Nestled among Cotswold-inspired architecture on 860 acres in the Farmington Valley, Avon Old Farms — the best boy boarding school in Connecticut — stands as the leader in preparing young men for higher education. The school’s founder, Theodate Pope Riddle, was one of America’s first, successful, female architects, and she serves as the cornerstone of our school’s motto, Aspirando et Perseverando — To Aspire and to Persevere. Mrs. Riddle’s fortitude and vision in 1927 created the groundwork for an institution that challenges boys in the pursuit of knowledge and self-improvement. Throughout this process, students find unwavering support and create fraternal bonds that will last a lifetime.

When the Avon Old Farms Hockey Program decided its facilities were due for a renovation, new lighting became a top priority. Their existing T6 fluorescent fixtures which required frequent bulb changes would need to be replaced with something that required less maintenance, and provided the required lumen output their players needed to be successful athletes. Avon Old Farms was also in search of a solution that was capable of withstanding a direct hit from a hockey puck traveling upwards of 80mph, and yet provide a clean aesthetic for the prestigious school’s arena. This growing list of specific needs meant that Aon Old Farms would require a custom lighting solution unique to their facility.

Manufacturer’s representative Apex Lighting Solutions presented the Avon Old Farms School with a unique custom lighting solution using 3 different wattages of the EverLast Lighting Legend Series high bay, all of which featured a wire guard system in place to protect the 22” acrylic reflector and LED chips from errant pucks. The building’s pitched roof design allowed for staggered wattages to be used along the slope with 100w units used closest to the ground, and at the peak 240w units. This provided an extremely uniform foot candle reading in all areas of the facility, thus eliminating any shadowing or low-lumen areas that could affect player performance. Rounding out Avon’s requirement was the EverLast 10yr, No Red Tape Warranty on all of the fixtures. This provided Avon with the level of confidence needed to sign off on using the EverLast Legend Series high bays in their award-winning facilities.

The completed lighting project gave the Avon hockey team an unparalleled on-ice experience thanks to the near doubling of foot candles, and even lighting distribution provided by the staggered wattage installation scheme. The increased quality of light is seen as a benefit to not only the players but to those attending the games as well. The maintenance-free nature of the HL15D promises to free up maintenance crews to focus on other matters and reduce downtime on the ice due to bulb replacement schedules.