East Lyme, CT -- Niantic Main Street invites the community to enjoy “A Day Among the STARS” with STARS to STEM (S2S) at East Lyme High School, East Lyme, CT. This free family event will feature a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony at 11:30 a.m.  

S2S is a grassroots, non-profit organization, that is diligently working to restore the wonders of space-age education with the revitalization of the planetarium at East Lyme High School. The group’s mission is to foster love and excitement of scientific learning for the youngest to the oldest citizens, enriching the community as we inspire all to reach for the stars.

“Our goal is to provide STEM educational experiences to 10,000 southeastern Connecticut residents and visitors by the end of 2025!” said STARS to STEM President Diane Swan.

Following NASA’s space missions in the late 1960s, thousands of school districts proposed a new concept for a classroom setup - a full dome planetarium. In 1972, East Lyme High School devoted its building’s addition to that goal, installing a state-of-the-art planetarium dome for the students of East Lyme.

"The planetarium has been part of East Lyme High School since its inception,” said Swan. "The East Lyme community voted for a planetarium over a pool as part of the first addition to the school, which celebrated its first graduating class in 1969."

For more than 40 years, the planetarium inspired and awed many students, but eventually closed due to lack of upgrades and improvements. Although most of the obsolete equipment was dismantled and furniture removed, the remaining dome-shaped space remained.

In 2016, Swan, a teacher and Niantic Center School’s science coordinator, learned of a plan to repurpose the space as a resource room. Alarmed by that possibility, Swan was determined to save the planetarium and reimagine it as a 21st-century learning center.

In 2017, Swan and Andy Pappas, a leader in bringing the Niantic Boardwalk and Niantic Children’s Museum to fruition, approached the East Lyme Board of Education (BOE) and proposed that the planetarium remain as-is while they develop a plan to restore and upgrade it. Within the next few months, more community members joined the cause, and STARS to STEM was born. The all-volunteer group worked tediously to develop a business plan to rebuild and operate the facility independent of taxpayer's funds.

“Our efforts paid off!” said Swan. “The Board of Education unanimously agreed to keep the dome intact and delay repurposing the room until STARS to STEM could raise enough funds to complete the renovation."

In December of 2023, the BOE entered into an agreement with S2S to allow the non-profit to utilize the planetarium space for the next five years, with the option to extend it in years beyond.

The organization's “ A Day Among the STARS” event will feature food trucks, for food purchases from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., a ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony in memory of Donald Bloom and Robert Meyer, former ELHS teachers and planetarium directors, as well as free activities for children and planetarium shows every 45 minutes. There will be a S2S “Name Our Alien” contest and the winner of the Northern Lights Gem $1,500 shopping spree will be announced.

“It will be an out of this world day!” said Swan.

When: Saturday, March 16, 2024 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Where: East Lyme High School, 30 Chesterfield Road, East Lyme, CT.

For more information on STARS to STEM, visit www.starstostem.org.