Category Archives: Lyme

Letter to the Editor: Proposed Changes to Lyme-Old Lyme Schools Music Program Will Negatively Impact Students, Teacher, Program Itself

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To the Editor:

I graduated from the Lyme-Old Lyme Class of 2021 and am now a Senior set to graduate from the Bryant University Honors Program in May of this year with a Marketing Major. I strongly urge the Lyme-Old Lyme Board of Education to reconsider the decisions that have been made about the music program. There are numerous ways that this change will negatively impact students, the teacher, and the program itself. 

Music isn’t just a class—it’s a place where students gain confidence, find their voice, and feel supported. While the program isn’t being cut, stretching one teacher between two schools will make it impossible to provide the same level of mentorship and musical excellence that students rely on. 

I know this firsthand because I was in Chorus from third grade through my senior year of high school. Now, as a member of an accomplished a cappella group at Bryant University, I would not be where I am today without Mrs. Pekar. She was the one who encouraged me to audition, who helped me develop the skills to succeed in music, and who inspired me every day to be the best I can be. Without her support, I would never have considered pursuing music at this level. 

For me, the music program was more than a class, and Mrs. Pekar was more than a teacher—she was my mentor and biggest supporter. During my senior year, I spent over 2000 hours with her. To put that into perspective, an average student spends just 216 hours a year with a teacher if they have them 4 times a week, since Lyme-Old Lyme recognizes the drop-period curriculum. Whether it was show choir, concert chorus, practicing piano for my senior project, or starring in the musical, which she has been brilliantly directing for 4 years now, she was and still is there for me and all students. 

But her impact on my life goes far beyond music. If not for her helping me build my confidence from the ground up, I wouldn’t have had the courage to compete in sales competitions in Chicago—where I advanced further than many of my peers. 

After dedicating so much time and energy to students, she now won’t even have a moment to catch her breath between classes. This change doesn’t just affect students—it affects the teacher, the program, and the heart of the school community. Please ensure that each school has the dedicated support it deserves. The impact of a great teacher lasts far beyond the classroom—I am living proof of that. 

Sincerely,

Sophia Ortoleva,
Old Lyme.

Old Lyme Puts Up Brave Fight in Div. V State Championship, But Shepaug Completes Perfect Season With 58-46 Win

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Sophomore Eddie Fiske Jr. (#34) was the Wildcats top-scorer in their championship game against Shepaug Valley with 15 points. All photos by Warner Swain.

MOHEGAN SUN–Top-seeded Shepaug Valley completed their unbeaten season Saturday, capping it with victory in the CIAC Division V State Championship when they soundly defeated Old Lyme 58-46. This was a first-time state tournament win for Shepaug Valley.

Old Lyme coach Brady Sheffield gives instructions to his team during a time-out in the game against Shepaug Valley.

The Wildcats were defending champions having won the Division V title last year under then-21-year-old coach Brady Sheffield, who was in his first year as coach at that time.

Old Lyme Junior Colman Curtiss-Reardon contributed nine points to the Wildcats final score.

Sophomore Edward Fiske Jr. was Old Lyme’s top scorer with 15 points while junior Colman Curtiss-Reardon and freshman William McKeever notched nine each.

Old Lyme freshman Will McKeever notched nine points for the Wildcats, including two three-pointers.

Shepaug Valley’s Andrew Konik was the game’s top-scorer with 21 points and eight steals. Reed Woerner and James Kersten added 14 and 12 points respectively.

Old Lyme Junior Oliver Wyman played a determined game for the Wildcats.

Town of Old Lyme Proclaims March 15 as ‘David Ruggles Day’

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Abolition and Civil Rights champion David Ruggles was born in Lyme, Conn. in 1810 at a time when Lyme and Old Lyme were one town.

OLD LYME—At its meeting on Monday, March 3, the Old Lyme Board of Selectmen voted to proclaim tomorrow, March 15, as ‘David Ruggles Day.’ Visit this link to see the Town’s Proclamation.

Born in Old Lyme on March 15, 1810, Ruggles was a champion of both Abolitionism and Civil Rights.

Old Lyme Selectman Jim Lampos wrote the following biography of Ruggles, which has been published on the ExploreOld Lyme.com website in the new Old Lyme Celebrates 250 section, which celebrates America’s semiquincentennial (250th) birthday next year.

Recognizing David Ruggles
By Jim Lampos

David Ruggles, a native son of our town, is an American hero deserving of recognition and honor for his work advancing the cause of liberty and civil rights. 

He was the first black bookstore owner in the nation, a celebrated author and publisher of abolitionist literature, and a conductor on the underground railroad, personally helping 600 slaves, including Frederick Douglass, make their way to freedom.   

Ruggles was a founder of the tactic of non-violent civil disobedience in the 1840s, deliberately violating Jim Crow laws by sitting in the “white’s only” section of passenger trains, highlighting the injustice of segregation by stoically suffering the consequences of his resistance to it. 

His example set the foundation for the work of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr. over a century later.

Born to free black parents in Lyme, Conn. on March 15, 1810 at a time when Lyme and Old Lyme were a single town, David Ruggles was educated in Norwich and moved to New York City at the age of 18 where he quickly established himself as a successful merchant. His grocery store promoted “fair trade” products such as coffee and sugar not manufactured by slave labor.  

One of the nation’s early abolitionists, Ruggles also authored pamphlets and published his own magazine, The Mirror of Liberty, to oppose slavery. His writing was noted for its sharp wit and fiery rhetoric. “Rise, brethren, rise!”  he wrote in 1841, adding, “Strike for freedom or die slaves!”

The greatest testament to his work perhaps came from Frederick Douglass himself, who wrote about David Ruggles in his autobiography. Douglass, a fugitive slave, made his way to New York City where he found himself in “a distressed situation” before he met Ruggles.

Douglass writes: “Mr. Ruggles sought me out and very kindly took me took me to his boarding house,” where he was “attending to a number of other fugitive slaves, devising means for their successful escape, and though watched and hemmed in on almost every side, he seemed more than a match for his enemies.” 

Douglass further notes his gratitude for “the humane hand of Mr. Ruggles, whose vigilance, kindness and perseverance I can never forget. I am glad of an opportunity to express, as far as words can, the love and gratitude I bear him”.  

Likewise, the Town of Old Lyme will always remember David Ruggles and his good work, and in this year of celebrating America’s 250th year of independence, we honor the contribution he has made to our national culture.

Editor’s Note: The ‘Old Lyme Celebrates 250’ section on the ExploreOld Lyme.com website has been written to expand on the countdown to ‘Old Lyme America 250’ celebrations in 2026 by considering the town’s history, and those who have lived in Old Lyme, both past and present. In this section, the ‘Old Lyme America 250’ Committee will be sharing upcoming festivities, lectures, and walking tours related to the Town’s ‘America 250’ celebrations. The section also celebrates the heritage of Old Lyme’s townspeople today.

Mount Archer Woods Sugarbush in Lyme Recognized in Audubon’s ‘Bird-Friendly Maple’ Program

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Sugarbush—currently leased to Fat Stone Farm—managed in ways that help declining forest birds

Mount Archer Woods volunteers helped remove invasive Barberry this past year, opening the floor of the sugarbush to more light and space, which allowed new maple saplings to thrive. All photos by Wendolyn Hill except where indicated.

LYME, Conn. – Mount Archer Woods, a Town-owned preserve in Lyme, has been recognized by Audubon’s Bird-Friendly Maple program for its management of a sugarbush that is leased for tapping to Fat Stone Farm.

Through the Bird-Friendly Maple project (a collaborative effort between Audubon, Cornell, the New York State Maple Producers Association, and the Maple Syrup Producers Association of Connecticut), the Mount Archer Woods sugarbush—the forest area where maple syrup is produced—is managed in ways that provide more resilient bird habitat.

At 35 acres, the Mount Archer Woods sugarbush is currently the largest enrolled in Bird-Friendly Maple in Connecticut.

Maple seedlings thrive in Mount Archer Woods after removal of Barberry.

“Sugarbushes don’t just make for great maple syrup: As the production season winds down, they become nesting and foraging habitat for declining songbirds like the Scarlet Tanager and Wood Thrush,” said Suzanne Treyger, Senior Forest Program Manager for Audubon Connecticut and New York.

She notes, “On a wider scale, healthy forested landscapes provide benefits like carbon sequestration and storage, and watershed protection. By creating a more structurally and biologically diverse sugarbush, maple producers can play a vital role in conservation that benefits birds and people,”

As a recognized sugarbush, this area of the preserve is managed in ways that help these birds raise the next generation of their species.

What makes a bird-friendly sugarbush?

The Scarlet Tanager is one of the birds found in sugarbush. Photo: Travis-Bonovsky, Audubon/Woodland Trails Regional Park, Minnesota
  • Young trees and shrubs provide cover, food, and nesting sites for Black-throated Blue Warbler and Wood Thrush.
  • Snags (dead trees) are left standing to provide nesting sites for woodpeckers and White-breasted Nuthatch, and insects for Scarlet Tanager.
  • Downed trees and other woody material are left on the forest floor for birds like the Ovenbird and Ruffed Grouse to take cover, nest, and forage.

“We take great pride in the recognition by Audubon’s Bird-Friendly Maple program of the sugarbush area at Mt Archer Woods,” said Lyme Open Space Coordinator Wendolyn Hill. 

She continued, “It is wonderful that in addition to supporting the traditional practice of maple sap collection, this forest can provide essential habitat for some of our most threatened songbirds.” 

Hill explained, “The recommendations of the Audubon bird habitat assessment will be an invaluable guide for us in our efforts to protect and enhance the habitat there, as well as the land surrounding it.”

A volunteer holds up Barberry at Mount Archer Woods sugarbush.

“Earning Audubon’s Bird-Friendly Maple designation goes hand-in-glove with our organic certification, which also requires a commitment to biodiversity and a healthy ecosystem,” said Bill Farrell, Founder of Fat Stone Farm.

He added, “Lots of people in Lyme take healthy ecology seriously, and the presence of a variety of birds is one key indicator of environmental health. Earning Bird-Friendly Maple recognition shows how the work of many individuals is paying off.”

Farrell also commented that this year’s syrup is currently being bottled at the Farm.

For more information about Mount Archer Woods, visit this link. 

For more information about Fat Stone Farm, visit this link. 

About the National Audubon Society

The National Audubon Society is a leading nonprofit conservation organization with 120 years of science-based, community-driven impact, dedicated to protecting birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. Birds are powerful indicators of our planet’s health, acting as sentinels that warn us of environmental change and inspire action.

Audubon works across the Western Hemisphere, driven by the understanding that what is good for birds is good for the planet. Through a collaborative, bipartisan approach across habitats, borders, and the political spectrum, Audubon drives meaningful and lasting conservation outcomes.

With 800 staff and over 1.9 million supporters, Audubon is a dynamic and ever-growing force committed to ensuring a better planet for both birds and people for generations to come.

Old Lyme Defeats Coginchaug 56-49 in State Tourney Quarter-Final! Meets Grasso Tech in Monday’s Semifinal

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Old Lyme’s Eddie Fiske Jr. (#34) was top scorer in Tuesday’s game against Hartford Public. All photos by Warner Swain.

OLD LYME—Third-seeded Lyme-Old Lyme boys tip off against #6 seeds Coginchaug tonight at 6:30 p.m. in the Lyme-Old Lyme High School gym.

No regular season admission passes will be accepted as this is a CIAC event.

All tickets must be purchased through GoFan at the following link: GoFan Ticket Purchase. No cash will be accepted at the door. 

The game will be televised live on the NFHS Network—a fee will be charged to watch the game.

Go Wildcats!