Ministry honours education pioneers at inaugural Living
The Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports honoured retired educators who served during the 1960s and 1970s at the inaugural Living Legends Luncheon on March 30 at The Moorings, part of the closing events for Education Month 2026. The ministry recognised 38 Living Legends, paid tribute to several honoured in absentia, and has opened nominations for further pioneers to be considered ahead of the annual 2027 event.
The Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports hosted the inaugural Living Legends Luncheon on March 30 at The Moorings as part of the closing activities for Education Month 2026, honouring retired educators who helped build the foundation of the modern Virgin Islands education system, the Government of the Virgin Islands said.
To qualify as a Living Legend, honourees must have served 25 years or more within the Virgin Islands education system. More than thirty retired educators attended the luncheon in person, representing a combined centuries of service to Territory students and schools, and a total of thirty-eight educators were formally honoured during the ceremony, the ministry reported.
Minister for Education, Youth Affairs and Sports the Honourable Sharie B. de Castro delivered a poetic tribute at the event, describing the honourees as pioneers whose dedication helped develop education during a time when resources were scarce and recognition was limited. “You are the quiet architects of a loud and living legacy, the unseen ink in every signature of success,” Minister de Castro recited. “We lead because you lifted.
We stand because you stood — when standing was not easy, when resources were scarce, when recognition was rare, but responsibility was real,” she added, according to the ministry release. The ministry listed the 2026 Living Legends honourees as: Altagracia Hodge, Belsadys Donovan, Beverly Braithwaite, Carren Mathavious, Caryl O’Neal Alexander, Cecily Malone, Debra James, Dr.
Charles Wheatley OBE, Elmera Dawson, Elmore Stoutt, Enid Thomas, Erma Vanterpool, Ethlyn Ollivierre, Eugenie Donovan-Glasgow, Flosetta Harrigan, Gladys Scatliffe, Gracia Stevens, Geranium Stoutt, Josephine Callwood, Leona Hodge, H. Lynden Smith MBE, Yvonne Flores, Marva Martin, Medita Wheatley, Prudence Mathavious, Shirley Martin, Sylvia Adams, Ulric Scatliffe MBE, Wendell Stevens, Maruita Kupoluyi, Majourie Nibbs, Erlin Vanterpool, Irene Parsons, Margaret Ward, Elena Fahie, Ruben Vanterpool, Olive Vanterpool and Yvonne Nibbs Flores.
Several pioneers were recognised in absentia: L. Adorothy Turnbull, Marion Levons, Huldah Parker, Dorothea Maduro, Dr. Esmeralda O’Neal, Cecelia Turnbull-Cline, Lillie Shirley, Glorice Malone, Irma Smith, Adel Frett, Beatrice Penn, Ivy Chinnery, Lyra Hodge, Yvonne Dawson, Claudia Kettle and Joseph Vanterpool.
The ministry acknowledged that limited historical documentation from the 1960s and 1970s means identifying every educator from that era is an ongoing effort. To ensure broader recognition, the Living Legends Luncheon will now be held annually and the ministry is inviting residents to assist by submitting nominations of retired educators who served 25 years or more during those decades for consideration in 2027.
Residents with information or nominations were asked to contact the ministry for guidance on submission and next steps. Angelique Lettsome, Information Officer I, Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports, with telephone 1-284-468-9448 and email anlettsome@gov.vg for inquiries.
The Government of the Virgin Islands also notes general government contact options at 1-(284)-468-3701 and BVIGovernment@dgagroup.com. The Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports expressed gratitude to all honourees for their lifelong dedication and lasting impact on generations of Virgin Islands students, and said the luncheon was intended to make sure those foundational contributions are officially recognised and celebrated.
Primary source: BVI Government