the Woods swept the Gene Kelly Awards for High School Musical Theater, winning six awards:
Best Musical
Best Vocal Ensemble
Best Crew/Technical Execution
Best Lighting
Best Costume
Best Set Design
This ties Avonworth's record wins in 2012, when the production of Sweeney Todd garnered the same number and sent two AHS students (Nathan Pool & Brooke Tate) as Best Actor & Actress to the national competition on Broadway. It was also the greatest number of wins across the 33 schools involved this year.
Lucy Myers was also Avonworth's Best Actress nominee--an incredible feat for a sophomore to even be nominated.
The students are pictured here with Mrs' Gene Kelly, a wonderful supporter of Avonworth's theater program.
Bravo! Bravo!
Odyssey of the Mind Team First in the Country
Congratulations to Avonworth Middle School’s Odyssey of the Mind team for finishing 1st in the country and 4th overall at the World Finals at Iowa State University!
The team competed against 50 teams from across the US and countries including China, Japan, South Korea, Poland, Switzerland, and Germany. Each team was challenged to create a vehicle that travelled within a drive-in movie setting to watch a movie written and performed by the team.
They were judged on creativity, performance quality and various technical components. The team also solved a spontaneous problem where they earned the second highest score amongst the 50 teams.
Congratulations to seventh graders Rosie Glidden, Trinity Klicker, Matilda Mackillop, Kate Paulat, Max Paulat, and Tim Wrona for their phenomenal performance!
DataJam
Congratulations to these students who took part in the DataJam!
The DataJam is an academic competition for high school students which focuses on teaching about the use of big data to answer a research question.
Students work in teams to formulate a research question, find publicly available data sets, analyze their data, make data visualizations, and present their findings to a panel of judges.
Students learn skills pertaining to the scientific method, data analysis, and how to give scientific presentations. This year, there were three Avonworth Data Jam teams.
Third Place winners of this year's Data Jam Competition: Jagger Boyd, Jackson Shields, Brayden Simmons, Sam Cavanaugh, Amelia Hardiman and Madison Hollywood. Their project was titled "Registered Drinkers."
Judicial Experience
Sixty 8th grade Civics students traveled to the Allegheny County Courthouse to experience the Judicial Branch firsthand!
Students completed a writing assignment in order to be eligible for this enrichment field trip to learn more about our criminal court system. After passing through security, students met with police officers and police dogs from the Allegheny County Sheriff's Office K9 unit.
Then, students were escorted to several different courtrooms to observe real criminal trials. Common Pleas Judge Beth Lazzara, as well as lawyers from the district attorney's office and a public defender, also took time to talk directly to students visiting their courtroom. Students had previously learned about courtroom procedures and terminology in their Civics classes, but now were able to observe them in action.
After two hours of courtroom drama, students enjoyed lunch (and some ice cream) in the historic Strip District before returning to school.
"I Wonder" Museum Created by Sixth Graders
All year, 6th grade students kept an “I Wonder Journal” where they wrote all the questions they were wondering about during the day.
After several months, the students chose a question they were interested in exploring. Once they answered their question, they designed a piece of work that would be found in a museum to share with others.
As part of the World of Work career exploration, students investigated the necessary skills to be a museum curator.
The end result was an “I Wonder” museum on May 9. Students displayed their museum pieces and their findings to parents, teachers, students and community members.
Music in the Park at Kennywood
The Avonworth Middle School and High School Choirs recently participated in Music In The Parks adjudication at Kennywood. Both ensembles received a rating of superior—the highest possible rating!
Both ensembles won 1st place in their category and Overall Best Choir! Congratulations to all of our Avonworth Middle and High School singers!
Hi, Neighbor!
Food, crafts, and friends from around the world made for a wonderful Hi, Neighbor Event!
It was a fun filled evening designed by the elementary students and their families that featured Ecuador, Palestine, Egypt, Germany, and Italy.
There was authentic food like arroz con pollo from Ecuador and tiramisu from Italy and activities like the chance to take your picture as a mummy in the photo booth in Egypt.
This event was made possible through a partnership with @kidsburghpgh. Thank you!
Remake Learning Days
It’s all planning, problem solving, and teamwork at RemakeLearningDays!
Second graders from Mrs. Krouse and Mrs. Johnson’s rooms participated in the Catapult Challenge with two second grade classrooms at North Allegheny.
The students worked together to make the catapults and then showed each virtual classroom their designs.
More Catapult Challenge!
First and second grade students at Avonworth Primary Center kicked off #RemakeLearningDays with DiscoverED's Catapult Design Challenge.
Students from across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania were invited to participate in the Catapult Design Challenge and earn a Career Ready PA Backpack Challenge sticker badge for the participation.
Participating schools connected virtually to allow students to plan, create and iterate their own catapult using their maker design skills. A live feed of the event was streamed between classrooms as an exciting way to launch 2024 Remake Learning Days across the state.
Visit the Remake Learning Days website to learn more about this innovative learning festival for families and youth and find hands-on, engaging events in our area.
Backpack Challenge
Avonworth Primary Center met the "Challenge" of earning 100 + artifacts for their career portfolios in the Remake Learning Days Career Ready PA Backpack Challenge to become #CareerReadyPA! with #RemakeDays.
Pittsburgh Symphony Welcomes Students
Second grade enjoyed a morning at The Pittsburgh Symphony and had the unique opportunity to learn to conduct!
The students also learned about each instrument family.
Thank you to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra for having us and to Mr. Henry, ASD Director of Orchestras for 4-6 grade, for making it all possible!
Be the Kind Kid Kindness Awards
These four Avonworth #kindkids were chosen by the Elementary/Primary Center teachers to receive Kindness Awards and $500 scholarships based on the kindness they show towards their peers and school staff.
Congratulations to Aria Burgoyne, Molly Campbell, Emilie Swartz, and Jacob Goetz!!! We are SO proud of you!
Educational Support Professional of the Year
Becky Marszalek has been recognized by PSEA as the Educational Support Professional of the Year!
Here are some highlights from supervisors/students/families who wrote letters on her behalf:
"Becky is one of the hardest working, student-first paraprofessionals I have had the chance of working with in my career as a school administrator. She consistently brings a positive energy to the building and to the classroom. She is a very strong communicator with student families and parents, and is articulate when it comes to the progress of a student. She is someone who takes initiative to help create an environment for students to be successful in school, and is an extremely valued member of her team. She is someone I trust wholeheartedly to do what is best for kids." - Bill Battistone, AES Principal
"As a valued member of our PBIS team, Becky has played an instrumental role in shaping our school culture. Her creativity and dedication were instrumental in developing our PBIS motto: "Lopes CARE!" This motto encapsulates our core values of Compassionate, Accountable, Respectful, and Engaged." - Bobby Eastwood, AES Assistant Principal
"I rely on Becky's honesty, her knowledge, and her strength as our Union representative. Her calm demeanor makes me feel comfortable and confident that she can find an answer to any issues that may arise." Trish Scheller, AES Paraprofessaional
"Ms. Marszalek is patient, kind, compassionate, caring and is also one of the most effective educational advocates that I have ever encountered." - Parent, AES
Students in Mr. Zuppe's third-grade class class said:
"Ms. M, you are very helpful and kind!"
"Ms. M, thanks for helping us learn and grow!"
"Ms. M is always there when we need her the most!"
The Avonworth School District is lucky to have Becky!
Avonworth Teacher Named Global Educator
Congratulations to Melissa Reagle who has distinguished herself by earning the designation of PSMLA Global Educator! Melissa’s commitment is of particular note as this is the 2nd time she has been recognized as a PSMLA Global Educator.
This honor reflects the culture, environment, and priorities that your school district has established to encourage and recognize insight and forward-thinking in preparing your students for success in today’s world.
Melissa has provided the opportunity for and mentored her students to consciously select courses and activities to become PSMLA Global Scholars Graduates for at least two consecutive years. Her dedication and commitment to her students, her school, and this program are inspiring and commendable.
Today’s world presents unprecedented global challenges about which instantaneous communication provides a superabundance of information.
Thanks to Melissa, the PSMLA Global Scholars in your district may be more well-equipped to process, understand, and disseminate this knowledge and use it as the basis for developing wider perspectives which will be beneficial as they move forward in life.
Congratulations to both Melissa Reagle and Avonworth High School! PSMLA looks forward to recognizing future PSMLA Global Scholars Graduates from Avonworth High School.
Lenzner Family Award Winners
Congratulations to the Lenzner Family Award Winners! Sofia Galati and Sean Carlone each received a $1000 scholarship for their post-secondary endeavors.
Sofia will attend Purdue University and major in Aviation Management. Sean will attend the University of Northwestern Ohio and major in Automatic Mechanics.
Rising Senior Wins Scholarship Award
Avonworth High School student Emma Noss is the 1st prize recipient of The Pennsylvania Society 18th Annual Benjamin Franklin Scholar Award. She will receive a $6000 scholarship.
The writing competition is open to Pennsylvania public high school juniors and received more than 178 submissions. Students submit an original essay of not more than 750 words discussing the modern day relevance of a selected Franklin quote.
This year’s quote was taken from a letter Franklin sent to Samuel Cooper in May 1777:
“Tis a Common Observation here that our Cause is the Cause of all Mankind; and that we are fighting for their liberty in defending our own. ‘Tis a glorious Task assign’d us by Providence; which has I trust given us Spirit and Virtue equal to it, and will at last crown it with Success.”
Click here to see Emma's winning essay.
You can learn more about The Pennsylvania Society at www.PASociety.com.
Freshman Earns Girl Scout Silver Award
Freshman Evelyn Mathie was honored at the Carnegie Science Center for earning her Girl Scout Silver Award with her project “Advocating for Literacy and Supporting Wellness in Pittsburgh-area Children“. This award requires at least 50 hours of time.
Evelyn sought to educate and empower disadvantaged children. She worked with Reading Ready Pittsburgh and formulated age appropriate yoga stories for age levels from K - 6th grade.
She and her team taught six yoga story sessions to 54 children and provided home materials for continued education. Local teachers expressed interest in using her concept in their classrooms.
She also designed a banner with ‘Reading is a Superpower!’ theme that was shared with 40 Head Starts and Child Care sites.
Autism Awareness
In a heartwarming presentation on autism awareness and acceptance, Christina Abernethy, alongside her twin sons, Braidan and Ethan, illuminated the audience with their personal journey.
Ethan utilizes an AAC device, he captivated the crowd by demonstrating its functionalities, showcasing its vital role in his communication. He even shared some clever riddles, showcasing his funny personality.
Prior to the presentation, students engaged in active participation by completing a pre-presentation Google form, sharing their existing knowledge about autism and posing thoughtful inquiries. Through this interactive exchange, attendees gained deeper insights into autism spectrum disorders while fostering an environment of empathy, understanding, and inclusivity.
Second Grade Send Off
Congratulations to the second graders who will be moving up to the elementary school in the fall!
APC loved having you! Best of luck in all you do!
Avonworth Spotlight: Chase the Antelope
Thank you to Avonworth junior Jase Klatzkin for filming and producing this video about Avonworth's annual Chase the Antelope event.
ASD Senior Photo Information
As a senior/senior parent/guardian, you are responsible for booking a photographer that will have your photos ready by December 1st, 2024. No photos will be accepted after this date and you will be given a placeholder image in lieu of a photograph. If you would like to have a traditional head-shot taken by our school photographer, you can do that on one of our school picture days.
Click here for additional information regarding senior photos.
SUN Bucks Program
A new program called Summer EBT, or “SUN Bucks,” has been authorized by a bipartisan U.S. Congress to provide food dollars to low-income families with school-aged children over the summer months.
The program is proven to reduce food insecurity and improve children's nutrition during summer break. Governor Shapiro’s administration announced that the Commonwealth would participate in this program beginning in the summer of 2024.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) oversees the program, and the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) coordinates the benefit issuance in Pennsylvania.
Summer is here, and it's time to start planning your warm-weather activities! As you make your summer to-do list, prioritize self-care and well-being.
- Embrace the great outdoors. Spending time outside has numerous benefits, such as reducing stress and anxiety, improving mood, and boosting creativity. Consider activities like walking, hiking, biking, gardening, or relaxing in a shady park.
- Make time for loved ones. It's easy to get caught up in our daily routines and miss out on quality time with friends and family. This summer, prioritize reconnecting with your loved ones through shared meals, game nights, movie nights, or simply picking up the phone for a catch-up call.
- Prioritize sleep. During busy times, our sleep habits can suffer. Make an effort to establish a consistent sleep schedule and give your body the rest it deserves.
Most importantly, have fun and do something that brings you joy each day. Whether trying a new hobby, indulging in a favorite activity or simply taking time to relax and unwind, make sure to prioritize your happiness this summer.
If you or a family member are struggling with mental health or substance use issues, remember that help is available. Care Solace, a complimentary and confidential coordination service provided by Avonworth School District, is available 24/7/365 throughout the summer to help you find mental health care or substance use treatment providers. Call 888-515-0595 for multilingual support or visit caresolace.com/avonworth to search for providers on your own or receive assistance through video chat, email, or phone.
We wish you a happy and healthy summer break, and we'll see you again soon!
Spring Sports Thrive in Postseason
The Avonworth track, baseball, and softball teams excelled this spring season with some individuals and teams notching their ways into school, WPIAL and even PIAA History.
The Avonworth baseball team made history of their own on Tuesday night, clinching their first WPIAL title in more than 30 years (1992).
The ‘Lopes took the defending State Champions, Riverside (41-1 entering the game), to 14 innings, which is the longest championship game in WPIAL history. Aiden Tinker and Cooper Scharding shared the mound, combining for 14 strikeouts. The ‘Lopes scored all of their runs with two outs. The game winning hit came off of Luke Zelinko’s bat, driving in Mason Metz (who scored 3 of the 4 runs for the ‘Lopes) at the top of the 14th inning.
The top-seeded ‘Lopes made it through the PIAA 3A playoff bracket for the first time in school history, defeating both Fairview High School and Punxsutawney to make it to the PIAA Championship game at Penn State University on Friday, June 15th. Although the 'Lopes were outmatched by Neumann-Goretti, they still ended their season as the second best team in the state, breaking program records and making school history in their remarkable 2023-2024 campaign. Congratulations, 'Lopes!
Hayzes Robinson Wins Gold at the PIAA Championship
Congratulations to Hayzes Robinson on winning the gold at the PIAA Championship in the 100M! Hayzes' two older sisters also won gold in the 100M at past PIAA Championships, which makes them the first trio of sisters to win the 100M gold in PIAA history. Congratulations!
Also of note, the girls’ 4×4 relay (Grace Ermlich, Hayzes Robinson, Gianna Babusci, and Julia Doherty) soared to a 3:57 finish in the WPIAL Championship meet, breaking the ALL-TIME 2A 4×4 relay record. At the PIAA Championships, they captured bronze on May 25th.
Rylee Gray and Alivia Lantzy Reach Program Milestones
Rylee Gray and Alivia Lantzy etched their name in the Avonworth softball record book this season.
Rylee Gray nailed her 100th hit this season on May 1st, defeating Freeport 7-0, which helped the ‘Lopes clinch another Section Title this season!
Alivia Lantzy hit the 600k milestone at the WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinals on Thursday, May 16th against Yough. Alivia will continue her softball career at Division II UNC-Pembroke this coming fall.
The ‘Lopes battled in the WPIAL 3A playoffs, falling just short to a talented Mohawk team in the semi-finals who went on to win this year’s WPIAL 3A Championship. The team also qualified for the PIAA playoffs, losing their first round game to a talented Sharon team out of District 10.
In the last 4 years, Avonworth softball has amassed 4 Section titles, 4 WPIAL semi-final appearances, 2 WPIAL Championships, 4 PIAA state playoff qualifiers, and 1 PIAA State Championship.
Alivia Lantzy and Brandon Sapolsky receive the Tri-Athlete Awards for Avonworth from the Northern Area Athletic Directors’ Association
Congratulations to Alivia and Brandon for their accomplishments that led to their selection as the Tri-Athlete representatives from Avonworth High School.
Each year, the Northern Area Athletic Directors’ Association recognizes outstanding senior student-athletes and their commitment to athletic excellence through their participation in at least three (3) sports their senior year.
Brandon Sapolsky - Golf, Basketball, Baseball
Alivia Lantzy - Volleyball, Bowling, Softball
Construction Update
Dr. Hadley recently shared an update on our construction project with our school community. Please visit our construction website for even more construction related information.
Thank you to Avonworth junior Jase Klatzkin for filming and producing this video about Avonworth's construction project.
Discounted Kennywood Tickets
Although Avonworth School District's Kennywood Day has passed, community members are still able to purchase discounted tickets. Check out the flyer for more information!
AHS and AMS Counseling Summer Hours
The Avonworth counselors will be working summer hours.
Kindergarten Registration Information
Kindergarten registration is now open for the 2024-2025 school year!
Click the here for the registration packet and much more.