Our Philosophy
Established in 2003, The Avalon School brings the spirit of adventure and friendship to boys grades kindergarten through twelve in an independent day school featuring a challenging liberal arts curriculum. The school seeks to cultivate in its students a sense of intellectual freedom and personal responsibility; to foster the gifts of faith and culture that are within each boy’s reach; and to help them fulfill the deep desire to live a noble life that resides in all men. These ideals form the foundation of the school and are encouraged through rigorous study, hearty athletics, broad activity and the daily example of both faculty and parents. The Avalon School aims to develop not only fine young men but a vital intellectual and social community of families in Montgomery County.
Adventure & Friendship
Philosophy of Education
While few have the opportunity for heroism in the wide world, everyone has the opportunity for living the heroism of everyday life, by doing ordinary things extraordinarily well. This requires a recognition that human beings are not just “muddy instants” in a meaningless world, but created by God in His own image and likeness and called to eternal life*. The virtues of reverence, awe, piety towards the Creator and His Creation and a sense of personal vocation must be inculcated to help young people develop a proper wish or ideal for their own lives. Central to this ideal is the notion of giving of oneself or sacrificing oneself for others.
Families may adopt the form of one of several models, be it the “launching pad” model, the “consumption collective” model, or the “model family” model, but the ecological niche most suitable for raising children is what Saint John Paul II called the “community of persons” model. Through social events and discussion seminars that promote friendships among families, Avalon will help families develop the optimistic realism necessary for raising children into mature young men capable of dealing nobly with life.
*This phrase is taken from Frank O’Hara’s “Ode”
Duc In Altum
The School’s motto, Duc in Altum (“Put out into the deep”), is taken from Saint John Paul II’s Apostolic letter “Novo Millennio Ineunte.” These words “invite us to remember the past with gratitude, to live the present with enthusiasm, and to look forward to the future with confidence.” Young men must learn that taking risks and making commitments in their daily lives—intellectually, spiritually and physically—are necessary to grow both personally and professionally.
Such activities as school-wide poetry competitions, field and camping trips, interscholastic sports and House competitions, and Capture-the-Flag encourage healthy risk-taking and build friendships, discipline, and self-assurance based on deeds.