When Pamela Gardner was hired as a school counselor at Osbourn Park High School in Manassas, Virginia, in 2006, she came into the school over the summer to get acclimated.
There weren’t any other counselors on campus beyond Lillian Orlich. Gardner recalls being surprised that someone was there when school wasn’t in session. Orlich introduced herself, explaining that she was from New York and was someone “they would call a Damn Yankee,” Gardner said.
Orlich was so dedicated to her role as an educator that she told Gardner she’d probably die in the school building.
Initially, Gardner was taken aback, but in the subsequent years, she realized it’s just who Orlich was. She worked every day, starting at 3 a.m., to make sure she finished her paperwork. That way, she’d be able to focus on her students.
“She was very passionate about education, and just students in general,” Gardner, now the director of school counseling, said. “She just loved Osbourn Park.”
After decades working as a teacher and counselor, Orlich finally retired in 2017, at 89 years old. But even then, she came to work every day for the next year.
Orlich died on March 7 and is leaving her students with one last gift: a $1 million donation for SPARK, Prince William County Public Schools’ education foundation.
“Anybody that came in contact with her, it was always a positive experience,” Gardner said. “She always tried to find the good in everybody. In the 15 years that she worked here, and even after she left, I still continued to go visit her.”
Last year, Gardner said some people from the school helped throw Orlich a 95th birthday party. The chorus students sang, and dozens of people attended. It was an odd feeling for Orlich, Gardner recalled, who focused on helping people and staying out of the spotlight.
“She was tickled to death,” Gardner said. “She was like, ‘Oh my gosh! All this for little ole’ me?’ That is a testament to her as a person and the legacy and impact that she’s had on people in general.”
Orlich’s lasting legacy
That impact, Gardner said, is widespread. She was an educator for so long, she ended up teaching multiple generations of the same people.
She started her days at 3 a.m., and usually left around 4:30 p.m. Every Monday, she brought in food for faculty and staff.
Orlich stayed on top of students with attendance issues, calling them every morning and reminding them about the importance of going to class. The message went beyond the call, though. She requested the students stop by and see her, to actually prove that they were in school.
“That for me stood out, because not a lot of people actually take the time to invest that kind of time and energy into students,” Gardner said.
Orlich also worked to make sure every student had a plan, whether it was choosing college or a career after graduation.
“She always wanted to make sure that kids had opportunities,” Gardner said.
Shortly after Orlich retired, the school district established the Lillian Orlich Scholarship Fund. It’s awarded to two Osbourn Park High seniors to receive a scholarship to attend the college of their choice.
“She wanted to make sure that it was something that would be long withstanding, sustainable, and it would ensure that our students would be able to benefit for postsecondary education,” said Dawn Davis, executive director of SPARK, the education foundation.
The foundation has six focus areas: educator preparedness, STEM education, social and emotional learning, initiative and digital citizenship, career pathways to global citizens and partnerships to school improvement.
The foundation learned it would be getting a “possible significant gift” from Orlich’s estate, but Davis said it was unaware of the exact amount.
“When she left the money, I wasn’t surprised at all,” Gardner told WTOP, “because I said, ‘That’s her legacy.’”
In a statement, Superintendent LaTanya McDade said the “footprints she’s left in our hearts and minds can never be erased.”
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