Gainesville High School is known as the home of the Red Elephants, but another iconic symbol of school pride is the Gainesville rock that sits just across the street from the school.
WDUN recently spoke to Treasurer of the Gainesville City Board of Education and Gainesville High School 1970 graduate Sammy Smith to reminisce about the origins of the beloved tradition.
In 1966, the city began constructing what was then referred to as the West Bypass, which would connect Dixon Drive to Dawsonville Highway. The construction was for four lanes that ran between the high school and the lake, with a slight curve that was brought thanks to an unmovable boulder on the site.
The Contractor of the project decided to leave the rock be, but as it sat there, students began to innocently paint their names on it.
“It [The Rock] was an icon, a huge boulder in a grassy field, and with that smooth front edge, it just invited paint,” Smith recalled. “So the first few times, I think it was painted with just people's names, no message, just names.”
When school started back in the fall of 1967, students began expressing their creativity on the rock even more. The Community began to associate the rock with the school after GHS cheerleaders started using it to promote school spirit.
“The cheerleaders in the fall of ‘67, got the grand idea of putting spirit messages to begin with each week, because we played football, of course, each week,” Smith said. “And so, there was a different message that painting the rock became one of the chores of the cheerleaders.”
The Rock became so popular with the student body that on Oct. 27, 1967. The Gainesville City Council passed a resolution sponsored by Mayor John Cromartie that gave the ownership of The Rock to the GHS student body.
“The students became the number one, legal owners and number two, protectors and preservatives of the rock,” Smith explained.
For 56 years, The Rock has remained a symbol of school spirit, community, and positivity in Gainesville. Just like the school it represents, it is a tradition within itself.
Smith also explained why he believes that the community has held on to the tradition for decades:
“It has grown in stature through the years, it is truly iconic and it is indestructible. It's naturally, positive message board, which all of us enjoy.”
