Category Archives: Departments

Lyme-Old Lyme Schools BOE Elects Democrat Kemp as Chairman; Dem’s Take Three of Four Officer Positions

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Jason Kemp is the newly-elected Region 18 Board of Education Chairman. File photo.

OLD LYME — 12/9, 9am: CORRECTION made to clarify that both Alexander Lowry and Laura Dean-Frazier are registered as Unaffiliated, but were endorsed respectively by the Democrats and Republicans.

At their inaugural post-municipal election meeting held Wednesday evening, the first item of business for the new Region 18 Board of Education (BOE) members was to elect their slate of officers.

The municipal election had resulted in a sea-change on the board with three incumbent Republicans failing to keep their seats. This, in turn, resulted in the political make-up of the board changing dramatically pivoting from six Republicans and three Democrats on the previous board to six Democrats and one Unaffiliated member, who was endorsed by the Democrats; and one Republican and one Unaffiliated member, who was endorsed by the Republicans on the new one.

The BOE Officers’ election had the potential to be lively but, in fact, there was a series of unanimous votes in favor of four of the five members, who were board incumbents. They had been not been required to run for re-election since their four-year terms had not expired.

In uncontested votes, Jason Kemp was elected Chairman, Anna James: Vice-Chairman, Chris Staab: Treasurer and Martha Shoemaker: Secretary.

Shoemaker, a Democrat, is now also Old Lyme’s First Selectwoman.

Kemp, James (representing Lyme) and Shoemaker are all Democrats while Staab is one of the two Republicans remaining on the board. Laura Dean-Frazier is Unaffiliated but was endorsed by the Republicans.

Former chairman Steven Wilson and member Suzanne Thompson, both Republicans from Old Lyme, were defeated in the municipal election as was Mary Powell-St. Louis, also a Republican, in Lyme. Incumbent Jennifer Miller (R), representing Old Lyme, opted not to run for re-election.

The newly-seated Old Lyme members are Democrats Susan P. Fogliano and W. Scott Brown, Ph.D; and Alexander ‘Xander’ Lowry, who is Unaffiliated but was endorsed by the Democrats. The new Lyme member is Gavin Lodge, also a Democrat.

Old Lyme EDC Hosts Ribbon-Cutting to Celebrate New Milestone for ‘A Behavioral Approach’

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Cutting the ceremonial ribbon at ‘A Behavioral Approach‘ (ABA) are, from left to right, Old Lyme (OL) Economic Development Commission (EDC) Member Jean Wilczynski, OL First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker, EDC Chair Cheryl Poirier, ABA Director of Clinical Services Taylor Brinker, ABA Founder Monica Santos, ABA Services Coordinator Amanda King, OL Selectwoman Jude Read, State Representative Devin Carney (R-23rd), and Greyson Vandersloot.

OLD LYME — On Nov. 29, the Old Lyme Economic Development Commission celebrated a new milestone for A Behavioral Approach (ABA) with a ribbon-cutting.

The Old Lyme business, which provides a range of services to students with autism, is being recommended by the Connecticut Board of Education as an Approved Private Special Education Program (APSEP). The CT Commissioner of Education is expected to approve the recommendation in the coming days.

A Behavioral Approach develops and designs innovative and tailor-made Applied Behavior Analysis programs for implementation in a school setting or home, as well as in the community through vocational programs. Its clinical services are provided to children as young as three-years-old.

“Applied Behavior Analysis” is a set of principles that focus on positively changing behavior of children with autism through techniques including natural environment teaching, discrete trial instruction, and reinforcement.

Monica Santos, a certified special education teacher and administrator, founded ABA in 2017. Since that time, the business has continued to outgrow several locations across the region, including its prior location on Halls Rd. Santos purchased the commercial property at 4 Davis Rd. West in 2022 ,where it serves approximately 10 students, who each reside in about a 30-mile radius.

A Behavioral Approach employs 15 staff in Old Lyme.

Gathered to celebrate the certificate presentation by the OL EDC are, from left to right: ABA Director of Clinical Services Taylor Brinker, EDC member Jean Wilczynski, OL First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker, EDC Chair Cheryl Poirier, ABA Founder Monica Santos, ABA Services Coordinator Amanda King, OL Selectwoman Jude Read, and State Representative Devin Carney (R-23rd). Kneeling in front are Santos’s partner Peter Vandersloot holding Ellie, and Briar Vandersloot holding Luna.

The approval as an APSEP will allow ABA to operate as a special education provider adhering to standards set by the state and contracted by boards of education or other local education agencies to provide schooling. Santos expects to continue to serve about 10 students for the foreseeable future, managing growth of the school setting and eventually hiring an additional special education teacher.

The State of Connecticut lists 84 APSEPs in its directory. 

Santos sought approval as an APSEP primarily because she sees a shortage in the state of these private placement programs for students with autism. “There are many families on waiting lists throughout the State,” she noted.

Exacerbating the existing need for private programming, the 2020 pandemic affected the academic progress of many students, particularly special education students, whose programming was harder to adapt to an online forum; and who have since found it more challenging to progress. 

Family and friends of the ABA staff attended the ribbon-cutting, several of whom have helped with painting and landscaping the building over the past year.

Old Lyme First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker, second from left, saddresses the assembled group prior to the ribbon-cutting at ‘A Behavioral Approach’ in Old Lyme.

Before Santos and her staff cut the ribbon, Old Lyme First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker commented, “As a former educator, I can tell you how important your services are, and I know the residents and students of Old Lyme plus the other various districts nearby will benefit greatly from your services. We are so thrilled to have you here.”

Connecticut State Representative Devin Carney (R-23rd) added in his welcome statement, “At the State level I’m sure you know there is a shortage of quality educators for special education, and there are a lot of kids that need this service. I thank you for all you do and for the children you help, because you are making their lives better and more manageable. I’m so glad you are in Old Lyme and helping local families.”

Following the ceremony, Santos and Old Lyme ABA Service Coordinator Amanda King provided a tour of the ABA building including classrooms, play areas, and office space.

Santos shared both her pride in her staff and also how the staff works to collaborate with the greater community. She explained, “We want to always collaborate with others in meeting the needs of our students. We like to share with others what we do, and you never know, the person you just met could have a connection to a new resource.”

In addition to working with a diverse set of businesses that provide vocational opportunities for older students, ABA collaborates with other small businesses including two that currently rent space at 4 Davis Rd., namely Building Skills for Life pediatric occupational therapy, and Elea, a digital care management platform for special needs families and providers.

Lyme-Old Lyme Schools Announce Q1 Honor Rolls

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LYME-OLD LYME HIGH SCHOOL HONOR ROLL
Quarter 1    2023-24

HIGH HONORS

Grade 12:
Peighton Andrews, Beatrice Barnett, Emma Bayor, Oliver Berry, Alis Bicic, Elliot Bjornberg, Henry Boller, Drew Brackley, Natalie Buckley, Jackson Bullock, Nicholas Cheesman, Sophia Cheung, Emma Cook, William Coppola, Ava Cummins, Ella Curtiss-Reardon, Macklin Cushman, Eric Dagher, Lucas DaSilva, Sydney Doboe, Eva D’Onofrio, Marcia Geronimo, Ryder Goss, Sydney Goulding, Alexis Grasdock, Justin Green, Douglas Griswold, Katherine Gryk, Abby Hale, Ella Halsey, Jordan Hanes, Sedona Holland, John Holzworth, Mike Huang, Agatha Hunt, Beatrice Hunt, Sabina Jungkeit, Emmerson Kaye, Putt Kongsatt, Grady Lacourciere, Anna McAdams, Griffin McGlinchey, Lucas McMillan, Alexander McPherson, Elaina Morosky, Katherine Mullaney, Delaney Nelson, Isabelle O’Connor, Grace Phaneuf, Jack Porter, Luisa Raby, Haley Shaw, Owen Snurkowski, Hannah Thomas, Kalea VanPelt, Keara Ward, Louisa Warlitz, Mason Wells, Tyler Wells, Summer Wollack, Duohui Yan, Icey Yan, Grace Zembruski

Grade 11:
Christopher Anderson, Ella Austin, Micah Bass, Juana Biagioni, Molly Boardman, Amelie Bod, Mark Burnham, Mason Bussmann, Chase Calderon, Andrew Clougherty, Tabitha Colwell, Gloria Conley, Chloe Datum, Andrea DeBernardo, Caeli Edmed, Abigail Edwards, Anna Eichholz, Davis Fallon, Grace Ferman, Benedict Frazier, Manu Geronimo, Christopher Gibbons, Kaela Hoss, Shyla Jones, Simon Karpinski, Olivia Kelly, Ella Kiem, Skylar Kobelia, Peter Kuhn, Ada LaConti, Brenden Landry, Elise Leonardo, Evan LeQuire, Andrew Liu, Lana Lopes, Abigail O’Brien, Kanon Oharu, Sophie Pennie, Ryan Shapiro, Drea Simler, Morgan Standish, Charlotte Tinniswood, Nicholas Turtoro, Kathleen Walsh, Ava Wood-Muller, Gabriella Ziegler

Grade 10:
Sienna Bari, Zoe Brunza, Trevor Buydos, Tyler Cann, Julia Clark, Maya Cook, Annabelle Coppola, Colman Curtiss-Reardon, Christopher Dagher, Sophia D’Angelo, Rose Dimmock, Gabrielle Field, Chase Gilbert, Alexander Glaras, Benjamin Goulding, Anne-Marie Hinckley, Christopher Kachur, Thomas Kelly, Jayden Livesey, Serena Mazzi, Bridget McAdams, Carter McGlinchey, Samuel McKenzie, Madeline Murphy, Sybil Neary, Ryan Olsen, Quenten Patz, Luca Signora, Charlotte Spiegel, Addison Spooner, Carson St. Louis, Andrew Taylor, Meredith Thompson, Margaret Thuma, Madeleine Trepanier, John Turick, Eve Videll, Elisabeth Viera, Oliver Wyman, Stella Young

Grade 9:
Ceciley Buckley, Morgan Buerger, Brooke Burgess, Anna Bussmann, Lillian Calabrese, Isaac Chartier, Amirah D’Lizarraga, Brady Donovan, Samson Edmed, Edward Fiske, Angeline Gencarella, Antonio Gencarella, Gavin Goulis, Harrison Goulis, Skylar Graybill, Tessa Grethel, Charles Halsey, Owen Holth, Curtiss Johnson, Josephine Kiem, Olivia Lovendale, Matilda Miller, John Morosky, Grace Osborne, Kaitlyn Pannier, Ainsley Rinoski, Cameron Russell, Allegra Schaedler, Owen Shapiro, Nicholas Sokolowski, Milo Stiles, Carli Teixeira, Magdalena Tooker, Ethan Trepanier, Kaylyn Vernon, Ivy Wilson

HONORS

Grade 12:
Bianca Carrion, Sarah Colangelo, Adam Damiano, Amelia Gage, Calla Gilson, Kenneth Gray, Mohamad Hamou, Leland Hine, Parker Holland, Dakota Kotzan, Leo Li, Brodie Lippincott, Kayla O’Leary, Ronald Olin, Ava Roth, Cailin Ruhling, Charles Sahadi, Sydney Siefken, Madeleine Soriano, Jacob Volkerts

Grade 11:
Oliver Avelange, Gavin Biega, Justin Bonatti, Hannah Bonilla, Nathaniel Bradley, Dylan Carnaroli, Dominic Clark, Shane Eastman-Grossel, Zoe Eastman-Grossel, Hoshena Gemme, Marcella Gencarella, Janna Graves, Abigail Greene, Abigail Griffith, Nicolas Hatch, Rowan Hovey, Hannah Johnston, Thomas Kabel, James Lahot Straub, Elizabeth Lopez, Colette Marchant, Andrew Sprankle

Grade 10:
Max Bartlett, Alec Butzer, Makayla Calderon, James Dahlke, Michael DeFiore, Alexa Donovan, Elena Gerardo, Elizaveta Gregoire, Quinn Hadarik, Teagan Iglesias, Ian Maeby, Nayeli Marin Yanza, Ryan Miller, Finch Nichols, Ryan Ortoleva, Marleigh Piacenza, Isabella Presti, Sydney St. Pierre, Lucian Tracano, Connor Vautrain, Gabriel Waldo, Carl Zapatka, Katherine Zhang

Grade 9:
Mohammed Ali, Addison Arndt, Zak Avelange, Phineas Barrett, Zachary Belval, Mia Bonatti, Kacey Cajamarca, Aidan Carpentino, Chase Catalano, Evan Coffee, Johanna Coker, Prestin Dishaw, Elliot Dunn-Sims, Kaedin Gerster, Zachariah Guidi, Marley Iaia, Paul Kuhn, Patrick Lynch, Michael Millerick, Maddux Murphy, Autumn Newbury, Sean Olsen, Mia Palmer, Arthur Riccio, Kevork Shegirian, Madeline Stiles, Caterina Wilson

~~~000~~~

LYME-OLD LYME MIDDLE SCHOOL HONOR ROLL
Quarter 1 2023-24

HIGH HONORS

Grade 8:
Kaitlyn Ackerman, Lillian Acosta, Lauren Belval, Anna Bjornberg, Scarlett Blatter, Vivian Boller, Lana Brunza, Naomi Cameron, Gabrielle Clark, Nathaniel Condon, Colin Discordia, Albert Enman, Katharine Ferman, Jonah Filardi, Cortland Forbes, Avery Goiangos, Frederick Goss, Elaina Graves, Gavin Gray, Sawyer Graybill, Maia Guisti, Colleen Harrington, Fiona Judge, Jillian Kleefeld, Kaedyn Koproski, Henry Kyle, Treyton LaConti, Holden Leonardo, Graham Macadam, Benjamin Mattox, David McAdams, Charles McEwen, William McKeever, Clarissa Mock, Addyson Morosky, Grace Morrissette, Marielle Munster, Gwenevere Osborne, Remi Patz, Jonah Scheckwitz, Audrey Sheehan, Charlotte Thuma, Delilah Tooker, Avery Wesch, Charles Zapatka, Avery Zbierski

Grade 7:
Owen Anderson, Anna Block, Emily Bonatti, Cassidy Buckley, Ewan Cabell, Trent Cameron, Emily Campbell, Reagan Christopher, Emerson Coker, Noah Compton, Benjamin Conrad, Miles Coppola, Riley Dagata, Nadia Daily, Maya Desai, Joshua Evans, Colin Farrell, Parker Fedorich, Jackson Fiske, Parker Forbes, Jared Fulara, Samantha Fulara, Ava Fuller, Olivia Gerardo, Victoria Glaras, Kylie Grethel, Toby Griffis, Olivia Griffith, Cole Haslam, Charles Holth, Quinn Hoss, Mary Kane, Griffin Karpinski, Collin Langley, Zoey Langley, Curran Livesey, Isabel Martel, Harland McKenna, Jack Montmeat, Maxwell Mooney, Sofia Noti, Thomas O’Connor, Kanato Oharu, Giovanni Orlando, John Osborne, Jack Ouellette, Jack Parker, Adrian Raby, Nikolas Reid, Benson Reis, Tristan Reyes, Lillian Reynolds, Beatrix Rubino, Addison Sapia, Juliette Small, Adrianna Squarciafico, Mia Stokes, Natalie Suisman, Cooper Thomas, Olive Vautrain, Teya Vernon, Benson Wang, Reagan Weinstein, Anna William, Samuel Zelek, Lily Zerkowski

Grade 6:
Annalisa Archbald, Sawyer Barreto, Cole Barris, Jackson Basham, Zakary Benedetto, Braydon Boisseau, Conor Buckeridge, Rowan Cantner, Mason Catalano, Jackson Chapps, Ainsley Conroy, Oliver Constantine, Brennon Coyle, Daniel Crisp, Ella Davis, Daphne Eisensmith, Hunter Emma, Kate Ewers, Camryn Fedorich, EstelleHihFilardi, Maureen Geronimo, Jaxson Glantz, Beckett Goss, Delana Green-Oldfield, Aibhlinn Hall, Julia Haslam, Sean Hunter, August Jungkeit, Devon Kiem, Rowan Kilfoil, Eva Levonick, Mary McAdams, Ariana McEwen, Riley McHugh, Jameson McKeever, Finn McLaughlin, Henry Miller, Tristan Montanaro, Ryann Montesanto, Broderick Morris, Isla Morrissette, Maya Munster, Maura Murphy, Avery Olson, Juul Parrott, Quin Parrott, Quinn Quarto, Emily Randak, Charlotte Reynolds, Olivia Rozanski-Rose, Linden Sarnoski, Ari Shegirian, Molly Supersano, Weston Taylor, Brandon Wang, Liam Ward

HONORS

Grade 8:
Alistair Hampton-Dowson, Reese Holland, Sophia Huang, Henrik Hummervoll, Alice Li, Theodore Neary, Nicholas Porto, Avery Spooner, Renee Viera, Ella Ziolkovski

Grade 7:
Josie Arndt, Angelina Bari, Callen Buono, Olivia Chupron, Samuel Dunn-Sims, Cayden Graybill, Ellianna Iaia, Jacob Levin, Jackson Matthews, Grant Maxwell, Maxwell Paonessa, Charlotte Sanford, Sawyer Speirs, Maxwell White

Grade 6:
Ellie Ackerman, Charlotte Anton, Ekaterina Gregoire, Willow Griffis, Thomas Hayes, Callen Hill, Alina Kosecki, Gunnar Palmer, Esmatullah Popal, Jackson Staab, Jack Walter, John Young

Letter to the Editor: New Refugee Family Arrives in Old Lyme, Babysitters & Drivers Needed—Can You Help?

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Editor’s Note: This refugee family arrived safely in Old Lyme Thursday night.

To the Editor:

Our community has time and again displayed its generosity in time, funds and even housing as we continue our mission to help families, who have escaped danger, find safety in Connecticut.

The Lyme-Old Lyme Refugee Resettlement Committee once again needs your help as it welcomes a new refugee family into our community on Nov. 30th.

As they say: It takes a village …

The family of five is from Syria and has three young boys. We have a need for babysitters and drivers to take family members to appointments. All volunteers must be vetted (a simple process) and babysitters must also participate in Child Protection Training. Both of these are designed to protect volunteers as well as our guest family.

To volunteer to be a driver or babysitter, please contact Juliette Meeus at aryashops56@gmail.com

Thank you in advance for helping out. What an amazing few towns we live in!

Sincerely,

Howard Margules,
Old Lyme.

G. Fox & Co.—A Trip Down Memory Lane

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Editor’s Note: We are delighted to welcome back Linda Ahnert of Old Lyme, who writes an occasional column for LymeLine. She says in the covering note she sent with the article, “It’s that time of year when we start dreaming of Christmases like the ones we used to know. For those of us who grew up in the greater Hartford area, our memories include visions of G. Fox & Co.” We are sure quite a number of readers fall into that category, but regardless we hope you all enjoy this wonderful trip down Memory Lane!

This photo shows a postcard of Main Street, with view of the G. Fox & Co. building in downtown Hartford. The postcard is dated prior to 11 August 1905 — the date on which the postcard was mailed. The image is in the public domain.

London has Harrods, Paris has Galeries Lafayette and, once upon a time, Hartford had G. Fox & Co. Although this grand old store shuttered its doors many years ago, for those of us who grew up in the Hartford burbs, G. Fox & Co. was the “center of Connecticut living.”

Today stores like G. Fox are a vanishing breed—people first moved on to malls and now shop online. But if you are of a certain age, you remember the multi-storied, city-block long buildings that were retail paradises. Those were the days, my friends, when residents from surrounding towns would head to Hartford for the latest movie or an afternoon of shopping. Before the sterile cineplexes and the soulless malls, you went “downtown” where there were movie theatres and department stores. 

And what a store G. Fox was! It was elegant and the fabulous main floor featured Art Deco décor. Then there was floor after floor, department after department, filled with the best of everything. You could find the latest fashions, cosmetics, jewelry, furniture, china, toys, linens, luggage, housewares, and appliances. You could buy anything from a mink coat to a dishrag. 

There was a stamp and coin department on the mezzanine where my brother bought stamps to fill his albums. Also on the mezzanine was one of my favorite spots—the book department. It was here that I made the transition from Nancy Drew to Agatha Christie. Many of my favorite books (still on my bookshelves today) came from G. Fox—“The Great Gatsby,” “The Good Earth” “David Copperfield,” and “To Kill A Mockingbird.”

The mezzanine was also home to the jewelry repair shop, the camera department, and American Express Travel Service. On the main floor there was even a pharmacy. You could drop off your prescription when you arrived at the store and pick it up on your way home. For a chic new coiffure, you headed to the G. Fox beauty salon. And if you needed to refuel after hours of shopping, there was a luncheonette where you could eat at the counter.  

For more formal dining, there was the Connecticut Room. On the walls of this circular-shaped room were murals depicting scenes from Connecticut’s history. During the lunch hours, models would parade through the room showing off the latest in women’s fashions.  And who could forget the date nut bread that was served there? 

A newspaper advertisement from the iconic store.

G. Fox was a world of escalators, elevators, and smartly dressed mannequins. It was also a world where you were “waited on” by a thoroughly trained sales staff. These employees were professionals; many of them worked at the store for years and were crackerjacks at their jobs. Not merely cashiers who took your charge card, they were knowledgeable about the stock in their departments. And, in those pre-computer days, they wrote up the transactions in a thick sales book (with carbon paper.) They would refer to a chart to see what the applicable sales tax was and then place your purchase into one of the deep blue G. Fox paper bags. 

As a true-blue, first-rate department store, G. Fox also offered an important amenity to its shoppers—delivery service.  The pampered G. Fox customer never had to schlep around the store laden down with parcels and shopping bags. Even after a spending spree, you could leave the store hands-free. After you made your purchase, those courteous salespeople would always ask, “Would you like that sent?”

G. Fox owned a fleet of delivery trucks and each town in the Hartford vicinity had its assigned delivery days. The next best thing to finding the perfect dress in the store was when you saw the G. Fox delivery van coming down your driveway. The store also offered a telephone order service. Clients could pick up the phone, place an order, and the G. Fox deliveryman would have it on your doorstep on, say, the next Tuesday. 

G. Fox was the “It” store; the G. Fox label had cachet. As a young girl, it seemed to me that all G. Fox clothes were cool and classy. Growing up when Jackie Kennedy and Audrey Hepburn were the fashion paragons, G. Fox was a ‘de rigueur’ destination to achieve The Look. 

One reason department stores have been disappearing over the years, of course, is changing lifestyles. People today simply don’t “dress up” like they used to do. In fact, we live in an age of “dressing down.” The days are long gone when a woman wore a hat to complete her ensemble. Or when her shoes and purse had to match! But back in the ‘50s and ‘60s, a young woman still needed a complete wardrobe. When we were packed off to college, our trunks were filled with matching sweaters and skirts, suits for homecoming, and dressier togs for more formal occasions. 

That famous hatbox!

G. Fox opened in 1847 and was part of the Connecticut scene almost to the end of the twentieth century, closing its doors in 1993. Generation after generation of Nutmeggers shopped there. The Christmas season began for us when the New England village went atop the G. Fox marquee. And each December kids would make the pilgrimage to the legendary 11th floor Toy Department and a visit with Santa. 

If you shopped at G. Fox, you probably remember a prized purchase that you made there. For me, it was the place where I bought my first tube of lipstick (Honeysparkle Peach at the Estée Lauder counter,) It was where I bought a pink pillbox hat for Easter and white high heels for high school graduation.

I still have a G. Fox hatbox. On the lid, underneath the store’s name, it says “Serving Connecticut since 1847.” Around the sides of the box are drawings of Hartford landmarks – the Old State House, the Travelers Tower, Bushnell Memorial Hall, and the G. Fox & Co. building at 960 Main Street.