Category Archives: Schools

Lyme Consolidated School Receives $23.7K Grant From ‘CT Grown for CT Kids’ Program

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Lyme School Green Club members help fellow students compost correctly at lunch by guiding them to place food waste and other items into either the trash or compost as appropriate. The compost is subsequently sent to Long Table Farm in Lyme. Photo credit: Lyme-Old Lyme Schools.

LYME–The Connecticut Department of Agriculture has announced that Lyme is among the 15 communities receiving a $23,753 grant through the ‘CT Grown for CT Kids’ program.

Lyme Consolidated School will receive the grant to support its “Waste Warriors” project. This project teaches local students about the value of composting, which allows them to reduce food waste and learn how they can recycle and support local agriculture. It also teaches them about waste management and ecosystems.

Asked her reaction to receiving the award, Allison Hine, Principal of Lyme School, told LymeLine by email, “Lyme Consolidated is excited to have received this grant award.  We will be partnering with the Town of Lyme and with Long Table Farm to support and enhance the composting and recycling initiatives of our Green Team.”

She added, “Ultimately, the project aims to enhance environmental stewardship, promote sustainability, and deepen students’ understanding of how effective waste management contributes to a healthier, more resilient community.”

State Senator Norm Needleman (D-33rd), whose District includes Lyme, commented in a press release, “Our local students learning about agriculture and the connections between our farms, our diets and our communities is very valuable as they grow.” He commented, “I’m really happy to hear that our region is getting support from the ‘CT Grown for CT Kids‘ program.”

‘CT Grown for CT Kids‘ focuses on increasing availability of locally grown foods in child nutrition programs and teaching children about the importance of nutrition and farm-to-school connections.

Lyme-Old Lyme Schools Announce Q1 Honor Rolls

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Lyme-Old Lyme High School
2024-25 Quarter 1 Honor Roll

HIGH HONORS

Grade 12
Micah Bass, Gavin Biega, Molly Boardman, Nathaniel Bradley, Mark Burnham, Chase Calderon, Dominic Clark, Andrew Clougherty, Tabitha Colwell, Gloria Conley, Chloe Datum, Andrea DeBernardo, Caeli Edmed, Anna Eichholz, Grace Ferman, Benedict Frazier, Salvatore Gencarella, Manu Geronimo, Christopher Gibbons, Janna Graves, Nicolas Hatch, Kaela Hoss, Rowan Hovey, Shyla Jones, Thomas Kabel, Simon Karpinski, Olivia Kelly, Ella Kiem, Skylar Kobelia, Peter Kuhn, Ada LaConti, Brenden Landry, Elise Leonardo, Andrew Liu, Lana Lopes, Colette Marchant, Nathan Morgan, Abigail O’Brien, Sophie Pennie, Ysabel Rodriguez, Ryan Shapiro, Drea Simler, Josephine Small, Andrew Sprankle, Charlotte Tinniswood, Nicholas Turtoro, Kathleen Walsh, Giovanni Winters, Wenyao Zhang, Gabriella Ziegler

Grade 11
Zoe Brunza, Trevor Buydos, Tyler Cann, Julia Clark, Maya Cook, Colman Curtiss-Reardon, Christopher Dagher, James Dahlke, Rose Dimmock, Chase Gilbert, Alexander Glaras, Anna Goldfarb, Benjamin Goulding, Elizaveta Gregoire, Anne-Marie Hinckley, Christopher Kachur, Thomas Kelly, Jayden Livesey, Emily Looney, Poveda, Lucas, Serena Mazzi, Carter McGlinchey, Rowen Meisner, Ryan Miller, Madeline Murphy, Sybil Neary, Ryan Olsen, Ryan Ortoleva, Jacob Prokopets, Lance Sanford, Sophia Shaposhnikova, Addison Spooner,  Sydney St. Pierre, Andrew Taylor, Meredith Thompson, Connor Vautrain, Stella Young, Carl Zapatka

Grade 10
Collin Anderson, Ceciley Buckley, Morgan Buerger, Brooke Burgess, William Burgess, Anna Bussmann, Lillian Calabrese, Isaac Chartier, Johanna Coker, Brady Donovan, Elliot Dunn-Sims, Edward Fiske, Lauren Fulara, Antonio Gencarella, Gavin Goulis, Harrison Goulis, Skylar Graybill, Tessa Grethel, Owen Holth, Josephine Kiem, Paul Kuhn, Callahan Lacourciere, Kaylee McCarthy, Autumn Newbury, Sean Olsen, Mia Palmer, Ainsley Rinoski, Cameron Russell, Owen Shapiro, Kevork Shegirian, Madeline Stiles, Milo Stiles, Carli Teixeira, Magdalena Tooker, Ethan Trepanier, Kaylyn Vernon, Caterina Wilson

Grade 9
Lillian Acosta, Lauren Belval, Scarlett Blatter, Vivian Boller, Noah Brant, Lana Brunza, Payton Burr, Trevor Camarra, Naomi Cameron, Gabrielle Clark, John Comstock, Nathaniel Condon, Colin Discordia, Jonah Filardi, Cortland Forbes, Avery Goiangos, Frederick Goss, Gavin Gray, Sawyer Graybill, Kinsley Grenier, Aiden Guidi, Maia Guisti, Colleen Harrington, Morgan Harris, Reese Holland, Sophia Huang, Henrik Hummervoll, Fiona Judge, Jillian Kleefeld, Kaedyn Koproski, Holden Leonardo, Alice Li, Graham Macadam, Menzi Mbele, David McAdams, Rowan McCormick, Charles McEwen, William McKeever, Clarissa Mock, Addyson Morosky, Grace Morrissette, Marielle Munster, Theodore Neary, Gwenevere Osborne, Mila Pacelli, Mattea Parnoff, Remi Patz, Caiden Pelletier, Nicholas Porto, Jonah Scheckwitz, Marguerite Sevigny, Audrey Sheehan, Avery Spooner, Hailey Suisman, Charlotte Thuma, Renee Viera, Avery Zbierski, Ella Ziolkovski

HONORS

Grade 12
Christopher Anderson, Oliver Avelange, Hannah Bonilla, Zoe Eastman-Grossel, Abigail Edwards, Davis Fallon, Samantha Fiske, Hoshena Gemme, Marcella Gencarella, Elias Goldberg, Abigail Griffith, Yucheng Hou, Hannah Johnston, Gage Kaulfuss, Bronwyn Kyle, Straub, Lahot, Evan LeQuire, Amahle Mdluli, Tirill Mundal, Kayla Navarro, Max Novak, Kanon Oharu, Kelly Sheehan, Nola Slubowski, Erika Teixeira, Ava Wood-Muller

Grade 11
Sienna Bari, Max Bartlett, Makayla Calderon, Caden Camarra, Annabelle Coppola, Michael DeFiore, Quinn Hadarik, Oliver Hatchel, Maya LeQuire, Yanza, Marin, Yanza, Marin, Samuel McKenzie, Finch Nichols, Quenten Patz, Marleigh Piacenza, Isabella Presti, Daniel Shaposhnikov, Luca Signora, Tanner Snurkowski, Charlotte Spiegel, Carson St Louis, Margaret Thuma, Madeleine Trepanier, John Turick, Elisabeth Viera, Gabriel Waldo, Oliver Wyman, Katherine Zhang

Grade 10
Zachary Belval, Mia Bonatti, Aidan Carpentino, Evan Coffee, Amirah D’Lizarraga, Samson Edmed, Angeline Gencarella, Curtiss Johnson, Elsa Jungkeit, Olivia Lovendale, Matilda Miller, John Morosky, Grace Osborne, Vincenzo Pietrowicz, Alexandria Sanford, Allegra Schaedler, Ivy Wilson, Brody Ziolkovski

Grade 9
Ashlynn Edwards, Katharine Ferman, Ryan Hill, Mason Jones, Henry Kyle, Treyton LaConti, Sadie Lukasiewski, Benjamin Mattox, Liam McCormick, Caitlyn McHugh, Logan Patana, Chloe Ryan, Niamh Slubowski, Delilah Tooker, Ashlynn Ward, Charles Zapatka

Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School
2024-25 Quarter 1 Honor Roll

HIGH HONORS

Grade 8
Anna Block, Emily Bonatti, Cassidy Buckley, Ewan Cabell, Emily Campbell, Finnegan Choisnet, Reagan Christopher, Eliana Cicchiello, Emerson Coker, Benjamin Conrad, Miles Coppola, Nadia Daily, Maya Desai, Parker Fedorich, Jackson Fiske, Parker Forbes, Samantha Fulara, Ava Fuller, Victoria Glaras, Cole Haslam, Charles Holth, Quinn Hoss, Griffin Karpinski, Collin Langley, Zoey Langley, Ellison Lodge, Isabel Martel, Harland McKenna, Maxwell Mooney, Oliver Newbury, Sofia Noti, Kanato Oharu, Jack Ouellette, Jack Parker, Nikolas Reid, Benson Reis, Tristan Reyes, Lillian Reynolds, Beatrix Rubino, Addison Sapia, Adrianna Squarciafico, Mia Stokes, Natalie Suisman, Cooper Thomas, Olive Vautrain, Benson Wang, Reagan Weinstein, Anna William, Samuel Zelek, Lily Zerkowski

Grade 7
Annalisa Archbald, Miella Bard, Sawyer Barreto, Cole Barris, Jackson Basham, Zakary Benedetto, Conor Buckeridge, Thomas Calabrese, Rowan Cantner, Mason Catalano, Jackson Chapps, Ainsley Conroy, Oliver Constantine, Brennon Coyle, Roger Crampton, Sophia Crampton, Daniel Crisp, Ella Davis, Amy Diaz, Daphne Eisensmith, Kate Ewers, Camryn Fedorich, Estelle Filardi, Maureen Geronimo, Jaxson Glantz, Beckett Goss, Delana Green-Oldfield, Ekaterina Gregoire, Willow Griffis, Julia Haslam, Sean Hunter, August Jungkeit, Devon Kiem, Rowan Kilfoil, Alina Kosecki, Eva Levonick, Jamie Maloney, Mary McAdams, Ariana McEwen, Finn McLaughlin, Henry Miller, Tristan Montanaro, Ryann Montesanto, Broderick Morris, Isla Morrissette, Maya Munster, Maura Murphy, Avery Olson, Juul Parrott, Quin Parrott, Quinn Quarto, Caliana Rand, Emily Randak, Charlotte Reynolds, Olivia Rozanski-Rose, Linden Sarnoski, Ari Shegirian, Maya Smith, Molly Supersano, Weston Taylor, Jack Walter, Liam Ward, John Young, Kingsley Zheng

Grade 6
Mylo Awwa, Ella Boudo, Cecelia Bradley, Brody Burr, Ryan Campbell, Liang Chang, Aiden Coffee, Maizie Curtiss-Reardon, Croix Demars, Lucia D’Onofrio, Catherine Fisher, Maxwell Garvin, Natalie Gibbons, Gabriella Gonzalez, Gerald Holland, John Hornyak, Emma Hoxha, Callie Kelo, Aiden Lapinski, Parker Lee, Siena Maguire, Linnea McLachlan, Emma Morales, Gabriella Norris, Nico Orlando, Alexander Reid, Jack Reiter, Connor Rice, Taylor Rooney, Magnolia Sahl, Reid Sapia, Kate Scheckwitz, Colton Schroder, Madison Seckla, Piper Spiegel, Audrey Thuma, Carina Vakili, Henry Whalen

HONORS

Grade 8
Josie Arndt, Trent Cameron, Samuel Dunn-Sims, Joshua Evans, Colin Farrell, Jared Fulara, Olivia Gerardo, Cayden Graybill, Olivia Griffith, Curran Livesey, Grant Maxwell, Thomas O’Connor, Giovanni Orlando, Juliette Small

Grade 7
Haneen Al-Rahyyl, Braydon Boisseau, Liam Carpentino, Hunter Emma, Aibhlinn Hall, Lauren Kelly, Jameson McKeever, Camden Novak, Roman Schlachter, Jackson Staab, Lucius Stebbins-Wallen, Kolbein Vigen

Grade 6
Finn Cabell, Luz Cajamarca, Finn Celic, Niall Hallahan, Roosevelt Lowry, Leif Sullivan, Charlotte Zeng

Old Lyme Junior Gilbert Qualifies for X-Country Nationals in San Diego, First Ever OL Runner to Reach Nationals

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Pictured here are the four girls who qualified for the Footlocker Cross Country National Championship in San Diego on Dec. 14. Lyme-Old Lyme High Schools’s Chase Gilbert is at right in photo—the other girls are, from left to right, Tess Sherry (Conard), Brook Strauss (Glastonbury), and Liv Sherry (Conard.) Photo by T. Gilbert.

BOSTON, MA—UPDATED 12/02 WITH NEW PHOTOS: On Saturday, Nov. 30, Lyme-Old Lyme High School (LOLHS) Junior Chase Gilbert qualified for the Footlocker Cross Country National Championship with her fifth place finish in the 5,000-meter course at the Northeast Regional Championships at Franklin Park In Boston. 

Gilbert’s time was 17:56.9—only around six seconds behind the fourth place finisher, Liv Sherry of Conard High School in West Hartford at 17:49.3.

Brooke Strauss of Glastonbury was the highest-placed Connecticut finisher at third with a time of 17,41,5,

The National Championship will be held in San Diego, Calif., on Saturday, Dec.14..  

The fastest 10 girls, who finished the race, qualified for the National Contest and four of those 10, including Gilbert, were from Connecticut. The fourth was Liv Sherry’s sister, Tess—also from Conard—who came 10th.

Chase Gilbert (left) is pictured here after Saturday’s race standing with her LOLHS coach, Jan Merrill-Morin, (center) and Merrill-Morin’s husband, Jeff. Photo by T. Gilbert.

Gilbert is the first Lyme-Old Lyme runner ever to qualify for the National Championship. She is coached at LOLHS by former 1976 Olympian runner Jan Merrill-Morin and LOLHS History and Civics teacher Aron Daquila.

Asked by LymeLine how she felt about her success, Chase responded by email saying, “I am so excited to represent the Northeast at nationals with an amazing group of girls! My coaches Jan and Aron have helped me earn this position with their commitments of coaching and supporting me. My family and teammates have been so supportive along the way as well.”

Chase Gilbert (center) in action. Photo by Alyssa Mercaldi.

“The whole community is very proud of Chase’s achievement,”  Daquila said in an email to LymeLine, adding, “Chase is a very focused runner and this amazing achievement is a product of her dedication, patience and perseverance.  Now she [has] earned a ticket to San Diego for Nationals, a goal of hers since freshman year.  And certainly not an easy one, literally only 10 athletes from the entire Northeast region earned this.”

He concluded emphatically, “I’m just so happy for her.” 

Here at LymeLine, we add our heartiest congratulations to Chase!

Ribbon-Cutting Held for Renovated Greenhouse at Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School: UPDATED

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Lyme Food Share Garden President Jim Ward (third from left) thanks Sustainable CT, Lyme-Old Lyme Schools, and the numerous donors to the greenhouse renovation project in a short speech made immediately prior to the ribbon-cutting.

OLD LYME — Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School welcomed more than a dozen community members to view the renovated school greenhouse at a ribbon-cutting ceremony held Tuesday, Nov. 19. The greenhouse has been renovated as a partnership between Lyme-Old Lyme Schools, the Lyme-Old Lyme Food Share Garden (LOLFSG), and the community.    

From left to right, Old Lyme First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker (left) joins Lyme-Old Lyme Food Share Garden President Jim Ward, Sustainable CT Fellow Summer Mitchell, Sustainable CT Program Coordinator Dorothy Piszczek and Old Lyme Economic Development Chairwoman Cheryl Poirier (right) in the renovated Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School greenhouse, which was officially reopened Tuesday with a ribbon-cutting.

At the ribbon-cutting, Lyme Food Share Garden President Jim Ward spoke warmly of the relationship LOLFSG had established with Lyme-Old Lyme Schools, saying, “We are excited to collaborate with the school district to revitalize and utilize the greenhouse. This effort fosters a great connection between the school and the community.”

He added, “We look forward to working with students and teachers in enhancing the curriculum and hands-on learning. Garden volunteers will maintain educational exhibits, such as a vermicomposting (worm) bin and a hydroponic display.” 

Ward noted, “Access to a greenhouse will enable the Food Share garden to increase production by starting and maintaining plants for early and late-season crops.”  

The greenhouse is already yielding valuable results.

Expressing thanks to all the donors, who had made the greenhouse renovation possible, Ward gave examples of the impact the project had made on certain former students.

He explained, “During the fundraising campaign, I spoke to a former student who is a farmer; he told me that his experience in this greenhouse helped inspire his desire to grow vegetables and raise cattle. I also spoke with a local landscaper who shared his positive senior-year experience with the greenhouse. Hopefully, the greenhouse experience will have an impact on future students.”

Ward also acknowledged the support from the Sustainable CT Community Match Fund, noting, “Three years ago, we utilized this program to establish the garden and turned to them to assist us in funding this greenhouse project.” This program supports sustainability improvements across Connecticut.

Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School (LOLMS) Principal Mark Ambruso welcomes the LOLMS ‘EcoWarriors’ to the greenhouse where they will be undertaking a number of projects under the guidance of LOLMS science teacher Shannon Glorioso.

While searching for a greenhouse in which the LOLFSG could start and maintain plants for late season crops, Jim Ward, president of LOLFSG, noticed the rarely-used greenhouse at the middle school. In his mind, he began to think about the possibilities …

After extensive discussions between LOLFSG and Lyme-Old Lyme Schools, it was agreed that renovating the greenhouse would be beneficial to all.

The LOLFSG raised approximately $8,000 for the project via the Community Match Fund offered by Sustainable CT. 

With these funds, the polycarbonate on the roof, sides and gable end of the greenhouse have been replaced. New exhaust fans, shutters, and vents have been added, along with an irrigation system and a hydroponic tower. 

From left to right, Lyme-Old Lyme Food Share Garden LOLFSG) President Jim Ward is joined by fellow LOLFSG Board Members Steven Moore and Michael Hansen for this celebratory photo.

Ward commented, “The Lyme-Old Lyme Food Share Garden is excited to collaborate with the school district to revitalize and utilize the greenhouse. This effort fosters a great connection between the school and the community.” He added, “ We look forward to working with students and teachers in enhancing the curriculum and hands-on learning.”

Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School science teacher Shannon Glorioso (center) stands with her team of ‘EcoWarriors’ prior to the ribbon-cutting.

Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School science teacher Shannon Glorioso aims to incorporate use of the greenhouse in her teaching this year, including implementing worm-composting. She plans to Introduce and maintain a worm-composting system within the greenhouse to recycle organic waste, thus promoting nutrient-rich soil for plant growth and reducing waste sent to landfills. 

Another topic Glorioso intends to explore in the greenhouse with her students is hydroponics. She hopes to establish a hydroponic system in the greenhouse to teach students about alternative methods of cultivation, water conservation, and the importance of nutrient management in plant growth. 

This ‘Eco-Warrior’ was delighted to have the opportunity to explain the details of hydroponic gardening to the assembled onlookers.

Raised-bed farming will also be introduced by the energetic Glorioso. She intends to teach students how to cultivate raised-bed gardens within the greenhouse to demonstrate sustainable farming techniques, including soil management, crop rotation, and pest control methods. 

Finally, Glorioso plans to engage students in the entire process of growing lettuce from seed to harvest. But she will not stop there—she hopes to organize regular deliveries of the lettuce to the Shoreline Soup Kitchen and Pantries at the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme. This in turn will not only address local food insecurity but also instill values of community service and empathy in the students.

A view of the exterior of the greenhouse. The facility has been ‘in situ ‘at the LOL Middle School for decades but had fallen into disrepair. This project has rejuvenated both the greenhouse and its role as a learning environment for students.

“Partnerships such as this one between our students, staff and the community are an integral part of what makes our schools outstanding,” said Superintendent of Schools Ian Neviaser.

He continued, “We thank LOLFSG for bringing new learning experiences to our students and raising the funds necessary for the work.” 

Editor’s Note: The greenhouse renovation project used Sustainable CT’s Community Match Fund grant program to crowdfund the project and access a matching grant. For further information on the Community Match Fund grant program page, visit this link.

Veterans Day at Lyme-Old Lyme Schools Carefully Mixes Music, Pomp, Ceremony with Food, Flags, Fun

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Lyme School students welcomed visiting veterans with a colorful message. All photos courtesy of Lyme-Old Lyme Schools.

LYME/OLD LYME—On Monday, Lyme-Old Lyme Schools commemorated Veterans Day with a breakfast for local veterans followed by ceremonies in each school incorporating speeches, music and singing to honor all veterans.

Veterans including Joe LaCasse (right) and former Old Lyme First Selectman Tim Griswold (second from right) enjoyed a hearty breakfast at Lyme-Old Lyme Middles School to kick off the festivities.

Students of all ages were involved in the day’s events.

This young man performed an important role serving fresh fruit to the Middle School’s honored guests.

After breakfast at the middle school, the veterans attended a program in their honor in the auditorium.

VFW Post 1467 Commander Richard Mason (left) commented on the success of the day’s events, saying, “We bonded with middle school and high school students and staff as well as community friends.”

This was a very nice, inspirational day enjoying Veterans Day side-by-side with our students and community members. The students celebrated the day with heart and passion with our vets.Later they moved to Lyme-Old Lyme High School for another event, also commemorating veterans.

Longtime music teacher Jacob Wilson conducts the high school band.

At Lyme School, a tea was held for the veterans

The generations mixed seamlessly during a tea held for the veterans held at Lyme School.

A reception was held at the high school after the program there allowing the veterans to mingle with the students.

Veteran David Griswold (center) stands with two fellow veterans at the reception following the high school program.

VFW Post 1467 Commander Mason summed up the day, saying, “This was a very nice, inspirational day enjoying Veterans Day side-by-side with our students and community members. The students celebrated the day with heart and passion with our vets.”

The color guard delivered the flags to the fonr of the high school auditorium.

It was a truly memorable day for all involved.

The welcoming sign at the Middle School that greeted the arriving veterans.