For Immediate Release

Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2017

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

Avon High School Wins Norfolk County District Attorney’s Team Rival Challenge

Students Win County-Wide Competition for the Second Year in a Row

AVON — Superintendent Paul Zinni is pleased to announce that Avon High School has won the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Team Rival Challenge for the second year in a row, raising awareness about the issues of drug abuse and addiction. 

Launched in 2015 by Norfolk District Attorney Michael W. Morrisey, the Team Rival Challenge brings together public high schools across the county to compete against their school’s traditional athletic rivals in a friendly year-long competition to raise awareness around substance abuse prevention.

The Challenge is split into four categories where school-nominated student leaders compete for points within their bracket. In the 2016-2017 competition, Avon High School students beat out Randolph and Holbrook Schools in their bracket and were recognized at this year’s Peer Leadership Conference at Gillette Stadium on October 15 with a $1,500 grant.  

“I am continuously proud and impressed by our students and their ability to positively represent Avon,” Superintendent Zinni said. “We not only want to recognize Avon, but every school in the county that participated in the Team Rival Challenge. We are very fortunate to live and work in a place that values and supports our students as much as Norfolk County does.”

In last year’s Team Rival Challenge, Avon High School students participated in four categories, including the Peer Leadership Conference, Distractology Course, Coalition Meeting Participation and The Adventures in Respect Ropes Course.

The Peer Leadership Conference happens each fall and brings together students from each public high school to share ideas about substance abuse prevention. All schools are given the maximum amount of points for their participation.

Following the Peer Leadership Conference last year, schools were challenged to enroll as many students in their school as possible for a course through Arbella Insurance, called Distractology. Distractology teaches students how to become safer drivers by learning to avoid distractions on the road.

The third challenge, the Coalition Meeting Participation, recognized the amount of hours that students contributed to coalition meetings and events, favorably those involved in local substance abuse prevention. Avon students contributed to the Avon Coalition for Every Student (ACES) and had the most hours of any school in the county last year.

The final category was the YMCA’s Adventures in Respect Ropes Course, held at the YMCA in Franklin, where students completed low ropes and high ropes challenges to promote good-decision making and teamwork.

After completing all four categories, Avon High School was one of two schools in the 2016-2017 competition that achieved a perfect score of 100. The students are hoping to use the grant funds to bring a speaker to the school to further the mission of substance abuse prevention.

The 2017-2018 Team Rival Challenge is already underway and students recently participated in their first challenge with the Peer Leadership Conference on October 15. 

For more information on the Team Rival Challenge visit the Norfolk County District Attorney’s website. To keep up with this year’s competition visit the Team Rival Challenge website.

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