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An educator is showing a group of young students something on a story trail during an outdoor class in a wooded area.

Red Smith School Agriscience Teacher Sarah Valentine had a vision for a story trail in the woods near Red Smith School to promote outdoor exploration and literacy for students and families.

Through a grant she received from the Green Bay Area Public Schools Education Foundation and with the assistance of the Green Bay Conservation Corps and the Green Bay Parks Department, that vision has become a reality.

The Story Trail consists of 18 sign posts spread along the 1/2 mile loop. Each sign holds a page spread from the story so you can read the story as you walk the trail. The first story presented is "Wonder Walkers" by Micha Archer. The grant provided funding to change out the story throughout the year. 

The Green Bay Conservation Corps was responsible for clearing seven acres of invasive buckthorn from the area, and mulched the ½ mile trail. In addition, they worked with the Girl Scout Troop 4536 in the placement of the benches the troop helped create. The City of Green Bay Parks Department staff was responsible for the signposts.

A Red Smith School kindergarteners recently walked the trail and read the story and shared their observations with staff.

Click on the images below to see larger photos of their trail walk.

A group of children waiting in a line at an outdoor trail with two adults supervising, one adult at the front smiling broadly.
A teacher talks to a group of attentive children in a wooded area.
A group of children on a sunny day, with one child in the foreground wearing a bright yellow Brazil soccer jersey and raising their hand.
Art installation featuring a landscape painting with overlaid text that reads: %22In the sun the world's light burnt.%22
Sign for the %22Red Smith Story Trail%22 inviting visitors to walk the trail and read along with the featured story, including logos for local community support at the bottom.
Children engaging with interactive educational boards outdoors.
Sign for the %22Red Smith Story Trail%22 inviting visitors to walk the trail and read along with the featured story, including logos for local community support at the bottom.
Person wearing a patterned shirt and an ID badge, smiling in a forest with autumn leaves.
Brass plaque on wooden surface stating %22Made by Girl Scout Troop 4536 2025.%22
 Conservation Corps Coordinator for the City of Green Bay Maria Otto interviewing for TV.
GBAPS Education Foundation Board Vice Chair Jill Thiede standing between a colorful bench and one of the story pages along the trail.
Close-up of a colorful wooden bench with each slat painted in different bright colors and words like %22How to Catch a RAINBOW%22 and %22The Lorax%22 written on them, situated in a natural setting.
A child in a denim jacket and glasses hugs a tree in a forest.
A child wearing a Nike 'Just Do It' t-shirt stands smiling in a forested area.
Two children play on a fallen log in a forest while another child and an adult watch from the side.
A child hugs a tree in a forest setting, wearing a bright pink t-shirt and smiling slightly at the camera. Another child is visible in the background, interacting with fallen logs.
A child views an information display in a wooded area.
Two children playing in the woods, both hugging trees of various sizes.
Sarah Valentine in a patterned shirt enthusiastically teaching young children from the story along the trail. The setting is a forest with sunlight filtering through the trees.
A teacher interacts enthusiastically with a group of students outdoors, all raising their hands joyfully.
An outdoor informational display featuring a colorful story book page, set along a forested path.
A person filming a child standing in a wooded area, near an informational sign. The child is wearing a pink shirt with a heart emblem.
Group of students looking attentively at an exhibit outdoors on the Red Smith trail.
An outdoor informational display featuring a colorful story book page, set along a forested path. A yellow arrow directs left on the path.
A teacher engaging with a group of young students during a nature walk, using an illustrated board to explain certain aspects of the forest environment.
A TV reporter, kneeling down and smiling, interviews a young student standing in a sunlit forest. Both are surrounded by trees and sunlight filters through the leaves.