Cecily Gruener

Cecily moved to the Asheville area from Durham, North Carolina, to attend Warren Wilson College, where she studied sociology and anthropology. All throughout Cecily’s college career, she took an interest in working in early childhood education before finding an additional passion in mental health and striving for a holistic balance within teaching and the mental health field. Cecily has had many different roles working with students K-12 and defines the word “teacher” as “intentional, lifelong learner.”

During her time at Warren Wilson College, Cecily took advantage of the study abroad program and went to Indonesia, where she learned the art of shadow puppetry, traditional Javanese and Balinese dance, and how to play “gamelan,” which is a traditional Indonesian musical ensemble made up of different kinds of percussion instruments. Cecily also had the experience of running away from a group of monkeys in Indonesia’s “Monkey Forest” in an attempt to save the lunch she had just bought (she did not eat lunch that day).

Cecily is not the biggest fan of monkeys; however, she does love most animals. Cecily has three dogs, a cat, and too many chickens to count (although all of them have names). Cecily found “home” in Canton, North Carolina, with her husband, Eli, and all their beloved animals. When she is not teaching, you can find Cecily hiking the Blue Ridge Parkway, playing bluegrass and blues guitar with Eli while he plays harmonica, or in the depths of Sweeten Creek Antiques, trying to find hidden treasure within the assortment of old objects.