GAINESVILLE, GA. – Hall County School District (HCSD) officially cut the ribbon for the Sandra Dunagan Deal Elementary School (SDDES) this week during the Hall County School Board’s regularly scheduled meeting. Former Governor Nathan Deal, community members, and Hall County Schools officials and students were present to dedicate SDDES, paying tribute to the life of its namesake, former First Lady of Georgia Sandra Dunagan Deal.
Sandra Deal, a Gainesville native and pillar of the Hall County community, graduated from East Hall High School and dedicated 15 years to teaching at three different schools within the district. Both during and after her tenure as Georgia’s first lady, she was known for her tireless advocacy for children’s literacy.
Former Governor Deal stated it was special for his wife’s school to be part of the district that was such a big part of her life. At the ceremony, he shared anecdotes about Sandra, mentioning that she often chided him because his career limited her time as a classroom teacher to 15 years. However, that didn’t stop her; despite having four children at home, she substituted in schools so frequently that it was as if she were working full-time.
“Education is important to all of us,” Nathan Deal said, “and we are fortunate when we find good teachers, we find good academic leaders and when we find a community that embraces the importance of education, and this community has done that. Thank you so much for this honor, and we will always be appreciative of it.”
HCSD Superintendent Will Schofield also shared remarks about Sandra Deal’s impact not only locally but across the state and nation.
“Sandra Dunagan Deal: a grandmother, a friend, an advocate for children, not only the children in her midst but the children across this entire state and nation,” he said. “She had this incredible gift … of making everybody feel heard, feeling validated, feeling like they had value, which they do, and I always admired that so much.”
During the ceremony, a portrait of Sandra Deal was unveiled, which will proudly hang in the front lobby of the school in her memory. Painted by Travis Massey, the artwork portrays Sandra reading to a group of children, honoring her dedication to promoting literacy in Georgia.
The new 133,000 SF facility opened in August and replaced White Sulphur and Riverbend Elementary Schools in Hall County. As part of a larger construction plan to build four new schools to replace seven existing ones, SDDES represents a pivotal milestone in advancing educational infrastructure within the community. SDDES is the first of two consolidated schools in the county, with construction in progress for Everwood Elementary School, which will merge McEver Arts Academy and Oakwood Elementary School.
Carroll Daniel Construction was honored to continue its strong partnership with HCSD to build the first two of the new schools.