‘More than a teacher’: Students pay tribute to beloved instructor at memorial

Students, teachers and parents paid tribute on Sunday to a beloved Henderson high school journalism teacher who died last month.

Eric Johnston, an English and journalism teacher at Green Valley High School for 15 years, died July 26 after suffering two strokes.

During his time at the high school, Johnston supervised the student newspaper and the yearbook publication.

Under his watch, the InvestiGator — named for the school’s Gator mascot — dominated the Review-Journal’s High School Journalism Awards. This year, the school’s paper earned awards for best newspaper and best news website, as well as garnering eight first place awards in categories such as feature writing, photography and illustration and page one design.

Johnston also found time to coach golf, basketball and softball at various points during those fifteen years.

Speakers at Sunday’s memorial shared heartfelt memories that drew chuckles as well sniffles and tears from the crowd.

The audience, filling half of the gymnasium, listened intently as Principal Kent Roberts delivered his opening remarks.

Johnston never wanted to talk about himself, Roberts said.

“Never once did he talk about himself or what he did. It was always about his students,” Roberts said. “He passionately wanted the students and athletes to succeed, to go on to be good human beings and good citizens.”

Even in the hospital, Johnston kept his sense of humor, Roberts said.

“He was still pretty well-sedated, but he was definitely all there mentally,” he said. “He relentlessly badgered one of his nurses, a very nice, mild-mannered gentleman named Albert, to give him water, which Albert wasn’t allowed to do.”

“At some point later in the day, he asked for some more, but he was already at his limit, at which point he tried to rope me into some sort of conspiracy to give him some more water,” Roberts said, eliciting laughter from the audience.

Billy Hemberger, a friend and fellow coach of Johnston, underscored how much Johnston enjoyed his work and seeing his students thrive and grow.

“I was always in awe of how he was so humble about being such a badass teacher, but he was, and that was because he was so proud of what you were all doing, the work you were producing, and the dedication you all showed to something he was so passionate about,” Hemberger said.

Delivering inspiration for a new generation of teachers

Victoria Rodriguez, 22, and Tyler Bonnett, 20, were motivated to teach after having Johnston as a teacher.

“He was more than a teacher. He was a father figure. He was a mentor. He’s the reason I’m going to school for teaching,” said Rodriguez, a former substitute teacher at Green Valley High School who is now a private school teacher in the Las Vegas Valley.

“He was an excellent person. He helped shape our lives and he cared about us more than just in the classroom. He cared about what we did afterward,” said Bonnett, who is studying secondary education at the College of Southern Nevada.

“He saw something in me and believed in me, and he’s one of the reasons that I want to become an educator,” Bonnett said. “If I can become half the teacher that he ever was, I’ll consider that one of the greatest accomplishments of my life.

“I miss him like hell,” he added. “I had this incredible personal experience with him, and still, somehow I’m not special.”

Bonnett noted that many other people at the memorial have had similar experiences.

”I was just one of dozens of students who he changed the trajectory of their lives,” he said. “The fact that I can say all of these things about him and only be one of many, is truly incredible for any educator, but especially Mr. Johnston.”

All money raised from a GoFundMe for Johnston’s family will aid Johnston’s family as they take care of his end-of-life expenses.

Johnston is survived by his ex-wife, Brittany Johnston, his three children Bailey, Blair and Milo, and two dogs, Luna and Luca.

Contact Annie Vong at avong@reviewjournal.com.