Although Peter Bronzi spent most of his elementary and high school years at the Avalon School, the three years he left to attend public school from seventh to ninth grade actually gave him the greatest appreciation he could ever imagine for the all-boys Catholic K-12 school in Wheaton.
In an email interview, Bronzi reflected on his education, his strong faith formation, the lively community and the brotherhood of friendships he found at Avalon.
“I love Avalon! I haven’t found a community like it anywhere else I’ve looked! The boys I’ve made friends with over the years have been indispensable to my intellectual and spiritual formation,” Bronzi wrote. “I’ve been taught things that actually matter to life outside of school. I’m not talking about stuff like how to do your taxes or how to build a resume, I mean that we’ve learned what beauty really is, how to be a man, and why life is really worth living… I would not be the man I am today without Avalon.”
Avalon School, founded in 2003, is steeped in the subjects and culture of a classical liberal arts education, with an emphasis on history, poetry, Latin and literature. The school’s motto, Duc in Altum (“Put out into the deep”), is taken from Saint John Paul II’s apostolic letter “Novo Millennio Ineunte.”
Bronzi writes that his favorite classes were theology, philosophy, English and especially art, where he learned how to draw, shade and utilize color through different mediums. “We learned what true beauty and real art are, and how to appreciate both more fully,” Bronzi wrote.
Of his teachers at Avalon, Bronzi wrote that he greatly admires them, singling out Kevin Davern, Avalon’s headmaster, who teaches apologetics. “He is able to clearly, concisely, and simply unveil the mysteries of the faith, and his passion for teaching is always on display,” he wrote. “He has answers for everything. He is like a father in and out of the classroom.” Bronzi also wrote that the opportunity at Avalon to attend daily Mass, Adoration and recite the rosary fortified his Catholic faith.
Raised in Frederick, Maryland, Bronzi, 18, is the second oldest of eight children (seven living) of Matt, a longtime Avalon teacher, and Margaret Bronzi. His baby sister, Regina Marigold, passed away at the age of four months in September 2023. The Bronzi family attends St. John the Evangelist Church in Frederick.
This past fall, Bronzi ran for Avalon’s cross country team. He also participated in the German club and is an altar server at his parish.
Following his May 23rd Avalon graduation, Bronzi writes that he’s looking forward to the next chapter of his education and his life. He has been accepted as a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Baltimore and will attend the Saint John Paul II Seminary in Washington, where he will pursue a bachelor’s degree in philosophy at The Catholic University of America.
“I am going to miss my friends, teachers, and the entire Avalon community,” Bronzi said. “Avalon has been such a huge part of my life, from my early years as well as in converting me back to the faith after I transferred back from public school. I am hopeful that wherever I go will have at least a touch of what Avalon has had... The bar has been set really high.”
