About Us

A Letter from the Principal

Dear Families,

Welcome to Lillie B. Haynes Elementary School!

For those new to the Lillie B. family, you will quickly learn what a special school community you have joined.

Lillie B. Haynes is a safe, welcoming, and nurturing school that embraces each child as an individual with his/her own unique story. We appreciate that our students have distinct family structures, cultural backgrounds, experiences, and interests, all of which make them an asset to our school community. We are committed to learning about and supporting all students to become the best version of themselves by fostering a lifelong love of learning. Each day, we strive to fulfill the East Lyme Public Schools mission to inspire, engage, and educate each student to become a contributing citizen and a responsible, independent, and critical thinker.

Our students benefit from dedicated and knowledgeable educators who care deeply about not only their academic growth, but also their social and emotional development. We understand the importance of establishing strong home-school connections and value this partnership tremendously. With the generous support of our families, PTA, and community organizations, we are able to provide enriching school experiences for our young learners.

It is an absolute honor to serve the Lillie B. Haynes Elementary School Community in my role as principal. If I can ever be of any assistance, I encourage you to reach out to our main office at (860) 739-2922 or email me directly (Brian.Kalkreuth@elpsk12.org). Please know my door is always open, and I am here to support any way that I can. I look forward to our future collaboration!

In partnership,

Brian Kalkreuth

Lillie B. Haynes Elementary School

29 Society Road
Niantic, CT 06357
Phone: (860) 739-2922
fax: (860) 739-1527
 

Principal:
Brian Kalkreuth
(860) 739-2922

School Schedule:
9:05 a.m. - 3:35 p.m.

Early Closing:
9:05 a.m. - 12:35 p.m.

Delayed Opening:
11:05 a.m. - 3:35 p.m.

Enrollment:
We are an elementary school with an enrollment of approximately 310 students K-4 and 60 Preschoolers.

Who Was Lillie B. Haynes?

This is the only school in the East Lyme school district which is named to honor a person. Lillie B. Haynes was a remarkable educator. Her spirit of service to other people inspires our teachers and students to work to make our school an excellent place to learn and grow.

This school is named for Lillie Bennett Haynes who served the children of East Lyme from September, 1922 until June of 1960. Mrs. Haynes symbolizes the dedication to teaching and the affection for pupils that is characteristic of all great teachers. Thus, in a larger sense, this building is a memorial to all instructors who have taught so successfully in the schools of East Lyme.

Lillie B. Haynes was born in Scarboro, Maine on January 22, 1896. She attended what was then the Gorham Normal School from 1917 to 1919, although her actual teaching career began in 1915 in Standish, Maine, in a one room school containing grades one through eight. Her subsequent teaching positions were in Wilton, Connecticut; Gorham, Maine; and Braintree, Massachusetts. In June of 1955, Mrs. Haynes was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree from Willimantic State College, Willimantic, Connecticut.

During her long and distinguished career, Mrs. Haynes, in her quietly efficient manner, instructed uncounted numbers of students in the fundamental skills, developed in them an understanding of good citizenship and virtuous behavior. A great and lasting influence for good, the name and work of Lillie Bennett Haynes is memorialized here with the hope that those who follow her will succeed in a similar fashion in the greatest service of all - the teaching of children.