Pinecrest student brings first permanent StoryWalk to Suwanee park

Families looking for a free, screen-free outing in Suwanee now have a new stop at PlayTowne Suwanee Park, where pages from children’s books line Brushy Creek Trail. The permanent StoryWalk opened there with a grand event at 425 Main Street, giving parents and children a place to read while they walk.

The project was built by Pinecrest Academy sophomore Shannon Kress as part of her Girl Scout Gold Award, a recognition that requires more than 80 hours of work and a sustainable Take Action project. Kress worked with the City of Suwanee and Gwinnett Public Libraries to create what the city calls the first permanent StoryWalk in Gwinnett County, making the trail feature more than a park decoration. It is a community literacy project designed to last.

At the April 26 opening, the city said the celebration included a ribbon cutting, refreshments and a co-host appearance by the mayor. Kress marked the launch of the trail after months of planning, research and setup tied to her Gold Award work.

StoryWalks combine the pages of a children’s book with an outdoor walking trail, and library guidance says the format helps children learn new words, describe what they see, follow a sequence and play with sounds and letters when they walk with a parent or caregiver. The idea was created by Anne Ferguson and later developed with Rachel Senechal and the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. Georgia public library leaders say the format encourages both reading and outdoor activity, two habits that have become harder to protect as children spend more time on screens and less time moving.

The Suwanee project also fits into a growing local pattern. Forsyth County opened its first StoryWalk at Haw Creek Park on May 1, 2019, after Leadership Forsyth raised $11,000 for the project. That trail featured Duck on a Bike by David Shannon, showing how the idea has already taken root in north Georgia.

For families in and around Forsyth County, the new Suwanee StoryWalk adds another nearby place where a park visit can also become a reading activity. With Kress’s Gold Award project now in place, Brushy Creek Trail has become part literacy stop, part exercise path, and part example of how one student can leave a permanent mark on a community.