A History of Education Success: Linda Bass Reilly Named Teacher of the Year

Teaching is something that Southington resident Linda Bass Reilly was born into. The oldest of five children, she learned from an early age the importance of nurturing and caring for children to help them grow into responsible young adults.

“I am blessed to have a job that I love, a job that I feel like I was born to do,” said Reilly, a fourth-grade teacher at Thalberg Elementary School. “The key to making a difference is to reach out to the child. When you develop a person that wants to learn, that’s the secret.”

Reilly was named the 2013-14 Teacher of the Year, an honor that she said is a result of the entire community. Those who know Reilly, however, said she isn’t one to seek the spotlight but is more than deserving of the honor and noted there couldn’t be a better selection.

There’s little that Reilly hasn’t done. She was responsible for the development and creation of “Genevive’s Garden,” an outdoor teaching garden at Thalberg, was honored at the Oak Hill Spring banquet for outstanding dedication to improving the lives of those with disabilities and she has been honored by the Orchard Valley Garden Club for nurturing lifelong, sustainable practices in Southington youth.

And that’s just in the past year.

Surprised by her former student Yuri Min, who was Reilly’s student in 1998, she smiled and hugged both Min and her mother as they presented her with flowers Monday.

Min said Reilly was not only one of the best teachers that she’s ever had, but said she helped provide her with a feeling that she could achieve anything in life.

“She cares. I really can’t put it any other way,” Min said. “She cares genuinely and whole heartedly. Mrs. Reilly made me feel special then and I’m still feeling that now.”

A lifelong Southington resident, Reilly first began caring for children and taking an active part in volunteering in the community at a young age. She helped care for her brothers and sisters, Reilly said, and watched as her parents volunteered their time to helping others.

It was likely this opportunity and caring home environment that helped lead Reilly and her siblings – as well as her daughter Erin Reilly, a special education teacher at Derynoski Elementary School – to each find a career in education.

Reilly’s sisters Heidi Bass Lamberto and Sonja Bass Wenzel each work within the district, with Lamberto teaching at DePaolo Middle School and Wenzel working with preschoolers at the Margaret Griffin Daycare Center at Derynoski. Her brother Duane Bass also works in the district as head ski coach at Southington High School.

A 1971 graduate of West Virginia Weslyan College and recipient of a Master’s of Science degree from Southern Connecticut State University in 1979, Reilly has since developed into a district-wide advocate for teaching and learning, School Superintendent Joseph V. Erardi Jr. said.

Principal Megan Bennett said there is a lot to be proud of and the recognition as teacher of the year is only fitting for a woman that has been a school leader and who has gone above and beyond for Southington children, helping embody success as shown in the end product of everything she does.

“We just feel fortunate to be able to house her at our school,” Bennett said. “She has been a true model for our students and we all benefit from her recognition. It brings a true pride to our community.”

But it’s not just Thalberg that has benefitted from Reilly’s efforts.

She is a volunteer with Orchard Valley Garden Club, Southington Community Theater, the Miss Southington Ambassador Program and the Northeast Organic Farming Association. She co-chaired the 225th “March to Victory,” a reenactment of General Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, Comte de Rochambeau’s march through Southington to meet George Washington during the Revolutionary War.

Genevive’s Garden, an outdoor learning classroom funded through a series of grant’s from the Southington Education Foundation and expanded with the help of a second grant from Lowe’s Home Improvement “Toolbox” program.

Bennett said the garden has become an integral part of the curriculum and has provided students throughout the school with an opportunity to experience hands-on gardening, outdoor learning and more. Bennett said Reilly also regularly hosts special events such as an evening poetry session in the garden.

In the past year, her students put together an e-Book on the garden and several students said Monday that it is examples like these that set Reilly apart from other teachers they’ve had in the past.

“She always finds a way, no matter what we are doing, to motivate us and make us feel good about ourselves,” said Olivia Perkins, 9. “I don’t think she should just be teacher of the year this year. I think she should be the teacher of the year every year.”

For Reilly, however, the honor is not one she is willing to share alone. She said that although education starts with teachers, it takes an entire community to make a true difference and credited all those she’s worked with over the years for helping make it happen.

“You need a strong partnership to make a difference and I invite everyone – parents, siblings, family members – in joining me to be part of what we are doing,” she said. “My classroom is always open.”

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