Lula Elementary fifth-grader Madison Saxon won the Georgia Department of Agriculture's Annual Agriculture Day essay contest. Fifth-grader Carli Echols was awarded an honorable mention. Both are students of Vickie Savage and entered the contest as part of a class writing assignment. The topic was "Young People in Agriculture: Learning, Doing, Dreaming."

Sixth-graders from Gainesville Middle School’s EarthQuest Academy recently conducted a park cleanup as part of Earth Day activities. EarthQuest students follow a program that focuses on environmental awareness and the importance of conservation.

North Hall High School senior Jenny Mancin recently was honored with the President's Volunteer Service Award from the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation. This annual award is given to one individual per state, and is given for completing 100 or more hours of volunteer service; Mancin has logged more than 500 at Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville.

Branson Long, son of Guy and Betty Long of Gainesville, received his doctorate in history from Indiana University in December 2007. Long is a 1993 graduate of North Hall High School, and is a history professor at Georgia Highlands College in Rome.