This article was written by Finley Torrens Martins who is a sophomore in the U-32 Journalism class. This article was written as part of the “New Faces” series that recognizes new staff members to the U32 Community.
It’s not easy being the subject of an interview while running a PE callback. Jeremy Avoli sat on a stool near the curtain that divides the two gyms. He kept an eye on the kids a few feet away swinging bats, running after balls, and screaming all the while.
This atmosphere is not unknown to Avoli, who is a new PE teacher at U-32. He teaches Lifetime Games in the high school and the usual middle school PE class.
Jeremy puts an emphasis on creating a good atmosphere in his classes. The first weeks were spent setting boundaries between competitiveness and toxicity.
Jeremy enjoys racquet sports. He said they were his favorite to teach and play, so he was having a good time teaching them at the start of the year. “We’ve been doing softball and wiffleball,” he said. “This is my favorite to teach and play, because there’s a lot going on so everybody can be involved.”
Jeremy grew up in Rutland and attended a small K through 12 school. This meant the same kids and teachers were together for over a decade.
A driving factor in his career choice was his childhood PE teacher. “He coached me in a lot of sports, too, as I was coming through middle and high school,” Jeremy said, “ so me and him had a pretty good connection.”
Jeremy Avoli has fond memories of sophomore year basketball. “We won in the semis, we beat Arlington,” he said. “And then we lost in the final to Rochester. But, again, just the whole experience of that, and the community, and my friends, it was something that I definitely will always remember.”
Jeremy has worked with kids at a summer program since college, which also led to him teaching PE. The camp spent days swimming at lakes and participating in basketball and basketball tournaments. “The kids really enjoyed the competitive aspect,” Jeremy said, “but also the camaraderie everybody had.”
