CHARLES WILLIAM DAVISON
Charles William Davison 1935-2025 Chuck (Charlie) Davison lived a full life, as a husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, brother, son, and uncle, as well as friend, coach, teacher, and for many of us in Willits, our beloved Willits High School Principal or Principal at Blosser Lane Elementary. Chuck passed away on January 16, 2025 at St. Helena Hospital at the age of 89 years old. Charles William Davison was born in Berkeley, CA at home on December 20, 1935. He was preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Grace Davison, and brothers, Paul, Daryl, David, sister Carolyn (Janie), and infant son Michael William. He is survived by his loving wife of 68 1/2 years, Arlene (Gow) Davison, daughter Cathy (Rich) Estrada, and son Keith (Michele) Davison. Chuck was blessed with 4 grandsons, Garrett (Brooke), Brett (Rachel), Drew, and Grant Estrada. He was also a great grandfather to Cash, Harper, Savannah, Ariana, and Eve. The Davison family moved to Willits in 1970, when Mr. Davison became the new Willits High School principal. He was a history teacher as well as a football and wrestling coach, and was the principal at the high school in Los Molinos, CA before coming to Willits. Chuck, Arlene, Cathy, and Keith left Chico and headed to Willits. Chuck was a proud Willits Wolverine for 19 years. He was an advocate for a new building for an updated library called the media center, as well as a new building for a brand new cafeteria for the students. Chuck was supportive of athletics, academics, vocational studies such as auto shop, wood shop, and the ag farm. He also was instrumental and supportive of the arts, band, choir, drama, to name a few. Mr. Davison loved Willits High School, and the students loved him. A huge achievement for him was that he never missed a Willits High football game, until his first grandson Garrett was born! In 1988, Chuck became the principal of the newly opened Blosser Lane Elementary School. He enjoyed hiring all new staff and teachers, as well as all the things that come along with opening a new school campus. He loved the little ones at Blosser, and was their principal until 1996 when he retired. Along with his administrative duties, he was also the President of the Coastal Mountain Conference for 22 years, from 1991-2013. CMC is an athletic conference for secondary schools in Mendocino, Lake, Napa, and Sonoma counties. Chuck and Arlene had always loved camping and sailing, so they bought an RV and a sailboat and were excited for an enjoyable retirement. Chuck loved a good adventure, whether it was with the RV Club, the sailboat regattas, hiking the railroad tracks from Willits to Ft. Bragg, traveling in the states, or abroad. For 20 years they hosted 35 exchange students from all around the world. Chuck was active in the community throughout the years as the Rotary Club president, and a member of the HAM radio club. His hobbies included camping with the RV group, woodworking, for a long time he loved working out. In the past several years Chuck has loved his 4 rescue dogs, Fifi, Rylie, Mikey, and Lacy. Chuck will be missed by his family and friends, but his legacy of “best principal ever” will continue. A Celebration of Life for Chuck will be held on Saturday, March 1st from 11:00 to 2:00 pm. Please join us at the Willits Senior Center for a service and lunch reception to follow.
AV UNIFIED NEWS
Dear Anderson Valley Community,
It’s March! It has been nice to see the sun out over the past few days. We are excited to be getting glimpses of Spring. As a reminder, this week, March 3-7, will be Minimum School Days for the purpose of parent/teacher conferences and PLPs.
I strongly encourage parents to attend this week’s conferences, as research consistently demonstrates the positive impact of family involvement on student achievement. A study from the Harvard Family Research Project found that students whose parents are engaged with the school are 40% more likely to graduate.
To maximize the effectiveness of these meetings, parents should come prepared by reviewing their child’s recent assignments, grades, and test scores. It’s also helpful to write down any specific questions or concerns regarding your child's academic progress, social development, and classroom behavior. We look forward to working together to support your child in achieving academic success and their dreams!
Fire Department / AVUSD Training & Fun!
It was a pleasure to visit the fire department and to be a part of their monthly training. On Tuesday, AVUSD administrators were invited to eat dinner at the fire department and to talk with their volunteer personnel about our comprehensive safety plans. We also learned about their procedures for supporting the schools if there is an emergency. Afterwards, the firefighters and other emergency personnel came to the schools to become more familiar with our facilities. We are thrilled to be working collaboratively with the fire department.
Thank you to Chief Avila, Lt. Angela DeWitt, and their team, as well as Mr. McNerney and Mr. Ramalia, who stayed past 9:00 p.m. to accompany the fire department team on their tour of the school and its facilities.
Additionally, the fire department will be engaging in a spirited game of Donkey Basketball against our FFA team soon (see below). In all my years as an educator, I have never had a fire department so interested in working so closely with school staff. We are so fortunate!
Donkey Basketball - Don't Miss It!!
Donkey Basketball Tickets are on sale now! This promises to be a good time for all!
AV FFA vs the AV Fire Dept! (Benefits AV FFA)
March 11, 2025 t 6:30 pm
Anderson Valley High School Gym
See Ms. Swehla at (707) 895-3496
Adults - $13 or $15 at the gate
Students 7th to 12th grade $10 or $12 at the gate
Children K to 6th grade $7 or $9 at the gate
Pajamas and Pozole at AVES
Wednesday, March 12th at 5:30 p.m. at AVES
Join us for a fun family night of pajamas, pozole, and literacy activities.
See the attached flier!
Summer School Planning Has Begun!
Summer School will be June 23-July 22
8:30-12:30 / ASP 12:30-5:30
Transportation provided (bus leaves for the day at 3:00 p.m.)
AVES will provide activities including sports, crafts, science, art, and field trips. AVES Summer School flier
AV Jr High will provide fun learning activities
Sr High School provide credit recovery opportunities
We Value ALL Our Families: Immigration Support and Updates
Please find links to additional information for families below:
Mendocino County Office of Education: Immigration Resource Page
Immigration and California Families: State Immigration Website
National Immigration Law Center: “Know Your Rights” (English | Spanish | Additional Languages)
If you would like to be more involved at school, please contact your school’s principal, Mr. Ramalia at AVES or Mr. McNerney at AV Jr/Sr High, or our district superintendent, Kristin Larson Balliet. We are deeply grateful for our AVUSD families.
With respect,
Kristin Larson Balliet
Superintendent
Anderson Valley Unified School District
klarson@avpanthers.org
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