Sarasota County principal’s legacy lives on at Southside Elementary School
SARASOTA, Fla. - For decades Dorothy E. Smith dedicated her life to children throughout Sarasota County. She taught some of the most important lessons at one of the most uncertain times.
As the country began to prepare for the desegregation of schools, she made sure her students were ready. Mrs. Smith leaves behind a vast legacy that many in Sarasota are working to make will not be forgotten.
"She touched a lot of people’s lives in a lot of different areas. Her legacy is firm," said Walter Gilbert.
Smith dedicated her life to education. After completing her education at Bethune-Cookman University, she began her career in Sarasota teaching African American 4th graders at Booker Elementary. She taught there for 15 years before relocating to Venice Elementary School in the late 1960s, during the integration of schools.
She worked to prepare her students for one of history's most important moments, the desegregation and integration of schools.
"She was all about as much of those teachers were at that time, preparing us for a future that they had not lived, but they knew was coming," said Gilbert.
Smith taught Walter Gilbert at Booker Elementary.
"She took us all these places, she showed us all these things that we had never heard of before. It wasn’t things discussed in our homes. We didn’t even see them on TV. It made you want to get up and go to school every day because you never knew where Mrs. Smith would have you by the end of the day. She was teaching us, as were other teachers, that our life was going to be bigger than Newtown," he said.
At Southside Elementary School, she became the first African American principal hired within the newly integrated school system.
"For her to be principal at this school said a lot about how far the school system was coming and how far Mrs. Smith had come," Gilbert explained.
Smith recently died, but her legacy will continue. Newtown Alive worked with the community to raise funds for a memorial in her name.
Outside Southside Elementary, a bronze plaque cast of Smith will be dedicated on Saturday.
"I think the impact for the kiddos is here is someone like me who was so impactful in our school and community and I can strive to be like that," said current Southside principal Jennifer Nzeza.
Part of the plaque will contain a quote said daily by Smith. It reads, "Always do your best." It's a message that Gilbert said everyone can learn from.
"When a child walks up and comes to school here in the morning and they see that and read that I hope it gives them some type of encouragement to go and have a good day at school," Gilbert said.
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