The Hall County School District held a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday for its newest elementary school. Sandra Dunagan Deal Elementary is scheduled to open its doors to students and staff in the fall of 2024.
Named after the late First Lady of Georgia, Sandra Dunagan Deal Elementary will be located on Ramsey Road off Highway 365. It will replace Riverbend and White Sulphur Elementary Schools. When completed, the school will have the capacity to serve up to 1000 students.
Deal served as a teacher for the Hall County School District for many years, including serving at Tadmore Elementary, North Hall High School, and North Hall Middle School. Later, as First Lady, she was a staunch advocate for students and childhood literacy. She crisscrossed the state of Georgia reading to students in every school district, much of that time while battling cancer.
Deal passed away on August 23, 2022.
Governor Nathan Deal and his family attended the groundbreaking ceremony, along with representatives from the Hall County School District, Carroll Daniel Construction, the University of North Georgia, Lanier Technical College, Brenau College, local industry, and government. Members of East Hall High School’s graduating class of 1960, classmates of Mrs. Deal, were also present.
Third-grade students from both Riverbend and White Sulphur Elementary schools–future students of Sandra Dunagan Deal Elementary–took part in the ceremony, as did the principals from both schools.
Superintendent Will Schofield and members of the board of education presented Governor Deal and the Deal family with a plaque and commemorative shovels to mark the occasion.
