September will be a hard month for the Sooke School District as it mourns the loss of a valued member of its team.
Muriel May Crompton died earlier this month after a bicycle crash in Victoria.
Known as May, Crompton was a teacher librarian at Dunsmuir Middle School in Colwood. SheB次元官网网址檇 been with the school for more than a decade.
B次元官网网址淢ay was a particularly hard working teacher,B次元官网网址� said Sooke School District superintendent Jim Cambridge.
B次元官网网址淵ou would find her there on the weekends,B次元官网网址� he recalled, adding when the school was undergoing its seismic upgrades she worked tirelessly to make sure students had access to books. B次元官网网址淪he was a very dedicated educator.B次元官网网址�
Dunsmuir principal Darren Russell added B次元官网网址淢ay touched the lives of everyone in the school, she was always there to help B次元官网网址� She was very involved in the Dunsmuir community and committed to her job.B次元官网网址�
With the seismic upgrades, Russell said she worked the better part of the last two summers to move the library during renovations and have it ready for students. B次元官网网址淪he single-handedly did that B次元官网网址� I think we can say that library was her home.B次元官网网址�
CromptonB次元官网网址檚 daughter, Astra, said B次元官网网址渕y earliest memories are of her restoring old books. As a kid, we would each try to finish the next Harry Potter book first. Now, as an author, IB次元官网网址檒l keep her legacy alive with our shared passion for the written word.B次元官网网址�
But Crompton didnB次元官网网址檛 just love books and her family. B次元官网网址淪he volunteered at, I would say, every event Dunsmuir put on B次元官网网址� She was that teacher that was at every concert,B次元官网网址� Russell said.
And it wasnB次元官网网址檛 just events, she started numerous fundraisers selling items such as chocolates to raise money for new library materials. B次元官网网址淪he was at every PAC meeting,B次元官网网址� he added.
Before working at Dunsmuir, Crompton also taught at Wishart Elementary in Colwood and Journey Middle School in Sooke.
She had been with the Sooke School District for at least 16 years.
B次元官网网址淚 know her passing greatly impacted the staff,B次元官网网址� Cambridge said. Past students have called to offer their condolences as well, he added.
B次元官网网址淢ay was very popular with students and incredibly knowledgeable.B次元官网网址� As an avid reader herself, he noted she always had suggestions for students. B次元官网网址淚 know she will be sorely missed.B次元官网网址�
Cambridge said CromptonB次元官网网址檚 family is in the process of planning a celebration of life, which is expected to take place in early fall.
Crompton died as a result of injuries sustained in a bicycle crash.
On Aug. 1, Victoria police responded to a single vehicle crash at the Esquimalt and Harbour roads intersection involving a cyclist just before 6 p.m.
According to a police report, she had crashed while travelling at high speeds. Several people in the vicinity rushed to help and administered first aid until first responders arrived.
Members of VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 Police DepartmentB次元官网网址檚 collision reconstruction team were called to investigate. The crash is still under investigation.
Crompton was transported to hospital with life-threatening injuries and died nearly two weeks later on Aug. 13. She would have turned 56 on Aug. 23.
