Beloved teacher leaves $1 million to her district’s foundation
Lillian M. Orlich loved her work so much that she waited to retire until she was 89 years old! During her 64-year-tenure with Virginia’s Prince William County Public Schools, she served as a dedicated counselor and teacher.
When Ms. O, as she was known, died on March 7, 2024, at the age of 95, she left behind a lasting legacy—and a generous surprise. She had donated $1 million to the district’s education foundation, Supporting Partnerships and Resources for Kids (SPARK).
"I think that was her way of saying this is something positive that I can do long after I'm gone,” says former Prince William Education Association President Jim Livingston. “She loved her job, she loved her community, she loved the school system that she worked in.”
Livingston first got to know Orlich when he was a teacher and she was a counselor at the district’s Parkside Middle School, in Manassas, Va., a suburb of Washington, D.C.
"She was so good at her job, … especially working with kids, because she really focused on the bright spots,” Livingston recalls.
When news broke about the donation, Washington, D.C.’s NBC4 described Orlich as a local legend. She worked in the district for so long that she had taught some of her students’ grandparents, according to the news story. And she showed up at work so early in the morning, that the school gave her a set of keys.
Orlich’s donation will help support SPARK in its mission to bring together community and business partners to promote educational excellence. The donated funds will be used for many of SPARK’s programs, with a focus on educator preparedness.
When Orlich retired in 2017, she also created the Lillian M. Orlich Scholarship, which awards $2,500 each year to two graduating seniors at Osbourn Park High School, also in Manassas, where she worked for most of her career.
Former Teacher Stars in Public School Proud Ad Campaign
Nebraska retiree Bob Feurer had his 15 minutes of fame—or at least 30 seconds’ worth!—in a recent union ad campaign that focused on how Nebraska public schools serve as the heart of their communities. A former science teacher and sports coach in North Bend, Neb., and the 2011 Nebraska Teacher of the Year, Feurer joined the campaign along with a diverse group of Nebraska educators and parents.
“I've had the opportunity to work with so many outstanding students and parents in my 37 years as a public school teacher,” Feurer says in the ad. “The two things I've noticed they all have in common: A love for their community and a pride in their school.” Feurer talks about the parents who show up to every sports game and parent-teacher conference as well as former students who have become scientists and community leaders.
Created by the Nebraska State Education Association, and funded by an NEA grant, the ads ran this spring on TV, radio, and online. Each ad featured one educator, parent, or student who shared how Nebraska public schools provide students and families with a sense of pride, unity, and identity.
Retired teacher mentors new educators of color
Former social studies teacher Joe Zellner is helping early-career educators of color succeed as part of a new program launched by the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) Retired Members Committee.
Founded by MTA-Retired members Phyllis Neufeld and Ora Gladstone, the program strives to support educators of color by pairing up people in similar roles—such as retired classroom teachers with new classroom teachers and retired bus drivers with new bus drivers.
“Our goal is to provide a mentor for all who would desire one,” Zellner says.
Zellner counsels educators of color to watch for incidents of racism or discrimination, blatant or not.
“I experienced that in my own classroom setting,” Zellner says. “We need to assist, help support those people [who are] new to the profession and may find themselves up against that, when they weren't aware that it was coming.”
Many people either don’t own up to their biases or don’t understand institutional bias, Zellner says, including the notion that they “don’t see color.”
“If they don't see color, then they don't see me,” he adds. “Then they are admitting that they are ignorant of the fact that the nation has a racist bias ever since the writing of the Declaration and the writing of the Constitution.”
Zellner says he feels good about the MTA’s program: “The MTA is in the forefront of what seems to be a burgeoning movement among the profession … to get more teachers of color for students of color.”
—A version of this article originally ran in the NSEA-Retired Advocate.
