Avonworth School District News

We're celebrating 10 incredible years since Avonworth Primary School officially opened its doors! It's been a wonderful decade filled with learning, growth, and fun. A special thank you to all the dedicated staff members who have been with us since day one—you've helped make APC what it is today. Here's to an amazing future at APC!

The Avonworth HS Drama Director is pleased to announce that this year's fall play will be Twelve Angry Jurors, the mixed-cast version of the American film classic Twelve Angry Men. Performances will be held at the Community Presbyterian Church of Ben Avon on November 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23 at 7:30 PM and at 2:00 PM on November 16 and 21. Save the date!

Good news to share! The following AHS students & grads are making a mark on the Pittsburgh theater scene:

• Ady Burgoyne and Lucy Myers will be performing this weekend in the CLO Gala honoring Shirley Jones ("The Partridge Family," The Music Man, Oklahoma) with Broadway greats Jessie Mueller, Kelly O'Hara, Sierra Bogges, Adam Pascal & Norm Lewis
• Lily Stefanik will be in the child chorus of the Pittsburgh Opera productions of Tosca and Pagliacci
• Paxon Masters will be playing the role of Toby in The Strand Theater production of Sweeney Todd in October
• Gabriella Walko ('19) will be stage managing four productions at the Pittsburgh Public Theater this season
• Alex Righetti ('08) is the costume designer for the CLO's current production of Young Frankenstein. He is also our drama costumer.

It was a classic! Check out Avonworth Marching Band's halftime performance of their new Video Game Classics show at the North Hills and Allegheny Valley Marching Band Festival over the weekend. The show includes musical themes from Mario, Pokemon, Wii Sports, Halo, Tetris, PacMan and more! Watch the performance here!

Greg Wolfe, High School physics teacher, is serving in the AIU Chief Science Officer (CSO) Program and looks forward to the exciting learning and networking opportunities geared towards leadership, workplace skills, and STEM advocacy within the communities of our region.

Greg will participate in this new and exciting opportunity with a senior student, Mia Milojevich.

Congratulations to senior Emma Noss who has qualified as a Semifinalist in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Competition!

Emma is part of 16,000 Semifinalists across the nation that will now continue to compete for 6,870 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million next Spring.

We wish Emma the very best!

Sixth grade teacher, Melissa Costantino-Poruben, was selected as one of 50 delegates of the National Education Association to participate in the 10th International World Congress of Teachers. The event, held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, included 800 delegates and 500 observers from over 150 countries. This Congress determines the policies, principles of action, program, and budget of the organization. Delegates listened, learned, and considered the voices of other educational leaders before voting on resolutions that fell under the themes of Defending Democracy, Ensuring Equity, Promoting Peace, Elevating our Profession, and Growing Our Unions.

Mrs. Costantino-Poruben has always had a love of education, politics, and international relations, making this congress the perfect venue for her passions to converge. Reflecting on her experience, she said, “I was most impressed by the respect and support the delegates displayed to one another, even with so much global unrest. The resolutions under the Promoting Peace resolutions included stories of children learning in bunkers, students who have no access to school, and those who are not safe in their own homes. I am so proud to be part of an organization connected to Promoting Peace throughout the world.”

Shared experiences helped deepen Mrs. Costantino-Poruben’s connection to other educational leaders. Together, they visited UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Argentina and Uruguay, viewed an authentic tango performance, and experienced the inner workings of a Gaucho Ranch.

She would like to thank the entire Avonworth Education Association for their love, support, and guidance as she prepared for the congress.

Mrs. Jen Neiss, a teacher at Avonworth Primary Center, was featured over the summer by WTAE - Channel 4 for love of the Avonworth community.

Watch here!

Congratulations to Avonworth 2024 graduates Gennaro Santucci and Leonardo Pacione who recently earned silver in the SkillsUSA National competition for Audio/Radio Production!

Gennaro and Leonardo combined for the SkillsUSA Pennsylvania state championship in April. SkillsUSA National competitions were hosted in Atlanta, Georgia.

Read more on A.W. Beattie Career Center's website.

Our first “Cultural Connections” lunch was offered on September 30th in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. The menu items aim to connect students with different cultural foods and food traditions. This knowledge helps to promote understanding and inspires students to form their sense of identity and belonging by seeing the ways they are the same and different from others.

The Secondary menu features blackened white fish tacos with cilantro lime slaw & spicy crema. The Elementary menu featured cheese quesadillas. All levels had the option to add side dishes of peppy quinoa & Mexicali corn.

The cafeteria staff participated in a culinary training on Tuesday, August 20. They prepared and evaluated new menu items to be featured on menus for the 2024-25 school year.

As we celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, we take this opportunity to honor the rich cultures, histories, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans. This month serves as a reminder of the profound impact that Hispanic and Latino communities have had on our country, and it’s a time for us to reflect on the values of diversity, inclusion, and unity.

At Avonworth School District, we are committed to fostering an environment where every student feels valued and respected, and where their cultural heritage is celebrated. Hispanic Heritage Month is a chance for us to highlight the achievements and influence of Hispanic and Latino individuals, not only in history but also in our community today.

Throughout the month, we will be engaging our students in various educational activities and events that showcase the vibrant traditions, languages, and histories of Hispanic and Latino cultures. These initiatives are designed to enrich our students' understanding and appreciation of the diverse world in which we live.

In addition to celebrating cultural heritage, we also recognize the importance of mental health and well-being within our community. We understand that mental health challenges can affect anyone, regardless of background, and we are dedicated to providing support to our students and families.

That’s why we’ve partnered with Care Solace, a complimentary and confidential care coordination service that assists in finding mental health or substance use treatment options. Care Solace is available to all students, staff, and their families within our district, ensuring that everyone has access to the care they need when they need it.

How to Access Care Solace:

• Call: You can reach Care Solace at 888-515-0595, with multilingual support available 24/7/365.
• Online: www.caresolace.com/avonworth to search for services or to request assistance with scheduling an appointment.

We are committed to providing a safe and enjoyable environment at all our athletic and extracurricular events. As a reminder, the following policies will be enforced to ensure all spectators at high school football games have a safe and enjoyable experience.

Read the policies here.

We appreciate your cooperation and support in making this season enjoyable for our Avonworth fans, visiting fans, football players, band members, and cheerleading squads.

Go Lopes!

Chase Barzen and Charlie Igims, both sophomores, qualified for the WPIAL 2A Individual Golf Championship. Avonworth was the only school in the section that had two golfers qualify.

Igims will move on to play at Sewickley Heights Country Club on October 2nd in the final round of the WPIAL Championship. Good luck Charlie!

The Avonworth cross country team made the long trip to Northmoreland Park on September 13 to compete in the annual Gingerbread Man Kiski Invitational.

Nineteen Avonworth student athletes competed in three different races: senior captain Henry Amick led the boys team to a 15th place team finish and had an individual overall time of 18:39. The girls team finished in 18th place and were led by senior captain Emma Noss who finished the race in 24:37. In the girls junior varsity race, Elena Van Mater finished in 11th overall in her very first cross country invitational!

On a rainy fall morning in late September, the Avonworth cross country team traveled to Youthtowne in Clinton, PA to compete with over thirty schools in the annual Youthtowne Clash Invitational.

The Lopes ran some of their fastest times of the year and had impressive team and individual results.

In the girls varsity race, freshman Norah Anderson led her team to a top-15 finish and was followed closely in the 5k race by senior Emma Noss, sophomores Poppy Wagers, Abby Yeh, Elena Van Mater and freshman Kaitlyn Klaum. Junior Natalie Frank rounded out the varsity team's strong performance on the 3.1 mile grass course.

Nearly 200 runners competed in the varsity boys race, with Team Captain Henry Amick finishing in the top 60 overall individuals by completing the 3.1 mile course in 18 minutes. He led the rest of the varsity team to a top-20 finish with Luke Langford (10th grade), Conor Bryan (12th grade), Ryder Evans (9th grade), and Henry Heinnickel (10th grade) all running strong races as well.

Please visit our website for the latest information on our construction project.

Avonworth’s strategic plan outlines the areas of focus, strategies, and actions that will ensure that our students gain the learning experiences that will enable them to continue to grow academically, socially, and emotionally so that they become innovative thinkers and creative contributors to our world.

Our current strategic plan was created with stakeholder input and adopted in 2020. It ends at the conclusion of the 2024-2025 school year.

As we look ahead and plan for our future, we will engage in the strategic planning process throughout the 2024-2025 school year, with the goal of developing a new strategic plan that will take effect at the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year.

Please stay on the lookout for more information!

Our High School yearbook store is now live for those who would like to purchase a yearbook. Last year we sold out and some families were unable to secure a book after the window for purchasing closed, so the sooner you buy the better.

Click here to purchase a yearbook.

Our "job number" is 4285. The store will be live until the first week of April.

If you have any questions or concerns, please let me email sjames@avonworth.k12.pa.us.

As a senior (or the parent/guardian of a senior), you are responsible for booking a photographer that will have your photos ready by December 1, 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.

Senior photos, quotes, and throwback pictures will be submitted on this google form.

Ben Avon Heights Borough is in need of crossing guards. To apply please contact Jessica DiNuzzo at Ben Avon Heights Borough at bahb.secretary@gmail.com.