Shannon Gregory Carbon, teacher, Vineyarder and beloved member of the Island community, died unexpectedly on Tuesday, Oct. 10. She was 53.
For the past decade, Ms. Carbon taught English as a Second Language at the Tisbury school, specializing in Portuguese.
“I remember it so vividly, when she started in September of 2012,” Tisbury school principal John Custer said. “She had an innate passion for supporting kids and families who needed support, who were adjusting to a new school, a new country, a new language. It was beautiful to witness.”
On Wednesday, the regional high school held a grief counseling service led by the Riverside Trauma Center based in Dedham. The service was attended by over 160 people, said school adjustment counselor Amy Lilavois.
“It was called How to Talk to Kids About Sudden Death and Traumatic Events,” Ms. Lilavois said, describing the Zoom event as a supportive place for the community to share.
“Riverside will be on the Island next week for in-person individual counseling, and creating coping groups for different subsets — for parents, students, friends, the Tisbury school community,” she said.
The guidance team at the school has been meeting with students throughout the week and Ms. Lilavois urged any parents who are worried about their children to contact the school counselors.
Mr. Custer said the Tisbury school has also been providing grief counseling to the entire school community.
Ms. Carbon grew up on the Vineyard, graduating from the high school in 1987 and Connecticut College in 1991. She earned a master’s degree in education administration from UMass Lowell in 2011.
After college she immediately embarked on what would be a long and successful teaching career. She got her start by joining Teach for America, a nonprofit organization that trains teachers and places them in low-income communities throughout the country.
Ms. Carbon started in Los Angeles and then continued with the organization in Baton Rouge, La. She taught in New York City and Portugal where she learned Portuguese. She returned to the Island in 2010 to raise her family and not long after began teaching at the Tisbury School.
“There is a profound sadness throughout the community,” Mr. Custer said. “She loved what she did and in return was loved by all, her students, her colleagues, everyone.”
Information about services are not yet available.
