Submitted Photo From left are Faith Militello, Gabriele Smith, Mrs. Sarah LoManto, Allison VanVlack, Jenna Howes, Alena Thomas

FORESTVILLE — As Forestville senior Gabrielle Smith will soon depart the town she’s grown up in, she wanted to find a way to give something back. And what she gave back was a labor of love that helps commemorate the memories she made at school, while also having potential to help her out in the future.

“One of the cafeteria leaders, Mrs. (Sarah) Lomanto, was hanging up fliers one day and I asked her what it’s for and she told me it was for a video contest for rural schools,” said Smith. “It really piqued my interest.”

Smith liked the idea of making a video, because most scholarship opportunities required written essays, which weren’t as appealing to her. From there, Smith ran with the idea. With the help of some of her friends, Smith used Forestville’s Spirit Week to get short clips of her classmates enjoying the festivities of the week. As Spirit Week came right before the school’s winter break, the events lined up perfectly in terms of both content and creation.

“Spirit Week came up in February before we were on break for a week, so it was the perfect time to do it,” said Smith. “Everyone was in a good mood and dressing up and having fun so throughout the week we recorded it and we had a lot of fun. I had my friends help and take videos, and during the week we had off, I made the video.”

While this video could earn Smith a $1,000 scholarship, that isn’t the reason Smith made the video. While she said the money would be nice and it would certainly go toward her education, Smith was just happy to give back to her hometown.

“Being a senior, I thought it was a nice little going away gift as I finish my time here,” said Smith. “I’ve been here since I was in Pre-K and I wanted to give something back. My intentions weren’t about money. If I win, that’s cool, but I thought it would be a fun thing to do that’s bigger than myself and I like doing that. It’s something to use my time in a good way, instead of focusing on negatives.”

As for where Smith is heading after graduating, she intends to go to West Virginia University to pursue a degree in Philosophy, and eventually wants to help people in whatever capacity she can.

“I spend a lot of my time reading books on Buddhist life and stuff like that,” said Smith. “I’m very into learning about truth and I want to help people who are suffering.”

To view the video Smith made, visit this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bm7tlHZR9Y