Category Archives: News

Old Lyme’s Rowing Program Sees Three of Its Own Selected to US Team for 2022 World Championships in Czech Republic

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Lyme-Old Lyme High School (LOLHS) graduate Hannah Paynter, seen here rowing in the 2021 Head of the Charles, has been selected as an Alternate for the US team at the 2022 World Rowing Championships. Photo submitted.

OLD LYME — Three rowers with strong Old Lyme connections have been selected for the US roster for the 2022 World Rowing Championships, which are scheduled to be held Sept. 18-25 in Račice, 25 miles north of Prague in the Czech Republic.

Liam Corrigan, a 2014 LOLHS graduate, has been chosen as a member of the US Men’s Eight for the 2022 World Rowing Championships. Photo submitted.

Liam Corrigan, whose parents have now live in Lyme after spending many years in Old Lyme, has been selected for the US Men’s Eight boat. Corrigan is a Class of 2015 Lyme-Old Lyme High School (LOLHS) graduate, who went on to Harvard University, and now rows with the California Rowing Club.

Hannah Paynter, who also graduated from LOLHS in 2015 and whose family lives in Lyme, has been selected as a US team Alternate. She attended Princeton University, where she received numerous rowing awards, and currently trains with the Advanced Rowing Initiative Of the Northeast (ARION) program based in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

The third rower, Dominique Williams, lives in Madison, Conn. but trained for four seasons with the Old Lyme-based Blood Street Skulls. He has been chosen to row in the US Men’s Quad boat. After graduating from Daniel Hand High School, he went to the University of Pennsylvania and now trains with the Vesper Boat Club in Philadelphia, Pa.

The 2021 Tokyo Olympics saw Corrigan along with Old Lyme native and 2010 LOLHS graduate Austin Hack row in the US Men’s Eight boat, which ultimately just missed out on a medal coming in fourth in the final.

Hack was the only returning member of the 2021 US Men’s Eight, having been part of the 2016 US Men’s Eight team, which came in fourth in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in Brazil. Hack, whose family still lives in Old Lyme, has now retired from competitive rowing.

Austin Hack (third from right) looks to his right at the end of Heat 1 in the US 8+ Olympic championship at  Tokyo.

And if you go back beyond Hack, there are several other Olympians, who came through the ranks of the Blood Street Sculls/Old Lyme Rowing Association. In 2008, Andrew Bolton was an Alternate for the Men’s Lightweight Four and in 2012, Sarah Trowbridge rowed in the Women’s Open Double Sculls.

In fact, since record-keeping was initiated in 1997, over 100 athletes in Old Lyme rowing programs have gone on to  represent their university in collegiate rowing competition

So how does a small rowing program in a tiny town continue to produce world-class rowers  on such a regular basis?

Paul Fuchs

We asked Paul Fuchs of Old Lyme that question. He was well-placed to respond since he is is a longtime board member of the Blood Street Sculls, Director of Rowing, and also the LOLHS Girls’ Varsity Rowing Coach. An accomplished rower himself, Fuchs holds the men’s lightweight course record for Head of the Charles, and competed on seven US World Championship teams. He has coached at both the Olympic and World Championship levels.

A nautical architect by profession, Fuchs is also Chairman of the US Rowing Equipment and Technology Committee and, in that capacity, will be traveling to Račice for the 2022 Rowing World Championships.

Coincidentally, Nobuhisa Ischizuka, who rows as an adult member of the Blood Street Skulls, is the President of US Rowing and also lives in Old Lyme. He too will be going to Račice.

To answer our question, Fuchs explains that, “Since we’re a small place and rarely have enough people to make a full boat of fast people,” the goal of the club is not only to teach the students to row well, but also, “to develop in them a love of the sport,” and [in some cases] a desire, “to go further with it”

Fuchs says evocatively, “We want them to get involved [with rowing], stay involved … and  evolve.”

He also commends the coaches for the program’s effectiveness, saying, “We’ve got a great group of coaches that know what they’re doing,” noting, “We all really pride ourselves on what the students are achieving.”

Another key part of the Blood Street Skulls philosophy, which helps students overcome tension and keeps them focused on enjoying the sport, relates to stress. “We don’t believe in burning them out,” emphasizes Fuchs, adding, “We want them to leave loving the sport … and if they happen to have have good high school scores, that’s good too.”

The latter point relates to the fact that several of the, ‘”Eight or nine rowers,” who started their rowing careers with Blood Street Sculls, went on from high school in 2022 to row at college with financial scholarships in hand. Four 2022 LOLHS graduates were planning to continue rowing at college.

Asked his personal feelings on the success of the Blood Street Sculls rowing program, Fuchs responded, “I just like that we’re producing something that a lot of people like. The kids are accomplishing stuff, they’re learning stuff, but most importantly, they’re having fun.”

Editor’s Note: i) Hearty congratulations to all three rowers!

ii) We have corrected the location of the World Championships thanks to a reader, who kindly pointed out they are taking place in Račice in the Czech Republic, and not Prague itself. We apologize for the error.

Rowe Stepping Down from Top Job at Lyme Academy, Board Launches Search for Managing Director

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Mora Rowe has announced she will be stepping down from her current role as Executive Director of Lyme Academy of Fine Arts in September.

OLD LYME — Mora Rowe, who currently serves as the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts Executive Director, has announced her intention to step down from the position this month. Consequently, the Academy has launched a search for a Managing Director to oversee the Academy’s finances, facilities, and operations on its nine-acre campus in Old Lyme, C0nn.

Rowe contributed to planning the reopening of the Academy in fall 2021. She initiated necessary upgrades to the facilities, hired administrative staff, secured numerous grants for the organization, re-engaged with the Lyme/Old Lyme community, and planned several events on campus.

Rowe’s efforts supported the work of the Co-Artistic Directors, Jordan Sokol and Amaya Gurpide, to revive Lyme Academy’s mission to teach the foundational skills of drawing, painting, and sculpture in the figurative tradition.

Most recently, Rowe is credited with the design and merchandising of de Gerenday’s Fine Art Materials and Curiosities, which opened on the Academy’s campus at the end of June.

“I am grateful to have been a part of the relaunch of this storied Academy,” Rowe comments, “and to have worked alongside supportive and dedicated staff, the board of trustees, and community members. I feel confident that Lyme Academy is in a strong position to move forward into a bright and promising future.” Rowe will wrap up her tenure at Lyme Academy in September. Along with her departure, the title Executive Director will be retired.

With Rowe’s resignation, the board of trustees voted to establish the new role of Managing Director, and to begin an immediate search for a person who will be responsible for the overall operations of the Academy and support the work of the Artistic Directors, Sokol and Gurpide, as they expand the artistic offerings at Lyme Academy.

“The Board of Trustees evaluated other arts organizations to determine the best leadership structure for Lyme Academy,” adds Michael Duffy, Lyme Academy Board Chairman.

He continued, “The Managing Director title is one you see at places like the Goodspeed Opera, the Ivoryton Playhouse, and elsewhere, particularly when the role is partnered with an Artistic Director. Moving forward, the Academy’s Artistic Directors, the husband-and wife team of Jordan Sokol and Amaya Gurpide, will report directly to the board alongside a Managing Director who, once hired, would be expected to start sometime this fall.”

The search for Managing Director is launching at the same time as many new artistic and educational offerings at the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts. In August, the Academy announced a new Youth Program, directed by Old Lyme-native Rick Lacey, which begins in early September.

New classes, workshops, and an all-level Studio Immersion Program are planned to begin in October, along with the much-anticipated return of the full-time Core Program students.

Lastly, the Academy will be launching a new Sculpture Program in late 2023, after hiring a new Sculpture Chair this fall.

The search for a Managing Director will be led by Laura Hansen, Senior Search Consultant for DRG Talent Consulting, a national search and talent management firm serving nonprofits, schools, foundations, and social impact corporations.

Those interested in learning more about the position, or who wish to apply, are invited to visit the DRG website (drgtalent.com) or to contact Hansen directly at lhansen@drgtalent.com. The Academy expects to begin reviewing applications in October, with a hire in late fall 2022.

Editor’s Notes: i) This article is based on a press release issued by Lyme Academy.

ii) The mission of the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts is to teach the foundational skills of drawing, painting, and sculpture in the figurative tradition. By its commitment to training students in these skills and an engagement with contemporary discourse, the Academy will empower a new generation of artists. Through its programs, the Academy is committed to enriching the cultural life of the community. As an extension of programming, the Academy has recently announced the opening of de Gerenday’s Fine Art Materials and Curiosities, a new shop offering art supplies and giftable objects from around the globe.

For more information, visit lymeacademy.edu.

CT Test Results Give Lyme-Old Lyme Schools “Highest Scores Ever” (LOL Supt. Neviaser), Placing Them in Top Tier Across Subjects, Grades

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Lyme-Old Lyme Schools Achieve Highest Place Rankings Across the Board in New London County, Take First Place in CT Rankings on 5th Grade English Language Arts, All Results Feature in Top 10 of State

Lyme-Old Lyme Schools Superintendent Ian Neviaser. (File photo)

LYME-OLD LYME — On Friday, the Connecticut State Department of Education released the results of the 2021-2022 Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC), which is the accountability assessment in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics for students in Grades 3-8, and the Connecticut School SAT results.

Numerous articles have been published since with headlines such as this, “Tests show students still not caught up to pre-pandemic levels of proficiency” (The Day) or “Student Achievement Lags Pre-Pandemic Levels” (CT News Junkie)or “Connecticut test scores show extent of pandemic learning loss …” (Hartford Courant).

But if you look exclusively at Lyme-Old Lyme (LOL) Schools, the numbers tell a very different story with results not simply holding at pre-pandemic levels but rather in many cases, improving, and in one case — 5th Grade English Language Arts — taking the top place in the state.

Comparing results across all Connecticut Public Schools and School Districts, Lyme-Old Lyme Schools took 5th and 3rd place respectively for the Fifth Grade SBAC in ELA and Math. Eighth Grade results showed a similarly strong result with LOL Schools achieving 4th place in both subjects.

The SAT results were equally strong with LOL Schools placing 7th in Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (ERW) and 4th in Math.

Across all these results, Lyme-Old Lyme Schools were consistently the top school or school district in New London County and the only schools ahead of them in the rankings were located in Fairfield County.

Perhaps even more significant than these stand-alone results for 2021-22 is a comparison of where students placed in the pre-pandemic year of 2018-19 compared with these new results. In all but one case, the percentage of students achieving results at or above goal increased or (in only case) held level.

Fifth grade LOL students went from 7th place to 1st in ELA, while eighth grade students held level at 6th place.

In Math, eighth grade LOL students improved from 19th place to 11th, but fifth grade students recorded the only fall in positions moving down from 2nd place to 5th.

Regarding a comparison of the SAT results, 11th grade LOL students rose to 5th place from 7th in Evidence-Based Reading and Writing: the same students rose from 12th to 5th place in Math.

Asked by phone his reaction to these remarkable results, especially in light of how most other schools and school districts in the state had fared, LOL Schools Superintendent Ian Neviaser said enthusiastically, “We crushed it! These were our highest scores ever. We’re in the top [tier] in everything!”

He went on to explain that he attributed the overall success of the scores to the simple fact that students were in school, “The entire time,” unlike most schools and school districts in the state — LOL Schools were in session from start to finish of the 2021-22 academic year.

Neviaser added quickly that he also knew the results could not have been achieved without the hard work of the teachers, who were, “Absolutely committed to teaching,” throughout the pandemic.

Finally, he noted that the students’ success in many ways reflected the ongoing, “Support of the local community,” and particularly during the pandemic, for which he said he was “Always grateful.”

Editor’s Note: The complete results for the state, districts and schools, and student groups are available on the public EdSight portal at http://edsight.ct.gov.

Almost Full Auditorium for Aug. 27 Old Lyme Regional Wastewater System Update

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OLD LYME — More than 150 residents attended yesterday’s meeting to review the current status of the proposed Regional Wastewater System. The meeting was held in the Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School auditorium.

Senator Richard Blumenthal addressed the audience via a video link as he was on his way to a prior commitment in Bridgeport, Conn.

State Senator Paul Formica (R-20th) spoke in person to the audience.

The slide presentation titled ‘Project Overview and Update’ that was given at yesterday’s meeting can be viewed at this link.

The pre-submitted Q & A (Questions & Answers) that were presented at the meeting can be viewed at this link.

The General Information & News section of the Miami Beach Association website also has important updates  regarding the project.

Editor’s Note: We are trying to determine if the whole meeting was recorded so that we can also share that link.

‘Amphora’ Retrospective at Lyme Academy Celebrates 40 Years of Work by Old Lyme Artist Pat Smith

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Pat Smith artwork and journals on display at Lyme Academy of Fine Arts. Photo by Caryn B. Davis.

OLD LYME — The Lyme Academy of Fine Arts presents Amphora, a retrospective survey of four decades of work of the Old Lyme-based artist Patricia Smith (b.1942).

Amphora is both a celebration of the earth and the earliest crafts it bore, and a deeply personal tribute to Smith’s enduring muse. The exhibition will be on view in the Academy’s Sill House Gallery from Aug. 28, through Sept. 18, 2022.

Spanning a wide range of media, this exhibition takes as its signature piece the iconic pottery vessel that defined the ancient world, and represents Smith’s initial calling and primal connection to her creative vocation.

Raised in Manchester, England, Smith found her way to the Greek archaeological site of Knossos at the age of 20. It was there that she fell in love with the art of pottery, and began what would become a lifelong journey into the arts.

In the early 1980s, Smith was initiated into her true material — porcelain — from a fellow potter and collaborator. Together they explored deeply the possibilities of the material, including mold-making and slip-casting with liquid clay, and developed complex high-fire celadon and ash glazes. It was this transformative moment that revolutionized Smith’s conception of ceramics.

Pat Smith Artwork – Porcelain and Paper. Photo by Caryn B. Davis

After relocating to a Soho loft in New York City, and with a studio of her own, Smith’s creativity with porcelain seemed to know no bounds. Black and white elemental pieces gave way to a new series of nerikomi works, which featured (natural) white porcelain streaked with blue veins.

Smith also began producing hand-built bowls, made by overlapping paper-thin strips of porcelain to form an open, woven form. Their raw, torn edges evoke a primal, organic quality that is wholly reflective of Smith’s profound and resonant approach.

In the 1980s and ’90s, Smith was actively working and showing throughout the United States. She taught ceramics at Parsons School of Design for a brief period before leaving her years of teaching to focus on her own work.

She began experimenting with new techniques, such as watercolor and cyanotype, and her porcelain work began to incorporate the expressiveness of these other mediums. Smith continued to work in clay, however, allowing each of the materials she explored to intertwine, engage, and mutually inform.

The artist Pat Smith n her garden in Old Lyme, Conn.

In the late 1990s, Smith left New York with her husband to settle in Connecticut, where she established a new studio, in addition to spending several months of the year at their home in Paris.

These months in Paris without a kiln inspired her to invent new ways of working without clay, leading to another breakthrough, which was the use of paper as a substitute for porcelain. In this way, Smith began to work the paper to produce similar forms and effects that she had achieved in porcelain.

Eventually paper and porcelain were used almost interchangeably, combined with other elements such as thread, cloth, wood or stone, making the two pure white materials contained the essence of the work.

“Making art is a journey, a weaving of recurring themes and inspirations, unraveling layers of the self and illuminating an inner tapestry of memories and images” says Smith. “My own journey has led me from England to France and finally here to Old Lyme.”

Pat Smith’s studio in Old Lyme. Photo by Caryn B. Davis.

Smith adds, “I am so grateful to Lyme Academy for giving me this precious opportunity to share my art.”

Although Smith’s art over the years has clearly extended beyond the making of clay vessels, she maintains that she is fundamentally a potter at heart. The amphora that the 20-year-old carried home from Knossos remains with her today, continuing to serve as the symbolic container of her original passion and now, with this exhibition, the representation of her life’s work.

Editor’s Note: ‘Amphora, A Pat Smith Retrospective’ is on view in Lyme Academy’s Sill House Gallery Aug. 28, through Sept. 18, 2022, Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Forty percent of the proceeds from the sale of artwork from the exhibition will be contributed to Lyme Academy of Fine Arts.