Mrs. Valerie Brooks was born in Clayton Co., Georgia. She has been a teacher for several years at St. Joseph School. After graduating from high school at Pleasure Ridge Park, she received a B.A. in Biology with a concentration in Cellular and Molecular Biology from U. of L. and a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Bellarmine and a Rank II. She and her husband Ronnie have two daughters, Avery and Hadley. Her favorite activities are reading and shopping, Mrs. Brooks’ favorite vacation spot is DISNEYWORLD! Her favorite childhood memories include going to the beach with her father and spending the weekends with her grandparents in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Mrs. Brooks has been studying her family history and recently discovered that her grandfather is a full-blooded Cherokee Indian, while her maternal great-grandparents were part Cherokee. In the past, she had learned that her ancestors walked the Trail of Tears. She says, “The removal of Native Americans from their territories and how some live now is a story that sometimes saddens me.” Her favorite part of teaching is that every day is new and one never knows what to expect. Mrs. Brooks’ favorite quote is: “Train a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not turn from it.” Proverbs 22: 6