OLD LYME—Michele D. Dunaj, 69, of Old Lyme, died Sunday, May 19, 2024. She was born in Norwich, May 31, 1954, the daughter of the late Michael N. Dunaj and Mary (Geno) Morrow …
She is survived by her loving husband of 33 years Richard Bacci; son Michael Bacci; siblings, Michael Dunaj (Glenn Blonshine), Mark Dunaj, Sharla Sklener (Elizabeth Cardoso), Charles Sklener Jr. and Erin Couture …
… In lieu of flowers, donations in Michele’s memory may be made the to Connecticut Food Bank at 2 Research Parkway, Wallingford, CT 06492 …
Billy Rayder’s remarkable 49 years of service as a Physical Education/Health Teacher at Lyme-Old Lyme High School were celebrated by Lyme-Old Lyme Superintendent of Schools Ian Neviaser (at right in photo.) All photos by LOL Schools.
OLD LYME—On Wednesday evening at the Lyme-Old Lyme Schools Board of Education meeting, eight members of the faculty and administration were recognized for their service over, in almost every case, several decades—and in the case of William (Billy) Rayder, almost 50 years!
The faculty members honored were:
Some of the retirees gathered for this photo after the meeting. Included in the photo are, from left to right, Paula Gaudet, Glynis Houde, Leslie O’Connor and Billy Rayder.
Michael Dauphinais, Speech Pathologist at Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School (LOLMS) and Lyme-Old Lyme High School (LOLHS), 25 years of service
Paula Gaudet, Science Teacher at LOLMS, 24 years of service
Jackie Grady, Family and Consumer Science Teacher, LOLMS, 39 years of service
Leslie O’Connor, Special Education Teacher at LOLHS, 25 years of service
William Rayder, Physical Ed / Health Teacher at LOLHS, 49 years of service
Lyme-Old Lyme High School Principal James Wygonik honored Leslie O’Connor’s 25 years of service as a Special Education Teacher at LOLHS.
The administrative staff honored were:
Glynis Houde, Secretary in Counseling Department at LOLHS, 18 years of service
Suzanne Isacson, Library Aide at LOLMS and LOLHS, 22 years of service
Susan Miller, Secretary to the Director of Curriculum, 23 years of service
Lyme-Old Lyme High School Principal James Wygonik spoke appreciatively about Glynis Houde, who served as Secretary in the Counseling Department at LOLHS for 18 years.
Preparing for the parade. All photos by Dottie Wells.
OLD LYME—On Thursday evening, Lyme-Old Lyme High School seniors drove down Lyme Street in a joyful parade to celebrate their upcoming graduation the following day.
Lining up the cars for the parade.
We will have more photos of the parade soon. If you would care to share some of yours, please email them to editor@lymeline.com. Thanks in advance!
‘Learn to Row’ this summer on one of the Old Lyme Rowing Association’s many courses.
OLD LYME—The Old Lyme Rowing Association (OLRA) is hosting the following summer ‘Learn to Row’ programs. The OLRA is home to the Blood Street Sculls and Lyme-Old Lyme High School Rowing. The following programs are all currently open for enrollment:
Adult/HS Learn to Row courses are offered Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 6-8 p.m. on these dates:
June 10 – June 21
June 24 – July 5
July 8 – July 19
Middle School Learn to Row courses are offered Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8:15-10:15 a.m.. on these dates
June 24 – July 5
July 8 – July 19
July 22 – Aug 2
The Junior Competitive program is for high school students entering grades 9-12, recent graduates, or with the approval of the head coach. Find more information at this link. Registration opens around March 1. Summer juniors actively train and race for a period, starting June 19 – Aug 2 on weekdays from 6-8 a.m.
Scholarships are available for all levels of OLRA programs. If you have a financial issue, contact Paul Fuchs directly for a confidential discussion. For more information on all aspects of the Old Lyme Rowing Association, visit www.oldlymerowing.org.
After coming back from a five-goal-deficit to defeat Canton, the Lyme-Old Lyme girls lacrosse team played Lauralton Hall in the Class S State championship on Saturday.
FAIRFIELD, CT—UPDATE: Although ahead 4-3 at the half, sadly the Old Lyme girls ultimately fell 9-6 to Lauralton Hall on Saturday in the Class S lacrosse final.
On Saturday, June 8, the second-seeded Lyme-Old Lyme High School girls’ lacrosse team will face top seeds Lauralton Hall of Milford at Sacred Heart University in the CIAC Class S State Championship final. The game is scheduled to start at 10 a.m.
In last Tuesday night’s Class S State semi-final, Old Lyme were 6-3 down against third-seeded Canton at half-time.
Things were not looking good for Old Lyme at Windsor High School when Canton came out to start the third quarter and almost immediately scored twice to take the score to 8-3.
Coach Emily Macione takes up the story from there, explaining in an email, “We took a time-out at that point and tried to regroup, the message being – one goal at a time, one possession at a time…just keep working together.”
She continued, “We responded from there, scoring the next five goals over the balance of the third quarter, and into the fourth … while also holding them to zero goals in the process.”
That five-goal run tied the game at 8-8, with around four minutes left on the clock.
At that point, in Macione’s words, “Canton’s best player #21 Heather Delbone ended up firing one in not too long after, and Canton went up 9-8. They won the next draw and tried to run out the clock. With about a minute and a half left, our #9 Sydney Goulding was able to steal the ball from Canton and ran it back up on offense for us. We took a few shots, and they were wide of the goal, but with about 10 second left, our #20 Alexis Antonellis was fouled and got a free position shot, which she made.”
This tied the game again, with six seconds remaining. Old Lyme won the next draw, and tried to run it down and shoot, but the clock expired, taking the game to overtime.
Macione pointed out, “Overtime is sudden death, so whoever scores first wins … which is why getting the draw is really, really critical. We were able to win it, went down on offense and after about 30 seconds, Alexis was able to score the game winner.”
Asked how that felt, Macione said simply, “It was … surreal.” She continued, “I have imagined the girls running off after a win like that so many times, and all season, I’ve been talking to them about that feeling and what it would be like. Everyone stepped up and kept their heads in the game despite a pretty considerable deficit … they just kept working, one play at a time.”
She concluded, “[You] Can’t ask for more than that as a coach. In some ways it’s hard to believe that we are playing in a final … It is just so rare to make it this far, and it’s really special. But since we have made it this far, our attitude is why not us? Everyone is going to be good at this point, we just have to outwork our opponent.”
Macione’ said she is now experiencing a great range of emotions about the final, saying she is, “So excited (and nervous) to have the opportunity [to have her team play in the first ever state final for Old Lyme.] Just one more!”
