Graduates converged in the Commons at 8 am to enjoy a wonderful breakfast provided by The Shack! They chatted and signed yearbooks. Then we went outside for the rehearsal.  

At 5 PM, the Commons began to fill up with all the graduates, teachers, and administration preparing for the very exciting evening... Commencement 2025!

Last week, LOLHS Special Education department had  small celebrations to wish students and members of the department Happy Transitioning! 

​Student who run the Wildcat Wakeup Coffee Cart celebrated with their proceeds. They had SUCH a good trip to the Hangry Goose! The students independently ordered, figured out how much their individual bills would cost, interacted nicely with the waitress, and utilized all of our restaurant manners throughout the trip! They also practiced crosswalk safety and being “heads up”, safe citizens on our walk to the restaurant. Everyone did such a fantastic job, and also had SO much fun!!! 

At Wednesday evening's BOE meeting, sports teams were recognized for their state championships / achievements: Boys and Girls Crew, Unified Sports - Michael's Cup, and Girls Track.

It was a great event on Wednesday evening at the Old Lyme Country Club. The class of 2025 enjoyed a beautiful evening. Students shared an evening filled with memories which began with a wonderful slideshow produced by the class historian, Kanon Oharu.  The finale of the evening was the distribution of yearbooks!  It was a wonderful evening!

Owen Shapiro of Old Lyme, Connecticut, will study Persian (Tajiki) this summer in Tajikistan on a National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI‑Y) scholarship. NSLI‑Y, a program of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), promotes the study of Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Hindi, Indonesian, Korean, Persian (Tajiki), Russian, or Turkish.

Owen was one of 440 students selected from thousands of high school applicants across the United States to receive a NSLI‑Y scholarship. While in Tajikistan, Owen will live with a host family, immerse in the local culture and host community, and engage with local peers to enhance language learning, and represent American culture as a citizen ambassador. 

Launched in 2006 as part of a multi-agency U.S. Government initiative, NSLI‑Y increases the number of young Americans with the critical language skills necessary to contribute to U.S national security and economic competitiveness. Many NSLI‑Y alumni go on to pursue education and careers vital to U.S national security and credit the program experience with helping them improve their cross-cultural communication and leadership skills. 

NSLI‑Y is administered by American Councils for International Education in cooperation with AFS‑USA, American Cultural Exchange Service, Amideast, iEARN‑USA, Stony Brook University, and the University of Delaware.

Applications for NSLI‑Y programs are available at www.nsliforyouth.org each fall.

​The U.S. Department of State provides additional study abroad opportunities for both American and international high school students. Americans can welcome a new language and culture into their home by hosting an international exchange student, which is a life-changing experience for students, host families, schools, and communities.

For the second year in a row, our AP Calculus class took home first place in the annual Shoreline School Music Video Competition! This year's winning entry was a creative, calculus-themed remix of Drake's "Nokia." From writing clever math lyrics to performing, filming, and editing, the students showcased both their academic skills and artistic talents. Their hard work, humor, and heart truly set the video apart. Check it out—you won’t want to miss it!

On Tuesday, along with EGO day, we had our final class meetings. The Class of 2026 planned a brief meeting in the gym to explain plans for next year and the "State-of-the-Class" and then enjoyed some ice cream with some out door yard games and enjoying time together. The Class of 2028 did the same with their "State-of-the-Class" update and ice cream, but then, wrote post cards to themselves that will be sent to them after their graduation. The Class of 2027 held class office elections. There were many...and ballots were counted!   

On Tuesday, June 3, the Class of 2029 joined us at the high school for our annual Eighth Grade Orientation (EGO). Students were buddied up with a 9th or 10th graders who brought them to a part of 2 of their classes to get a little glimpse into what next year will be like. Their HS buddy took them on a tour of the entire school and introduced them to teachers a staff.   The day also included participating in  a Teacher / Student Panel to ask any lingering questions they may have;  a Club Fair where they were able to get an idea of all the various clubs we have to offer and sign up to receive an invite to next year's first meeting; and an Athletic Panel where Mr. Cohen led members of the Athletic Leadership Council to offer insight to LOLHS sports. After lunch at the high school, the class of 2029 adjourned to the auditorium where they had their first class meeting and listen to the 23 candidates for class of 2029 officers.  Each candidate gave amazing speeches. They returned to the Middle School to vote.  It was a great day ... a lot of information was shared and hopefully absorbed. We are looking forward to next year. Stay tuned for information about our Freshmen Picnic which will take place on August 26.. the day before school begins!

​The Business Department is proud to announce that the following students have successfully demonstrated proficiency in Personal Finance by achieving a passing score on the nationally standardized Financial Literacy Certification Test. Subjects mastered include money, budgeting, banking, credit, insurance, investing, retirement planning, and financial planning and management. The students are officially, nationally Certified Financially Literate! 

BEST STANDOUT PERFORMANCE IN A FEMALE ROLE
IN AN ENSEMBLE PRODUCTION
BETH VIERA
“Elise Unger” 

DANCE MOLINARI SCHOLARSHIP
THOMAS KELLY 

BEST ACTOR IN A MALE ROLE
IN A CONTEMPORARY MUSICAL
DOMINIC CLARK
“Jack Kelly” 
and 

BEST CONTEMPORARY MUSICAL
“NEWSIES!!”

By Jack Lakowsky Day Staff Writer
Published: May 31, 2025 3:00 PM Updated: May 30, 2025 3:56 PM

Editor's Note: For the 36th year in a row, The Day is publishing a series of stories from May 18 to June 5 about graduating seniors in our 19 area high schools. This year we are profiling top students in STEAM subjects of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics and their plans for the future.

Old Lyme — Caeli Edmed, a senior student set to graduate from Lyme-Old Lyme High School, wants a career in the type of robotics that prolongs life, not ends it.
"I kind of love the idea of bionic limbs, of internal medical devices, of anything helping people with mobility issues," the senior said. "If I get to pick a career, that's what I'd be getting into."
Edmed has a passion for robotics, and in the fall, will pursue mechanical engineering at Yale. Edmed has no interest in what many in that field end up doing — working for military contractors, using their skills to make weapons.

"I knew there had to be something else to do with this," Edmed said.
Edmed discovered a passion for robotics during freshman year, instantly falling in love with the field and joining the school's competitive robotics team, the Technoticks, eventually rising to team captain.

"Junior year I started going every day, spending extra hours after school," Edmed said. "I fell more and more in love."

Competition is a major part of high school robotics. One year, a Lyme-Old Lyme robot placed first in one category, among thousands of entrants from across the world. Edmed said part of the competition culture is cooperation, to the point where a student can get switched to a team from another school.

Cooperating with other teams gets you points toward your score, according to a video from For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, or FIRST, an organization that runs the robotics competition the school participates in each year.

"You might be playing with someone in game one, then in game five you're playing against them," Edmed said. The spirit of the robotics league, where teams attempt to have their robots perform certain tasks. This year, students made a submarine-type robot that had carries "algae" to a mock coral reef.
Bill Derry, who has taught at the school for almost 40 years and mentored the robotics team for 30 years, said Edmed is the kind of student every teacher wants, greeting every class, every situation with curiosity and enthusiasm, grit, determination, positivity.
"It's quite contagious," Derry said.

Edmed embodies the "gracious professionalism" that FIRST wants competitors to exhibit, he said. "That's a kid who brings a spark of energy into the room, with a wonderful love of learning," Derry said. "You can always see the gears turning. That's the kind of person you want out there."
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