The newly-planted pollinator gardens are dedicated to the much beloved Joanie Bonvicin, who served as Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School secretary for 44 years. All photos by Lyme-Old Lyme Schools.
Middle School students hard at work planting the garden.
The plants and mulch in the garden were paid for through a Youth Environmental Action (YEA!) Grant awarded by the Old Lyme Land Trust. Eighth grader Aiden Guidi applied for and received the grant on behalf of the Club.
Master Gardener Linda Clough, who is a member of Duck River Garden Club, assisted the students with design and plantings for the garden.
The Eco Warriors were assisted in purchasing the plants wholesale by mentors from the Duck River Garden Club – Linda Clough and Maryellen Basham. Clough, a certified Master Gardener, advised the students on a garden design that used perennial native plants, which attract bees and butterflies.
Jac Venza, a shoemaker’s son who almost single-handedly delivered to the proverbial “vast wasteland” that was American television in the 1960s and ’70s an oasis of cultural programming, including “Great Performances” and “Live From Lincoln Center,” died on Tuesday at his home in Lyme, Conn. He was 97.
His death was confirmed by his spouse, Daniel D. Routhier.
In an extraordinary accomplishment, the Lyme-Old Lyme Girls’ Tennis team has won the Class S State Championship for the fourth straight season.
WEST HARTFORD—6/2 UPDATED with coach’s comments: On Friday afternoon, May 31, at Conard High School in West Hartford, the Lyme-Old Lyme High School girls defeated Valley Regional 5-2 to claim the Class S State Championship for the fourth time in succession.
Coach Lauren Rahr, whose assistant coach is her father, David, has seen her team win the state championship for all four seasons that she has been in charge.
Lyme-Old Lyme High School Girl’s Tennis Coach Lauren Rahr celebrates her team’s continuing success in this photo with her father, Dave Rahr. He serves as the team’s Junior Varsity Coach. Photo submitted.
We asked Lauren how she felt about the team’s success. Shre responded by email, saying, “This state championship title was different from the rest. In other years, we knew we had a strong and experienced team,” adding, “This year, everyone from athletes to coaches to parents put in the time and effort to get the team to this point.”
She noted that, “Coming into the match, we had already played this team twice. Each time the deciding match was the last one on the court and multiple matches having gone into third sets. However, we couldn’t let expectations or predictions get the best of us.”
Noting, “We had to play it one point at a time, and put all of our focus into each point. There was a moment in the match that we had lost the first set on four of the seven courts, but that was also the moment where the team dug deep and left their hearts on the courts.”
Rahr pointed out, “Coaching the girls throughout the match, they each wanted to know how the rest of their team was doing. This whole season it was always about the team as a family and being out there fighting with each other.”
She concluded, “Once the match was decided, the pure joy and happiness on their faces as they ran and jumped to hug each other let me know how much this title truly meant to them. We overcame a lot this season, and it made us all stronger. I hope the girls can look back on this time in their lives and remember how capable and strong they all are.”
