Georgiana School breaks ground on memorial trail

Published 9:00 am Saturday, October 26, 2024

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On Oct. 12, Georgiana School hosted an official groundbreaking ceremony for the Brenda Gruenewald Trail of Encouragement, honoring a beloved local educator who served the Butler County School System for 30 years. 

Brenda Gruenewald, a mother, grandmother and longtime advocate for the youth of Butler County, taught from 1973 to 2003. Her legacy was celebrated by family, friends and community members, including her two children, Monica Gruenewald Pate and Michael Gruenewald.

“Mom was born, raised, lived and died literally within a 10-mile radius of where we stand right now,” Michael Gruenewald said during the ceremony. “And she always loved Georgiana. Family and friends, faith and teaching were pretty much everything to her.”

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The idea for the trail was first introduced four years ago by Judy Smith, according to Georgiana Principal Deedra Benson. “Since that first conversation, we’ve expanded the idea to include even more things,” Benson said. “We ran into the issue of trying to get the funds to do certain things, but she (Judy Smith) was able to write a grant, and we were able to get some funds to get us started.”

The trail, which will serve as a calming and positive mental health retreat, is expected to open by the end of the school year. Benson noted that the trail’s completion will be an ongoing process, with plans to continue adding features, including a water element and benches along the mile-and-a-half path.

“There’s going to be some sensory things along the trail,” Benson said. “We’ve got some benches that we want to place throughout the trail and we’ve had several different ideas of how each little corridor will be set up.” 

She added that any donations to help the project would be appreciated, as Smith continues to organize the volunteer efforts.

Judy Smith hopes the trail will serve not only as a peaceful escape but also as an educational resource for students.

“Parts of the trail will be dedicated to physical fitness,” Smith said. “Every so often, there’ll be little signs that say things like, stop and do five jumping jacks. The forestry department is wanting to come in and maybe tag some trees with cards that say things like, ‘what is this type of tree and what can it be used for’.”

Smith added that the trail could also be used as an outdoor classroom, with plans to create lesson plans about Alabama’s native trees for different age groups.

Initial funding for the trail was provided through donations and grants from Pioneer Electric Cooperative’s Operation Roundup Foundation and the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.

For the Gruenewald family, the trail is a fitting tribute to Brenda’s love of nature and dedication to her students. 

“She was an advocate not only for her children but for things like Builders Club and having children participate in any activities that were related to nature,” Pate said. “I read a quote from her recently in her diary, that the thing that she looked forward to most was planting plants or flowers with her children.”

Reflecting on the trail’s significance, Michael Gruenewald added, “I don’t think that there’s anything that would have made her more proud. This is the way that she would want to be honored.”