Avon Grove High School

Avon Grove High School
Avon Grove High School
Address
	10 Waltman Way; West Grove, Chester County, Pennsylvania 19390; United States
Coordinates	39°49′11″N 75°51′40″W / 39.8196736°N 75.8611968°W
Information
Type	Public
Motto	In Pursuit of Excellence
Established	1928
School district	Avon Grove School District
Superintendent	Christopher Marchese
Principal	Christie Snead
Staff	106.25 (FTE)
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	1,747 (2022-2023)
Student to teacher ratio	16.44
Color(s)	Maroon and gold
Mascot	Red Devil
Rival	Oxford High School
Newspaper	The Devil's Herald
Website	School website

Avon Grove High School is a public high school located in southern Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Avon Grove School District.

Avon Grove High School enrolls about ~1,826 students in grades 9-12.^[3]

The school was established in 1928 with Pierre S. du Pont being involved in designing its first building. A newer building was built in 1957, and renovated in the 90's. The old building is being renovated again with plans to become the new Avon Grove School District Middle School.^[4]

New building

In June 2020, construction started on a brand new campus for Avon Grove High School as class occupancy exceeded fifty percent over its maximum.^[5]^[6] By September 2022, the campus located in Jennersville, Pennsylvania was functional enough to allow for the 2022-23 school year.^[7] The estimated cost of the new campus is projected to be $211,849,264.^[8]

Notable alumni

Mike Cessario, founder of Liquid Death^[9]

Toby Leaman, singer and bassist of American rock band, Dr. Dog^[10]

Charles B. Lewis, athlete, Winston-Salem State University.^[11]

Scott McMicken, singer and lead guitarist of American rock band, Dr. Dog^[12]

Dan Torelli, former drummer of American rock band, Medina Lake

Joey Wendle, professional baseball player, New York Mets^[13]

Swatting incident

On October 10, 2023, just before 10:00 a.m., the main office of the Avon Grove High School received a phone call from an unknown number. The caller claimed to be near the school with a gun and that they were going to enter the high school's gym. Immediately, Dr. Christie Snead, the school principal, announced on the PA system that the school was going into lockdown. The Pennsylvania State Police arrived shortly after and began searching the campus. The call was traced to a number in Nebraska that had been used in several other swatting incidents across the country. Due to the cafeteria having many windows, there was a lack of space to provide cover during a lockdown. As such, some students from the cafeteria decided to leave the building and run to the shops at Jennersville as they felt that it would be the safest place. Others found hiding spots in the serving area of the cafeteria. The gym was the most vulnerable area as that was where the intruder claimed to be entering. Throughout the incident, Dr. Snead and Mrs. Penn gave out further instructions and police whereabouts in the building over the intercom and via email. At 10:45 a.m., it was announced that the high school was still in restricted movement to help the police manage the flow of students throughout the building. An announcement was made around this time that they would have an early dismissal and students would be able to use the restroom. At 11:20 a.m., students were dismissed from school, and all after-school activities were canceled.^[14]