On Friday, March 14, a gathering was held in love and remembrance to celebrate the life of Roger Summerhayes—a man whose impact on our community was profound and lasting. As Elena Hensley so eloquently put it, his final gift to us was this gathering of alumni, faculty, friends, and family, united in gratitude for a teacher, mentor, and friend who shaped so many lives.
As part of the evening's tributes, CDS’ 91 Alumni, Dr. Kasey Canton, shared the following words:
“As a high school student in Mr. Summerhayes' class, I lacked the life experience to fully appreciate what an extraordinary teacher he was. I knew he was fun. I knew he was cool—he practiced karate, made movies, rode motorcycles. He brought science to life with passion, energy, and curiosity. What I didn’t understand then—but see so clearly now—is that he was the greatest teacher I would ever have at any level, in my entire life.
He instilled in me a love of science—the fundamentals of hypothesis, challenge, and deliberate repetition that every scientist lives by. He was everyone’s favorite teacher, though at the time, we didn’t quite grasp just how great he truly was.
What never occurred to me as a student was the sacrifice he made to teach at a small private school in the Caribbean. A man of his brilliance could have taught anywhere, worked anywhere, achieved anything—but he chose us. And he kept choosing us, year after year, dedicating himself to the students, parents, teachers, and this island community.
Now, we ask those same students, parents, teachers, and peers to come together once more—to cement his legacy.
The impact of this effort will outlive us all. Decades from now, students who earn this honor will look back and "meet" Mr. Summerhayes—learning about the teacher so extraordinary that an entire community pulled together to memorialize him for generations to come.
Let’s make sure his light never fades.”
Together with Roger’s wonderful wife, Kate, Kasey announced their mission to honor his lifelong dedication to the children of St. Croix and GHCDS. To ensure his legacy endures, Kasey and Kate have pledged to match up to $60,000 in donations to the Roger Summerhayes Scholarship Fund. This scholarship will open doors in the sciences for future generations—the very students to whom he devoted his life’s work.
Please join us in celebrating his memory and building upon his purpose.