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Lyme-Old Lyme Middle, High School Announce Q4 Honor Rolls

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Lyme-Old Lyme High School
Quarter 4 Honor Roll   2020-21

HIGH HONORS
Grade 12:

Paige Alpha, Kaylee Armenia, Sonia Bair, Olivia Bartlett, Maxwell Bauchmann, Ava Berry, Emma Boardman, Kyuss Buono, Keenan Burr, Kate Cheney, Hunter Collins, Megan Cravinho, George Danes, Emily DeRoehn, Corah Engdall, Isabella Flagge, Fiona Frederiks, Grace Lathrop, Gabriel Lavoie, Owen Macadam, Mackenzie Machnik, Elle McAraw, Emma McCulloch, Brendan McTigue, Emma Meekhoff, Marina Melluzzo, Michael Milazzo, Riley Nelson, Sophia Ortoleva, Connie Pan, Anwyn Paynter, Cajamarca Pelaez, Gavin Porter, Aidan Powers, Ezra Pyle, Julie Rudd, John Ruhling, Hayden Saunders, Tait Sawden, Tessa St.Germain, Jake Stewart, Lian Thompson, McKenzey Thompson, Kelly Walsh 

Grade 11:

Emily Almada, John Almy, Nihad Bicic, Hannah Britt, Mackenzie Bussolotti, Ryan Clark, Grace Coverdale, Lauren Creagan, Elizabeth Duddy, Eleanor Dushin, Lauren Enright, Iona Fitzgerald, Victoria Gage, Shawn Grenier, Liam Grethel, Nicolette Hallahan, Austin Halsey, Jackson Harris, Julia Johnston, Nevin Joshy, Kian Kardestuncer, Robyn King, Michael Klier, Felse Kyle, William Larson, Reese Maguire, Abigail Manthous, Stephanie Mauro, Evan Morgan, Elle Myers, Emily Nickerson, Bella Orlando, Jacob Ritchie, Margaret Rommel, Aidan Russell, Frank Sablone, Calvin Scheiber, Abigail Sicuranza, McLean Signora, Abby Speckhals, Drew St.Louis, Nikolai Stephens-Zumbaum, Victoria Stout, Maverick Swaney, Madison Thompson, Alexandra Tinniswood, Olivia Turtoro, Aidan Ward, Melanie Warren, Ellie Wells, Jenna Woods, Jerry Zhang

Grade 10:

Olivia Alpha, Whitney Barbour, William Barry, Callie Bass, Livie Bass, Jillian Beebe, Cooper Bowman, Gillian Bradley, Ava Brinkerhoff, Jamie Bucior, Gretchen Burgess, Sarah Burnham, Liam Celic, Alexander Chrysoulakis, Grace Colwell, William Danes, Anna Davis, John Eichholz, Zachary Eichholz, Matthew Grammatico, Willa Hoerauf, Arber Hoxha, Karissa Huang, Theodore Lampos, Yanza Lata, Jonah Lathrop, Jacob Lopez-Bravo, Ford Macadam, Marielle Mather, Kennedy McCormick, Madalyn McCulloch, Madeleine Morgado, Cooper Munson, Alexander Olsen, Alain Pecher-Kohout, Kelsey Pryor, Izzadora Reynolds, Benjamin Roth, Eli Ryan, Anders Silberberg, Alyssa Spooner, Samantha Tan, Tova Toriello, Harry Whitten, George Williams

Grade 9:

Emma Bayor, Oliver Berry, Alis Bicic, Natalie Buckley, Jackson Bullock, Sarah Colangelo, Ava Cummins, Ella Curtiss-Reardon, Macklin Cushman, Eric Dagher, Eva D’Onofrio, Mulanga Drysile, Marcia Geronimo, Calla Gilson, Ryder Goss, Sydney Goulding, Nyla Goulis, Alexis Grasdock, Justin Green, Douglas Griswold, Ella Halsey, Sedona Holland, Agatha Hunt, Beatrice Hunt, Sabina Jungkeit, Emmerson Kaye, Matthew Mazzalupo, Griffin McGlinchey, Elaina Morosky, Delaney Nelson, Isabelle O’Connor, Ronald Olin, Dylan Paynter, Jack Porter, Luisa Raby, Sydney Siefken, Madeleine Soriano, Hannah Thomas, Kalea VanPelt, Keara Ward, Louisa Warlitz, Mason Wells, Tyler Wells, Summer Wollack, Duohui Yan

HONORS
Grade 12:

Juliette Atkinson, Sadie Bowman, Martinez Carcamo, Martinez Carcamo, Emerson Colwell, John Cox, Axel Cruz, Patrick Dagher, Leslie Farrell, Sadie Frankel, Samantha Gray, Schuyler Greenho, Isabella Hine, Avery Lacourciere, Madelyn Maskell, Olivia Papanier, Lauren Pitt, Jeremy Rand, Ethan Rivera, Jesper Silberberg, Katelyn Zbierski

Grade 11:

Nicholas Adeletti, Dylan Avelange, Evan Clark, Anne Colangelo, James Creagan, Delaney Gagnon, Robert Gajda, Samantha Geshel, Andrew Hedberg, Lillian Herrera, Fiona Hufford, Zoe Jensen, Mikayla Masilotti, Grace McAdams, Emily Mesham, Samuel Mullaney, Michael O’Donnell, Lauren Presti, Adeline Riccio, Alexander Roth, Parker Sprankle, Daniel Stack, Paige Winchell, Avery Wyman, Ryan Zbierski

Grade 10:

Sophia Adkins, Jordan Beebe, Jennifer Cajamarca, Hayley Cann, Ava Catalano, Nicholas Cox, Marjorie Curtis, Kylie Dishaw, Alexis Fenton, Ethan Hale, Owen Ingersoll-Bonsack, Aidan Kerrigan, Madison Krol, Monique Lavoie, Amy Magalhaes, Joseph Montazella, Jack Morgan, Olivia Powers, Jaden Reyes, Santiago Rodriguez, Rhyleigh Russell, Jenna Schauder, Kaitlyn Ward

Grade 9:

Peighton Andrews, Elliot Bjornberg, Lucas DaSilva, Amelia Gage, Katherine Gryk, Abby Hale, Leland Hine, Luke Legein, Anna McAdams, Lucas McMillan, Matthew Miller, Katherine Mullaney, Grace Phaneuf, Cailin Ruhling, Elias Sahadi, Kylie-Jean Sevigny, Haley Shaw, Gabriel Tooker, Ned Smith

Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School
Quarter 4 2020-21   Honor Roll

HIGH HONORS
Grade 8:

Christopher Anderson, Emma Arelt, Quinn Arico, Natalie Barndt, Molly Boardman, Justin Bonatti, Nathaniel Bradley, Mark Burnham, Nathan Burres, Andrew Clougherty, Tabitha Colwell, Chloe Datum, Andrea DeBernardo, Zoe Eastman-Grossel, Caeli Edmed, Anna Eichholz, Benedict Frazier, Hoshena Gemme, Ava Gilbert, Hayden Grethel, Abigail Griffith, Henry Griswold, Jonathan Harms, Nicolas Hatch, Kaela Hoss, Kyle Ingersoll-Bonsack, Shyla Jones, Simon Karpinski, Olivia Kelly, Ella Kiem, Mia Klewin, Peter Kuhn, Ada LaConti, Straub Lahot, Elise Leonardo, Andrew Liu, Abigail O’Brien, Kanon Oharu, Sophie Pennie, Shannon Pryor, Mutia Quarshie, Ysabel Rodriguez, Drea Simler, Audrey Spiegel, Kathleen Walsh

Grade 7:

Charlotte Antonino, Ilona Binch, Zoe Brunza, Alec Butzer, Trevor Buydos, Makayla Calderon, Tyler Cann, Colman Curtiss-Reardon, Christopher Dagher, James Dahlke, Sophia D’Angelo, Michael DeFiore, Rose Dimmock, Alexa Donovan, Jonathan Farrell, Chase Gilbert, Alexander Glaras, Benjamin Goulding, Scarlette Graybill, Christopher Kachur, Thomas Kelly, Katherine King, Harrison Kleefeld, William Landon, Jade Lawton, Maya LeQuire, Jayden Livesey, Emily Looney, Ian Maeby, Elise Marchant, Yanza Marin, Yanza Marin, Samuel Masanz, Bridget McAdams, Carter McGlinchey, Sybil Neary, Nina Nichols, Ryan Olsen, Ryan Ortoleva, Quenten Patz, Isabella Presti, Jacob Prokopets, Taylor Quintin, Jenna Salpietro, Sophia Shaposhnikova, Luca Signora, Emma Singleton, Tanner Snurkowski, Charlotte Spiegel, Addison Spooner, Carson St.Louis, Andrew Taylor, Meredith Thompson, Margaret Thuma, Lucian Tracano, Madeleine Trepanier, John Turick, Connor Vautrain, Elisabeth Viera, Warren Volles, Gabriel Waldo, Edith Williams, Julius Wilson, Oliver Wyman, Stella Young, Carl Zapatka, Katherine Zhang

Grade 6:

Lucia Arico, Zak Avelange, Mia Bonatti, Ceciley Buckley, Morgan Buerger, Marla Bulas, Brooke Burgess, William Burgess, Ryan Burres, Anna Bussmann, Brennan Butzer, Lillian Calabrese, Aidan Carpentino, Chase Catalano, Isaac Chartier, Johanna Coker, Amirah D’Lizarraga, Elliot Dunn-Sims, Samson Edmed, Edward Fiske, Lauren Fulara, Kaedin Gerster, Samuel Gilbert, Gavin Goulis, Harrison Goulis, Owen Holth, Carolyn Hu, Marley Iaia, Kalonji Joyce, Josephine Kiem, Allisondra Krol, Callahan Lacourciere, Alexa Legein, Olivia Lovendale, John Morosky, Emelia Munster, Grace Osborne, Mia Palmer, Arthur Riccio, Ainsley Rinoski, Kevork Shegirian, Nicholas Sokolowski, Magdalena Tooker, Kaylyn Vernon, Ivy Wilson

HONORS

Grade 8:

Micah Bass, Chase Calderon, Ella Evans, Grace Ferman, Samantha Fiske, Bronwyn Kyle, Brenden Landry, Evan LeQuire, Colette Marchant, Nola Slubowski, Charlotte Tinniswood, Ava Wood-Muller

Grade 7:

Julia Clark, Jack Conroy, Synthia Diaz, Anne-Marie Hinckley, Bodie Holland, Sebastian Lopez-Bravo, Ryan Miller, Jackson Pannier, Eve Videll

Grade 6:

Phineas Barrett, Zachary Belval, Taiyo Gemme, Skylar Graybill, Charles Halsey, Marley Igersheimer, Paul Kuhn, Matilda Miller, Vincenzo Pietrowicz, Cameron Russell, Milo Stiles, Collin Swaney, Ethan Trepanier, Bowen Turick, Charles Zelek

Virtual ‘Clean-up Coffee Hours’ Offer Training for ‘Source to Sea’ Volunteers; Next Session, Aug. 11

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Connecticut River Conservancy’s Source to Sea Clean-up volunteers have removed tons of trash over the 24 years of the river clean-up event. Find out how to join the effort this September at one of three virtual Clean-up Coffee Hours, starting July 14.

GREENPORT, Mass./LYME/OLD LYME — The Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC) will host three virtual Clean-up Coffee Hour sessions leading up to their 25th annual Source to Sea Clean-up being held this fall, Sept. 24-26.

The annual Source to Sea Clean-up is a river clean-up coordinated by CRC in all four states of the 410-mile Connecticut River basin (NH, VT, MA, CT). Each fall, thousands of volunteers of all ages and abilities clean trash from the Connecticut River and its tributaries on foot or by boat.

Join CRC at these virtual Clean-up Coffee Hours to learn more about how to get involved in the Source to Sea Clean-up:  

·         Registration and Site Selection:  Wednesday, July 14,  12 – 1 p.m. 

·         Trash Disposal and Tallies:  Wednesday, Aug. 11,  4 – 5 p.m.

·         General Q&A: Thursday, Sept. 9,  5 – 6 p.m. 

Additional details and links to register for these online events can be found at www.ctriver.org/events.

“These coffee hours will be a fun, informal way to get familiar with this year’s Source to Sea Clean-up,” says Stacey Lennard, CRC’s cleanup coordinator. “Anyone can come with questions about the process, or just come to meet other group leaders and volunteers. The Source to Sea Clean-up strengthens community while cleaning up our rivers and streams. It’s an opportunity for you to make a difference.” 

The Source to Sea Clean-up is one of the largest river cleanups in the country. Thousands of volunteers participate each year to remove trash along rivers, streams, parks, boat launches, trails and more.

To learn more about how you can register for the Source to Sea Clean-up, connect with a group, choose a trash site, and tally your trash, tune into any of these three Clean-up Coffee Hours.   

Since 1952, Connecticut River Conservancy has been the voice for the Connecticut River watershed, from source to sea. They collaborate with partners across four states to protect and advocate for the state’s rivers and educate and engage communities. They bring people together to prevent pollution, improve habitat, and promote enjoyment of your river and its tributary streams. Healthy rivers support healthy economies.

To learn more about CRC, or to make a contribution to help protect your rivers, visit www.ctriver.org.  

Greg Shook, Essex Savings Bank President & CEO, to Retire July 31 After 47-Year-Career

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Gregory R. Shook, who is retiring as President and CEO of Essex Savings Bank, after 22 years  at the helm.

OLD LYME/ESSEX — Gregory R. Shook, President and CEO of Essex Savings Bank, will retire after 22 years at the helm and a career spanning 47 years in banking. He is the longest serving president and CEO in Connecticut and will retire on July 31.

A Westport, Conn., native and  Madison resident, Shook began his career as a management trainee in 1974 in a  subsidiary of Philadelphia National Corporation, Signal Finance and Mortgage, Fairfax,  Va. He managed their Cleveland office and then became a Vice President at State Home Savings in Bowling Green, Ohio.

In December 1984, he joined First Federal Savings of Madison, Conn. In 1987, he joined Branford Savings Bank where he rose to  Senior Vice President and Corporate Secretary and was named Interim President and CEO where he found a right’s offering used for manufacturing companies to successfully raise capital to support the bank’s continued existence via a 1991 stock offering.

Highlights of his career include being elected by his peers and serving five years as a Director of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston, a $62 billion bank, from  2015 – 2019. He was also appointed to serve on the first two years of the Federal Reserve of Boston Community Depository Institution Advisory Committee (CDIAC)  mandated by the Dodd-Frank Act to provide input from Banks under $10 billion to the Federal Reserve system.  

Professional associations have included the Connecticut Bankers Association, legislative committee, executive committee and the American Bankers Association Mutual Institutions Advisory Committee. He serves on the Board of Essex Savings Bank and Essex Financial Services. Following his retirement, he will continue to serve on the  Essex Savings Bank Board of Directors.

He is a corporator of the Middlesex Health  Care System (parent of Middlesex Hospital). He is also on the advisory committees of  the Community Music School and the leadership counsel of the Middlesex Coalition on  Housing and Homelessness.  

In 2011 Shook received the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce Distinguished  Citizen Award and was elected Chairman in 2016 and continues to serve on its Executive Committee and its Board of Directors.

He has been recognized by numerous organizations for his dedication to community service and has served on non-profit boards and advisory committees. He was a finalist in the New England Division of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year program in 2009. He has been a featured speaker for a variety of seminars and radio shows.  

During his tenure, Essex Savings Bank grew its assets from $110 million to over $525  million, expanded its physical footprint from four to six branches, participated in the  growth of assets under management or administration of Essex Financial Services from $700 million to $3.2 billion and Essex Trust from a de novo to $871 million and has  rolled out new technology and capabilities leading the Bank through the pandemic.

He  is the 17th President since 1851. The Bank is currently celebrating 170 years of service and trust to the community.  

Shook commented, “The best part of Banking is building long term relationships and I am so appreciative of  everyone’s support and trust over the years. I am extremely proud of what we’ve been  able to accomplish together for both our customers and the communities in which we serve. It has been both my great privilege and honor to work with so many dedicated  and talented people – the absolute best.”

Looking to the future, Shook said, “I am confident that Essex Savings Bank will continue to garner new relationships and remain an outstanding business serving the  personal and business banking, trust and investment needs of the community. On Aug. 1, I am pleased to turn the business over to Diane Arnold, formerly our Senior Vice President and Chief Lending Officer as she will be our 18th President and CEO,  who is poised to lead this business to new heights.”

During the month of July, Shook will be looking forward to wishing many of his customers, friends and colleagues a fond farewell as he embarks on his next voyage.  

Editor’s Notes: i) This article was prepared from a press release issued by Essex Savings Bank.

ii) Essex Savings Bank is a FDIC insured, state chartered, mutual savings bank established in 1851. The Bank serves the Connecticut River Valley and shoreline with  six offices in Essex (2), Chester, Madison, Old Lyme and Old Saybrook providing a full complement of personal and business banking. Financial, estate, insurance and retirement planning are offered throughout the state by the Bank’s Trust Division, Essex Trust and wholly-owned subsidiary, Essex Financial Services, Inc.

Op-Ed: Save Our Beautiful Dark Skies From The Threat Of Light Pollution

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Editor’s Note: This Op-ed was submitted by Alan Sheiness of Lyme, Conn.

How often have you stopped to notice how wonderfully bright and alive the stars are in our peaceful town of Lyme, especially once turning off one of our ‘major thoroughfares’ like Rte. 156 or Brush Hill Rd.?

That dark sky up there is a part of our world. It is as much a gift to us as are the forests, the trails within those forests, the rivers and waterways, and everything else that makes Lyme special.

As part of the Sustainable CT effort (sustainablect.org) we seek to inform the public about light pollution and how to arrest its insidious spread across our region.

What do I mean by light pollution? Light pollution is what occurs when a preponderance of lighting, and poorly-designed lighting fixtures, create a glare both locally and across entire swaths of geography, which renders the night sky as a dim shadow of itself. 

The universe is ours to behold just for the simple act of looking up at night. Except, in so many places all over the country and indeed the world, light pollution is removing those vistas much as deforestation and asphalt and other aspects of modern life remove the natural wonders that are part of our terrestrial consciousness. 

Guarding against light pollution really comes down to two simple principles: do not light what does not need to be lit, and when you do need to light something, do it with a source that is effective and efficient.

Our little town, because of its almost non-existent commercialization and heavy forestation, is indeed a miraculous enclave from the typical onslaught of ineffective lighting. We need to keep it that way. 

We can do so by ensuring that all new lighting projects, residential and commercial, take light pollution into account, protecting the night sky, no different than protecting a watershed or any other natural habitat. To the extent that existing installations are night sky-unfriendly, we should consider replacing those fixtures over time with ones that do a better job pointing down with an efficient light source. 

Our environment makes Lyme what it is, and we can be a leader in the sky just as we are on the ground. Please endeavor to learn more about the beauty of the night sky and the threat of light pollution.

A great place to start is here: International Dark-Sky Association.  Also, you can experience the splendor of our night sky first-hand, with experienced astronomers as your guide, by signing up for future observing sessions hosted by the Lyme Land Trust at lymelandtrust.org. 

That look up there is through a window into our universe, and it should be our intention to keep that window pristine for ourselves and our future generations.

About the author: Alan Sheiness is a 10-year resident of Lyme, Conn., and treasurer of the Lyme Land Trust. Among other interests, he is a life-long astronomy enthusiast and astrophotographer. He has documented lunar eclipses, solar eclipses, the Venus transit of the Sun, a Mercury transit of the Sun, many of the planets, star clusters, and nebula; all admittedly decidedly amateur in result, but rewarding nonetheless. Sheiness is a promoter of dark skies and interested in establishing a new Astronomy Society in Lyme as an adjunct activity within the scope of the Lyme Land Trust. Contact him at alan.sheiness@icloud.com.

‘Murder For Two’ Opens at Ivoryton Playhouse, Masks No Longer Required

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Joe Kinosian as The Suspects and Ian Lowe at piano and as Detective Marcus. Photo by Joan Marcus.

IVORYTON — The Ivoryton Playhouse has reopened its doors for a five-play season. The previously announced mask mandate has been removed as per new Actors Equity Association Union recommendations.

The opening production, Murder For Two by Kellen Blair and Joe Kinosian, is a blend of music, mayhem and murder! In this hilarious 90-minute show, two performers play 13 roles—not to mention the piano—in a witty and winking homage to old-fashioned murder mysteries.

Murder For Two was developed at the Adirondack Theatre Festival and 42nd Street Moon. Chicago Shakespeare Theater presented the World Premiere Production in May, 2011, which was extended four times and ran for more than six months. Kinosian and Blair were recognized with a 2011 Joseph Jefferson Award for Best New Musical.

Everyone is a suspect in Murder For Two – Ian Lowe*, who was last seen in Ivoryton in The Woman in Black — plays the detective, and Joe Kinosian* plays all 13 suspects and they both play the piano.

A zany blend of classic musical comedy and madcap mystery, this 90-minute whodunit is a highly theatrical duet loaded with laughs.

The show is directed and choreographed by Wendy Seyb, the set is designed by Martin Marchitto, lighting by Marcus Abbott and costumes by Elizabeth Saylor.

Murder For Two runs through Aug. 1. Performance times are Wednesday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Evening performances are Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. There will now be an additional performance on Saturday, July 24, at 2 p.m.

Regarding COVID-19 safety, Playhouse Operations Manager and Covid-19 Safety Manager, Steve Phelan, says “We know that our audiences will be relieved that the mask mandate has been lifted but we want to assure everyone that we will still be following stringent safety protocols including socially distanced seating, and no concessions will be sold, except water, for this first production. Audience safety, as well as their enjoyment of the show, is still our primary concern. We are hoping to be able to welcome more audience members safely in the months ahead”

The health and safety of our actors, patrons and staff remains the top priority at the Playhouse. Many improvements have been made to the Ivoryton Playhouse for audience protection including socially distanced seating, increasing the flow of outside air to 40 percent, installation of air purification units, contactless ticketing, increased cleaning, hand sanitization stations and more.

The second show in the 2021 Summer Season will be:

HAVING OUR SAY:  THE DELANY SISTERS FIRST 100 YEARS
by Emily Mann, adapted from the book “Having Our Say”
Aug. 12 – Sept. 5
A beautiful, funny and heartfelt family drama based on the bestselling memoir of Bessie and Sadie Delany – trailblazers, activists and best friends.

More shows will be announced soon.

Tickets are $55 for adults, $50 for seniors, $25 for students and are available on June 14 by calling the Playhouse box office at 860.767.7318. Tickets are not available online.

Visit the website at www.ivorytonplayhouse.org for more information. (Group rates are available by calling the box office for information.) The Playhouse is located at 103 Main Street in Ivoryton.

*denotes member of Actors Equity