Avon Senior Citizens Go Back to High School

Contrasting experiences were on the minds of many of the senior citizens who spent the day at Avon High School on Thursday.

As part of the Seniors Go Back To School Day, attendants listened to the high school choir, sat in on an American history class, visited an English class to discuss Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises, and watched a musical performance at lunch.

For some, this was the first time back on a high school campus in decades and the differences were glaring. Ray Reyes was concerned that students were overworked.

“They have no free time,” Reyes said.

Reyes remembered that as a high school student, he and his peers were able to interact with each other more than current students can. He observed that students in school today seem to be constantly occupied by classes, activities and sports.

He said he appreciated many of the advantages students have now in comparison, stunned by the amount of technology integrated into classrooms and how accessible it was to students. 

Carol Gottlieb, whose grandchildren went to Avon High, was equally astonished by the technological advancements. As a student, she couldn't even predict what tools students would have in the future.

“We didn't have computers,” Gottlieb said. “It was quite different in those days.”

Peter Zikowitch, whose daughters went to Avon High School and taught Marilyn Cohen, a current language teacher, predicted that some day, students at the high school will be walking around with Amazon's Kindle, the eBook reader, and nothing else.

He was aware of the dramatic differences in facilities and style between his time as a high school student to now, but Zikowitch said that he would have a good experience if he were to relive his high school years today.

Reyes was also impressed by what he described as the “diversified coverage of science” that he saw at the high school. Additionally, Zikowitch pointed to the expansion of sports programs and recognized that women's sports didn't even exist when he was a student.

While they were stunned by the drastic differences between their high school years and Avon High today, many of the attendants enjoyed the changes.

“You have a lot to take advantage of,” Gottlieb said.