Dooly Co. assistant principal remembered through pond dedication

VIENNA, Ga. (WALB) - An educator out of Dooly County recently passed away, but her influence will live on the school grounds thanks to a pond that was dedicated to her.

“She was the type of person that always wanted you to do right, always wanted you to just be the best you can be. She opened my eyes to a lot of things,” Summer Cherry, Dooly County High School graduate said.

Carolyn Brooks was the assistant principal at Dooly Couty High school as well as the College and Career Academy CEO.

Throughout her 16 years at the school, she influenced many students, that’s why it took students, faculty and staff by storm when they found out she passed away from cancer in February.

Cherry said she was very close to Brooks and that she helped her improve her educational career for the better.

“I came a long way and it was definitely Ms. Brookes’ doing. It was her talks and everything else. Her encouraging me not to give up, it paid off because, in the end, I graduated with my class,” she said.

Now four months after her passing, Brooks will be remembered through a pond located on the school grounds.

Jerry Sanders, Dooly County High School principal, said the pond originally was an eye sore to the school but now serves as not only a place for students to learn but also to remember a beloved member of the school.

" Brooks will always be with us and we cemented that by naming the pond Brooks pond. The pond really shows how Brooks was very peaceful,” he said.

With help from the Agricultural department at Dooly County High School, the pond was beautified and now has benches for students to sit at. A sign donated by a local business also sits in front of the pond entrance.

Sanders said all the hard work put into the pond wouldn’t have been possible without efforts started by Brooks before she died.

“When I tell you she was a hard worker, that really is an understatement,” he said. “She worked up until two weeks before she passed. She was actually still working, so she just was a dedicated bobcat.”

Brooks will not only live on through the pond but also through her words.

“Ms. Brooks will lives on through me. One, I will never forget her saying if you put your mind to it, and you want to do something, you can do it,” Cherry said.

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