Integrity is one of the four core values at Avon Old Farms School. It reminds our boys that they have a part to play in making the world around them a better place. Several students illustrated integrity when they chose to spend their March break in Guatemala building houses for those in need.

Twelve students, ranging from senior to freshman, arrived in Guatemala on Saturday, March 14, alongside teachers Dr. Tim Watt, Jen Moyer, and Katharine Montalbano. They began with a hike up Pacaya—an active volcano. From then on, it was less sight-seeing and more hard work.

The group of volunteers joined a construction crew from the organization From Houses to Homes in Santa María de Jesús, a town in southern Guatemala, where over the course of a week they built two fully-habitable houses, starting with pouring a foundation on Monday to painting the interior on Friday. The final step is a small ceremony where Avon students will present a set of keys to the new homeowners.

Senior Will Agnes '26 says the rugged work has already sparked a positive change in him. "I was reflecting on how, when I first got here, I was scared of getting dirty. I had gotten dirt on me before, but I wanted to keep my clothes and shoes perfectly clean. However, as I acclimated to working in these conditions, I found it imperative to help others regardless of the dirt. Thus, I found that I had changed, which was incredible because it’s so hard to see yourself develop over time. Ultimately, I believe I left a part of myself here that I may or may not have wanted to go. My transition is remarkable as I have found that it can inspire me to achieve great things in adverse conditions."

For the attending students, it was eye-opening to see how others live, reinforciing their desire to help those in need. "Something hard for me was seeing the youngest son of the family we're helping come by me and start playing with the sand. Even though I was in a completely different part of the world, he reminded me of myself when I was younger, it almost made me sad seeing how someone so similar to me and so energetic could have so many opportunities unavailable because of where he was born," reflects Winston Zappone '29. 

Ronan McConville '27 expressed a similar sentiment. "The thing that was so difficult for me to comprehend was the family's bathroom situation. They have to go through every day with a metal cauldron of water and a toilet without a flusher and they have to use that water to flush out the waste. It made me feel guilty that I had a working bathroom back home and everything to assist me in that way, but this family has to go through a struggle just to get rid of waste and it brought me to a stage of disbelief of what they have to go through daily."

For AJ Zappone '26, he wasn't just spending his March break helping others. His birthday came on day three of the trip as well, but he says it was the best birthday he's ever had. "There's no other way I would rather spend it, truly. The children wrote me birthday cards and no gift will ever be able to top that," he says. 

The Avon community didn't stop at just constructing the houses. “Building the home is a meaningful and transformative step, but many of these homes begin without essentials such as a stove for cooking, beds to sleep in, or a water filtration system,” Montalbano, who organized the trip, explains. “In an effort to leave these families better positioned to thrive—and to involve the broader AOF community in this service—we held a few fundraisers including a dress-down day, as well as by selling concessions during Avon Youth Hockey Day on February 25th.”