Charles Sosnick, a University of Pennsylvania-bound New Canaan High School senior who serves as president of the student body, remembers Kay Timmis as one of the nicest, most respectful educators he’s ever had.
NCHS senior and Student Body President Charles Sosnick stands near books collected as part of a book drive for Edison Elementary School in Bridgeport, held in memory of cherished substitute teacher Kay Timmis, who passed in January. Credit: Michael Dinan
The longtime, beloved New Canaan Public Schools substitute teacher’s sudden passing in January at age 82 “left a pretty big hole in the community,” Sosnick recalled from outside the main office at NCHS Thursday afternoon.
“It was pretty amazing, the level of emotion that kids had for her,” Sosnick said.
At his feet lay scattered boxes and bags filled with books that are being collected in Timmis’s memory.
The Student Coalition’s book drive will benefit the classroom libraries at Edison Elementary School in Bridgeport—an effort dedicated to Timmis because she was a champion of literacy and education who was “very charitable and loved to read,” Sosnick said.
NCHS parents were notified about the book drive on Thursday. Asked what the buzz has been like about the book drive in Timmis’s memory, Sosnick said, “Pretty good.”
“It’s another reason that kids want to give to this, because it’s not only a teacher everyone loved, it will go into a school.”
Priscilla Schulz, a NCHS educator since 1978, said several ideas had bounced around about ways to honor Timmis, and that the Student Coalition came up with a book drive “because she had such a love of reading and was such an avid reader.”
Timmis’s passing “was a shock to all of us” and the beloved teacher “was the sweetest person in the world,” Schulz said.
“It was a shock to the kids and a shock to the staff when she passed so suddenly, and in everybody’s grief, they acted right away and said, ‘We have to do something,’ ” Schulz said.
They bounced around some ideas and settled on the book drive for Edison, a longtime partner of NCHS for its Senior Service Day, which sees kids from the Bridgeport school come to town for a fun day with students here.
Immediately following Timmis’s passing, an anonymous local donor whose kids had had the teacher set up a fund through the New Canaan Community Foundation for a “Kay Timmis Award” at NCHS.
Part of the criteria for the award said that it “will be given each year to a senior at the high school who embodies Miss Timmis’ legacy of kindness, warmth, generosity of spirit, loving acceptance of others and unwavering support for fellow students.”
Schulz said that, in addition to the book drive and award, a tree will be planted in Timmis’s honor behind the library at NCHS next month. Timmis had been an active gardener, and the tree will come from her favorite nursery.
I can’t think of a better way to honor my best friend and traveling companion! Phyllis Schwartz, former biology teacher at NCHS.