Written By @cabbagepatchgrl
A South Carolina elementary school teacher died of coronavirus complications a week into the start of the school year.
28-year-old Demetria Bannister was diagnosed with the virus Friday and died Monday. Bannister taught at the Windsor Elementary School in Columbia for five years. She started her third year of teaching third-grade students virtually on August 31.
In addition to teaching, she was passionate about music, as she worked with the school choir and hosted a student club for aspiring singers, according to CNN.
“Known as Windsor’s Songbird, she used her musical talents to bring a great deal of joy to our school,” said Principal Denise Quickel, of Windsor Elementary.
Last year, at a school attendance event, she wrote a song about the importance of not missing classes to the tune of Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road.”
“The song and video were a big hit with our school family,” said Quickel. “Ms. Bannister loved her students and never missed an opportunity to advocate for students and public education.”
The school district was notified about the diagnosis on Friday, and in turn, followed the procedures for disinfecting, contact tracing, and notification of close contacts.
The contact tracing and notifications were based on the date she was last at the elementary school, which was August 28. She started the virtual school year three days later, teaching from home.
“While gone from us too soon, Ms. Bannister’s legacy lives on through the lives of the students she taught in her five years as a dedicated educator,” said superintendent Baron R. Davis for Richland School District Two.
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