She’s beautiful and sweet — a 6-year-old first grader who giggles freely, even more so since she was on national television 11 days ago.

Yes, Beautiful Brooklyn tells her friends she feels like a movie star. And Brooklyn has another star to thank — her passionate, caring first-grade teacher.

“I had no idea how difficult teaching would be,” 28-year-old Emily Gilreath told me.

Emily graduated from Hubbertville High School in 2015.

“I went to ministry school and studied Christian leadership out of high school. I wanted to help people,” added Emily. “When I started teaching, I thought I could walk in a classroom and teach a few lessons, take the summer off. I learned quickly how demanding the job really is.”

The tornadoes of April 27, 2011 left mourning and loss. Pleasant Grove, Alabama, — a small town just southwest of Birmingham — was hit hard.

Thirteen lives were lost, and good people mourned. Fourteen years later, hard-working, blue-collar Pleasant Grove residents are in many ways still putting the pieces back together.

“We’re a Title I, high-needs school,” Pleasant Grove Elementary School principal Staci Lewis told me.

The 22 students in Emily Gilreath’s first-grade class are from various backgrounds. Some students need more direction than others.

“Emily is a high-level instructor,” said Lewis. “It’s one thing to love students and another to discipline them. Some students have more needs than others, and Emily knows the difference.”

“It was when the pandemic arrived when I decided to earn my master’s degree in elementary education,” Emily told me, “I always wanted to teach in a city school and make a difference. I thought my background in leadership could help me be a good teacher.”

It was just before Valentine’s Day when tears came to her eyes. The girls in Emily Gilreath’s class were abuzz, chatting about what they would wear to the Sneaker Ball, an annual after-school event where the boys and girls dress in their finest clothes and shiniest sneakers.

“The Sneaker Ball is a big thing at Pleasant Grove Elementary School,” Emily told me. “I saw Brooklyn crying as the girls were talking about their dresses and their sneakers. I asked Brooklyn why she was so sad.”

Some people are born to be teachers, while others need to learn. For Emily Gilreath, it has been a little bit of both.

In only her second year of teaching, Emily has learned how to form single relationships with each of her 22 students.

“If you can build relationships with each of the students, teaching is much easier,” said Emily. Said her principal, “Emily is a very self-aware teacher. If she has a question or a concern, she will go to our lead mentor and ask for advice.”

Emily Gilreath asked Brooklyn why she was crying. “She told me she was sad because she couldn’t go to the Sneaker Ball. She told me her mother had to work the day of the ball.” Beautiful Brooklyn was shattered. All her friends dressed up and ready to shine. Brooklyn unable to join them? Those tears were real.

Emily Gilreath has always had a heart for children. Emily called Brooklyn’s mother.

“Annie, would it be OK if I took Brooklyn to the ball?” she asked. “I’ll keep her after school for a few hours before the ball begins. I’ll bring her home afterwards.”

Emily Gilreath was ready to wipe Brooklyn’s tears away. “I thought it was such a great idea for Emily to take Brooklyn to the dance when I could not,” Brooklyn’s mom, Annie, told me.

Brooklyn’s hero had work to do. Emily called a fellow teacher, who donated one of her children’s dresses to Brooklyn.

And when the special day arrived?

Emily stayed after school and taught Brooklyn how to put on make-up. Emily gave Brooklyn tips on how to apply lipstick. She recorded a video and posted it on Tik-Tok.

The world took notice with over 600,000 views.

Emily Gilreath is all about providing core memories — those memories that are special and never forgotten, even decades later. A night of dancing and singing and fun and games was a memory Brooklyn will always remember.

“My daughter loves Ms. Gilreath so much. She talks about her all the time,” said Annie.

And the most amazing thing about creating those memories? Memories would be made for Ms. Gilreath, too.

“The Jennifer Hudson Show DMed me after their producers saw my video,” said Emily. “I ignored it for about a week, but they contacted me again and told me they wanted to fly me, Brooklyn and Annie out to Los Angeles to be on the show.

“I told them, ‘You mean you want to fly us from Birmingham, Alabama all the way to Los Angeles to be on national TV?’,” Emily asked.

Start up the jet.

Just over a month ago, on April 15, the trio found themselves on a three-day excursion.

The excitement was indescribable, starting with the journey west. Brooklyn posed for pictures in the cockpit, and back in her seat when the engines roared, she was officially on her first flight.

“Brooklyn was a bit teary-eyed when her ears popped, but she had a fabulous flight,” said Emily. Heads up, Hollywood. The 205 was headed your way!

After landing, more core memories would be planted.

Emily Brooklyn and Brooklyn’s mom posed in front of the iconic Hollywood sign. They were whisked to the Warner Brothers studios, where a placard reading “Emily and Brooklyn” was placed on their dressing room door. And before they knew it, the duo from Pleasant Grove, Alabama, was chatting with Jennifer Hudson and being applauded by a studio audience under the bright lights of Tinseltown.

Yes, Emily is all about core memories, and as the “Emily and Brooklyn” episode aired nationally 11 days ago, it was Emily who also absorbed lifetime memories. The 28-year-old second-year teacher escorted Brooklyn to the Sneaker Ball, she flew to Los Angeles, appeared on national TV and received a $10,000 check from Paper Mate to help buy school supplies.

The moral of this story? Teachers are the best, and the best of the best pour out their hearts to each and every one of their students, forming single relationships with each.

“This experience has reminded me that everything I do — every single action I take — makes a difference in the life of a child,” said Emily.

Brooklyn is now a rock star at Pleasant Grove Elementary School. So, too, is Emily Gilreath.

“Teaching is Emily’s calling,” said Principal Lewis. “You can see how special Emily is by the way she operates. She always wants to do more for her students.”

And Beautiful Brooklyn?

“She was so excited when she learned she was going to the dance,” said her mom.

“We were also excited when we flew to Los Angeles until our ears popped,” she chuckled.

And so goes the amazing adventure of Emily and Brooklyn.

An adventure that brought happy, wonderful memories.

Memories that may never be trumped.

Memories that will never be forgotten.

*Rick Karle, who writes a weekly ‘Good News’ story, is a 25-time Emmy winner and a 43-year veteran of broadcast news who has lived and worked in Alabama for 35 years. You can find his work on Facebook at Rick Karle Good News. Send your story suggestions to: [email protected]