Monthly Archives: December 2012

Lyme School Recognized as “School of Distinction by State Dept. of Education

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Region 18 Superintendent Ian Neviaser has announced that the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) recently published school lists as defined in the State’s Elementary and Secondary Education Act flexibility request (or waiver).

These lists include Turnaround, Review and Focus Schools as well as Schools of Distinction.

Neviaser said he was “proud to say,” that Lyme Consolidated School was recognized as a School of Distinction in the ‘Highest Overall Performance’ category. Schools identified as ‘Highest Overall Performance’ have School Performance Indexes (SPI) greater than the state’s “all students” target of 88 and are performing within the top 10 percent of schools across the state.

Neviaser commented, “An honor such as this is the result of a dedicated, caring, and hardworking staff who is willing to do everything in their power to ensure the success of all of their students,” adding that Lyme Consolidated had, “… proven [it was] truly one of the best.”

LOL High School, Middle School Announce First Quarter Honor Roll

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Lyme-Old Lyme High School Quarter 1 Honor Roll 2012-13

High Honors

Grade 12:

Erik Abrahamsson, Vincent Angeli, Maria Awwa, Jackson Bennett, Alex Brault, Amanda Burke, Devin Byrne, Nathan Carabello, Patricia Celone, Madalyn Cika, Lauren Colburn, Samantha Constantinou, Agatha Forstein, Andrew Ganey, Michelle Gao, Richard Gaudet, Lily Hartmann, Hunter Holmes, Najee Keller, Lindsey Knepshield, Jennifer Kowalski, Molly Labriola, Veronica Lee, George Logan, Tanya Malik, Carly Mangs, Michael Mann, Kathryn Mastrianna, Isabelle McKeon, Lucky McLaren, Elliott Mueller, Meghan Nosal, Aidan O’Donnell, Paige Palenski, Andrew Pitman, Samuel Sweitzer, Sarah Talcott, Xinyue Tan, Taylor Teixeira, Brooke Tinnerello, Andrew Tyrol, Amber Vernacatola, Spencer Ward

Grade 11:

Benjamin Abraham, Fiona Barrett, Eric Behringer, Hannah Behringer, Taylor Bourne, Meredith Britton, Kristina Cain, Daniel Chapman, Mercedes Crespo, Emily Czarnecki, Jennifer Dill, John Fairfield-Sonn, Paige Flagge, Isabelle Foster, John Freer, Trent Garbati, Madalyn Gibson-Williams, Madelyne Grabowski, Olivia Hack, Kaetlin Kolar, Emily Kramm, Joshua Krasney, Jessica Lee, Nicholas McKnight, Robert Melchreit, Morgan Merrick, Jeffrey Paine, Dimitri Papasian, Amy Qian, Graham Richartz, Isabel Ritrovato, Elizabeth Scott, William Sherer, Alexis Sibley, Meghan Trausch, Christian Valli, Jacob Watts-St.Germain, Lisa Weigle, Kaylyn Wiese, Laura Yee

Grade 10:

Zachary Abrahamsson, Meredith Aird, Olivia Angeli, Jacob Ballachino, Anais Bolduc, Jordan Bourne, Noel Brown, Brian Buttrick, Max Castonguay, Abigail Cipparone, Hugh Cipparone, Alex Clippinger, Liam Corrigan, Thomas Crisp, Alida Dahlke, Carlo Di James, Jacob Fenton, Holly Fiscus, Rande Gearing, Ross Golebiewski, Rowan Hallahan, Tess Hamilton-Ward, Ian James, Cooper Kotzan, Mae Lucey, Hannah O’Brien, Kristiana Olson, Eric Pan, Hannah Paynter, Veronica Rollins, Thomas Roth, Emma Rountree, Kathleen Stedman, Julia Strycharz, Salvatore Tinnerello, Isaak Todd, Thomas Ward, Hannah Wilczewski, Samuel Winter

Grade 9:

Gabriel Barclay, Alexander Bellas, Honor Clements Wanless, Megan Cushman, Evan Deng, Kathryn Fanelli, Jason Feng, Ethan Fenton, Silja Forstein, Peter Fuchs, Theresa Hall, Brett Hartmann, Ryan Harty, Henry Hunt, Ford Klier, Alexis Kolar, James Kolb, Luke Konishesky, Samantha Lee, Bilal Malik, Allison Marsh, Caroline Montanaro, Maegan Moriarty, Colleen Mueller, Austin Pilgrim, Jared Roche, Sophia Romeo, Taylor Rumm, Callum Sawden, Colby Swope, Matthew Watts-St.Germain, Imogene Welles, Hattie Wilczewski, Megan Williams, Kassandra Wolfe, Haley Woodford

Honors

Grade 12:

Gunnar Abrahamsson, Blaise Berglund, Lilly Birk, Olivia Borsari, Michael Bray, Paul Burdick, Dylan Burton, Keegan Fecher, Gregory Garrison, Anthony Goncalves, Slater Gregory, Frederick Harrison, Matthew Harty, Audra Inglis, Cara Lucey, Georgia Male, Mercedes Mercado, Anne Meyer, Shawn Pelissier, Taylor Saunders, Lindsey Scott, Crow Sheehan, Arielle Sherman-Golembeski, Audrey Spina, Arin Thomas, Morgan White

Grade 11:

Megan Astley, Philip Cohen, Aidan Cotter-Garfield, Jeffrey Davis, Hanna DeBruyn, Jackson Driscoll, Jenna Duxbury, Chelsea Evankow, Russell Faircloth, William Fogle, Matthew Freitag, Abigail Guitar, Collyn Herel, Samuel Holcombe, Cooper Kendall, Sarah Konishesky, Hannah Lacey, Brianna Landry, Kelly Mastrianna, Gavin McCarthy, Kyle O’Neil, David Peck, Ella Pilgrim, Kaleigh Reynolds, Kaylin Riggs, Seth Rohrberg, Lauren Romeo, Michael Rouillard, Machlan Sawden, Alison Scott, Emma Stanton, Sierra Sunshine, Cole Turner, Brian Wolfe

Grade 10:

Alexa Agostine, Brendan Basler, John Berger, Megan Burns, Megan Cole, Claire Detels, Mary Devlin, Harry Godfrey-Fogg, Luke Grabowski, Brandon Green, Zachary Harrison, Kyle Harvill, Katelyn Judy, Joseph Klimaszewski, Colin McGrath, John Pettersen, Catherine Quaratella, Daniel Rockwell, Hunter Sheffield, Haley Shettles, Colby Smith, Joshua Swanski, Matthew Urbowicz, Isobel Wilkie

Grade 9:

Nathan Abraham, Victoria Azoulay, Zachary Barbato, Emily Brault, David Brown, Ryan Cornelius, Davis Cornett, Caroline Cox, Melissa Cruz, Charles Dahlke, William Ferguson, Christina Kosecki, Campbell Mann, Zachary McGrath, Hannah Patten, Cooper St.Germain, Sloane Sweitzer, Kyra Teixeira, Brendan White, Andrew Willard

Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School Q1 Honor Roll 2012-13

High Honors

Grade 8:

Graham Aird, Spencer Avery, Grace Basler, Margaret Berger, Sophie Christiano, Adam Czarnecki, Maria Donato, Alexandra Duddy, Cole Dushin, Sophie Edson, Hunter Friel, Ion Gordon, Alexandra Gourlay, Rachel Hayward, Hayden Hendrik, Emma Hoyt, Lily Iannitti, Matthew Kane, Callie Kotzan, Daniel Marinelli, Kylie McCarthy, Matthew McCarthy, Megan McCarthy, Julia Morrison, Caleigh O’Neil, Jacob Olson, Dean Palenski, Lauren Quaratella, Olivia Reneson, Caeli Rice, Camron Roberts, Natalie Rugg, Marissa Smith, Noelle Stanland, Abigail Stone, Mackenzie Swaney, Sara Urbowicz, Sophie Warlitz, Laura Wayland, Cheyenne Welsh, Brendan Wright, Jeffrey Zhang

Grade 7:

Kiley Almy, Jonathan Balocca, Brittney Barbato, Una Barrett, Samantha Barretta, Alexandra Batts, Breanna Bohle, Cara Cahill, Charlotte Carmody, Erin Cornelius, Brendan Cowee, Matthew Crisp, Anna Donato, Curtis Evers, Marcus Freitag, Samuel Fuchs, Jace Funaro, Audrey Gavin, Michaela Giannotti, Morgan Greenho, Quinn Hartmann, Matthew Henderson, Gillian Holloway, Sarah Huang, Keelin Hurtt, Liam Johnston, Tasha Joshy, Edward Kaftan, Bianka Kern, Lauren King, Cora Koproski, Jordan Lewis, Amanda Marsh, Alec Maskell, Lauren Mitchell, Patricia Moriarty, Lindsey Noniewicz, Shannon Nosal, Judson O’Brien, Madeline Ouellette, Emma Paynter, Emma Pennie, Katherine Pettersen, Julia Ritchie, Tabatha Rubitski, Olivia Scott, Caroline Sirna, Emma Sked, Julia Smith, Gabriel Stephens-Zumbaum, Alexandra Sulmasy, Felicia Sutton, Mason Swaney, Tanner Thompson, Bianca Tinnerello, Marieke Warlitz, Caroline Wholean, Ellie Wiese, Lauren Williams, Abigail Zelmanow, Madeline Zrenda

Grade 6:

Teresa Allan, Grace Ames, Kathryn Atkinson, Catherine Battalino, Lauren Birk, Casey Blue, Mackenzie Blue, Claire Britton, Paige Britton, Hailey Castro, Liam Clark, Ann Cote, Lily Cox, Noah Crolius, Britney DeRoehn, Nancy Firgelewski, Zachary Gidius, Grace Gilbert, Taylor Gray, Emily Grenier, Kylie Hall, Colin Hallahan, Sarah Hayward, Dylan Hettick-Harlow, Kate Hickie, Liam Holloway, Aoife Hufford, Mya Johnson, Katherine Koehne, Sophie Kyle, Henry Lahm, Patrick Looney, Peter Macadam, Hollis Mann, John Manthous, Danielle McCarthy, Brynn McGlinchey, Hannah Morrison, Nicholas Myers, Emily O’Brien, Jacob Olsen, Thomas Pennie, Katherine Reid, Julia Reynolds, Jenny Ritchie, Quinn Romeo, Nicholas Roth, Noah Rumm, Kellie Sablone, Caroline Sagristano, Kyle Signora, Morgan Slusarz, Eli St.Germain, Griffin Standish, Parker Stone, Carson Swope, Adam Syed, Emily Tan, Jacob Tuck, Caroline Wallace, Amelia White

Honors

Grade 8:

Shelby Bussolotti, Daniel Cole, Sydney Cowell, Chloe Davis, Alexander Edwards, Olivia Ellis, Porter Girty, Faith Hatheway, Benjamin Jackson, Francesca Melluzzo, Anna Mesham, Kiran Nadkarni, Daniel Reid, William Roberts, Lauren Schillawski, Skyelar Shaw, Ryan Shusta

Grade 7:

Garrett Caulkins, Natalie Golden, Aiden Grayson, Ethan Harris, Luke Hoffman, Mikela Jacobson, Ronald Losacano, Heather McGrath, Christopher Munger, Alexander Swanski, Hunter Thornton, Hannah Wisner

Grade 6:

Kendall Antoniac, Madison Babcock, Gary Bocian, John Coughlin, Thomas Creagan, Britney Detuzzi, Corey Drummond, Marlena Elmoznino, Andrea Kathe, Ciara Klimaszewski, Michael Kolesnik, Joshua Liefeld, Giovanni Martinez, Lilah McAndrew, Leah Neithamer, Sydney Ogden, Caitlin Restrepo, Madalyn Richardson, Alexander Riggs, James Rollins, Sadie Rubitski, Olivia Rugg, Maxwell Sielbeck, Sean Slusarz, Neil Smith, Sean Spina, Melia Tyrol

Op-Ed: The River Fix for Fatal Attraction

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The beleaguered American Shad.

The beleaguered American Shad.

With a salmon hatchery program no longer clouding issues, the US Fish & Wildlife Service (US F&WS), National Marine Fisheries Service, and directors from Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire have a singular opportunity to redeem the Connecticut River restoration.

They’re currently making choices for restoring migratory fish north to Bellows Falls, Vt., begun under the 45 year-old New England Cooperative Fisheries Compact. The decisions stem from the 1965 Anadromous Fish Conservation Act. They’ll seal this ecosystem’s fate at four federally-licensed dams and the Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage Station until 2058.

US F&WS’s Region 5 Director Wendi Weber, John Warner, and Ken Sprankle will join National Marine Fisheries’ Daniel Morris, Julie Crocker, and Mass. Fish & Wildlife’s Caleb Slater in making the decisions—with input from state directors. Their 1967 mandate is restoration of shad and herring runs to offer the public “high quality sport fishing opportunities” and provide “for the long-term needs of the population for seafood.”

Sadly, in 1980 their predecessors abandoned two miles of the Connecticut to the power company operating at Turners Falls and Northfield Mountain. By allowing privatization of the river at mile 120, they killed chances of passage success for millions of American shad barred from spawning at Greenfield, Gill and Northfield, Mass., right to the foot of Bellows Falls at Walpole, N.H. at mile 172. Unwittingly, they also continued the decimation of the ancient spawning grounds of the river’s last, 300, viable federally-endangered shortnose sturgeon.

Instead of mandating river flows and a direct route upstream to a lift at the dam, they acquiesced to diverting migrants into a power canal. That Rube Goldberg–a three-trick knot of currents and ladders, proved an utter failure to the hundreds of thousands of shad moving upstream annually through elevators at Holyoke Dam. There, via a lift built in 1955, 380,000 American shad streamed north in 1980. It’s the East Coast’s most successful fish passage; it by-passes the city’s canals.

Half or more of those shad swam upstream; but foundered in the treacherous Turners Falls complex. At the dam, just as today, some depleted their energies by treading water for weeks—washed back and forth by a power company’s deluge-and-trickle releases, finding no elevator or upstream entrance. Many eventually turned back, only to be tempted by spill from their power canal.

Fish unlucky enough to ascend the ladder there found a desperate compromise. Over 90% wouldn’t exit alive. Just as today, alien habitat and extreme turbulence overwhelmed them. Only 1-in-100 emerged upstream. For the rest, a turnaround spelled almost certain death in turbines. Others lingered for weeks in an alien canal environment, until they expired. Just as today.

This year over 490,000 shad passed Holyoke. Half or more attempted to pass Turners Falls. Just 26,000, or 1-in-10, swam beyond the dam–a percentage consistently reached in the 1980s. This is described as “success” by US Geological Survey Conte Lab scientists, Dr. Alex Haro and Dr. Ted Castro-Santos, after 14 seasons of canal study. In work garnering annual power company subsidies, they’ve attempted to model that canal is a viable migration path.

I interviewed Dr. Haro in 2007, subsequent to a 1999-2005 study finding shad passage at Turners Falls had plummeted to “one percent or less” directly on the heals of Massachusetts 1999 energy deregulation for the Northfield Mountain-Turners Falls’ complex. I asked why passage had failed there, “I wouldn’t call it failure,” Haro replied.

Fish passage saw no significant rebound until 2010, when the effects of GDF-Suez’s Northfield Mountain plant were stopped cold for 6 months—sanctioned by the EPA for massive silt dumping. Likewise, Dr. Castro-Santos’s claims to passage of one-in-10 fish as progress seem deeply troubling when his findings, after 14 years, are just now revealing shad dying “in droves” in that canal, “We don’t know why.”

In 1865, James Hooper, aged 86, of Walpole, N.H. reported: (from The Historical Society of Cheshire County (NH)“The area just below Bellows Falls was a famous place for catching shad because they gathered there but did not go up over the falls. The fish were caught with scoop nets. One spring Hooper helped to haul out 1300 shad and 20 salmon with one pull of the net.”

Citizens upstream of the 1798 Turners Falls Dam need not accept the dead shad runs and severed ocean-ecosystem of the last 214 years at a dam operated to cull price-spikes from the electricity “spot market.” An 1872 US Supreme Court decision against owners of Holyoke Dam mandates passage of the public’s fish.

Nor do citizens from Old Saybrook, Conn., to Bellows Falls have to accept endangered sturgeon, a lethal canal, and a dead river at mile 120. After 32 years of fatal attraction at Turners Falls, its time to stop steering fish into a canal death trap. Holyoke proves that’s possible.

Editor’s Note: Karl Meyer lives in Greenfield, Mass. He is a member of the Society of Environmental Journalists.

Death of Former Old Lyme Citizen of the Year Announced

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Howard C. Losea, a Civic-Minded Gentleman

Howard C. Losea, a Civic-Minded Gentleman

Howard Losea, pictured above, died peacefully with family at his side Dec. 8 at the Holyoke Soldiers Home in Holyoke, Mass..

Born in Queens NY on April 17, 1924, Howard was the only child of Charles Henry Losea and Emma De Garmo Losea. During his childhood he shared his parents and home with two foster children, Marion and Bill. Howard attended schools in Valley Stream on Long Island and was active in Boy Scouting. He graduated from Valley Stream Central High School.

Howard enlisted in the Coast Guard, rising to the rank of Motorman Machinest Mate, 2nd Class. His assignments included serving on a picket boat on the Ohio River and transporting the USS Duvall from the city where it had been built on the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico to join the war effort. He also served on the Coast Guard Cutter Boutwell, patrolling the Delta area near New Orleans LA. Howard was honorably discharged in 1945

Howard married Anne Linskey, his high school sweetheart, and settled down on Long Island to raise a family. He took courses at C.W. Post College and graduated from Pace College. Howard worked for the Wall Rope Company, located on the site where the World Trade Center waseventually built. After years of commuting into the city by train, he moved his family to Connecticut. He joined the Brownell Company, a
small manufacturer of synthetic twine, as General Sales Manager. He retired from Brownell as President in 1983.

During and after his career Howard was generous with his personal time, volunteering for many organizations. He was active with the local fire department, both as a young man and later after retirement. He was a member and president of the boards of the Old Lyme Visiting Nurse Association and the Old Lyme Chamber of Commerce. As a member of the board of the Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library in Old Lyme, he oversaw a major building project at the library. He served many weekend hours with the Old Lyme Marine Patrol and was a member of the U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. A long time member of the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme, he served as Chairman of the Property Committee, Chairman of the Standing Committee, and was elected to the position of Deacon Emeritus. Howard was a member and Chairman of the Old Lyme Planning Commission and the Volunteer Fair Committee. In 1991 he was recognized by the Board of Selectmen as Citizen of the Year.

In later years, after settling in the Northampton, Mass., area to be near his daughter, he volunteered at the Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary and served on the board of the Lathrop Community. Howard was ever willing to help others in small ways and contributed financially to many causes. Howard and Anne were members of Edwards Church in Northampton.

Howard took care of his wife Anne as her health deteriorated and after 64 years of marriage, she passed away in 2009. Howard is survived by his son Richard Losea, his wife Pat Losea and their son Thomas in Chesapeake, Va.; his son Steven Losea in Phoenix, Ariz.; and his daughter Diane Roeder and her husband Bill in Florence, Mass., and their daughter Amanda Roeder in Salem, Mass.

Howard’s life will be celebrated in a memorial service at 2 p.m., Dec. 22, at Edwards Church in Northampton.

In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to Edwards Church Music Fund or the Holyoke Soldiers Home.

Old Lyme Builder Wins Prestigious HOBI Award

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Award-winning_cape_500

Sapia Builders of Old Lyme was recently awarded the 2012 Home Building Industry (HOBI) Award for Best Residential Remodel in the state of Connecticut in the $100k – $250k category for their 1954 Cape Renovation at 62, Ncek Rd. in Old Lyme (see photo above.)

The HOBI Awards represent the state’s most prestigious housing industry program, recognizing excellence in new construction, land development, remodeling, sales and marketing, and home financing.

Sapia Builders’ Cape Renovation project in Old Lyme demonstrates key elements in design, detail, construction quality, and material choices, which make it a unique and striking residence that fits perfectly into the surrounding area and architectural style of the Connecticut Shoreline. The project was self-designed by company owner, Nick Sapia, and built within a timeframe of approximately seven months.

Project highlights include the expansion of a 1954 cape style home from 1,400 s.f. to approximately 3,000 s.f., with 4 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, formal living room, family room, dining room, office, a cathedral eat-in country kitchen, master bedroom roof deck, and a two-car attached barn style garage with future expansion space above.

Key products used on the project include James Hardie siding, Azek cellular PVC trim, Andersen windows, Lemieux doors, Cambria and butcherblock countertops, Huber Zip System wall and roof sheathing, A&B moldings, and more.

“Winning a HOBI Award means everything to us. It’s a sign that we’re still moving forward in a tough time for housing and construction. It’s one thing to build a house, but it’s another to build an award winning one and I’ll forever be grateful I can now say that. My sincere appreciation goes out to the Home Builders and Remodelers Association of Connecticut for bestowing us with this honor” says owner Nick Sapia.

Sapia Builders offers nearly 60 years of experience in the home building, remodeling, construction, and general contracting industry. It is a third generation business, with a focus on providing high end and unique homes to clients throughout the area. The company prides itself on delivering original, masterful homes and one of a kind renovations that represent both the highest quality and craftsmanship in the area.

For additional information, visit Sapia Builders’ website at www.sapiacorp.com or email Nick Sapia at nsapia@sapiacorp.com