Tonight, the family and friends of high schooler Cayden Stewart are mourning his loss. The 16 year old drowned after his baptism on Saturday in Gracie Rock.
His principal at EP Yorke described him as a bright, God fearing young soul who was treasured by his classmates and teachers. I visited the school today and here's what I found:
He was in the company of his church group and had surrendered his life over to God just moments before he decided to stay in the water for a quick swim with the other kids. But 16 year old Cayden Stewart never made it out, and never made it home alive that day. According to witnesses he went under and never came back up. And by the time they found him it was already too late.
ACP Hilberto Romero, OC Eastern Division
"On Saturday police responded to a report of a drowning in Gracie Rock and upon arrival they saw the lifeless body of Cayden Stewart, 16 years. Information is that he was along with several other persons swimming when he went under the water and did not resurface, persons in the area began to search and found his body. There were no signs of injuries observed on the body and he was taken to the morgue awaiting a post mortem examination."
"Yes they had a baptism prior to them going swimming in that area."
Cayden who was raised by his grandmother, was an elite student here at EP Yorke High school. His teacher says that his loss is something they are all still trying to process.
Karen Canto, Principal EP York
"To be honest I was speechless. I didn't know what to say and it might sound like a cliche but that's exactly the truth I didn't know what to say because any student at all but this child in particular definitely shook me to the core."
"Cayden, he is Cayden Stewart and he was in 4 industrial studies advanced. That is one of our elite courses at EP Yorke, we call them the elites. At mid second term,we just got their report card. A few weeks ago he was first place and Cayden is the most perfect description of what a Yorker young man looks like. The photos we have of him that we have been sending around to all the parents the chat groups and everything else you know he represents us physically because at EP Yorke the uniform is an important representation of us it is a part of our brand that you wear that uniform with pride from the haircut to the shoe and Cayden obeyed from literally the crown of his head to the soles of his feet. But other than that he was a fun loving vey helpful gentleman and his passing impacts from first to fourth form but also admin, teachers, support staff, from the security."
Cayden would have been 17 on April 6th, and his principal says that they've already begun providing counselling and emotional support for his classmates and peers.
Karen Canto, Principal EP York
"We are in pieces so today there isn't much of any teaching happening any at all in fourth form for sure. Some of the lower classes are having classes and subjects are being taught but we are not pushing that hard at fourth this entire school year for them has been a rough one because the math teacher who died was also their math teacher as well so they are just getting over him, losing sir and now Cayden, and you know how the school year is."
"So today I am thankful for the principals across Belize City who sent their counsellors over. We started from 7:50 Am and we got counsellors, 4 different counsellors, a 5th one came just now she will be back tomorrow, and other high school has promised theirs will be here tomorrow so I met them together first, we have 5 fourth form classes but we started with 2 cause those are the ones that were the closest, industrial studies and 4 science those are the two classes that Cayden he impacted the most those were his friends, his church brothers and sisters are from those classes as well."
"We have a memorial here Friday morning, we would have wanted to do it tomorrow but it's too short of a notice because we wanted the kids to prepare for it."
Stewart would have graduated on June first.