This Prize Day, we bid farewell to two out of the five beloved teachers retiring this year: John Lyons and Tommy Lamont. After decades of teaching at Groton, they will embark on new adventures away from the Circle. While we will miss their presence both in the classrooms and on the fields, we are grateful for the legacies and memories they are leaving behind.
After forty years of teaching on the Circle, Mr. Lyons will be leaving his post as the football coach, U.S. history teacher, and courtroom connoisseur. Having just welcomed one grandchild in September and awaiting another in the coming months, Mr. Lyons has found a new home in Quechee, VT, where he is looking forward to frequently visiting his new family. Yet he will never forget his extended family here on the Circle. Reflecting on his time at Groton, Mr. Lyons knows what he will miss most: “Students and students and students.” Whether it’s engaging in a roundtable discussion or throwing and catching on the field, he finds his students “endlessly interesting” as they just begin to “discover the world.”
While he enjoys teaching classes, his Court and the Constitution elective is a definitive favorite: “Watching kids demonstrate mastery under great pressure in a public mock court has always been a treasured memory.” In fact, he plans to return next year to continue teaching his beloved term-long course. Equipped with a deep appreciation for teaching and a passion for watching his students succeed, even the unappetizing long hours on weekends and late nights cannot stop Mr. Lyons from seeing Groton as a place “to stay and build a life.” However, following a frightening accident in 2019, he has come to appreciate life’s brevity. Thus, with “mountains to climb and places to see,” Mr. Lyons will depart from the Circle but never from the minds of so many Grotonians.
Ms. Lamont will also be making her exit from the Circle at the end of this year after teaching Groton students for roughly a quarter of a century. Similarly to Mr. Lyons, Ms. Lamont’s grandchildren are at the forefront of her mind, and she looks forward to being a grandmother. Although Ms. Lamont happily anticipates this opportunity to be with her family, she acknowledges that she will miss her “amazing colleagues and students” and appreciates what a “good home” Groton has been for her and her children. While Groton’s emphasis on “excellence” initially enticed Ms. Lamont to continue her career at Groton, the community ultimately inspired her to remain teaching on campus for so many years.
When considering how the Circle has changed over her time, Ms. Lamont remarked how “wonderfully more diverse” and “more interesting” the student body is. But this positive development is not the only change Ms. Lamont has noticed on campus. Ms. Lamont remarked that she has observed an increase in the “level of anxiety” among students, especially regarding the college process. While achievements such as high grades and winning games should not be belittled, Ms. Lamont wants to remind students that some events that may appear “life-altering” will all seem “fairly inconsequential” in passing years. Although it can be challenging to accept setbacks, Ms. Lamont’s final message to the student body is “to relax.”
It is difficult to imagine the History Department without Ms. Lamont and Mr. Lyons, both highly respected faculty members with sharp intellects and engaging personalities. Although their departures mark a significant loss for students and faculty alike, the Groton community offers their appreciation and best wishes to Ms. Lamont and Mr. Lyons as they pursue a new avenue of life.
