Bero’s cemetery cleanup, walk leads to ‘Gold’

Kati Bero is working for her Gold Award in Girl Scouts with a cleanup day and a historical character walk at Old Madison Cemetery on Mill Road. (CONTRIBUTED)

MADISON – Katherine ‘Kati’ Bero in Girl Scout Senior Troop 242 is earning her Gold Award with activities at Old Madison Cemetery on Mill Road.

“My project is a chance to help out in my community. Achieving the rank of Gold is so prestigious because very few projects progress to completion,” Bero said. Girl Scout’s Gold Award is equivalent to Boy Scouts’ Eagle rank.

A Bob Jones High School senior, Bero has aspired for ‘gold’ since joining Scouts as a five-year-old.

“Old Madison Cemetery is a beautiful piece of history. Most people pass frequently in their daily lives but few people actually pay attention,” Bero said.

For the cleanup on Sept. 26 from 1 to 3 p.m., Bero invites any residents to help her troop and Bob Jones students. Workers will collect litter, clean walkways, remove fallen tree limbs, trim shrubbery and gently clean some headstones and stone bordering family plots.

Bero also has organized a “historical cemetery walk” on Oct. 4 from 2 to 4 p.m., in collaboration with Madison Station Historical Preservation Society and John Rankin. Bero has recruited 16 fifth- and sixth-graders from Horizon Elementary School as actors.

“These children will dress in character portraying daughter/son or niece/nephew of an influential city business leader, founder, pioneer, judge or politician,” Bero said. Students will portray James E. Williams, Louise Collier, Christopher Gewin, George Sullivan, Oscar Sullivan, James Watkins, Martha Cartwright, Elizabeth Fletcher and Sara Chilton Pickette.

She acknowledged Rankin and the historical society for invaluable help. “I never would have put this together without their help.” Bero plans to lay flowers at each grave involved with the walk.

She will present her work as elementary curriculum to Madison Board of Education.

Her troop leaders are her mother Elizabeth Bero and Sherry Robinson.

At Bob Jones, Bero participates in National Honor Society, National Art Honor Society and Running Club.

Her parents are Carl and Elizabeth Bero. Her sister Carolyn Bero graduated from the University of Alabama. Brother Chris is a senior at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.