SWAMPSCOTT — Grief counselors were at the elementary schools on Thursday and there will be no school at them on Friday as the district grieves the death of one of its beloved teachers.
Phyllis Gotlib, 68, who has been teaching music to elementary students since 1999, died Wednesday from complications from the flu. She became unexpectedly ill over the weekend, said Superintendent Pamela Angelakis in a statement.
“She has touched the lives of hundreds of staff and thousands of students during that time,” Angelakis said. “Phyllis was both a kind and generous colleague, always greeting you with a smile and a kind word. She was a bright light, with a great sense of humor, a passion for music and her students. She will be sorely missed. At this time, it’s important that we come together as a community to support each other through this loss.”
Gotlib died while surrounded by her children, Rebecca, David and Deborah Frisch, their significant others, and her brother, Sumner Gotlib, according to her obituary.
“Phyllis was a wonderful person loved by everyone,” her family said in a statement. “She brought music into the lives of so many children in Swampscott and Marblehead. We are shocked and saddened and can’t express how much we will miss her.”
Gotlib grew up in Bangor, Maine, and Brookline, graduated from Brandeis University, received a master’s degree in applied piano from The State University of New York (SUNY) at Stony Brook and raised her family in Marblehead. Her life was filled with music, as an accomplished pianist and adored elementary teacher, according to her obituary.
Several school psychologists and adjustment counselors were tasked with delivering the news to students at Hadley and Clarke schools, where Gotlib taught, and remained there throughout the day on Thursday to provide support. School counselors are also available at the middle and high schools, Angelakis said.
There will be no school on Friday at Clarke, Hadley and Stanley elementary schools to allow staff and families to attend services for Gotlib, Angelakis said.
“Because we have learned Ms. Gotlib’s passing may have been due to complications from the flu, I sent cleaning crews into the Clarke and Hadley schools early (Thursday) morning to thoroughly clean all doorknobs, railings, her classrooms and common areas, including teacher prep spaces and hallways,” Angelakis said.
Angelakis said the cleaning was completed long before students arrived at school on Thursday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates between 12,000 and 56,000 deaths are caused due to complications of influenza in the U.S. annually. In Massachusetts, the Department of Public Health said between 250 and 1,100 residents die from it.
Tiana Delano, 19, of Swampscott, had Gotlib as a teacher when she was a student at Clarke School.
She was shocked to hear about Gotlib’s death. The night before, Delano said she was talking about her former teacher to her 9-year-old brother and showing him the hand dance activity Gotlib used to do with her class. She said Gotlib would have the class move around and have fun while singing along with songs.
“To this day, I can still remember how enthusiastic she was in the class and how she would always smile,” Delano said. “She was always so full of life and made people want to attend her class. I remember her being so enthusiastic and passionate about music … She was so full of life and a great teacher. Multiple years later, I can still remember stuff from her class.”
Casey Rakhmanov, 34, of Swampscott, said Gotlib was one of the teachers who made her 11-year-old daughter Isabella feel welcome when they moved to town from Boston four years ago. Her daughter, a former Clarke student, is now at Swampscott Middle School.
“I was quite surprised at the impression she had on my daughter,” Rakhmanov said. “I always knew she liked her, but she cried immediately. She said she was one of the first teachers to make her feel special. That says a lot … I just wanted her family to know that kids loved her, she was special to students and she reached a lot of kids.”
Rakhmanov credits Gotlib for her daughter’s love of music — Isabella asked for and received a ukulele for Hanukkah. She said Isabella looked forward to Gotlib’s class every week.
“I will forever be grateful for the impression she made on my daughter,” Rakhmanov said. “Our community lost a most beloved educator and role model. She was truly one of a kind.”
