Former educator and author Mrs Ruby A. Smith-Newberry passed away on Saturday, January 20, 2024, at the age of 85. Photo: Provided

Ruby A. Smith-Newberry was first appointed in 1977 to teach at the then Sea Cows Bay Primary School, now the Ebenezer Thomas Primary. Photo: VINO/File

Mrs Ruby A. Smith-Newberry also taught at the Leonora Delville Primary School. Photo: Facebook/File

Alexandrina Maduro Primary School is one of the many schools the late Ruby A. Smith-Newberry taught at. Photo: Facebook/File

A devout Christian, the deceased was the proud mother of six children– Alison Smith, Dr Arlene L. Smith-Thompson, Dean Smith, Permanent Secretary Petrona N. Davies, Keith Smith, Zena Stevens, and Laura Pompey and eight grandchildren.

Beloved teacher! 

The late Mrs Smith-Newberry served as a primary school teacher in the Virgin Islands school system for 36 years, most of that at the 'Mighty Scatliffe' in Road Town.

She was first appointed in 1977 to teach at the then Sea Cows Bay Primary School, now the Ebenezer Thomas Primary. She was later assigned to the then Road Town Primary School, now the Althea Scaliffe Primary and taught at the Alexandrina Maduro and Enis Adams Primary Schools. Mrs Newberry also taught at the Leonora Delville and Isabella Morris Primary Schools and later at the Claudia Creque Educational Centre in Anegada.

During her years of service, Mrs Smith-Newberry also worked at the then Sunflower After- School Programme and the Alternative Education Programme. She was also involved in the Literacy and Skills Programme that was developed through the Department of Education.

As an educator, Mrs Smith-Newberry always demonstrated a passion for remedial and inclusive education. She was of the view that every child could learn. As a result, she was known to have taken children into her home regularly to teach them the fundamentals of reading, writing and math. Mrs Newberry was also passionate about adults being equipped with the literacy skills that would make them functional in life.

A proud moment; Higher education 

To better equip herself to reach her students, the deceased Mrs Smith-Newberry even attained a Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Hull, UK in 1988 – one of the proudest moments in her life, according to a family spokesperson.

She seemed to wear so many hats, as she also had a love for the creative arts, especially music and dance that she enjoyed as extra-curricular activities with her students through the years.

In 1994, an Adult Education Programme was developed at the Department of Education that catered for adults who could not read. Participants were drawn from departments such as Solid Waste Department, the hospital cafeteria, and other governmental agencies. Given the late Mrs Smith-Newberry’s success in English Language teaching and remediation strategies, she was given the assignment to teach this group of adult learners. 

As a result of her commitment and dedication to the initiative, many learned to read and commended her for doing an excellent job. Commendations for the Programme’s success were also received from the UNESCO Headquarters, through its local commission, given its global thematic focus on ‘Education for All’ at the time.

She loved the VI

Having made the VI her home for nearly 45 years after emigrating from St Vincent and the Grenadines (her parents' homeland) as a trained teacher, Mrs Smith-Newberry has positively impacted the lives of many of our residents whom she would have taught at some point during her long career. For her, teaching was more than just a vocation; it was her calling as she often spoke of the joy that she felt to see her former students succeeding in life; particularly those who may have been marginalised in society because of their circumstances.

Woman of faith & author 

In 2013, Mrs Smith-Newberry retreated to her home in quiet retirement for the final time. Not one to rest on her laurels, she used the time to become even more committed to her missionary outreach work to help the less fortunate, especially in St Vincent. She also spent many days keeping in touch with her very close girlfriends whom she adored so much. It was a time for her to spend precious moments with family. Dancing to her favourite Gospel music was also her favourite pastime.

Mrs Smith-Newberry was the author of three books– two biographies and one that was commissioned by UNESCO in 1984 entitled ‘Now and Then’. This book was written specifically for primary-aged children and included stories about the history and culture of Virgin Islanders and how they lived years ago, as a way of bridging generational gaps. 

An avid writer through the years, Mrs Newberry also owned a priceless collection of short stories, skits and plays, poems, and choral-speaking verses.

According to one of her daughters, Dr Smith-Thompson speaking exclusively to our newsroom, “She always lived by the motto, ‘It is better to give than to receive’ (Acts 20:35) and has made acts of kindness to others her life’s mission.”