Monthly Archives: January 2016

Country School Offers $10,000 Merit Scholarship

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open_house_january_2016In celebration of The Country School’s 60th Anniversary, the school’s Board of Trustees is providing a $10,000 merit scholarship to a student applying for admission to Grades 4-8 for the fall of 2016. Additional scholarships will be offered to students entering those grades based on applicants’ qualifications and/or need. Founded in 1955, The Country School is celebrating its 60th anniversary during the 2015-2016 school year.

This will be the second 60th Anniversary Merit Scholarship awarded in honor of The Country School’s founding six decades ago. Eloise de Landevoisin Campbell, currently an 8th Grader from Lyme, was awarded the 60th Anniversary Merit Scholarship for the 2015-2016 school year. In addition, other students received partial scholarships after applying for the merit scholarship.

Head of School John Fixx will share information about the 60th Anniversary Scholarship program on Sunday, Jan. 31, at 12:30 p.m. in conjunction with the school’s Winter Open House (taking place from 1-3:30 p.m.). While students sit for the Merit Scholarship test, parents will have the opportunity to tour campus and speak directly with faculty members, current parents, and administrators.

To learn more and register, go to http://www.thecountryschool.org/admission/60th-anniversary-merit-scholarship.

The recipient of the $10,000 Merit Scholarship will be selected on the basis of academic merit and personal promise as demonstrated by the merit scholarship testing, school records, and an interview. Finalists will be asked to write an essay describing how a Country School education might benefit them and will be invited to spend a day on campus. The scholarship recipient will be notified in early March.

On Sunday, Jan. 31, visitors will learn about the academic program and the wide academic, artistic, athletic, and leadership opportunities on campus. They will also learn about The Country School’s six decades-long history of preparing graduates for the strongest independent secondary schools and high school honors programs in the area and throughout New England. Families will receive the impressive list of where Country School graduates attend college and hear how the Secondary School Placement Office assists families in attracting similar scholarship support for secondary school.

Students will sit for the Merit Scholarship test and experience hands-on learning and design challenges similar to those current students experience on a regular basis. They will also explore the campus and meet teachers and students.

The 60th Anniversary Scholarship is for a new student and is renewed each year that the student is enrolled at The Country School, provided the recipient stays in strong academic standing and consistently demonstrates good citizenship. It is The Country School’s expectation that merit scholarship recipients will contribute significantly to the life of the School, creating a stronger overall experience for all students.

The Country School is a coeducational, independent day school serving 200 students in PreSchool through Grade 8, ages 3-14, on its 23-acre campus in Madison. This year, also in honor of the school’s 60th anniversary, the campus is undergoing a major transformation, with new athletic fields, tennis courts, and playground areas being installed. Future enhancements will affect classroom buildings, campus infrastructure, and outdoor common spaces.

For more information, contact Pam Glasser, Director of Admission and Curriculum, at 203-421-3113, ext. 122, or pam.glasser@thecountryschool.org.

For further information, visit www.thecountryschool.org.

Essex Winter Series Continues with Jeff Barnhart And His Hot Rhythm, Feb. 21

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Jeff Barnhart

Jeff Barnhart

The 2016 Essex Winter Series (EWS) continues Sunday, Feb. 21, at Valley Regional High School at 3 p.m. with the Stu Ingersoll Jazz Concert featuring Jeff Barnhart and His Hot Rhythm.

The 2016 EWS season, which has been designed by Executive Director Mihae Lee for its quality and variety, promises to be an exciting one, with three very different programs all by world-class artists. Enjoy great chamber music, hot jazz, expressive vocal music, and the thrill of a full orchestra.

All of the concerts are on Sunday afternoons at 3 p.m. in Deep River. Concerts take place at Valley Regional High School, with the exception of the March 6 concert, which will be presented at John Winthrop Middle School. The schedule is as follows:

Feb. 21: Stu Ingersoll Jazz Concert
Jeff Barnhart and His Hot Rhythm
Valley Regional High School

Jeff Barnhart, our jazz artistic advisor, has thrilled EWS audiences for years with his performances of hot jazz. The renowned pianist, vocalist, arranger, bandleader, re­cording artist, composer, educator, and entertainer will perform seminal jazz and pop standards from the first half of the 20th century with a top-notch band: Scott Philbrick on trumpet, banjo, and guitar; Joe Midiri on reeds; Paul Midiri on vibes and trombone; Anne Barnharton flute and vocals; Vince Giordano on bass, tuba, and bass sax; and Jim Lawlor on drums. Co-sponsored by The Clark Group and Tower Laboratories

March 6: Patricia Schuman, soprano
John Winthrop Middle School

We are delighted to welcome back to our stage the internationally-celebrated soprano Patricia Schuman. Her program, “Winter Romance,” will feature songs of love and loss as well as lighter fare from the great Amer­ican songbook and musical theater. She will be joined by harpist Megan Sesma, pianist Douglas Dickson, and a special surprise guest artist. Ms. Schuman has been engaged by the most distinguished opera houses throughout the world, and has collaborated with many of the foremost conductors and directors of our time. Co-sponsored by Essex Savings Bank and an anonymous foundation

April 3: Fenton Brown Emerging Artists Concert
New Haven Symphony Orchestra with violinist Tessa Lark
Valley Regional High School

Now in its 121st year of continuous operation, the New Haven Symphony Orchestra is one of the country’s finest regional orchestras. Returning to our series, the orchestra under music director William Boughton will perform Mozart’s Overture to The Marriage of Figaro, Haydn’s “London” Symphony, and Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, featuring our 2016 Emerging Artist, Tessa Lark. Lark won the prestigious Naumburg International Violin Award in 2012, and is one of today’s most sought-after young violinists. Co-sponsored by Guilford Savings Bank and an anonymous foundation

All tickets to Essex Winter Series concerts are general admission. Individual tickets are $35; four-concert subscriptions are $120, which represents a $20 saving over the single-ticket price for four concerts. Tickets may be purchased on the EWS website, www.essexwinterseries.com, or by calling 860-272-4572.

More program information, artist biographies and photos, and much more is available on the Essex Winter Series web site, www.essexwinterseries.com.

Thanks to Recent Donations, Lyme Ambulance Association Purchases Latest Stretcher Technology

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The new stretcher system recently purchased by Lyme Ambulance Association.

A demonstration of the new stretcher system recently purchased by Lyme Ambulance Association.

The Lyme Ambulance Association (LAA) announced last week that they have recently purchased and placed into service the latest in stretcher technology, the Stryker Power Pro stretcher and the Stryker Power Load system.

This technology has been installed in both ambulances and will allow the ambulance crews to safely load and unload patients without the lifting required by the old manual stretchers. These stretchers are the most widely used stretchers in the United States because of the way they reduce injury to ambulance crews and provide for moving patients safely.

The new stretcher system facilitates moving a patient into an ambulance.

The new stretcher system facilitates moving a patient into an ambulance.

The LAA an independent organization, which depends on a yearly mailing and donations for its operating funds and does not receive any funds from the town, was unable to afford this purchase until recently.

Thanks to a large donation from the estate of Trudy Emerson, a lifelong resident of Lyme, and a recent donation from Lyme resident Sandy Mulligan that covered the entire cost of one of the stretchers and the loading system, the LAA was able finally to purchase this technology.

Without community support such as this, the LAA would be unable to continue as it has in the past and would probably become an expensive line item on the town budget.

The LAA is one of the last ambulance associations in the state of Connecticut that does not charge a fee for its services and whose staff is entirely volunteer.

The LAA hopes that this new addition to its equipment will help attract new volunteers to staff the ambulances. Attracting and retaining volunteers is a continuing process and a major challenge to the organization.

The LAA states that unless it can maintain staff, it will be unable to continue to  provide its current services.  For more information about Lyme Ambulance Association or if you are interested in volunteering for and/or donating to the Association, visit their website

Essex Wellness Center Offers Free ‘Live Well’ Lecture Series; Final Presentation, Saturday

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Essex Wellness Center at Novelty Ln. in Essex.

Essex Wellness Center at Novelty Ln. in Essex.

Essex Wellness Center presents a “Live Well 2016!” lecture series throughout the winter and spring of 2016. The series features free 90-minute (60-minute lecture plus 30-minute Q & A) educational lectures presented by various Essex Wellness Center holistic professionals. All lectures will be held at the Essex Wellness Center Group Space upstairs at 8 Novelty Lane in Essex Village — parking is in the lot and on Main Street. Pre-registration* is required because space is limited.

Three “Live Well 2016″ lectures are scheduled during January as follows:

Not Your Typical Weight Loss Talk
Saturday, Jan. 16, from 1:30 to 3 p.m.

Dr. Dana Krete

Dr. Dana Krete

Dr. Dana Krete, Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine and acupunturist, will discuss the topic of weight loss from a very different perspective. She won’t talk about … restricting calories and exercising ’til you drop but she will talk about …

  • Her #1 nutritional recommendation for weight loss and radiant health… and it’s not just eating less calories.
  • Why most commercial weight loss programs set you up to lose weight initially, only to put it back on later
  • What your microbiome is and why it’s instrumental in your ability to lose weight and curb cravings
  • The cortisol connection: how exercising more, and at a higher intensity may actually be hindering your ability to lose weight and making you feel more tired
  • How certain key mineral deficiencies can cause insulin resistance and put your body into fat storing mode

Dr. Krete earned her Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine and Master of Acupuncture at National College of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon. In addition to her in-depth knowledge of Naturopathic and Chinese medicine, she also has a background in health and fitness as a personal trainer, fitness instructor, triathlete and Division I college scholarship athlete.

Dr. Krete uses a multidisciplinary approach to treatment including acupuncture, Chinese and Western herbs, homeopathy, nutritional supplements, and especially enjoys providing nutritional counseling.

Staying true to the roots of both Chinese and Naturopathic medicine, every patient is treated as a whole person and as an individual. She enjoys treating patients of all ages and, as a mother of two, she is very happy to see children in her practice. She has experience treating a vast array of medical conditions from colicky infants and children with ear infections to autoimmune conditions, diabetes and mood issues such as anxiety and depression.

She has a particular interest in treating hormonal imbalances including PMS and menopause, digestive disorders, fatigue, anxiety, depression and insomnia, and also musculoskeletal pain including sciatica, low back and neck pain. With her extensive interest and knowledge in nutrition and fitness, she also works with patients whose primary goal is weight loss or optimizing wellness.

Celebrating Your Child’s Strengths in our Culture of Competition and Comparison
Saturday, Jan. 23, from 1:30 to 3 p.m.

Peggy Chappell

Peggy Chappell

This presentation will explore the challenge and the power in recognizing and celebrating each child as a unique individual with temperamental and strength preferences. Peggy Chappell, LCSW, therapist, coach and educator, will include discussion of latest research in the area of character strengths.

Chappell is a licensed clinical social worker, educator, coach, and consultant. She has over 30 years of experience working with children and families as a child and family therapist at YNHH and the Yale Child Study Center and as an administrator at The Country School.

In her current work, she integrates this wealth of experience, her passionate interest in the well-being of children and parents with her recent training and teaching in the fields of positive psychology and resilience.

Healthy Body – Healthy Weight: The secrets to improving your body composition permanently
Saturday, Jan. 30, from 1:30 to 3 p.m.

Dr. Derrick Schull

Dr. Derrick Schull

Dr. Derrick Schull, naturopathic physician, explains that weight loss is both extremely simple and extraordinarily complex. If one knows why it has been difficult to maintain a healthy body weight, one can begin to understand the most effective and long-lasting methods to take you where you want to be. This approach will help someone look at every aspect of their life from metabolic irregularities to emotional obstacles.

He maintains that the most important thing to remember about weight loss is that it is about more than just losing some extra pounds. It is about creating a healthy life and body, whereby the pounds happen to vanish on their own. It is not about being deprived but rather putting yourself first and making health a priority.

Dr. Schull, ND, holds a bachelor of science in psychology from UMass-Amherst, as well as a doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine from National College of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon. He holds certification in Craniosacral Therapy and Low Energy Neurofeedback Systems.

He specializes in homeopathy and Naturopathic Manipulative Therapy, a form of physical medicine that is a hybrid of chiropractic, physical therapy, and osteopathic techniques. This is hands-on medicine utilized to correct any abnormalities in structure that are affecting how the body functions.

As a naturopathic doctor, Dr. Schull has in-depth experience of treating more than simply diseases. With the whole person approach, he is able to treat all aspects of a person’s suffering.

*Pre-registration is required to reserve your seat in these limited-space lectures. To register online, visit this link, click on ‘Workshops,’ find the lecture for which you wish to register and click ‘Sign Up.’ To register by email or phone, contact info@essexwellnessctr.com or 860-767-7770.

Seidner Named Old Lyme’s 2015 Citizen of the Year

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After being named Old Lyme's 2015 Citizen of the Year Mary Seidner receives a hug and a bouquet from her daughter Libby.

After being named Old Lyme’s 2015 Citizen of the Year Mary Seidner receives a hug and a bouquet from her daughter Libby.

Judging by the number of people who came to the Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School auditorium for last night’s announcement of the 2015 Citizen of the Year, Mary Seidner was an overwhelmingly popular choice.

The closely-guarded secret of the board of selectmen’s selection for the honor had clearly traveled to a few of the many corners of the community where Seidner makes a noticeable difference. In the audience were folk from Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau, of which Seidner is Executive Director, representatives from the Old Lyme-Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library where she is a Friend, and members of the Midsummer Festival Committee, the Old Lyme Police Department (OLPD), and the Child and Family Agency of Southeastern Connecticut, in all of which she plays a significant role.

When Old Lyme First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder asked Seidner to come down to the front of the auditorium, the large crowd immediately rose to its feet to give her a spontaneous standing ovation.  Reemsnyder then read aloud the Citation announcing the honor to a visibly surprised Seidner, who received the first of many bouquets from her daughter Libby, who had traveled into town unbeknown to her mother for the ceremony.

Reemsnyder opened by saying, “Throughout 25 years as a member of the Old Lyme community, Mary Seidner has demonstrated an impassioned commitment to our children and families.”  She continued, ” An active Lyme Old Lyme Schools volunteer and Girl Scout leader, Mary was active in the Friends of Music at Lyme-Old Lyme High School, and became a Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau Board Member in 2002. A founding member of the Lyme-Old Lyme Early Childhood Council, and the new Community Connections, Mary is also on the MacCurdy Salisbury Educational Foundation Board, a Trustee of Essex Savings Bank, and a member of the Child & Family Agency’s Lyme-Old Lyme Auxiliary.”

Old Lyme First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder reads the Citizen of the Year Citation to Seidner (left).

Old Lyme First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder reads the Citizen of the Year Citation to Seidner (center).

Reemsnyder then stopped for breath and drew a loud chuckle from the audience of around 70 people when she said with a smile, “But that’s not all …”   She went on to list numerous other organizations in which Seidner is involved in a variety of capacities such as the Essex Savings Bank, where she is currently a Trustee, the Community Foundation of Southeastern Connecticut, where she was until recently a board member, and the MacCurdy Salisbury Educational Foundation where she serves on the board.

Noting that, “Mary celebrates her 11th year as LYSB Executive Director this year. During her tenure, the LYSB has forged bonds with local businesses and community members.” Reemsnyder then went to mention several organizations whose very existence in large part can be attributed to Seidner, for example, the Community Action for Substance Free Youth (CASFY), the Lyme-Old Lyme Early Childhood Council, the new Community Connections, and “Most recently, [she] organized and initiated a Juvenile Review Board.”

The Old Lyme Board of Selectmen stands with their Citizen of the Year 2015.

The Old Lyme Board of Selectmen stands with their Citizen of the Year 2015.

Reemsnyder described how Seidner has also helped to develop especially strong ties with the OLPD, “receiving a Youth/Police Grant for three consecutive years, hosting meetings and sponsoring events that have benefitted young community members.”  Reemsnyder also noted that under Seidner’s leadership, “LYSB’s youth groups … put together 100 backpacks filled with school supplies for survivors of Hurricane Katrina.”

In conclusion, the first selectwoman said, “Mary Seidner was honored as 2013 Board Member of the Year by the Connecticut Youth Service Association, and it is now the Board of Selectmen’s turn to honor Mary Seidner’s commitment to our community by naming her our 2015 Citizen of the Year.”

LYSB Chairman Chris Buckley congratulates LYSB Director Mary Seidner on being named Citizen of the Year.

LYSB Chairman Chris Buckley congratulates LYSB Director Mary Seidner on being named Citizen of the Year.

The LYSB Board Chairman Christopher Buckley spoke warmly of Seidner’s contribution both to the youth of  Lyme and Old Lyme, as well as the whole community. He remarked that she regularly describes the LYSB building as “the small house that does big things,” but Buckley pointed out that Seidner consistently omits to say that she is always there “in the small house” or elsewhere making those ‘things’ happen.

Former Old Lyme Citizens of the Year stand with the latest one to receive the honor: from left to right, Bob Pierson (2012), Lynn Fairfield-Sonn (2014), Jeff Sturges (2011) and Peter Cable (2013)

Former Old Lyme Citizens of the Year stand with the newest honoree, Mary Seidner (center): from left to right, Bob Pierson (2012), Lynn Fairfield-Sonn (2014), Jeff Sturges (2011) and Peter Cable (2013)

 

He told a brief story of how he and Seidner had both been kept late one night at a meeting and then had to be back at LYSB at 7:30 a.m.the next morning to meet a contractor.  Seidner seemed somewhat distracted during the morning meeting, which took place outside, and finally confessed that she needed to meet with a teenage youth, who was standing across the road waiting for her.

Buckley said it transpired this was a high school student going through a difficult period, who was at that time living in a shelter. Facing many problems — not least of which that he was cold and had no coat — the student had turned to “the one person he knew would help … Mary Seidner.”

Buckley ended there secure in the knowledge that he had demonstrated beyond question why Seidner was the perfect choice for the 2015 Citizen of the Year.

Congratulations, Mary!