Lyme — Jim Cavalieri, fondly known at Lyme Consolidated School as Mr. C, admits he spends way too much time in classrooms. 

“Just ask the teachers,” he joked, sitting back in his chair Thursday in his office. “But really ... my philosophy is, I’m never going to be so far away from the kids.”

According to Mercedes Alger, a second grade teacher and 10-year veteran at Lyme School, Cavalieri is often found shooting hoops at recess or eating lunch — or second lunch — with the students. Between student high-fives and check-ins in the cafeteria, Cavalieri is also affectionately known to snack throughout the day.

“It’s like a running joke that he somehow always knows when it’s the ice cream lunches,” Alger said with a giggle.

This fall, however, Cavalieri will not be in the classrooms, shooting hoops at recess or even at the ice cream lunches. After 20 years as beloved principal at Lyme School, and about 18 years prior of coaching, teaching and school administration in other local districts, the 66-year-old Cavalieri will retire.

“This is not a job where you can put your feet up,” he said. “It’s someone else’s turn. I am ready for the next chapter.”

That next chapter includes spending time with his five grandchildren and enjoying beautiful days on the golf course — and maybe even putting his feet up at his Waterford home for a change.

Cavalieri started at Lyme Consolidated in 2002, where one of his first hires was Mary Dargie, an intervention specialist for kindergarten through fifth grade.

“If Lyme Consolidated School was in a dictionary, it would have Jim’s name somewhere near it,” Dargie said. “One of the things I can say about Jim is he lived and breathed Lyme. He is not only a family man with his four daughters, but every student in this school is like one of his own.”

Known to never forget a student or their sibling’s name, Cavalieri always made teachers feel like they were first on his list as well, Alger said.

“I never wanted to be the big scary guy as the principal,” Cavalieri said, recalling his own experience in grade school. “You know the guy you see coming down the hall? I would go the other way.”

Teachers, students and parents agree Cavalieri is far from the big scary guy — unless maybe he gets a little too competitive in the floor hockey league. He helped a student teacher kick-start the league about five years ago and, though the student teacher has long since moved on, Cavalieri kept the tradition alive. Three mornings a week, approximately 20 students show up before school hours just to play alongside Cavalieri.

“If kids don’t love coming to school in K-5, they’ll never love coming to school,” he explained.

Not only do students at Lyme Consolidated love coming to school, but about five years ago at one of the school's monthly town meetings, students declared it "Jim Cavalieri Day," Bruce Hrozenchik, a fifth grade teacher at Lyme, fondly recalled. The students wrote letters, created a book and even made a song for their principal.

“But Jim is not really for the fanfare, he’s one of those wind beneath your wings leaders,” Hrozenchik said. “We’ve lost teachers to cancer and way later on we all found out that Jim was bringing meals to their homes and giving them rides to doctors' appointments.”

Cavalieri has organized many charitable and community events, such as for the Waterford Hall of Fame, and raised money for the Cactus Jack Foundation, a regional nonprofit that assists families and organizations in need. He believes philanthropy is important to teach, especially at the elementary level.

“One of the most meaningful fundraisers we did here is we reached out to maybe 35 local elementary schools and had a fundraiser for kids to donate their own money to help build the Miracle Field in East Lyme," he said, beaming. "We raised about $18,000-$19,000.” Since March 2020, the field serves students with disabilities in southeastern Connecticut.

Though Cavalieri is not comfortable with the limelight, Lyme Consolidated has an arts focus and staff convinced him to star in a teacher skit based on the movie “Glee,” in which he sang and danced alongside his team in front of the entire school community.

“He was not in his comfort zone,” Hrozenchik said, “but that was proof to the teachers that he was willing to put himself out there. It was so fun.”