Community

"...Excellent schools build a strong community; excellent learners ensure a bright future."

                                       Lyme-Old Lyme Public Schools Mission Statement

The Lyme-Old Lyme Public School System strives to be a partner to families, community organizations, churches, area businesses and local government. Together we ensure our students are responsible citizens who work toward the greater good of our community. It is a symbiotic relationship in which the community reaches out to our school system and its students, and the school system supports and gives back to the community.

The Lymes Youth Service Bureau (LYSB) provides positive youth development opportunities in the Towns of Lyme and Old Lyme. LYSB and Lyme-Old Lyme collaborate on a number of initiatives. The Lymes Youth Service Bureau provides programming for families and children from birth to graduation. LYSB's "Parents As Teachers" provides parent education and information on Ages and Stages to expectant parents and parents of children up to age five. LYSB's playgroup programs introduce mothers of babies and toddlers to a variety of topics including baby sign language. After school programs allow older elementary and middle school students to enjoy the LYSB facility after school. LYSB's Youth Advisory Council (YAC) for high school students and a Junior YAC take on community service projects throughout the community. Workshops, special events and counseling services make LYSB an integral part of our school system's community.

Lyme-Old Lyme students play key roles in our community through involvement in a variety of clubs and organizations. Students can be found providing community service through their place of worship or with local organizations such as High Hopes Therapeutic Riding. Students show civic responsibility from elementary level clubs such as the "Care & Share" committee, to the High School with its Key Club and "Green Team" (which helps to beautify our environment).

The grounds and facilities of the Lyme-Old Lyme Public School System are a community resource. Lyme-Old Lyme provides playing fields to park & recreation programs and facility meeting space for numerous organizations including scouts and New London Adult Education.

Just as important to this symbiotic relationship, our community graciously reaches out to our students and our staff to support education as an important endeavor. A number of talented community members share their expertise with our students. We initiated a system in which to track and "catalog" local experts who share their expertise with our teachers and their students. This enables our educators to find experts in a given area and enrich the learning experience for our students.

Local non-profit organizations such as the Lions Club, the Lyme-Old Lyme Junior Women's Club, the Lyme-Old Lyme Chamber of Commerce and the MacCurdy Salisbury Education Foundation sponsor scholarships to graduating seniors demonstrating civic responsibility.

Businesses have helped our schools such as Dominion's sponsorship of our FIRST Robotics Team and Pfizer.

Lyme and Old Lyme are known for their rich cultural backdrops, most notably our setting as an “artist colony.”  Students are exposed to this rich history from the earliest grades and enjoy field trips to The Florence Griswold Museum or the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts and local artists visit classrooms.

One of the four key pillars of our school district's Strategic Plan, Community Relationships initiatives ensure that our community is informed, has a higher level of understanding of district standards and responsibilities and supports the district. We make every effort to communicate with our community through newsletters, correspondence, internet communications and broadcasts of our public Board of Education meetings through Adelphia's Public Access TV.

The greatest resource of a community is its people. We look forward to our continued work of nurturing our students in their role in the community and inviting the community to be a part of public education. granting funds for science lab equipment and computers.