For 80 years, Center School has been a seemingly constant reminder of dedication to education here in Old Lyme. Built in the depths of the depression, the Old Lyme School became a beacon of hope in a dark time, drawing together the young people from scattered neighborhood school houses and bringing high school to Old Lyme.
Starting out as a grade 1 through 9 school, grades 10, 11 and 12 were added by 1940 and kindergarten was added in the late 1950s. Center School has been a safe place of calm learning for children in the midst of constant change for decades.
The older children moved onto the “new” high school (now Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School) in 1957. For several years, 4th and 5th graders attended classes in the Lyme Street firehouse. The number of grades housed in the single understated Center School has dwindled in recent years as the town grew.
This year, a vibrant 5th grade and a happy group of preschool students and teachers fill the halls. Next year the Central Offices will be located there, along with the preschool. While this may seem like a huge change, it is simply that, another in a series of many, many changes over the last 80 years.
Region 18 is actively seeking all Center School alumni. If you, your parents, grandparents and even great-grandparents, attended Center School anytime between 1935 and the present, Region 18 would like to borrow any photos or memorabilia that you would be willing to share.
The Region will also be collecting “One Sentence Memories” for a (hopefully) ever expanding “Memory Lane” to be displayed throughout the school’s halls. This long-term project will culminate in a celebration to be held sometime in May.
Contact Region 18 through their email address at [email protected] or our Facebook page @ “Celebrate Center.”