School news

Scott Crain, parent mentor for Hall County schools, was recently awarded the Phil Pickens Parent Mentor Leadership Award at the Parent Mentor Partnership fall conference in Cordele. Presented each year, the Phil Pickens Award acknowledges the hard work and dedication of a special education administrator or parent mentor. The award is named for the late Phil Pickens, former special education director for Georgia and founder of the Georgia Parent Mentor Partnership.

School news

Seventh-graders at Chestatee Middle School were able to hear about careers of some local professionals during the school's recent Careers in the Classroom day. Volunteers who spoke to students about their professions included state Sen. Lee Hawkins, nurse practitioner Maggie Payne, Beth Baldwin, a financial adviser and Jean Werner, a flight attendant. Other careers represented included a crime scene specialist for the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, a travel agent and a firefighter. The ...

Good news

Amy Brown, a student at North Georgia College & State University in Dahlonega, was recently crowned Miss Hall County at the Miss Hall County/Miss Flowery Branch pageant sponsored by Fifth Row Center.

School news

Barbara Dooley, author, philanthropist and wife of former University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley, recently read from her husband's newest book to a third-grade class at New Holland Core Knowledge Academy in Gainesville. Vince Dooley's book, "Hairy Dawg Journeys through the Peach State," uses Georgia's tourist attractions and geography as a teaching tool.

Uniform news

When Richard Cassity Stargel Jr. graduated from boot camp this summer at Parris Island, S.C., he made the Stargels a three-generation Marine Corps family. His father, Gainesville High School graduate Rick Stargel, served as a captain in the Marines and his grandfather, Joe H. Stargel, former mayor of Gainesville, is a retired lieutenant colonel of the Marines. Richard's grandmother is Gainesville author Gloria Cassity Stargel, whose writings often include stories from experiences as a Marine ...

Good news

Gainesville High School's construction class recently constructed a roofed structure on the playground of First Presbyterian Church's Child Development Center to house tricycles and other riding toys. Materials for the construction were donated in memory of Wanda Love Collins by her family and friends. Darrell Lucas, teacher of the construction class at Gainesville High, directed the work.

School news

Local author Brad Strickland recently visited eighth-graders at East Hall Middle School. Strickland, author of more than 60 books for children and young adults, spoke to the students as part of their study of literature written by Georgia authors. Strickland explained to the students how he finds inspiration for his books in his everyday life. He also had one-on-one conversations with students and signed autographs, and he donated multiple signed copies of his books to ...

Good news

The Longstreet Clinic recently held its first United Way Chili Cook-Off to raise money for its 2009 campaign. All physicians and staff were encouraged to submit their chili, as well as their best corn bread and cookie recipes. A total of 27 crock pots of chili were submitted, as well as two tables of various corn breads and cookies. At the end of the day, more than 125 meals were served, raising $648 for the ...

School news

Lanier Elementary School's fifth-grade students recently celebrated their reading goals with certificates and free meal tokens to Texas Roadhouse. The students are working to read 1 million words by the end of the school year.

Good news

Twenty-five contestants competed in the seventh annual Miss Falcon Pageant held Oct. 4 at Flowery Branch High School. Each grade level competed in formal wear. The senior class competed for the title of Miss Falcon in the areas of formal wear, talent and on-stage interview. Pageant Director Stacie Mavis organized the show and her husband Bryan Mavis served as the master of ceremonies.

School news

Students at Fair Street International Baccalaureate World School recently held a bake sale to benefit Heifer Project International, an organization that provides animals to communities in third-world countries to help the people there become self-sustaining. The students raised more than $300, which will be used to help purchase a sheep and some rams to help families in Romania use livestock to earn income. The families can also pass on the gift of the animals' ...

Good news

Brenau University students, faculty and staff recently dedicated a plaque commemorating the university's first multidiscipline course in environmental sustainability at the site on the Gainesville campus where students recently planted a small group of trees, as part of the project. The semester-long seminar examines all aspects of environmental sustainability from philosophical and religious responsibility to bottom-line business practicality. It included students' getting to the roots of the issue by planting some new trees on the ...

Uniform news

Disabled American Veterans are in desperate need of van drivers in Gainesville. The job involves driving from Gainesville to the Veterans Hospital in Decatur. Rides leave at 7 a.m. and return around noon. Due to fewer drivers, trips have been reduced to three days a week. Volunteers must have a clean driving record and pass a physical at the Veterans Administration to qualify. For more information, call van coordinator Norman Coursey after 9 a.m. at 678-965-4717.

Good news

The North Hall Community Education Foundation has made $5,000 donations to each of the five North Hall-area schools: North Hall High School, North Hall Middle School, Mount Vernon Elementary School, Riverbend Elementary School and Wauka Mountain Elementary School.

Uniform news

Kevin Grubb, a 2005 graduate of Chestatee High School, recently completed basic training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot in Parris Island, S.C. Grubb will report to Camp LeJeune, N.C., for Marine combat training before leaving for advanced training in Pensacola, Fla.He is the son of David and Eva Grubb of Gainesville.

School News

Three local students honored at Young Harris College event

YOUNG HARRIS - Young Harris College is pleased to announce Kendra Lynne Cowart of Murrayville, Mason David Mitcham of Bremen and John Howard Ross of Gainesville received awards April 21 at the 2013 honors ceremony at Susan B. Harris Chapel on the YHC campus.

Hall County seniors earn GeorgiaBEST certification

Exactly 120 Hall County seniors participating in the Work-Based Learning Program at their respective high schools have earned their GeorgiaBEST (Business Ethics Student Training) certification.

Good News

Kangaroo Express operated by The Pantry Inc., recently announced its Florida and select Georgia and South Carolina stores have raised more than $453,000 for Give Kids The World Village, a 70-acre, nonprofit "storybook" village in central Florida that provides cost-free, weeklong vacations for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families.

Marketing students recognized at international conference

Students from Chestatee, East Hall, Flowery Branch and the Lanier Charter Career Academy recently attended the International DECA Conference in Anaheim, Calif. More than 16,000 students from around the world competes in marketing-based events.

School News

Hanh Nguyen, a 2013 graduate of West Hall High School in Oakwood, has been awarded a scholarship from the Baldor Electric Company Foundation for the 2013-14 school year.

Dean's, President's and Merit List honorees for fall 2012 semester

The following local students completed courses with exemplary marks and made the President's and Dean's List for 2012 fall semester at Gainesville State College in Oakwood.