Avon Central School District’s Name and Imagery Stakeholder Committee convened on December 12. The objectives of the session were to review the data submitted through the community survey, develop a process to identify a final option to be recommended to the BOE, and create a timeline for completing the process.
The committee utilizes a highly collaborative approach for its decisions. The most recent survey was the third open round of input from the community. Prior outreach included a ThoughtExchange conducted last spring, a survey conducted in late fall, and this most recent survey. Additionally, community members were also invited to write or call the district with questions or suggestions. The strong participation by all members of the community in each step of this process continues to serve as a strong foundation.
In each meeting, the co-facilitators asked key questions to generate important conversations. After the open sharing of perspectives, the facilitators then helped the committee to reach agreement regarding decisions and next steps. Frequently, differing opinions have been shared but, without fail, the committee has remained forward thinking. In spite of sometimes holding differing views, in a real sign of constructive civic engagement, this group of invested community members reached consensus on the next best steps. Their varied perspectives built a better process.
Moving forward, three choices remain in the running. The finalists are: Novas, Archers, and River Hawks.
The graph above shows the results of the online survey that was open to the public from mid-November through Dec. 6. Respondents were able to select their top 3 favorite names from a list of nine options.
The next step in the process will be a Voting Day of sorts for students and staff. The committee felt strongly that student perspectives must be prioritized as we near the end of the selection process. At the core, schools exist for students and their learning. The strong foundation
built to date will allow us to heavily weigh student wishes to bring this home. The vote will be held on January 12, 2024. Students and staff will participate in this activity. Students in grades 5-12 and staff members will have the opportunity to cast individual votes. A collaborative
process will be used to gather student perspectives in grades UPK-4. The intention is to publicly share the results by January 19th. A recommendation will be made to the Board of Education on January 22, 2024. The Board of Education will be responsible for adopting the name and creating an implementation timeline.
Official imagery aligned to the final recommendation will be developed at a later time. In the meantime, generic example images of each name will be generated and shared. These are meant only as examples of what potential images might look like, to help add context to the vote. None of the images developed at this stage will be the actual imagery used in the future.
More information will be shared in the coming weeks. Please contact the District Clerk with questions.
As a reminder, a great deal of information is shared on the District’s website regarding this topic.
Click here to access our dedicated Avon Central School District Name, Imagery, and Mascot Update webpage.