Late Teacher's $1 Million Gift Supports Prince William Schools' Foundation

MANASSAS, VA — A teacher of 64 years will continue to impact the Prince William County Public Schools system after her death.

Lillian Orlich, a longtime teacher and counselor who died on March 7, left a $1 million donation to SPARK, the education foundation for PWCS. Orlich spent most of her teaching career at Osbourn High School in Manassas City and Osbourn Park High School in Prince William County. She retired in 2017 at age 89.

"Ms. Orlich is truly missed by our PWCS community,” said Prince William County School Board chair Dr. Babur Lateef. "Her compassion and unwavering commitment to selfless service has profoundly impacted countless generations of PWCS students. We are immensely
grateful for Ms. Orlich’s dedication and contributions to PWCS during her lifetime and beyond, as her memory lives on."

Orlich's $1 million donation will support SPARK's six areas of focus: educator preparedness, science, technology, engineering and math education, social and emotional learning, innovative and digital citizenship, career pathways to global citizens, and partnerships for school improvement. The foundation will prioritize the educator preparedness category since Orlich was a longtime teacher.

"Miss Lillian Orlich’s devotion to this community is unprecedented because she dedicated her life’s work over the course of the last 3 quarters of a century investing in our future leaders," said Melissa Boyle, president of the SPARK board of directors. "This donation to SPARK is unsurprising considering her passion for supporting our students. We are so very honored and proud to continue her legacy through this generous gift."