‘She Was the Best Soul I Knew’: Friends, Colleagues, Students and Parents Remember Kelly Devine

A few years ago, Kelly Devine learned that her good friend and fellow New Canaan Public Schools teacher, Katherine Munson, was training for a half-marathon that would take place in Norwalk. Munson didn’t ask anyone to come support her, including Devine, though the pair saw each other every day at New Canaan High School, on many weekends and had coached together at Norwalk’s Shore and Country Swim Club. As she was nearing the finish line, Munson recalled Monday afternoon, “I heard ‘Kat, Kat!’ ”

“It was Kelly,” Munson recalled through tears. “She just showed up by herself—that is what she did: She just showed up. Nobody asked.

NCHS Community Honors Kay Timmis with a Tree Planted in Her Memory

Teachers, students, family and friends of Kay Timmis gathered Thursday afternoon for a tree planting ceremony in her honor, after the longtime New Canaan High School substitute teacher passed away suddenly in January. The ceremony was held outside the NCHS Library, and those who attended took a moment to remember Timmis as a substitute teacher and how she touched the lives of the NCHS community. Priscilla Schulz, NCHS Physical Education teacher, coach, and longtime friend of Timmis, organized the ceremony along with six other speakers. NCHS seniors Carly Risom, this year’s recipient of the Kay Timmis Award, and Sean Davidson had kind words to say about Timmis, along with NCHS faculty Lynda Pescatello, Michelle Luhtala, and Lenore Schneider. Timmis’ daughter, Kim, closed the ceremony with a speech.