Vere community celebrates lives of deceased teachers, student
Published:Wednesday | October 29, 2014 | 4:45 PMShanique Samuels
VERE, Clarendon:
Overwhelming support continued to pour in for the Vere Technical High School family yesterday, as they remembered and celebrated the lives of two teachers and a student who died two weeks ago.
Physics teacher Terson Toranty, English teacher Claudette Anderson Hibbert and grade-11 student Shamari Salesman all died within hours of each other from pre-existing conditions aggravated by complications related to the chikungunya virus.
The three were described by those who knew them well as selfless individuals who had a passion for life and lived not only for themselves but for others.
Member of Parliament for South East Clarendon Rudyard Spencer lamented that the sudden deaths of the three persons would significantly impact their communities and put a dent in the productive capacities that would have otherwise been. In the same breath, he encouraged those mourning their loss to find comfort in the Scriptures.
filled with potential
Principal Dr Henrieta Stewart remembered Salesman as a young man who was filled with potential.
?He is still smiling at me, giving me that quick wave with a courteous ?good morning? at school or when he is going to church,? Stewart said.
She described Anderson Hibbert as never selfish, always loving and kind.
"Her encouraging smile, her enduring spirit and her in-depth explanations, indicative of a good English teacher, we'll always remember."
Toranty, she said, ?was a refreshing man of God with a passion for integrity, and his moral and standards, coupled with his exemplary delivery of physics, was always helpful?.
The performances from various schools, such as Clarendon College, Kemps Hill High and Bog Walk High sought to provide solace to the bereaved families, as well as the school and the Mineral Heights community, where all three persons lived until the time of their death.