Curry’s Nov. 10 funeral was during the same weeklong period four other area school teachers died in Hamilton, Fairfield, Springboro schools and a Hamilton resident, who taught at a private school in Harrison.
There are no apparent connections among the deaths of the five classroom instructors. What they do all have in common is the sadness they left behind among students, school colleagues along with the profound grief of their families and close friends.
The four women and one man ranged in ages 36 to 65 and all had strong ties to Butler and Warren counties.
Miami University’s Associate Dean of the graduate school and professor of educational psychology, Amity Noltemeyer, said “the death of a teacher is tragic and can be devastating for all in the school community, including students.”
And during a pandemic, ”when students face multiple stressors or challenging circumstances, it can become even more important to connect with them and build their capacity for resilience.”
“It is important for children to feel safe, secure, and connected,” said Noltemeyer. “A death of someone they care about can challenge those feelings, and the conditions of the pandemic could too in different ways.”
Curry was a 58-year-old Trenton resident and mother of two who taught at Middletown City Schools prior to 2003. No cause of death for Curry, who died at Kettering Health Hamilton, formerly Fort Hamilton Hospital, was announced.
“With great sadness, we share the news that Cheryl Curry, a language arts teacher at Edgewood Middle School, passed away,” said Edgewood officials in a released statement.
“Cheryl was a dedicated teacher who had a positive impact on everyone who knew her,” said officials.
Curtis Philpot, principal of Edgewood Middle School, said “our staff was devastated” by Curry’s death.
“She was a good, caring, giving person and the kids loved her. And because she had worked in almost every building in the district, she touched a lot of people,” said Philpot.
“She was a dedicated teacher who loved her job and loved her profession,” he said.
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