Brown’s Town, St Ann -Tears streamed down the faces of teachers and students at York Castle High School during the recent devotion as they tried to come to terms with the reality that one of the brightest members of the school family was tragically taken from them.

Fifteen-year-old honour-roll student Derecca Campbell was killed after the vehicle she was travelling in met in an accident along the Retreat main road in Brown’s Town in the parish. It was just moments earlier that the fourth form student was at school completing her assignments in the homework centre.

Campbell was travelling in a Toyota Hiace bus plying the Brown’s Town to Clark’s Town route when tragedy struck. Allegations are that both vehicles collided as the bus tried to overtake a truck around a deep narrow bend. Campbell who was sitting in the right side of the bus when the collision occurred was killed instantly. Several other persons sitting on that side of the bus were injured including, another student of the York Castle High School.

Speaking to students at the devotion two Fridays ago, Principal Raymon Treasure said it was a sad occasion for the entire school population.

“This is a sad occasion for all of us, especially for the students who have witnessed that calling home,” Treasure said.

He described Campbell as a great student, both academically and socially. The teen, he said, did not only perform well academically but was actively involved in other areas of her school life.

“It was after completing her homework and leaving for home that she met in this very tragic accident,” Treasure later told the Jamaica Observer North East, as he pointed to this as evidence of Campbell’s dedication to her studies.

“We are going to miss her, she had a good rap with both her fellow students and teachers,” he added.

However, Treasure said the school will have to cope and are “leaning on God at this point for strength.”

“The support is tremendous because we have the ministers’ fraternal coming out, guidance counsellors from the neighbouring schools… St Hilda’s, Brown’s Town High and so on. They are here to support us; the Ministry of Education officers they are here. I see members from the community out to support and the school family is a very spiritual one so we are depending on the spirit of God at this point to provide us with the kind of the strength that we need in situations like these,” he said.

The principal encouraged the students of 10Y, the class to which Campbell was assigned, to do well in their academics as an honour to her memory.

Treasure said the school has been in contact with Campbell’s relative and was at the hospital with family members on the night of the accident.

When the Observer North East visited Campbell’s classroom the expressions on the students’ faces were enough to tell how they felt. Some sat with their head on desks, while others expressed their feelings about their beloved classmate on paper. Campbell’s chair was empty while her desk had flowers and other items placed there by classmates in her memory.