St James High teacher collapses, dies

WESTERN BUREAU:
St James High School in Montego Bay was rattled on Monday by the sudden death of senior teacher Sheldon Johnson, who collapsed and died shortly after leaving a meeting at the school.
Johnson, 46, a native of Gayle Town in Clarendon, was the school’s physics and computer technology instructor. He had been employed at the school since 2018. 
Principal Joseph Williams described Johnson’s death as a tragedy for the school, as he was the school’s primary computer repair expert and was responsible for maintaining the institution’s Internet service.
“That is the sad reality, and it is very tragic because Mr Johnson did not have any known illness ... . It had been approved for him to go on leave (vacation) as of September 1. He was the senior teacher in charge of technology, so he was very much technically savvy,” said Williams.
Johnson’s reportedly collapsed a short while after he took part in a meeting at St James High with an official from the Ministry of Education’s Region Four office.
Following the meeting, Johnson and another teacher from the school went to a gas station at Westgate in Montego Bay, at which point Johnson reportedly collapsed. He was rushed to the Cornwall Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A member of staff, who requested anonymity, said that Johnson was a vibrant individual who will be missed by the school community.
“Mr Johnson was a brilliant man, an excellent teacher, and he was full of life and fun and was very caring and easy-going,” the teacher said. “The school is shaken, and his passing was too sudden since he was at school today. It is a shock, and everyone is in mourning.”
In a brief statement on Monday, Dr Michelle Pinnock, the regional director for the Ministry of Education’s Region Four, expressed sadness at Johnson and extended her condolences to the St James High School family.
christopher.thomas@gleanerjm.com