Interview with Principal Jessica Swain of Avalon Elementary

At Avalon Park, we pride ourselves on our strong connections and collaborative spirit. So, as we gear up for the new school year, I wanted to kick-off a series of interviews with members of the community, that I will feature in my monthly Coffee with Beat articles.  And I would be remised if I did not start with an interview with one of our leading education leaders.  It is so important for us to recognize the vital role our schools play in fostering a healthy, vibrant community. Recently the Florida Department of Labor and Education released the 2024 school grades, and I am happy to report that ALL the Avalon Park Schools and the surrounding neighborhoods were awarded an “A” rating.  Awarded is not the right word…REWARDED is better!  From the leadership to the students and parents our community gives 110% at these schools and I could not be prouder!  In this month’s edition of Coffee with Beat, I had the pleasure of connecting with Jessica Swain, Principal of Avalon Elementary School. We covered the school’s engagement with the community, the incredible support from local businesses, and the exciting goals for the upcoming year. Principal Swain’s insights highlight the importance of community involvement in creating an enriching environment for our students.

BK: How does Avalon Elementary School currently engage with the Avalon Park community, and what are some recent examples of successful community partnerships?

Principal Swain: Avalon Elementary School engages with the Avalon Park community in many ways. Many of our Partners in Education are local businesses who make a positive impact on students in our community and at our school. These local businesses partner with us to provide enrichment activities, donate resources and incentives for our Mariners, volunteer during special events, and help our Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) with their programming. We are so blessed by the outpouring of support from everyone in the Avalon Park Community. Our most recent partnership was our spirit night at the Avalon Marketplace. This partnership allowed our Mariners and their families to enjoy a night out at the Marketplace, and the restaurants donated a percentage of their sales that night back to our school. If anyone is interested in partnering with our school, they should reach out to Kelly Bryant or Eryn Vargo, our Partner in Education Co-Coordinators, via email at Kelly.bryant@ocps.net and eryn@orlandomom.com.

BK: How can the Avalon Park community actively participate in helping Avalon Elementary School achieve its goals for 2024?

Principal Swain: Avalon Elementary has so many opportunities for our Avalon Park community to engage with our school to support our goals for the 2024-2025 school year. The easiest way to become involved is to become an OCPS ADDitions volunteer at volunteer.ocps.net. From school beautification projects to after-school clubs to mentoring students, there are many ways through which our community members can share their time and talents to positively impact the lives of our Mariners and our teachers to help us meet our goals.

BK: The Florida Department of Education recently released the 2024 school grades and all of the Avalon Park Schools, including Avalon Elementary, received an A Rating. Could you share what factors have contributed to this success and how you plan to maintain or improve this rating?

Principal Swain: Since Avalon Elementary School opened its doors in August 2001, our motto has been “Yes, I Can!” We encourage our Mariners to work hard and have a growth mindset. This “Yes, I Can!” attitude allows them to break down barriers to learning and grow exponentially each year. Our teachers collaborate with each other and their students’ families daily to ensure they provide a rigorous and differentiated curriculum tailored to each child’s talents. Finally, our families’ and the community’s unwavering support ensure that our Mariners have the tools needed to succeed. We plan to maintain our ‘A’ rating by continuing to engage with our families and the Avalon Park community to ensure our Mariners and their teachers have all the resources they need to have another productive and successful school year.

BK: We have seen some fantastic initiatives from the school that show how you like to think out of the box when it comes to our children’s education, like your sustainable garden and book vending machine. What are some other projects happening at Avalon Elementary that the community might not be aware of?

Principal Swain: We are so proud of our sustainability initiatives and our book vending machine and how our community has embraced these initiatives to ensure we have what we need to continue to make an impact. Our Mariners love learning in our sustainability gardens and earning tokens to get a book from the book vending machine! Our next big project is creating a STEAM Lab. STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics. The vision for our STEAM lab is to create a space that encourages exploration and curiosity while making the learning more meaningful and the curriculum more authentic. STEAM activities help students develop their critical thinking skills and creativity by encouraging them to think outside the box, explore different perspectives, and come up with new ideas. The room will have lab tables and accessible materials so our teachers can focus on facilitating and enjoying the hands-on STEAM activities with their students. We want everything in this space to encourage ingenuity and foster innovation while also encouraging our students to explore careers in the STEAM disciplines.

BK: In addition to the amazing schools, what do you love about Avalon Park?

Principal Swain: My family and I have called Avalon Park home since 2003. My oldest attended all Avalon schools – Avalon Elementary, Avalon Middle, and Timber Creek High, while my youngest currently attends Avalon Elementary. I love everything about Avalon Park. We have a small-town feel that you can’t get anywhere else these days. You also can’t beat the accessibility to great restaurants, grocery stores, healthcare providers, and recreation spaces. Everything is located within walking distance from our home. When we closed on our home, our new keys were hanging from a key chain that read “Avalon Park – Live, Learn, Work & Play”. That always stuck with me. I am definitely an example of our community’s motto. I don’t have to leave the neighborhood because everything I need is right here, and I absolutely love that!

As we transition back into the school year, it’s vital for our community to support and engage with our local schools. Principal Swain’s dedication and the collective effort of the Avalon Park community are truly inspiring. This is just a small snapshot of what is happening in our local schools.  By working together, we can ensure that Avalon Elementary, and all of our amazing schools, continue to thrive and provide an exceptional education for our children. I encourage you to continue to foster a healthy, supportive environment for our schools and maintain the strong sense of community that makes Avalon Park such a special place to live, learn, work, and play.