Denham Town High mourns 11-y-o student killed in fire day before his birthday

Eleven-year-old Jaydon Whyte was just one day away from celebrating his 12th birthday when tragedy struck, leaving the Denham Town High School community mourning a young boy remembered for his extraordinary kindness and generosity.

Whyte, a Grade Seven student, died in a fire at a North Street home on Tuesday morning.

Although he had only been attending Denham Town High School since September, Principal Yvette Richards-Thompson said Jaydon had already touched the lives of students and staff in a profound way.

“He is amazing. He’s loving, he’s kind, caring,” Richards-Thompson said.

“He would have sacrificed everything he has just to make sure those around him are in receipt of what they need.”

According to the principal, Jaydon was particularly known for standing up for others and speaking out whenever he felt someone was being treated unfairly.

“He didn’t like to see disservice,” Richards-Thompson said.

She recalled how he would quietly approach her to report concerns about his classmates or situations taking place in the classroom.

“So there are times when he would come and whisper and tell me something, what’s happening in the class, or something happened with another student. And he would advocate for others as well,” she said.

But Jaydon’s generosity did not stop there.

Richards-Thompson said the young student would sometimes give away his own lunch or buy food for his classmates.

On some occasions, he would buy two lunches so he could share one with a Grade Seven girl he liked.

“Sometimes if he could only afford one, he would buy one and they would share it,” she said.

His willingness to give to others became so pronounced that the grade supervisor eventually took possession of his lunch money, fearing Jaydon would give it away whenever another student asked.

“Once somebody asked, he would give it to them. He was that kind of person,” Richards-Thompson said.

“It’s such a deep, deep loss.”

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